Lucille Lortel News

The Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble returns for another season of on-the-spot laughs, including The Groovy Gang Adventures and its 2013 Improvisational Acting Workshop Series.

What would you do if one day you could no longer use the letter Z? Then Q? Then E? Goodspeed Musicals, the first two-time Tony Award-winning theatre in the country, announced today that the compelling new musical L M N O P -a tale about a town thrown into chaos after that very scenario becomes a reality -will round out their three-show season at The Norma Terris Theatre.

Gallery Players and New Players Theater will present the Columbus premiere of Matthew Lopez' THE WHIPPING MAN, a recent off-Broadway success that was extended four times when it ran in New York, won Obie, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards, and was the third most produced play in the country last year, according to American Theatre Magazine.

Gallery Players and New Players Theater will present the Columbus premiere of Matthew Lopez' THE WHIPPING MAN, a recent off-Broadway success that was extended four times when it ran in New York, won Obie, Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards, and was the third most produced play in the country last year, according to American Theatre Magazine.

New York City Center goes Off-Broadway this summer with the launch of Encores! Off-Center, a new series featuring seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists. In keeping with City Center's founding mission to make the arts accessible to all, the majority of tickets will be $25.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Greg Reiner, will present a new production of Bertolt Brecht's THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE featuring Christopher Lloyd (Azdak), directed by Brian Kulick (who directed Brecht's Galileo last season), and featuring new music by Tony Award-winning singer/songwriter Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE will begin performances Friday, May 3 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 9. The official opening is Thursday, May 30. Tickets are now on sale.

Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) will produce the world-premiere of the musical THE LANDING this fall, with music by the Tony Award-winning composer John Kander and book and lyrics by Greg Pierce, kicking off the company's 2013-14 season, it has been announced by Douglas Aibel, The Vineyard's Artistic Director, and Sarah Stern, Co-Artistic Director.

The Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 14 categories and two additional special awards for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at NYU Skirball Center beginning at 7:00pm EST, and hosted by acclaimed stage and screen actors Aasif Mandvi and Maura Tierney. This year's event will once again benefit The Actors Fund.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center announced today three musicals to be developed at the 2013 National Music Theater Conference.

Lincoln Center Theater previously announced that Betsy Aidem, Blair Brown, Michael Cerveris, Anthony Cochrane, Lauren Culpepper, Alvin Epstein, Kathryn Erbe, John Glover, Jennifer B. Grace, Katie Kreisler, Stephen Kunken, Haviland Morris, Dale Place, John Procaccino, Gareth Saxe and Alan Schmuckler would be featured in the 18-member cast of its world premiere production of NIKOLAI AND THE OTHERS, a new play by Richard Nelson. The play, which was commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater, will be directed by David Cromer and will begin performances tonight, April 4 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Opening night is Monday, May 6.

Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) closes its 2012-2013 season with the eagerly anticipated Arizona premiere of Bruce Norris' multi-award-winning, provocative new comedy, "Clybourne Park." Performances will be held at The Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix May 2 through May 19, 2013. ATC season sponsors are I. Michael and Beth Kasser. Phoenix production sponsor is Zazu Pannee Park Regent.

Blessed Unrest, winner of the 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, presents EURYDICE'S DREAM, the company's newest original piece conceived by Jessica Burr (recipient of the 2011 League of Professional Theatre Women Lucille Lortel Award), and presented at the InterArt Theater (500 West 52nd Street, corner of 10th Avenue) in Manhattan. EURYDICE'S DREAM opens tonight, April 1. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Since Tom Key became the Executive Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit in 1995, the theatre company has grown to one of the most respected in the region, regularly premiering new works from acclaimed writers. Under Key's direction, a renowned playwright in his own right ('Cotton Patch Gospel', 'Confederency of Dunces'), T.O. has striven to present 'stories that stir the soul,' which according to St. Germain made it an ideal home for the world premiere of 'The Fabulous Lipitones.' The play tells the heart-warming story of a small-town barber shop quartet that reluctantly replaces its deceased leader with a pitch-perfect Indian Sikh.

Kristen Schaal unleashes her unique point of view and unconventional delivery upon San Francisco in the world premiere of her first original one-hour stand-up special, Kristen Schaal: Live at the Fillmore, debuting on Comedy Central tonight, April 1 at midnight ET/PT.

Annapurna, by award-winning playwright Sharr White, is a funny and surprising exploration of love and loss. Emma and Ulysses haven't laid eyes on each other in twenty years. Now she's back, lugging her matching suitcases into his squalid Colorado motor home for a final reckoning that neither of them saw coming. Annapurnabrings husband-and-wife stars Megan Mullally ('Will & Grace') and Nick Offerman ('Parks and Recreation') to the Odyssey Theatre under the guidance of director Bart DeLorenzo, winner of the 2012 TCG Alan Schneider Award.

As the cast and crew took a break before their final dress rehearsal, I was fortunate enough to sit down with the director and co-playwrights of the world premiere play with music, 'The Fabulous Lipitones,' now playing at Theatrical Outfit through April 21st. While director Justin Anderson is one of the most in-demand talents in the Atlanta theatre community, even he would admit that his vitae doesn't quite compare to those of co-playwrights Mark St. Germain and John Markus. Since Markus hired St. Germain to join the writing team on 'The Cosby Show' in the 80's, both have achieved a great deal of professional success individually, and if their new comedy is half as insightful and funny as they are, Atlanta theatre fans are in for a one-of-a-kind experience.

Huntington Theatre Company's 2013 Spotlight Spectacular will feature entertainment from Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, stars of Broadway's Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, and a sneak peek of the Huntington's upcoming new musical The Jungle Book with Music Director Doug Peck and acclaimed Indian musician Shivalik Ghoshal.

E.B. White's loving story of the friendship between a pig and a spider comes to life when Theatreworks/USA presents "Charlotte's Web" at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre on Saturday, April 20 at 2 and 4 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the college's West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.