Michael Cristofe News

Dorset Theatre Festival continues its tradition of New Play Development with a reading of acclaimed playwright Nicole Burdette's Utterly Changed. The reading, part of DTF's 2014 New Play Reading Series, will star Kathryn Erbe of Law and Order: Criminal Intent and take place on Sunday, July 13 at 7pm.

Dorset Theatre Festival is proud to present the World Premiere of Leslie Ayvazian's new comedy Out of the City beginning July 10th. This is the third world premiere that Dorset has produced in the past five seasons, continuing a tradition of New Play Development to which Artistic Director Dina Janis has proven deeply committed. "Fostering new work is one of the most important things we do here at Dorset, from our Young Playwrights workshops, to our New Play Reading Series, to these exciting World Premieres. It's a thrilling and rewarding process." Past world premieres have included Theresa Rebeck's The Novelist and The Whore and Mr. Moore by Michael Cristofer.

Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO, Kate Maguire have announced the Summer 2014 Theatre Season offering classic works coupled with contemporary plays.

The original motion picture soundtrack EP for the film EMOTICON ;) is now available on iTunes. Written, directed by, and starring Livia de Paolis, EMOTICON ;) is the story of Elena Gallenti (De Paolis), an anthropology graduate student struggling to complete her thesis on 'modern means of communication.' All that changes when she meets her new boyfriend's (Michael Cristofer) teenage kids (Miles Chandler and Diane Guerrero), who are going through their own journeys of self-discovery. Through these relationships and the help of her PHD advisor (Carol Kane), Elena comes to a better understanding of how to navigate love and intimacy in the digital age. Ultimately they develop a bond that strikes a balance between the old world and the new.

In May, Marsha Mason became the 2,000th active Full Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), a national labor union representing stage directors and choreographers working throughout the United States.

Berkshire Theatre Group and Artistic Director/CEO, Kate Maguire have announced the Summer 2014 Theatre Season offering classic works coupled with contemporary plays.

The American Theatre Wing (William Ivey Long, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Heather Hitchens, Executive Director) is pleased to announce new appointments to its Board of Trustees and Advisory Committee.

Long Wharf Theatre and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas will present Stuck Elevator, written by New Haven resident Aaron Jafferis, with music by Byron Au Yong, directed by Chay Yew, from tonight, June 20-29.

Long Wharf Theatre and the International Festival of Arts and Ideas will present Stuck Elevator, written by New Haven resident Aaron Jafferis, with music by Byron Au Yong, directed by Chay Yew, from June 20-29.

Long Wharf Theatre and the New Haven Free Public Library announce a series of community conversations taking place in May about the complex issues of race and real estate in the city of New Haven.

First, compliments go out to entire ensemble as a whole for working so well together and building a strong chemistry that drew the audience in completely.

Las Cruces High School presents 'The Shadow Box' written by Michael Cristofer and directed by Charles Le Cocq runs May 9 - 11 at the Black Box Theatre, 430 N Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. The performances are Thursday - Saturday, May 9 - 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Long Wharf Theatre and the New Haven Free Public Library announce a series of community conversations taking place in May about the complex issues of race and real estate in the city of New Haven. The partnership between the two organizations, called "Stage. Page. Engage.", is being facilitated by the 'Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations' Project, a two-year pilot funded by Bill Graustein. The partnership began in April 2012. Local historians Colin Caplan, Tom Ficklin, and with additional historians to be announced will lead a series of conversations specifically targeted to each branch of the New Haven Free Public Library system. The historians will discuss the evolution of the particular city neighborhood where the conversation is being held. In addition to the local historians, people from each neighborhood are encouraged to attend and offer their own personal perspectives on the place where they live. Associate Artistic Director Eric Ting will introduce each neighborhood exploration with a scene from Long Wharf Theatre's production of Clybourne Park, by Bruce Norris, presented by local actors. All talks are free and open to the public: ? Saturday, May 18, 1 p.m. at the Stetson Library, 200 Dixwell Avenue, 203-946-8119, with Ficklin and Graves leading the discussion. ? Monday, May 20, 6 p.m. at the Mitchell Library, 37 Harrison Street, 203-946-8117, with Ficklin and Caplan leading the discussion. ? Saturday, May 25, 1 p.m. at the Fair Haven Library, 182 Grand Avenue, 203-946-8115, with Ficklin and Caplan leading the discussion. ? Tuesday, May 28, 6 p.m. at the Wilson Library, 303 Washington Avenue, 203-946-2228, with Caplan leading the discussion. Race and real estate collide in the play Clybourne Park. The action begins in 1959 in a Chicago neighborhood when we meet a nervous group of neighbors trying to talk their friends out of selling their home to a black family. Fast forward to the same house fifty years later when a white family attempts to move into the now predominantly African-American neighborhood. The play runs from May 8 through June 2. "What is remarkable about Clybourne Park is that there is something we can all learn from," Ting said. "There is a Clybourne Park in every community and we cannot underestimate that fact." "This is a unique opportunity for the NHFPL to marry a major city artistic event to the hyperlocal work we are doing daily in our branches," said Christopher Korenowsky, city librarian. "We are always seeking innovative ways to increase engagement and conversation amongst the people who live in our city." Library and theatre administrators, through a series of monthly meetings with facilitators hired by CEIO, have been discussing issues of inclusivity, social justice, and conscious co-creation within their own organizations and the city at large, as well as how engagement in literature and theatre can help address these issues. The partnership has already resulted in two simple, innovative, and successful initiatives - the creation of a microbranch at the theatre stocked with a collection of books based on the themes of the play, and the acreation of a Long Wharf Theatre pass for free tickets available for checkout at every New Haven Free Public Library branch. For more information about Long Wharf Theatre, visit www.longwharf.org. For more information about the New Haven Free Public Library, visit www.nhfpl.org. ## The 'Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations' Project began in April 2012 as a two-year pilot funded by Bill Graustein to increase inclusivity, justice and conscious co-creation in New Haven. Participating organizations, including Long Wharf Theatre and the New Haven Free Public Library, have the opportunity to partner with CEIO and receive training, support and direct funding to assist needed shifts in internal practices and external operations. The project is based on the core belief that organizations in which there is shared power and responsibility are more effective and poised for igniting transformational change. For more information, visit www.ceio.org. Long Wharf Theatre (Gordon Edelstein, Artistic Director and Joshua Borenstein, Managing Director), in its 48th season, is recognized as a leader in American theatre, producing fresh and imaginative revivals of classics and modern plays, rediscoveries of neglected works and a variety of world and American premieres. More than 30 Long Wharf productions have transferred virtually intact to Broadway or Off-Broadway, some of which include My Name is Asher Lev, February House, The Glass Menagerie, the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays Wit by Margaret Edson, The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer and The Gin Game by D.L. Coburn. The theatre is an incubator of new works, including Have You Seen Us? by Athol Fugard. Long Wharf Theatre has received New York Drama Critics Awards, Obie Awards, the Margo Jefferson Award for Production of New Works, a Special Citation from the Outer Critics Circle and the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282. The New Haven Free Public Library serves as a resource to provide information, education and recreation to the citizens of New Haven. The public library has three goals. Building strong neighborhoods. Ensuring the academic success of every school child. Helping the city of New Haven become a job generator through a progressive and dynamic job and career center. The NHFPL consists of five facilities: the Ives Main Library and the Fair Haven, Mitchell, Stetson and Wilson branches. Please visit www.nfhpl.org to learn more about the programs, services, collections and technology that your public library has to offer.

Ratings from last night's episode of SMASH titled 'The Fringe' are currently up (0.9/3 in 18-49, 2.9 million viewers overall) 0.1 of a point or 13 percent versus last week's official-national 0.8 rating in 18-49.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) has just announced that Leslie Bibb (Iron Man, ABC's 'GCB') and Jenna Fischer (NBC's 'The Office') will be making their New York City stage debuts opposite Josh Hamilton (The Coast of Utopia) and Fred Weller (MCC's Still Life and In a Dark Dark House) in the world premiere of MCC Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute's new play, Reasons to Be Happy, which LaBute will also direct. Reasons to Be Happy is a companion piece to LaBute's critically-acclaimed award-winning play, Reasons to Be Pretty, first produced at MCC Theater in 2008 before moving to Broadway where it was nominated for three 2009 Tony Awards, including Best Play. Performances begin at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on May 16, 2013 and continue through June 23, 2013. An official opening is set for June 11, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are now on sale.

This week on Smash, the drama continues as each character is faced with new challenges and Broadway vets Sean Hayes, Jesse L. Martin, Daniel Sunjata, and Nikki Blonsky guest star.

Below, check out a sneak peek from next week's episode of NBC's SMASH. In the episode titled 'Fringe', with the future of Bombshell uncertain, Karen (Katharine McPhee) gives producers a taste of the all-new original song, 'Never Give All the Heart.'

On the next episode of NBC's SMASH titled 'Fringe,' Broadway's Jeremy Jordan sings the original song, 'This Will Be Our Year' to Katharine McPhee's Karen. Check out the clip below!

On the next episode of the NBC musical drama SMASH titled 'The Fringe' - Derek (Jack Davenport) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) find themselves at a surprising crossroads, forcing one of them to make a difficult choice. Get a sneak peek below!