John Langs News

Only the incredible Stephen Sondheim could make a musical about Presidential assassins and make it work. It's a dark subject that you think wouldn't be sung about. But Sondheim shows off his storytelling prowess by creating a sort of club or group therapy aspect to the group of killers as they attempt to tie all their works together with the act of their most famous member. And while the cast of the current joint production from the 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT certainly has the talent to pull off this demanding show, they don't always feel cohesive or in the same club but hopefully as they settle in that will come.

A Contemporary Theatre announces the spring shows that will occur during the debut season of Artistic Director John Langs. Highlights include the haunting and hilarious musical Assassins, the sixth co-production with The 5th Avenue Theatre, is now running through May 8. ACT celebrates eight talented writers in the 2016 Young Playwrights Festival Mar 10-12 and the world premiere of Worse Than Tigers opens Mar 24. April brings the heartbreaking, hilarious, sort-of-adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull with Aaron Posner's Stupid f**king Bird.

The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT- A Contemporary Theatre are kicking off the presidential election with a bang, presenting the landmark musical ASSASSINS with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman. The production will run February 27-May 8, 2016.

The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT- A Contemporary Theatre are kicking off the presidential election with a bang, presenting the landmark musical ASSASSINS with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman. The production begins today, February 27 and will run through May 8, 2016.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre's Executive Director Carlo Scandiuzzi and Chair of the Board of Trustees Chuck Sitkin are pleased to announce that Becky Witmer has been promoted to Managing Director. Witmer previously served as ACT's General Manager and Director of Marketing and Communications. She will work with the staff and board to continue ACT's success in developing audiences, raising funds, and overseeing the daily operations of the theatre. Witmer signed a two-year contract in 2016 and now reports to the Board of Trustees.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre presents Stupid f**king Bird by Aaron Posner, where Chekhov's story of love, art, and a hapless bird gets a remarkable contemporary face lift.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre and Artistic Director John Langs are thrilled to announce ACT's first Core Company. Each year, a group of actors will join ACT in a year-long creative endeavor, performing and contributing as artistic ambassadors to ACT's Mainstage season. Langs has assembled the talents of Keiko Green, Kirsten Potter, Lorenzo Roberts, Jasmine Jean Sim, G. Valmont Thomas, Connor Toms, and R. Hamilton Wright for 2016.

Dear Readers, I hope you've all fared well over the holidays and had a good time with your families. It's been a tumultuous year with lots of great theater for us to take in. And so I'm pleased to share with you some of the best things I saw this past year and the ones that I felt worthy of getting my Critic's Choice Awards for 2015. So settle in and allow me to expound on all the amazing I saw over the year. The envelope please.

The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT- A Contemporary Theatre are kicking off the presidential election with a bang, presenting the landmark musical ASSASSINS with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman. The production will run February 27-May 8, 2016.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre announces the winter shows that will close out its 50th year and carry over into the debut season of Artistic Director John Langs. In December, ACT presents the 40th Anniversary Production of A Christmas Carol and the merry Ham for the Holidays: Who's Afraid of Virginia Ham? by Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt. Also in December, ACT celebrates the achievements of all the playwrights in the 2015 Young Playwrights Program and presents As You Like It, directed by ACT's Kenan Directing Fellow Wiley Basho Gorn.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is proud to present its 40th annual production of Charles Dickens' A CHRISTMAS CAROL, adapted by Gregory A. Falls. A CHRISTMAS CAROL is directed by incoming Artistic Director John Langs with current Artistic Director Kurt Beattie returning to play Ebenezer Scrooge, in alternating performances with Gregory Award-winning actor Charles Leggett who will debut in the role of Scrooge.

Anne Washburn's hit play "Mr. Burns, a post-electric play", currently playing at ACT, does a fine job at exploring the genesis of mythology and still keeps itself very funny. But that exploration tends to draw itself out a little too long with too little payoff for the time spent.

New Century Theatre Company (NCTC) closes out its first season at 12th Avenue Arts with a powerhouse family drama adapted by David Eldridge from the Danish film The Celebration. The Company has wanted to produce Festen for many years and it will be NCTC's biggest production yet. Festen will be directed by Tony Award nominee Wilson Milam and the cast will feature the work of ten Company Members.

A Contemporary Theatre is thrilled to present the imaginative dark comedy of MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn (The Internationalist, A Devil At Noon, and The Small). Spanning several years to several decades after the end of the world, survivors must begin again to create a new society. As the survivors bond by recounting the popular 'Cape Feare' episode of The Simpsons, the story evolves into its own mythos.

A Contemporary Theatre is thrilled to present the imaginative dark comedy of MR. BURNS, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY by Anne Washburn (The Internationalist, A Devil At Noon, and The Small). Spanning several years to several decades after the end of the world, survivors must begin again to create a new society. As the survivors bond by recounting the popular "Cape Feare" episode of The Simpsons, the story evolves into its own mythos.

A Contemporary Theatre announces new staff and promotions as well as its first Kenan Directing Fellow to finish out its 50th anniversary year. ACT is committed to excellence in the field of live performance with a mission of raising consciousness through theatre. Executive Director Carlo Scandiuzzi is elated to welcome new staff to the ACT Team and existing staff to new roles within the company.

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre is proud to announce the Mainstage productions and two ACTLab productions for the dynamic debut season of incoming Artistic Director John Langs.

A Contemporary Theatre announces a wide range of dynamic shows to close out its 50th year.

A Contemporary Theatre announces a wide range of dynamic shows to close out its 50th year.