Rachel Sheinkin News

Over 350 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm tonight, June 11 at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC). This year has been Open Doors' biggest year ever with a total of 23 mentors and 7 guest mentors working with 22 groups of students from New York City high schools.

Over 350 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm on Monday, June 11 at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC). This year has been Open Doors' biggest year ever with a total of 23 mentors and 7 guest mentors working with 22 groups of students from New York City high schools.

McCarter Theatre Center has announced that the 2012 Sallie B. Goodman Artists' Retreat will take place from June 7through June 16.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has just announced that Jason Robert Brown's musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS has been added to the company's upcoming 2012-2013 season. The musical, which has not been seen in New York City since its brief off-Broadway run over ten years ago, will be directed by Mr. Brown.

Fiddler on the Roof, kicks off Barrington Stage Company's 2012 Mainstage Season for a five week run from June 13 through July 14. The award-winning regional theatre in downtown Pittsfield celebrates its 18th season in the Berkshires under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director. Directed and choreographed by Gary John La Rosa, with music direction by Darren R. Cohen, Fiddler on the Roof will have an official opening night on Sunday, June 17 at 5pm.

The Obie Award-winning Clubbed Thumb recently held a kickoff for its 17th annual program of new plays by emerging writers -- SUMMERWORKS 2012, running today, May 26 through June 30 at the HERE Arts Center in Soho. Actors, playwrights, directors and designers joined Clubbed Thumb's Producing Artistic Director Maria Striar at the SUMMERWORKS launch party. See photos from the event below!

Bus Barn Stage Company in Los Altos comes home where the heart is for its 2012-2013 season, the 17th season in residence at Bus Barn Theater in Los Altos.

Following an acclaimed season which included the world premiere of Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not and a critically lauded second staging of Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winner, How I Learned To Drive, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has just announced two of the four mainstage productions in the company's upcoming 34th season. For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com. All productions are staged at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre, 305 West 43rd Street (just west of Eighth Avenue).

The Obie Award-winning Clubbed Thumb recently held a kickoff for its 17th annual program of new plays by emerging writers -- SUMMERWORKS 2012, running May 26-June 30 at the HERE Arts Center in Soho. Actors, playwrights, directors and designers joined Clubbed Thumb's Producing Artistic Director Maria Striar at the SUMMERWORKS launch party. See photos from the event below!

The annual season of new plays at Summer Works is presented the Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb -- has announced complete casting for its 17th season running May 26 to June 30 at the HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Ave. at Dominick Street) in Manhattan.

Today in 2005, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 1136 performances. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley Middle School. Six quirky adolescents compete in the Bee, run by three equally-quirky grown-ups. The 2005 Broadway production, directed by James Lapine, was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning two, including Best Book. The show has spawned various other productions in the U.S., including a national tour with performances in Canada, and Australian productions.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director and Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has been chosen as one of the 40 finalists in this year's Partners in Preservation program, which awards up to $250,000 to the cultural institutions that receive the most votes from its supporters. If selected, Second Stage Theatre will use the grant money to restore the facade of the company's future home, the 100-year old Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. The finalists were presented by celebrity guest Katharine McPhee of NBC's hit "Smash" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thursday, April 26. Second Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre is the only Broadway theatre selected as a finalist.

Lewis University's Philip Lynch Theatre (PLT) presents "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin and conceived by Rebecca Feldman. "Spelling Bee" is a musical comedy. Audiences will plunge head first into the minds of the unusual characters and their "unfortunate" problems that could keep them from "bee-coming" this year's spelling champion. The show opens Friday, April 20 and runs until Sunday, April 29.

Little House on the Prairie, the musical by Rachel Portman, Donna DiNovelli and Rachel Sheinkin based upon the series of books by Laura Ingalls Widler, will be given a new production with a revision of the script and score, at Cumberland County Playhouse, in Crossville.

Second Stage Theatre's Spring Gala celebration will honor Corporate Partner American Express, Artist Anna Deavere Smith, and Trustees Tavener Holmes Berry and Bambi Putnam for their extraordinary commitment to the arts and Second Stage on Monday, April 2, 2012 at Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street.

Lewis University's Philip Lynch Theatre (PLT) presents "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin and conceived by Rebecca Feldman. "Spelling Bee" is a musical comedy. Audiences will plunge head first into the minds of the unusual characters and their "unfortunate" problems that could keep them from "bee-coming" this year's spelling champion. The show opens Friday, April 20 and runs until Sunday, April 29.

SUMMERWORKS 2012 -- the annual season of new plays presented the Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb -- is set for its 17th season May 26 to June 30 at the HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Ave. at Dominick Street) in Manhattan, it has been announced by Maria Striar, Clubbed Thumb's Producing Artistic Director.

As previously reported, the Tony Award's Administration Committee has announced that Theatre Development Fund's Open Doors program will be among those honored with a special 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre.

The Hartt School has announced the following upcoming events.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, announces four new Associate Artists. Formed in 2010, the Associate Artists Program's inaugural honorees were composer/lyricist William Finn, actor/director Christopher Innvar and playwright Mark St. Germain. This year's new Associate Artists are music director Darren R. Cohen, actors Mark H. Dold and Debra Jo Rupp, and production stage manager Renee Lutz.