Michael Cristofer News

Court Theatre announces its 62nd season under the continuing leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert.

Craig Robinson (“The Office”) has been cast as a recurring guest star in the highly-anticipated second season of USA Network's award-winning drama series MR. ROBOT. Robinson will star as “Ray,” a neighborhood local who reaches out to Elliot in his time of need. He joins the previously announced Joey Bada$$ and Chris Conroy (“Members Only”) for the 10-episode second season.

Michael Cristofer (“Ray Donovan”) and Stephanie Corneliussen (“Legends of Tomorrow”) have been upped to series regulars on the Golden Globe award-winning USA Network series MR. ROBOT.

San Francisco's Opera Parallele and SFJAZZ will present their first collaboration: a new, fully staged production of Champion: An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, with eight performances to be given tonight, February 19, through February 28, 2016 at SFJAZZ Center.  Based on the life of African-American, bisexual boxing champion Emile Griffith (1938-2013), the production marks both Opera Parallele's first foray into an operatic jazz idiom and SFJAZZ's first opera. Performances will be given at 7:30 pm Today--Sunday, February 19, 20 and 21; Tuesday and Wednesday, February 23 and 24;  Today and Saturday, February 26 and 27; and at 4 pm Sunday, February 28 and tickets are priced $30-$185. For more information, visit www.operaparallele.org and www.sfjazz.org .

San Francisco's Opera Parallele and SFJAZZ will present their first collaboration: a new, fully staged production of Champion: An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, with eight performances to be given February 19-28, 2016 at SFJAZZ Center.  Based on the life of African-American, bisexual boxing champion Emile Griffith (1938-2013), the production marks both Opera Parallele's first foray into an operatic jazz idiom and SFJAZZ's first opera. Performances will be given at 7:30 pm Friday--Sunday, February 19, 20 and 21; Tuesday and Wednesday, February 23 and 24;  Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27; and at 4 pm Sunday, February 28 and tickets are priced $30-$185. For more information, visit www.operaparallele.org and www.sfjazz.org .

Open Book Theatre Company will open its second season with an American classic, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer.

Open Book Theatre Company will open its second season with an American classic, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play THE SHADOW BOX by Michael Cristofer. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Open Book Theatre Company will open its second season with an American classic, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer.

Open Book Theatre Company will open its second season with an American classic, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer.

On the heals of their Wilde Award nominated first season Open Book Theatre Company is pleased to announce their upcoming productions. Expanding on their initial success, they will offer a family show at a new outdoor amphitheater in Southgate and a 5 show second season.

San Francisco, CA, April 9, 2015 – Opera Parallèle has announced its 2015--2016 season, which will feature its first collaboration with SFJAZZ, a new production of Peter Maxwell Davies' riveting and mysterious The Lighthouse, and the world premiere of a new children's opera by Chris Pratorius. Opera Parallèle and SFJAZZ will present their first collaboration: a new, fully staged production of Champion: An Opera in Jazz by Terence Blanchard, SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, with eight performances to be given February 19-28, 2016 at SFJAZZ Center. Based on the life of African-American boxing champion Emile Griffith (1938-2013), the production marks both Opera Parallèle's first foray into an operatic jazz idiom and SFJAZZ's first opera. The complete schedule of performances will be announced and tickets go on sale to the general public mid-July, 2015. For more information, visit www.operaparallele.org and www.sfjazz.org. Peter Maxwell Davies' three-character opera, The Lighthouse, based on the mysterious and unsolved disappearance of three people off the Scottish coast in 1900 will be given a new production April 29-May 1, 2016 at Z Space in San Francisco. The season will open with the world premiere of a new children's opera by Chris Pratorius entitled Amazing Grace, featuring San Francisco fourth graders and soloists, November 12-14, 2015, at a venue to be announced. For more information about the Opera Parallèle season, visit www.operaparallele.org .

The Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre has announced that stage, screen, and television performers Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill will be the special guest artists at their February 25th Luminary Luncheon at 12:00 noon. In order to accommodate its growing patronage, this month's Luminary Luncheon will be held at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences at Eisenhower Medical Center.

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.

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.

Aaron Eckhart has joined the psychological thriller FADEOUT, directed by Robert Salerno from a script by Michael Cristofer, Variety reports.

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 June 20-29.