Leo Tolstoy News

The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival continues with INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO.'s riotous rock & roll production of THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director, David Melville, THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, July 29 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 5 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, September 3 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park.

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) is proud to present Tom Wells's Folk in the historic Chester Town Hall, 15 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA, from August 17 - 27, 2017. The production is directed by James Warwick, staging his eighth production for the company.

Leo Tolstoy's ANNA KARENINA adapted by Helen Edmundson (currently represented on The West End with Queen Anne) was presented as a developmental reading at The Arcola Theatre on July 23 in London. The 'electrifying' adaptation was devised by Jaclyn Bethany with company members James Barnes, Jasmine Blackborow, Peta Cornish, Aisha Fabienne Ross, Will Haddington, Kate Handford, Blake Kubena, William Sebag-Montefiore and produced by Joanne Williams.

PRIMARY STAGES (Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Shane D. Hudson, Executive Director; Casey Childs, Founder) is proud to announce complete casting today for the first two productions of their 2017/18 season.

BKE Productions presents a rehearsed reading of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, adapted by Helen Edmundson Sunday July 23rd at the Arcola Theatre at 4 PM. Admission is free

The Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival continues with INDEPENDENT SHAKESPEARE CO.'s riotous rock & roll production of THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA. Directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director, David Melville, THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA will begin previews at THE GRIFFITH PARK FREE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL on Saturday, July 29 at 7pm and will open on Saturday, August 5 at 7:00pm and perform through Sunday, September 3 at the Old Zoo in Griffith Park. 

Lantern Theater Company announced today that its record-breaking 2016/17 season closing production of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord will extend its run to meet audience demand and will now close on Sunday, July 9, 2017. The following performances have been added:

Primary Stages announced today that the world premiere of A WALK WITH MR. HEIFETZ, written by James Inverne (Wrestling with Elephants) and directed by Benjamin Kamine (Washer/Dryer), will now play on the Primary Stages Mainstage in January of 2018 at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St, New York, NY, 10014).

Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric sat down with the Tony nominated stars Josh Groban, Denee Benton, and Lucas Steele as well as Tony nominated director Rachel Chavkin and creator Dave Malloy to talk about the show, the Tonys and diversity on Broadway.

As part of its ongoing In Conversation Series of fascinating discussions with theater artists and special guests,  Lantern Theater Company will host noted historians and scholars Dr. John C. Van Horne and Dr. Charles T. Cullen for In Conversation: Thomas Jefferson's Religious Beliefs on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, at approximately 8:15 p.m. These two eminent historians of the late colonial and Federal period of American history will explore what Founding Father Thomas Jefferson really thought about God, religion, and religious freedom. The hour-long discussion will focus on Jefferson's views on Christianity, freedom of conscience, and the establishment of religions, especially his authorship of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Presented in conjunction with the Lantern's production of Scott Carter's The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, the program will also respond to the play, exploring the extent to which Jefferson lived up to the principles espoused in his own "gospels," The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth and The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. The conversation immediately follows the 6:30 p.m. performance on Tuesday, June 13, and is free to the general public with ticket purchase. Members of the press are invited to attend; advance reservations are required.

Yesterday afternoon Broadway actress and current star of CBS' Madam Secretary, Bebe Neuwirth, dropped by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' (ASPCA) Canine Annex for Recovery and Enrichment (CARE) to read one of her favorite novels to recovering canine cruelty victims. Scroll down for photos and footage from her visit!

Jaffrey's River Street Theatre (RST), a project of The Park Theatre, announced today they are adding the acclaimed Stratford Festival, as well as Stage Russia HD to their Stage2Screen Series. This special series features theatrical stage productions (plays, musicals, operas, events) from around the globe captured in ultra high definition for cinema presentation.

Inspired by a 70-page sliver of the sprawling 1215-page tome War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Dave Malloy's NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 is an all-encompassing feat of musical theater. Now, Reprise Records has released the sterling and elaborate NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 (Original Broadway Cast Recording).

Lantern Theater Company concludes its record-breaking 2016/17 season with the regional premiere of The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, an uproarious, razor-sharp exploration of legacy and faith from playwright, former stand-up comedian, and longtime Real Time with Bill Maher writer and executive producer Scott Carter.

The Old Globe today announced its 2017-2018 Season, which will kick off with the world premiere musical Benny & Joon, with book by Kirsten Guenther, music by Nolan Gasser, and lyrics by Mindi Dickstein.

WaterTower Theatre Artistic Director Joanie Schultz today announced casting and creative team details for the Regional Premiere of Scott Carter's The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord, directed by Emily Scott Banks.

If you can find STUPID F@#%ING BIRD at Queens University, you'll find that this mash-up of Chekhov's 'The Seagull' is a goofy lark.

Lantern Theater Company will host Rite of Spring on Monday, May 1, 2017 at 6 p.m., a festive evening to celebrate the company's record-breaking 2016/17 season and to present the 2017 Luminary Award to the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A, PhD, in recognition of his significant contributions to the performing arts in Philadelphia.

Independent Shakespeare Co. (ISC), presenters of the Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival announce the west coast premiere of  THE SNOW GEESE by Sharr White (The Other Place), directed by Independent Shakespeare Co.'s Managing Director David Melville.  THE SNOW GEESE will begin previews on Saturday, March 11, will open on Friday, March 17 at 7:30pm and performs through Sunday, April 9 at Independent Studio in the Atwater Crossing Arts + Innovation Complex, 3191 Casitas Ave., #168 in Atwater Village.

On March 31, EgoPo presents Anna, a World Premiere adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Playwright and Director Brenna Geffers brings literature's greatest heroine to new life with the help of a wandering theater troupe armed with a collection of rickety antiques and instruments. They perform the story, set in the shifting landscape of Imperial Russia, to seek refuge from their own unsettling world. You are invited on their journey, and Anna's, as they travel together toward the story's unavoidable end. Anna previews March 29-30 and opens Friday, March 31. The show runs three weeks, closing on Sunday, April 16. Tickets start at $25. Performances are at the Latvian Society Theater on 7th and Spring Garden.