Lucy Thurber News

Rising Phoenix Repertory is pleased to announce Ren Dara Santiago as its first recipient of The Cornelia Street American Playwriting Award. The honor is presented to an emerging playwright of exceptional work ethic, character, and talent. The award will be presented to Santiago in February 2019 at a reception in New York City. 

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison & Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents) has published the fourth in a series of reports authored by Martha Wade Steketee with Judy Binus, on the status of women employed in New York City theaters. The fourth report, Women Count: Women Hired Off Broadway, available at theatrewomen.org/women-count/, analyzes employment in 13 professional roles - playwrights, directors, designers, stage managers, and others - in 515 Off- and Off-Off-Broadway productions by 22 theater companies for 5 complete seasons, 2013-14 through 2017-18 to show where women are and are not being hired. 

New York Stage and Film is thrilled to announce that its annual Winter Gala will honor playwright and Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Wettig (F2M, 'Brothers and Sisters,' 'thirtysomething') and Executive Producer/director/actor Ken Olin ('This Is Us,' 'Alias,' 'Brothers & Sisters,' 'thirtysomething'), and, in recognition for her years of dedication to New York Stage and Film, Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer, who is stepping down from her post at the end of the 2019 Powerhouse Summer Season.

Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) along with EST's Youngblood announce new EST/Youngblood members for the 2018-2019 season.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the actors selected for The Wallis Studio Ensemble's 2018-2019 company. This marks the third season of this groundbreaking company for early-career actors producing theater for social change. The San Diego Tribune describes the emerging ensemble as 'hauntingly beautiful' - and by ArtNowLAas 'Mesmerizing ... harrowing and provocative, this is avant-garde theater that sticks with you long after the curtain comes down." The Ensemble also received the Los Angeles Times theater pick of the week in June 2018 and was featured on NPR's KPCC in a piece by Priska Neely in 2016, in its first season.

The Lark, a theater company devoted to the support of visionary playwrights and the development of new plays, is thrilled to announce five New York City-based playwrights have been named as the 2018-19 Rita Goldberg Playwrights' Workshop Fellows. The group spans a wide range of backgrounds and professional experiences and will meet regularly throughout the year to develop new plays.

Comics Uniting Nations, Greenpoint Innovations, Hypokrit Theatre Company, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and UNICEF are collaborating to present THE POINT: a Climate Week NYC (CWNYC) 2018 affiliate event - a series of artistic activations that will use a unique blend of the arts to inspire and inform about climate change and the value of forests, both locally and globally.

Planet Connections' signature event, PLAYWRIGHTS FOR A CAUSE at the Theater at the 14th Street Y, played to a sold-out crowd that joyously handed the team of writers and other artists a standing ovation. This year, the event, designed to address hot-button topics concerning the world at that moment through new works by prominent authors - written just for the event - dealt with the distinctions between gender and sexuality.

New York Stage and Film announced today that Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer will be stepping down from her longtime leadership position with the organization to become the new Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre beginning September 1, 2019.

In 'The Torso' by Paige Esterly, directed by Laura Holland, an unemployed young woman begins finding mannequin body parts around her apartment. The parts symbolize her malaise as she awkwardly transitions into adulthood. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 16.

Hartford Stage today announced the cast and creative team for Make Believe, written by Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bess Wohl. The world premiere play will perform Today, September 6, through Sunday, September 30, to open the Tony Award-winning regional theatre's 55thseason. Jackson Gay will direct.

In 'The Torso' by Paige Esterly, directed by Laura Holland, an unemployed young woman begins finding mannequin body parts around her apartment. The parts symbolize her malaise as she awkwardly transitions into adulthood. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 16.

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts today announced the cast and creative team for Make Believe, written by Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bess Wohl. The world premiere play will perform Thursday, September 6, through Sunday, September 30, to open the Tony Award-winning regional theatre's 55th season. Jackson Gay will direct.

Hartford Stage today announced the cast and creative team for Make Believe, written by Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bess Wohl. The world premiere play will perform Thursday, September 6, through Sunday, September 30, to open the Tony Award-winning regional theatre's 55thseason. Jackson Gay will direct.

This year, Planet Connections' signature event, designed to address a powerful social and topical issue facing our society today through engaging stage works, will explore the distinctions between gender and sexuality. The event will benefit THE ALI FORNEY CENTER, whose mission is to protect LGBTQ youths from the dangers of homelessness and empower them with the tools needed to live independently.

Today, The 24 Hour Plays, in partnership with The New School for Drama, announced the company for The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals. 

59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) presents the NYC premiere of AGNES, written by Catya McMullen and directed by Jenna Worsham. Produced by Lesser America, in association with Hugh Hayes, AGNES begins performances on Saturday, September 8 for a limited engagement through Saturday, September 29. Press Opening is Thursday, September 13 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM; and Sunday at 2:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $25 ($20 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

PLANET CONNECTIONS' PLAYWRIGHTS FOR A CAUSE: This year, this event, designed to address a powerful social and topical issue facing our society today through engaging stage works, will explore the distinctions between gender and sexuality. The event will benefit THE ALI FORNEY CENTER.

G45 Productions is thrilled to announce the lineup and complete casting for their third annual Lightbulb Reading Series, beginning public performances Thursday, July 19th.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces artistic updates, including select cast members for upcoming productions, as part of the company's 2018/19 programming.