Ken Rus Schmoll News

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

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

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival (www.baltplayfest.org) continues its Thirty-Second Season with two play-readings on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at Messiah Lutheran Church, 1025 S. Potomac Street, Baltimore, MD 21224 (on O'Donnell Square, http://www.messiahodsq.com/ ). Starting at 1:00 p.m., plays to be read are The Gin Baby, by Sarah Shaefer, to be followed at 3:00 p.m. by Fifteen Men in a Smoke Filled Room, by Colin Crowley. After each reading there will be a discussion of the script with the playwright, director and actors. The event is free, and the general public is encouraged to attend.

New York City Opera opens its spring 2013 season with a new production of Powder Her Face (1995), composed by Thomas Ades (b.1971) to a libretto by Philip Hensher (b. 1965).

New York City Opera opens its spring 2013 season with a new production of Powder Her Face (1995), composed by Thomas Adès (b.1971) to a libretto by Philip Hensher (b. 1965).

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program announced the acting company and collaborators for the three projects being developed at its Fall Lab, which begins today at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). Under the supervision of Philip Himberg, Artistic Director of the Theatre Program, and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the two-week Lab provides creative support and direction for innovative musical theatre and ensemble-generated projects.

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program previously announced that it would return to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) for its Fall Lab, which provides creative support and direction for innovative musical theatre and ensemble-generated projects.

Off-Broadway's Page 73 Productions - a company dedicated to producing and developing works by early-career playwrights - will present readings of their 2012 P73 Playwriting Fellow Max Posner's play THE FAMISHED today, November 16 at 2pm and 7pm at Manhattan Theatre Club's Creative Center (311 West 43rd Street, 8th Fl). OBIE Award winner Ken Rus Schmoll (TELEPHONE, A MAP OF VIRTUE) will direct.

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program today announced that it will return to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) for its Fall Lab, which provides creative support and direction for innovative musical theatre and ensemble-generated projects. Also announced today were the three projects that have been selected to participate.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at the Graduate Center, CUNY has unveiled the artist lineup and program schedule for the highly anticipated PRELUDE.12, the ninth annual PRELUDE festival dedicated to artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre, dance, interdisciplinary and mediatized performance. In its largest lineup ever, PRELUDE.12 will present over 40 short performances, readings, and screenings -as well as panel discussions with artists, scholars and performers.

Sophie's choice was a casual coin flip compared with decision forced upon a young mother in Alexander Dinelaris' drama recalling the Ottoman Empire's Armenian genocide, Red Dog Howls.  As a 91-year-old grandmother enduring life with the memory of a horrific confrontation with three sadistic Turks, Kathleen Chalfant gives an extraordinarily convincing performance balancing pain and dark humor, climaxing with an agonizing scene where she reveals a sickening secret.  But Chalfant's performance, certainly worth remembering when award season comes along, is all the production has to recommend.

While nobody ever said musical theatre was easy – at least, nobody with any real knowledge of the art – you would think that in writing a musical about the first worldwide beloved figure of the 20th Century there wouldn't be too much trouble establishing empathy.  But the surprisingly dry and emotionless Chaplin, presented in a respectably strong Broadway production, tries to cram so many facts into its two acts that there's Little Room left for feeling.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo present Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll. The show opened on September 24, an dyou can check out photos from the big opening below!

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at the Graduate Center, CUNY has unveiled the artist lineup and program schedule for the highly anticipated PRELUDE.12, the ninth annual PRELUDE festival dedicated to artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre, dance, interdisciplinary and mediatized performance. In its largest lineup ever, PRELUDE.12 will present over 40 short performances, readings, and screenings -as well as panel discussions with artists, scholars and performers.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll, begins performances tonight at 7pm at NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Opening night is scheduled for Monday, September 24 at 7pm. Award-winning actress Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit) returns to New York Theatre Workshop in a landmark role, joining Florencia Lozano and Alfredo Narciso in the cast of this New York premiere.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo previously announced that Kathleen Chalfant will lead the cast of NYTW's production of Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris. Ken Rus Schmoll will direct the production, which opens the 2012-13 season, beginning performances tonight, September 4, 2012.

The talented actor chatted with BWW about his latest role of Michael Kiriakos in NYTW's RED DOG HOWLS, a man who digs up buried family secrets and uncovers a past he never knew existed.

A new play for one actor, Becoming Liv Ullmann will premiere at the 16th Annual New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC. The play, written and performed by Crystal Finn (Partial Comfort Productions), will be directed by Danny Mefford (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson).

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll, will begin performances Wednesday, September 5, 2012, at 7pm at NYTW, 79 East 4 Street, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Opening night is scheduled for Monday, September 24 at 7pm.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) today began rehearsals for NYTW's production of Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris and led by Kathleen Chalfant. Ken Rus Schmoll will direct the production, which opens the 2012-13 season, beginning performances September 4, 2012. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the first rehearsal below!