Rajiv Joseph News

Theatre enthusiasts packed the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts tonight to hear Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, incoming Artistic Director Tim Bond, and Executive Director Phil Santora of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley announce the lineup for the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award-winning company's 2020-21 season, which launches this summer.

What is exceedingly special about the Wilma's production is that all storytelling elements work together in perfect harmony to create a visually stunning, entertaining and thought-provoking production. 

The Dramatists Guild of America has announced they will present the 2020 Horton Foote Playwriting Award to Lydia Diamond at the Dramatists Guild's awards presentations in July. The Richenthal Foundation is again sponsoring the award.

Truth, lies, and power - the thrilling play Describe the Night by Rajiv Joseph has announced an extension at Philadelphia's Wilma Theater. Due to popular demand, the award-winning epic, directed by Artistic Director Blanka Zizka, will now run to February 22, 2020.

This February, Untold Wants Theatre's production of Gruesome Playground Injuries will play at the Vancity Culture Lab. Written by Rajiv Joseph, this production revolves around main characters Doug and Kayleen who meet multiple times throughout a 30 year time period. Each time they reconnect, new issues are brought forth into their relationship with one another. These new issues also bring big decisions that have to be made regarding their future together. This play will make you laugh, warm your heart, and show you how complicated relationships can be! This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the directors of the show: Jessica Aquila Cymerman about GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES' upcoming shows taking place from February 5th a?' 15th!

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents the Northern California Premiere of Laurel Ollstein's They Promised Her The Moon. This riveting play shares the incredible, true story of Jerrie Cobb, a world record-holding female aviator who dreamt of flying among the stars. At the height of the Space Race, Cobb and her female peers in the Mercury 13 program trained to become astronauts, ready to join their male counterparts in space and change history, but they never got the chance. A favorite from TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's 2018 New Works Festival, They Promised Her The Moon will be directed by TheatreWorks Artistic Associate and Director of New Works Giovanna Sardelli.

An international cast is set to star in a new production of Gruesome Playground Injuries next month. The original production premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston in 2009, then off-Broadway in 2011. The play will be put up during the both romantic and equally commercialized Valentine's day season.

Philadelphia has so much more than great cheesesteak and the Liberty Bell - it's also home to some amazing theater. For the third time this February, we're excited to partner with Theatre Philadelphia on Philly Theatre Week 2020, when you can score free, $15, and $30 tickets to some of the best shows in town Feb. 6-16.

La Jolla Playhouse has announced the complete cast and creative team for its upcoming musical Fly, based on the J.M. Barrie novel Peter and Wendy, with book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph (Playhouse's Guards at the Taj, Broadway's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo); music by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Bill Sherman (music director for Sesame Street; orchestrator for In the Heights); lyrics by Obie Award winner Kirsten Childs (The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin) and Rajiv Joseph, direction by multiple Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights), and co-choreographed by three-time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton, Bandstand) and Stephanie Klemons (In the Heights). Fly will run February 18 - March 29 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory will start 2020 with the surprisingly delightful Gruesome Playground Injuries, a contemporary play by 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rajiv Joseph. Ashley Teague directs the story of two people and the unique relationship they build over a lifetime of injuries, both physical and emotional. This sharp-witted and dark comedy will run from January 1 - 19, in the Cook Theatre with a pay-what-you-can (minimum $5) preview night on December 31.

Pleasantville theater company Arc Stages presents Animals Out of Paper to close out the fifth season for their professional company, the Next Stage. The Next Stage focuses on showcasing new, innovative work by a wide variety of exciting and talented writers. It is the third wing of a company that also includes a thriving Educational Stage and Community Stage.

La Jolla Playhouse has announced the choreographers and lead cast members for its upcoming musical Fly, based on the novel Peter and Wendy, by J.M. Barrie, with book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph (Playhouse's Guards at the Taj, Broadway's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo); music by Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award winner Bill Sherman (music director for Sesame Street); lyrics by Obie Award winner Kirsten Childs (The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin) and Rajiv Joseph, directed by multiple Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller (Hamilton, Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights). Fly will run in the Mandell Weiss Theatre February 18 - March 29, 2020.

Truth, lies, and power - the thrilling play Describe the Night by Rajiv Joseph takes the stage at the Wilma Theater from Jan. 28-Feb. 16, 2020. The award-winning epic, directed by Artistic Director Blanka Zizka, explores the blurred lines between lies, history, and conspiracy theories as it traces the origins of Russian President Vladimir Putin's power.

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory will start 2020 with the surprisingly delightful Gruesome Playground Injuries, a contemporary play by 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rajiv Joseph. Ashley Teague directs the story of two people and the unique relationship they build over a lifetime of injuries, both physical and emotional. This sharp-witted and dark comedy will run from January 1 a?' 19, in the Cook Theatre with a pay-what-you-can (minimum $5) preview night on December 31.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the company for A Thousand Splendid Suns, adapted for the stage by Ursula Rani Sarma and based on the 2007 New York Times bestselling novel by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner). Set in 1992 in war-torn Afghanistan, this gripping story centers around a friendship that develops between two Afghan women following a tragedy. While facing insurmountable odds of a brutal and oppressive way of life, the two form an unlikely bond in a heart-rending fight for survival. Directed by Carey Perloff, A Thousand Splendid Suns runs January 17 - March 1, 2020 in the Kreeger Theater.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) announces a one week extension for the world premiere production of Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis (Between Riverside and Crazy), directed by Obie Award winner John Ortiz, and co-produced with LAByrinth Theater Company. The production, which opens on Monday, December 9th will now play through Sunday, December 29th, 2019 Off-Broadway at the Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street).

Charly Evon Simpson was the recipient of the 2019-20 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. She was presented with the award at The Vineyard's annual Emerging Artists Luncheon on Monday, November 25 at the National Arts Club.

Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce that Charly Evon Simpson is the recipient of the 2019-20 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award. Ms. Simpson will be presented with the award at The Vineyard's annual Emerging Artists Luncheon on Monday, November 25 from noon-2:30pm at the National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan.

Last night, the 2018-2019 class of Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows presented excerpts of full length works at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

Artistic Director Robert Falls announces an update to Goodman Theatre's 2019/2020 Season. The Chicago premiere of School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh, directed by Lili-Anne Brown, originally scheduled for the Owen Theatre, will move into the 856-seat Albert Theatre; the Falls-directed major revival of Molly Sweeney by Brian Friel, originally scheduled for the Albert Theatre, will move into the 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre.