Rajiv Joseph News

Theatre Exile has announced its 2012-2013 season.

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) announced today the eight musicals selected to be part of the 24th Annual Festival of New Musicals at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

The award-winning Vineyard Theatre will celebrate its 30th anniversary season after its enormously successful 2011-12 season - which included the acclaimed debuts of THE LYONS, OUTSIDE PEOPLE, NOW. HERE. THIS. and the developmental lab of THE LANDING - with new works by Douglas McGrath, Rajiv Joseph and Jenny Schwartz, to be produced during 2012-13, it was announced by Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director, and Sarah Stern, Co-Artistic Director.

Best Actress Tony nominee Linda Lavin will be joined by an array of notable playwrights, directors and actors -- Vineyard Theatre artists all -- when she hosts The Vineyard's 5th annual luncheon presentation of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award to emerging playwright Erika Sheffer (RUSSIAN TRANSPORT), today, June 21 (12 p.m. - 2 p.m.) at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan.

The Playwrights Foundation today announced the 35th Annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF) will take place July 20 -29 2012 at the Thick House Theater in San Francisco.

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, launches its 43rd season with the world premiere of UPRIGHT GRAND, a play with live music by acclaimed playwright Laura Schellhardt (Auctioning the Ainsleys). A hit at last year's New Works Festival, this tender and intelligent portrait of the complex relationship between a father and daughter will be helmed by TheatreWorks New Works Director Meredith McDonough. Dan Hiatt will star as aging songwriter "Pops," with Renata Friedman as "Kiddo" and Brett Ryback as "The Accompanist." UPRIGHT GRAND plays July 11 - August 10, 2011 (press opening July 14) at TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. For tickets ($24-$73) and information the public may call (650) 463-1960 or visit www.theatreworks.org.

Second Stage Theatre will continue the 10th anniversary of its Uptown Series with the world premiere of Warrior Class, written by Kenneth Lin and directed by Evan Cabnet. Warrior Class stars Louis Ozawa Changchien (The Bourne Legacy), Katharine Powell (The Farnsworth Invention) and David Rasche (Speed the Plough). Previews begin on July 11th and opening night is Monday, July 23rd.

Mosaic is pleased to be just the second theater in the United States to present The Birds by Tony Award nominee Conor McPherson. Kicking off this season will be the Southeastern Premiere of the recent New York sensation, The Diary of a Madman which featured Geoffrey Rush.

Best Actress Tony nominee Linda Lavin will be joined by an array of notable playwrights, directors and actors -- Vineyard Theatre artists all -- when she hosts The Vineyard's 5th annual luncheon presentation of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award to emerging playwright Erika Sheffer (RUSSIAN TRANSPORT), on Thursday, June 21 (12 p.m. - 2 p.m.) at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan.

Mosaic is pleased to be just the second theater in the United States to present The Birds by Tony Award nominee Conor McPherson. Kicking off this season will be the Southeastern Premiere of the recent New York sensation, The Diary of a Madman which featured Geoffrey Rush.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) kicks off the 10th anniversary of its Uptown Series with the world premiere of The Bad Guys, written by Alena Smith and directed by Hal Brooks. The Bad Guys will feature Michael Braun (War Horse), Roe Hartrampf (Unnatural Acts), James McMenamin (Suicide, Incorporated), Tobias Segal (The Miracle Worker) and Raviv Ullman (Russian Transport). Opening night is tonight, June 4th.

Playwrights Foundation and Cultural Services of the Consulate General of France/SF is spear-heading a major new international exchange project, Des Voix...Found In Translation, that supports the translation of vanguard French and American Playwrights and promotes their work to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. The San Francisco festival features translations of new plays by three emerging playwrights working in France today. Plays by Marion Aubert (pink picture), Nathalie Fillion (blue picture), and Samuel Gallet (yellow picture) will be performed in English during a Festival, scheduled from today, May 25 through May 27, 2012, in a producing partnership with Z Space, a theater located in San Francisco's vibrant, cutting-edge Mission District and Deborah Taylor/FireMused Productions, LLC.

Barrington Stage Company has announced its 2012 season performance schedule, including more than 230 performances of musicals, plays, concerts, readings and free events. See details below.

The Chicago Premiere of Gruesome Playground Injuries, from 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph, will run July 5 - August 5, 2012, at the Chopin Theatre Downstairs, 1543 West Division, Chicago, IL. Directed by Rasaka Theatre Company's Artistic Director Lavina Jadhwani, press opening is Saturday, July 7, 2012 at 8 PM. For tickets and more information, visit www.rasakatheatre.com.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd previously announced the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's new production of Theresa Rebeck's WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST, part of the Alley Theatre's New Play Initiative. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST runs on the Alley Theatre's Neuhaus Stage tonight, May 11 through June 12, 2012.

Vineyard Theatre will present its 5th annual Paula Vogel Playwriting Award to emerging playwright Erika Sheffer, author of the play RUSSIAN TRANSPORT, it has been announced by Vineyard Theatre's Artistic Director Douglas Aibel and Co-Artistic Director Sarah Stern.

Barrington Stage Company has announced its 2012 season performance schedule, including more than 230 performances of musicals, plays, concerts, readings and free events. See details below.