John Ford News

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced initial casting for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays.

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced initial casting for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays.

The Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 18 categories for the 31st Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Lortel Awards will be presented on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00 PM EST. This year's event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

Random Access Theatre (RAT) is bringing actors getting wasted on stage to a whole new level of classiness with Drunk Restoration Comedy! Following the success of the One Night Only fundraising event in September, Random Access Theatre is pleased to announce that the drunken fun will continue as they partner with The Players Theatre for a six month run starting March 4th, 2016. Join RAT the first Friday of every month at 10pm at the Players Theatre as they thrust their artistic associates along with some very special guests onto the stage, shot glasses in hand for an audience interactive staged reading of the best known works of the Restoration era.

Rubicon Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that its critically acclaimed American premiere of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE by Jethro Compton, adapted from the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson that also inspired the legendary John Ford 1962 film, will extend through Saturday, March 26 at the Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E. Main Street in Ventura. THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is a classic tale of love, honor, ambition and revenge set against the backdrop of the American West.

The fascinating life of Chicago newspaperman turned legendary playwright, screenwriter and novelist Ben Hecht takes center stage in Grippo Stage Company's world premiere of THE BEN HECHT SHOW, written and performed by James Sherman and directed by Dennis Za?ek.

How often do you see an American western onstage? Especially one that was a famous John Ford film in 1952 The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Both the film and the stage play are adapted from a short story by Dorothy Johnson about the American west in 1890-1910. The names of the characters in the film are slightly different from those in the play, but the plot is basically the same. What seem to matter more than plot are the historical, cultural, political themes that the story exudes. Now onstage at the Rubicon Theatre in Ventura, in its American premiere, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is helmed by uber skilled director Jenny Sullivan and boasts a stellar cast, but you only have one more week to catch it, through March 20.

Celebrities dressed in Western attire walked the red carpet last Saturday as Rubicon Theatre Company of Ventura presented the American Premiere of the stage play THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE by Jethro Compton. Attendees included musician Jim Messina of Loggins & Messina, Poco and Buffalo Springfield and his beautiful wife Michaela; Golden Globe nominated actor Ted Neeley with his wife Leeyan and daughter Tessa; and Emmy Award-winning actor Joe Spano with his daughters Liana and Meili. Scroll down for photos from the opening night festivities!

Glass Marbles is the sixth solo album from UK-born, NYC-based singer-songwriter, Edward Rogers, and his fifth on Zip Records. Glass Marbles is being released March 11.

Rubicon Theatre Company's 2015-2016 Season continues with the American premiere of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE by Jethro Compton. Adapted from the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson that also inspired the legendary John Ford 1962 film, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is a classic tale of love, honor, ambition and revenge set against the backdrop of the American West.  

Rubicon Theatre Company's 2015-2016 season continues with the American premiere of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE by Jethro Compton. Adapted from the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson that also inspired the legendary John Ford 1962 film, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is a classic tale of love, honor, ambition and revenge set against the backdrop of the American West.

Random Access Theatre (RAT) is bringing actors getting wasted on stage to a whole new level of classiness with Drunk Restoration Comedy! Following on the success of the One Night Only fundraising event in September, Random Access Theatre is pleased to announce that the drunken fun will continue as they partner with The Players Theatre for a six month run starting March 4th, 2016. Join RAT the first Friday of every month at 10pm at the Players Theatre as they thrust their artistic associates along with some very special guests onto the stage, shot glasses in hand for an audience interactive staged reading of the best known works of the Restoration era.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was originally a short story penned in 1953 by Dorothy M. Johnson (1905 - 1984), who wrote numerous articles and stories with Western themes. In 1962, Valance was adapted for motion pictures in a blockbuster film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin, in the title role of the sadistic gunslinger who is taken on by Stewart, who portrayed a tenderfoot attorney new to the dusty town of Shinbone. Jethro Compton's new stage play is based on the short story instead of the movie, getting its start in England in 2014. The Rubicon Theatre Company's new production marks the play's American debut, starring Gregory Harrison in the role of Bert Barricune, the equivalent of John Wayne's Tom Doniphon in the film. Reviews of the play have called it 'gripping drama' and 'consistently absorbing.' We spoke with Jenny Sullivan, who is directing Rubicon's production and she talked about the process of presenting a subject that has become much more famous through the film adaptation than for the original story.

?Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced the line-up for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays. Now in its 21st season, SUMMERWORKS will run May 27 through July 9 at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd Street) in Manhattan, and will feature productions of three new plays: EVERY ANGEL IS BRUTAL by Julia Jarcho and directed by Knud Adams; THE TOMB OF KING TOT by Eric Dufault and directed by Portia Krieger; and TUMACHO by Ethan Lipton and directed by Leigh Silverman. Festival passes are now on sale at: https://www.artful.ly/clubbedthumb/store/passes.

Rubicon Theatre Company's 2015-2016 season continues with the American premiere of THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE by Jethro Compton. Adapted from the short story by Dorothy M. Johnson that also inspired the legendary John Ford 1962 film, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE is a classic tale of love, honor, ambition and revenge set against the backdrop of the American West.

The fascinating life of Chicago newspaperman turned legendary playwright, screenwriter and novelist Ben Hecht takes center stage in Grippo Stage Company's world premiere of THE BEN HECHT SHOW, written and performed by James Sherman and directed by Dennis Za?ek.

In a season called 'Ranch Nights', Adelaide Cinematheque launches with a bang at 6pm tonight 4 February with classic western FORTY GUNS, starring Barbara Stanwyck.

The most popular film actor of the 20 th century, John Wayne, is once again in the top five on The Harris Poll's annual list of 'America's Favorite Movie Stars,' this year landing the fourth spot.

Epic Stage Productions has announced that ten performances of CAUCUS! THE MUSICAL will be presented now through February 6, 2016 at the Des Moines Performing Arts' Stoner Theater in downtown Des Moines.

BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) and Knight Blanc present Actors Theatre's original production of THE GLORY OF THE WORLD by Charles Mee in its New York Premiere.