Rachel Sheinkin News

The hilarious Broadway musical THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE opens July 18th at Ocean County College.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the BSC Musical Theatre Lab (William Finn Artistic Producer) world premiere production of Southern Comfort, a new musical with book and lyrics by Dan Collins and music by Julianne Wick Davis, directed by Thomas Caruso (Associate Director of Broadway's Matilda).

The show's Tony Award-winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time. Check out a first look below!

The third of three world-premieres presented by the 5-time Obie Award-winning Clubbed Thumb in its 18th annual SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays -- LA BREA by Gregory S. Moss -- begins previews tonight, June 20 prior to its official press opening June 23 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3 St.) in Manhattan. LA BREA performs daily at 8 p.m. from June 20 to 29. (No performance on June 24.)

Playhouse Jr., Point Park University's family and children's theatre company and the nation's second oldest continuously running children's theatre company, will celebrate its 65th season with three engaging productions that can be enjoyed by all ages.

MARRY HARRY is an official selection of the 2013 New York Musical Theatre and will be presented by the New York Musical Theatre Festival. MARRY HARRY has a book by Jennifer Robbins, music by Dan Martin, lyrics by Michael Biello, music direction by Christopher McGovern, choreography by Wendy Seyb, and is directed by Kent Nicholson. MARRY HARRY will play at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, beginning July 19 - July 28. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by visiting www.nymf.org or www.marryharry.com or by calling (212) 352-3101.

In 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee', set to open today, June 15 at the Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland, all of the hilarious and heartwarming events you wish had happened at your own childhood spelling bee actually occur, and they are turned into musical numbers!

McCarter Theatre Center has launched its 2013 Sallie B. Goodman Artists' Retreat, which is being held in Princeton through June 19. The ten participating artists are George Brant, Jade King Carroll, Samuel D. Hunter, Ken Ludwig, Emily Mann, Lynn Nottage, Nicole Ari Parker, Heather Raffo, David "Tom" Thompson, and Kathleen Tolan.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director TriStan Wilson, presents the world premiere production of Muckrakers, a new play by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (BSC's The North Pool and Lord of the Flies). Muckrakers begins previews tonight, June 13, opens Wednesday, June 19 and will run through Saturday, July 6 at the St. Germain Stage, at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

The Theatre Group at SBCC is excited to open the 2013-2014 season with the quirky musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman, and additional material by Jay Reiss. Directed by R. Michael Gros and Musical Direction by David Potter, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a hilarious tale of overachievers' angst chronicling the experience of six adolescents vying for the spelling championship of a lifetime. The show's Tony Award-winning creative team has created the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes: a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and Tristan Wilson Managing Director, has announced casting for Chaim Potok's The Chosen, adapted and directed by Aaron Posner, and Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Julianne Boyd at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield.

The third of three world-premieres presented by the 5-time Obie Award-winning Clubbed Thumb in its 18th annual SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays -- LA BREA by Gregory S. Moss -- begins previews June 20 prior to its official press opening June 23 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3 St.) in Manhattan. LA BREA performs daily at 8 p.m. from June 20 to 29. (No performance on June 24.)

In "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", set to open June 15 at the Washington County Playhouse Dinner Theater in Hagerstown, Maryland, all of the hilarious and heartwarming events you wish had happened at your own childhood spelling bee actually occur, and they are turned into musical numbers!

The second of three world-premieres presented by the 5-time Obie Award-winning Clubbed Thumb in its 18th annual SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays -- PHOEBE IN WINTER by Jen Silverman -- begins previews tonight, June 7 prior to its official press opening June 10 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3 St.) in Manhattan. PHOEBE IN WINTER performs daily at 8 p.m. from June 7 to 16. (No performance on June 11.)

The second of three world-premieres presented by the 5-time Obie Award-winning Clubbed Thumb in its 18th annual SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays -- PHOEBE IN WINTER by Jen Silverman -- begins previews June 7 prior to its official press opening June 10 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3 St.) in Manhattan. PHOEBE IN WINTER performs daily at 8 p.m. from June 7 to 16. (No performance on June 11.)

Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and Tristan Wilson Managing Director, is proud to present the American Premiere of Bashir Lazhar, from May 22 through June 8. The Press Opening was on Sunday, May 26 at 3pm.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Andrew Levine, Executive Director), present a one-night only benefit concert celebrating up and coming musical theatre writers, with the NEO 9 on Monday, May 20, 2013 at The York Theatre. Check out a look back at the night, featuring performances by LaChanze, Lisa Brescia, Titus Burgess, and more!

SUMMERWORKS 2013 - the annual season of new plays presented by the four-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb, will be presented tonight, May 24 to June 29 at The Wild Project (195 E. 3rd St.) in Manhattan.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, presents the world premiere production of Muckrakers, a new play by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (BSC's The North Pool and Lord of the Flies). Muckrakers begins previews Thursday, June 13, opens Wednesday, June 19 and will run through Saturday, July 6 at the St. Germain Stage, at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

Theater at the Center, 1040 Ridge Road, Munster, will present a heartwarming production of the two-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Audiences will enjoy the fun July 11 through August 18 when Theater at the Center spells out another winner with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Featuring witty and endearing music and lyrics by William Finn and a delightful book by Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the touching story of a group of prepubescent overachievers who are pitted against one another in the spelling challenge of a lifetime. The production will be directed by David Perkovich with a press opening on Sunday, July 14 at 7 p.m.