Naomi Iizuka News

With over 725 stories to choose from, the eight writers we commissioned to reimagine Aesop's Fables were spoilt for choice. Each of the writers has had their own unique take on them - from Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's joyful musical with a crow chorus through to as piece by Chris Goode which takes the basis of a rehearsal room and then smashes through the fourth wall with an act of animalistic rebellion.

The Unicorn will be continuing their hugely popular workshops this summer holidays. Led by professional theatre-makers, participants can learn great new skills and make new friends. From dance, set design, drama, puppetry and more. Workshops range from a day or two days, through to the five day Play In A Week workshops. The performance-based workshops close with a sharing for friends and family.

McCarter will welcome a group of esteemed and emerging playwrights and theater artists to Princeton for the Sallie B. Goodman Artists' Retreat. The annual retreat in June is a centerpiece of McCarter's LAB, a platform and creative incubator devoted to ongoing theatrical development and artist cultivation. The 2019 Retreat will take place from June 12 - June 19.

Play On Shakespeare today announces an expansive list of compelling actors and dynamic directors confirmed to participate in the Play on! Festival, presented in association with Classic Stage Company (CSC) and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). Play on! features 39 readings of new, work-in-progress translations of Shakespeare's plays into contemporary modern English by some of today's most exciting playwrights-May 29-June 30 at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater at CSC (136 E. 13th Street). In 2015, Oregon Shakespeare Festival launched an ambitious 39-play, three-year commissioning project, Play on!, tasking 36 playwrights-more than half of whom were women and playwrights of color, each paired with a dramaturg-to translate Shakespeare's canon in celebration of the enduring impact of the Bard's work. Supported by a generous grant from the Hitz Foundation and inspired by long-time patron Dave Hitz's passion for Shakespeare, the project was and continues to be led by Lue Morgan Douthit. For more information, visit playonfestival.org.

The Colorado New Play Festival announces full casting for all five readings for the 2019 season. The 22nd Annual Festival, to be held on June 2-8, 2019 in Steamboat Springs, CO, will develop five new works in partnership with City Theatre Company, Curious Theatre Company, The Public Theater, South Coast Repertory and Steppenwolf Theatre.

Unicorn Artistic Director Justin Audibert and Associate Director Rachel Bagshaw direct a series of eight newly commissioned plays from leading voices in theatre based on Aesop's Fables classic tales. They will play in repertory to two age groups, one for ages 4-7 and one for ages 8-12.

The Syracuse University Department of Drama concludes its 2018-2019 season with Naomi Iizuka's 'Good Kids.' This production is directed by faculty member Holly Thuma and features New York City based actor Carey Cox, who portrays the character Dierdre. 'Good Kids' runs May 3 through May 11 in the Storch Theatre at the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex, 820 East Genesee St., Syracuse, New York, 13210.

La Jolla Playhouse is pleased to bring back for a seventh year its acclaimed play development initiative, the DNA New Work Series, a weekend of readings of new works, taking place May 2 - 5, 2019 in the Playhouse's Rao and Padma Makeneni Play Development Center (PDC) and Seuss 1 rehearsal spaces.

Play On Shakespeare in association with Classic Stage Company (CSC) and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) presents the Play on! festival-featuring 39 readings of new, work-in-progress translations of Shakespeare's plays into contemporary modern English by some of today's most exciting playwrights-May 29-June 30 at the Lynn F. Angelson Theater at CSC (136 E. 13th Street).In 2015, Oregon Shakespeare Festival launched an ambitious 39-play, three-year commissioning project, Play on!, tasking 36 playwrights-more than half of whom were women and playwrights of color, each paired with a dramaturg-to translate Shakespeare's canon in celebration of the enduring impact of the Bard's work. Supported by a generous grant from the Hitz Foundation and inspired by long-time patron Dave Hitz's passion for Shakespeare, the project was and continues to be led by Lue Morgan Douthit. For more information, visit playonfestival.org.

Award-winning Oregon Children's Theatre is proud to present its 2019-2020 Season, which takes the audience on a journey into fantasy worlds big and small, transport us to places near and far, take us back in time, and even show us the wonder in our own backyards.

The Playwrights Realm announces the 10th Anniversary INK'D Festival of New Plays (April 2019), the annual showcase of new works by The Realm's Writing Fellows. Over the past decade, the festival has introduced audiences to a diversity of fresh perspectives on theater's ability to address the world around it-and has proven to be an indispensible launching pad for the voices driving the future of playwriting.

Victory Gardens Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew and Executive Director Erica Daniels, announces the lineup for its 2019-2020 Season. Victory Gardens' 45th Season will include the Chicago premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things by Nia Vardalos; the world premiere of The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II; the co-world premiere of How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla; and the world premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar; and the Chicago premiere of Right to Be Forgotten by Sharyn Rothstein.

Five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb (Maria Striar, Producing Artistic Director; Michael Bulger, Associate Artistic Director; Quinn Metal Corbin, Advancement Director) is proud to announce the line-up for SUMMERWORKS, its annual series of new plays. Now in its 24th season, SUMMERWORKS will run May 17 through June 29 at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd Street) in Manhattan, and will feature productions of three new plays: LUNCH BUNCH by Sarah Einspanier and directed by Tara Ahmadinejad; YOU NEVER TOUCHED THE DIRT by Zhu Yi and directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; and KING PHILIP'S HEAD IS STILL ON THAT PIKE JUST DOWN THE ROAD by Daniel Glenn and directed by Caitlin Ryan O'Connell.

Voyage Theater Company/PARTS UNKNOWN Play Reading Series will present a staged reading of Sphinx by British playwright Neil Fleming, directed by Wayne Maugans, at the 53rd Street New York Public Library (18 W 53 Street, across the street from MOMA), Thur February 21 at 7pm. Admission is FREE and open to the public, but reservations are highly encouraged. Please RSVP here. The performance will run approximately 95 minutes with no intermission.

Manhattan Theatre Club announces the lineup for the 2019 Ted Snowdon Reading Series.

Voyage Theater Company/PARTS UNKNOWN Play Reading Series will present a staged reading of Sphinx by British playwright Neil Fleming, directed by Wayne Maugans, at the 53rd Street New York Public Library (18 W 53 Street, across the street from MOMA), Thur February 21 at 7pm. Admission is FREE and open to the public, but reservations are highly encouraged. Please RSVP here. The performance will run approximately 95 minutes with no intermission.

Freed-slave and famed Boston poet, Phillis Wheatley was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America. Phillis Wheatley's life and friendship with Obour Tanner comes alive on stage in Jacqui Parker's (Director of 2018's The Agitators at GSC) new play, Wrestling with Freedom. Educated and enslaved in the household of prominent Boston commercialist John Wheatley, paraded in front of the still-young American political leadership and the English empire's aristocracy, Phillis Wheatley was the abolitionists' illustrative testimony that freed slaves were both artistic and intellectual. She was a household name across the world after publishing her poetry in both England and the United States - her achievements a catalyst for the fledgling antislavery movement. 

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.

McCarter Theatre Center has announced three new works as part of its 2019 Spotlight New Play Festival. These intimate play readings showcase the core of the McCarter LAB's mission to support new voices with creative insight from dramaturgs, directors, and actors to help guide and shape their plays. Additionally, real-time reactions of audience members play an active role in the creative development process, assisting playwrights in the elevation of their artistic endeavors.

Victory Gardens Theater announces Tanuja Jagernauth as the 2019 Marcelle McVay Management Fellow for 2019. Victory Gardens Next Generation Fellowships provide comprehensive mentorship, requisite training, and experience for these future leaders of color, preparing them to helm arts institutions or departments on the national and local level. The 2019 Macelle McVay Management Fellowship is made possible by support from the Weiss Grosshandler Charitable Fund.