Michael Weller News

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for professional not-for-profit theatre announces the winners of the 2010 TCG Awards for excellence.

When their young son has his first sleepover, Adam and Jan are allowed the first night alone together in their Brooklyn brownstone in years. Will they renew a vital spark that's been nearly smothered or, will the night provide the moment when provisional civility explodes into fiery chaos? An expansive look at modern marriage that is alternately funny and frightening.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale, Sutton Foster, and Ari Graynor will co-star in the world premiere comedy TRUST, written by Paul Weitz, directed by Peter DuBois. Mr. Weitz returns to Second Stage Theatre, where his plays Privilege and Show People premiered in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Directed by Peter DuBois, who staged Second Stage's acclaimed production of Becky Shaw, TRUST will begin previews on Friday, July 23 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street) and officially open on Thursday, August 12. The production runs through September 5.

Artistic Directors Joe Jahraus and Darrell W. Cox announce Profiles Theatre's 2010-2011 Season. Profiles, one of Chicago's longest-running storefront theatres, is presenting its 22nd season of new and challenging works, beginning with the Midwest Premiere of the acclaimed new play Jailbait by Deirdre O'Connor.

The New South Wales Minister for Tourism, Jodi McKay, announced today that in 2011, Sydney (Australia) will host the World Premiere of a new musical, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO starring Anthony Warlow. One of the most breathtaking love stories ever told, this exciting new production will be directed by Broadway's Des McAnuff (Jersey Boys, Tommy), with music composed by Lucy Simon (The Secret Garden), lyrics by Michael Korie and Amy Powers and book by Michael Weller. Produced by John Frost and Anita Waxman, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO will play an exclusive eight week engagement at the Lyric Theatre, Star City from February 11, 2011, before an Australian tour.

Jimmy Smits is set to host 'A Capitol Fourth' for PBS on July 4. This year will be the 30th Anniversary of the special 4th of July celebration. The show will include a concert and fireworks.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that David Duchovny ('The X-Files,' 'Californication') will make his New York stage debut in the world premiere production of Neil LaBute's The Break of Noon, directed by Jo Bonney, a co-production with the Geffen Playhouse (Gil Cates, Producing Director; Randall Arney, Artistic Director; Ken Novice, Managing Director)

The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center opens its first summer season with the Los Angeles premiere of the musical Daddy Long Legs. From John Caird, the Tony and Olivier Award-Winning director of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, and the creators of Jane Eyre.

Emmy nominee Allyce Beasley and Broadway veteran John Tyrrell will be appearing in the Schoolhouse theater production of Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid.Performances take place May 27-June 20 in Croton Falls New York. The performance will be directed by Pamela Moller Kareman.

The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center opens its first summer season with the Los Angeles premiere of the musical Daddy Long Legs. From John Caird, the Tony and Olivier Award-Winning director of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, and the creators of Jane Eyre.

ANNE CATTANEO is the dramaturg of Lincoln Center Theater and the creator and head of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors' Lab. A three term past president of Literary Mangers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, she is the recipient of LMDA's first Lessing Award for lifetime achievement of dramaturgy. She has worked widely as a dramaturg on classical plays with directors such as James Lapine, Robert Wilson, Adrian Hall, Robert Falls, Mark Lamos and JoAnne Akalaitis. As the director of the Playworks Program at the Phoenix Theater during the late 1970's, she commissioned and developed plays by Wendy Wasserstein (Isn't It Romantic) Mustapha Matura (Meetings) and Christopher Durang (Beyond Therapy). For the Acting Company, she created two projects: Orchards (published by Knopf and Broadway Play Publishing) which presented seven Chekhov stories adapted for the stage by Maria Irene Fornes, Spalding Gray, John Guare, David Mamet, Wendy Wasserstein, Michael Weller and Samm-Art Williams, and Love's Fire (published by William Morrow) responses to Shakespeare sonnets by Eric Bogosian, William Finn, John Guare, Tony Kushner, Marsha Norman, Ntozake Shange and Wendy Wasserstein. Her own translations of 20th Century German playwrights include Brecht's Galileo (Goodman Theater 1986 starring Brian Dennehy) and Botho Strauss' Big And Little (Phoenix production starring Barbara Barrie, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.) She is currently on the faculty at Juilliard.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced the two plays which will be presented as part of the company's eighth annual Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series this summer: the New York premiere of Michael Golamco's Year Zero, directed by Will Frears, and the world premiere of Leslye Headland's Bachelorette, directed by Trip Cullman.

The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center opens its first summer season with the Los Angeles premiere of the musical Daddy Long Legs. From John Caird, the Tony and Olivier Award-Winning director of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, and the creators of Jane Eyre.

Jimmy Smits is set to host 'A Capitol Fourth' for PBS on July 4. This year will be the 30th Anniversary of the special 4th of July celebration. The show will include a concert and fireworks.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute will direct three special benefit performances of his all new ‘shorts' series, Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: Scenes of Intolerance for the company.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute will direct three special benefit performances of his all new ‘shorts' series, Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: Scenes of Intolerance for the company.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) announced today that Craig Bierko has joined the cast of Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute's Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: Scenes of Intolerance, which the company will present for three nights only this week.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) announced today that Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute's three special benefit staged readings of his previously unseen ‘shorts' series, Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: Scenes of Intolerance, will feature actors Alice Eve, Justin Long and T.R. Knight, with additional cast members to be announced shortly. The readings will take place on Thursday, June 3, Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5, 2010, 7:00 p.m., at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC). Proceeds will benefit MCC Theater's Playwrights' Coalition program, free PlayLab reading series, and literary development activities.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that Playwright-in-Residence Neil LaBute will direct three special benefit performances of his all new ‘shorts' series, Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: Scenes of Intolerance for the company.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale, Sutton Foster, and Ari Graynor will co-star in the world premiere comedy TRUST, written by Paul Weitz, directed by Peter DuBois. Mr. Weitz returns to Second Stage Theatre, where his plays Privilege and Show People premiered in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Directed by Peter DuBois, who staged Second Stage's acclaimed production of Becky Shaw, TRUST will begin previews on Friday, July 23 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street) and officially open on Thursday, August 12. The production runs through September 5.