Long Wharf Theatre News

Late last month, a small group of regional and not-for-profit theatres, all committed to finding ways to keep people connected to live theatre, came together by phone and email and Zoom to create the Play At Home project, a series of short plays commissioned specifically for this moment of unprecedented isolation to inspire joy and connection for all.

Theater Latté Da today announced singer/songwriters Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses, who together form the musical duo, The Kilbanes, and actor/directors Jessie Austrian and Noah Brody as the recipients of the NEXT Generation Commission, a new opportunity for women artists and artists of color

Baltimore Center Stage, Long Wharf Theatre, The Public Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, have announced PLAY AT HOME, a series of micro-commissioned short plays. The first of the commissioned plays will be available today, Wednesday, April 1, for the public to download, read and perform at home.

On Monday, March 16 Long Wharf Theatre proactively went dark to fight the spread of the coronavirus. The announcement came as performing arts organizations and venues around the world announced closures of their own amidst escalating concerns about the global pandemic.

Steve Martin took to Twitter to share a video of himself playing a bit of banjo outside while in isolation.

NAATCO (National Asian American Theatre Company) proudly announces the inaugural production for the NAATCO National Partnership Project (NNPP): Queen by Madhuri Shekar, directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar ([Veil Widow Conspiracy]) in partnership with Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven CT, from February 24th through March 21st 2021.

Long Wharf Theatre announced today the complete lineup for its 2020/21 Breaking Boundaries season. In the first season fully programmed by Artistic Director Jacob G. Padrón, the non-profit theatre is re-dedicating itself to its founding mission to present innovative art with the community at its center and is committed to creating work that galvanizes New Haven and revolutionizes the new American theatre. The season will include work by directors Tatiana Pandiani, Aneesha Kudtarkar and Patricia McGregor; playwrights Monet Hurst-Mendoza, Kristoffer Diaz and Madhuri Shekar; a radical reimagining of a classic Shakespeare tale adapted and directed by Shana Cooper; and a revival of the award-winning musical Jelly's Last Jam, with a book by George C. Wolfe, music by Jelly Roll Morton & Luther Henderson and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of 'Mrs. Mannerly,' a comedy about a young boy and his manners teacher, by Jeffrey Hatcher, on Monday, March 23, at 7 p.m. The cast includes award-winning Broadway, film, and television actors Isabel Keating as Mrs. Mannerly, and Richard Kind as Jeffrey. Co-curators and co-directors of the Script in Hand Series are Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist, and Mark Shanahan, director, actor, and playwright. Tickets to Script in Hand Playreadings are $20 each.

Long Wharf Theatre (Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director; Kit Ingui, Managing Director), the non-profit theatre with a mission to present radically inclusive works that galvanize the community of New Haven, has announced dates, complete casting, and creative team for The Chinese Lady, written by Lloyd Suh and directed by Ralph B. Peña. Performances begin on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 for a limited run through April 12, 2020. Opening night is set for Wednesday, March 25, 7:30 PM on Stage II (222 Sargent Drive, New Haven, CT). The Chinese Lady exemplifies the theater's mission by offering audiences the opportunity to explore their collective humanity.

Long Wharf Theatre (Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director; Kit Ingui, Managing Director) has announced the inaugural class of artists for the new Long Wharf commissioning program. With the support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Lord/Kubler Fund for New Work, Long Wharf Theatre has established an Artistic Opportunity Fund to commission and develop new plays that represent the kaleidoscope of the human experience, building a new American theatre repertoire that vigorously includes the voices of artists of color. Generative artists receive commissioning support and developmental resources, including workshops and readings, that respond directly to their individual needs.

James Cromwell is currently starring in Grand Horizons on Broadway. Yesterday, February 27, he was honored with a portrait at Sardi's!

Mason Alexander Park stars as Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, the singular performer in I Am My Own Wife at Long Wharf Theatre, and will embody over 30 characters over the course of each performance.

Long Wharf Theatre (Jacob G. Padrón, Artistic Director; Kit Ingui, Managing Director), in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theatre (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director), will host the 2020 New Haven Regional August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC). The Regional Competition will be presented on Monday, February 24, 2020 at 7 PM at Long Wharf Theatre, 222 Sargent Drive, New Haven, CT 06511. Fifteen participants from the Greater New Haven Area, Hartford County, and Fairfield County, will compete to win all-expense paid trip to the National Competition in NYC where the top two will perform on a Broadway stage, see a Broadway play, and have a chance to win college scholarships. The National Competition will take place in May 4, 2020 at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre.

Producer Mark Cortale has announced that international chanteuse and drag superstar Varla Jean Merman will premiere her hilarious new comedy show A Star Is Bored in Los Angeles at Largo on Thursday, March 26 at 8:00 PM. After 25 years of giving over 75% of her best at every performance, Varla is well, tired.

On January 31, 2020, Theatre Forward presented its 17th Annual Broadway Roundtable at UBS, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York City, focused on the question, 'How Does Theatre Mirror Society?' with Broadway luminaries on the panel including Blair Underwood, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jacob G. Padrón, Lois Smith and Jack Viertel and moderated by Theatre Forward Executive Director Bruce E. Whitacre. Panelists shared their personal experiences and perspectives on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Topics covered a wide range of opinions and comments in an open-ended dialogue about opportunity, access, education and social justice. Panelists all shared a passion for the power of storytelling and how it reflects and influences our world. Special thanks to Gregory S. Hurst, UBS and Theatre Forward Board of Directors, for hosting the panel at UBS.

Mason Alexander Park stars as Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, the singular performer in I Am My Own Wife at Long Wharf Theatre, and will embody over 30 characters over the course of each performance.

Long Wharf Theatre will present Emmy, Tony and two-time Golden Globe nominated artist Matthew Morrison at its annual Gala on Monday, June 8 with KeyBank as the presenting sponsor. The former a?oeGleea?? star will perform a career retrospective of song and dance accompanied by his five piece band, taking the audience on a journey through twenty years of magic on stage and screen in the intimate setting of the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre's Claire Tow Stage.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, the oldest and largest prize awarded to women playwrights.