Kenneth Lonergan News

Last night, PEN America spotlighted diverse voices and bestowed $330,000 of transformative support to writers and translators at the 2020 PEN America Literary Awards, hosted by Late Night's Seth Meyers at The Town Hall, the biggest venue in the Awards program's 56-year history. The show demonstrated the evolution of the Awards in recent years from a modest auditorium event for winners and their families into a preeminent gathering of writers and publishing luminaries, stars of the stage and screen, and passionate book lovers-or, as Meyers referred to it, 'The Oscars for books.'

Classic Stage Company (CSC; Artistic Director, John Doyle; Chief Operating Officer/General Manager, Toni Marie Davis) has announced a three-week extension, additional cast members, and the creative team for the company's highly anticipated, rapidly-selling-out staging of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins, directed by John Doyle. The production will now run April 2 a?' June 7 (opening April 16) at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater at Classic Stage Company (136 E. 13th St, New York), spanning ten weeks of Sondheim's 90th birthday year. Tickets for all extension performances will go on sale Tuesday, March 10, at noon EST.

From the Tony Award-winning author William Finn and James Lapine comes an energetic, sardonic, and comical musical. Gordon collapses into his lunch and awakes in the hospital, surrounded by his nearest and dearest. When what was thought to be a life-threatening neurological disorder turns out to be treatable, Gordon is grateful for a second chance to create his own art.

'The Waverly Gallery,' is an autobiographical memory play narrated by a young man whose grandmother suffers from dementia. It is a harrowingly honest group portrait of the havoc wrought by that disease, not only on those who have it but on those who love them.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director) with Wolfgang Novogratz announce the limited engagement at Urban Stages (259 West 30th Street) of Ronan Noone' play THE ATHEIST playing Friday, February 28th, Saturday, February 29th, and March 1st. Tickets for the show are $20.00. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Actors Fund - the national organization that has provided a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals since 1882. Tickets may be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets at https://wolfgang4theactorsfund.bpt.me or via link on urbanstages.org

Today PEN America announced the major career achievement honors to be presented at the 2020 PEN America Literary Awards.

Gingold Theatrical Group (David Staller, Artistic Director) is proud to announce the 2020 Golden Shamrock Gala will be held on Monday, March 16 at Robert Restaurant atop the Museum of Arts & Design at Columbus Circle, and will honor humanitarians and award-winning actors Maryann Plunkett & Jay O. Sanders; and Ethan E. Litwin, a tireless supporter of the arts in New York and longtime member of the GTG Board.

The Hayes theatre was hoppin' last night as Grand Horizons officially opened on Broadway. Written by Bess Wohl and directed by Leigh Silverman, GRAND HORIZONS stars Jane Alexander (Nancy), James Cromwell (Bill), Priscilla Lopez (Carla), Ben McKenzie (Ben), Maulik Pancholy (Tommy), Ashley Park (Jess), and Michael Urie (Brian).

Today PEN America announced 'Late Night' host, comedian, and 'influential recommender of books' (The New York Times) Seth Meyers as host of the 2020 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony, honoring exceptional works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, essay, science writing, translation, and more published in 2019.

Today's top stories: Cameron Dallas joins Mean Girls tonight, and more!

Classic Stage Company (CSC; Artistic Director, John Doyle) has announced that Ethan Slater will join their John Doyle-directed upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins, as Lee Harvey Oswald/The Balladeer.

Jay a?oeThe Sporta?? Jackson dreams of being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but in the racially segregated world of boxing in 1905, the odds are stacked against him. When a crooked boxing promoter hatches a plan for a?oethe fight of the century,a?? a?oeThe Sporta?? might land a place in the ring with the reigning white heavyweight champion. Inspired by the real-life experiences of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight world champion, The Royale is an a?oearresting productiona??.a stylized blow by blow of a fight that still rages today.a?? (The Washington Post).

Each year, Broadway champions works both new and old, welcoming a fresh crop of plays from playwrights both at home and abroad every season. Their works enrapture audiences, offering takes on comedy, drama, history and everything in between, dazzling in their relevance, sparkling in their spectacle, and often challenging in their complexity.

The Time's Morris Day and Prince's co-author, Dan Piepenbring, are Tom Needham's exclusive guests this Thursday on WUSB's SOUNDS OF FILM. Both of them will be speaking about their books about Prince. In addition to the interviews, the show will feature extensive music segments from Prince and Morris Day.

Colin Callender's Tony and Golden Globe award-winning production company Playground (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Lucky Guy) today announces its expansion into immersive theatre with its support of WITNESS, a new theatre company created and led by Artistic Director Michael Bontatibus, former creative executive at Playground. WITNESS's recent sold-out productions include Noirtown which premiered at the Rave Theatre Festival and was hailed by The New York Times as a?oeelectrifying,a?? Found Footage at Colonels Row on Governors Island, and The Visitation at the Wyckoff House, the oldest building in New York.

When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy. But as she befriends a group of charismatic nerds all committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers that there's more to this art form than playing pretend; it's about finding yourself and performing with raw joy. Airness is “unmitigated pleasure... filled with dignity and delight” (Chicago Reader). Airness is a regional premiere co-production with Keegan Theatre. The production will transfer from Keegan to 1st Stage and begin performances on December 5 at 1st Stage's theatre space.

Jonathan Hadary has received the annual St. Clair Bayfield Award presented by the Actors' Equity Foundation for his performance as Sicinius Velutus in The Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park Coriolanus. The announcement was made by Judy Rice, President of the Foundation, and Joan Glazer, Managing Director.

When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy. But as she befriends a group of charismatic nerds all committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers that there's more to this art form than playing pretend; it's about finding yourself and performing with raw joy. Airness is a?oeunmitigated pleasurea?? filled with dignity and delighta?? (Chicago Reader). Airness is a regional premiere co-production with Keegan Theatre. The production will transfer from Keegan to 1st Stage and begin performances on December 5 at 1st Stage's theatre space.

The New York Times is pleased to announce Forward: Twenty Years of TimesTalks, a new photobook of black-and-white portraits of over 60 influential artists, actors, filmmakers, politicians, authors, activists, and Times reporters that have participated in TimesTalks, The New York Times live conversation series, including Marina Abramovic, Tilda Swinton, Nan Goldin, Ai Weiwei, Marc Jacobs, and Rami Malek, along with executive editor Dean Baquet, technology reporter Jenna Wortham, investigative reporter Jodi Kantor, 'The Daily' host Michael Barbaro, and chief White House correspondent Maggie Haberman. Full list below.

Gbenga Akinnagbe, the director of PRINCE: THE BEAUTIFUL ONES - A CELEBRATION OF HIS MEMOIR, LIFE AND ART will be Tom Needham's latest guest on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM this Thursday at 6 pm.