Jenny Schwartz News

Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce that the musical comedy GIGANTIC will open the Vineyard Theatre's 2015-2016 season, which includes the previously announced new plays INDECENT by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel and DOT by the actor and playwright Colman Domingo. The season will also include a Developmental Lab of Christopher Chen's YOU MEAN TO DO ME HARM in the summer of 2016. Chen is the recipient of the Vineyard's 2013 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. Vineyard Theatre is located at 108 E. 15 St. in New York City.

The Public Theater will kick off the 2015-16 season in September with a free Public Works musical adaptation of Homer's THE ODYSSEY, conceived and directed by Public Works Director Lear deBessonet, with music, lyrics and book by Todd Almond. THE ODYSSEY will once again feature over 200 actors and community members alongside five equity actors, including this year Brandon Victor Dixon as Odysseus, Karen Olivo as Penelope and Taran Killam as Cyclops.

The Old Globe presents William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night, directed by Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, as part of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement runs through July 26, 2015, with opening night tonight, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

The Vineyard Theatre announced today that, due to demand, the world premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' newest play GLORIA will extend its limited engagement by two weeks and will now close on July 18.

The complete cast and creative team have been announced for The Old Globe production of William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night. Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, is back to direct the first show of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement will begin performances on June 21 and run through July 26, 2015, with opening night on Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons has announced details for its 2015 special online Auction.  Bidding for the auction, which will feature an eclectic array of items and unique opportunities, begins today, Tuesday, May 5 at www.CharityBuzz.com/PlaywrightsHorizons. Online bidding will continue through Tuesday, May 19. 

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons held its annual Spring Gala yesterday, May 4 at the event space 583 Park Avenue. Titled CELEBRATING PETER JAY SHARP'S NEW YORK, the evening honored the late philanthropist, hotelier and real estate developer Peter Jay Sharp and The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation (Foundation Directors: the late Mr. Sharp, Edmund Duffy, Dan Lufkin, the late Jack Nash and Norman Peck). Among several theaters in New York City, Playwrights Horizons' more intimate 128-seat theater was named after the late philanthropist. It premiered when the company's new building opened its doors in January 2003. BroadwayWorld takes you insode the special night below!

Trinity Rep closes out Season 51: The Necessity of Human Connection with the world premiere of Tony-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhl and composer Todd Almond's Melancholy Play: a chamber musical, directed by Obie Award-winner Liesl Tommy. Melancholy Play: a chamber musical runs May 28 through June 28, 2015 in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater.

  Sundance Institute today announced the nine projects selected from 827 submissions for its 2015 Theatre Lab at Sundance Resort in Utah, July 6-26. Under the supervision of Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round work with the theatre community and is one of 24 residency Labs the Institute hosts each year for independent artists in theatre, film, new media and episodic content.

Playwrights Horizons has announced casting for THE QUALMS, the New York premiere of a new play by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Bruce Norris (Clybourne Park and The Pain and the Itch at PH, Domesticated).  Directed by Tony and Obie Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Clybourne Park and Completeness at PH; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; this season's A Delicate Balance and the current The Heidi Chronicles), the play is the final production of the theater company's 2014/2015 Season.   

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb is proud to announce casting for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays. Now in its 20th season, SUMMERWORKS will run May 20th through June 29th at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd Street) in Manhattan, and will feature productions of three new plays: D DEB DEBBIE DEBORAH by Jerry Lieblich, directed by Lee Sunday Evans; CARD AND GIFT by Kate E. Ryan, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; and MEN ON BOATS by Jaclyn Backhaus, directed by Will Davis. Festival passes are now on sale at https://www.artful.ly/clubbedthumb/store/passes, and individual tickets can be purchased at https://www.artful.ly/clubbedthumb.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company will present the Ninth Season of Keen Teens. This season's offerings will be OLD FOLKS by Max Posner, directed by Mark Armstrong, featuring: Steve Alvarez, Romy Bavli, Maria Broom, Ella Campos, Francesca Iannacone, Jessy Jogodnik, Hillel Rosenshine, Yordy Rosso, Craig Steeley, and Devante Rowe; THE LOST GIRL, OR FIRST CHAIR by Lauren Yee, directed by Liz Carlson, featuring: Chelsea Allison, Kaisheem Bryant, Nicholas Johnson, Bahsil Moody, Elsie Razo, Liv Reis, Hillel Rosenshine, Cory Sierra, Lucille Vasquez, and Karla Ynfante; THE ASTONISHING AND DANGEROUS HISTORY OF MAZEFIELD THE FROG by Jen Silverman, directed by Tyne Rafaeli, featuring: Steve Alvarez, Roza Chervinsy, SaCha Coleman, Olivia Hockenberry, Francesca Iannacone, Jarek Liang, Bahsil Moody, Maya Pagan, Yordy Rosso, and Juwan Wyatt.

The Playwrights Horizons world premiere of IOWA, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz, opened last night, April 13, 2015. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the big night below!

The Playwrights Horizons world premiere of IOWA, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Almond & Schwartz, opens tonight, April 13, 2015. Let's see what the critics had to say...

The Playwrights Horizons world premiere of IOWA, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz, opens tonight, April 13, 2015. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Playwrights Horizons world premiere of IOWA, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz, opens tonight, April 13, 2015.

Betty Buckley, Kathleen Chalfant, Holly Hunter, Tony Kushner, Matthew Morrison, Tonya Pinkins, Kate Mulgrew and more joinined host John Waters Monday night for Vineyard Theatre's 2015 Gala, honoring Tony Award-winning producer Margo Lion. The annual Gala Fundraiser took place at Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue), directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig, Spring Awakening, Brooklynite). BroadwayWorld brings you more photos from inside the special event below! Click here to check out Part 1.

Actors' Shakespeare Project takes a break from the Bard to stage the first Boston area production of Jenny Schwartz's linguistically-rich play GOD'S EAR. Thomas Derrah directs and draws authentic, heartbreaking performances from Tamara Hickey and Gabriel Kuttner as a married couple grieving the tragic loss of their son. Humor and hope rise to the surface from the depths of their suffering.

Betty Buckley, Kathleen Chalfant, Holly Hunter, Tony Kushner, Matthew Morrison, Tonya Pinkins, Kate Mulgrew and more joinined host John Waters Monday night for Vineyard Theatre's 2015 Gala, honoring Tony Award-winning producer Margo Lion. The annual Gala Fundraiser took place at Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue), directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Hedwig, Spring Awakening, Brooklynite).

Betty Buckley, Kathleen Chalfant, Holly Hunter, Tony Kushner, Matthew Morrison, Tonya Pinkins, Kate Mulgrew and more joinined host John Waters last night for Vineyard Theatre's 2015 Gala, honoring Tony Award-winning producer Margo Lion. The annual Gala Fundraiser took place at Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue), directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer(Hedwig, Spring Awakening, Brooklynite).