Playwrights Horizons News

Picture if you will, the classic American family. A son in the military, a tomboyish daughter, a typical housewife mom, a Joe-the-Plumber father.  But in Taylor Mac's subversive and outrageous comedy, HIR, this archetypal group gets completely turned inside-out in a 5-week regional premiere run at Stage West beginning Thursday, May 17.

This summer, JAW: A Playwrights Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary by doing what it does best: selecting some of the most exciting new plays of our time and providing complete support to the playwrights to develop those scripts in whatever area is most beneficial to them. Two weeks of script workshopping will culminate in the JAW Big Weekend, July 27-29, where public staged readings of the scripts will be presented along with performances from local artists and classes. Plenty of champagne and birthday cake will also be enjoyed, to celebrate all that JAW has accomplished since its brave and ambitious beginnings in 1999.

Soho Rep. (Sarah Benson, Artistic Director; Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director), in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, presents the world premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview, directed by Soho Rep. Artistic Director Sarah Benson, May 29 - July 1. Following her "inventive," "pulse-pounding" We Are Proud to Present…(The New York Times, Time Out New York, and New York Magazine Critics' Picks), Sibblies Drury returns to Soho Rep. with Fairview, a play that shows us that nothing's funnier than "family drama."

Goodman Theatre announces the cast and creative team for the Chicago premiere of Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks, directed by Niegel Smith. Parks, in her "finest work yet" (New York Times), serves up "an American story as much about our present as it is about our past" (Los Angeles Times). Filled with wit, poetry and original music composed by Grammy Award winner Justin Ellington and performed on stage nightly by Chicago native blues musician Melody Angel, the production follows Hero (Kamal Angelo Bolden), a Texas slave, who faces a simple yet monumental choice: join his master in the Confederate army to win his freedom-or remain enslaved at the plantation. Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3) appears May 25 - June 24, 2018 (opening night is June 4 at 7pm) in Goodman Theatre's 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre. The estimated run time is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Tickets ($10 - $40; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/Father , by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn). The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation is the Major Production Sponsor and American Airlines is the Contributing Sponsor.

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents How to Defend Yourself, written by Lily Padilla and directed by Kim Rubinstein, as part of the 2018 Wagner New Play Festival.

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents the MFA One-Acts as part of the 2018 Wagner New Play Festival. The MFA One-Acts include The Clitorish, written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and directed by Nicholas Rapp; Joshua, written by Ali Viterbi and directed by Vanessa Stalling; and Tambo and Bones, written by Dave Harris and directed by Joseph Hendel.

Abingdon Theatre Company (Tony Speciale, Artistic Director; Denise Dickens, Producing Director) presents the final main stage production of its 25th Anniversary season, Fruit Trilogy, a new trilogy of plays by Tony Award winner Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues, In the Body of the World) and directed by Mark Rosenblatt

Arena Stage announces the full cast and creative team for Dave. By Thomas Meehan, Nell Benjaminand Tom Kitt, Dave is inspired by the Academy Award-nominated American political comedy film.

Single tickets are now on sale for the inaugural REPRISE 2.0 production of Sweet Charity. Directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, the classic Broadway hit plays from June 20 to July 1 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. REPRISE 2.0 is led by producing artistic director Marcia Seligson.

Seattle Repertory Theatre today announced the all-female ensemble of its highly anticipated and innovative adaptation of MAC BETH by Erica Schmidt. Set to run May 18 - June 17, 2018 (opening night May 23), tickets to MAC BETH are on sale now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206.443.2222 and online at SeattleRep.org. The Rep's production is also a participant in Seattle Celebrates Shakespeare.

Carrie Coon, Natalie Paul and Hannah Gross have been announced as series regulars for second installment of USA Network's THE SINNER.  Jessica Biel will Executive Produce Alongside Derek Simonds, Charlie Gogolak, Michelle Purple, Brad Winters and John Coles. Series is set to Premiere August 2018. 

Rhinebeck Writers Retreat is presenting a private reading of the new musical, THE PROXY MARRIAGE, book and lyrics by Michele Lowe and music and lyrics by Adam Gwon, on May 7 in New York City, which includes actors Jason Tam (Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC, Broadway: A Chorus Line, If/Then), Whitney Bashor (The Bridges of Madison County), Anika Larsen (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Avenue Q), and Daniel Jenkins (Mary Poppins, Billy Elliot, Big River). The reading is directed by Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close) and music directed by Vadim Feichtner (Falsettos Broadway revival).

San Francisco's 42nd Street Moon (Daren A.C. Carollo and Daniel Thomas, Co-Executive Directors), currently celebrating its 25th Anniversary in continuous operation, has announced that the company's 2018 Gala, JUBILATE!, will be headlined by Moon favorite Klea Blackhurst (42nd Street Moon's RED, HOT AND BLUE and CALL ME MADAM) and will feature special guest star Liz Callaway (Broadway's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, BABY and MISS SAIGON).

Today Artistic Director Jonathan Silverstein of the Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company announced the Twelfth Season of Keen Teens. This season's offerings will be Winifred & Myrtle Go to High School by Leah Nanako Wrinkler, directed by Michael Goldfried; Around 2 by James Anthony Tyler, directed by Estefania Fadul; and The Caribbean Queen with book & lyrics by Jamie Cowperthwait, music & lyrics by Salomon Lerner, directed and choreographed by Ilana Ransom Toeplitz with musical direction by Salomon Lerner. An-Lin Dauber will provide scenic design, with costume design by Karen Boyer, lighting design by Kate August and sound design by Karl Berntson.

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has announced complete casting for the New York Premiere of TRACY LETTS' acclaimed play, MARY PAGE MARLOWE.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts is pleased to announce Summer Theater Camps and Teen Master Classes this July and August. Bay Street Theater will offer camps and classes for children and teens ages 4 - 18 that are taught by professional teaching artists and theater industry professionals. Enrollment is now open, and available online at baystreet.org, or by calling Bay Street Theater's Education Department at 631-725-0818.

New York Deaf Theatre (NYDT) celebrates their 38th season with an accessible production of MAPLE AND VINE by Pulitzer Prize finalist Jordan Harrison. The production marks the New York theater directing debut of award-winning Deaf film director Jules Dameron. Previews begin May 11 at the Flea Theater with a gala performance on May 12 and an official opening on Thursday, May 17 at 7:00pm.

Elevator Repair Service, "one of the city's few truly essential theater companies" (New York Times), is pleased to present the world premiere of Everyone's Fine With Virginia Woolf, a new play written by longtime company member Kate Scelsa and directed by Elevator Repair Service Artistic Director John Collins.

Sundance Institute's Theatre Lab kicks off on May 6th, and today announced this year's participating acting company and creative advisors. The Lab, which runs through May 27 at the Fellah Hotel outside Marrakech, Morocco, is supervised by Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, and is the centerpiece of the Institute's year-round work with the theatre community, alternating locations between Sundance Resort in Utah and a venue in the Middle East/North African region, as part of a multi-year commitment to international work and a means of facilitating cultural exchange between artists writing in English and Arabic.

The Playwrights Foundation, a launchpad for exceptional plays and playwrights announces the lineup for the 2018 Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) running July 20-29, 2018. The six Playwrights were selected from more than 700 submissions nationally, 85% from outside the bay area, from more than 2 dozen states and Canada - coast to coast a very North American cohort.