Leigh Silverman News

Guthrie Director Joe Dowling fulfills an unprecedented, two-decade-long tenure as the theater's artistic leader, and a legacy defined by singular productions of the classics and a dedication to new work and playwright celebrations; the creation of celebrated actor training programs and a prize-winning iconic building; and more than 6 million theatergoers under his leadership. In addition to the Guthrie debuts of Mary Zimmerman, Leigh Silverman and Maria Aiken, his 2014-2015 lineup includes first-time Guthrie productions of plays by Anne Washburn and Sarah Ruhl, three productions directed by Dowling, including a beloved Shakespeare comedy and iconic masterpieces by Arthur Miller and Sean O'Casey, as well as an all-American musical slated for summer.

The Guthrie Theater presents the first production on the Wurtele Thrust Stage in the 2014-2015 season, Wendy Wasserstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles. Under the direction of 2014 Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman (Broadway's Violet, Chinglish, Well), The Heidi Chronicles will feature the talents of Kate Wetherhead, Ben Graney, Tracey Maloney and Zach Shaffer, as well as Sam Bardwell, Eleonore Dendy, Mo Perry and Stacia Rice.

Pink House Productions previously announced the New York City premier of YOU, ME AND THAT GUY, a hilarious 80 minute comedy about a recent college grad who uses the magic of a mystical open mic to heal her relationships with her technology saturated family and friends. Written by Stephen Sanow*, YOU, ME AND THAT GUY will open the 2014 Araca Project.

On Monday, September 29 (8 pm), Symphony Space will present Sundance…Sings!, spotlighting songs from groundbreaking shows developed with support from the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, sung by a stellar cast. Christine Ebersole, Ann Harada, Annie Golden, Joshua Henry, and fourteen other notables will take the stage at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in selections from the Broadway oeuvre of Stew + Heidi Rodewald, Scott Frankel, Adam Guettel, Lisa Kron, Michael John LaChiusa, Bill Finn, Steven Lutvak, Duncan Sheik, and others.

Pink House Productions announced today the New York City premier of YOU, ME AND THAT GUY, a hilarious 80 minute comedy about a recent college grad who uses the magic of a mystical open mic to heal her relationships with her technology saturated family and friends. Written by Stephen Sanow*, YOU, ME AND THAT GUY will open the 2014 Araca Project.

By popular demand (and venue availability), the 18th annual The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), the largest multi-arts festival in North America, announces additional performances for 5 of its sold out shows.

After the dust settled from a January 2 deadline and the paper-cuts healed from over six hundred plays received from writers aged 18 or younger, eight playwrights have been named winners of the 2014 Young Playwrights Inc. National Playwriting Competition.

Once in a while you see an actor whose performance just blows you away. That happened when I saw A.R. Gurney's Far East for the third time and Vanessa Kai was cast as The Reader. A few years later I saw her perform in the physically demanding and emotionally wrenching two-person show, An Infinite Ache, about a couple who meet, marry and grow old together.

On February 12, 1915, the Abrons Arts Center's Henry Street Settlement Playhouse opened its doors on the Lower East Side. Since that day, it has remained a vital cultural resource, providing audiences with artistically bold work while offering artists opportunities to dynamically grow.

The Guthrie Theater today announced casting for the first production on the Wurtele Thrust Stage in the 2014-2015 season, Wendy Wasserstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles. Under the direction of 2014 Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman (Broadway's Violet, Chinglish, Well), The Heidi Chronicles will feature the talents of Kate Wetherhead, Ben Graney, Tracey Maloney and Zach Shaffer, as well as Sam Bardwell, Eleonore Dendy, Mo Perry and Stacia Rice.

Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Violet, starring two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster, Colin Donnell, Alexander Gemignani and Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry conclude sits limited engagement at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre today, Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 2:00PM.

The Guthrie Theater, in partnership with the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, today announced it will host a one-on-one conversation with Tony Award-nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet on Broadway), director of The Heidi Chronicles which kicks off the Guthrie's 2014-2015 thrust season, and Joel Sass, director of the Guthrie's current hit comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike on August 25 at 7:30pm at the Dowling Studio.

After the dust settled from a January 2 deadline and the paper-cuts healed from over six hundred plays received from writers aged 18 or younger, eight playwrights have been named winners of the 2014 Young Playwrights Inc. National Playwriting Competition.

Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Violet, starring two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster, Colin Donnell, Alexander Gemignani and Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry will conclude its limited engagement at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd Street) on Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 2:00PM.

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.

Sundance Institute and the LUMA Foundation today announced that the two organizations will again collaborate to host the second Sundance Institute | LUMA Foundation Theatre Directors Retreat in Arles, France, July 29 through August 11. The Retreat is one of 10 residential programs hosted by Sundance Institute this summer, collectively representing 15 weeks of support and mentorship for promising independent artists in theatre and film from the United States and around the world.

Roundabout Theatre Company is currently presenting the Violet, which plays a strictly limited engagement at Broadway's American Airlines Theatre (227 West 42nd Street) through August 10, 2014. Based on the short story 'The Ugliest Pilgrim' by Doris Betts, Violet features music by Jeanine Tesori, book & lyrics by Brian Crawley and direction by Leigh Silverman. Violet is produced in association with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, David Mirvish, Barry and Fran Weissler, Elizabeth Armstrong, and Mary Jo and Ted Shen. The show just celebrated its 100th performance and you can check out an exclusive photo from backstage below!

Though Women's Project Theater may have lost its Artistic Director, support for the New York-based company continues to grow.

Sundance Institute today announced the nine projects selected to participate in its 2014 Theatre Lab, July 7-27 at the Sundance Resort in Utah. The Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round work with the theatre community and is one of 10 residential labs the Institute will host for artists this summer, collectively representing the most promising new independent theatre and film projects.