Reed Birney News

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced a two-week extension for the World Premiere of CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, a new play by Annie Baker ('An original voice' - Daily News; 'A playwright to know' - Newsday) that has just opened to across-the-board rave reviews. Directed by Sam Gold ('A magic-fingered director' - Variety; 'An uncommonly observant eye and ear' - New York Times), the production opened Tuesday, October 13. Originally set to run through Sunday, November 1, the limited engagement will now play through Sunday, November 22 at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW -- now in the fourth year of its four-year series --continues its mission of tackling every play George Bernard Shaw ever wrote with its 44th presentation: Shaw's ON THE ROCKS. The production will be performed on Monday, November 16 at 7:00pm at the Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan. David Staller, who has produced and directed all of the concert readings, will similarly helm ON THE ROCKS.

Michael Dale reviews Oleanna and Circle Mirror Transformation. In 1992, when David Mamet directed the premiere production of his controversial play, Oleanna, the name 'Long Dong Silver' was still fresh in the minds of Americans who followed the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hearings. Susan Faludi's bestseller, Backlash, was urging women to stand up to 'The Undeclared War Against American Women' while Camille Paglia criticized the feminist movement for teaching women to see themselves as victims. Take Back The Night rallies on college campuses encouraged women to publicly announce the names of men who have raped them, though the definition of what exactly constituted a rape was still being publicly debated.

While I have a sneaking suspicion that playwright Evan Smith meant for his new comedy, The Savannah Disputation, to bring out provocative issues of faith from underneath its many, many, many big laughs, I'm afraid director Walter Bobbie's production at Playwrights Horizon settles for being ninety of the funniest minutes currently gracing Manhattan's stages. Oh sure, maybe some churchgoers will have reservations, but this heathen had a helluva good time.

Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW -- now in the fourth year of its four-year series --continues its mission of tackling every play George Bernard Shaw ever wrote with its 44th presentation: Shaw's ON THE ROCKS. The production will be performed on Monday, November 16 at 7:00pm at the Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan. David Staller, who has produced and directed all of the concert readings, will similarly helm ON THE ROCKS.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, October 26, 2009.

Off-Broadway's eleven-time Obie Award-winning Soho Rep (46 Walker Street) will present a diverse array of contemporary theater artists, beginning with Young Jean Lee's LEAR (January 7 - January 31, 2010); followed by Gregory Moss' ORANGE, HAT & GRACE (March 11 - April 4, 2010) directed by Soho Rep Artistic Director Sarah Benson; and concluding with Cynthia Hopkins' THE TRUTH: A TRAGEDY (May 6 - May 30); and will implement a new humanities programming initiative - FEED - for all main stage productions during the company's 2009-10 season, it has been announced by Soho Rep Artistic Director Sarah Benson.

Blue Box Productions is pleased to announce the line up for its upcoming Fall presentation of Sticky at Bowery Poetry Club.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) continues its 2009/2010 Season with the World Premiere of CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, a new play by Annie Baker (Body Awareness at Atlantic Theater Company).

Ars Nova presents, as part of the Out Loud series, a free reading of: The Great Imitator by Dylan Dawson, directed by Kerry Whigham. The cast includes Reed Birney, Lisa Emery, Roger Lirtsman and Armando Riesco tonight.

Ars Nova presents, as part of the Out Loud series, a free reading of: The Great Imitator by Dylan Dawson, directed by Kerry Whigham. The cast includes Reed Birney, Lisa Emery, Roger Lirtsman and Armando Riesco.

Ars Nova presents, as part of the Out Loud series, a free reading of: The Great Imitator by Dylan Dawson, directed by Kerry Whigham. The cast includes Reed Birney, Lisa Emery, Roger Lirtsman and Armando Riesco.

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) continues its 2009/2010 Season with the World Premiere of CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, a new play by Annie Baker (Body Awareness at Atlantic Theater Company).

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, announces complete casting, as well as dates, for the first two productions of its upcoming 2009/2010 Season. Presented at the theater company's home at 416 West 42nd Street, the previously-announced productions will feature the following casts:

My Broken Brain, a new solo play written by and starring Michael Hirstreet performs July 17th - July 19th as part of the 10th Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival.

The award winning talent on Bay Street's stage continues, as the next production swung into full gear on July 7th with Mercedes Ruehl in the American Premiere of Dinner. In this outrageously funny chiller by Moira Buffini, the climax is one that audiences should be careful not to share with others!

As the end of June approaches, so too does the final curtain on Bay Street's bewitching comedy, Bell, Book and Candle, by John Van Druten. Recently reviewed by the press as 'beautifully cast, marvelously acted, ebulliently directed and stunningly designed...,' this first fully-staged production of Bay Street's Summer 2009 season is a unanimous success.

'Revenge is a dish best served cold,' but at this dinner party it is served frozen. Dinner, an American Premiere written by Moira Buffini, is a wicked satirical comedy, where caustic comments fly like poisonous darts across the dinner table.

My Broken Brain, a new solo play written by and starring Michael Hirstreet performs July 17th - July 19th as part of the 10th Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival.

As the end of June approaches, so too does the final curtain on Bay Street's bewitching comedy, Bell, Book and Candle, by John Van Druten. Recently reviewed by the press as 'beautifully cast, marvelously acted, ebulliently directed and stunningly designed...,' this first fully-staged production of Bay Street's Summer 2009 season is a unanimous success.