Lear deBessonet News

The Drama League, embarking on a landmark year of celebration commemorating its 100 years of service to the American theater, announced today The Drama League Centennial Gala set for Monday evening, November 2, 2015 at The Plaza (768 Fifth Avenue). Cocktails and silent auction will begin at 7:00 p.m. followed by dinner and performance at 8:00 p.m.  Special Guests and performers will be announced at a later date.  The Centennial Gala Committee is now in formation; tables and seats are available by calling (212) 244-9494.

The complete cast and creative team have been announced for The Old Globe production of William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night. Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, is back to direct the first show of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement will begin performances on June 21 and run through July 26, 2015, with opening night on Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice just presented the winners of the 60th Annual OBIE Awards. The Public Theater's Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda (including special citations for Andy Blankenbuehler, Thomas Kail, and Alex Lacamoire) received the OBIE Award for Best New American Theatre Work, which is accompanied by a $1,000 check. The Signature Theatre's Founding Artistic Director James Houghton received the OBIE Award for Sustained Achievement. The Awards were hosted by OBIE Award-winning actress Lea DeLaria ('Orange is the New Black'). BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the winners room below!

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice just presented the winners of the 60th Annual OBIE Awards. The Public Theater's Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda (including special citations for Andy Blankenbuehler, Thomas Kail, and Alex Lacamoire) received the OBIE Award for Best New American Theatre Work, which is accompanied by a $1,000 check. The Signature Theatre's Founding Artistic Director James Houghton received the OBIE Award for Sustained Achievement. The Awards were hosted by OBIE Award-winning actress Lea DeLaria ('Orange is the New Black'). BroadwayWorld brings you photos from last night's red carpet below! Click here for a full list of winners

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice just presented the winners of the 60th Annual OBIE Awards. The Public Theater's Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda (including special citations for Andy Blankenbuehler, Thomas Kail, and Alex Lacamoire) received the OBIE Award for Best New American Theatre Work, which is accompanied by a $1,000 check. The Signature Theatre's Founding Artistic Director James Houghton received the OBIE Award for Sustained Achievement. The Awards were hosted by OBIE Award-winning actress Lea DeLaria ('Orange is the New Black'). BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the winners room below!

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice just announced the winners of the 60th Annual OBIE Awards.

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice welcome a star-studded line-up of presenters at the 60th Annual OBIE Awards. As previously announced, OBIE Award-winning actress Lea DeLaria ('Orange is the New Black') will host this year's OBIE Awards ceremony, being held tonight, May 18, 2015 at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street).

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice are thrilled to announce that the star-studded line-up of presenters at the 60th Annual OBIE Awards will include Sting, Jesse Eisenberg, OBIE Award-winner Stockard Channing, Billy Crudup, two-time OBIE Award-winner Tommy Tune, T.R. Knight, three-time OBIE Award-winner Tony Kushner, OBIE Award-winner LaChanze, two-time OBIE Award-winner Lisa Kron, artist Bradley Theodore, OBIE Award-winner William Ivey Long, and Village Voice editor-in-chief Tom Finkel. The evening will include special performances by 2015 Tony Award nominee Michael Cerveris and Natalie Cortez.

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice are thrilled to announce that James Houghton, the Founding Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, will receive a special OBIE Award for Sustained Achievement at the 60th Annual OBIE Awards, which will be held on Monday, May 18, 2015 at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street).

Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham announced the line-up today for The Public's 2015-16 season, continuing the theater's six-decade tradition of producing theater that is accessible to all.

SMU's Meadows School of the Arts has launched a new initiative, Ignite Arts Dallas, which will focus on the intersection of arts and community engagement between Meadows School students, the wider SMU campus, the city of Dallas and the arts field at large.

The organization's 32nd season will be extended by two weeks this summer.  The Hurst Theatre opens with the groundbreaking revival version of the musical CABARET, running in repertory with Other Desert Cities, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Junie B. Jones The Musical.  Following the regular season, the theatre recently announced the launch of the Aspen Theatre Festival, featuring new plays and musicals being developed for the stage.  The festival takes place the week of August 23rd - 28th.

The American Theatre Wing and the Village Voice have announced that Screen Actors Guild Award-winning 'Orange is the New Black' star and OBIE Award-winning actress Lea DeLaria will host the 60th Annual OBIE Awards, which will be held on Monday, May 18, 2015 at Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street). Tickets to the 2015 OBIE Awards are now available via www.ObieAwards.com.

Trinity Rep closes out Season 51: The Necessity of Human Connection with the world premiere of Tony-nominated playwright Sarah Ruhl and composer Todd Almond's Melancholy Play: a chamber musical, directed by Obie Award-winner Liesl Tommy. Melancholy Play: a chamber musical runs May 28 through June 28, 2015 in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater.

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb is proud to announce casting for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays. Now in its 20th season, SUMMERWORKS will run May 20th through June 29th at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd Street) in Manhattan, and will feature productions of three new plays: D DEB DEBBIE DEBORAH by Jerry Lieblich, directed by Lee Sunday Evans; CARD AND GIFT by Kate E. Ryan, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; and MEN ON BOATS by Jaclyn Backhaus, directed by Will Davis. Festival passes are now on sale at https://www.artful.ly/clubbedthumb/store/passes, and individual tickets can be purchased at https://www.artful.ly/clubbedthumb.

The Playwrights Horizons world premiere of IOWA, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz, opens tonight, April 13, 2015.

Award-winning Theatre Aspen announced the lineup for its 32nd season today, which will be extended by an extra week this summer. The Hurst Theatre opens with the groundbreaking revival version of the musical CABARET, running in repertory with Other Desert Cities, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Junie B. Jones The Musical. This is the first season since 2008 that the organization will produce four plays in repertory. Casting will be announced soon.

The Lilly Awards Foundation has announced additional casting for the final play in the Inaugural (3)Plays from The Kilroys' List: A Reading Series featuring new works by female playwrights Larissa FastHorse, Meg Miroshnik and Laura Schellhardt, with female directors Lear deBessonet, Leigh Silverman and Liesl Tommy.

Previews begin tomorrow, today, March 20 for the Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) world premiere of IOWA, a new musical play written by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist Jenny Schwartz (God's Ear, Somewhere Fun), music by Todd Almond (Stage Kiss at PH, Kansas City Choir Boy, The Tempest, On the Levee) and lyrics by Mr. Almond and Ms. Schwartz. Directed by two-time Obie Award winner Ken Rus Schmoll (Red Dog Howls, Middletown, What Once We Felt; next season's Antlia Pneumatica at PH), the musical play will be the fifth production of the theater company's 2014/2015 Season.