Nicholas Wright News

Now in its ninth year, the Yale Drama Series Prize is given out annually for a play by an emerging playwright, selected by a judging panel of one - a preeminent playwright of our time.  The winner receives the David Charles Horn Prize of $10,000, as well as publication of the winning play by Yale University Press and a staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theater.  The Yale Drama Series is an annual international open submission competition for emerging playwrights who are invited to submit original, unpublished, full-length, English language plays for consideration.  Seyda's play was selected from 1,478 entries from 47 countries.

Houston, September 1 2015— Houston Grand Opera (HGO) announces today that the company is offering free renewal for the coming season's subscription package to all laid off employees from the energy industry who are current subscribers. 

Houston, August 17, 2015—Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) 2015–16 season showcases the vibrant and diverse artistic mix that marks HGO as a leading 21st-century American opera company: Wagner's Siegfried, the third installment of La Fura dels Baus's imaginative Ring cycle featuring a new generation of Wagnerians; the world premiere of Prince of Players by eminent American composer Carlisle Floyd, the Lynn Wyatt Great Artist for 2015–16; Dvoák's fairy tale rarity Rusalka; a holiday revival of family favorite The Little Prince from the award-winning composer Rachel Portman and librettist Nicholas Wright; a new production of The Marriage of Figaro; a new-to-Houston Eugene Onegin; a beloved core production, Tosca; and the Houston debut of Broadway sensation Rob Ashford's take on the classic musical Carousel. Through its community collaboration program HGOco, the company will present two additional world premieres: O Columbia, a chamber opera by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Royce Vavrek that examines the past, present, and future of the American spirit of exploration; and The Root of the Wind is Water, a chamber opera by composer David Hanlon and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann about the impact of hurricanes on the Texas Gulf coast.

Nicholas Wright's engrossing and superbly acted drama deals with the man South Africans called Prime Evil.

In this taut 2013 theatrical adaptation of Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's award winning-book, the apartheid regime's most notorious assassin and head of its death squad, Eugene de Kock (played by Matthew Marsh), sits opposite psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (played Noma Dumezweni) in Pretoria Central Prison in 1997. Gobodo-Madikizela is a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined to understand his actions. She questions de Kock, who is sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years for crimes against humanity, murder, conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, illegal possession of firearms, and fraud.

The Koerner Quartet, along with special guest prodigies, close their 2014/15 season and welcome the change of season with Summer Serenade, taking place on Sunday, June 7 at 7pm in the Vancouver Academy of Music's (VAM) Koerner Recital Hall. The concert's dramatic program promises to captivate with works varying in tone from torrid and passionate, to warm and joyful, culminating with a gorgeous Tchaikovsky sextet featuring Vancouver Academy of Music 'Rising Stars' Esther Hwang (violin) and Trisha Doo (cello).

In this taut 2013 theatrical adaptation of Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela's award winning-book, the apartheid regime's most notorious assassin and head of its death squad, Eugene de Kock (played by Matthew Marsh), sits opposite psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela (played Noma Dumezweni) in Pretoria Central Prison in 1997. Gobodo-Madikizela is a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined to understand his actions. She questions de Kock, who is sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years for crimes against humanity, murder, conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, illegal possession of firearms, and fraud.

One of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting prizes, the Yale Drama Series Prize, will be given to Barbara Seyda for her play Celia, A Slave: 26 Characters Testify. The 2015 award recipient was chosen by playwright Nicholas Wright, who serves as judge for the 2015 and 2016 competitions.

The Fleur du Cap nominations are out! Here are some thoughts about the nominees in each of the categories.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2015-16 season will present 227 opera performances in a varied repertory, ranging from rarely performed masterpieces to perennial audience favorites. The season features six new productions and 18 revivals, starring the world's greatest singers and conductors, many of them in repertory they have not previously performed with the company.

The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town has received 8 prestigious Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards nominations for productions presented in 2014.

The nominees for the prestigious 50th annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, to be presented at a glamorous function on Sunday 15 March at 18:00 at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town, have been announced in Stellenbosch today.

Houston, January 29, 2015-Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) 2015-16 season showcases the vibrant and diverse artistic mix that marks HGO as a leading 21st-century American opera company: Wagner's Siegfried, the third installment of La Fura dels Baus's imaginative Ring cycle featuring a new generation of Wagnerians; the world premiere of Carlisle Floyd's Prince of Players; Dvo?ak's fairy tale rarity Rusalka; a holiday revival of family favorite The Little Prince from the award-winning composer Rachel Portman and librettist Nicholas Wright; a new production of The Marriage of Figaro and a new-to-Houston Eugene Onegin; a beloved core production, Tosca; and the Houston debut of Broadway sensation Rob Ashford's take on the classic musical Carousel. Through its community collaboration program HGOco, the company will present two additional world premieres: O Columbia, a chamber opera by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Royce Vavrek that examines the past, present, and future of the American spirit of exploration; and another chamber opera, by composer David Hanlon and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann, about the impact of hurricanes on the Texas Gulf coast.

What do respected Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock, famed singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, and 20th Century classical giant Benjamin Britten have in common? The Koerner Quartet will delight Vancouver audiences with the answer as it interprets the work of these diverse talents in Notes of Love & Protest, Sunday, February 15 at 2pm in the Vancouver Academy of Music's (VAM). Koerner Recital Hall The third concert in the Quartet's 2014/15 season serves up a musical valentine that is "more zeitgeist than saccharine," promises Quartet cellist and VAM Executive Director, Joseph Elworthy.

As 2014 speeds along to its final curtain, it is once again time to reflect on some of the theatrical highlights on South Africa's stages over the past 12 months. First up, we have six of the best plays seen in theatres around the country this year.

It seems only fitting that in its efforts to introduce a musical form as grown-up as the opera to younger audiences, that the Kennedy Center has picked for this holiday season the children's classic THE LITTLE PRINCE, a story all about grown-ups trying to understand children trying to understand grown-ups. As the author's original dedication reads, 'All grown-ups were children first,' and in this family friendly production, the Kennedy Center has put forward something for the grown-up and the child in all of us.

This Sunday, Play Club kicks off its third year with the second annual Dassie Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence in Cape Town, along with the cynical and witty one-act one-hander THE SANTALAND DIARIES, all at the beautiful new space Miao in De Waterkant.

Pat Barker's Booker-nominated novel, REGENERATION, has been adapted for the stage by Olivier Award-winning playwright Nicholas Wright (His Dark Materials, Vincent in Brixton), it opened at Royal & Derngate, Northampton on 29 August 2014 prior to a national tour. The production plays Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from 4 - 8 November 2014.

The Koerner Quartet presents its second concert of the season with the brilliantly refined program - Nothing but the Classics - on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 2pmin the Koerner Recital Hall at the Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM). The acclaimed ensemble in-residence at VAM recently launched its debut public concert season and now moves headlong into a program of classical and romantic works highlighting chamber music giants Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms - including a piece for string quintet that places particular emphasis on the viola during a timely transition for the group.

Digital Theatre is delighted to announce its next title; Richard Eyre's five-star, multi award-winning revival production of Ibsen's Ghosts starring Olivier Award-winners Lesley Manville and Jack Lowden will be available to buy and watch online around the world from today 18 September 2014.