John Collins News

LUMBERYARD Center for Film and Performing Arts's summer 2019 season will bring some of New York City's most exciting artists to the organization's state-of-the-art Hudson Valley facility, built just 101 miles from Manhattan to provide a crucial lifeline for the performing arts ecosystem. New American work and the institutions built to present it in NYC are more technologically advanced than ever before; however, there is a critical gap in the system, as artists can no longer transition from studio to theater with only a few days of technical rehearsal, and NYC presenters can't afford to close their doors for extended technical rehearsals.

Lecy Goranson will host a star-studded gala, celebrating this year's achievements of the Obie-Award winning theater ensemble, Elevator Repair Service. Under the direction of founding Artistic Director John Collins, ERS has been making original theater for 27 years. They have achieved national and international recognition with their extensive body of work, in particular the award-winning Gatz, a verbatim staging of The Great Gatsby, which enjoyed four engagements this season, from Abu Dhabi to Perth to New York City. The New York Times called Gatz The most remarkable achievement in theater not only of this year but also of this decade (which, gee, means this century too). For more information visit elevator.org.

Villanova Theatre and the American Theatre and Drama Society (ATDS) are thrilled to announce the 13th Annual Philadelphia Theatre Research Symposium (PTRS), featuring a keynote address by John Collins, Artistic Director of the award-winning ensemble theatre company Elevator Repair Service.

Carriageworks today announced a major new co-commission with Manchester International Festival to present a transformative multi-lingual performance-based installation. Studio Creole is curated by award-winning author Adam Thirlwell in collaboration with Hans Ulrich Obrist, designed by world-leading architect Rem Koolhaas, and directed by US theatre director John Collins.

When adapting famous novels into plays, the debate-and often the source of disappointment-is choosing what to cut. Elevator Repair Service has made the boldest, and yet at the same time the most neutral of choices in their adaptation: they have staged a production of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' that includes every single word of the novel.

NYU Skirball will present Elevator Repair Service's multi award-winning play, Gatz, the critically lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," for eight performances, January 23 - February 3 at NYU Skirball. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program presents its December thesis show, tick, tick…BOOM!, directed and choreographed by Ken-Matt Martin, a third year student in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Directing program. Written by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, this rock musical set in 1990 New York City tells the story of an aspiring theater composer, as he is forced to reevaluate his passions and decide whether he should keep pursuing his dream or give it all up for a stable career. Performances run November 29 through December 9 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire St., Downtown Providence. General admission is $15 with a discounted price of $10 for seniors and $7 for students. Tickets are on sale now at Trinity Rep's box office, by phone (401) 351-4242, or online at www.TrinityRep.com.

The Morris Choral Society under the baton of Music Director Jason Tramm will present the work of three contemporary composers - all New Jersey residents - in their annual Holiday Concert entitled "Songs Earthly and Divine" December 8 and 9 St. Virgil's Church in Morris Plains.  The concert will feature the New Jersey premiere of R. Wayne Walters, Magnificat and contemporary works which will include David Eddleman's Dai Diddle Dai and Michael John Trotta's Veni, Veni Emmanuel.

McCarter Theatre Center will present Elevator Repair Service's multi-award-winning play, Gatz, the critically-lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, for three performances, February 15 - 17 on the Berlind Stage. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

NYU Skirball will present Elevator Repair Service's multi award-winning play, Gatz, the critically lauded performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," for eight performances, January 23 - February 3 at NYU Skirball. Gatz will be presented as a marathon eight-hour event, including two intermissions and a dinner break.

The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program presents its December thesis show, tick, tick…BOOM!, directed and choreographed by Ken-Matt Martin, a third year student in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Directing program. Written by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, this rock musical set in 1990 New York City tells the story of an aspiring theater composer, as he is forced to reevaluate his passions and decide whether he should keep pursuing his dream or give it all up for a stable career. Performances run November 29 through December 9 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire St., Downtown Providence. General admission is $15 with a discounted price of $10 for seniors and $7 for students. Tickets are on sale now at Trinity Rep's box office, by phone (401) 351-4242, or online at www.TrinityRep.com.

The Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Program presents its December thesis show, tick, tick…BOOM!, directed and choreographed by Ken-Matt Martin, a third year student in the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Directing program. Written by Jonathan Larson, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning composer of Rent, this rock musical set in 1990 New York City tells the story of an aspiring theater composer, as he is forced to reevaluate his passions and decide whether he should keep pursuing his dream or give it all up for a stable career. Performances run November 29 through December 9 at the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire St., Downtown Providence. General admission is $15 with a discounted price of $10 for seniors and $7 for students. Tickets are on sale now at Trinity Rep's box office, by phone (401) 351-4242, or online at www.TrinityRep.com.

 Bluprint, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment's subscription service and premier digital destination for lifestyle learning, today announced a new slate of original content and programming designed for kids, parents and families to learn and create together. Bluprint's family vertical offers series, classes and fresh ideas that inspire families to learn and try new things together. Bluprint is available on-demand via Bluprint streaming subscriptions.

NYU Skirball's 2018-19 season will open at midnight on September 8, 2018 with an all-night theater storytelling marathon from the U.K.'s acclaimed Forced Entertainment theater company, followed by their Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare, adaptations of all 36 Shakespeare plays, starring everyday household objects.

In a short film released today by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the foundation's president and CEO, Edward P. Henry, was joined by several previous Doris Duke Artist Award winners in announcing the 2018 recipients of the $275,000 award. The new awardees include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Regina Carter and Stefon Harris for their continuing contributions to jazz; Michelle Dorrance and Okwui Okpokwasili for contemporary dance; and Muriel Miguel and Rosalba Rolon for theater. Each 2018 Doris Duke Artist is receiving $250,000 in flexible funding, along with up to an additional $25,000 to encourage contributions to retirement savings.

Here's the premise, it's 1963 and the night before three soldiers are about to be shipped off to Vietnam. They've decided to hold a dogfight, a marine tradition where each guy tries to find the ugliest date possible. The winner takes the pot and the girl is never the wiser. Eddie Birdlace (Patrick Dinnsen) meets Rose, a waitress who he decides will work in a pinch, unfortunately she's more than he bargained for.

Due to popular demand, Elevator Repair Service, the Obie-award winning company that brought you Gatz ("the most remarkable achievement in theater of the decade" according to The New York Times), is pleased to extend the world premiere of Everyone's Fine with Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins, to June 30. Preview performances began on June 1 and the production is set to open on June 12.

Elevator Repair Service, "one of the city's few truly essential theater companies" (New York Times), is pleased to present the world premiere of Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins.

The League of Chicago Theatres held the 2018 Annual Gala, an elegant event that brings together friends of Chicago theatre to raise funds for programs to support Chicagoland's more than 250-member theatre companies. The event, which had 245 attendees and raised $125,000, was held on Monday, May 21, 2018 at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, 120 E. Delaware Place. 

Elevator Repair Service, "one of the city's few truly essential theater companies" (New York Times), is pleased to present the world premiere of Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins.