Lear deBessonet News

The Lilly Awards Foundation has announced complete casting for 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. The acting company includes Emily Bergl ('Desperate Housewives'), America Ferrerra ('Ugly Betty'), and Kate Mulgrew ('Orange is the New Black'), with Kally Duling, Alexandra Henriksen, Colbie Minifie, Jesse Perez, Madeline Sayet, and Erin Wilhelmi (Perks of Being a Wallflower).

The Lilly Awards Foundation has announced complete casting for 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. The acting company includes Emily Bergl ('Desperate Housewives'), America Ferrerra ('Ugly Betty'), and Kate Mulgrew ('Orange is the New Black'), with Kally Duling, Alexandra Henriksen, Colbie Minifie, Jesse Perez, Madeline Sayet, and Erin Wilhelmi (Perks of Being a Wallflower).

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced the line-up 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.

Playwrights Horizons has announced casting for IOWA, the world premiere of 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 just-announced Antlia Pneumatica by Anne Washburn at PH), the musical play will be the fifth production of the theater company's 2014/2015 Season.

The Lilly Awards Foundation presents 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 on three consecutive Mondays, March 9th, 16th and 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at The Duke on 42nd Street (229 W 42nd Street). Admission is free but reservations are strongly recommended and can be obtained at http://www.thelillyawards.org or https://www.artful.ly/the-lilly-awards-foundation.

DALLAS (SMU) February 3, 2015 -- The Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University has announced the recipients of its sixth annual Meadows Prize arts residency: the Detroit-based artist collective Complex Movements and Lear deBessonet, the director of The Public Theater's Public Works program in New York City. The Meadows Prize is awarded to pioneering artists and creative professionals who are active in one or more disciplines represented by the academic units within the Meadows School.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation's (SDCF) next One-on-One Conversation features directors Anne Bogart and Lear deBessonet.

The American Theatre Wing and The Village Voice have announced the judges for the 60th Annual OBIE Awards. Longtime OBIE Administration Committee chairman Michael Feingold will be joined by playwright Adam Bock, orchestrator Bruce Coughlin, director Lear deBessonet, scenic designer Mimi Lien, critic David Rooney, Village Voice critic Tom Sellar, and director Liesl Tommy, to form the OBIE Awards judging panel.

The phrase "community theatre" rarely inspires such vibrant dramatics and joyful pageantry as when the Public Theater's Public Works program takes the Delacorte stage.

The Public Work's original musical adaptaion of The Winter's Tale, conceived and directed by Lear deBessonet, with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock, runs for three nights only starting tonight through Sunday, September 7 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The production team recently released a first glimpse of the show. Scroll down to see production photos!

The Public Theater begins free performances for the community-based Public Works production of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE, conceived and directed by Obie Award winner Lear deBessonet, with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock tonight, September 5.

The Lark Play Development Center named five New York City-based playwrights as Playwrights' Workshop Fellows for the 2014-15 season. The group spans a wide range of backgrounds and professional experiences and will meet regularly throughout the year to develop new plays.

The Public Theater will begin free performances for the community-based Public Works production of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE, conceived and directed by Obie Award winner Lear deBessonet, with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, and choreography by Chase Brock on Friday, September 5. This original musical adaption will run for three nights only through Sunday, September 7 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater and via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org.

Single tickets are on sale now for The Public Theater's 2014-15 season that will include three world premiere musicals, a free Public Works musical adaptation of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, new plays by Suzan-Lori Parks, Young Jean Lee, and Lemon Andersen, Bridget Everett's new show at Joe's Pub, the 11th edition of the acclaimed Under the Radar Festival, the continuation of the Mobile Shakespeare Unit, the fifth season of Public Forum, New Work Now!, the Emerging Writers Group Spotlight Series and $20 tickets to Public Lab, now in its eighth year. Single tickets are available by calling (212) 967-7555, at www.publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at Astor Place at 425 Lafayette Street.

Labyrinth Theater Company (Artistic Director Mimi O'Donnell, Managing Director Danny Feldman), the award-winning, downtown ensemble, today announced its 2014-2015 season, including A Sucker Emcee, written and performed by Craig muMs Grant, The Insurgents, a new play by Lucy Thurber, and Nice Girl, written by Melissa Ross. All work will be presented at the Bank Street Theater (155 Bank Street), Labyrinth Theater Company's home in New York City's West Village.

Following last year's acclaimed Public Works production of The Tempest, The Public Theater will continue this community-based initiative this September with a free original musical adaptation of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE. Featuring more than 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs performing alongside professional actors and The Public's community partners, Public Works' THE WINTER'S TALE will run for three nights only, September 5-7, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater and via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org.

Following last year's acclaimed Public Works production of The Tempest, The Public Theater will continue this community-based initiative this September with a free original musical adaptation of Shakespeare's THE WINTER'S TALE. Featuring more than 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs performing alongside professional actors and The Public's community partners, Public Works' THE WINTER'S TALE will run for three nights only, September 5-7, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Free tickets will be distributed, two per person, at 12:00 p.m. on the day of the show at the Delacorte Theater and via the Virtual Ticketing lottery at www.publictheater.org.

Women's Project Theater today announced the appointment of Lisa McNulty to become the Off-Broadway theatre's new Producing Artistic Director. Ms. McNulty, who has been Artistic Line Producer at Manhattan Theatre Club since 2006, will assume her new position as of August 11, 2014.

Encores! Off-Center brings back one of Broadway's more surprising success stories.

Pump Boys and Dinettes, the final production of the 2014 Encores! Off-Center series, stars Jordan Dean, Hunter Foster, Mamie Parris, Randy Redd, Katie Thompson and Lorenzo Wolff. Pump Boys and Dinettes began performances last night, July 16. Let's see what the critics had to say...