Kirk Douglas News

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo del Toro, Jordan Peele, and Paul Thomas Anderson will receive the 2018 Outstanding Directors of the Year Award. The Oscar® nominated directors will be celebrated individually for their filmsDunkirk, Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Get Out, and Phantom Thread respectively.

Performances have begun for Center Theatre Group's production of "Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue" by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes. Directed by Shishir Kurup, the production will open February 3 and continue through February 25, 2018, at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

So many productions are happening all over the city. Here's what made the Hot List: Bugaboo & the Silent One, The Hothouse, Cabaret, Pirates of Penzance, Shakespeare in Love, Disney's Aladdin. Go see a show!

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the workshop Raising Money for Theater: Who, How, and When to Ask, part of TRU Boot Camps on February 4, 2018 from 10am - 6pm at 151 W. 46th St., 8th Floor, NYC. Basic pricing is $175 for non-members, $150 for TRU members with $25 off for early birds, thru 1/26. Discount codes available for anyone who has applied to any of the upcoming festivals, as well as students. Email TRUStaff1@gmail.com with proof of a festival application, or a student ID, and TRU will provide you with a code for $40 or $60 off (for a Festival price of $135 or Student price of $115).

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the workshop Raising Money for Theater: Who, How and When to Ask, part of TRU Boot Camps on February 4, 2018 from 10am - 6pm at 151 W. 46th St., 8th Floor, NYC.

Monk Parrots announce casting for their New York premiere of Gabriel Jason Dean's (Princeton Hodder Fellow, Dramatist's Guild Fellowship, Broadway Blacklist) critically acclaimed play TERMINUS, directed by Lucie Tiberghien (The Other Thing, Don't Go Gentle, Soldier X, Hoodoo Love, The Pavilion). TERMINUS runs from February 17 - March 10, 2018 in a limited engagement at NEXT DOOR at NYTW, located at 83 East 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue in New York City. Previews begin February 17 for a February 20 opening.

Center Theatre Group will host two Community Conversations inspired by Quiara Alegria Hudes' plays "Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue" and "Water by the Spoonful." Community Conversations are a series of panel discussions that are free and open to the public and feature local thought leaders in dialogue about the context, issues and ideas finding voice on Center Theatre Group stages.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles, Orange County and Ventura County theatre for the year 2017 (Dec. 1, 2016 Nov. 30, 2017).

An Evening of Classic Broadway will be back on Monday, February 12th at 8PM (doors 6:30) at Rockwell Table and Stage, LA's most popular live music venue on Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz. BroadwayWorld.com says, the singers are incredibly talented the 90-minute show could have gone on another hour. Music Director/Master of Ceremonies Brad Ellis (Glee, Forbidden Broadway) and (producer/Cabaret artist) Dianne Fraser present a different line-up of singers with each performance of Fraser Entertainment Group's long-running concert series.

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE just announced the fifth show in its 97th season, Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner MELANIE GRIFFITH starring as Mrs. Robinson in THE GRADUATE, adapted by Terry Johnson, based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham and directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews (Twelve Angry Men, Billy & Ray). Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, We are just thrilled to welcome Melanie Griffith to the Laguna Playhouse in one of the most iconic roles of all time Mrs. Robinson. Adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham. We have been trying to seduce Melanie to perform on our stage for quite some time. We are overjoyed that she has said yes and know our subscribers and audiences will be utterly mesmerized by her return to the stage under the inspired direction of Michael Matthews! THE GRADUATE will begin previews on Wednesday, February 21; will open on Sunday, March 4 at 5:30pm and perform through Sunday, March 18, 2018 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

Producers Darlene Kaplan, Laura Janik Cronin and Scott J. Newsome, have announced, today, the cast and creative team for the Off-Broadway premiere of The Stone Witch, a play by Shem Bitterman (A Death in Colombia, Influence). Performances begin Monday, March 12, 2018 for an open-ended engagement at The Westside Theatre - Upstairs (407 West 43rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Opening Night is set for Sunday evening, March 25, 2018 at 6:30PM.

Friendship, faith and fatherhood. Jonathan Arkin, Alan Blumenfeld, Dor Gvirtsman and Sam Mandelstar in The Chosen, the award-winning stage adaptation by Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok of Potok's beloved novel. Simon Levy directs for aJanuary 20 opening at the Fountain Theatre, where performances continue through March 25. The Fountain celebrates the novel's 50th anniversary (last April) with the West Coast premiere of Posner's new, streamlined version.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced today that Critics' Choice Award winners Allison Janney and Margot Robbie will be honored with the 2018 Outstanding Performers of the Year Award

The search for redemption, humility and one's place in the world continues when the Latino Theater Company presents the final installment of Quiara Alegr a Hudes' acclaimed three-play Elliot cycle. The long-awaited California premiere of The Happiest Song Plays Last, directed by Edward Torres, featuring live music by Grammy Award-winning tres guitar player Nelson Gonz lez, and starring Vaneh Assadourian; Elisa Bocanegra; Kamal Marayati; Peter Pasco; Al Rodrigo; and John Seda-Pitre, opens on Feb. 22 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. Low-priced previews begin Feb. 17.

Center Theatre Group has selected three local productions for the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Block Party 2018 will remount Celebration Theatre's production of Die, Mommie, Die!, Critical Mass Performance Group's production of Ameryka and Playwrights' Arena's production of Bloodletting. Each production will have a two-week run with 12 performances presented March 29 through May 20, 2018. The three visiting companies will receive the full support of Center Theatre Group and its staff in order to fund, stage and market each production.

59E59 Theaters will present of THE UNDERTAKING, written and directed by Steve Cosson with creative collaboration and psychopomp guidance by Jessica Mitrani. Produced by The Civilians, THE UNDERTAKING begins performances on Thursday, January 11 for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 4. Press Opening is Today, January 17 at 7:15 PM.

Sam Rockwell to Receive American Riviera Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Celebration presents under the artistic direction of Michael Matthews & Michael A. Shepperd, the second show in its 2017-2018 season, the Los Angeles intimate theatre premiere of PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT The Musical,book by Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, based on the Latent Image/Specific Films Motion Picture Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., presented in special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) with choreography by Roman Pantoja, musical direction by Jennifer Lin, directed by Jessica Hanna and produced by Stephen Soucy and Jay Marcus.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) announces the cast and creative team for Hamlet, directed by STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn and featuring acclaimed actor Michael Urie as the tortured Danish prince. Shakespeare's most celebrated tragedy will run January 16-February 25, 2018 at Sidney Harman Hall.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Saoirse Ronan will receive their prestigious Santa Barbara Award, presented by UGG, for her critically acclaimed role in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, an A24 release. Given to a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film, the award will be presented to her at a ceremony on Sunday, February 4, 2018 at the historic Arlington Theatre.