Niegel Smith News

Goodman Theatre proudly announces its cast for the world premiere of How to Catch Creation by Christina Anderson-"a gifted playwright you want to pay attention to" (Variety). A vivid portrait of three artist/intellectual couples exploring life, children and marriage-coming together and coming apart-How to Catch Creation is directed by Niegel Smith, who most recently directed the smash sensation Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) last season at the Goodman.

Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce, the latest installment of the artist's award-winning A 24-Decade History of Popular Music project, will return to The Town Hall in New York City for another skewering of the sacred and the secular on Tuesday, December 11th at 8pm. A follow-up to its debut at The Town Hall in December 2017, the show explores Christmas as calamity, upending our yuletide traditions and celebrating the holiday in all of its dysfunction with the families you choose to love.

Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce, the latest installment of the artist's award-winning A 24-Decade History of Popular Music project, will return to The Town Hall in New York City for another skewering of the sacred and the secular on Tuesday, December 11th at 8pm. A follow-up to its debut at The Town Hall in December 2017, the show explores Christmas as calamity, upending our yuletide traditions and celebrating the holiday in all of its dysfunction with the families you choose to love.

One of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting prizes, the Yale Drama Series Prize, was given to Leah Nanako Winkler for her play God Said This. The 2018 award recipient was chosen by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar. The winning play received a private staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theater on October 30, 2018.

Last night Taylor Mac performed a stirring rendition of Patti Smith's iconic "People Have the Power" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with members of Stay Human, the Jon Batiste-fronted house band, and Mac's own ensemble. Taylor also chatted with Stephen about A 24-Deacde History of Popular Music among other topics.

As part of the UtahPresents 2018-19 season, audience favorite Taylor Mac will perform an abridged version of the acclaimed A 24-Decade History of Popular Music at Kingsbury Hall on Friday, November 2 at 7:30PM.

Today, influencer and talent manager ChiChi Anyanwu of the NYC Black Theater Network, Marcia Pendelton, President of Walk Tall Girl Productions/Black Theater Online, and the award-winning Vineyard Theatre (Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern, Artistic Directors; Suzanne Appel, Managing Director) announced BLACK PLAYWRIGHTS: THEY SPEAK. WHO LISTENS? A Black Theater Fall Preview: Off Broadway Edition. The event is scheduled at Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15th Street) on Monday, October 15, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. Four-time Tony Award-winning producer Ron Simons of SimonSays Entertainment (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Porgy & Bess, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Jitney) will host the program whose purpose is to bring attention to the unprecedented number of plays by black playwrights being produced Off-Broadway this season.

Florencia Lozano joins The Muse Project for their inaugural Tea Time event on October 21st at 5:30pm at The Flea Theater in Tribeca. Tea Times are a one-of-a-kind Muse pilot program, and October 21st's Tea Time will cap off a week of exciting presentations from some of New York's most dynamic women performers (Musings: a collection of Mini Muse presentations). During Tea Times, a veteran stage actress (Ms. Lozano) discusses her experiences building her career. The Muse Project's Artistic Director, Jocelyn Kuritsky, will lead the discussion with Ms. Lozano. A q&a with attendees and tea (and cookies!) and networking to follow. This event is open to all, and it is also a special opportunity for women actors to network with Ms. Lozano, each other, and to seek insight and support.

Today ChiChi Anyanwu of the NYC Black Theater Network, Marcia Pendelton, President of Walk Tall Girl Productions/Black Theater Online, and the award-winning Vineyard Theatre announced BLACK PLAYWRIGHTS: THEY SPEAK. WHO LISTENS? A Black Theater Fall Preview: Off Broadway Edition.

The Muse Project, in association with The Tank, will present Musings: a collection of Mini Muse presentations at The Flea Theater as a part of their Anchor Partnership. Musings showcases the exciting, fresh, paradigm-shifting storytelling that New York's leading actresses have developed through intensive workshops. The Muse Project gives women performers the time, space, and opportunity to experiment with and explore their fantasy projects. Veteran performer Lynn Cohen will be investigating previously unexplored terrain with collaborator Lewis Black in his piece Dottie's Home. Recent Lucille Lortel nominee Vanessa Aspillaga and Obie winner Jessica Frances Dukes, alongside acclaimed directors Jose Zayas and Seret Scott, will dig into long hungered-for solo work.

Funk rock pioneer Nona Hendryx continues her year at Joe's Pub as the inaugural recipient of The Vanguard Residency and Award. In collaboration with renowned American artist Carrie Mae Weems, award-winning theater director Niegel Smith and acclaimed choreographer Francesca Harper, Hendryx created Refrigerated Dreams, an immersive multimedia installation and concert transforming Joe's Pub into the dinner party of the season. Inspired by Weems's seminal The Kitchen Table Series, the work-in-progress is directed by Smith and features choreography and performances by Harper, Josh Johnson and The Francesca Harper Project, with original music by Hendryx.

The Tank (Meghan Finn and Rosalind Grush, Artistic Directors) will present the World Premiere of Independent Study, written by Ben Gassman (Sam's Tea Shack) and directed by Ran Xia(Echo) at The Tank (312 West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues), November 1-17.

Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce, the latest installment of the artist's award-winning A 24-Decade History of Popular Music project, will return to The Town Hall in New York City for another skewering of the sacred and the secular on Tuesday, December 11th at 8pm. A follow-up to its debut at The Town Hall in December 2017, the show explores Christmas as calamity, upending our yuletide traditions and celebrating the holiday in all of its dysfunction with the families you choose to love.

Taylor Mac's “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” is an acclaimed, bedazzled mashup of music, history, and theater that decodes the social history of the United States—all 240 years—through 246 songs that were popular throughout the country, and in its disparate communities, from 1776 to the present day. This abridged performance will feature selections spanning the 24-hour work.

Tiffany Mills Company presents the world premiere of Blue Room, an evening-length work that explores connections and boundaries created by various modes of human interaction. Performances are Today-Saturday, September 12-15, at 7pm, at The Flea Theater in Tribeca.

The nominations have been announced for the 2018 Equity Joseph Jefferson ('Jeff') Awards.

The Flea Theater presents the World Premiere of SCRAPS written by Geraldine Inoa, a writer on The Walking Dead and the inaugural recipient of The Shonda Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission. It is directed by Flea Artistic Director Niegel Smith. Now in previews, opening night is slated for Thursday, August 30.

The Playwrights Realm (Katherine Kovner, Founding Artistic Director; Roberta Pereira, Producing Director) today announces the complete cast and creative team for the world premiere of Jonathan Payne's The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd, directed by Awoye Timpo (Sept. 7-Oct. 6, at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project).  This world premiere marks the first full production from the mordantly funny and unsparing voice of Jonathan Payne.

Today, Carole Shorenstein Hays announced that Curran is celebrating Christmas in July with the public on-sale of single tickets for TAYLOR MAC'S HOLIDAY SAUCE, a Pomegranate Arts / Nature's Darling production, beginning this Friday, July 27 at 10 a.m. HOLIDAY SAUCE presents Christmas as calamity.

Tiffany Mills Company presents the world premiere of Blue Room, an evening-length work that explores connections and boundaries created by various modes of human interaction. Performances are Wednesday-Saturday, September 12-15, at 7pm, at The Flea Theater in Tribeca.