Jay Smith News

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, proudly announces that the 2014 Smith Prize Commission, which carries an Award of $5,000, has been awarded to Chris Weikel for The Word from Kampala. Awarded annually to a proposal for a play that dramatizes the pressing issues of our times, The Smith Prize is funded by a gift from screenwriter, novelist and playwright Timothy Jay Smith and a number of other socially-conscious donors. The Word from Kampala was conceived in reaction to the recent act of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who signed into law a bill that makes acts of homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment.

Center Stage, a leading regional theater and the State Theater of Maryland, announced today that an agreement has been reached to extend the contracts of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah through June 2018 and Managing Director Stephen Richard for a similar timeframe. Since their arrivals in 2011 and 2012, Center Stage has experienced a flurry of innovative programming that has delighted audiences in Baltimore and received national recognition.

Premier Digital Publishing is honored to announce that novelist, essayist and screenwriter Christine Wiltz has been named recipient of the prestigious Louisiana Writer Award for 2013. The Louisiana Writer Award is chosen annually by a State Library-appointed committee to recognize extraordinary contributions to Louisiana's literary and intellectual life.

Ten semi-finalists have been named in Pride Films and Plays' Great Gay Screenplay Contest, an international contest for screenplays with LGBT characters and themes.

Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and its first full season under the combined leadership of Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah and Managing Director Stephen Richard, CENTERSTAGE drew national attention and local acclaim for its groundbreaking stage work, including two World Premieres; special artistic initiatives; and innovative community programs-raising the bar for the Theater's next 50 years.

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non- profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, proudly announces that the 2013 Smith Prize Commission, which carries an Award of $5,000, has been awarded to Martyna Majok for her untitled play. Majok's proposed play is inspired by Slavoj Žižek's Violence, which examines capitalism and our treatment of people. Awarded annually to a proposal for a play that focuses on American politics, The Smith Prize is funded by a gift from screenwriter, novelist and playwright Timothy Jay Smith and a number of other socially-conscious donors.

TNT is going to ramp up the drama this summer with a spectacular lineup of original series, including four brand new shows and five returning favorites.

DJ Qualls is set to be a guest-star this season on TNT's PERCEPTION, starring Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Eric McCormack. Qualls is best known for his performance in hit films such as, Road Trip, The New Guy and Hustle & Flow.

Twice Tony-nominated Broadway star Alison Fraser will command the stage and a seven piece swing band singing what she calls 'the soundtrack of Tennessee Williams' life.' The 90-minute benefit concert features songs Williams chose for his plays - music that is integral to the emotional contours of his indelible dramas.

Scott Wolf is set to be a major recurring guest-star this season on TNT's PERCEPTION, starring Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Eric McCormack. Wolf is best known for his roles on the television series Party of Five, V and Everwood.

Twice Tony-nominated Broadway star Alison Fraser will command the stage and a seven piece swing band singing what she calls "the soundtrack of Tennessee Williams' life." The 90-minute benefit concert features songs Williams chose for his plays - music that is integral to the emotional contours of his indelible dramas.

Before his untimely death in a plane crash in the mid-1980's, playwright Larry Shue had penned two community theatre staples, The Nerd and THE FOREIGNER. While I'm not a big fan of the former, the latter is a fast-paced farce brimming with humor that builds to a hilariously satisfying climax. The current production by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is nicely mounted and features a fine cast and direction that takes full advantage of the comic opportunities presented.

The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN, with guest President Barack Obama, and THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON both delivered their best ratings in the Nielsen's 56 overnight markets since February 2010.

Talk Show Listings For Tuesday, September 18

Talk Show Listings For Tuesday, September 18

TNT has ordered a second season of PERCEPTION, the hit Monday night drama starring Emmy(R) and Screen Actors Guild Award(R) winner Eric McCormack (Broadway's 'The Best Man', Will & Grace, Who Is Clark Rockefeller?).

TNT's blockbuster series The Closer returned for the first of six final episodes last night, drawing 6.1 million viewers, this summer's largest Live + Same Day audience for a returning cable drama. The Closer was followed by the series premiere of TNT's new drama Perception, which drew 5.6 million viewers and now ranks behind TNT's Dallas on the list of cable's top series launches for the year-to-date.

This past Wednesday, The National Ballet of Canada celebrated their 60th Anniversary with a gala event at The Four Seasons Centre for the Arts. The evening embraced a 'Diamond' theme, with gorgeous tutus on display throughout the centre showcasing designs from all over the world. Guests were invited to watch highlights from the Ballet's impressive repertoire and then had a gala dinner and dance on the stage of the Centre. BWW is thrilled to bring its readers photos from the evening.

This weekend Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah was named an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in his native Great Britain. The Order of the British Empire is an honor given to those whom have shown distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services, and charitable organizations.

The NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK (NNPN), the country's alliance of non-profit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, has announced the winner of the 2012 Smith Prize for a new play on American political themes: George Brant's Grounded, the powerful, surprising story of an F-16 pilot who gets "repurposed" to fly drones following her unexpected pregnancy. In addition to upcoming development stints with the New Harmony Project and the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Grounded will receive a staged reading at NNPN's Annual Conference at Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Mo., tonight June 8, directed by Artistic Director Cynthia Levin.