Helen Hayes News

Westport Country Playhouse will reunite six audience favorites---playwright Alan Ayckbourn, director John Tillinger, and cast members Paxton Whitehead, Cecilia Hart, Geneva Carr and Carson Elrod---in the classic comedy, 'How the Other Half Loves,' playing July 28 through August 15.

Pittsburgh CLO and Nederlander Alliances, LLC. will present The , celebrating excellence in high school musical theater programs nationally, at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, NYU (566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South) on Monday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m.

Small Pond Entertainment and Stephanie Rosenberg bring Broadway Meows: a benefit concert for the Humane Society of New York to Don't Tell Mama, one night only, Monday, July 20th at 7pm.

Fresh from his acclaimed stint as Jordan 'Bick' Benedict in the Signature Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Giant, Lewis Cleale has returned to the role of El Gallo in The Fantasticks. He previously played the role from September 2008 through March 2009. Addi McDaniel will join the cast as Luisa on Monday, June 29, 2009. They replace, respectively, Bradley Dean and Ramona Mallory.

North Shore Music Theatre is pleased to announce that it will join 15 other professional theater organizations from 11 states participating in the first annual presentation of The Jimmy Awards, to be held in New York City on Monday, June 29 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is pleased to announce that they will join 15 other professional theater organizations from 11 states participating in the first annual presentation of The Jimmy Awards, to be held in New York City on Monday, June 29 at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company closes its 29th Season, 2008-09, with the World Premiere of Fever/Dream by Sheila Callaghan, author of Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) and the recent Off-Broadway hit That Pretty Pretty; or The Rape Play. Directed by Woolly Mammoth Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz, the cast features Woolly Mammoth Company Member Jessica Frances Dukes, Kimberly Gilbert, Kate Eastwood Norris, and Michael Willis, with Daniel Eichner, Drew Eshelman, and KenYatta Rogers.

Variety is reporting that Two-time Tony winner Judith Ivey will reprise her much-praised performance in Tennessee Williams' 'The Glass Menagerie' next spring Off-Broadway.

The ETC Theatre Company and Encore Entertainment Productions Proudly Present REED IN THE WIND An Unusual Irish Love Story, Written by JOE MCDONALD. Starring HEATHER SNOW CLARK, NIC TYLER*, DOUGLAS B. GIORGIS*, BOB ADRIAN* *Performing courtesy of Actors? Equity Association. AEA approved Showcase.

Alley Theatre will produce the Sherlock Holmes Mystery The Crucifer of Blood during its popular ExxonMobil Summer Chills series. The perfect summer outing for Houstonians seeking a cool respite from the summer heat, ExxonMobil Summer Chills is a great way to introduce live theatre to first-timers, giving them an opportunity to thrill in suspenseful moments and unexpected revelations.

Virginia Stage Company (VSC) is proud to announce the launch of American Soil, a multi-year new play project that will dig into the cultural and historical foundations of Hampton Roads. The Company will commission and produce a wide range of plays that explore the rich layers of 'earth' this community is built upon; layers that act as markers of our progress - spanning race and religion, commerce, democracy and beyond.

Synetic Theater is thrilled to announce its upcoming season- a diverse tapestry of classic tales. This season, Synetic will feature four thrilling main stage productions, treating audiences to its rich synthesis of movement, dance, text, and music; first, with a revival and startling revision of their acclaimed adaptation of Bram Stoker's legendary Dracula, followed by a new installment in their 'Silent Shakespeare' series, Antony and Cleopatra, as part of our contribution to Washington's renowned Shakespeare Theatre Company's leadership repertory-a first-ever collaboration in Synetic history.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents the New York premiere of the new musical The Tin Pan Alley Rag, written by Mark Saltzman, with Music & Lyrics by Irving Berlin & Scott Joplin, directed by Stafford Arima.

Two local winners in Starlight Theatre's 2009 Blue Star Awards competition depart this week on a five-day journey to New York City, where they'll participate in the first annual National High School Musical Theater Awards. Johnson Countians Samantha Steinmetz, 18, and Keegan Rice, 17, are among 32 teens who will compete for The Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and Best Performance by an Actor.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films and Old Vic Productions in association with Weinstein Live Entertainment announced today that Will Chase has joined the cast of BILLY ELLIOT in the role of ?Tony,' Billy's older brother. Chase will begin performances on Tuesday, July 7th.

SPEECH & DEBATE plays at the Unicorn Theatre and runs June 12th through July 12th with previews on June 10th and 11th

Mauckingbird Theatre Company will present John Logan's remarkable crime drama, Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, directed by Mauckingbird Artistic Director Peter Reynolds. The company's fourth production follows Mauckingbird's lesbian adaptation of Hedda Gabler (2009) and the critically acclaimed all-male versions of The Misanthrope (2008) and Shakespeare's R & J (2008).

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) has announced the New York premiere of Theresa Rebeck's new comedy The Understudy, directed by Scott Ellis with Tony Award winner Julie White as 'Roxanne'.

Rich Affannato in association with Meri Krassner will present a special invitational reading of the new musical, CALIGULA, with book, music & lyrics by Eric Svejcar, for two performances on Monday, July 13 and Tuesday, July 14 at 3 p.m. at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

The course of true love never did run smooth, Lysander tells his distraught lover Hermia at the beginning of A Midsummer Night?s Dream. Mischief, mayhem, moonbeams, and magic potions abound as four young Athenian lovers encounter more than they imagined possible in one of Shakespeare?s best known romantic comedies.