Lear deBessonet News

Continuing its commitment to bringing free Shakespeare to the community and strengthening audience engagement with the arts, The Public Theater will mount its MOBILE UNIT again this March with a free three-week tour to the five boroughs of Shakespeare's ROMEO & JULIET, directed by Lear deBessonet. As part of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis' 10th Anniversary season, the free Mobile Unit tour (March 18 - April 9) will bring Shakespeare to audiences who have limited or no access to the arts by visiting correctional facilities, homeless shelters, social service organizations, and other community venues. Following the free tour, ROMEO & JULIET will have a sit-down run at The Public Theater from Monday, April 11 through Sunday, May 1, with an official press opening on Friday, April 15.

As part of the international celebration of the quadricentennial of Shakespeare's death, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center is presenting a new free multimedia exhibition, SHAKESPEARE'S STAR TURN IN AMERICA, which documents the on-going popularity of Shakespeare's plays in North America from Colonial times to present day using materials from the Library's vast collections.

Sundance Institute today announced the seven artists selected for the 2016 Playwrights & Composers Retreat at Ucross Foundation in Wyoming, February 2-20. The retreat is one of the 25 residency Labs the Institute hosts each year for independent artists in theatre, film, new media and episodic content, and is made possible through the generosity of the Ucross Foundation. Over 90 Sundance artists have benefitted from time at Ucross Foundation including Charlayne Woodard, Jeanine Tesori, Doug Wright, Annie Baker, Adam Guettel, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Tanya Saracho.

The Public Theater will celebrate the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death in 2016 with free Shakespeare in the Park beginning in May, along with other affordable Bard programming at Astor Place and the Delacorte Theater, it was announced today. As part of Oskar Eustis' 10th Anniversary season, free Shakespeare in the Park this summer will feature an all-female version of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, directed by Phyllida Lloyd and featuring Olivier Award nominee Cush Jumbo as Katherina and Tony Award winner Janet McTeer as Petruchio, followed in July by TROILUS AND CRESSIDA, directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan.

MCC Theater, in association with Kurt Deutsch, President of Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, will hold an invite-only workshop presentation of the new musical ALICE BY HEART, the latest collaboration from Tony and Grammy winning Spring Awakening composers Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater.

The Public Theater announced today that after three years of successful programming and community engagement, PUBLIC WORKS will grow on both a local and national level. Three new community partners join PUBLIC WORKS 2016, which will include Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education (Bronx), Military Resilience Project (all boroughs), and Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), who join Public Works partners Brownsville Recreation Center (Brooklyn), DreamYard Project (Bronx), and The Fortune Society (Queens), in addition to alumni partners Domestic Workers United (all boroughs, including Staten Island) and Children's Aid Society (Manhattan), as additional community partner organizations.

Encores! Artistic Director Jack Viertel today announced the creative teams for New York City Center's 2016 Encores! season. J. Bernard Calloway, Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Carly Hughes, LaChanze, Norm Lewis, Forrest McClendon, and J.D. Webster will star in Vernon Duke and John Latouche's jazz?filled fable Cabin in the Sky, running for seven performances at City Center from February 10-14. The 1940 musical will be directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago?Hudson with choreography by Camille A. Brown.

Broadway World has confirmed that MCC THEATER, in association with Kurt Deutsch, President of Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records, will hold an invite-only workshop presentation of the new musical Alice by Heart, the latest collaboration from Tony and Grammy winning Spring Awakening composers Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater. 

After over two decades of non-linearity, experimental theatre artists Juliana Francis-Kelly and Tony Torn have created a naturalistic play inspired by real events.

La Jolla Playhouse, nationally-renowned for its development of new work, has announced four world-premiere productions for the 2016/2017 season, including works by Tony Award winner Joe DiPietro, Pulitzer Prize winners Quiara Alegria Hudes and Ayad Akhtar, and 2014 Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwriting Award winner Jeff Augustin.

After over two decades of non-linearity, experimental theatre artists Juliana Francis-Kelly and Tony Torn have created a naturalistic play inspired by real events.

The Drama League welcomes Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie, and lauded director Diane Paulus to the roster of special guest performers for The Drama League Centennial Gala, celebrating the organization's 100 years of service tonight, November 2, 2015.

Returning for its 17th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook will continue to broaden its scope in celebrating the best in American singing and songwriting as interpreted by top performers and rising stars, with events at three Lincoln Center venues.

BroadwayWorld has learned that The Drama League has just added Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford, Tony Award nominee Marin Mazzie, and lauded director Diane Paulus to the roster of special guest performers for The Drama League Centennial Gala, celebrating the organization's 100 years of service.

Soho Rep. and Ars Nova present the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's FUTURITY, opening tonight, October 20, and running through November 15, 2015. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, FUTURITY is a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. The production, which features 13 actor-musicians, is presented at the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.) and in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.

The Drama League's Centennial Charity Auction has launched at www.biddingforgood.com/thedramaleague, featuring over fifty once-in-a-lifetime prize packages. 

In response to popular demand, Soho Rep. and Ars Nova extend the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's FUTURITY to November 15. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, FUTURITY is a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. The production, which features 13 actor-musicians, is presented at the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.) and in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.

The Drama League has announced the roster of special guest performers for its Centennial Gala, celebrating the organization's 100 years of service.  Honoring Golden Globe and three-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters, the Centennial Gala will be held on Monday evening, November 2, 2015 at The Plaza (768 Fifth Avenue) in New York City, and supports The Drama League's educational initiatives for promising young artists.  Tickets are available by calling (212) 244-9494 or by visiting http://dramaleague.org/events/gala.

At the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.), Soho Rep. and Ars Nova present the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's Futurity, a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, the production will feature 13 actor-musicians. The production is presented in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays. Performances begin tonight, October 6, 2015.

At the Connelly Theater (220 E. 4th St.), Soho Rep. and Ars Nova will present the New York premiere of Cesar Alvarez's Futurity, a new, avant-Americana musical with music by Alvarez and The Lisps, and lyrics and book by Alvarez. Directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, the production will feature 13 actor-musicians. The production is presented in association with Carole Shorenstein Hays.