Leslye Headland News

This evening, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) held the 45th annual Gracie Awards hosted by “This is Us” star Susan Kelechi Watson.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced the line-up of new musicals for their 32nd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, on Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20, 2020.

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, performer, producer, and actor Janelle Monáe has joined the final edition of The Homebound Project as a special guest.

The Homebound Project has announced the lineup for its fifth and final edition of new online theater benefiting hungry children affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Co-creators Catya McMullen and Jenna Worsham, along with their all-volunteer team, have also announced that over $100,000 has been raised to date for No Kid Hungry.

The Homebound Project has announced the lineup for its fourth edition of new online theater benefiting hungry children affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Co-creators Catya McMullen and Jenna Worsham, along with their all-volunteer team, are also pleased to announce that a fifth and final edition will take place August 5-9, 2020.

The professional non-profit theatre Centenary Stage Company has announced its 2020/21 season.

Academy Award® winner Taika Waititi, who recently won Best Adapted Screenplay for “Jojo Rabbit” and directed the widely-acclaimed first season finale episode of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+, will direct and co-write a new “Star Wars” feature film for theatrical release.

Williamstown Theatre Festival and Audible announced today that the 2020 Williamstown Theatre Festival summer season will be produced on Audible, the world's largest producer and provider of original spoken-word entertainment and audiobooks.

Centenary Stage Company's 2020 professional concert and theatre series are full up for the month of March.

Williamstown Theatre Festival (Mandy Greenfield, Artistic Director) has announced that Sanaz Toossi is the 2020 L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award recipient for her play English. Sanaz receives the $10,000 award as well as the $10,000 Jay Harris Commission to write a new play.

BroadwayWorld reported yesterday that a production of A Streetcar Named Desire is headed to Williamstown Theatre Festival this summer, starring Audra McDonald and Bobby Cannavale. Now, Artistic Director Mandy Greenfield has announced the complete 2020 summer season for Williamstown Theatre Festival, which includes four world premiere plays, a world premiere musical, and more.

Five-time Tony Award-winner, Audra McDonald, will star opposite Bobby Cannavale in a revival of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Last night, Williamstown Theatre Festival held its annual gala! Among those in attendance were Laura Benanti, Joshua Boone, Dawn Landes, Kyle MacLachlan, Ashley Park and more.

The Comrades today announced casting for its Midwest premiere of THE LAYOVER by Leslye Headland, author of the play and film, BACHELORETTE. THE LAYOVER is a look at power in marriage and seduction that was first seen at New York's Second Stage Theater in 2016. It concerns a man and woman who meet as seatmates on a delayed flight from Chicago to New York and become more than that when forced to spend a hotel night in Chicago before their flight resumes. THE LAYOVER will open in February under the direction of Drew Shirley, a Chicago-based director with extensive acting credits (with Chicago Shakespeare, Theater Wit, Remy Bumppo), as well as directing for companies out west including Utah Shakespeare Festival, Hermosa Beach Playhouse, and Southwest Shakespeare. THE LAYOVER will open Saturday, February 22 following previews on Thursday, February 20 and Friday, February 21; and play through Sunday, March 22, 2020.

Broadway audiences last experienced the greatness that is Victoria Clark in the 2015 revival of Gigi, and though it's been almost five years since she last graced the stage, she is keeping plenty busy.

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation's premier member organization of independent storytellers, announced today the nominees for the 29th Annual IFP Gotham Awards. Ten competitive awards will be presented to independent features and series. In addition to the competitive awards, Gotham Tributes will be given to actors Laura Dern and Sam Rockwell, director Ava DuVernay, and the Gotham Industry Tribute to Glen Basner.

Nine original independent pilots and their 14 creators, will benefit from holistic support and development at Sundance Institute's sixth annual Episodic Lab, taking place at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah October 10-15, 2019. With topics that span genres --  from provocative reimaginings of the American dream to  visionary and epic supernatural dramas-- the scope of this year's projects, along with the diverse backgrounds of their creators, speaks to the Institute's broad and visionary support of the episodic format as the industry develops and grows; the Episodic Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round support program for emerging television writers.

Nine original independent pilots and their 14 creators, will benefit from holistic support and development at Sundance Institute's sixth annual Episodic Lab, taking place at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah October 10-15, 2019. With topics that span genres --  from provocative reimaginings of the American dream to  visionary and epic supernatural dramas-- the scope of this year's projects, along with the diverse backgrounds of their creators, speaks to the Institute's broad and visionary support of the episodic format as the industry develops and grows; the Episodic Lab is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round support program for emerging television writers.

The Comrades today announced its lineup of plays for the 2019-20 season a?" a trio of dark comedies by playwrights whose works have been well-received in Chicago and will explore various types of power in human relationships. The season will lead off with a one-weekend Midwest premiere of CONTRACTIONS, by Mike Bartlett, the British author of COCK and EARTHQUAKES IN LONDON. CONTRACTIONS is a surreal two-character play concerned with the balance of power in the employer-employee relationship. The four-performance run, directed by Adrienne Matzen, will be the Chicago premiere of this play that was first seen at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2008.

It was a banner year for the cutting-edge ensemble of artists led by Founding Artistic Director, Jonathan Judge-Russo. Animus Theatre Company is gearing for an equally exciting Fall 2019.