Gerald Freedman News

In one of the most exciting theater events of the current season, The Year of Magical Thinking, the stage adaptation of Joan Didion's bestselling memoir, has its Connecticut premiere at TheaterWorks. One of the true luminaries of American theater, Annalee Jefferies, stars in this recent Broadway hit, which will be directed by Steve Campo. The production runs April 17 through May 24, 2009 at TheaterWorks in downtown Hartford's City Arts on Pearl at 233 Pearl Street. (The play opens to press Friday, April 24 at 8 p.m.)

Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, today announced casting for the world premiere production of the musical Giant by composer Michael John LaChiusa and playwright Sybille Pearson.

Charles Fee, Producing Artistic Director of Great Lakes Theater Festival (GLTF), announced plans for the company's ambitious forty-eighth season to Festival Members earlier this week. Scheduled to run from September through May, GLTF's 2009-10 season will feature a Fall Repertory, the Festival's annual holiday classic and a Spring Repertory. In the fall (September 24-November 1, 2009), the Festival will present Rupert Holmes' Tony Award-winning solve-it-yourself musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Drood) in rotating repertory with Shakespeare's enchanting comedy, Twelfth Night. GLTF's annual production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic, A Christmas Carol (December 4-December 23, 2009), originally adapted and directed by Gerald Freedman, will mark the midpoint of the Festival's 48th season. GLTF will round out its 2009-10 season with a Spring Repertory (April 8-May 16, 2010) by pairing Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming's outrageous Off-Broadway hit Bat Boy: The Musical with Shakespeare's magical masterpiece, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

What better for the month of love than a musical love story? Sunday in the Park with George opens Friday, Feb. 20, at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George is a complex work that revolves around 19th century French painter George Seurat, who founded the neo-Impressionist art of Pointillism.

OBERON THEATRE ENSEMBLE is pleased to announce Winter Rep 2009, celebrating the company?s 12th Anniversary Repertory Season. The company will be presenting William Shakespeare?s Much About Nothing in conjunction with the series called, American Rapture, which includes Hello Out There by William Saroyan and world premiere plays by Alex Dinelaris (nominated Lucile Lortel/Drama Desks).

OBERON THEATRE ENSEMBLE is pleased to announce Winter Rep 2009, celebrating the company?s 12th Anniversary Repertory Season. The company will be presenting William Shakespeare?s Much About Nothing in conjunction with the series called, American Rapture, which includes Hello Out There by William Saroyan and world premiere plays by Alex Dinelaris (nominated Lucile Lortel/Drama Desks).

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with 'I Love My Wife' with book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, December 2 to 14 at the Brentwood Theatre. Lea Thompson and Patrick Cassidy join Vicki Lewis and Jason Alexander. 'I Love My Wife' will be directed by Larry Moss with choreography by Lee Martino and music direction by Michael Skloff.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with 'I Love My Wife' with book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, December 2 to 14 at the Brentwood Theatre.

A special performance of 'Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again' by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA.

The 2008-2009 Reprise Theatre Company season continues with 'I Love My Wife' with book and lyrics by Michael Stewart and music by Cy Coleman, December 2 to 14 at the Brentwood Theatre.

A special performance of 'Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again' by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA.

Barrington Stage Company Board President Mary Ann Quinson and Artistic Director Julianne Boyd announce that Richard M. Parison, Jr. has been named Barrington Stage's new Producing Director. Richard assumes this new leadership position on September 15, 2008 after acting as Associate Producer for the 2008 summer season.

Lea Thompson and Patrick Cassidy join Vicki Lewis and Jason Alexander.

It was announced today that the upcoming previously announced revival of West Side Story will begin previews on February 23, 2009 with an official opening slated for March 19, 2009.

WEST SIDE STORY, the landmark American musical, will return to Broadway in a new production directed by two-time Tony Award winning librettist Arthur Laurents.

The Public Theater's former Artistic Producer Rosemarie Tichler will host a discussion with acclaimed director Gerald Freedman and Tony Award-winning playwright John Guare entitled 'Looking At The Early Years of the Public Theater.' The discussion will look back at a time of explosive creativity and artistic development in the early years of The Public Theater and Joe Papp's dedication to supporting the work of new playwrights. The discussion will immediately follow the Friday, February 22, 8PM. performance of Adrienne Kennedy's new play Mom, How Did You Meet The Beatles?, the inaugural production of the PUBLIC LAB series.

The North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA), one of the premier arts conservatories in the United States, will present a new production of West Side Story to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the work

A new production of the Bernstein classic will open in May

The North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA), one of the premier arts conservatories in the United States, will present a new production of West Side Story to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the work.

Megan Dodds will reprise her role in the American premiere of the award-winning Royal Court Theatre production of My Name is Rachel Corrie