Naomi Iizuka News

Oregon Children's Theatre (OCT), Oregon's largest non-profit professional theater for young audiences, has added two evening performances and panel discussions to its run of The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559, now playing at the Winningstad Theatre. 

Today PEN America announced the major career achievement honors to be presented at the 2020 PEN America Literary Awards.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), today announced Director Arpita Mukherjee has been chosen as this season's SDCF Denham Fellow for her upcoming production of Raisins Not Virgins by Sharbari Zohra Ahmed.

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces the winner of the 2020 Blue Ink Playwriting Award is Recent Unsettling Events by Andrea Stolowitz. A staged reading of the play will be presented as part of the 2020 Blue Ink Playwriting Festival, along with new work by finalists Football Football Football Football (or I Love Lave Dash) by Kristoffer Diaz, The Mermaids' Parade by Gina Femia, and Crying on Television by R. Eric Thomas. The Blue Ink Playwriting Festival runs May 2-4, 2020 at 4809 N Ravenswood, Suite #126, in Chicago.

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) has announced the lineup for the 2020 Ted Snowdon Reading Series.

Māyā, a new musical by Cheeyang Ng (book/music) and Eric Sorrels (book/lyrics), will hold industry readings on February 9th and 10th, 2020 at The Growing Studio.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) announced today the lineup of productions and cabaret performances for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, featuring students from A.C.T.'s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program and Young Conservatory (YC). Single tickets for all productions and cabaret performances are on sale now by calling the A.C.T. Box Office at 415.749.2228 or online at act-sf.org/csvshows. Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.

Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) presents the New York premiere of Jump following the critically-acclaimed presentation of Marguerite. The award-winning theater company continues their 2019-20 season with this production taking place at APAC Pop Up theater located at 28-21 Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens.

Oregon Children's Theatre (OCT), Oregon's largest non- profit professional theater for young audiences, will present The Journal of Ben Uchida: Citizen 13559, opening this February at the Winningstad Theatre. This play details-with anger, despair, sadness, and hope-a dark chapter in this country's history; it tells a story that is relevant, moving, and one that cannot be forgotten.

Olney Theatre Center kicks off the decade with a production of Quiara Alegría Hudes' newest musical, Miss You Like Hell on the Mainstage (January 29 - March 1, 2020). Hudes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Lin-Manuel Miranda's collaborator on the book and film of In The Heights, wrote the book and shares credit for the lyrics with folk-rock star Erin McKeown who also wrote the music. Lisa Portes and Breon Arzell make their Olney Theatre debuts as director and choreographer, respectively. Press is invited to attend the performance on Saturday, February 1 at 8:00 pm.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced complete casting today for the New York premiere of THE VAGRANT TRILOGY, a Public Theater commission, written by Emerging Writers Group Alumna Mona Mansour. Directed by Mark Wing-Davey, THE VAGRANT TRILOGY begins performances in the LuEsther Hall on Tuesday, March 17 with a Joseph Papp Free Preview performance, and will run through Sunday, April 26 with an official press opening on Wednesday, April 1.

The Victory Gardens Theater Board of Directors and Artistic Director Chay Yew today announce plans for Yew's departure from Victory Gardens at the end of the 2019-20 Season. An internationally renowned stage director and playwright, Yew has been the Artistic Director of Victory Gardens since July 2011. Yew will finish his ninth and final season through June 2020, and will pursue personal projects upon leaving the theater.

Thanks to an endowment gift from the Eugene B. Casey Foundation, Olney Theatre Center announces the launch of its Vanguard Arts Fund to support collaboratively-developed new works. Starting in the 2019-20 season, the Fund will support an annual series of developmental workshops that push the boundaries of the theater form and bring together exceptional artists from around the region and around the world.

The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation present the 2019 Idea Awards for Theatre.

During this year's Season Release Bash at Park & Field, Artistic Director and Co-Founder Michael Patrick Thornton and Associate Artistic Director Emjoy Gavino announced The Gift Theatre's 2020 Season will include: a revival of Martin McDonagh's masterpiece THE PILLOWMAN; the Chicago premiere of Naomi Iizuka's drama AT THE VANISHING POINT, directed by Lavina Jadhwani; and the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger's drama THE LOCUSTS, commissioned and developed by The Gift.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the cast and creative team for the American premiere of The Great Wave written by Francis Turnly and directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

The Jewish Plays Project (David Winitsky, Artistic Director) is proud to announce that In Every Generation by Ali Viterbi has won the 2019 Jewish Playwriting Contest.

Aurora Theatre Company opens its dynamic 28th season with the Bay Area Premiere of Ike Holter's  EXIT STRATEGY. Aurora's new Artistic Director Josh Costello will direct this powerful examination of the Chicago public school system. 

Creation myths and family histories meld in a wildly theatrical, startling new comedy that explores what it means to walk the edge between cultures.