Jay Michaels News

Common Ground, the new musical by Granville Wyche Burgess and Stan Wietrzychowsk, tells the yet-untold story of what really necessitated the Emancipation Proclamation. This special book-in-hand presentation, will be Monday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m. at The Actors Temple, 339 West 47th Street, NYC. Common Ground begins with a veiledly racist President Lincoln, carrying a country-at-war on his back, deliberating on how to make peace with his foes and forge an alliance with the formidable Frederick Douglass.

Sara Koviak, Francesco Andolfi, and James B Kennedy - all alumni of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity - will star in Jose Rivera's new play, Lovesong (Imperfect) running February 8 - 22 at The Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E 14th Street, New York City. Previews are Sat, 2/8 @ 7:30 p.m.; Sun, 2/9 @ 5 p.m.; Mon, 2/10 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tues, 2/11 @ 7:30 p.m.; opening Sat, 2/15 @ 7:30 p.m.; and running Sun, 2/16 @ 5 p.m.; Mon, 2/17 @ 7:30 p.m.; Tues, 2/18 @ 7:30 p.m.; closing on Sat, 2/22 @ 7:30 p.m.

Dana Lee Block opens-up about her brother, Marc, in MONKEY MAN, a one-person show Saturday, November 2 @ 7:30 p.m., as part of the 10th annual UNITED SOLO THEATRE FESTIVAL on Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street, New York City.

It takes a village to create a masterpiece. OBIE Winner, José Rivera ('Marisol' and 'References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot'), premieres another powerful stage-work at the East Village's arts haven, The theater at the 14th Street Y.

OBIE Winner, José Rivera ('Marisol' and 'References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot'), premieres another powerful stage-work: Lovesong (Imperfect), running February 8 - 22 at the Theater at the 14th Street Y, 344 E 14th Street, New York City

On Monday, September 16, 2019, The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation announced the 2019 recipients at the annual Off-Off-Broadway IT Awards. For the past 15 years, the It Awards have celebrated the vibrant and creative indie theatre community under the dedicated leadership of Executive Directors Shay Gines and Nick Micozzi who are stepping down and at the ceremony introduced new leadership for the organization: Cat Parker, Artistic Director of Articulate Theatre Company; Ariel Estrada, Producing Artistic Director of Leviathan Lab Projects; and Jazmyn Arroyo, Co-Founding Artistic Director of Step 1 Theatre Project will join Akia Squiteri, Artistic Director of Rising Sun Performance Company as Directors of the organization.

TERROR TV has greenlit Council Tree Productions' 'TERROR TALK,' a monthly series of specials and the first original project for the burgeoning subscription service, the brainchild of producer and executive DARRIN RAMAGE (head of Acort International, a feature film distribution company and CEO of Arizona's Sun Studios0. The monthly 30-minute roundtable features a rotating cast of horror icons discussing not only all things horror and genre, but contemporary topics such as politics, violence in media, racism and gun violence in truth and fiction.

On Monday, July 29, 2019, The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, announced the 2019 nominees for the annual Off-Off-Broadway awards. The It Awards have celebrated the vibrant and creative theatre community for the past 15 years.  The official announcement took place at (Le) Poisson Rouge by six celebrated artists and producers from the community including: Jazmyn Arroyo, Jennifer Betite Yen, Iyvon Edebiri, Chris Ignacio, Ashley Rogers, and Erez Ziv.

On Monday, July 29, 2019, nominees were announced for The New York Innovative Theatre Awards, celebrating Off-Off-Broadway.

NO PEEKING THEATRE is planning its biggest event ... ever. 'The Shit Show' By Leelee Jackson is an immersive restructuring of the theatrical experience. Feeling the show NOT seeing it.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the June Panel, What It Takes to Run a Festival. (And What It Takes to Produce in One.) Thursday, June 13, 2019 at 7:30pm (networking at 7pm) at Polaris North Theatre, 245 W. 29th Street, 4th floor, NYC. This panel is free for TRU members; $12.50 for non-members in advance ($15 at door). Please reserve using the bright red reservation box at https://truonline.org/events/festivals-2/ or e-mail TRUStaff1@gmail.com.

Powerhouse play at a legendary theater. La MaMa presents a Planet Connections production of Alex Raid's exploration of the world of the millennial, The Floor is Lava.

La MaMa presents a Planet Connections production of Alex Raid's exploration of the world of the millennial, The Floor is Lava. A production directed by Glory Kadigan, revived and presented as part of the 57th season of LaMaMa - one of the original theaters of the Off-Off Broadway movement. Performing May 09 - May 19, 2019 at The Downstairs | 66 East 4th Street; Thursday to Saturday at 8PM; Sunday at 5PM; $25 Tickets; $20 Student/Senior Tickets. www.lamama.org or call 212-352-3101

Earlier this season Frank Calo and All Out Arts in conjunction with The Wild Project presented an LGBT Film Event as part of the Fresh Fruit Festival: a reading of Johnny B. Dunn's new screenplay, FREE RANGE.

Singer and performance artist, Mary Elizabeth Micari, aka Reverend Mary, returns to the premier cabaret theatre, Don't Tell Mama, for an encore performance of her acclaimed one-woman show, Lady in Black. The audience follows Rev. Mary on a musical journey spawned from a trip down memory lane thanks to her high school and college journals. Mary sings from her soul with a group of vintage noir-style tunes woven together to reveal the tale of a woman's journey to find herself.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces that Tony Award nominated Brenda Braxton joins the cast of the 2018 TRU Love Benefit, 'The Power of Community: Bringing People Together Through the Arts.' The event will honor legendary A Chorus Line co-star and co-founder of the National Asian Artists Project Baayork Lee, who will receive the TRU Spirit of Theater Award for a lifetime of creating opportunities for Asian artists; and off-off-Broadway maverick, creator of the former OOBR Awards and the Midtown International Theatre Festival, John Chatterton who will receive the TRU Entrepreneur Award for providing 17 years of developmental opportunities for a range of independent theater artists. It all takes place on Sunday, November 4, 2018 from 12pm-4pm at Caroline's on Broadway, 1626 Broadway, NYC.

Two-time Emmy Award winning actor Loretta Swit was made an Honorary Member of The Lambs in recognition for his outstanding career in television theater and film, and for her charitable work with multiple organizations and as an animal rights activist. Past honorees include Matthew Broderick, Jim Dale and the late Ken Howard.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the TRU Producer Boot Camp Essentials of Successful Self-Producing on Saturday, October 6, 2018 from 10:30am - 3:30pm at Clinton Cameo Studios, 307 West 43rd Street, NYC

British actor, Stephen Bergman, returns to the stage for a staged reading of award-winning playwright, Maura Campbell's tale of ... Stephen Bergman!