John Guare News

Every year, the YoungArts program of the National YoungArts Foundation offers 15- to 18-year-old emerging artists from around the country the chance to be mentored by some of the world's greatest artists in an intimate environment. In this all-new YoungArts MasterClass presentation, three student writers join Tony Award-winning playwright John Guare for a once-in-a-lifetime workshop in Rome, Italy when the HBO Family documentary special John Guare: A YoungArts Masterclass debuts TUESDAY, MARCH 4 (7:30-8:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. Get a sneak peek of the special in the trailer below!

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, now celebrating its thirty-fifth year.

Every year, the YoungArts program of the National YoungArts Foundation offers 15- to 18-year-old emerging artists from around the country the chance to be mentored by some of the world's greatest artists in an intimate environment. In this all-new YoungArts MasterClass presentation, three student writers join Tony Award-winning playwright John Guare for a once-in-a-lifetime workshop in Rome, Italy when the HBO Family documentary special JOHN GUARE: A YOUNGARTS MASTERCLASS debuts TUESDAY, MARCH 4 (7:30-8:00 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. Get a sneak peek of the special in the stills below!

Each year, thousands of high school students apply to the National YoungArts Foundation to be mentored by the world's leading artists. In this all-new YoungArts MasterClass special, JOHN GUARE: A YOUNGARTS MASTERCLASS, award-winning playwright John Guare prepares three talented mentees, Caroline Durlacher, Sharon Jan and Drew Dickerson for a career in writing. The special will air Monday, March 4 at 7:30pm EST/6:30pm CT on HBO and HBOGO. It will be available on HBO ON-DEMAND starting Tuesday, March 5.

Signature Theatre and Lark Play Development Center present the Contemporary Chinese Playwriting Series, curated by David Henry Hwang.

Big breaking news, first reported by the New York Times, that Tony-winner Idina Menzel will be returning to Broadway in a new musical, If/Then by NEXT TO NORMAL's Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present John Guare's adaptation of His Girl Friday, tonight, February 28 - March 10 in the Nafe Katter Theatre, Storrs. For tickets and information, call 860-486-2113 and visit www.crt.uconn.edu.

The Dramatists Guild Fund presented their Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award to actress Linda Lavin and playwright Lynn Nottage this past Monday evening. The awards were presented by Dramatists Guild Fund Board Member Terrence McNally at an intimate salon with award-winning composer Charles Strouse. BroadwayWorld has a photo of the honorees below!

Casting has been announced for the world-premiere of Kara Manning's play SLEEPING ROUGH, directed by Tony Award nominee Sam Buntrock and presented Off-Broadway at the Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street) by Page 73 Productions, currently celebrating its 15th season presenting works by up-and-coming playwrights in New York. Performances of SLEEPING ROUGH will begin April 3 prior to an official press opening of April 11. Tickets for SLEEPING ROUGH are now on sale.

In the past 40 years, The Acting Company has produced and performed 137 classic and new plays for audiences totaling 3.5 million in 48 states and 10 foreign countries.

The Dramatists Guild Fund has announced this year's Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award to actress Linda Lavin and playwright Lynn Nottage. The awards will be presented by Dramatists Guild Fund Board Member Terrence McNally on Monday, February 25, 2013 at an intimate salon with award-winning composer Charles Strouse. The event will also include remarks by Jeffrey Lyons, godson of Sidney Kingsley, and will be held at the home of lyricist and playwright Gretchen Cryer.

Charlotte Shakespeare will present John Guare's classic American comedy The House of Blue Leaves, March 7-23, 2013, at the Duke Energy Theatre in Spirit Square.

-The New School for Drama has announced a new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic Arts, which will launch in fall 2013. Drawing on The New School's tradition of progressive artistic inquiry and civic engagement, the BFA is a pre-professional degree that emphasizes collaborative studio work and hands-on experience with working theater artists in New York City. Led by playwright and Artistic Director Jon Robin Baitz (Other Desert Cities), the BFA is guided by an Advisory Board the includes include Sarah Jessica Parker, director Doug Hughes, playwright John Guare, and 24 Hour Plays creator Tina Fallon. The Advisory Board will provide artistic, professional and fundraising support to the program.

Happy Birthday Stockard Channing! In 1971, she made her Broadway debut in Two Gentlemen of Verona - The Musical, working with playwright John Guare. She also appeared on Broadway in 1973 in a supporting role in No Hard Feelings. In 1978, at the age of 33, she took on the role of high school teenager Betty Rizzo in the hit musical Grease. Additional Broadway credits include: They're Playing Our Song, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, Woman in Mind, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, and The Lion in Winter. She is currently starrign on Broadway in Other Desert Cities at the Booth Theatre.

Just last night, the Signature Theatre Annual Gala celebration honored 2012-13 Residency One Playwright David Henry Hwang. Guests came together to pay tribute to the rich and varied body of work of David Henry Hwang, with special participation from B.D. Wong, John Lithgow, Oskar Eustis, Gail Papp, John Guare, and Edward Albee. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities and you can check out full photo coverage below!

La Jolla Playhouse announces a fifth production for its 2013/14 season: the world premiere of The Tallest Tree, a new play with music written and performed by Daniel Beaty (Emergency, Through the Night), directed by Moises Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife, The Laramie Project). A co-production with Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Tallest Tree will run in the Playhouse's Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre October 9 - November 3, 2013. The piece is produced in association with Tectonic Theater Project.

Join some of the most talented emerging and established playwrights of the American theater during the McCarterLab Spring Festival 2013. Hear new plays read aloud in this series of unstaged readings beginning today, February 8 through Saturday, February 23. All events are free, but seating is limited and reservations are encouraged.

Signature Theatre has announced that the Signature Theatre Annual Gala celebration will take place on Monday, February 11th and will honor 2012-13 Residency One Playwright David Henry Hwang.

Happy Birthday, John Guare! He is best known as the author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, and Landscape of the Body. Guare has also been involved with musical theatre. His libretto with Mel Shapiro for the musical Two Gentlemen of Verona was a success when it premiered in 1971 and was revived in 2005 at the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park. It won the two men the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical. He wrote the songs for Landscape of the Body. In 1999, he revised the book of the Cole Porter musical comedy, Kiss Me, Kate for its Broadway revival. He also wrote the book for the Broadway musical Sweet Smell of Success.

Following the sold out performances and overflow crowds for its original Cino Nights presentations, East Colfax follows two pen pals as they discuss soul mates, Kerouac, Miller, food and marriage in a Colorado basement. East Colfax was directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh and featured Clea Alsip, Joby Earle, Lesley Shires, and Micah Stock.