Phylicia Rashad News

Oscar & Emmy Award winning screen legend JANE FONDA will return to Broadway in MOISES KAUFMAN's 33 VARIATIONS. Performances begin on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street). The official opening will be Monday, March 9th, 2009. The engagement will play through May 24th, 2009. The play marks Fonda's first time on Broadway in 46 years.

The Classical Theatre of Harlem, a not-for-profit theatre dedicated to producing theatre that truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is New York City, will hold a party celebrating their 10th Anniversary Season.

Signature Theatre Company's (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) production of HOME will begin previews on Tuesday, November 11. HOME is the second production of Signature's 2008-2009 Season, celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC).

Signature Theatre Company's (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) production of HOME will begin previews on Tuesday, November 11. HOME is the second production of Signature's 2008-2009 Season, celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC).

Swimming Upstream, a project incubated and coordinated through the Ashé Cultural Arts Center and V-Day with Eve Ensler, playwright of The Vagina Monologues will play at True Colors Theatre Company from November 5th through 16th at the 14th Street Playhouse. It will feature Jasmine Guy, Shirley Knight, Phylicia Rashad, Kerry Washington and the women of New Orleans.

Oscar & Emmy Award winning screen legend JANE FONDA will return to Broadway in MOISÉS KAUFMAN's 33 VARIATIONS. The play marks Fonda's first time on Broadway in 46 years.

Black 2: Broadway, the acclaimed production celebrating the contributions of performers of color in the arts, returns with its final production of 2008. Celebrating the life and work of Broadway Veterans BJ Crosby & Adrian Bailey, this exciting evening will feature performances by Broadway's Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Ebony Jo-Ann, Tina Fabrique, Alyson Williams, The Broadway Boys, Chester Gregory, Multi Award Winning Recording Artist Tonex (currently spelled: 'TON3X') and many more on Monday, November 3rd at The Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture located in Harlem.

William Ayers, Jimmie Briggs, Ruby Dee, Alvin Epstein, Melissa Fitzgerald, Maxine Greene, Margie Gillis, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill T. Jones, Herbert Kohl, Francis Lucerna, Leonard Lopate, Winter Miller, Tom Oppenheim, Rosie Perez, John Prendergast, Phylicia Rashad and Anna Deavere Smith are among the many artists that participated in the Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts.

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns in January for its eleventh season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. For 17 nights of pop, folk, cabaret, R&B, country, rock, show tunes, bluegrass and multimedia, the series will explore the best of the golden age of musical standards through to today's most dynamic contemporary songwriting. The 2009 season - January 14 through March 6 - will bring to the stage some of today's most gifted interpreters of song, including top vocalist Kurt Elling and country's winning Patty Loveless. It will feature the rare opportunity to hear Paulo Szot, star of Broadway's South Pacific, and film and stage star Alan Cumming, in intimate concert settings.

Kicking off the Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts, the Stella Adler Studio hosts Art and Social Activism Spotlight on Africa, a panel discussion with Melissa Fitzgerald (actress, The West Wing, activist, Voices of Uganda), John Prendergast (author, Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, chair of ENOUGH Project), Mira Sorvino (Academy award-winning actress, Mighty Aphrodite, ambassador Amnesty International), Winter Miller (playwright, In Darfur) and Jeffrey Wright (actor, W., Angels in America, spokesperson for All for Africa), on Friday, October 17 at 7pm at Cooper Union's Great Hall, 7 East 7th Street, New York, NY.

Tickets go on sale today for Signature Theatre Company's (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) production of HOME, the second production of Signature's 2008-2009 season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC).

William Ayers, Jimmie Briggs, Ruby Dee, Alvin Epstein, Melissa Fitzgerald, Maxine Greene, Margie Gillis, Whoopi Goldberg, Bill T. Jones, Herbert Kohl, Francis Lucerna, Leonard Lopate, Winter Miller, Tom Oppenheim, Rosie Perez, John Prendergast, Phylicia Rashad and Anna Deavere Smith are among the many artists that will be participating in the upcoming Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts.

Swimming Upstream, a project incubated and coordinated through the Ashé Cultural Arts Center and V-Day with Eve Ensler, playwright of The Vagina Monologues will play at True Colors Theatre Company from November 5th through 16th at the 14th Street Playhouse. It will feature Jasmine Guy, Shirley Knight, Phylicia Rashad, Kerry Washington and the women of New Orleans.

The Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) was featured on National Public Radio this weekend in a story discussing this season's dedication to the works of the historic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). The feature includes interviews with James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Associate Artist for the season and director of 'The First Breeze of Summer.

A celebration art and social activism begin on October 17th when the Stella Adler Studio of Acting kicks off its third annual Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts.

Signature Theatre Company's (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) announced today that their production of THE FIRST BREEZE OF SUMMER has been extended by popular demand one week from Sunday, September 28th to Sunday, October 5th. THE FIRST BREEZE OF SUMMER, by Leslie Lee and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, is the first production of the 2008-2009 season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC). The show began performances on August 5th and opened August 21st at the Peter Norton Space located at 555 West 42nd Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues).

Black 2: Broadway, the acclaimed production celebrating the contributions of performers of color in the arts, returns with its final production of 2008. Celebrating the life and work of Broadway Veterans BJ Crosby & Adrian Bailey, this exciting evening will feature performances by Broadway's Chuck Cooper, Marva Hicks, Ebony Jo-Ann, Tina Fabrique, Alyson Williams, The Broadway Boys, Chester Gregory, Multi Award Winning Recording Artist Tonex (currently spelled: 'TON3X') and many more on Monday, November 3rd at The Schomburg Center For Research in Black Culture located in Harlem.

Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) is proud to announce casting for HOME, by Samm-Art Williams and directed by Ron OJ Parson. HOME will be the second production of Signature's 2008-09 season celebrating the historic Negro Ensemble Company (NEC).

While it may take a village to raise a child, an impressive team of award-winning celebrities along with The Juilliard School, New York State Governor David A. Paterson, and other notables have taken the lead to collaborate in support of students of color at Juilliard via a scholarship benefit concert honoring legendary Juilliard alumnus, Luther Henderson, Mr. Henderson, who died in 2003, was a gifted American arranger, composer and orchestrator with an extraordinary talent for creating music for choreographic movement.

The Harold Clurman Festival of the Arts will kick off with a symposium discussing Art and Social Activism: Spotlight on Africa with participants Nima, Elbagir, Mira Sorvino, Winter Miller, Melissa Fitzgerald, John Prendergast and others.