Jim Simpson and News

The original a?oerom-coma?? comes to NLT in Much Ado about Nothing, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Nutley resident Alex Oleksij. Beatrice and Benedick hate each other so much - they must be in love! With an opening night benefitting the Franklin Reformed Church, this classic premiers on Feb 7th at 8pm, with performances on Feb. 8, 14, 15, 20, 21 & 22 at 8 pm; Feb. 9, 16 & 22 at 2 pm.

Made in Brazil, with Italian roots, based in New York. That is the best way to describe the many-sided Raiane Cantisano, actress and singer, who moved to the US three years ago and is taking the city by storm. Back in her hometown she's been seen many times on Rio's stages in renowned productions of plays like A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, And Then There were None and the original musical So Por Hoje. She then trained with some of the most prestigious teachers in America at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (where names like Angelina Jolie, Al Pacino, Marlon Brando and many others built their craft) and since her graduation she's hardly found time to breathe in between gigs.

Matthew Cox's 3-Part Epic, Geek Comedy Kapow-i GoGo extends at The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT) March 24th through April 18th.

Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow are looking for a dynamic leader for the completion of The Flea Theater's long tenancy at 41 White Street, and to lead The Flea once it moves to its own new three-theater performing arts complex at 20 Thomas Street in 2016.

The Flea Theater has announced the extension of the World Premiere of THE MYSTERIES - a radical retelling of the Bible. Playwrights commissioned by Jim Simpson and Carol Ostrow including Tony Award and Academy Award winners and nominees David Henry Hwang, Craig Lucas, Billy Porter, Jose Rivera and Jeff Whitty; Flea alumni, Mallery Avidon, Trista Baldwin, Erin Courtney, Yussef El Guindi, Amy Freed, Sean Graney, Nick Jones, Qui Nguyen, and Jenny Schwartz; and a host of notable newcomers, Marc Acito, Johnna Adams, Liz Duffy Adams, Bill Cain, CollaborationTown, Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas, Eisa Davis, Gabriel Jason Dean, Chris Dimond, Madeleine George, Kate Gersten, Sevan K. Greene, Kirsten Greenidge, Lillian Groag, Jordan Harrison, Lucas Hnath, Ann Marie Healy, Meghan Kennedy, Kimber Lee, Kenneth Lin, Laura Marks, Ellen McLaughlin, Michael Mitnick, Don Nguyen, Dael Orlandersmith, A. Rey Pamatmat, Max Posner, Kate Moira Ryan, Najla Said, Jordan Seavey, Matthew Stephen Smith, Lloyd Suh, Jason Williamson and Bess Wohl join together to tell the entire History of Man's Salvation in 52 episodes from The Fall of Lucifer through and including Judgment Day.

The Flea Theater will extend the production of THE VANDAL through March 3. Hamish Linklater's playwriting debut, directed by Jim Simpson and starring Deirdre O'Connell, Zach Grenier and Noah Robbins, opened January 31.

The Bats are back in The Flea Theater's world premiere production of SHE KILLS MONSTERS, a comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Robert Ross Parker.

INVASION!, Jonas Hassen Khemiri's Obie Award-winning play, returns to NY by popular demand for Off-Broadway run previews September 6 prior to opening September 13 at The Flea Theater

Following two sold-out runs, The Flea Theater is proud to announce Cycle 3 of #serials@theflea, the raucous late night play competition featuring The Bats and some of NYC's hottest young playwrights. Live music and free beer from official sponsor Sixpoint Brewery help fuel this weekly event. The last performance will take place on August 20. All tickets are only $10.

INVASION! -- Jonas Hassen Khemiri's Obie Award-winning play that enjoyed considerable critical and popular success during its U.S. premiere by The Play Company last winter -- will have a return engagement Off-Broadway this fall, again presented by The Play Company, with previews starting September 6 prior to an official press opening on September 13 at The Flea Theater (41 White Street) in Manhattan, where PlayCo will be based for the 2011-12 season, it has been announced by Kate Loewald, Founding Producer, and Lauren Weigel, Executive Producer of The Play Company.

The Flea Theater (www.theflea.org) presents the World Premiere of Creation Production Company's 'A WORLD APART' by Susan Mosakowski.

The Flea Theater presents On the Square Productions's World Premiere of Monroe, Illinois:to take place in December at their downstairs venue. On the Square Over Here/Townie Productions is an award winning 501(c)3 theatre company. Monroe, Illinois: Over Here/Townie is written by up and coming playwright Aaron Wigdor Levy (This Is Not a Time Bomb, Central). Levy is a member of The Public Theatre's Emerging Writers Group. Deborah Wolfson (Drums in the Night, Williamsburg: The Musical, America, A Problem Play) will direct. Monroe, Illinois: Over Here/Townie is written as two separate one-act plays. Both plays are set in fictional, working class town of Monroe, Illinois. Over Here revolves around a widowed matriarch, Patty, and her two children, Nora and Danny, all of whom are coping with the death of their husband/father who was killed in Iraq. Townie tells the story of one Woman through 30 years of her life, from her engagement to her marriage, the birth of her children, infidelity, and divorce. The deterioration of the traditional American family is the tie that binds.

The Flea Theater presents On the Square Productions's World Premiere of Monroe, Illinois:to take place in December at their downstairs venue. On the Square Over Here/Townie Productions is an award winning 501(c)3 theatre company. Monroe, Illinois: Over Here/Townie is written by up and coming playwright Aaron Wigdor Levy (This Is Not a Time Bomb, Central). Levy is a member of The Public Theatre's Emerging Writers Group. Deborah Wolfson (Drums in the Night, Williamsburg: The Musical, America, A Problem Play) will direct. Monroe, Illinois: Over Here/Townie is written as two separate one-act plays. Both plays are set in fictional, working class town of Monroe, Illinois. Over Here revolves around a widowed matriarch, Patty, and her two children, Nora and Danny, all of whom are coping with the death of their husband/father who was killed in Iraq. Townie tells the story of one Woman through 30 years of her life, from her engagement to her marriage, the birth of her children, infidelity, and divorce. The deterioration of the traditional American family is the tie that binds.

The Flea Theater presents On the Square Productions's World Premiere of Monroe, Illinois:to take place in December at their downstairs venue. On the Square Over Here/Townie Productions is an award winning 501(c)3 theatre company. Monroe, Illinois: Over Here/Townie is written by up and coming playwright Aaron Wigdor Levy (This Is Not a Time Bomb, Central). Levy is a member of The Public Theatre's Emerging Writers Group. Deborah Wolfson (Drums in the Night, Williamsburg: The Musical, America, A Problem Play) will direct. Monroe, Illinois: Over Here/Townie is written as two separate one-act plays. Both plays are set in fictional, working class town of Monroe, Illinois. Over Here revolves around a widowed matriarch, Patty, and her two children, Nora and Danny, all of whom are coping with the death of their husband/father who was killed in Iraq. Townie tells the story of one Woman through 30 years of her life, from her engagement to her marriage, the birth of her children, infidelity, and divorce. The deterioration of the traditional American family is the tie that binds.

The Flea Theater has announced a two-week extension of its critically acclaimed limited engagement of OFFICE HOURS, by A.R. Gurney, directed by Jim Simpson and featuring The Bats, The Flea's resident company of actors. Originally scheduled to close October 24, performances will now run through November 7, 2010 at The Flea.