Portia News

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) and Druid will reteam in presenting Academy Award? winner and four-time Tony Award? nominee Martin McDonagh's play THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN, directed by Tony Award? winner Garry Hynes, following an acclaimed UK tour.

Upon the January 27th Finale of six, sold-out nights of competition among 18 contestants at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA, the vivacious Theresa Anne Swain was named LA's Next Great Stage Star 2009. The annual talent search has become the most high profile stage competition in Los Angeles since its inception in 2006. Ms. Swain was awarded a $1000 cash prize, an equally lucrative, paid headlining engagement at Sterling's Upstairs. As the event's Gold Sponsor, the Sheraton Universal Hotel, located adjacent to Universal Studios, will provide the talented redhead with dinner for two at the hotel's noted 'California's Restaurant,' and an overnight stay in a beautifully appointed suite to coincide with her return to Sterling's on a date to be announced prior to May, 2009.

Loretta Greco has chosen Tough Titty to start off the new year, a dynamically theatrical and surprisingly funny odyssey through one woman's battle with breast cancer. Tough Titty, written by Oni Faida Lampley and directed by Robert O'Hara, marks the third play of Magic Theatre's 2008/09 season. In Tough Titty, when Angela's routine cannot keep breast cancer at bay, she must learn to face the disease, her family, and her community with equal doses of tenacity and humor. Richly emotional, Tough Titty is a boisterous exploration of one woman's willful search for grace.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2008-09 season with John Guare's Rich & Famous, directed by John Rando (Urinetown, The Musical and Wedding Singer on Broadway) in its first major revival since its 1976 New York debut. From the ingenious mind of John Guare, who brought Six Degrees of Separation and The House of Blue Leaves to the American stage, this delicious dark comedy springs to life with twisted humor, rapid-fire dialogue, and outrageous plot twists. The revival script includes significant rewrites to the original text, as well as hilarious songs freshly scribed by Guare himself. In Rich and Famous, playwright Bing Ringling yearns to savor the sweet taste of celebrity, and he's hoping play number 844 will be his lucky break. But on opening night, he slips into a nightmarish phantasmagoria that shows him just how wrong things can go.

Atlantic Theater Company and Druid are proud to announce a four week extension of Martin McDonagh's hit dark comedy THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN, which will now play through Sunday, March 1st, 2009 Off Broadway at Atlantic's Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street).

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) and Druid are proud to reteam in presenting Academy Award? winner and four-time Tony Award? nominee Martin McDonagh?s play THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN, directed by Tony Award? winner Garry Hynes, following an acclaimed UK tour.

This one-night only reading of Shakespeare's perpetually controversial 'THE MERCHANT OF VENICE' begins with commentary from premiere West Coast Shakespeare scholar Denise Battista.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) continues its 2008-09 season with John Guare's Rich & Famous, directed by John Rando (Urinetown, The Musical and Wedding Singer on Broadway) in its first major revival since its 1976 New York debut. From the ingenious mind of John Guare, who brought Six Degrees of Separation and The House of Blue Leaves to the American stage, this delicious dark comedy springs to life with twisted humor, rapid-fire dialogue, and outrageous plot twists. The revival script includes significant rewrites to the original text, as well as hilarious songs freshly scribed by Guare himself. In Rich and Famous, playwright Bing Ringling yearns to savor the sweet taste of celebrity, and he's hoping play number 844 will be his lucky break. But on opening night, he slips into a nightmarish phantasmagoria that shows him just how wrong things can go.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) and Druid are proud to reteam in presenting Academy Award? winner and four-time Tony Award? nominee Martin McDonagh?s play THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN, directed by Tony Award? winner Garry Hynes, following an acclaimed UK tour.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) and Druid will reteam in presenting Academy Award? winner and four-time Tony Award? nominee Martin McDonagh's play THE CRIPPLE OF INISHMAAN, directed by Tony Award? winner Garry Hynes, following an acclaimed UK tour.

'Transports the audience back to the thriving Greenwich Village nightclub scene of yesteryear, where girl singers with big, robust voices and gumption to match took their first bold steps up the ladder to stardom.

Splash Bar presents a very special edition of 'Scott Nevins' Curtain Call' with NYC's newest belting Diva - Molly Pope.

On the heels of a sold-out premiere at Joe's Pub, Molly Pope brings The Diva-lution of Molly Pop, directed and produced by Ben Rimalower (Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) and featuring a band led by Sonny Paladino (White Noise), to the Laurie Beechman Theatre, downstairs at the West Bank Café (42nd Street, just West of 9th Ave) for three performances, Wednesday, November 19th, Monday, December 8th and Monday, December 15th, all at 9:30 PM.

Splash Bar presents a very special edition of 'Scott Nevins' Curtain Call' with NYC's newest belting Diva - Molly Pope.

'Transports the audience back to the thriving Greenwich Village nightclub scene of yesteryear, where girl singers with big, robust voices and gumption to match took their first bold steps up the ladder to stardom.

In an exclusive arrangement with iTunes©, Broadway Asia Entertainment (producers Steven Baruch / Richard Frankel / Simone Genatt / Marc Routh / Tom Viertel) proudly announces the upcoming international release of the 2008 Original International Tour Cast Recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA starring Tony Award winner Lea Salonga available exclusively online beginning Tuesday, October 28, 2008.

LAByrinth Theater Company (John Ortiz, Artistic Director; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Co-Artistic Director; John Gould Rubin, Co-Artistic & Executive Director) opens its fall season with the first of two annual festivals of free staged readings, the Barn Series (October 23 - November 15, 2008). Ethan Hawke joins the previously announced roster of performers that includes LAB members Eric Bogosian, Elizabeth Canavan, Max Casella, John Doman, Kevin Geer, Didi O'Connell, John Ortiz, Portia, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Michael Stuhlbarg, Yul Vazquez, and David Zayas, among others.

In an exclusive arrangement with iTunes©, Broadway Asia Entertainment (producers Steven Baruch / Richard Frankel / Simone Genatt / Marc Routh / Tom Viertel) proudly announces the upcoming international release of the 2008 Original International Tour Cast Recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's CINDERELLA starring Tony Award winner Lea Salonga available exclusively online beginning Tuesday, October 28, 2008.

As BoHo enters their fifth season, the essence of playwright Federico Garcia Lorca is explored once again. The BoHo production of Yerma received critical acclaim for its adaptation which captured the heart and spirit of the main character. The same is true for the BoHo production of LaChiusa's Bernarda Alba - a musical. The drama of Lorca's original play (The House of Bernarda Alba) and the hauntingly beautiful score by Michael John LaChiusa combine to bring the story and characters to life in BoHo's wonderfully intimate space. Bernarda Alba - a musical embraces the goals and vision of BoHo through its blend of music, movement, and drama in what is sure to be another mesmerizing, exhilarating production.

Molly Pope debuted The Diva-lution of Molly Pope to rave reviews at Don't Tell Mama's last spring. Hailed for her powerful vocals and dynamic dramatic intensity, Molly's performances of such songs as Dietz & Schwartz' 'By Myself' Cole Porter's 'It's Alright With Me' and even The Cardigans' 'Love Fool' provoked widespread comparison to a young Barbra Streisand. Now, under the direction of Ben Rimalower (Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches) and featuring a band led by Sonny Paladino (White Noise), the new version of The Diva-lution of Molly Pope premieres at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street) on Sunday, August 31st at 7:00 PM