Molly Smith News

Arena Stage recently celebrated opening night for the world premiere of Kenneth Lin's timely cautionary tale of capitalism run amok, Kleptocracy. Check out the photos below!

Described by the Los Angeles Times as a "cultural phenomenon," Dear Evan Hansen comes to Seattle's Paramount Theatre from January 23 through February 2. In advance of the start of performances, the production announced today that it will host a digital ticket lottery offering fans the chance to purchase a limited number of $25 tickets available per performance.

Artistic Director Mark Yonally and Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) presents Sweet Tap Chicago Sunday, March 10 at 3 and 7 p.m. at The City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St.  Sweet Tap Chicago is a celebration of Chicago musicians and music, with all new arrangements by Kurt Schweitz, a live jazz quintet featuring rapper/singer/host Taylor Mallory and tap dancing.  Musicians and bands to be covered include Chicago, Smashing Pumpkins, Chaka Khan, Curtis Mayfield and more. Doors open one hour prior to start time and the running time of the performance is one hour and twenty minutes including one short break. Tickets are $40 for reserved admission seating and may be purchased at ChicagoTapTheatre.com, by calling 800-440-8539 or at the door, pending availability. Group discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents the world premiere of Kenneth Lin's timely cautionary tale of capitalism run amok, Kleptocracy. Inspired by the power struggle between the richest of the Oligarchs and an ambitious Vladimir Putin after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lin (House of Cards) explores U.S. - Russia relations then and now. Directed by Jackson Gay, and by special arrangement with Robert Ahrens, Mickey Liddell and Michael Mills, Kleptocracy runs January 18 - February 24, 2019 in the Kreeger Theater.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for the world premiere of Aaron Posner's JQA, recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. The first of Posner's plays that is not adapted from an existing work, JQA shines a spotlight with humor and care on an ineffectual presidency, the idea of government and how a society lives in relationship to it, and the American experiment as it continues to evolve. Directed by Posner as well, JQA runs March 1 through April 14, 2019 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

Building on 40 years of producing powerful contemporary theatre, Studio Theatre is pleased to announce a new class of commissioned playwrights and directors to Studio R&D, its incubator to support the creation of new work from inception to first production. Incoming Studio R&D artists are playwrights James Fritz, James Ijames, Steph Del Rosso, and Emily Schwend, as well as directors Carl Cofield, Lila Neugebauer, and Eric Ruffin. These exciting talents from the US and UK will have Studio's full support in creating aesthetically diverse new work to be presented in future seasons and introduced into the international repertoire. As they create Studio-specific works, commissioned artists will visit Studio to get to know its theatres, programming, and audiences in person.

Arena Stage presents Ruth and Augustus Goetz's melodrama, The Heiress, suggested by the Henry James novel, Washington Square.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for Ruth and Augustus Goetz's melodrama, The Heiress, suggested by the Henry James novel, Washington Square. After growing up subjected to her father's disinterest and strong resentment, a young woman in the 1850s discovers what love is in her journey towards independence, growth and strength, without an impactful female role model in her life. Directed by Deputy Artistic Director Seema Sueko, The Heiress runs February 8 - March 10, 2019 in the Fichandler Stage.

KeyBank Broadway at the Paramount is thrilled to announce the winner of six 2017 Tony Awards Dear Evan Hansen will play The Paramount Theatre for a limited two-week engagement from January 23 February 2.

Arena Stage presents Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel's thought-provoking play Indecent. Inspired by the 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch's Yiddish drama The God of Vengeance, and the controversy that surrounded its themes of censorship, immigration and anti-Semitism, Vogel explores the behind-the-scenes story of the courageous artists who risked their careers and lives to perform this piece of theater under the most challenging circumstances. Infused with music that combines standards from Yiddish theater with folk traditions of the early to mid-20th century, Indecent, a co-production with Baltimore Center Stage and Kansas City Repertory, is directed by Eric Rosen, with choreography by Erika Chong Shuch and music direction and original music by Alexander Sovronsky. The production runs November 23 - December 30, 2018 in the Kreeger Theater.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents the world premiere of Kenneth Lin's timely cautionary tale of capitalism run amok, Kleptocracy. Inspired by the power struggle between the richest of the Oligarchs and an ambitious Vladimir Putin after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lin (House of Cards) explores U.S. - Russia relations then and now. Directed by Jackson Gay, and by special arrangement with Robert Ahrens, Mickey Liddell and Michael Mills, Kleptocracy runs January 18 - February 24, 2019 in the Kreeger Theater.

The Art of Elysium is holding their 12th Annual celebration, HEAVEN, on Saturday, January 5, 2019. The event will take place the night before the Golden Globes and will be co-chaired by Evangelo Bousis, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix. According to Michael Muller, HEAVEN is Connection. The same night, Beau Dunn will be honored with the 2019 SPIRIT OF ELYSIUM award for her generous support over the years. The charity is thrilled to have Peter Dundas for DUNDAS grace the runway with the unveiling of his latest collection. Dundas will debut his latest collection in an elaborate fashion show, featuring the make-up design of Charlotte Tilbury. The evening will include unique costume design by Johnny Wujek, surprise musical guests, and mentalist, Oz Pearlman, as the Master of Ceremonies. Shirley Chung will serve as HEAVEN 2019's celebrity Chef.

The First National Tour of Dear Evan Hansen has broken the box office record for the highest-grossing week ever at San Francisco's Curran. For the week ending December 9, 2018, the production grossed $1.64 million despite only playing seven performances. This breaks the eight-performance week record previously set by The Book of Mormon in 2012. Dear Evan Hansen is playing at the Curran now through Sunday, December 30, 2018. An extremely limited number of tickets are available by calling 415-358-1220 or visiting sfcurran.com/dear-evan-hansen or entering the show's daily digital lottery at luckyseat.com/dearevanhansen/.

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie are pleased to announce Lavern Chatman, vice president of business development at EDJ Associates and Arena Board of Trustees member as the chairwoman, and Annie Simonian Totah, Armenian Assembly of America's Board of Trustees member and recipient of their 2018 Distinguished Humanitarian Award, as the honorary chairwoman of the 2019 Arena Stage Annual Gala

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith's gift to Baltimore/Washington theater patrons this season is just plain delightful.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for the world premiere of Kenneth Lin's timely cautionary tale of capitalism run amok, Kleptocracy. Inspired by the power struggle between the richest of the Oligarchs and an ambitious Vladimir Putin after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lin (House of Cards) explores U.S. - Russia relations then and now. Directed by Jackson Gay, and by special arrangement with Robert Ahrens, Mickey Liddell and Michael Mills, Kleptocracy runs January 18 - February 24, 2019 in the Kreeger Theater.

The Art of Elysium is holding their 12thAnnual celebration, HEAVEN, on Saturday, January 5, 2019. The event will take place the night before the Golden Globes and will be co-chaired by Evangelo Bousis, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix. According to Michael Muller, HEAVEN is Connection. The same night, Beau Dunn will be honored with the 2019 SPIRIT OF ELYSIUM award for her generous support over the years. The charity is thrilled to have Peter Dundas for DUNDAS grace the runway with the unveiling of his latest collection. Dundas will debut his latest collection in an elaborate fashion show, featuring the make-up design of Charlotte Tilbury. The evening will include unique costume design by Johnny Wujek, surprise musical guests, and mentalist, Oz Pearlman, as the Master of Ceremonies.

The Art of Elysium has announced the 2019 VISIONARY and SPIRIT OF ELYSIUM recipients for the charity's 12th annual "HEAVEN." Michael Muller will build out his vision of "HEAVEN," which will be unveiled on January 5, 2019. The same night, Beau Dunn will be honored with the 2019 SPIRIT OF ELYSIUM award for her generous support over the years.  The charity is thrilled to have Peter Dundas for DUNDAS grace the runway with the unveiling of his latest collection.

Arena Stage presents Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel's thought-provoking play Indecent. Inspired by the 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch's Yiddish drama The God of Vengeance, and the controversy that surrounded its themes of censorship, immigration and anti-Semitism, Vogel explores the behind-the-scenes story of the courageous artists who risked their careers and lives to perform this piece of theater under the most challenging circumstances. Infused with music that combines standards from Yiddish theater with folk traditions of the early to mid-20th century, Indecent, a co-production with Baltimore Center Stage and Kansas City Repertory, is directed by Eric Rosen, with choreography by Erika Chong Shuch and music direction and original music by Alexander Sovronsky. The production runs November 23 - December 30, 2018 in the Kreeger Theater.

The Art of Elysium has announced the 2019 VISIONARY and SPIRIT OF ELYSIUM recipients for the charity's 12th annual “HEAVEN.” Michael Muller will build out his vision of “HEAVEN,” which will be unveiled on January 5, 2019. The same night, Beau Dunn will be honored with the 2019 SPIRIT OF ELYSIUM award for her generous support over the years.  The charity is thrilled to have Peter Dundas for DUNDAS grace the runway with the unveiling of his latest collection.