Michael Weller News

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is pleased to announce that an exciting lineup of prominent Broadway producers and general managers has joined the Dollars and Sense panels to follow readings of the winning selections of the 2008 TRU Voices New Musicals Series. The series is unique because it develops new producers as well as new musicals, and in keeping true to its mission, the TRU talkbacks focus on producer concerns regarding the development of these works beyond the series. The panels will follow readings of the works on Mondays, December 8 and 15, 2008 at 7:30pm at the Players Theatre, located at 115 MacDougal Street, NYC.

The New School for Drama has announced that two award-winning artists, playwright Jon Robin Baitz and director Jo Bonney, will be joining the faculty for the Spring 2009 semester. Baitz will be teaching Playwriting and Bonney will be instructing a course on Directing Short Plays. Baitz will be teaching while faculty member Michael Weller is on leave.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is pleased to announce the winning selections of the 2008 TRU Voices New Musicals Series. In a series that is unique because it develops new producers as well as new musicals, two works were chosen from submissions by emerging or established producers, as well as writers. The works will be read on Mondays, December 8 and 15, 2008 at 7:30pm at the Players Theatre, located at 115 MacDougal Street, NYC.

Resonance Ensemble begins 2008-09 season with two plays inspired by Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: the World Premiere of Christopher Boal's 23 KNIVES and Bernard Shaw's CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA beginning January 11, opening January 18, 2009 at Theatre Row's CLURMAN THEATRE

As the oldest, continuously running Off-Broadway theatre in New York, the Cherry Lane Theatre is one of the many businesses in the city that are beginning to feel the pressure of a collapsing economy. James Sims reports...

New Repertory Theatre, in collaboration with the Arsenal Center for the Arts and Watertown Children's Theatre, revives its popular adaptation of Dickens' classic holiday story, which has all the trimmings of a lavish Victorian Christmas.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will continue its 30th Anniversary Season with the New York premiere of Gina Gionfriddo's play, BECKY SHAW, directed by Peter DuBois.

New York Stage and Film (SAF) looks ahead to their upcoming 25th anniversary with their annual winter gala on November 10th at 6:30pm at Capitale (130 Bowery between Broom and Grand Streets). Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Douglas Harmon will be honored for their ongoing commitment to live performance and support of SAF.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre and the company of SHOGUN MACBETH invites manga, anime, comic and graphic novel enthusiasts to MANGA NIGHT at the Julia Miles Theater (424 W. 55th St. between 9th & 10th Ave.

Outer Critics Circle will host a special evening celebrating the new theatre season with an emphasis on playwrights when they host 'Return of the Playwright' on Wednesday, November 5th (5-7:30PM) at Sardi's Restaurant in the Eugenia Room (234 West 44th Street). For the second year, the event is co-chaired by OCC Executive Committee member Rosalind Friedman and sponsored in part by The Samuel French Company, Inc.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre and the company of SHOGUN MACBETH invites manga, anime, comic and graphic novel enthusiasts to MANGA NIGHT at the Julia Miles Theater (424 W. 55th St. between 9th & 10th Ave.

The Lark Play Development Center has announced the selected playwrights for the 2008-09 Playwrights' Workshop Fellows 2008. This year's writers include Thomas Bradshaw (Southern Promises), Samuel D. Hunter (Lark's 2008 PONY Fellow), Lisa Kron (Well), Deirdre O'Connor (Hero), and Playwright-in-Residence Arthur Kopit (Lark Playwright Advisor).

New York Stage and Film (SAF) looks ahead to their upcoming 25th anniversary with their annual winter gala on November 10th at 6:30pm at Capitale (130 Bowery between Broom and Grand Streets). Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Douglas Harmon will be honored for their ongoing commitment to live performance and support of SAF.

Outer Critics Circle will host a special evening celebrating the new theatre season with an emphasis on playwrights when they host 'Return of the Playwright' on Wednesday, November 5th (5-7:30PM) at Sardi's Restaurant in the Eugenia Room (234 West 44th Street). For the second year, the event is co-chaired by OCC Executive Committee member Rosalind Friedman and sponsored in part by The Samuel French Company, Inc.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director)kicks off its 30th Anniversary Season with a new production of Howard Korder's comedy, BOYS' LIFE, directed by Michael Greif.

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that their heretofore private PlayLab new play readings by members of the company's Playwrights' Coalition are going public.

Pan Asian Repertory Theatre launches their 32nd season with SHOGUN MACBETH, an adaptation by John R. Briggs from the play by William Shakespeare. Directed by Ernest Abuba (Pacific Overtures, Yellow Fever), SHOGUN MACBETH begins performances at the Julia Miles Theatre in NYC on November 4, 2008

La MaMa will present Lillian Yuralia on the First Floor Theatre from November 13 - 30, 2008, Thursday - Saturday at 8:00pm, Sunday at 2:30pm & 8:00pm. Tickets are $18

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) today announced that their World Premiere Production of Michael Weller's Fifty Words, under the direction of Austin Pendleton, has been extended Off Broadway. Performances of the two-character play began at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on September 10 and the show's stars Norbert Leo Butz and Elizabeth Marvel were showered with rave reviews following its October 1 opening. The show is now scheduled to run through Saturday, November 8.

Completing its 30th Anniversary Season, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will present EVERYDAY RAPTURE, written by Dick Scanlan (Tony nominee for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Sherie Rene Scott (Tony nominee for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), with musical supervision by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, High Fidelity), directed by Michael Mayer (Tony Award winner for Spring Awakening).