Petronia Paley News

Performances begin tomorrow, Tuesday February 26th, for the New York premiere of  Surely Goodness and Mercy, a truly Keen story about an exceptional boy living a troubled life in Newark, NJ who does a good deed for an often unnoticed person.   Sarita Covington, Jay Mazyck, Brenda Pressley, Courtney Thomas, and Cezar Williams star under Jessi D. Hill's direction.

The Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director; John Rankin, associate managing director) has scheduled two talk backs in-conjunction with its current production of Fred Newman's Billie, Malcolm & Yusuf, directed by award-winning director, Gabrielle Kurlander. The production commemorates the 30th anniversary of Yusuf Hawkins' murder in 1989. The Castillo Theatre is located at 543 West 42nd Street.  Performances Billie, Malcolm & YusufThe Castillo Theatre (Dan Friedman, artistic director; John Rankin, associate managing director) has scheduled two talk backs in-conjunction with its current production of Fred Newman's continues through March 17, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre (NFT) has scheduled talk backs to follow five matinee performances of 'Looking for Leroy' by Larry Muhammad, a two-character play that reflects on the legacy of the late Leroi Jones/Amiri Baraka.  Baraka was a leading dramatist the 20th century who defined the role of the Black playwright for our age.  NFT is presenting the world premiere of this play February 28 to March 31 at Castillo Theater, 543 West 42nd Street. 

What is Black theater? How is it defined and by whom? What is the relationship between the Black dramatist, their creation and the Black community at large? 'Looking for Leroy' by Larry Muhammad explores these questions through the legacy of LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, who was one of the most important dramatists the 20th century and who defined the role of the Black playwright for our age. This two-character play imagines five encounters between Baraka, a literary lion now in his 60s, and an intern in his 20s who idolizes him, challenges him and aims to be like him.

Today Keen Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein announced the cast for the New York premiere of  Surely Goodness and Mercy, a truly Keen story about an exceptional boy living a troubled life in Newark, NJ who does a good deed for an often unnoticed person.   Sarita Covington, Jay Mazyck, Brenda Pressley, Courtney Thomas, and Cezar Williams will star under Jessi D. Hill's direction. The design team includes Lee Savage (scenic), Nicole Wee (costumes), Devorah Kengmana (lighting), and Sadah Espii Proctor (sound).

 On Saturday, May 5th 2018, Take Wing And Soar Productions (TWASInc), an award winning, Harlem-based, professional Theater Arts Corporation held its Fifteenth Anniversary Gala Celebration, the TAKE WING AND SOAR SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS, at Columbia University's Lerner Hall Roone Arledge Auditorium.  The elegant afternoon featured esteemed hosts, talented classical actor/singers and the Volunteer Divas who were joined by approximately 120 business leaders, artists, patrons, volunteers, friends and alumni.

Penumbra Theatre proudly announces the regional premiere of This Bitter Earth, an arresting new work by award winning playwright Harrison David Rivers. This Bitter Earth opens on Thursday, April 26 and continues through Sunday, May 20. Previews are April 24 and 25. Tickets range in price from $15 for students/youth to $40 for adults, and are on sale through Penumbra Theatre's box office at 651.224.3180 and online at www.penumbratheatre.org.

Provocative director Liesl Tommy brings Broadway savvy, storytelling flair and a revolutionary sensibility to Macbeth, Shakespeare's masterpiece of suspense. In a world beset by civil war and invasion, Macbeth and his artful lady begin a series of murders, designed to further their own ambitions, only to plunge their lives into madness.

As investigations into Russian influence on U.S. elections continue, here's a development that has so far eluded Rachel Maddow: They may have also been behind the witches in 'Macbeth.'

The Jerome Robbins Foundation introduces the The Springboard Project:  Fostering Collaboration in Dance-Driven Musical Theater.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents Macbeth, directed by Tony Award-nominee Liesl Tommy and featuring Jesse J. Perez as Macbeth and Nikkole Salter as Lady Macbeth. The show will run April 25-May 28 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).

Take Wing And Soar Productions & Voza Rivers/New Heritage Theatre Group are proud to present THE HARLEM SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL'S All-Female, Multi-Racial THE TRAGEDY OF OTHELLO: The Moor of Venice.

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre will continue its 46th season dedicated to Amira Baraka with the world premiere of his final play, The Most Dangerous Man In America (W. E. B. Du Bois). Performances began May 28th, with opening night set for tonight, June 11th at the Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street). This limited Off-Broadway engagement, directed by Woodie King Jr., will continue through June 28th only. BroadwayWorld has a look at the cast in action below!

Bold New Voices: Past, Present and Future, a collaboration between My Image Studios Harlem (MIST Harlem) and Voza Rivers/New Heritage Theatre Group, launches an exciting multicultural arts series with an all female concert and staged reading  of  William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar on June 8 at 7:00pm at MIST Harlem, 46 West 116th Street. 

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre will continue its 46th season dedicated to Amira Baraka with the world premiere of his final play, The Most Dangerous Man In America (W. E. B. Du Bois). Performances will begin tomorrow, May 28th, with opening night set for June 11th at the Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street). This limited Off-Broadway engagement, directed by Woodie King Jr., will continue through June 28th only. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Woodie King Jr's New Federal Theatre will continue its 46th season dedicated to Amira Baraka with the world premiere of his final play, The Most Dangerous Man In America (W. E. B. Du Bois).  Performances will begin May 28th, with opening night set for June 11th at the Castillo Theater (543 West 42nd Street). This limited Off-Broadway engagement, directed by Woodie King Jr., will continue through June 28th only.  

Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, presents the world premiere of The House that will not Stand by Marcus Gardley, directed by Patricia McGregor. The House that will not Stand will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) today, April 18-May 10. Opening Night is Thursday, April 24.

Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, presents the world premiere of The House that will not Stand by Marcus Gardley, directed by Patricia McGregor. The House that will not Stand will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) April 18-May 10. Opening Night is Thursday, April 24.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces the world premiere of The House that will not Stand, a historical comedic drama commissioned from award-winning poet-playwright and Oakland native Marcus Gardley. Sensuous, witty, heartbreaking, and uplifting - The House that will not Stand unearths a story about free women of color in 1836 New Orleans, where black Creole women entered into common-law marriages with affluent white men. When her wealthy lover mysteriously dies, Beartrice Albans' foundation of security hangs precariously by a thread. She is left to fend for her three unwed daughters in a world where freedom must be carefully negotiated. Told in a rich and lyrical river of words, this new play was developed through The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. It's helmed by Patricia McGregor, whose many credits include the celebrated production of Spunk at California Shakespeare Theater. The House that will not Stand begins previews on Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage today, January 31, opens on Wednesday, February 5 and runs through Sunday, March 16, 2014.