Joseph Haj News

Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize winning Disgraced has become a flashpoint of conversation. Critically-acclaimed and Tony-nominated on Broadway, produced around the world, Disgraced is about to spark debate on McCarter's Matthews Stage this October.

Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theatre (NBT) kicks off its 48th season with "The Alchemy of Black Joy," an exhibition of original works by renowned photographer Peter Cooper on Wednesday, September 7, and the world premiere of Harrison David Rivers' play "Sweet" on Wednesday, October 19. The events and productions reflect the theater company's theme this season: "In Pursuit of Black Joy."

Artistic Director Joseph Haj just announced his inaugural mainstage season with The Guthrie Theater.

Christine Toy Johnson has come full circle in a career with many facets: from her first Equity role to her current stint as Bloody Mary in Guthrie Theater's SOUTH PACIFIC, this Rodgers & Hammerstein musical has been important to her.

California Shakespeare Theater's 25th anniversary season at the Bruns Amphitheater continues with August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning story of the American Dream deferred, Fences, directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges in her Cal Shakes debut. Fences, which plays from July 6 through July 31, marks the first time Cal Shakes has presented August Wilson's work on its stage. For tickets and information, contact the Cal Shakes Box Office at 510.548.9666 or visit www.calshakes.org

It's finally summer in Minnesota, and that means lakes, parks, camping, hiking, and best of all - summer theater! You can't spend every moment of the summer outdoors, because you wouldn't want to get a sunburn, and also sometimes it rains. So take a break from outdoor activities to see some great theater this summer (or watch theater outdoors!). Here are a few of your choices for summer theater playing on stages and in parks around Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the surrounding area.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society announced the release of a Diversity and Inclusion Statement of Commitment at Monday's semi-annual membership meeting.

The Guthrie Theater today announced it has been awarded a $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to underwrite a groundbreaking initiative for the theater's entire ninth floor, home to the 200-seat Dowling Studio, the Citizens of Minnesota Overlook - a signature feature of the lobby known as the 'amber box' - and a unique retractable wall that unifies the performance space with its lobby.

Artistic Director Joseph Haj just announced his inaugural mainstage season with The Guthrie Theater.

Theatre criticism and the relationship to the show's creators gives a lot of food for thought in the Guthrie's combination of two one-act comedies, THE CRITIC and THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND.

The heavens appear to open above the Minneapolis audience when a cloud filled sky hovers over the stage in the' Guthrie Theater's Wurtele Thrust Stage this winter. Artistic debuts abound in the company's glorious new production of William Shakespeare's Pericles, named one of the Washington Post's 2015 top ten productions in American theater. The production arrives in association with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Folger Theatre where incoming Artistic Director Joseph Haj transports the city to this ancient tale placed on and around the Mediterranean Sea where redemption washes like water over Shakespeare's heroes and heroines at the story's end.

PERICLES, on stage at the Folger Theatre, is a gorgeous and focused production - this from a work that travels through decades and around the Mediterranean in a plot that layers incest, mistaken death, pirates, murder plots and selling a woman into prostitution. But in director Joseph Haj's capable hands the lighter moments bring balance and relief so in the end PERICLES reminds us of both the deep challenges and moments of beauty and light in the human experience.

Folger Theatre Artistic Producer Janet Alexander Griffin today announced the 2015/16 season. As the Folger embarks on a historic 2016 season commemorating the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death with insightful exhibitions, lectures, and concerts, Folger Theatre will stage a full season of works by and newly adapted from the world's most esteemed playwright. 

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival wrapped up its 80th year Sunday night, November 1, with the final performances of Much Ado about Nothing and Pericles. Preparations for the 2016 season are well under way; 2016 member ticket sales start this week and preview performances begin February 19. The 2016 opening weekend is February 26-28.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) announces the 2015 Round 3 recipients of the Leadership U[niversity] - One-on-One program.

PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has appointed Vivienne Benesch as its next Producing Artistic Director. After an extensive national search, she will take up the position Jan. 1, 2016 succeeding Joseph Haj as the company's eighth artistic leader.

Artistic Director Jeremy Stanbary chose to open the theatre's fifth season with a serious drama that he says 'advocates for the worth and dignity of the mentally disabled.' SISTER CALLING MY NAME, which celebrates its Minnesota premiere, is the winner of the 1996 National Play Award. The production will run tonight, October 16, through November 1, 2015.

'Seminar' by Theresa Rebeck has joined the 2015/16 Mainstage Season for PlayMakers Repertory Company. The hit Broadway play will be presented Oct. 14 - Nov. 1, 2015, replacing 'Dear Elizabeth' due to conflicts in guest artist schedules.

Shakespeare's Pericles, as directed by Joseph Haj from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, will be restaged at the Folger Theatre from November 13 through December 20, 2015. This fantastical tale of a father's heroic odyssey stars Washington, D.C. native Wayne T. Carr in the title role. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.folger.edu/theatre or by calling the Folger Box Office at (202) 544-7077.

Artistic Director Jeremy Stanbary chose to open the theatre's fifth season with a serious drama that he says 'advocates for the worth and dignity of the mentally disabled.' SISTER CALLING MY NAME, which celebrates its Minnesota premiere, is the winner of the 1996 National Play Award. The production will run October 16 - November 1, 2015.