Philip Dawkins News

The Twin Cities area is well known as a great theater town, so it is a fitting home to one of the nation's most celebrated new play festivals. The 32nd annual PlayLabs festival runs October 12-18 at the Playwrights' Center, a 44-year-old organization that is one of just a handful of play development centers in the country.   

Victory Gardens Theater announces the next show of its 41st season, Never the Sinner by John Logan, directed by Gary Griffin.  Never the Sinner runs November 6 - December 6, 2015 with the press performance on Friday, November 13, 2015, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Victory Gardens Theater announces the launch of The Directors Inclusion Initiative to encourage and develop talented and emerging Chicago stage directors identifying as people of color, disable, women, transgender and gender non-conforming. The aim of the initiative is to cultivate a new generation of diverse stage directors who create dynamic theatre work for their unique points of view.

The Playwrights' Center has announced the plays and Core Writer playwrights to be featured in its 2015-16 season of free public readings, comprising the 2015 PlayLabs new play festival and the 2015-16 Ruth Easton New Play Series. The plays and playwrights:

Victory Gardens Theater announces the next show of its 41st season, Never the Sinner by John Logan, directed by Gary Griffin.  Never the Sinner runs November 6 - December 6, 2015 with the press performance on Friday, November 13, 2015, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Cape Rep Theatre will present the Cape premiere of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play by Anne Washburn, score by Michael Friedman and lyrics by Ms. Washburn, September 17 through October 18, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm; there is no performance September 20 or 23.  Tickets are $30.  Pay-What-You-Can-Night is the first Friday, September 18th. Group rates & Student Rush tickets also available.  Call the box office for details.  Cape Rep Indoor Theater. North Side Route 6A E. Brewster. 508.896.1888 orwww.caperep.org. 

First Floor Theater (FFT) is thrilled to announce its third annual literary festival, KAFKAPALOOZA, a festival of nine world premiere plays, by some of Chicago's most exciting playwrights, inspired by the life and work of Franz Kafka. Over the past two years, the FFT LitFest has brought together some of Chicago's greatest writers, including Seth Bockley, Philip Dawkins, Bonnie Metzgar, Ike Holter, Morgan McNaught, andPaul Oakley Stovall, to respond to literary greats The Brothers Grimm and Mark Twain.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announces casting for First Look 2015, a program dedicated to new play development, today, August 11, through August 16, 2015 in the Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). First Look 2015 features six staged readings, providing an early look at works-in-progress from some of the most dynamic playwrights in the field. The mission of First Look is to develop new plays for future production at Steppenwolf and other theaters across the country.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announces casting for First Look 2015, a program dedicated to new play development, August 11 - 16, 2015 in the Upstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted St). First Look 2015 features six staged readings, providing an early look at works-in-progress from some of the most dynamic playwrights in the field. The mission of First Look is to develop new plays for future production at Steppenwolf and other theaters across the country.

Couerage Theatre Company mounts a fine-tuned production of Failure: A Love Story, playwright Philip Dawkins' fresh, unique take on a ill-fated family in the early 1900s. Michael Matthews smoothly directs and inventively stages his large talented, triple-threat cast as they sing, dance and act out this saga of the Failure family, with seemingly more deaths than the Kennedy clan has endured.

Coeurage Theatre Company, LA's 'Pay What You Want' Company, has announced the third production of its 2015 season, the Los Angeles premiere of Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins. Directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews, opening is set for tonight, July 24 at 8pm. Failure: A Love Story will play through August 29 at GTC Burbank.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces the World Premiere of Charm by Philip Dawkins. Directed by BJ Jones, Charm was developed through Northlight's Interplay Series and will be presented in Steppenwolf's Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted, from October 14 - November 8, 2015. Tickets are on sale now at 312-335-1650 and steppenwolf.org.

About Face Theatre is pleased to announce its 20th Anniversary Season, featuring three productions new to the Chicago stage, plus a series of staged readings celebrating its two extraordinary decades in Chicago. The 2015-16 Season kicks-off with the world premiere romantic comedy LE SWITCH by Artistic Associate Philip Dawkins, directed by Stephen Brackett, presented by special arrangement with Doug Nevin. The season continues with the Chicago premiere drama after all the terrible things i do by A. Rey Pamatmat, directed by Artistic Director Andrew Volkoff. The mainstage season concludes next spring with the Chicago premiere of the dark comedy THE SECRETARIES by The Five Lesbian Brothers, directed by Bonnie Metzgar. About Face is pleased to announce all three productions will be presented at its new resident theatre, Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.

American Theater Company (ATC) announces the second year of AracaWorks: Chicago, a new play development workshop in partnership with New York's The Araca Group, Broadway producers of Disgraced, Urinetown, Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, The Wedding Singer, Lend Me a Tenor, and A View from the Bridge. AracaWorks: Chicago emerged from a collaboration that led to the development of Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar, which received the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a 2015 Tony Award nomination for Best Play. The program gives three playwrights a weeklong development opportunity at ATC, culminating in a weekend of private readings-with one of the three plays selected to receive a year of development attention.

Victory Gardens Theater announces the first show of its 41st season, the Midwest Premiere of Sucker Punch by Roy Williams, directed by Dexter Bullard.  Sucker Punch runs September 18 - October 18, 2015 with the press performance on Friday, September 25, 2015, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Victory Gardens Theater recently announced the cast of its 2015 IGNITION Festival of New Plays, including GREY'S ANATOMY star Sandra Oh and Broadway legend Andre De Shields.

Coeurage Theatre Company, LA's 'Pay What You Want' Company, has announced the third production of its 2015 season, the Los Angeles premiere of Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins. Directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews, there will be three preview performances on July 18, 22, and 23 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, July 24 at 8pm. Failure: A Love Story will play through August 29 at GTC Burbank. 

Cape Rep Theatre is proud to present the regional premier of Outside Mullingar, a comedy by John Patrick Shanley, tonight, June 25th through July 25th: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; there is no performance on July 4th.

Coeurage Theatre Company (Jeremy Lelliott, Artistic Director; Nicole Monet, Managing Director), LA's only Pay What You Want company, has announced a Gala Evening to raise funds for its upcoming production of Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins. The event begins at 7pm on Sunday, July 5 at the famed Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood.

Cape Rep Theatre is proud to present the regional premier of Outside Mullingar, a comedy by John Patrick Shanley, June 25th through July 25th: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7 pm, and Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; there is no performance on July 4th.  Tickets are $28.  Pay-What-You-Can-Night is the first Friday, June 26th. Group rates & Student Rush tickets also available.  Call the box office for details.  Cape Rep Indoor Theater. North Side Route 6A E. Brewster.508.896.1888 or www.caperep.org.