Jessica Kahkoska News

Today, we're checking in with NY Theatre Barn, with Artistic Director Joe Barros.

New York Theatre Barn will host a free live stream of its New Works Series April 21st, 2020 at 7PM EDT, featuring excerpts from the new musicals Frankie! and Agent 355. The 30-minute presentation will also feature the creators of the two new musicals.

Berkshire Theatre Group and Kate Maguire have announced Berkshire Theatre's revised 2020 Season. Below is a message from Kate Maguire, sent out to all patrons on March 31:

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are thrilled to announce Berkshire Theatre's 2020 Summer Season, with a casting sneak-peek. BTG will be releasing a complete season cast announcement at a later date.

ThreeTimesFast, a new musical by Teresa Lotz and Naomi Matlow, held industry readings on February 3rd and 4th, 2020 in New York City. ThreeTimesFast features music by Teresa Lotz, lyrics by Naomi Matlow, and book by Lotz and Matlow. The reading was directed by Michael Bello (Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, We Are The Tigers), with music direction by Elizabeth Doran (Mean Girls) and dramaturgy by Jessica Kahkoska (Agent 355). Stage Management was by Helen Irene Muller, with casting by Kate Lumpkin Casting.

Colorado Environmental Film Festival (CEFF), GoodCinema, and Notch Theatre Company are thrilled to partner on WILD HOME: Using Theatre, Film, and Dialogue to Protect our Public Lands, a one-night-only evening of theatre, film, and community-driven conversation about the importance of protecting Colorado's Public Lands.

The La Paloma Prisoner Project is Raquel Almaƶán's theatre and outreach project about the reclamation of identity by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, and sharing those stories through workshops, advocacy and community partnerships. Developed from her longstanding work with incarcerated and impacted communities, the associated play, LA PALOMA PRISONER, directed by Estefanía Fadul, will have its World Premiere at Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop (79 East 4th Street between Bowery & 2nd Avenue) alongside a series of initiatives aimed at raising awareness and inciting action towards the end of global mass incarceration. The play is a New Georges Supported Production. Performances begin April 19, 2020 and run through May 9, 2020. Tickets will be available at https://www.nytw.org/show/la-paloma-prisoner/. To make an advance reservation, please visit www.lapalomaprisonerproject.com

Salaam Medina: Tales of a Halfghan, with book, music and lyrics by Rona Siddiqui, will hold an invited industry reading on November 15, 2019. The reading will be directed by Raja Feather Kelly, with Music Direction by Emily Goldman and Dramaturgy by Jessica Kahkoska.

Since 1976 you've been in love with Carrie White, the telekinetic teen whose catastrophic prom night captivated the nation and led to thrilling adaptations, musicals, and revivals. Since 1999, you've completely missed the fact that CARRIE has a legitimate cinematic sequel that tells story of Carrie's half-sister, Rachel, an angst-ridden rebel whose life seems to be looking up until her mysterious powers take hold. Now, with CARRIE 2: THE RAGE, AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY (In Concert), you can relive the magic of CARRIE in nearly every way as prom night survivor-turned-school counselor Sue Snell seeks to help Rachel before it's too late, Rachel's hyper-religious mother tries to kill her, and popular high schoolers prove, once again, they are the absolute worst. Following a Jeff Nominated run at the Underscore Theatre Company in Chicago, this extremely 90s experience featuring an original score by Preston Max Allen, music direction by Patrick Sulken, and direction by Portia Krieger is back in NYC to remind you exactly why the White family line has endured for decades.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Theatre Company is proud to announce playwrights, dates and details for the 2020 Colorado New Play Summit. The 15th annual festival will take place over two weekends, February 15-16, and February 21-23, and feature readings of new plays by Benjamin Benne, L M Feldman, Yussef El Guindi, Jessica Kahkoska, and co-writers Suzan Shown Harjo and Mary Kathryn Nagle. The festival will also feature world premiere productions from the 2019 Colorado New Play Summit by Tony Meneses and Bonnie Metzgar.

As part of its commitment to the development of new and emerging writers and the fostering of new work, Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre (SCRT) and Artistic Director Eli Carpenter are proud to announce the 2019 Writer in Residence, Jessica Kahkoska.

Dramatists Guild Foundation would like to formally announce a new 2019-2020 class of DGF Fellows, as well as new Chairs to the program. 

Wild Home: An American Odyssey is a new theatre project by Notch Theatre Company that brings to the stage the hopes, struggles, and experiences of local communities in areas under serious threat from extractive industries. After Wild Home's recent performance in The North Fork Valley of Colorado, Ashley Teague, Artistic Director of Notch Theatre Company and playwright Jessica Kahkoska discuss the program and look to its next steps.

In Conversation with Ashley Teague of Notch Theatre Company and Jessica Kahkoska about Wild Home: An American Odyssey

Since George Washington took office in 1783, writing letters to the President has provided citizens of all ages, races, political parties, and backgrounds an outlet to express their most personal concerns, hopes, and dreams. Letters to the President reimagines this archival canon of letters as a multi-composer song cycle, with each song inspired by an individual letter in the archive.

Midnight Theatricals will present the World Premiere of safeword. written and directed by S. Asher Gelman. Performances will begin at The American Theatre of Actors (314 W 54 Street, NYC) on Thursday, April 11, 2019 and open on Thursday, April 25, 2019, running through July 7, 2019

New York City's premier cabaret highlighting the talents of transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming performers returns to The Duplex with the all new show, 'Make 'Em Laugh', for it's 8th performance at The Duplex on Saturday, April 27th at 6:30pm. The show is directed by Donnie Cianciotto, with Musical Direction by Anessa Marie. Cianciotto will also serve as the emcee for the evening.

Midnight Theatricals will present the World Premiere of safeword. written and directed by S. Asher Gelman. Performances will begin at The American Theatre of Actors (314 W 54 Street, NYC) on Thursday, April 11, 2019 and open on Thursday, April 25, 2019, running through July 7, 2019

Letters to the President is a new multi-composer song cycle that reimagines letters written to Presidents throughout United States history. Each song is inspired by an individual archival letter and written by a different composer or writing team. The evening will feature composers' songs performed by a Broadway cast alongside readings of the letters that inspired them.