All the Way, the new play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, starring BREAKING BAD's Bryan Cranston, is currently in previews on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre. The production officially opens on Thursday, March 6, 2014 for a strictly limited engagement. The play is directed by Bill Rauch, Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where All the Way began its theatrical life. Scroll down to learn more about the full cast of ALL THE WAY, plus watch interviews with the company below!
Broadway stars might boast the biggest fan-bases, but without their directors, the vehicle driving their talents could easily swerve off the tracks. Keeping the runaway train at bay are season's bold Broadway 'conductors'. Scroll down to learn more about this season's intrepid and imaginative leaders!
Ripe Time, the Brooklyn-based company led by Rachel Dickstein, has garnered acclaim for creating physically charged, visually powerful adaptations of classic and contemporary stories by authors raging from Edith Wharton to Jhumpa Lahiri. Conceived, written and directed by Dickstein, the play The World is Round epitomizes the company's work, creating from Gertrude Stein's book a fable (for grownups and mature children) full of original, live music by Heather Christian and aerial movement choreographed by Nicki Miller. Ripe Time's first new show since its celebrated Mrs. Dalloway adaptation Septimus and Clarissa (2011), The World is Round makes its world premiere April 17 - 30 at BAM Fisher (Fishman Space, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn).
Off-Broadway's The New Group honors Beth Henley, playwright, author of Crimes of the Heart and The Jacksonian, and Geoff Rich, Executive Director of The New Group 2002-2013, with The 2014 Michael Mendelson Award at the company's Annual Gala, 'Bright Lights Off-Broadway.' The Gala, set to take place Monday, March 10 beginning at 6:00pm at Tribeca Rooftop (2 Desbrosses Street), features appearances by Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Carol Kane, Amy Madigan, Bill Pullman and Jonathan Marc Sherman and performances by Stephen Bogardus, Lea DeLaria and John Tartaglia, along with cocktails, dinner, and silent and live auctions filled with an array of exciting items and one-of-a-kind experiences.
The University of Memphis recently welcomed the spirited Broadway and television actress Susan Blackwell as a guest artist. Her workshops, which centered on creative self-expression, were free and open to the public. I attended and found them exciting and worthwhile.
Cameron Mackintosh's acclaimed new production of Alain Boublil & Claude-Michel Schonberg's Tony Award-winning musical masterpiece LES MISERABLES begins previews on Broadway tomorrow, Saturday, March 1 at the Imperial Theatre. The official opening night for LES MISERABLES is Sunday, March 23. Scroll down to learn more about the full cast, plus watch a video of the company in rehearsal!
Kindling Theatre Company has announced the World Premiere of TAKE ME BACK, written by Emily Schwend and directed by Jay Stull. TAKE ME BACK begins performances tonight, February 28 for a limited engagement through Saturday, March 22. Opening Night is Wednesday, March 5 at 8 PM. The performance schedule is Wednesday - Saturday at 8 PM, with added performances on Monday, March 3 and Tuesday, March 4 at 8 PM. Performances are at Walkerspace (46 Walker Street, between Broadway and Church Streets).
Dialogue with Three Chords (D3C) kicks off the New Year with short plays where characters search for love and inspiration. The three brand new works revisit characters introduced in previous D3C performances, but also function as stand-alone pieces. Written by Stephen Gracia and directed by Michael LoPorto these plays are the first of four collections of original work that will complete 'Shipyard Souls & A Compass Rose," a full-length play presented in installments which began last August. The serialized works are presented as part of their residency at Mr. Dennehy's on 63 Carmine Street in Greenwich Village. The performance begins at 8pm tonight, Thursday, February 27. Admission is free, with a $3 suggested donation.
Plucky Rosenthal, the Jewish Star of Stage and Stage, returns with up-and-coming artists you should know with 'The Plucky Show,' a monthly variety show featuring a rotating cast of Chicago's best and brightest variety performers. 'The Plucky Show' performs the second Thursday of the month at 9 pm on Thursday, March 13, 2014 through Thursday, June 12, 2014. All performances take place at Gorilla Tango Bucktown, 1919 N Milwaukee, Chicago IL, 60647. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at gorillatango.com/bucktown or by calling 773-598-4549.
The 2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.K. playwright Lucy Kirkwood for her play Chimerica. In addition, a Special Commendation has been awarded to Phoebe Waller-Bridge for her debut play, Fleabag.
The Public Theater announced complete casting today for THE LIBRARY, a new play written by award-winning writer Scott Z. Burns and directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh. THE LIBRARY will begin previews on Tuesday, March 25 in The Public's Newman Theater and run through Sunday, April 27, with an official press opening on Tuesday, April 15.
The Pekoe Group, the only full-service boutique marketing and advertising agency serving the New York theater industry, celebrates its fifth anniversary on Monday, February 24. Click below to watch a fun video commemorating their work!
The Gift Theatre Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton announces the Chicago premiere of Thinner Than Water written by Melissa Ross and directed by The Gift ensemble member John Gawlik (2013 Jeff Award winner for When the Rain Stops Falling at Circle Theatre). The production marks Thornton's return to The Gift main stage since ensemble member Andrew Hinderaker's Jeff Nominated Dirty in 2012. Thornton recently appeared in Les Waters' production of Our Town at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Thornton joins guest artists Donna McGough (last seen in Coriolanus with The Hypocrites) and Darci Nalepa (Dirty) and fellow Gift ensemble members Brittany Burch (The Lonesome West), Paul D'Addario (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Gabriel Franken (Broadsword), Lynda Newton (Absolute Hell) and Jay Worthington (Vigils).
BOYS NOIZE (Alexander Ridha) released Out Of The Black - The Remixes earlier this month, including unreleased remixes from Audion (Matthew Dear), Oliver, Jimmy Edgar, Housemeister and MMM in addition to BOYS NOIZE DJ-edits.
The Harold Clurman Playwrights Division, a program of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, has chosen actor/writer Dennis Staroselsky as it's Playwright-in-Residence for 2014. Previous residents include Halley Feiffer, Mia Chung, Anton Dudley, Christina Gorman, Zayd Dohrn, and Peter Nickowitz. Over seventy writers submitted applications and full-length plays for consideration in the merit-based annual search.
Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Chicago-premiere production of Russian Transport by Erika Sheffer begins tonight, February 16, 2014. Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov directs a cast of five featuring ensemble members Tim Hopper, Mariann Mayberry and Alan Wilder with Aaron Himelstein and Melanie Neilan. This 'thoughtful, well-written domestic drama with something original to say about immigrant families living by old world values in a new world culture' (Variety) received its world-premiere production Off-Broadway at The New Group in 2012. Russian Transport began previews February 6, 2014 (opening night is February 16; press performances are February 15 at 3pm and February 18 at 7:30pm) and runs through May 11, 2014 in Steppenwolf's Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St).
After 5 years of development, 6 months of rehearsal, 4 season extensions and 293 curtain calls, KING KONG has its final performance today, 16 February 2014. The mega-musical is reportedly aiming to open on Broadway in December 2014, and producers have also been in discussions to bring KONG to Germany, Korea, Japan and Las Vegas after New York.
A "5, 6, 7, 8," the countdown begins for Segerstrom Center's popular Six Days of Broadway musical theater summer camps returning June 23 through July 6. During the week-long sessions, students learn and participate in musical performance, monologue interpretation, audition technique, scene work, dance and much more.