The playwright nervously awaiting the make-or-break review on opening night has been the setting of many stage and movie scenes. But in this play, McNally runs with the idea, taking no prisoners across two acts boasting almost as many Broadway name-drops as punch lines, all delivered with perfect comic timing by a cast of talented actors who know how important it is to both give and take with each other as the wide range of human emotions overcomes the a?oestarsa?? who hope and pray this play will revive their struggling careers. And all the while, the laughs abound non-stop.
Today, AUDELCO (Audience Development Committee) President Jackie Jeffries, SeasonWalk Productions CEO Denise Gray, Marcia Pendelton, President of Walk Tall Girl Productions/Black Theater Online, and the Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts, LIU Brooklyn Campus (Rodney Hurley, Managing Director) announced THE THEATERMAKERS - A Black Theater Preview: Winter/Spring Edition.
SWEAT is a work of social realism, that controversial genre of fiction, film, and drama that tries to be romance and documentary all in one. It casts light on an often ignored part of American society, that is, those disenchanted workers - and ex-workers - whose dreams have been disrupted by some thirty-odd years of decline in the country's once robust manufacturing industry. For those of us with a New York Times subscription, SWEAT will feel like a continuation of a familiar trope, a vivid illustration of an idea that's been described to us again and again, especially more frequently since 2016. SWEAT seems to be answering the question: Who are these angry, bitter people who have set the country on its current course, and how did they get that way?
Griffin Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 32nd season with the Midwest premiere of Lynn Nottage's drama Mlima's Tale directed by Jerrell L. Henderson, playing February 15 a?" March 21, 2020 on Raven Theatre's Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago.
Trinity Repertory Company has announced that $60,445.55 was raised for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank from the 2019 A Christmas Carol audiences - the second-highest amount ever raised in the thirteen years donations have been requested. Since 2006, this tradition has been a part of the theater's commitment to its community and a reminder to audiences to bring the spirit of Dickens' story into their lives and the rest of Rhode Island. This year's collection brings the total raised over the past thirteen years to more than $667,500.
The Dramatists Guild Opera Committee's Librettist Initiative premieres the short film a?oeCredit the Librettist: Conversations with Today's Opera Makersa?? at Opera America's New Works Forum on Thursday, January 16 at 10am at the National Opera Center, 330 7th Avenue, 7th Floor, New York.
It may surprise you to learn that Stephen King didn't write 'The Shining' and Sister Helen Prejean didn't write 'Dead Man Walking.' Even more, you may be startled to learn that Herman Melville didn't write 'Moby Dick' and Louisa May Alcott didn't have a hand in 'Little Women.' Well, of course they did--except when it came to turning the works into operas. Then, respectively, Mark Campbell and Terrence McNally took over, as did Gene Scheer and Mark Adamo.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, has shared the co-chair and host committee list of the 2020 TCG Gala: Our Stories, which will be held on Monday, February 3, 2020 at The Edison Ballroom, 240 W 47th St, New York, NY 10036. The Gala will honor the National Black Theatre Festival, David Henry Hwang, and TCG's arts advocacy at the federal level.
Works & Process, the performing arts series at the Guggenheim, will present Lincoln Center Theater: Intimate Apparel by Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage with Bartlett Sher on Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 7:30pm.
Huntington Theatre Company has announced the extension of the Boston premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat. Due to high ticket demand, this a?oebreathtakingly timelya?? (The Wall Street Journal), Tony Award-nominated play by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and directed by Kimberly Senior (The Niceties at the Huntington, Disgraced on Broadway) will now run at the Huntington Avenue Theatre (264 Huntington Avenue, Boston) from Friday, January 31, 2020 through Sunday, March 1, 2020.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced that Bay Area natives and provocateurs, Culture Clash, are returning with their latest production, Culture Clash (Still) in America. The play, written and performed by Culture Clash and directed by Obie Award winner Lisa Peterson, marks the fifth time the satirical group has performed at Berkeley Rep.
Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of André Bishop) has announced casting for its upcoming production of Intimate Apparel, a new opera with music by Ricky Ian Gordon and a libretto by Lynn Nottage, based on her play. The opera, which will be directed by Bartlett Sher, will begin previews Thursday, February 27 and open on Monday, March 23 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street).
The League of Professional Theatre Women (Shellen Lubin and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been championing women in the professional theatre for over three decades, is producing an Oral History Project event with renowned Broadway publicist Irene Gandy on Monday, February 10 beginning at 6pm in the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts (111 Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street). Admission to the event is FREE and seats are available on a first-come-first-seated basis. Doors will open at 5:30pm.
Seattle Rep will welcome back director Tim Bond and a cast of Seattle veteran actors for its production of Lucy Kirkwood's post-apocalyptic drama The Children, beginning February 7 in the Leo K. Theater. Tickets are on sale now through the Seattle Rep Patron Services Office at 206.443.2222 and online at seattlerep.org.
Trinity Repertory Company is inviting the public to nominate outstanding local artists for the 2020 Rhode Island Pell Awards for Excellence in the Arts. The Pell Awards' criteria include distinction in the artist's chosen field, work that significantly advances the art form and contribution to the betterment of the community, and the world at large through artistic presence and community service. Awards will be presented at the theater's gala event on Monday, June 1, 2020.
Opera America will feature a public discussion with The Dramatists Guild's Opera Committee's Librettist Initiative at their New Works Forum on Thursday, January 16 at 10am at the National Opera Center, 330 7th Avenue, 7th Floor, New York.
Don't stop 'til you get enough! As BroadwayWorld previously reported, MJ the Musical is set to begin Broadway previews this July with Ephraim Sykes playing the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. To get ready to see the iconic star's story and artistry come to the Great White Way, we're getting to know the show's cast members including Sykes, Quentin Earl Darrington, Whitney Bashor, and more. Check it all out!
Lia Vollack Productions and The Michael Jackson Estate announced today the official cast for the upcoming World Premiere of MJ the musical on Broadway. Preview performances will begin on Monday, July 6th, with Opening Night set for Thursday, August 13th at 6:30 p.m., at the Neil Simon Theatre, New York City.
MJ the musical has announced a multi-city search for actors of all ages, including young performers to play Michael Jackson at age 10. These auditions come on the heels of the recently announced star casting of Tony Award nominee Ephraim Sykes as Michael Jackson. Actors are being sought for Broadway stage roles as well as to understudy, and must possess the singing and dancing chops for the role of Michael Jackson at various stages of his life in the upcoming Broadway production.
