Reginald Andre Jackson News

ACT - A Contemporary Theatre today announced complete casting for its production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter Lynn Nottage (MJ the Musical, The Secret Life of Bees). 

There are two words that explain why “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” worked so well as the stunning animated film it is and why it was able to be transferred so well to the stage, Howard Ashman.

When putting up a show for Children's Theatre, one of the main things you need to concern yourself with is how are the adults doing watching your show. The kids may be having a great time but if there's nothing for the adults who brought the kids to latch onto, then they might not bring the kids back next time. Seattle Children's Theatre usually has that covered with some wonderful performances and artistry. And while their current production of a?oeBlack Beautya?? certainly looked great with some fantastic puppets from Annett Mateo, the story lacked much of an arc and, at least for this adult, failed to thrill.

Eighty percent of having a successful show is casting. If you have the right cast, even the dullest show can shine. However, that means the opposite is also true. You can have a good play, such as Eisa Davis' a?oeBulrushera??, currently being offered from Intiman Theatre, but if the cast isn't there, then neither is the decent storytelling. In the case of Intiman's show, the cast is mostly there, but one glaring weak link sapped the energy and emotion from a piece that should be filled with energy and emotion.

Over the years, Dear Readers, I've seen many productions of Shakespeare's oft-produced tragedy 'Romeo + Juliet'. So many productions from so many levels of professionalism with so many different takes on how to tell the story. And to be honest, only one of them even came close to bringing the story of the star-crossed lovers to life. That is until now. ACT's current production with its vibrant staging and top-notch cast incorporating Deaf and hearing actors using American Sign Language in conjunction with the Shakespearean text has created a new standard by which all other R+J's must be judged from here on.

Seattle's critics' circle announces Nominees of Excellence in Seattle theatrical productions. Spanning dozens of theater companies and productions, from large and prominent to small and humble, the Gypsy Rose Lee Awards honor the excellence found in the myriad of professional theater productions that we reviewers attend in a year.

August Wilson's masterpiece drama on the civil rights movement, Two Trains Running, will receive an additional five performances during its run at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Under the direction of Juliette Carrillo and in a co-production with Seattle Repertory Theatre, Two Trains Running now plays through May 6, 2018 on the Fichandler Stage.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for August Wilson's quintessential epic drama Two Trains Running. Confronted with a rapidly changing world in the wake of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the looming demolition of Memphis Lee's diner, Memphis and his regular customers struggle to maintain their solidarity and sense of pride.

Black History Month is a prime time to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis, TN. What better way to honor this historical event than by attending the West Coast Premier theatrical production of The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963. This is a play Adapted by Reginald Andre Jackson. Based on the Newberry and Coretta Scott King Honor Book novel by Christopher Paul Curtis.  This Comedy/Drama production is an All The Way West Productions, Inc. with Harry Jones, Jr. as producer and making her directorial debut, Bernadette Speakes.  

Phantom Projects Theatre Group will present the Southern California Premiere of Bud, Not Buddy, a heartwarming play for the entire family set in Michigan during the Great Depression. Based on the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel, the story follows the adventures of Bud, a young boy whose search for his father sets him off on journey that leads him to a new, deeper, understanding of 'family.' Directed by Timothy P. Thorn, Bud, Not Buddy performs at 10am, 12:30pm and 7pm, one day only: February 22, 2018 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

The Seattle Rep, fortunately for all of us, has long held a special relationship with the works of August Wilson. They're one of the few theaters in the country to have done his entire Century Cycle sometimes premiering those plays as was the case with 'Two Trains Running' which they produced back in 1991 and have brought back to us this season. And as always, Wilson's plays still resonate and the Rep, this time in conjunction with Arena Stage, continues to present them with tons of honesty and heart.

Seattle Repertory Theatre today announced the full ensemble cast of Two Trains Running, August Wilson's slice-of-life portrait of a defining moment in American history.

With great excitement, Seattle Repertory Theatre kicks off 2018 with its production of August Wilson's poetic masterpiece, Two Trains Running. A cast of seven-Eugene Lee (Memphis Lee), Nicole Lewis (Risa), William Hall Jr. (West), Carlton Byrd (Sterling), Reginald Andre Jackson (Wolf), David Emerson Toney (Holloway), and Frank Riley III (Hambone)-portray the denizens of a Pittsburgh diner who are all reckoning with a revolutionary time in history - the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

With great excitement, Seattle Repertory Theatre kicks off 2018 with its production of August Wilson's poetic masterpiece, Two Trains Running. A cast of seven-Eugene Lee (Memphis Lee), Nicole Lewis (Risa), William Hall Jr. (West), Carlton Byrd (Sterling),Reginald Andre Jackson (Wolf), David Emerson Toney (Holloway), and Frank Riley III(Hambone)-portray the denizens of a Pittsburgh diner who are all reckoning with a revolutionary time in history - the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s

Seattle Repertory Theatre today announced the full ensemble cast of Two Trains Running, August Wilson's slice-of-life portrait of a defining moment in American history.

This rendition of Julius Caesar by the Seattle Shakespeare Company will offer a few surprises. It is a streamlined production with a race and gender-diverse cast. With no clear-cut villains and heroes, this epic tale of political savagery has an engaging narrative. But when said savagery feels tepid, hiccups are more conspicuous, leaving audience members recalling the bad, rather than the good. Now performing at the Cornish Playhouse, Julius Caesar gets the job done, but it's problematic.

Director Robin Lynn Smith and a seasoned company including Seattle theatre veterans Reginald Andre Jacskon (Hamlet), Mary Ewald (Gertrude), Sunam Ellis (Horatio), Shawn Belyea (Claudius) and Peter Dylan O'Connor (Laertes) brings HAMLET to stirring life with live music composted by Kultur Shock member Srdjan "Gino" Yevdjevich and movement by Butoh dancer Vanessa Skantze.

One of the reasons we love a good family drama is it appeals to that voyeur in us all. We love to peek inside someone else's world and see how it compares to our own. But as chaotic and messy as those lives may be they still speak more eloquently and at just the right moments than we could, being scripted and all. And while peeking in on the secrets and lies of the LeVay family in Lydia R. Diamond's “Sticky Fly”, now playing as part of the Intiman Theatre Festival, may be powerful and evocative it also lacked some of that ordered chaos as much of the pacing of the play and the timing of it all felt clunky and unfocused.

Sponsored in part by 4Culture, the 2015-16 season of Mirror Stage's popular Feed Your Mind staged reading series traces commences with An Issue of Blood by Marcus Gardley, on October 24 & 25, 2015 at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre in Seattle's University District. Directed by Suzanne M. Cohen, Feed Your Mind: An Issue of Blood features Marlette Buchanan, Ian Fraser, Reginald Andre Jackson, Pilar O'Connell, Shaunyce Omar, and Tyler Trerise.