Nancy Schertler News

Lead by Helen Carey and Larry Bryggman, Jon Robin Baitz's OTHER DESERT CITIES at Arena Stage boasts strong performances and clear direction by Kyle Donnelly.

Hidden secrets are unearthed and family tensions fly high in Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Robin Baitz's contemporary family drama Other Desert Cities. Helen Hayes Award winner and former Arena Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Donnelly returns to direct the D.C.-area premiere of the show with a cast that features Tony Award nominee and two-time Helen Hayes Award winner Helen Carey (Mary Tyrone in Arena Stage's Long Day's Journey into Night, Broadway's Hedda Gabler) as matriarch Polly Wyeth and two-time Tony Award nominee Larry Bryggman (Broadway's Harvey, CBS's As the World Turns) as patriarch Lyman Wyeth. Rounding out the cast are Emily Donahoe (Broadway's 33 Variations) as daughter Brooke Wyeth, Scott Drummond (Cherry Lane Theatre's A Perfect Future) as son Trip Wyeth and Martha Hackett (Pacific Resident Theatre's Nora) as their aunt Silda Grauman. Other Desert Cities runs April 26-May 26, 2013 in the Fichandler Stage.

Voting is now underway for the Washington, DC Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January.

Voting is now underway for the Washington, DC Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.

Voting is now underway for the Washington, DC Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.

Voting is now underway for the Washington, DC Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below.

Voting is now underway for the Washington, DC Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below!

Equally educational and entertaining, this Kennedy Center commission is as successful as it is thanks to the strong source material with a compelling plot, and the committed cast.

Voting is now underway for the Washington, DC Awards and continues until December 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. Check out the live standings below!

Featuring a lively cast of dozens, delightful music, gorgeous costumes, and those deliciously spooky ghosts, the Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns with American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)'s celebrated production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Now in its 36th year, this version of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Paul Walsh and Carey Perloff, stays true to the heart of Dickens's timeless story of redemption and brings a playful sensibility to his rich language. A Christmas Carol runs November 30-December 24, 2012, at A.C.T.'s Geary Theater (415 Geary Street, San Francisco). Press night is Tuesday, December 4, at 7 p.m. VIP seating is available for all performances, and VIP ticket holders enjoy the best seats in the house and complimentary drinks during intermission. Tickets (ranging in price from $20-$95), are available by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at www.act-sf.org. Groups of 15 or more save up to 50% and enjoy free tickets for group leaders. Call Edward Budworth at 415.439.2473 for group sales.

Direct from its sold-out premiere in Los Angeles, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2012-13 season with A.C.T.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues celebrating its 25th Anniversary Season with the second installment of the Bard's Broadway series with the Tony Award winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona (a rock opera) performing January 27-29, 2012 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW). Galt MacDermot, John Guare and Mel Shapiro come together to create the music, lyrics and book that add a spicy, funky twist to Shakespeare's work of the same name.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company continues celebrating its 25th Anniversary Season with the second installment of the Bard's Broadway series with the Tony Award winning musical Two Gentlemen of Verona (a rock opera) performing January 27-29, 2012 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW). Galt MacDermot, John Guare and Mel Shapiro come together to create the music, lyrics and book that add a spicy, funky twist to Shakespeare's work of the same name.

The Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns with American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)'s acclaimed production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, playing December 1-24, 2011.

The Bay Area's favorite holiday tradition returns with American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)'s acclaimed production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, playing December 1-24, 2011.

In her smart comedy The Book Club Play, D.C.-area playwright Karen Zacarías examines the intricacies of book clubs, with their unspoken rules, high-spirited debates and strong bonds formed when least expected. With an ensemble cast featuring Fred Arsenault, Ashlie Atkinson, Rachael Holmes, Eric Messner, Kate Eastwood Norris and Tom Story, this is Zacarías' second collaboration with Director Molly Smith at Arena Stage and is the first work of a Resident Playwright to be produced as part of their three-year residencies through the American Voices New Play Institute. The Book Club Play runs October 7-November 6, 2011 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

The Studio Theatre follows up its 2008 hit production of The History Boys with Alan Bennett's next play, The Habit of Art. Deep in the bowels of London's National Theatre, rehearsals for a new play go apace: Benjamin Britten is having trouble with his latest opera and seeks out his collaborator, poet W. H. Auden, after a twenty-five year separation. Between visits by a rent boy and a biographer-whom Auden briefly mistakes for the rent boy-these aging artists wrestle with their desires, their jealousies, the ephemeral connection between creativity and inspiration, and all the reasons their friendship fell apart.

The Studio Theatre follows up its 2008 hit production of The History Boys with Alan Bennett's next play, The Habit of Art. Deep in the bowels of London's National Theatre, rehearsals for a new play go apace: Benjamin Britten is having trouble with his latest opera and seeks out his collaborator, poet W. H. Auden, after a twenty-five year separation. Between visits by a rent boy and a biographer-whom Auden briefly mistakes for the rent boy-these aging artists wrestle with their desires, their jealousies, the ephemeral connection between creativity and inspiration, and all the reasons their friendship fell apart.

American Conservatory Theater presents the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, adapted by Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh and directed by acclaimed Bay Area director and actor Domenique Lozano. A.C.T.'s annual production of this beloved family-friendly gem has been called "a Carol built to banish 'bah humbugs' for years to come" (The Oakland Tribune) and "a holiday treat for the entire family" (KGO Radio).

American Conservatory Theater presents the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, adapted by Carey Perloff and Paul Walsh and directed by acclaimed Bay Area director and actor Domenique Lozano. A.C.T.'s annual production of this beloved family-friendly gem has been called "a Carol built to banish 'bah humbugs' for years to come" (The Oakland Tribune) and "a holiday treat for the entire family" (KGO Radio).