Jeffrey Wright News

Brava! for Women in the Arts celebrates the opening of their 2nd Stage with the Regional Production of Friends, written by Kobo Abe and directed by Brava's Artistic Director, Raelle Myrick-Hodges.

Broadway and film actor Ned Eisenberg, Tony Award winner Dick Latessa, Emmy nominee Richard Masur and others will join previously announced Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei to read the classic play 'Golden Boy,' written by Clifford Odets and directed by Joanne Woodward, on Monday, August 25, 7 p.m., at Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, and Jodi Schoenbrun Carter, managing director).

Arena Stage presents the world premiere of Daniel Beaty's Resurrection, a drama with a unique blend of music, poetry and dance. A co-production with Connecticut's Hartford Stage, Resurrection explores the interwoven lives of six African-American men struggling to make a living and to make their lives worth living. Beaty dazzled Arena audiences last summer with sold-out performances of his award-winning solo show Emergency (formerly Emergence-SEE!). He now returns to Arena with his first ensemble production-a talented cast of six actors led by director Oz Scott (director of Broadway's original for colored girls... and the Goodman Theatre's recent premiere The Ballad of Emmett Till). The production harmonizes with an innovative score by Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), a Haitian-American composer who blends classical violin with piano and bass. To keep the interplay between text and score dynamic, Roumain's original score will be musically styled live each performance by his collaborator Elan Vytal a.k.a. DJ Scientific. Resurrection runs August 29-October 5, 2008 at Arena Stage in Crystal City. The press opening performance is Thursday, September 4 at 8:00pm.

Barrington Stage Company, under the artistic leadership of Julianne Boyd, presents the Berkshire-area premiere of The Violet Hour, an imaginative and thought-provoking play about love, time and fate, by award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out).

2008-2009 Public Theater Memberships On Sale July 1.

The Public Theater's Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Mara Manus announced today that the 2008-2009 Season will feature premieres by Mike Daisey, Christopher Durang, John Guare, Danny Hoch, Craig Lucas, Stephen Sondheim, and Tracey Scott Wilson.

A spokeswoman for Patti LuPone has announced that due to illness, the actress will no longer be able to perform tonight in 'Ladies Who Sing Sondheim'. According to reports Laura Benanti has also pulled out of the event due to illness also, Raul Esparza, Barbara Walsh and Donna McKechnie have jumped aboard as part of the evenings entertainment.

New Line Theatre has produced many musicals by composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim over its 17 years (Anyone Can Whistle, Company, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Assassins, Passion, and two revues of his songs), but they've never been performing one of his shows on his birthday -- till now! On Saturday, March 22, during the current run of Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins, New Line will throw Sondheim a 78th birthday party, complete with birthday cake for the audience.

The Public Theater announced today that they have named Shanta Thake as the new Director of Joe's Pub. Thake has been serving as Acting Director of Joe's Pub since the departure of Bill Bragin in December.

New Line Theatre continues its seventeenth season of provocative, alternative musical theatre, with the return of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's political masterwork Assassins, running March 6-29, 2008, at the brand new Ivory Theatre, 7622 Michigan at Ivory, in South St. Louis City.

John Doyle will direct and host Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, Debra Monk, Pamela Myers and Jenna Russell in 'Ladies Who Sing Sondheim' for a benefit performance on Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7PM in celebration of The Acting Company's 35th Anniversary.

The Public Theater announced that Barry Edelstein will be the Director of The Public Theater Shakespeare Lab. The Public is now accepting applications for the 2008 Shakespeare Lab, a twelve-week acting intensive scheduled to take place June 2 through August 25, 2008. The application deadline is Friday, March 21.

According to BlackFilm.com: Beyonce has been cast to play famed singer Etta James on Darnell Martin's next film, Cadillac Records, along-side Cedric the Entertainer and Adrien Brody.

Gerald Schoenfeld, Board Chairman of The Shubert Organization and The Shubert Foundation, will receive the Joan Warburg Humanitarian Award from The Acting Company on Monday, November 12. Legendary producer Edgar Lansbury, will be presented the John Houseman Award honoring his commitment to the development of classical actors and a national audience for the theater.

On September 24 at 8PM, Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will speak on Broadway at the beautifully refurbished New Amsterdam Theater

The Acting Company is currently presenting Polly Teale's adaptation of Jane Eyre, directed by Davis McCallum.

Maria Aitken, director of London's Olivier-winning Best New Comedy, will bring an all star ensemble of Broadway actors to the stage of the Laura Pels Theatre on Monday, April 9th at 7pm as The Acting Company presents a benefit staged reading of W. Somerset Maugham's For Services Rendered.

Zoe Caldwell, Roseanne Cash, Megan Dodds, John Doyle, Tom Fontana, Dana Ivey, Thomas Kean, Audra McDonald, Phyllis Newman, Alan Rickman, Laila Robins, David Schramm, Marian Seldes and Francesca Zambello will ateend the Acting Company's October 23rd Masquerade, in which Angela Lansbury will present an award to Patti LuPone

Angela Lansbury will toast fellow Lovett Patti LuPone, who will be presented with the John Houseman Award

Four-time Tony Award winner Angela Lansbury makes a return to the Broadway stage heading the cast of This is on Me, An Evening of Dorothy Parker, a staged reading adapted by Tom Fontana to benefit The Acting Company on Sunday, November 5, 7pm at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 236 West 45th Street. Boyd Gaines, Harriet Harris, Lisa Banes and Lynn Collins complete the cast.