Playwrights Horizons News

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, has announced today the cast and creative team of the world premiere production of the new musical The Sting, based on the 1973 film, and with book by Bob Martin, music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann & Greg Kotis with Harry Connick, Jr.

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE (EST) (William Carden, Artistic Director) announced today that Sarah McLellan will assume the role of Executive Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre beginning March 5, 2018. Current Executive Director Paul Slee will depart the company after 10 years.

Artists Rep presents The Holler Sessions, written, directed and performed by Frank Boyd in collaboration with the Brooklyn-based theatre ensemble, the TEAM. This one-weekend, limited engagement production is the second of Artists Rep's 2017/18 FRONTIER SERIES that brings new work in performance to Portland. The Holler Sessions will run for only four performances March 8 through March 11, 2018.

Western Connecticut State University will present the award-winning drama, 'Clybourne Park,' in the MainStage Theatre of the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the university's Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.

Talking Band are currently presenting the world premiere of Fusiform Gyrus - A Septet for Two Scientists and Five Horns, written and composed by OBIE Award winner Ellen Maddow, and directed by Ellie Heyman, running through February 25 at HERE, located at 145 6th Avenue (Enter on Dominick, 1 block south of Spring) in New York City.

Newly announced 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients ZOE SARNAK (music & lyrics) and EMILY KACZMAREK (book) are bringing their new, original musical AFTERWORDS to the stage, as part of the Beta Series at Village Theatre, a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. 

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today a one-week extension for the world premiere of KINGS, written by Sarah Burgess and directed by Thomas Kail. Part of The Public's Astor Anniversary Season at their landmark downtown home on Lafayette Street, celebrating 50 years of new work at 425 Lafayette Street and the 50th Anniversary of HAIR, KINGS officially opens on Tuesday, February 20 and will now run an additional week through Sunday, April 1.

The Catastrophic Theatre continues its 2017-2018 season with the rolling world premiere of Leap and the Net Will Appear by Chana Porter, who two-time Obie Award-winning playwright and director Craig Lucas has called 'the most original and funny and touching and interesting young playwright out there at this moment.' The production will be directed by Porter's collaborator, NYC director Tara Ahmadinejad, and features original music by composer Andrew Lynch.

Interrobang Theatre Project is pleased to announce casting for its revival of Craig Wright's darkly funny and deadly serious Broadway hit GRACE, directed by Co-Artistic Director Georgette Verdin. 

Composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie, the celebrated team behind Broadway musicals Grey Gardens and War Paint, are two of today's top contributors of new standards to the American musical theater repertoire. On Saturday night the duo was celebrated with a special evening at the Appel Room as a part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series. 

Monk Parrots announce casting for their New York premiere of Gabriel Jason Dean's (Princeton Hodder Fellow, Dramatist's Guild Fellowship, Broadway Blacklist) critically acclaimed play TERMINUS, directed by Lucie Tiberghien (The Other Thing, Don't Go Gentle, Soldier X, Hoodoo Love, The Pavilion). TERMINUS runs from February 17 - March 10, 2018 in a limited engagement at NEXT DOOR at NYTW, located at 83 East 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue in New York City. Previews begin February 17 for a February 20 opening.

La Jolla Playhouse announces Hundred Days, book by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher, music and lyrics by The Bengsons, directed by Anne Kauffman, and movement direction by Sonya Tayeh, as the final production of its 2018/2019 season, to run September 22 - October 21 in the Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Forum.

In April, New Conservatory Theatre Center presents the regional premiere of a deeply insightful and very funny new play from one of the writers of HBO's Boardwalk Empire and Showtime's Masters of Sex, The Mystery of Love and Sex by Bathsheba Doran. Hailed by The New York Times as "tender, funny, packed with humanity and brimming with surprising revelations," Doran's play examines intimacy, identity and, of course, the many mysteries of love and sex. Charlotte and Jonny have been best friends since they were nine. She's Jewish, he's Christian, she's white, and he's black. They love each other, but not in that way. Or maybe that way. As they tumble into their twenties and confront the mysteries of their sexuality, they eventually find that the path forward is not always the one right in front of you.

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 43rd season with BREACH: a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate, written by Antoinette Nwandu and directed by Lisa Portes. BREACH runs February 9 - March 11, 2018, with the press performance on Friday, February 16, 2018 at 7:30pm at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.

La MaMa, in association with The Assembly, presents the world premiere of SEAGULLMACHINE, created by The Assembly, conceived by Nick Benacerraf, co-directed by Jess Chayes (Lucille Lortel Award winner) and Nick Benacerraf, and text by Anton Chekhov, Heiner Muller and The Assembly. SEAGULLMACHINE runs from April 14 - 29, 2018 in a limited engagement at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery in New York City. Previews begin April 14 for an April 16 opening.

The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President & CEO) announced today that the 2018 Jonathan Larson® Grants recipients areJay Adana (music and lyrics), Andrew R. Butler & Andrew Farmer (music, lyrics, and book), Emily Kaczmarek & Zoe Sarnak (music, lyrics, and book), and Mark Sonnenblick(music and lyrics). Four prestigious, unrestricted grants of $10,000 each, as well as additional support in the form of residencies, concerts, and recording grants, totaling over $48,000, will be presented on Monday, March 19, 2018 at a private event at the WNYC Greene Space. The event will feature special performances of the recipients' work.

How did some of your favorite songs come to be? BroadwayWorld is getting the story behind the song in exclusive interviews from your favorite Broadway composers. Below, watch as Stephen Flaherty, currently represented on Broadway with Once on This Island and Anastasia, explains how he and collaborator Lynn Ahrens came to write one of the most beloved songs from Ragtime, 'Make Them Hear You.'

Casting has been announced for The Trial, the next play in the Politics of the Absurd reading series presented by Christopher Maring/ CM Stage Productions. Joining the reading will be Krysta Rodriguez (What We're Up Against, "Trial & Error", Spring Awakening), Mamoudou Athie ("The Get Down", Patti Cake$,), Brian Wiles ("Public Morals", "Turn"), Brian D. Coats (Jitney, "Boardwalk Empire"), John Rothman (Ghostbusters, "One Mississippi") Sam Breslin Wright ("Madame Secretary", The Beaver), and Tony nominee Kristine Neilson (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, You Can't Take it With You). The Trial, adapted by Steven Berkoff from the novel by Franz Kafka, and directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (What We're Up Against, Dry Land), will take place at the Baruch Performing Arts Center on March 5, 6, and 7.

WP Theater (formerly known as Women's Project Theater), under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty and Managing Director Michael Sag, is thrilled to announce the lineup for the second biennial Pipeline Festival, showcasing the work of the celebrated WP Lab residency for playwrights, directors and producers from March 29 - April 28 at WP Theater (2162 Broadway & 76th Street.)

On the heels of a sold out, twice-extended world premiere produced by Vineyard Theatre in association with Audible, Audible Inc., the world's largest producer and provider of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, is pleased to announce that Tony Award winner Billy Crudup will return to the title role in Harry Clarke, written by Obie Award winner David Cale (Lillian) and directed by Leigh Silverman (Violet).