Lawrence Wright News

Continuing its commitment to timely and thought-provoking programming, HBO will debut a diverse array of documentaries in coming months, including: THE JINX: THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF ROBERT DURST, the highly anticipated Sunday-night series from Oscar nominee Andrew Jarecki; Oscar winner Alex Gibney's GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF, a look inside the controversial religion; and Brett Morgen's KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK, the first fully-authorized documentary about the iconic leader of Nirvana.

Pulitzer Prize winning author, screenwriter and journalist Lawrence Wright's latest book, Thirteen Days in September, has been named one of the "Top 10 Books of 2014" by The New York Times, is #5 on Amazon.com's Editors' List of the Best Books of 2014, made NPR's list of "2014's Great Reads," as well as Entertainment Weekly's "10 Best Nonfiction Books of 2014" and Publisher's Weekly "10 Best Books of 2014."

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a modest beginning in a storefront on College Avenue to one of the premier theatres in the country. The 46-year-old Theatre with an international reputation has served more than 4 million people, amassed numerous awards including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, presented nearly 400 productions, transferred 29 shows to New York, and premiered over 67 new plays. This year alone Berkeley Rep successfully served 23,000 young people through its School of Theatre, making a huge impact on the community. Now, the Theatre turns the page on a new chapter with the launch of the Create Campaign, a $50 million comprehensive campaign to strengthen the relationship between artists, audiences, and the community, and to transform Berkeley Rep into one of the foremost centers for new play development in the country. At the core of the three-year campaign are two major initiatives: the $14 million expansion of the Theatre's Harrison Street campus into a center for artistic innovation, and a $6 million renovation of the Thrust Stage, Berkeley Rep's signature performance space. The campaign will also bolster the Theatre's annual fund and capital reserve fund, and will invest in its staff. With the Create Campaign, Berkeley Rep is poised to re-invest in its commitment to make transformative, bold, and ambitious theatre for generations to come.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents the world-premiere historical drama Camp David, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright and directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith. Based on true events surrounding the 1978 Camp David Accords, the play follows the 13-day meeting between President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as they attempted to create the impossible: peace in the Middle East. Camp David runs now through May 4, 2014 in the Kreeger Theater. Below, BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities, featuring the real President Jimmy Carter and more!

Admittedly, I am a sucker for new plays, but when they're as ambitious as this one, I get even more excited. This one is one to be excited about.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2013 Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards. The awards, totaling $1,108,000, allow 39 productions extra time in the development and rehearsal of new plays with the entire creative team, helping to extend the life of the play after its first run.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents the world-premiere historical drama Camp David, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright and directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith. Based on true events surrounding the 1978 Camp David Accords, the play follows the 13-day meeting between President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as they attempted to create the impossible: peace in the Middle East. Camp David runs tonight, March 21-May 4, 2014 in the Kreeger Theater. Scroll down for a first look at the cast!

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents the world-premiere historical drama Camp David, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright and directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith. Based on true events surrounding the 1978 Camp David Accords, the play follows the 13-day meeting between President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as they attempted to create the impossible: peace in the Middle East. Camp David runs March 21-May 4, 2014 in the Kreeger Theater. Scroll down for a first look at the cast!

Culture Project will examine contemporary American mores with two journalistic theater pieces in rep. Straight from Joe's Pub, The Real Americans, a compelling and uniquely galvanizing new work written and performed by Dan Hoyle, will join The Junket, a new, hilariously scandalous solo show based on scandalous actual events, written and performed by Mike Albo, coming to Culture Project from an extended run at Dixon Place. Performances begin March 13rd and run until April 20th at the Lynn Redgrave Theater (45 Bleecker Street, NYC).

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for the world-premiere historical drama Camp David, penned by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright and directed by Artistic Director Molly Smith. Based on true events surrounding the 1978 Camp David Accords, the play follows the 13-day meeting between President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat as they attempted to create the impossible: peace in the Middle East. The production features Tony Award nominee Hallie Foote (Broadway's Dividing the Estate) as Rosalynn Carter, Egyptian actor and activist Khaled Nabawy (Kingdom of Heaven, Fair Game) as Anwar Sadat, Tony Award winner Ron Rifkin (Alias, Broadway's Cabaret) as Menachem Begin and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (The Waltons) as President Jimmy Carter. Camp David runs March 21-May 4, 2014 in the Kreeger Theater.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie have announced President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Rosalynn Carter will serve as Honorary Chairs of The Camp David Red Carpet Premiere, Thursday April 3, 2014. The exclusive evening will surround the official opening night for the world-premiere historical drama Camp David, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright, directed by Smith and produced in association with Gerald Rafshoon. The event will include a VIP pre-show cocktail reception, three-course seated dinner in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle, opening night performance of Camp David and post-show dessert reception with the cast.

Tony Award winner Ron Rifkin (Alias, Broadway's Cabaret) and Emmy Award winner Richard Thomas (The Waltons) will star in the world premiere historical drama Camp David at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater as Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Jimmy Carter, respectively. Penned by Pulitzer Prize winner Lawrence Wright and under the direction of Artistic Director Molly Smith, Camp David runs March 21-May 4, 2014 in the Kreeger Theater.

An incredible work of investigative journalism, THE SNOWDEN FILES: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding (The Guardian) tells the story of the individuals behind the biggest intelligence leak in history and the forces that tried to stop them. The first, and definitive, book on Edward Snowden,THE SNOWDEN FILES deftly synthesizes many disparate sources and strands of this story into one cohesive insider narrative that reads like an espionage novel. THE SNOWDEN FILES will be published by Vintage Books as a paperback original on February 11, 2014.

Artistic Director Molly Smith tackles a unique, in-the-round staging of Bertolt Brecht's powerhouse anti-war play Mother Courage and Her Children at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Iconic stage and screen actress and Academy Award nominee Kathleen Turner returns to Arena Stage following her sold-out run of Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins to make her professional singing debut as the tough-as-nails matriarch Mother Courage-a single mother determined to keep her family alive and her business afloat during war. Using the David Hare translation, the show fuses politics and satire to paint an unforgettable and provocative portrait of war, incorporating more than 10 pieces of original music composed in a rollicking, gypsy-punk style and performed by cast members doubling as musicians. Mother Courage and Her Children runs January 31-March 9, 2014 in the Fichandler Stage.

With the official opening of Eric Coble's dangerous new play The Velocity of Autumn tonight, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, the occasion marks Artistic Director Molly Smith's 25th project to direct for Arena Stage and is the first of three projects she will direct in the 2013/14 season, including Kathleen Turner in Mother Courage and Her Children and the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright's Camp David.Building on 15 years with the company, Smith is steadfast in her focus on American plays and artists.

The Velocity of Autumn, a new two-character play from Cleveland-based playwright Eric Coble, opens at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater under the direction of Artistic Director Molly Smith and by special arrangement with HOP Theatricals, LLC.

Thomas Kilroy's version of The Seagull is a reappraisal of Chekhov's first great comedy, a story of a distinguished actress and her passionate lonely son. Trudie Styler will play that actress under the direction of Max Stafford Clark.

The Velocity of Autumn, a new two-character play from Cleveland-based playwright Eric Coble, opens at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater under the direction of Artistic Director Molly Smith and by special arrangement with HOP Theatricals, LLC.

Culture Project will rename their mainstage theatre, currently known as 45 Bleecker Street, the Lynn Redgrave Theatre this June. The announcement was made onstage by Mr. Buchman during the opening night curtain call for Culture Project's current production of Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto. A naming ceremony and commemorative gala in honor of the late Ms. Redgrave will take place today, June 3, 2013 at Stage 48 (605 West 48th Street, New York City). Honorary Chairs for the evening are Vanessa Redgrave, Liam Neeson, and Ms. Redgrave's three children Annabel Clark, Ben Clark, and Pema Clark.