McCarter Theatre is pleased to welcome its new Managing Director, Timothy J. Shields. Mr. Shields, a nationally recognized theater executive, was appointed Managing Director by the McCarter Theatre Board of Trustees in September and began work at McCarter on January 5, 2009.
'My acceptance of the position at McCarter Theatre represents something of a homecoming, as I worked at McCarter from 1983 to 1992, and most of my family is on the East Coast,' said Shields. 'The opportunity to become Managing Director of a Tony Award-winning regional theater with such a great reputation was simply too hard to pass up.' He added, 'The unbelievably high level of the productions and presentations that McCarter does for its audiences is work that any arts professional would be pleased to be associated with, and everyone strives to make the work even better. Any organization that has that sort of ambition is one that I'm proud to lead.' Mr. Shields comes to McCarter from Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where he has served as Managing Director since 1998. During his tenure, The Rep's operating budget more than doubled, ticket sales and contributed income reached record levels, and statewide tours of Rep productions in 2006, 2007, and 2008 were re-established.
McCarter Theatre Center announces the complete cast for Eclipsed, the Spotlight Production of the theater's 3rd Annual In-Festival of new works. Written by Obie Award-winning actress and playwright Danai Gurira and directed by Liesl Tommy, the five-woman play features Pascale Armand, Nikiya Mathis, Keiana Rich?rd, Stacey Sargeant, and April Yvette Thompson. Eclipsed runs on Wednesdays through Sundays from January 26 to February 8, 2009 in The Room in the Berlind Theatre (opening night January 31).
Set in war-torn Liberia, Eclipsed offers a chilling, humanizing, and surprisingly funny portrait of transformation and renewal. With wit, compassion, and defiance, this gripping play unearths the wreckage of war and celebrates the women who navigate and survive the most hostile of circumstances. Danai Gurira first introduced excerpts of Eclipsed to McCarter in 2007, followed by a public reading of the work during the 2008 In-Festival. In researching the play, Ms. Gurira traveled to Liberia through a TCG New Generations Grant, which she applied for with McCarter Theatre. Pascale Armand has been seen in New York at Playwrights Horizons and Manhattan Theatre Club and regionally at numerous theaters including Kansas City Rep, Arena Stage, Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Syracuse Stage, American Repertory Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.
Village Theatre is excited to announce that The Importance of Being Earnest will open in Issaquah at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:00 PM. A single preview performance will take place the night before, Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 8:00 PM. The show will open in Everett at the Everett Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM.
Returning to Cleveland after acclaimed performances in The Color
Purple on Broadway and Gone with the Wind in London?s West End, NaTasha Yvette Williams takes the
stage in the lead role of The Cleveland Play House production of Mahalia: A Gospel Musical. Since 1997,
when she performed in The Play House production of (I Could) Stop On a Dime and Get Ten Cents
Change, Williams has also played in several Broadway national tours and performed her gospel music all
over the world. Kent Gash, Associate Artistic Director of The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, GA, is directing
Williams in this musical tribute to the most celebrated gospel singer of all time. Mahalia: A Gospel Musical
begins in the Bolton Theatre at The Cleveland Play House on Friday, January 30 and runs through Sunday,
February 22, 2009. Tickets are on sale now at The Cleveland Play House box office by calling
216.795.7000 ext 4 or online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com. Mahalia: A Gospel Musical is presented in
promotional partnership with Time Warner Cable and The Kulus Foundation. The media sponsor for
Mahalia: A Gospel Musical is 107.3 FM The Wave WNMV.
The Colony Theatre Company presents the fourth production of its 2008 - 2009 season, CANDIDA, written by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Kathleen F. Conlin. CANDIDA will preview on Wednesday, February 4; Thursday, February 5 and Friday, February 6 at 8:00pm and will open on Saturday, February 7 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, March 8 at The Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center.
CANDIDA is the delightful, light-hearted classic from George Bernard Shaw, writer of Major Barbara and Arms and the Man, winner of the Academy-Award for writing Pygmalion, and recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Reverend Morell thinks he and his wife, Candida, have the perfect marriage, but when a passionate young poet also declares his love for her, Morell begins to doubt whether his wife loves him after all. Written over 100 years ago, George Bernard Shaw shows that marriage hasn't changed all that much. Directed by Kathleen F. Conlin, from her acclaimed production at the Utah Shakespearean Festival.
South Coast Repertory today announced the cast and creative team for Michael Frayn's ingenious comedic masterpiece, Noises Off. Directed by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award winner Art Manke, Noises Off will run from Feb. 6 through March 8 on the Segerstrom Stage. Low-priced previews are available from Feb. 6 through Feb. 12. Opening night is Feb. 13. Press night is Saturday, Feb. 14 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to Noises Off may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.
Noises Off follows the on-and off-stage antics of an inept acting troupe as they stumble from bumbling dress rehearsal to disastrous closing night. Everything that can go wrong does, as actors desperately try to hang on to their lines, their performances and the furniture. Add a slippery plate of sardines and many slamming doors, and you have the most hilarious backstage farce ever written.
Art Manke received his fifth Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for directing SCR's West Coast premiere of Bach at Leipzig in 2006. Other work with SCR includes last season's Taking Steps, the world premiere musical version of The Wind in the Willows and choreography for numerous productions. Elsewhere in Southern California, Manke has directed The Constant Wife, Private Lives and the American premiere of Noel Coward's Star Quality for Pasadena Playhouse and the world premiere of The Ice-Breaker at Laguna Playhouse. Manke was a co-founder and artistic director (1991-2001) of A Noise Within where he directed the works of Shakespeare, Moli?re, Wilde, Coward and Sophocles. Other credits include work with Denver Center Theatre Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Old Globe Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, American Players Theatre, among others.
The cast features Nancy Bell (Belinda Blair), Bill Brochtrup (Garry Lejeune), Kandis Chappell (Dotty Otley), Winslow Corbett (Poppy Norton-Taylor), Kaleo Griffith (Lloyd Dallas), Brian Hostenske (Tim Allgood), Timothy Landfield (Frederick Fellows), Jennifer Lyon (Brooke Ashton) and Nick Ullett (Selsdon Mowbray).
The creative team for Noises Off includes John Iacvelli (Set Design), Angela Balogh Calin (Costume Design), York Kennedy (Lighting Design), Vincent Olivieri (Sound Design), Ken Merckx (Movement Consultant), David Newell (Dialect Coach), Linda Sullivan Baity (Dramaturg) and Jamie Tucker (Stage Manager).
Dee and Larry Higby are the Honorary Producers of Noises Off. OC Metro is the Media Partner.
Associated events taking place during the run of Noises Off include:
POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS Wednesday, Feb. 18 & Tuesday, Feb. 24
Discuss the play with members of the Noises Off cast during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory's literary team after the 7:30 p.m. performances on Feb. 18 and Feb. 24.
INSIDE THE SEASON: Noises Off Saturday, Feb. 21, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. $12
Inside the Season is a series of interactive classes that provide a comprehensive inside look at the theatrical production process. Each two-hour class is led by School and Community Programs Director Linda Sullivan Baity and features creative personnel from South Coast Repertory's current production. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (714) 708-5555. (Tickets to Noises Off are sold separately.)
TICKETS to Noises Off can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances begin on Feb. 6 and continue through March 8. Ticket prices range from $20 to $64. Low-priced preview performances are available from Feb. 6 to Feb. 12. Performance times: Previews: Friday, Feb. 6 and Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 8, Tuesday, Feb. 10 and Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8:00pm. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.; and Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 15 or more. There will be a 'Pay-What-You-Will' performance on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m. ($10 Minimum) and an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m.
In her 13 years as artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Sharon Ott led the company to new artistic heights, national prestige, and a well-deserved Tony Award. Now, after a 12-year absence, she returns with a gripping production of Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic Crime and Punishment. The scene of this Crime is Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage, where Ott earned her reputation as a dazzling director. The show begins previews on February 27, opens March 4, and closes March 29. Its executive producers are John and Helen Meyer and Richard H. Rubin and H. Marcia Smolens, with production sponsorship from the Bernard Osher Foundation. BART and Wells Fargo are the season sponsors for Berkeley Rep's 41st year of fearless theatre.
McCarter Theatre Center Artistic Director and Resident Playwright Emily Mann has been named one of New Jersey's most influential people by New Jersey Monthly. The magazine's new 'Power Issue', on newsstands now, lists 101 individuals, from politics to the arts, who have the most impact on the way we live in New Jersey.
Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jon Steingart and Jenny Wiener Steingart, Executive Producers) proudly announces its 2009 Play Group and Artists-in-Residence.
Play Group is Ars Nova's vibrant and eclectic group of emerging writers who gather twice a month at Ars Nova to share new work and get peer feedback. The group offers members the chance to develop their plays with peer support, form collaborative relationships and build a strong sense of community within Ars Nova.
McCarter Theatre Center announces the complete cast of George Bernard Shaw's still provocative Mrs. Warren's Profession, the third show of the theater's 2008-2009 season. Directed by McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production will feature Suzanne Bertish, Robin Chadwick, Edward Hibbert, Madeleine Hutchins, Michael Izquierdo, and Rocco Sisto. Mrs. Warren's Profession begins performances in the Berlind Theatre on Friday, January 9 and runs through February 15. (Press opening Friday, January 16).
South Coast Repertory starts off the New Year with the World Premiere of You, Nero, a comedy by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Freed. Commissioned by SCR, You, Nero imagines a meeting during the declining years of the Roman Empire between Scribonius, a put-upon playwright, and Emperor Nero, the all-powerful, narcissistic arbiter of art. The Roman romp stars Danny Scheie as Nero and John Vickery as Scribonius. Produced in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre and directed by Sharon Ott,You, Nero will run from Jan. 4 through Jan. 25, 2009 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Low-priced previews are available from Jan. 4 through Jan. 8. Opening night is Jan. 9. Press night is Saturday, Jan. 10 at 7:45 p.m. Tickets to You, Nero may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.
Theater veterans Mark Lamos and Michael Ross have been named artistic director and managing director, respectively, of Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut, as the historic theater enters its 79th season. The new leadership team will assume their positions on February 1, 2009.
Goodman Theatre is proud to present the world premiere of Regina Taylor's newest work, Magnolia, directed by Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro (August: Osage County). Magnolia runs March 14 - April 19, 2009, in the Albert Ivar Theatre. Tickets are $25 - 75. Target is the lead Corporate Sponsor Partner.
McCarter Theater Center has added new events for 2009.
Ben Folds has been scheduled for February 11, 2009 at 8pm.
Over the last 15 years, Ben Folds' first-class melodic gifts, irony-laced lyrics, and punk-rock tendency to play piano as if it were a contact sport have earned the North Carolina native a legion of devoted fans of all ages.
Kris Kristofferson has been booked for February 27, 2009 at 8pm.
McCarter Theatre Center announces the complete cast of George Bernard Shaw's still provocative Mrs. Warren's Profession, the third show of the theater's 2008-2009 season. Directed by McCarter Artistic Director Emily Mann, the production will feature Suzanne Bertish, Robin Chadwick, Edward Hibbert, Madeleine Hutchins, Michael Izquierdo, and Rocco Sisto. Mrs. Warren's Profession begins performances in the Berlind Theatre on Friday, January 9 and runs through February 15. (Press opening Friday, January 16).
Village Theatre is excited to announce that The Importance of Being Earnest will open in Issaquah at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre on Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:00 PM. A single preview performance will take place the night before, Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at 8:00 PM. The show will open in Everett at the Everett Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 6, 2009 at 8:00 PM.
George Street Playhouse begins 2009 with its production of Donald Marguiles' Sight Unseen. When first presented in 1992, the play won the OBIE Award for Best New American Play, was nominated for a Drama Desk, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. George Street Playhouse Artistic Director will helm the production, slated to run at the New Brunswick theatre January2020 - February 15, 2009. Matthew Arkin, last seen at GSP in their production of Theresa Rebeck's The Scene, leads an ensemble including Heidi Armbruster, Christopher Curry and Kathleen McNenny.
George Street Playhouse is celebrating the December holidays in a big way with a series of musical performances for a special Holiday Cabaret. The musical celebration will feature the talents of Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli, who is currently performing at George Street Playhouse in Conor McPherson's The Seafarer. Mr. Cuccioli received a Tony Nomination and is perhaps best known for playing the title role in Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde. Joining Mr. Cuccioli will be fellow Tony nominee Sally Mayes from the recent Broadway revival of She Loves Me. Christopher Howatt will serve as musical director and performer for the revue. Performances take place Saturday, December 20 at 2 and 8PM, and Sunday, December 21 at 2PM.
The Lark Play Development Center was one of five theaters selected for the first-ever NEA Distinguished New Play Development Project. Each theater receives $20,000 to support early development activities for a new play which the Lark will be using to implement a national, multi-theater development strategy for Aditi Brennan Kapil's AGNES UNDER THE BIG TOP, A FAIRY TALE.
The Lark Play Development Center was one of five theaters selected for the first-ever NEA Distinguished New Play Development Project. Each theater receives $20,000 to support early development activities for a new play which the Lark will be using to implement a national, multi-theater development strategy for Aditi Brennan Kapil's AGNES UNDER THE BIG TOP, A FAIRY TALE.
