Mary Ellen News

Playwright A. R. ("Pete") Gurney, one of the most-produced playwrights in the history of Westport Country Playhouse, was celebrated for his body of work at the theater's one-night-only fundraising gala, "A Perfect Party: A Gala Evening Honoring A. R. Gurney," on Monday, September 22. Fourteen productions of Gurney's plays have been staged at Westport Country Playhouse, including one world premiere. Scroll down for photos!

Playwright A. R. ('Pete') Gurney, who has had 14 of his plays staged at Westport Country Playhouse, will be celebrated at the Playhouse's annual fundraiser, 'A Perfect Party: A Gala Evening Honoring A. R. Gurney,' tonight, September 22. Westport's Arthur Levitt, a valued trustee and longtime supporter of the Playhouse, will also be honored with the Playhouse Leadership Award.

Saks Fifth Avenue announced that Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer, Vanessa Bayer, Cecily Strong and Colin Jost have been named as the EIF ambassadors for Saks Fifth Avenue's 2014 Key To The Cure campaign, representing talent from Saturday Night Live's past and current casts shot by famed SNL photographer Mary Ellen Matthews. Celebrated New York designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of rag & bone have created the limited-edition tee exclusively to benefit the campaign, which coincides with the Emmy Award-winning show's 40th Anniversary season. Now in its 16th year, Key To The Cure has taken a new approach, offering a unisex tee for the first time. The shirt will retail for $35 at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and online at saks.com and saksoff5th.com. 100% of the proceeds from each shirt sold will be donated to Tigerlily Foundation, benefiting charitable programs dedicated to finding new detection methods, better treatments and eventual cures for women's cancers. The tee debuts at Saks Fifth Avenue on October 1. Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer, Vanessa Bayer, Cecily Strong and Colin Jost will appear in a national public service announcement (PSA) wearing the rag & bone limited-edition tee. The Key To The Cure PSA will appear in major fashion and lifestyle magazines in September and October. Saks Fifth Avenue's charity shopping weekend will take place Thursday through Sunday, October 16 to 19, at all Saks Fifth Avenue nationwide and on saks.com and saksoff5th.com. During the shopping weekend, 2% of participating vendor sales will be donated to Tigerlily Foundation. In the 15 years since the inception of the Saks Fifth Avenue charity shopping weekend, the retailer has raised over $35 million for cancer research. To help raise money and awareness for women's cancers, Saks Fifth Avenue Tysons Galleria will partner with Tigerlily Foundation to host a kickoff event on Wednesday, October 15th. For more information, please contact Carolyn Parish at Carolyn_Parish@s5a.com or 703.269.1208. In addition to the partnership for the annual Key To The Cure campaign, Saks Fifth Avenue will sell exclusive merchandise inspired by notable Saturday Night Live characters from seven New York designers. These items, curated by Saturday Night Live's Emmy-nominated costume designer Tom Broecker, will be available in Saks Fifth Avenue's New York flagship store and on saks.com during the Key To The Cure shopping weekend, October 16 to 19. The merchandise includes Mango's shorts as interpreted by Alexander Wang, The Nerds outfit as interpreted by Alice + Olivia, a dress fit for The Californians as interpreted by Diane von Furstenberg, Spartans Cheerleading uniforms as interpreted by Elizabeth and James, hats fit for The Coneheads as interpreted by Eugenia Kim, Mary Katherine Gallagher's school uniform as interpreted by rag & bone, and Gilly's dress as interpreted by Suno. About Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the world's pre-eminent specialty retailers, is renowned for its superlative American and international designer collections, its expertly edited assortment of handbags, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and gifts, and the first-rate fashion expertise and exemplary client service of its Associates. As part of the Hudson's Bay Company brand portfolio, Saks operates 39 full-line stores in 22 states, five international licensed stores, 73 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores and saks.com, the company's online store. Saks Fifth Avenue is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named.

The SNL veteran will be returning to the long-running sketch comedy as the show's new announcer, replacing Don Pardo who passed away last month

I HEAR VOICES: SONGS FOR PSYCHOSIS, a benefit concert with proceeds going to Medicinal Missions, produced by Kevin Field and Adam Kern with music direction by Kevin Field and Bryan Blaskie, is set for Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 8:00 PM.

The 2013-14 Encore Awards nominees are announced.

Since Way Off Broadway's producers began revamping its Children's Theatre seasons in 2011 and 2012, some of the most popular productions have been those which have come straight from the Disney Vault. Over the last several season, the Children's Theatre at Way Off Broadway has produced productions of some of Disney's most popular movie titles including 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, Aladdin, and, most recently, Peter Pan. This fall, Alice and all of her friends from Wonderland will find a home at Way Off Broadway when the theatre produces and area premier of Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Jr.

Since Way Off Broadway's producers began revamping its Children's Theatre seasons in 2011 and 2012, some of the most popular productions have been those which have come straight from the Disney Vault. Over the last several season, the Children's Theatre at Way Off Broadway has produced productions of some of Disney's most popular movie titles including 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, Aladdin, and, most recently, Peter Pan. This fall, Alice and all of her friends from Wonderland will find a home at Way Off Broadway when the theatre produces and area premier of Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Jr.

The Mill returns to Chicago with a new theatrical adaptation of the classic feminist short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in the 1890s by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This modern adaptation by Lorelei Sturm features the poetic language of the literary work brought to life using innovative movement based staging. The Yellow Wallpaper opened yesterday, Sunday, August 24, 2014 at 3pm at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Mill returns to Chicago with a new theatrical adaptation of the classic Feminist short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in the 1890s by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This modern adaptation by Lorelei Sturm features the poetic language of the literary work brought to life using an innovative movement based staging. The Yellow Wallpaper previews tonight and tomorrow, August 22 and 23 at 7:30pm and opens Sunday, August 24, 2014 at 3pm at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago.

The nationally acclaimed string quartet ETHEL commemorates a decade serving as the Ensemble-in-Residence of the Grand Canyon Music Festival's Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP). Since 2005, ETHEL has been extending the gift of music to the underserved and rural communities of the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations. To date, ETHEL's residency has impacted almost 18,000 students, premiered over 150 works by Native American children, and touched more than 15 schools throughout Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. (See below for more details.)

HelikonRep announced that it will produce the world premiere of THE SUN EXPERIMENT, by NYTW Emerging Playwright of Color CATHERINE YU, at the 18th annual New York International Fringe Festival. Inspired by Shakespeare's Twelfth Nightand named for 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory on the rotation of the sun, THE SUN EXPERIMENT will be directed by HelikonRep Artistic Director and Drama League Directing FellowELENA HEYMAN.

The Mill returns to Chicago with a new theatrical adaptation of the classic Feminist short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in the 1890s by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This modern adaptation by Lorelei Sturm features the poetic language of the literary work brought to life using innovative movement based staging.

HelikonRep announced that it will produce the world premiere of THE SUN EXPERIMENT, by NYTW Emerging Playwright of Color CATHERINE YU, at the 18th annual New York International Fringe Festival. Inspired by Shakespeare's Twelfth Nightand named for 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory on the rotation of the sun, THE SUN EXPERIMENT will be directed by HelikonRep Artistic Director and Drama League Directing FellowELENA HEYMAN.

Continuing Way Off Broadway's 20th Anniversary Season, the dinner theatre is preparing to welcome gun-slingers and cowboys to the stage this fall with Irving Berlin's musical comedy about the sharpest shooter in the west, Annie Oakley, with Annie Get Your Gun.

The nationally acclaimed string quartet ETHEL commemorates a decade serving as the Ensemble-in-Residence of the Grand Canyon Music Festival's Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP). Since 2005, ETHEL has been extending the gift of music to the underserved and rural communities of the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations. To date, ETHEL's residency has impacted almost 18,000 students, premiered over 150 works by Native American children, and touched more than 15 schools throughout Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. (See below for more details.)

The Mill returns to Chicago with a new theatrical adaptation of the classic Feminist short story The Yellow Wallpaper, written in the 1890s by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This modern adaptation by Lorelei Sturm features the poetic language of the literary work brought to life using an innovative movement based staging. The Yellow Wallpaper previews August 22 and 23 at 7:30pm and opens Sunday, August 24, 2014 at 3pm at The Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago.

HelikonRep announced today that it will produce the world premiere of THE SUN EXPERIMENT, by NYTW Emerging Playwright of Color CATHERINE YU, at the 18th annual New York International Fringe Festival. Inspired by Shakespeare's Twelfth Nightand named for 20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's theory on the rotation of the sun, THE SUN EXPERIMENT will be directed by HelikonRep Artistic Director and Drama League Directing FellowELENA HEYMAN. The play will feature Ben Chase, Lauren Currie Lewis, and Julia Watt.

Former stars of the Stepinac High School Drama Club from 1959 thru 2014 have returned for a reunion of their own to perform this show. When most people tend to leave their high school days behind, Stepinac's alumni/ae and family/friends will return to perform as they once did on Stepinac's stage.

Professional Arts Executive Patrick Riviere has just launched On PAR Productions, LLC in Provincetown, Massachusetts with plans to create and support a great deal of performance and visual art both in Provincetown and regionally. Already scheduled is an AEA 29-Hour Staged Reading in New York City of Riviere's own play, THE HOUSE OF NUNZIO, directed by award-winning director Stephen Nachamie and starring Broadway veteran Mary Ellen Ashley. The project is being produced by Barbara Bemelmans in association with On PAR.