Kwame Kwei-Armah News

Special Offer - Watch a sneak peek of THE VISITOR at The Public

Following several delays and cancelations, The Public Theater has just announced that Tony winner Ari'el Stachel has departed the cast of The Visitor. A statement from the Public explains that it was a 'mutual decision'.

Following delays last week, The Public Theater has just announced that it has canceled performances for The Visitor tonight, October 14, and tomorrow, October 15.

The Young Vic will present Conundrum, the debut production from Crying in the Wilderness Productions as a Young Vic Associate Company. This evocative new drama, written and directed by Paul Anthony Morris, dives headlong into a powerful exploration of one man's trajectory of embracing then owning self-acceptance. Conundrum opens in January 2022, having been delayed due to the pandemic.

The Public Theater will reopen its Astor Place home with the world premiere musical THE VISITOR, with music by Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt, lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner Brian Yorkey, book by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Brian Yorkey, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

The Public Theater has just announced that it will delay its first preview of The Visitor by a week, to October 14.

The Public Theater is thrilled to return with our Astor Place Season, beginning October 7 with THE VISITOR, the world premiere musical by Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning team Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey and Kwame Kwei-Armah. Based on the independent film by Thomas McCarthy, this new production is directed by Tony winner Daniel Sullivan.

Love Reign, written by Shereen Jasmin Phillips and directed by Stef O'Driscoll, is an eclectic piece of new writing, fusing narrative and a live, soulful house soundtrack to create an exhilarating storytelling experience.  Venues hosting the YV Unpacked tour of Love Reign will include schools, women's centres and a range of community spaces who provided focused support for different groups, including people who have experienced homelessness and those with learning disabilities, autism and mental health needs. 

Hello Broadway lovers, theatre students, and artistic creators around the world! Welcome to the blog as we pass through August. Yes, eager blog-readers, after a long, pandemic-driven wait, I will be back at school before this month ends. Wow. I reached out to some exceptionally talented people and asked: what's the best piece of advice you've received in your artistic career? I guarantee you that their answers will move you- whether or not you work in the theatre. Read on for a dose of happiness, motivation, and reminder to continue embracing the unexpected.

Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham announced the line-up today for The Public’s 2021-22 Season, returning to their landmark home on 425 Lafayette Street after the year-long pandemic shutdown with a robust slate of new productions and ongoing  programming.

In early 2021, Sundance Institute commissioned Jesse Cameron Alick, the newly-appointed Associate Artistic Director for the Vineyard Theater in New York and past creator advisor to the Institute’s Theater Program, to launch an in-depth field study to hear directly from theater makers about the most urgent needs of artists and the field.

Joan Iyiola (Duchess of Malfi, RSC) and Ashley Zhangazha (Tina The Musical, West End) star in Changing Destiny. This epic new stage adaptation of the 4,000-year-old Egyptian poem about the Warrior King Sinuhe is written by Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri.

Cherry Lane Theatre, the oldest continuously running Off-Broadway theatre in New York City, has a new owner, it has been announced by Angelina Fiordellisi, the theatre’s Executive Director since having acquired the building in 1996.  Cherry Lane is located at 38 Commerce Street in Greenwich Village.

San Francisco Playhouse announced today the six plays that will comprise its 2021/22 Season. In announcing their first full in-person season since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down production in March 2020, the company reasserted its commitment to producing bold, challenging, and uplifting plays and musicals for the Bay Area community.

Klippies is Jessica Sian's acclaimed coming-of-age drama about an unlikely friendship and the intensity of first love set in modern day Johannesburg, and AI is a new play by Genesis Fellow and Young Vic Associate Director Jennifer Tang and Company, created using a deep-learning system to generate human-like dialogue and script.

Glenn Earle, Chair of the Board, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director and Despina Tsatsas, Executive Director, today announced the appointment of Varun Chandra and Farah Ramzan Golant CBE as Trustees of the Young Vic board.

The Young Vic has announced Joan Iyiola (Duchess of Malfi, RSC) and Ashley Zhangazha (Tina The Musical, West End) as the cast of Changing Destiny. This epic new stage adaptation of the 4,000-year-old Egyptian poem about the Warrior King Sinuhe is written by Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri.

Written by Lesley Ross & James Williams, and based on the show of the same name, this quirky retelling of the famous fairytale touches on friendship, acceptance and how dangerous it is to fall under the spell of a Spider's dark web. 

One of the club and concert community's prominent couples is bringing their love affair and their love of music to the stage for their first nightclub act.

After conducting a thorough national search, the Alliance Theatre is pleased to announce that Lawrence Bennett has been chosen as the new Director of Production for the Alliance Theatre, beginning July 19, 2021.  Bennett brings to his new role 15 years of production management and technical direction experience in a variety of company leadership positions.