Casting is complete for Second Stage Theatre presentation of the Atlantic Theater Company's production of Stephen Adly Guirgis' acclaimed play, BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY. Ron Cephas Jones (Of Mice of Men and 2ST's Wildflower) and Michael Rispoli (Between Riverside and Crazy at ATC) join previously announced cast members Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences, 2ST's Jitney), Victor Almanzar (Repertorio Espanol, LAByrinth Theater), Elizabeth Canavan (The Little Flower of East Orange), Rosal Colon (The Motherf*cker with the Hat) and Liza Colon-Zayas (2ST Water by the Spoonful and Living Out).
Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) announce recent recipients of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Initiative commissions for Manhattan Theatre Club. The commissioned writers are Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God), Courtney Baron (A Very Common Procedure) and Juliana Nash (Murder Ballad), Nell Benjamin (The Explorers Club), Madeline George (The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence), Tom Holloway (And No More Shall We Part), Nathan Jackson (Broke-ology), Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (An Octoroon), Greg Pierce (Slowgirl), and Alexandra Wood (The Initiate).
In today's world, marriage is an optional life choice for couples versus previous generations where it was expected that adults would marry, procreate children, grow old, and eventually die having completed their primary life's function.
Even though those family structures may have included outside children born out of wedlock by a husband committing adultery, children and their mothers who were either ignored or treated like they didn't exist, the primary family unit remained intact.
In Melissa Ross's "Thinner than Water," currently in production at Kitchen Dog Theater, you realize despite advancements we have made as a global society in a number of areas, this component of the human condition is still alive and well.
This past year, a brand-new organization called The Kilroys solicited nominations from over 140 theatre professionals (primarily artistic directors and literary managers) for their favorite new plays by female-identified playwrights. In June they published The List -- the top 46 of these plays. Dry Land was one of the most recommended, and many playwrights Colt Coeur has collaborated with in the past were also on the list. In the spirit of continuing to champion gender parity in the theatre, we are hosting a Festival of Readings of plays by women during the run of Dry Land. The plays included are as follows:
Labyrinth Theater Company (Artistic Director Mimi O'Donnell, Managing Director Danny Feldman), the award-winning, downtown ensemble, today announced its 2014-2015 season, including A Sucker Emcee, written and performed by Craig muMs Grant, The Insurgents, a new play by Lucy Thurber, and Nice Girl, written by Melissa Ross. All work will be presented at the Bank Street Theater (155 Bank Street), Labyrinth Theater Company's home in New York City's West Village.
The Gift Theatre's contemporary production of Othello, starring Kareem Bandealy as Othello and artistic director and ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton as villainous Iago, began previews on July 10. Directed by Jonathan Berry (Dirty), this marks The Gift Theatre's first Shakespeare production ever mounted in its intimate 40-seat theater and Berry's Shakespearean directorial debut. Othello runs tonight, July 17-August 24 at The Gif.
The Gift Theatre's contemporary production of Othello, starring Kareem Bandealy as Othello and artistic director and ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton as villainous Iago, begins previews this Thursday, July 10. Directed by Jonathan Berry (Dirty), this marks The Gift Theatre's first Shakespeare production ever mounted in its intimate 40-seat theater and Berry's Shakespearean directorial debut. Othello runs July 17-August 24 at The Gift, www.thegifttheatre.org
During last night's Season Release Bash at Fischman Liquors and Tavern, artistic director and co-founder Michael Patrick Thornton proudly announced The Gift Theatre's 2015 season of three world premieres. The all-new season will include the debuts of David Rabe's expanded Good For Otto, Gift Ensemble member William Nedved's Body and Blood and Naperville native Mat Smart's The Royal Society of Antarctica.
This summer, The Gift Theatre debuts an annual artist-friendly fundraiser it's calling The Season Release Bash, targeting friends and colleagues in the theater community.
South Coast Repertory's 2014-15 season moves from the Mediterranean island in Shakespeare's The Tempest to Cornwall in a new take on the classic Tristan & Yseult, from Mecca in Zealot by Theresa Rebeck to an updated look at the Land of Oz in OZ 2.5 by Catherine Trieschmann. SCR will present classic, contemporary and new works, including Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph, Of Good Stock by Melissa Ross and Peter and the Starcatcher by Rick Elice. Season subscriptions are available now; single tickets will go on sale on Aug. 1.
Experience something(s) new: Three world premiere productions and four new play readings during South Coast Repertory's 2014 Pacific Playwrights Festival this weekend, April 25-27.
Today, South Coast Repertory announced the actors cast for four new-play readings as part of SCR's Pacific Playwrights Festival, which runs April 25-27. Single and packaged tickets are available online at www.scr.org.
The Gift Theatre has announced that Kareem Bandealy will star as Othello and artistic director and ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton will play villainous Iago in its production of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, directed by Jonathan Berry (Dirty). This marks The Gift Theatre's first Shakespeare production ever mounted in its intimate 40-seat theater and Berry's Shakespearean directorial debut.
The Gift Theatre Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton announces the Chicago premiere of Thinner Than Water written by Melissa Ross and directed by The Gift ensemble member John Gawlik (2013 Jeff Award winner for When the Rain Stops Falling at Circle Theatre). The production marks Thornton's return to The Gift main stage since ensemble member Andrew Hinderaker's Jeff Nominated Dirty in 2012. Thornton recently appeared in Les Waters' production of Our Town at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Thornton joins guest artists Donna McGough (last seen in Coriolanus with The Hypocrites) and Darci Nalepa (Dirty) and fellow Gift ensemble members Brittany Burch (The Lonesome West), Paul D'Addario (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Gabriel Franken (Broadsword), Lynda Newton (Absolute Hell) and Jay Worthington (Vigils).
Last fall NATURAL GAS, the five-year-old house improv team of The Gift Theatre, took up an open run on Friday nights at Wicker Park's The Den Theatre, performing entirely improvised group sets in addition to their standing Wednesday night set at The Gift in Jefferson Park. Now, NATURAL GAS presents YOU & ME-a two-person, entirely improvised show featuring NATURAL GAS ensemble member/The Gift artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton with a special guest from the Chicago improv/theatre community. Upcoming performances of YOU & ME are Fridays Feb. 28 (with NATURAL GAS' Jim Kozyra), March 14 (with Susan Messing) and April 4 (with Keith Neagle) at 10:30 p.m. An ongoing schedule can be found at thegifttheatre.org/shows-events/gas-the-den.
Experience something(s) new: Three world premiere productions and four new play readings during South Coast Repertory's 2014 Pacific Playwrights Festival, April 25-27.
The Gift Theatre Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton announces the Chicago premiere of Thinner Than Water written by Melissa Ross and directed by The Gift ensemble member John Gawlik (2013 Jeff Award winner for When the Rain Stops Falling at Circle Theatre). The production marks Thornton's return to The Gift main stage since ensemble member Andrew Hinderaker's Jeff Nominated Dirty in 2012. Thornton recently appeared in Les Waters' production of Our Town at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Thornton joins guest artists Donna McGough (last seen in Coriolanus with The Hypocrites) and Darci Nalepa (Dirty) and fellow Gift ensemble members Brittany Burch (The Lonesome West), Paul D'Addario (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Gabriel Franken (Broadsword), Lynda Newton (Absolute Hell) and Jay Worthington (Vigils).
Labyrinth Theater Company, the award-winning, downtown ensemble, has announced their next lineup of free play readings for the 15th Annual Barn Series, to be held at the Bank Street Theater in Manhattan's West Village (155 Bank Street) from February 24th through March 9th.
TEN, The Gift Theatre's annual season kickoff celebration of ten 10-minute plays, returns January 9-19, 2014. This year's ten-minute play premieres by The Gift and guests were curated by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and associate artistic director Paul D'Addario. Tickets to TEN are free for all at http://thegifttheatre.org/, however subscribers have the first opportunity to reserve.
