Perri Gaffney News

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Some of the books on this list provide insight on directing for musicals and plays, from a business standpoint. Others include written pieces and essays from other producers, to help inspire you to get your foot in the door. Whether you are brand new, or just want to learn more about the business, there is something on this list for you!

Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC) presents Our Times: Uprising, a virtual reading series of plays, poetry & other writings by Black American Authors. Beginning on Monday July 13, the series runs three weeks on consecutive Mondays and provides an original overview of African American history and culture while exploring issues of race, oppression and injustice for contemporary audiences.

New Dawn Theatre is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with six Twin Cities' theaters a?" Penumbra, Pillsbury House, Mixed Blood, Yellow Tree, Gremlin, Plymouth Congregational Church a?" to present for free outdoor screenings of A Breath for George.

Sunday, November 24th marked New York's premier jazz event of the season, the 6th New York City Readers Jazz Awards presented by Hot House Magazine, in partnership with Jazzmobile.  A packed house at the iconic Birdland Jazz Club enjoyed an exciting night of music and recognition for the very finest musicians that New York City has to offer.  After over 80,000 votes were cast by fans worldwide, winners of the awards were announced for each of the 19 categories.  A portion of the net proceeds of ticket sales were donated to Jazzmobile to support its mission to present high quality education and performance programs – an endeavor that also provides employment opportunities for our musicians and vocalists.  This year's honoree was broadcast icon Mark Ruffin, and the Lifetime Achievement Award was given to producer, director and philanthropist Nobuko “Cobi” Narita.

The St. Louis Rep has opened a smart, fast-paced, rather serious comedy about the meaning of Truth. It's called 'The Lifespan of a Fact'.

The arrival of the Repertory Theatre St. Louis' production of The Lifespan of a Fact could not be better timed. Although set in 2003, it's explorations of fiction versus nonfiction, fact versus embellishment and storytelling verses the truth could be ripped from the headlines of the modern world.

Fresh from a smash Broadway run, The Lifespan of a Fact is an essential comedy for an age in which every fact is a battleground.

Westport Country Playhouse will stage the gripping drama, "Skeleton Crew," written by 2018 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellow Dominique Morisseau and directed by LA Williams, from June 4 through June 22.

Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew, the third of her Detroit trilogy of plays, opened at the Westport Country Playhouse. The theater company lives up to its tag line, 'Theater worth talking about,' in this powerfully written and well-acted ensemble play.

Westport Country Playhouse will stage the gripping drama, "Skeleton Crew," written by 2018 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellow Dominique Morisseau and directed by LA Williams, from June 4 through June 22. 

Nancy Manocherian's the cell (Artistic Director Kira Simring) in Chelsea, New York City has announced Sandra A. Daley-Sharif's play Straddling the Edge as part of the cell's ongoing residency series. Artistic Director Kira Simring will direct and features Almeria Campbell, Jacqueline Gregg, Nathan Hinton, Justin Jorrell, Travis Raeburn and Robert McKay. Perri Gaffney will read stage directions.

Other People's Money at Florida Studio Theatre

Studio Theatre (FST) concludes its 2018 Summer Mainstage Season with Other People's Money, Jerry Sterner's timely comedy about Wall Street sharks and small town business. Called "Involving, disturbing, and above all, expertly crafted" by New York Magazine, this hit period piece explores ethics, business, and loyalty.

The family dramedy of a wedding in chaos is no new idea in fact it's been done to death. That's not to say there aren't good ones but it's certainly a subject that's been thoroughly mined. Or so I thought. Danai Gurira's fantastic play "Familiar", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, takes this old trope and reinvigorates it by infusing it with the story of a family choosing whether they stick with tradition or find their own way. Add to that the fact that it's just a touching and hilarious piece and Gurira proves that the old wedding play trope still has a few tricks left in her.

Seattle Repertory Theatre today announced complete casting for its production of Familiar by playwright and actor Danai Gurira, directed by Taibi Magar. A co-production with the Guthrie Theater, Familiar is set in the suburbs of Minneapolis and takes a fresh look at tradition, immigration, and assimilation as a Zimbabwean American family gathers together at their home before the rehearsal dinner for their elder daughter's wedding.

Gurira's family drama FAMILIAR has just opened in a lavishly designed and carefully calibrated production at the Guthrie. It's familiar in many ways, as a well-made play on a single set (the interior of an upscale household in Minnetonka, MN) unrolling in real time, that dives into the secrets and dreams of a family, whose distinctive characters are all drawn together now for the wedding of the elder daughter.

AVA Digital Awards announced winners for the 2017 international awards competition. There were about 2,500 entries from throughout the United States, Canada, and 16 other countries. Media personality Shefik, a native of New York, has won a total of five awards in the competition for his nationally-syndicated terrestrial radio show, 'Shefik presents Invocation'.

The Acting Company will continue its 2016-2017 John McDonald Salon Series with the first New York City reading of Marcus Gardley's Atlanta-based reinvention of Moliere, A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes: Or, The Gospel of Tartuffe on Monday, March 20th at 7 PM at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 10 W. 64th Street, New York, NY. 

Philadelphia Theatre Company kicks off the new year with the inspiring and warm-hearted Having Our Say, The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years by Emily Mann, adapted from the book by Miss Sarah ("Sadie") L. Delany and Dr. A. Elizabeth ("Bessie") Delany with Amy Hill Hearth.  Running January 27-February 19 and directed by Mary B. Robinson, the cast features Perri Gaffney and Cherene Snow as the two Delany sisters.