Mark Twain News

Stephen Metcalfe has chosen the critically acclaimed Ruskin Group Theatre to launch the Los Angeles premiere of his play The Tragedy of the Commons.

Tune in for a heated debate regarding the Shakespeare authorship question as ANONYMOUS Director Roland Emmerich, the film's Writer/Producer John Orloff and Historian/Writer/Lecturer Charles Beauclerk face off against UC Berkeley's Professor Alan H. Nelson in a live webcast on Wednesday, September 28 from 8:15 - 9:15pm PST.

'F**king Hipsters!' a new musical comedy with book by Keythe Farley ('Bat Boy: The Musical'), lyrics by Lori Scarlett ('Break Up Notebook') and music by Ms. Scarlett and John Ballinger, receives its world premiere production as part of the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) on tonight at 8:00 pm at the Signature Theatre: Peter Norton Space at 555 W. 42nd St. The production is directed by Two-time Tony Nominee John Carrafa ('Urinetown', 'Love, Valour, Compassion').

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA), a professional theater and arts education nonprofit organization that builds communities around the appreciation and production of Shakespeare, will present blockbuster film director Roland Emmerich and entertainment attorney and author Bert Fields with the Crystal Quill Award for their contributions to the Shakespeare authorship debate.

Unbound Productions Co-Artistic Directors Jonathan Josephson, Paul Millet, and Jeff G. Rack have announced the line-up and casting for two full productions of the popular horror story adaptation series WICKED LIT that will take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, California. Production A (October 21-November 5, 2011) will consist of a remount of three plays that the theatre company produced as part of last year's engagement: Charles Dickens' The Chimes, H.P. Lovecraft's The Unnamable and Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado.

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, adapted by Timothy Mason from Mark Twain's novel will be directed by Warren Wilgus at the Albuquerque Little Theater from September 2 through September 18, 2011.

Eric Rosen has announced his selections for Kansas City Repertory Theatre's 2011-12 season, his fourth as the theatre's artistic director.

'F**king Hipsters!' a new musical comedy with book by Keythe Farley ('Bat Boy: The Musical'), lyrics by Lori Scarlett ('Break Up Notebook') and music by Ms. Scarlett and John Ballinger, will receive its world premiere production as part of the 2011 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 8:00 pm at the Signature Theatre: Peter Norton Space at 555 W. 42nd St. The production is directed by Two-time Tony Nominee John Carrafa ('Urinetown', 'Love, Valour, Compassion').

We are thrilled to present our second issue with the incredible Kristin Chenoweth. We sat down with her to talk about her newly released country album 'Some Lessons Learned'. Chenoweth is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown inYou're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999), for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked (2003). Her best-known television role is Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing. As Olive Snook on the ABC comedy-drama Pushing Daisies, she won a 2009 Emmy Award.

Stephen Metcalfe has chosen the critically acclaimed Ruskin Group Theatre to launch the Los Angeles premiere of his play The Tragedy of the Commons.

Stephen Metcalfe has chosen the critically acclaimed Ruskin Group Theatre to launch the Los Angeles premiere of his play The Tragedy of the Commons.

Lantern Theater Company opens its 2011/12 season with the Philadelphia premiere of David Ives' award-winning New Jerusalem, The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656.

Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in Downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, is proud to present the Berkshire County premiere of My Name Is Asher Lev, based on the acclaimed novel by Chaim Potok.

The Adaptations Project will present their inaugural production, Kaddish (or The Key in the Window), based on the poem by Allen Ginsberg.

The Manhattan Theatre Club has announced full casting for the upcoming world premiere of CLOSE UP SPACE by Molly Smith Metzler, directed by Leigh Silverman. Joining the cast is Academy Award & Emmy Award nominee Rosie Perez (Fearless, The Ritz) as famous author 'Vanessa Finn Adams.' Completing the cast are Jessica DiGiovanni (Off-Broadway Debut) and Colby Minifie (The Pillowman, Landscape of the Body) as well as already announced Tony Award and four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce ('Frasier', Curtains) and Obie Award winner Michael Chernus (The Aliens, In The Wake).

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston makes a big splash with the Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,' the stories of an adventure-seeking boy and a runaway slave as they journey down the mighty Mississippi River.

The producers of BILLY ELLIOT on Broadway announced today that Daniel Jenkins, Katherine McGrath and William Youmans will join the cast of the 10-time Tony Award winning Billy Elliot the Musical in the roles of ‘Dad,' ‘Grandma,' and ‘George,' respectively. Current ‘Dad,' Tony winner Gregory Jbara, ‘Grandma,' Tony nominee Carole Shelley and ‘George,' Joel Hatch will play their final performance Sunday, September 4, 2011 at 7:30pm. Jenkins', McGrath, and Youmans' first performance is scheduled for Tuesday, September 6 at 7:00pm.

Albuquerque Theatre Guild sets their September 2011 Performance Calendar. More theatrical performances take place every weekend here in Albuquerque than in any other U.S. city of its size.

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, adapted by Timothy Mason from Mark Twain's novel will be directed by Warren Wilgus at the Albuquerque Little Theater from September 2 through September 18, 2011.

The Adaptations Project proudly presents their inaugural production, Kaddish (or The Key in the Window), based on the poem by Allen Ginsberg. Kaddish (or The Key in the Window) is created and performed by Donnie Mather and directed by Kim Weild. Their most recent collaboration was WeildWorks' New York Premiere of Charles Mee's Fêtes de la Nuit, a 2010 Drama Desk Award nominee for Unique Theatrical Experience that also garnered 7 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations, including Outstanding Director.