Gina Gionfriddo News

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, proudly announces the sixth and final production of its upcoming 2009/2010 Season, as well as additional casting. Presented at the theater company's home at 416 West 42nd Street, the new production will be: A COOL DIP IN THE BARREN SAHARAN CRICK - the World Premiere of a new play by Playwrights Horizons alumna Kia Corthron (Breath, Boom at Playwrights Horizons, Force Continuum), directed by Obie Award winner Chay Yew (Durango at The Public). A co-production with The Play Company (Kate Loewald, Founding Producer) and Culture Project (Allan Buchman, Artistic Director).

Outer Critics Circle, the organization of writers and commentators for all media covering New York theatre, is proud to announce Tyne Daly, Donna Murphy and the cast of 'The Norman Conquests' will serve as presenters at the organization's 59th Annual Award ceremony on Thursday, May 21st (4PM) at Sardi's Restaurant (234 West 44th Street).

Two Obie Award-winning theater companies -- The Play Company and Ma-Yi Theater -- collaborate to present the New York premiere of Lloyd Suh's new play AMERICAN HWANGAP, previews began May 9, prior to an official press opening tonight, May 17 Off-Broadway at The Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street) in Manhattan. Trip Cullman directs an ensemble cast featuring some of the country's most accomplished Asian American actors, including James Saito (TV's 'Eli Stone' and Obie winner for DURANGO), Michi Barall (Charles Mee's QUEENS BOULEVARD), Mia Katigbak (DOGEATERS), Peter Kim (THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE), and Hoon Lee (YELLOWFACE).

The Huntington Theatre Company announces today that Arthur Miller's Tony Award winner ALL MY SONS and Craig Lucas' modern classic PRELUDE TO A KISS will complete its 2009-2010 Season, creating a bold, diverse, and entertaining lineup of American stories. David Esbjornson, Miller's last living director, helms All My Sons; Huntington Theatre Company Artistic Director Peter DuBois will direct Prelude to a Kiss.

Following a critically acclaimed season which included the Pulitzer Prize finalist Becky Shaw and the Broadway transfer of its musical hit Next to Normal, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) has announced three of the four plays scheduled for its upcoming 31st Season.

Outer Critics Circle, the organization of writers and commentators for all media covering New York theatre announced today its award winners for the 2008-09 season in 23 categories.

Two Obie Award-winning theater companies -- The Play Company and Ma-Yi Theater -- will collaborate this spring to present the New York premiere of Lloyd Suh's new play AMERICAN HWANGAP, with previews to begin May 9, prior to an official press opening May 17 Off-Broadway at The Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street) in Manhattan. Trip Cullman directs an ensemble cast featuring some of the country's most accomplished Asian American actors, including James Saito (TV's 'Eli Stone' and Obie winner for DURANGO), Michi Barall (Charles Mee's QUEENS BOULEVARD), Mia Katigbak (DOGEATERS), Peter Kim (THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE), and Hoon Lee (YELLOWFACE).

BroadwayWorld Presents The 2009 Tony Award Nominees: 'Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play'

The Wilma Theater announced the Philadelphia Premiere of Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo as the fourth play selected for its 2009-2010 Season at the theater's 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Friday night. The Gala celebrated co-Artistic Directors Blanka Zizka and Jiri Zizka's 30th Year at the Wilma and honored board chair Peggy Greenawalt with the 'Wilma Star Award' for her service to the Wilma Board, including four years as Chair.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) presents EVERYDAY RAPTURE, written by Dick Scanlan (Tony nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Sherie Rene Scott (Tony nominee for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), with musical supervision by Tom Kitt(Next to Normal, High Fidelity), directed by Michael Mayer (Tony Award winner for Spring Awakening). Previews began on Tuesday, April 7; the opening took place last night, Sunday, May 3, 2009. BroadwayWorld.com's cameras were there to capture all the celebrating!

Awards were handed out for 14 categories and 2 special awards are announced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year?s ceremony benefits The Actors Fund. A list of nominees follows below.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) presents EVERYDAY RAPTURE, written by Dick Scanlan (Tony nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Sherie Rene Scott (Tony nominee for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), with musical supervision by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, High Fidelity), directed by Michael Mayer (Tony Award winner for Spring Awakening). Previews began on Tuesday, April 7; opening night is tonight Sunday, May 3, 2009.

Nominations for the 54th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club by Faith Prince and Jim Dale, multi-award winning stage stars. They were joined for the announcement by William Wolf, Drama Desk President, Barbara Siegel, Chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee, Robert R. Blume, Executive Producer of the Drama Desk Awards ceremony, and Randie Levine-Miller, Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk.

the stageFARM's production of The Gingerbread House by Mark Schultz officially opened at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (224 Waverly Place) on Saturday evening, April 18th at 8 p.m.

Based on a recommendation by the OCC Executive Committee, Special Achievement Awards will be given to David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish for their performances in 'Billy Elliot the Musical' and an Outstanding Ensemble Performance Award will be bestowed to the full cast of 'The Norman Conquests' (Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root).

For this one-night-only event, Broadway performers will join the 2ST Board of Trustees to perform 'The Quest for Fame,' featuring the Great White Way's best show-stopping numbers in this spring gala benefit for the acclaimed off-Broadway theatre company.

stageFARM (Carrie Shaltz, Founder/Executive Director and Alex Kilgore, Artistic Director) announced the complete cast for the upcoming World Premiere The Gingerbread House by Mark Schultz, directed by Alex Kilgore. Performances were set to begin Friday, April 11th, but the first few previews were delayed and the production starts this evening Monday April 13th as a visiting production at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (224 Waverly Place). Opening Night is set for Saturday evening, April 18th at 8 p.m.

On Monday, April 13, 2009, The 24 Hour Company will team with the Exchange to produce The 24 Hour Musicals at The Gramercy Theatre (127 East 23rd Street, between Park and Lexington Aves). Presented in association with New York Magazine, four brand new musicals will be written, cast, rehearsed and performed in a single day, featuring an star-studded line up of Broadway performers, composers, writers, directors, choreographers and musical directors.

Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg's Our Mother's Brief Affair will receive its World Premiere at South Coast Repertory as part of the theater's 12th annual Pacific Playwrights Festival. Commissioned by SCR and directed by Pam MacKinnon, Our Mother's Brief Affair will run April 3 through May 3, 2009 on the Segerstrom Stage. Low-priced previews are available from April 3 through April 9.

The Huntington Theatre Company announces today its 2009-2010 Season. The bold, diverse, and entertaining lineup includes the return of August Wilson's voice to his artistic home at the Huntington with the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning 'Fences.' It will be coupled with a spring production of Huntington Playwriting Fellow Lydia R. Diamond's groundbreaking new play 'Stick Fly,' uniting the great African-American voice of the Huntington and American theatre's past with a thrilling and incisive new voice.