Playwrights Horizons News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it?

Playwrights Horizons announced today that acclaimed and beloved stage and television star, Tony Award winner and Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce (The Heidi Chronicles and The Maderati at PH; "Frasier," Broadway's Curtains, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Monty Python's Spamalot, next season's Hello, Dolly!) has joined the cast of A LIFE, the world premiere of a new play by Obie Award winner Adam Bock (A Small Fire and The Drunken City at PH, The Receptionist, The Thugs, Swimming in the Shallows). 

Lincoln Center Theater's Platform Series, a forum for public discussion between Lincoln Center Theater artists and interested theatergoers, begins its 19th season on Wednesday, July 6 at 6pm with J.T. ROGERS and BARTLETT SHER, the writer and director of LCT's production of the new play OSLO, currently in previews and opening on Monday, July 11 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. 

Commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater, J.T. Rogers' Oslo begins performances today, Thursday, June 16 and will open Monday, July 11 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65 Street). 

Hadary's character in this dramedy set in a Rhode Island beach town is George, a bereaved widower and beach-combing sage. Oh, and Dane Laffrey's set design calls for a stageful of 15,000 pounds of sand.

What would you sacrifice for your American dream? Must the American dream come at the cost of human dignity? These are the questions at the center of The New York Musical Festival's Developmental Reading of BREAD AND ROSES, a new musical with book and lyrics by Jill Abramovitz music by Brad Alexander, and direction by Melissa Crespo, inspired by true events and based on the film by Paul Laverty and Ken Loach. The cast features Nick Blaemire (Godspell, The SpongeBob Musical), Jessica Vosk (Fiddler, Finding Neverland), Mandy Gonzalez (In The Heights, Wicked) Ta'Rea Campbell (Book of Mormon, Little Shop) Wally Dunn (West Side Story, All Shook Up), Diomargy Nuñez (Frida Liberada) and Jon Rua (Hamilton).

The YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE announces the creative teams and casting for the two original book musicals, Blessing, music and lyrics by Andrew R. Butler and book by Andrew Farmer, and The White City, music by Avi Amon and book and lyrics by Julia Gytri, which will be developed in an intensive two-week summer lab at Yale School of Drama, June 13-25.

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre, professional Theatre in Residence at Oakes Center in Summit presents the series Monologues at MONDO on Thursdays from July 7 through 28 at 8 pm at MONDO, the cultural gathering place in downtown Summit (www.mondosummit.com).

Broadway's Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens, Far From Heaven) recently sat down with WGN Radio's Justin Kaufmann to discuss his most recent project WAR PAINT, a world premiere musical which is set to open this July in Chicago. Click here to listen to the interview!

Boomerang Theatre Company recently presented the development workshop of LOVELESS TEXAS, the new musical from Boomerang Associate Artistic Director Cailin Heffernan and composer Henry Aronson. Boomerang Theatre Company continues as producer on the project, following up on the 2010 industry reading at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers will present the World Premiere of THE HEALING by Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale, A Bright New Boise). It will be directed by Stella Powell-Jones. Previews begin June 11 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre with opening night slated for June 22.

The Drama Book Shop, now celebrating its 99th year, will welcome playwright Paula Vogel and director Rebecca Taichman, the creative forces behind Indecent, for a discussion about the play. The event will take place on Friday, June 10th at 5:00PM. It is free to the public. For those unable to attend, the Tony Award-winning Drama Book Shop will live-stream the conversation on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/dramabookshop) and on their Periscope channel @dramabookshop.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers presents the World Premiere of THE HEALING by Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale, A Bright New Boise). It is directed by Stella Powell-Jones. Previews begin June 11 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre with opening night slated for June 22.

THIS WEEKEND'S BIG NEWS: Not too much happening this weekend....just kidding...the TONY AWARDS are being held on Sunday night! Make sure to follow along throughout the evening for photos and updates from the Beacon Theatre.

Husband and Wife team Jill Abramovitz (Book and Lyrics) and Brad Alexander (Music) bring their new musical BREAD AND ROSES to the New York Music Festival.

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director), a nonprofit theatre supporting playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, is holding the Launch Party for its annual Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival on Saturday, June 25, 2016, 3pm at the Poet's Den Theatre (309 East 108th Street, NYC). The evening will include the presentation of 2016 Pioneer of the Arts Award For Outstanding Achievement In Television and Theatre to the Emmy-winning stage, film and TV actor Joe Morton, Tony Nominee and eight time AUDELCO Award winner, Andre De Shields, the acclaimed Broadway and television actress Barbara Montgomery, and multiple Grammy Award winner, Broadway musical director and arranger Chapman Roberts. A reception with food, drinks and dancing will follow. Tickets ($50 before June 15th; $60 after that date) are available through The Riant Theatre's website (www.therianttheatre.com) and by calling the box office at 646-623-3488. They can also be purchased (cash only) at the door.

On June 15th at 6pm, The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW), a not-for-profit organization promoting visibility and increased opportunities for women in the field, will lead an equality march through Times Square to advocate for equal representation of women in theatre, the fourth annual Women Stage The World.

Playwrights Horizons presents Indian Summer, the world premiere of a new play by Gregory S. Moss (Reunion, punkplay, Billy Witch, La Brea, Orange Hat Grace, House of Gold), directed by Carolyn Cantor (Fly by Night, The Great God Pan, After the Revolution, Essential Self-Defense at PH; Pumpgirl; Orange Flower Water; Stone Cold Dead Serious). Commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, the play is the sixth and final production of the theater company's acclaimed 2015/2016 Season. The limited engagement will play through Sunday evening, June 26 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

Set designer Dane Laffrey has placed 15,000 pounds of sand on stage for this seaside romance.

Sundance Institute has selected 25 projects to participate in its Screenwriters Lab, Documentary Edit and Story Labs and new Theatre-Makers Residency, which will take place concurrently this summer in the mountains of the Sundance Resort in Utah. The confluence of these three artist development programs will provide Fellows the unprecedented opportunity to experience portions of the other Labs and will support a cross-pollination of creativity and personal expression across different storytelling forms.