Friends, it's been a rough week. With devastating news here at home (the Children's Theatre lawsuit) and around the country (yet another senseless and horrific mass shooting, this time in San Bernadino, CA), on top of all the other painful things we've been dealing with lately, it's almost more than anyone can take. It was under this cloud that I saw Penumbra Theatre's annual production of BLACK NATIVITY for the first time. Yes, even though this is their 28th year, I've never seen BLACK NATIVITY before. I'm not sure how that happened, but this was the perfect time to first experience this truly joyful celebration. The story, the music, the dancing, the feeling of joy and faith and togetherness in that room, was a balm to my soul and did much to restore my faith in humanity. Maybe in times like this, the first and best response is to 'be the light,' and let that light lead us into appropriate action to heal the wounds of society and prevent things like what happened this week from happening again (and again and again) in the future.
The Old Globe presents William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night, directed by Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, as part of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement runs through July 26, 2015, with opening night tonight, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
Single tickets for Arizona Theatre Company's 49th season go on sale in Phoenix beginning June 15. All shows will be performed at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe.
The complete cast and creative team have been announced for The Old Globe production of William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night. Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, is back to direct the first show of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement will begin performances on June 21 and run through July 26, 2015, with opening night on Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater announces directors, creative teams, and initial casting for 2015/16, a season featuring a Tony Award-winning musical, a play by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Milwaukee playwright Ayad Akthar, and three world premieres.
Artistic Director Mark Clements announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 2015/16 Season last night to an enthusiastic group of Rep Subscribers and Donors.
Artistic Director Mark Clements announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 2015/16 Season this evening to an enthusiastic group of Rep Subscribers and Donors.
Arizona Theatre Company's 2015-16 season brings the return of master entertainer Hershey Felder, a mind-bending new comedy from the producer of HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher, the provocative 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, an August Wilson masterpiece, John Steinbeck's classic American tale Of Mice and Men and a new musical from Stephen Schwartz of Wicked and Godspell fame.
In BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK, now playing at Penumbra Theatre as part of their 'Womansong' season, the title character is a black actress in 1930s Hollywood who gets her big break playing a loyal slave in an antebellum Southern melodrama. She imbues the stereotypical role with as much humanity and depth as possible, and so begins a long and successful career, until she mysteriously disappears from the spotlight. Vera is a controversial figure because on the one hand her characters perpetuate the stereotypes seen in movies, but on the other hand she makes her characters as real as possible and has built a successful career for herself and opened doors for black actors in Hollywood. The play examines these issues in a funny, entertaining, innovative way, jumping across time and using video of Vera's first movie.
The 10th Anniversary Ivey Awards announced today that Mu Performing Arts Artistic Director Randy Reyes will return as event co-host along with new co-host actor-singer Christina Baldwin, 'a staple in the Twin Cities theater community' (Minnesota Original).
For all his hard work and talent, Nat 'King' Cole was treated to segregated concert halls, burning crosses and slurs. We know what he did do. We know what he didn't do (ask the NAACP). We know Kimye's wedding menu. But we don't know Nat 'King' Cole. This is what I WISH YOU LOVE seeks. To push through the mystique of this enigmatic performer to discover the flesh and blood underneath. I had the privilege of speaking with actor Dennis Spears, Mr. Cole himself.
I WISH YOU LOVE chronicles Nat 'King' Cole's struggles to keep his popular show on the air against the prejudiced American public, sponsors and studio executives. Over and over again, the skittish execs force Nat to decide what is most important to him - the show or his people.
On the heels of successful presentations of A Raisin in the Sun, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Amen Corner, the Guthrie Theater welcomes the return of the acclaimed Penumbra Theatre Company with The Mountaintop - the recipient of the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play - written by Katori Hall and directed by Penumbra Founder and Co-Artistic Director Lou Bellamy. The Mountaintop begins performances tonight, March 28 and continues through April 19.
On the heels of successful presentations of A Raisin in the Sun, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Amen Corner, the Guthrie Theater welcomes the return of the acclaimed Penumbra Theatre Company with The Mountaintop - the recipient of the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play - written by Katori Hall and directed by Penumbra Founder and Co-Artistic Director Lou Bellamy. The Mountaintop begins performances on March 28 and continues through April 19.
Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, is the 2013 recipient of The Zelda Fichandler Award, an award to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through imaginative, brave work in theatre. The $5,000 award, given by Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, heralds both accomplishment to date and promise for the future, and lauds deep commitment to a community.
Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, is the 2013 recipient of The Zelda Fichandler Award, an award to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through imaginative, brave work in theatre. The $5,000 award, given by Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, heralds both accomplishment to date and promise for the future, and lauds deep commitment to a community.
Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announces that Artistic Director Charles Newell of Court Theatre is the recipient of the 2013 Zelda Fichandler Award, which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in theatre. The award heralds accomplishment to date and promise for the future, artistic vision, and deep commitment to a region outside of New York. It carries an unrestricted grant of $5000 to the individual recipient. The award will be presented to Mr. Newell on Monday, November 4, 2013 at a reception at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
Cherry Lane Theatre Artistic Director Angelina Fiordellisi and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced that previews of the world premiere of Charles Fuller's One Night… directed by Clinton Turner Davis, have been postponed, and will now begin Wednesday, November 6, at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street. Opening night is set for Wednesday, November 20, at 7pm; the production is now scheduled to run through December 15.
Cherry Lane Theatre Artistic Director Angelina Fiordellisi and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced that previews of the world premiere of Charles Fuller's One Night...directed by Clinton Turner Davis, have been postponed, and will now beginWednesday, November 6, at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street. Opening night is set for Wednesday, November 20, at 7pm; the production is now scheduled to run through December 15.
Guthrie Theater presents 12 mainstage shows in its 2013-2014 season. The theater's 51st season includes first-time Guthrie Productions of playwrights Beth Henley and Nina Raine, classics on the Wurtele Thrust Stage directed by Dowling and Marion McClinton, WorldStage Series presentations of returning companies Kneehigh Theatre and Out of Joint, as well as a summertime slate of a beloved musical and a Christopher Durang comedy that is currently a Broadway hit.
