Vanity Fair, William Thackery's 19th century exploration of female conventions and ambition as seen through the discerning eyes of Kate Hamill (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park) is a delight for the eyes and a thoughtful female perspective on gender roles that continue to evolve today. With its sparkling cast of seven actors playing dozens of roles and first-rate direction by Jessica Stone, Thackery's carnival-like satire of British society portrayed through the cunning, strong-willed Becky Sharp is as contemporary today as it was shocking in its day.
American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon announced the full cast and creative team for Vanity Fair, acclaimed playwright Kate Hamill's rollicking new stage adaptation of William Thackeray's classic 19th-century novel that pops with 21st-century spirit. Ambitious Becky Sharp may not have been born with wealth or status, but she's determined to attain both-at any cost. Armed with fierce wit and calculating charm, Becky forges her own path through London's high society, dealing herself into a game she was never invited to play. Displaying the celebrated audacity and verve that she brought to her adaptation of Sense & Sensibility, Hamill conjures an inventive and lively period drama that combines a fierce contemporary edge with the theatricality of Victorian Burlesque.
Mean Girls, Big Little Lies, Heathers, Broad City, Thelma and Louise, Parks and Recreation, Sex and the City…These are some of the better known vehicles for female friendship that inhabit our pop culture universe. Paling in comparison to the numerous portrayals of male friendships and "bromances", too often these relationships center on competition or jealousy, on getting the guy. Very few take a deeper, more comprehensive dive into the complexity of female companionship. Even fewer are the product of female authors, directors, playwrights, etc.
Following the success of her Sense and Sensibility at the Folger Theatre in 2016, Wall Street Journal's Playwright of the Year 2017 Kate Hamill, returns to D.C. with her adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel Vanity Fair. Hamill's vibrant and colorful tale about society's foibles is a co-production with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater. Directed by Jessica Stone and featuring Rebekah Brockman as Becky Sharp, the production will run at the Lansburgh Theatre (450 7th Street, NW) from February 26 through March 31, 2019.
What happens to the Bennet sisters after the events in Pride and Prejudice? Jane Austen fans can find out for themselves in the romantic comedy MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY, beginning at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Oct. 13. The Marx Theatre production runs through Nov. 10 (Opening night is Oct. 18.)
The Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (Davis McCallum, Artistic Director; Kate Liberman, Managing Director) is proud to announce complete casting for the 2018 summer season. The previously announced season will include two Shakespeare classics, RICHARD II and THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, alongside David Farr's adaptation of THE HEART OF ROBIN HOOD, and the world premiere of Seth Bockley's RIP VAN WINKLE; or, CUT THE OLD MOON INTO STARS, the first-ever mainstage commission by HVSF, featuring 40-plus members of the Hudson Valley community alongside a cast of 4 professional actors. The season will also feature the HVSF Conservatory Company in an original clown piece, THE SEA-MAID'S MUSIC, devised and directed by Zachary Fine.
After a sold-out run at the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival, the New York run of Lover Lover will be presented with an expanded script, a new director, Derek Nicoletto, and a New York cast on Saturday, December 2 at 9:30 p.m. and Today, December 7 at 9:30 p.m. at the legendary Cabaret at The Duplex at 61 Christopher Street, New York, New York.
After a sold-out run at the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival, the New York run of Lover Lover will be presented with an expanded script, a new director, Derek Nicoletto, and a New York cast today, December 2 at 9:30 p.m. and Thursday, December 7 at 9:30 p.m. at the legendary Cabaret at The Duplex at 61 Christopher Street, New York, New York.
After a sold-out run at the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival, the New York run of Lover Lover will be presented with an expanded script, a new director, Derek Nicoletto, and a New York cast on Saturday, December 2 at 9:30 p.m. and Thursday, December 7 at 9:30 p.m. at the legendary Cabaret at The Duplex at 61 Christopher Street, New York, New York.
Theatre 167 will present the Manhattan Premiere of THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY, a rotating repertory of three plays about the Queens, New York neighborhood famous for being the world's most diverse community. Created by 18 playwrights and starring a company of 37 actors playing 93 multicultural roles, the plays were conceived and will be directed by Ari Laura Kreith. The trilogy will inaugurate the newly renovated 777 Theatre, located at 777 8th Avenue at 47th Street beginning February 8th. While each of the plays has been presented individually in Queens to critical acclaim, this is the first time any of these plays will be seen in Manhattan and the first time they are being presented together in repertory, where audiences can see them individually or all in one day.
The Fifth Annual Left Out Festival (April 14 to April 25) announced the casting for its three premiere plays, Getting Away With Mother, Home In Her Heart and The Mademoiselles.
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