Marsha Norman News

MENTOR PROJECT 2009: HOUSEBREAKING Written by Jakob Holder, Mentored by Charles Mee, Directed by Daniella Topol Chad is tired of his job, his family, his thirty-five-year-old life; Carmine is tired of life on the streets. Chad brings Carmine home, grooms him and trains him-and forgets that stray animals tend to be wild and cunning survivors.

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, under the leadership of Executive Director Stacie Burgua, presents Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire. The production, directed by Chris Fisher, features Max Cole-Takanikos, Patricia Duff, Tom Harris, Jill Johnson, and Melissa McAlerney. Performances will begin at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Avenue, on Friday, April 10 and continue through Saturday, April 25.

For 35 years, Pulitzer Prize winning THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY has nurtured hundreds of playwrights through its EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS PROGRAM. In June, 2006, we launched NEW CITY , NEW BLOOD, a play reading series designed to serve our audiences and writers even better.

The Cherry Lane Theatre will present the 11th season of its Obie Award-winning Cherry Lane Mentor Project with the new play HOUSEBREAKING - written by Jakob Holder, mentored by playwright Charles Mee - with performances set to run March 24-April 4 at The Cherry Lane Studio (38 Commerce Street) in Manhattan. Daniella Topol directs.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, are proud to announce that Des Moines will host the North American Touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE for 8 performances, April 7 to 12, 2009.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) will begin previews on Tuesday, March 24 for Christopher Durang's comedy WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM. This world premiere, directed by Nicholas Martin, will run through April 26 with an official press opening on Monday, April 6 at 7 PM.

Dramatists Guild Of America's President John Weidman, Vice President Marsha Norman, Secretary David Ives and Treasurer Jonathan Reynolds have all announced that they are stepping down from their positions. Composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz has been selected to become the new President, while Peter Parnell will take over as Vice president, Doug Wright as Secretary, and Theresa Rebeck as Treasurer.

Back by popular demand, the Broadway smash hit, Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple, is returning to the Motor City! Don't miss out as this limited engagement arrives in Detroit for only eight performances, from Tuesday, April 14 through Sunday, April 19.

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, under the leadership of Executive Director Stacie Burgua, announces the cast of Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire. The production, directed by Chris Fisher, features Max Cole-Takanikos, Patricia Duff, Tom Harris, Jill Johnson, and Melissa McAlerney. Performances will begin at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Avenue, on Friday, April 10 and continue through Saturday, April 25.

The Cherry Lane Theatre presents the world premiere production of Deirdre O'Connor's JAILBAIT--a new play about two teenaged girls and the men they meet when they pose as college students during a night out at a club in Boston--as the inaugural production at Cherry Lane's newest Off-Broadway theatre, the 90-seat Cherry Pit (155 Bank Street), with previews set to begin March 19 prior to its official press opening on March 25. Suzanne Agins directs.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit 'The Color Purple' are proud to announce that Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will host the first North American touring production of 'The Color Purple' from March 17 - 29, 2009. Tickets are on sale at ordway.org.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) have announced that, in order to accommodate ticket demand, they will extend the New York Premiere of Charles Busch's The Third Story. Directed by Carl Andress. the six-character play will now continue through Sunday, March 15 (two additional weeks) at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). The production, which opened on February 2, features Mr. Busch, Scott Parkinson, Sarah Rafferty, Jennifer Van Dyck, Jonathan Walker and Kathleen Turner (and marks Ms. Turner's return to Off Broadway in more than 30 years).

The Cherry Lane Theatre will present the 11th season of its Obie Award-winning Cherry Lane Mentor Project with the new play HOUSEBREAKING - written by Jakob Holder, mentored by playwright Charles Mee - with performances set to run March 24-April 4 at The Cherry Lane Studio (38 Commerce Street) in Manhattan. Daniella Topol directs.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) presented another all-star line-up for the company's annual gala, Miscast 2009.

Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and the producing team of the Broadway smash hit THE COLOR PURPLE, The Musical about Love, are proud to announce that Memphis will host the first North American Touring production of THE COLOR PURPLE for 8 performances from March 31- April 5, 2009. Tickets are $25-$85. Tickets are on-sale, but there is a very limited number left. They may be purchased at the Orpheum Box Office from 9am-5pm Monday through Friday, David-Kidd Booksellers, and all Ticketmaster locations. Charge by phone (901) 525-3000 or go online at www.orpheum-memphis.com.

ShenanArts is pleased to announce its production of The Secret Garden. Directed by Hank Fitzgerald, with music direction by Anne Wick Manes, this Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the classic book by Frances Hodgson Burnett opens March 12 at the Stage 4 theatre and will play 8 performances from March 12-15 & 19-22, 2009. The Secret Garden premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on April 25, 1991 and ran for two years, closing after 709 performances. The production garnered the 1991 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Marsha Norman), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Daisy Eagan - the youngest person ever to win a Tony Award), and Best Scenic Design (Heidi Landesman).

Broadway and film producer Dann Conrad Byck Jr., who stepped down from his family retail business to pursue his lifelong passion for theater, died Tuesday at the Louisville home of his daughter, Amy Byck. He was 72.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced a one week extension for its production of RAGTIME. The musical will now run in the Eisenhower Theater April 18 through May 17, 2009. Based on a 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, the production features book by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and will be directed and choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge. The musical is part of the Kennedy Center?s Broadway: The Third Generation, a series celebrating the current generation of Broadway musical composers. The official press night will take place on Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

ShenanArts is pleased to announce its production of The Secret Garden. Directed by Hank Fitzgerald, with music direction by Anne Wick Manes, this Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the classic book by Frances Hodgson Burnett opens March 12 at the Stage 4 theatre and will play 8 performances from March 12-15 & 19-22, 2009. The Secret Garden premiered on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on April 25, 1991 and ran for two years, closing after 709 performances. The production garnered the 1991 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Marsha Norman), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Daisy Eagan - the youngest person ever to win a Tony Award), and Best Scenic Design (Heidi Landesman).

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) is pleased to announce another all-star line-up for the company's annual gala, to be held Monday, March 9, 2009 at The Hammerstein Ballroom (311 West 34th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues).