Lightning Rod Special News

Vineyard Theatre has announced that Lessons in Survival: 1971 will resume performances on Wednesday, June 15 with Reggie D. White temporarily stepping into the role of James Baldwin. White is a co-conceiver of the show as one of the members of The Commissary and the Vineyard Theatre's 2022-2023 Colman Domingo Award recipient. 

Due to positive COVID test results within the company, Vineyard Theatre has cancelled performances of Lessons in Survival: 1971 through Sunday, June 12. Ticket holders for impacted performances (June 10-12) will be contacted by phone and email regarding rebooking and next steps.

Vineyard Theatre has announced casting and design team for the upcoming World Premiere of Lessons in Survival: 1971 at Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) now on-sale. Lessons In Survival: 1971 will begin previews at Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) May 26, 2022 and play through June 30 with an opening night set for June 9.  

Vineyard Theatre has announced that Billy Crudup (“The Morning Show,” The Vineyard’s Harry Clarke) and Deirdre O'Connell (recent Tony Nominee for Dana H.) will co-host Vineyard Theatre’s annual gala on Monday, May 16, 2022.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern and Managing Director Suzanne Appel have announced their annual gala which will honor Council Member Carlina Rivera and celebrate the music of Laura Nyro.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announced Eisa Davis as the first recipient of the Roth-Vogel New Play Commission launched in partnership with 12-time Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, whose extraordinary collaborations with The Vineyard have spanned over two decades.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern have announced updates for the company’s season. Initially announced as a special event, Lessons in Survival: 1971 will now receive a full production on the Vineyard stage May 25 - June 30. 

The Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas has officially announced their 2022 LMDA International Conference which will be held both online and in Philadelphia, PA U.S.A. on the traditional lands of the Lenni-Lenape from July 20-24, 2022.

Soho Rep. is presenting eight works created by artists comprising Project Number One, the organization’s 2020 initiative bringing theater-makers onto the Soho Rep. staff in a moment of extreme precarity for the artistic community.

Theatre Horizon's Art Houses program has announced the sixth show of the popular series, which partners professional theatre artists with families and households throughout the Greater Philadelphia region to create original performance works that will be presented on a monthly basis.

Lightning Rod Special is launching Sound Break, a new series of audio works made in LRS’s signature explosive style. These three brand-new audio shows to be released throughout 2021 are designed for at-home listening, available for free online to all listeners. Sound Break is theater when and where you want it.

New York Stage and Film has committed $100,000 to their new NEXUS Initiative that brings together 20 multihyphenate artists to explore the question “where does story exist at the intersection of stage and film?” Each participant receives $5,000 and will take part in a series of conversations focused on new and expanded forms of storytelling.

The intimate participatory performance, which explores separation, connection, and the power of listening, will play The John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin from February 11-24, 2021, followed by an engagement at the Bates Dance Festival in Lewiston, Maine from February 25-March 14, 2021.

Page 73 today announced its 2021-2022 group of Interstate 73 residents. The 2021-2022 Interstate 73 residents are Heidi Armbruster, Jahna Ferron-Smith, Dylan Guerra, Roger Q. Mason, April Ranger, Scott R. Sheppard, juliany taveras, and Max Yu.

Responding to the extreme precarity the artistic community is experiencing amidst a dire lack of government intervention, Soho Rep. Project Number One creates jobs to support artists in this moment and will be part of building a new path forward.

Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, presents a Virtual Works & Process: American Repertory Theater's Ocean Filibuster by PearlDamour on Monday, June 8, 2020 at 7:30pm. The event is free, but space is limited and RSVP is required at www.worksandprocess.org; a Zoom link and password will be emailed the day of the performance.

Mabou Mines has  announced the expansion of the funding allowing the company to honor three artists with the 2020 RUTH MALECZECH AWARD. The awardees are JOHN KELLY, JENNIFER KIDWELL AND SHEILA TOUSEY.

HERE will welcome Bengali theater-maker Shayok Misha Chowdhury, playwright and director Normandy Sherwood, and instrumentalist gamin and sound & visual composer Sachiyo Takahashi as new members of the HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP).

Theatre Philadelphia has announced the return of Philly Theatre Week with 75+ organizations, and 300 events and performances between February 6 to 16, 2020.

1812 Productions is pleased to present its annual political comedy, and a Philadelphia favorite, This Is The Week That Is. A staple of the Philadelphia theatre season for the past 14 years, This Is The Week That Is delivers sharp satire and content that changes with the headlines. This Is The Week That Is will play from November 29th through January 5th. Opening Night will be Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, in Center City.