Michael Sullivan News

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are proud to announce free readings at The Unicorn Theatre (6 East Street, Stockbridge, MA) of So This Is My Family: Mr. Green Part 2, Jeff Baron's continuation to his award-winning play, Visiting Mr. Green on July 12. Back by popular demand, Evidence of Things Unseen by Katie Forgette will be presented on July 26. It is strongly recommended to reserve your ticket in advance, due to limited seating.

The Playwrights Foundation hosts Cocktails with a Playwright, a June 8 benefit from 5 - 7PM a an intimate and interactive event featuring award winning playwrights at the San Francisco Center for the Book. Celebrating new plays and engaging celebrated playwrights, the event will honor alumni playwrights Marcus Gardley, 2019 Obie Award Winner, Kristiana Rae Colon, Lauren Yee,  and the inspirational leadership of outgoing Artistic Director Amy Mueller, who will be passing the torch at the end of the season after nineteen transformational years that have placed Playwrights Foundation and its playwrights squarely on the national scene.

Over 21 artists will make their Union Avenue Opera (UAO) debut this summer as the company celebrates its 25th Anniversary Season. The seven-week summer season will open Friday, July 5 with Bernstein's hilarious, philosophical, and fast-paced take on Voltaire's 1759 biting satire of the same name, Candide and will feature the return of Christine Brewer to the UAO stage. The season continues through August 24th with performances of Puccini's operatic blockbuster La boheme, a tribute to UAO's tradition of presenting operas in original languages, and the St. Louis premiere of Tom Cipullo's Glory Denied, the true saga of Vietnam veteran Colonel Jim Thompson, the longest-held American POW in US history.

An exposed-brick studio apartment in Brooklyn in 2009 is the setting for Time Stands Still, a moving play by Donald Margulies, directed by Doug Finlayson, playing now at The New Jewish Theatre. Romantic partners for 8 ½ years, photojournalist Sarah (Wendy Renee Greenwood) and war correspondent James (Ben Nordstrom), return home, Sarah's face bandaged, her arm in a sling, and her leg bound with a brace as she struggles to maneuver on crutches. We don't know exactly what has happened just yet, but we know it's bad, as the play opens with poignant silences, emerging compromises, and a shared consideration for anguish. We soon learn that the couple has covered the horrors of combat, famines, and genocides; that they have nearly died several times, and that as Sarah begins recovering from the physical wounds from a roadside bomb, James has already been home and is on meds recovering from his emotional ones. The question associated with a recovery of this magnitude is, "What happens next?" And what happens after that and after that?

The New Jewish Theatre's 2018-19 season continues with Donald Margulies' thoughtful drama, Time Stands Still, directed by Doug Finlayson.

Executive Producers AKA Studio Productions (“Rules of Cool,” Fullscreen) and Kierstead Productions (Broadway's Pretty Woman, Kinky Boots, Waitress) are pleased to announce the world premiere of the pilot episode for the original drama series Mulligan, an “Official Selection” at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival, one of three pilots in the world chosen to be screened at the prestigious festival.  The screening is set for Tuesday evening, September 26, 2018 at 7:15 p.m. at the Arc Light Theater (9500 Culver Blvd) in Culver City, CA. 

Jean-Paul Sartre's iconic play 'No Exit' is receiving a solid production under the aegis of the Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble (SATE). It's directed by Bess Moynihan and uses a fresh new translation by Alyssa Ward.

After ten seasons, Mustard Seed Theatre returns to one of their first productions, and it's an intriguing work called REMNANT by Ron Reed. It's a window into a plague-ravaged future where civilization has been lost, and mistrust runs rampant. But, there are remnants from the past that keep hope alive, and one of them is a passed down tale of Christmas.And, while this may seem like an unusual holiday presentation, I actually appreciate that aspect. Besides, this is a show that's amusing, tense, joyful, and touching, and that covers most people's experience of the holidays in one way or another. The dialog is also quite interesting since it reflects the loss of many aspects of a culture's language, and so some words substitute for more familiar ones, and others are pronounced differently. But that aspect only adds to the atmosphere of the show, since their meaning is always clear. Whether you're looking for something a little different this season, or not, REMNANT is well worth your time and attention.

watch, and some people, who might be especially sensitive on these matters, might be put off at the thought of witnessing a person deteriorate over time due to the ravages of ALS. But they'd be depriving themselves of the chance to learn some of the same life lessons that author Mitch Albom did during the precious time he was able to spend with his former teacher before he passed. The New Jewish Theatre opens their 21st season with a warm, funny, and lovingly rendered production of this play, which only gets more relevant with age, as we have become even more tied down to lifestyles that move so fast, and demand so much of us, that we rarely get the time to actually enjoy them. And, maybe, just maybe, we were really meant for other things. It's a question this play asks.

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Producer Diane Borger, announces dates of accessible programming in the 2017/18 Season. American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted, open-captioned, audio-described, and sensory-friendly performances will be offered.

Renown actress of the screen and stage, Harriet Harris (Tony Award; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Bebe Glazer on the hit show, Frasier) joins Berkshire Theatre Group this summer in the classic Joseph Kesselring's play, Arsenic and Old Lace. A play that has gone down in history for its dark humor, Arsenic and Old Lace revolves around the crazy lives of the Brewster family. Harris plays one half of a dynamic sister duo, Abby Brewster, who believes that they are doing the population of lonely, old gentleman a service by offering them their arsenic-laced wine. These twisted acts of charity are just one example of the casual nature that the play presents when it comes to death and other taboo subjects that give audience members permission to laugh at its absurd nature.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) has announced its 20th season. As MET celebrates their 20th anniversary of producing MainStage programming, they open the season by presenting a magnifying glass on society with a promise to make theatre even more accessible.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is proud to announce its 20th season. As MET celebrates their 20th anniversary of producing MainStage programming, they open the season by presenting a magnifying glass on society with a promise to make theatre even more accessible.

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) is proud to announce its 20th season. As MET celebrates their 20th anniversary of producing MainStage programming, they open the season by presenting a magnifying glass on society with a promise to make theatre even more accessible. "I'm so pleased to have joined an organization whose artistic leadership team is dedicated to collaboration and the promise of making theatre accessible for ALL" says Christine Mosere, MET's Managing Director. "In fact, in honor of our 20th anniversary, MET has lowered our ticket pricing to $20 for every MainStage production."

Amy Herzog's marvelous play, 4000 MILES, draws upon relationships and people from the playwright's own life. The experience of watching these characters interact is undeniably affecting, and definitely warms the heart. It made me wish I had had a grandmother like the one that is portrayed on stage. The New Jewish Theatre is presenting a fine production of this show that's both hilarious and touching, and highly recommended.

Parts of playwright Brian Friel's DANCING AT LUGHNASA are joyous, and some are unsettling, mainly because we come to care so much about the Mundy family that inhabits it. I personally found it fascinating and disturbing at the same time. It's that dichotomy that drives the action, and it provides no easy answers for the viewer. I actually like that aspect. Because life isn't a bed of roses for most of us, instead it's a journey where obstacles pop up, sometimes unexpectedly, forcing us to constantly adapt and change, or risk being steamrolled by circumstance. Mustard Seed Theatre is presenting this engrossing play as they close their tenth season, and it's a production well worth your time and attention. Go see it!

Producers Vatican Lokey* and Edward R. Cox* have announced The Gretna Mainstreet New Music Theatre Festival, April 7th and 8th at the new Gretna Cultural Center for the Arts in Old Gretna, LA.