Lorraine Hansberry News

Ebony Repertory Theatre (ERT - Producing Artistic Director, Wren T. Brown) presents FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE starring Emmy Award-winner Obba Babatunde (Dreamgirls - Tony Award nomination, Broadway's Chicago, CBS's The Bold and the Beautiful) as 'Nomax.'

GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI! Down in the right-hand corner of my computer screen, it tells me that its Friday, May 19 - which means that Memorial Day Weekend is just a week away! - how in the world did we make it from New Year's Day to Memorial Day in what seems to me to be like 15 minutes? When you figure that out, please give me a heads-up so I can better prepare for Christmas shopping! And that, of course, has me wondering what shows we'll be seeing during the next holiday season which, in turn, prompts me to ask the musical question: What's your favorite Christmas or holiday-themed stage offering?

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, announces its 70th and 71st Rolling World Premieres: Br'er Cotton by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm and Project Dawn by Karen Hartman. The two plays will receive a total of 6 NNPN RWP productions, with each play seeing at least three distinct productions in a discrete 12-month period.  

The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team of the Globe-commissioned world premiere adaptation of The Imaginary Invalid written by Moliere and reinvented by the acclaimed theatre group Fiasco Theater. Fiasco last delighted Globe audiences with their inventive reimagining of Into the Woods in 2014. This new take on the hilarious classic tale is directed by Fiasco Co-Artistic Directors Jessie Austrian and Noah Brody.

'There was a musical version of Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun?': this has been universal response of friends who knew I reviewing RAISIN. Even Dev Bondarin, the artistic director of APAC (Astoria Performing Arts Center) who directed the current production, only became aware of the show in college, during an historical survey of musical theater. I will leave it to others to speculate why a musical nominated for nine Tony awards--including Best Original Score, Best Choreography, Best Book--and the winner of two statues (best musical and Best Leading Actress) has all but vanished from theatrical memory. But one hopes that Bondarin's production will restore Raisin to its rightful place in the musical theater canon, not because it takes up relevant social and political topics (which it does), but because it's a fine show with compelling music and lyrics by Judd Woldin and Robert Brittan and sharp, elegant by Hansberry's ex-husband and literary executor, Robert Nemiroff and Charlotte Zalztberg. (The cast album also won a Grammy in 1975.)

Lorraine Hansberry considered this to be her most important play. It was her final work. Directed by Gregg T. Daniel, Les Blancs depicts the waning days of colonialism crossing into the 20th century as it reveals the impossible moral choices faced by individuals who must reconcile personal happiness with idealism. What happens when what we want and what we think is right is not what must be done? This play is rich with music and dance and set in and around a mission compound in Africa. The time is yesterday, today, and tomorrow-- but not very long after that.  

Antic in a Drain presents its world premiere production of Bucko: Whaleman!

For those who are fans of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, ice cream, Australia, over-the-top flamboyant costumes and gay musical theatre - do we have a new ice cream flavor for you!

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) has announced five productions as part of its complete 2017/18 Season.

The 2017 Tony nominations were announced this morning. If you haven't checked them out yet, what are you waiting for?! CLICK HERE to check out a full list of this year's nominees, and HERE for reactions from the lucky few!

The 50th season of The Negro Ensemble Company, a year-long retrospective of some of the troupe's signature works, continues May 24 to June 10 at Theatre 80 St. Marks with 'Daughters of the Mock' by Judi Ann Mason.

Stagecrafters announces its 2017-18 season, themed 'Celebration of Friendship, Family and Theatre,' featuring ten shows among its Main Stage, 2nd Stage and Youth Theatre offerings.

Four intellectuals-a doctor, an actress, a psychologist and a neurobiologist studying the human brain's response to race-search for love, acceptance and identity in Lydia R. Diamond's comedy-drama Smart People, which makes its D.C. debut at Arena Stage. Set against the backdrop of Obama's 2008 election, Diamond's fiercely funny play explores the unavoidable nature of cultural bias. Deputy Artistic Director Seema Sueko makes her Arena Stage directorial debut with this "sexy, serious and very, very funny modern-day comedy of manners" (Variety). Smart People runs April 14-May 21, 2017 in the Kreeger Theater.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu, directed by Danya Taymor. A bold, incendiary riff on Waiting for Godot, the complete cast features ensemble member Jon Michael Hill (Moses), Julian Parker (Kitch) and Ryan Hallahan (Mister). Steppenwolf recently sat down with the playwright to discuss her new work - see what she had to say below!

Steppenwolf Theatre Company has announced accomplished director Danya Taymor will direct Steppenwolf's world premiere production of Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu.

Spring is here! Why doesn't my heart go dancing? Well, Mr. Lorenz Hart, personally, we are too damn busy with creating the magic of live theater: We're directing a show (Daddy's Dyin'…Who's Got the Will? opens next week - April 20 - at The Larry Keeton Theatre in Donelson, thank you very much) and trying to make it out to see as much theater in Nashville as possible before old age takes its toll - it's tough out there for a theater critic!

Not-for-profit History Matters/Back to the Future has announced the winner of their prestigious annual Judith Barlow Prize - Kara Jobe - an Ohio-based student, currently at Otterbein University who wrote a one-act play inspired by Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour. 

Folger Theatre concludes its very successful 25th anniversary season this spring with Shakespeare's gripping tragedy Timon of Athens.

Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun is making Arena Stage its home for the next five weeks and it should not be missed.

The 'play that changed American theater forever' (New York Times) comes to Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater for the first time ever this spring. Due to popular demand, the production has been extended for one week with eight additional performances, running now through May 7, 2017 in the Fichandler Stage. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities below!