Michael Donald News

Asolo Rep will present Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie, an exuberant musical featuring the unforgettable songs of the father of American folk music. Directed by Nick Corley and devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley and Darcie Deaville, Helen J. Russell, and Andy Teirstein, Woody Sez has one preview on Friday, May 29, opens Saturday, May 30 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, June 21 in the Mertz Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts.

Asolo Rep's fifth annual Men Who Cook event, sponsored by Mattison's Restaurants & Catering, ABC 7 and Style magazine, will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 6pm at Mattison's Bayside at the Van Wezel. Spend a fun, casual evening with some of Sarasota and Bradenton's most well-respected men as they prepare a dinner filled with their favorite dishes for guests to enjoy. Chaired by Beverly Bartner, Judi Gallagher, Molly Schechter and Margaret Wise, Men Who Cook benefits Asolo Rep's 2014-15 season. This food extravaganza will also feature live music, a cocktail hour, old-fashioned cake auction, a table decor competition, and the Parade of Chefs.

Asolo Rep will present the first public reading of Pulitzer and Greenfield Prize-winner Nilo Cruz's new play Bathing in Moonlight as the third and final reading of its sixth annual Unplugged New Play Festival. The reading will be presented on Sunday, April 19 at 7pm in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts Cook Theatre. Tickets to the reading are $7 and are available at Asolo Rep's Box Office, located in the lobby of the theatre, or by calling the box office at 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, or online at www.asolorep.org.

Asolo Repertory Theatre continues its groundbreaking 2014-15 season with the world premiere of Luck Be a Lady: The Iconic Music of Frank Loesser.

Today, March 16, 2015, Asolo Repertory Theatre and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training announced their highly anticipated 2015-16 seasons with a special presentation in the Mertz Theatre.

Before there was Downton Abbey, there was Our Betters, W. Somerset Maugham's fiery romantic dramedy about the invasion of sly social-climbing American heiresses into British society. The fifth play in the third season of Asolo Rep's five-year American Character Project illuminates a sect of wealthy, early 20th-century American women who yearned for the pomp and circumstance - and parties - of the British nobility. Directed by Asolo Rep's producing artistic director Michael Donald Edwards, Our Betters opens Friday, March 13, 2015 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, April 19 at Asolo Rep, with previews tonight, March 11 and Thursday, March 12 at 8pm.

On Friday, March 6, 2015, Asolo Repertory Theatre proudly announced that it will present the world premiere of JOSEPHINE, an original Broadway-bound musical, in April and May 2016. Previews for JOSEPHINE begin April 27, press night is Friday, May 6 at 8pm, and the musical runs through Sunday, May 29. Chronicling a dynamic chapter in the life of the legendary African-American performer Josephine Baker, from 1939-1945, this exquisite new musical stars Grammy nominated, multi-talented, multi-platinum selling recording artist Deborah Cox, who recently provided the vocals for the Whitney Houston Lifetime movie: Whitney. Ms. Cox starred on Broadway in the title role of Aida and as the female lead in the recent revival of Jekyll & Hyde.

Pulitzer Prize- and Greenfield Prize-winner Nilo Cruz's exquisite new play Sotto Voce opens Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 8pm in the Historic Asolo Theater and runs through Sunday, April 26, with previews on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30pm and Wednesday, April 1 at 8pm.

Asolo Repertory Theatre received the 2015 WEDU Be More Brilliant Award during the special 10th anniversary ceremony held on Thursday, February 12, 2015 in Tampa.

Before there was Downton Abbey, there was Our Betters, W. Somerset Maugham's fiery romantic dramedy about the invasion of sly social-climbing American heiresses into British society. The fifth play in the third season of Asolo Rep's five-year American Character Project illuminates a sect of wealthy, early 20th-century American women who yearned for the pomp and circumstance - and parties - of the British nobility. Directed by Asolo Rep's producing artistic director Michael Donald Edwards, Our Betters opens Friday, March 13, 2015 at 8pm and runs through Sunday, April 19 at Asolo Rep, with previews Wednesday, March 11 and Thursday, March 12 at 8pm.

The old adage, 'the more things change, the more they stay the same,' rings resoundingly true in this Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic. Helmed by Tony Award-winning director Frank Galati, Maxwell Anderson's scintillating political satire BOTH YOUR HOUSES opens Friday, January 23, 2015 at 8pm at Asolo Rep, with previews Wednesday, January 21 and Thursday, January 22 at 8pm. The play runs in rotating rep through Sunday, April 12, 2015. The title of this smart production derives from Mercutio's famous line in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: "a plague on both your houses."

Asolo Rep's 2014-15 season continues with GOOD PEOPLE, David Lindsay-Abaire's 2011 Tony nominated play that cracks open the gritty world of the blue collar worker to reveal America's often rigid social strata. Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand received a Tony Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the play's central character, Margie Walsh, in 2011. This sharp comedy-infused drama opens Friday, January 16, 2015 at 8pm, with previews Wednesday, January 14 and Thursday, January 15 at 8pm. Directed by Greg Leaming, Associate Artistic Director of Asolo Rep and the Director of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, GOOD PEOPLE will close on Sunday, March 1, 2015.

Asolo Repertory Theatre kicks off its 2014-15 rep season with three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thornton Wilder's uproarious romantic comedy, THE MATCHMAKER. Directed by Peter Amster, the play opens Friday, January 9, 2015 at 8pm, with previews Tuesday, January 6 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, January 7 and Thursday, January 8 at 8pm. THE MATCHMAKER, which was adapted into the Tony Award-winning musical Hello, Dolly!, runs in rotating rep through Saturday, April 11, 2015.

TV One, which entertains, informs and inspires Black adult viewers, today announced that its popular investigative docu-series Celebrity Crime Files returns for a riveting third season tonight, September 8 at 10 PM/ET.

Asolo Repertory Theatre completes its 2014-15 season lineup with two new productions: Luck Be a Lady: The Iconic Music of Frank Loesser and Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie.

TV One, which entertains, informs and inspires Black adult viewers, today announced that its popular investigative docu-series Celebrity Crime Files returns for a riveting third season Monday, September 8 at 10 PM/ET.

Asolo Rep's 2014-2015 season Historic Asolo Theater production will be Pulitzer and Greenfield Prize winning playwright Nilo Cruz's lyrical new play, Sotto Voce. This exquisitely observed metaphysical romance will be co-directed by Asolo Rep's Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and playwright Nilo Cruz, who crafted the Spanish translation for Hamlet, Prince of Cuba at Asolo Rep in 2012. Sotto Voce, which had its world premiere at the Theater for the New City in February 2014, opens Thursday, April 2, 2015 in the Historic Asolo Theater and runs through Sunday, April 26, with previews on Tuesday, March 31 andWednesday, April 1. The title of this celebrated new work is an Italian musical term that means to speak in a soft manner with purpose.

Spotlighting some of the greatest music ever written for this classically American register, Baritones UnBound: Celebrating the UnCommon Voice of the Common Man opens tonight, June 7 and runs through Sunday, June 29 at Asolo Rep. Baritones UnBound was originally produced in Boston, MA by ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage [Rob Orchard, Founder and Executive Director; David Dower, Director of Artistic Programs] in association with Holy Moses, Inc.

Asolo Repertory Theatre's sizzling summer production of I LOVED, I LOST, I MADE SPAGHETTI opens tonight, May 21 at 8pm and will run through Sunday, June 15 in Asolo Rep's Cook Theatre. Starring Antoinette LaVecchia, who originated the role of Giulia at TheaterWorks in Connecticut in 2012, previews for the 2012 Broadwayworld.com winner for Best Original/New Work will be Sunday, May 18 at 8pm and Tuesday, May 20 at 7:30pm. The play will be directed by Rob Ruggiero (Asolo Rep's Show Boat). Asolo Rep's production transfers from a highly successful April 2014 run at George Street Playhouse in New Jersey where it received both critical and public acclaim.

Spotlighting some of the greatest music ever written for this classically American register, Baritones UnBound: Celebrating the UnCommon Voice of the Common Man opens Saturday, June 7 and runs through Sunday, June 29 at Asolo Rep, with one preview on Friday, June 6. Baritones UnBound was originally produced in Boston, MA by ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage [Rob Orchard, Founder and Executive Director; David Dower, Director of Artistic Programs] in association with Holy Moses, Inc.