Richard Wesley News

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the premiere production of Certain Aspects of Conflict in the Negro Family by TyLie Shider, the recepient of the 2021/22 Liberty Live Commission, on October 13-23 under the tent at Kean University's Liberty Hall Museum (1003 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.).

Funded by The Black Seed, the African-American Shakespeare Company & The CRAFT Institute have come together to form the African Diasporic Network that will debut Echoes of Us: Now and Always July 15-17 at the Marines Memorial Theatre. 

Long Beach Opera has programmed four upcoming performances and events – including two new productions as originally announced -- Giustino by G.F. Handel at the sculpture garden and within the galleries at Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) directed by Artistic Director James Darrah and conducted by Music Director Christopher Rountree, with new adaptations and arrangements by composer Shelley Washington on May 21, 22, and 28; followed by The Central Park Five by Anthony Davis & Richard Wesley conducted by Anthony Parnther at Jordan Auditorium in Long Beach on June 18, 19 and 25.

One of the ways The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) fulfills its mission to discover and nurture new, innovative works by skilled and creative artists is its NEC Cutting Edge Playhouse: Emerging Playwrights Competition, which will be mounted for the second time May 5 to 29, 2022.  

The Genesis Festival is returning to Crossroads Theatre with six new productions that stand true to the theatre’s history of telling stories that highlight issues and start conversations across ethnic, racial, and cultural spectrums.

Portland Opera continues the 2021/22 season with The Central Park Five, composed by Anthony Davis with a libretto by Richard Wesley. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2020, The Central Park Five is set in New York City in the late 80s—when five Black and Latino teenagers were falsely accused of rape and assault and coerced into confession. Their high-profile case spiraled out of control, turning the accused, and their families, into victims of prejudice and grave injustice.  

Woodie King Jr.’s New Federal Theatre in association with The Peccadillo Theater Company will present the World Premiere of Gong Lum’s Legacy by Charles L. White.

OPERA America has announced the recipients of the 2022 Repertoire Development Grants: American Lyric Theater (New York, NY); Beth Morrison Projects (New York, NY); Houston Grand Opera (Houston, TX); Lyric Opera of Chicago (Chicago, IL); MassOpera (Salem, MA); Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO); Pensacola Opera (Pensacola, FL) and OperaDelaware (Wilmington, DE); and Virginia Opera (Norfolk, VA). A total of $225,000 was awarded to eight projects (see below) by these nine companies.

OPERA America has announced the recipients of the 2022 Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors. The program incentivizes companies to hire women in these key artistic roles in order to enrich the production and performance of new operas and works from the inherited repertoire; introduce audiences to the talent and insight of new artists, and inspire future generations of creative artists who identify as women. 

Can we talk—about live opera in New York and elsewhere on the East Coast in the coming months?

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) have announced a robust slate of playwright commissions through Manhattan Theatre Club's new partnership with the Edgerton Foundation, as well as a new round of commissions supported by ongoing partnerships with Bobbie Olsen and other donors.

Broadwayworld had the pleasure of interviewing Crossroads Theatre Company's Artistic Director, Ricardo Khan about his career and the season ahead.

Premiere Stages at Kean University will present the staged reading of Tylie Shider's Certain Aspects of Conflict in the Negro Family October 29-31 in Kean University's Liberty Hall Academic Center (1003 Morris Avenue Building 2, Union, N.J.).

Long Beach Opera has announced an audacious 2022 season that seeks to usher in a new era for the company. In addition to the recent announcements of James Darrah as Artistic Director and Derrell Acon as Associate Artistic Director, LBO has announced the appointment of conductor Christopher Rountree as its new Music Director, beginning immediately. 

New York City Opera will return to Bryant Park this weekend for its fourth season of operas as the centerpiece of Bank of America’s Bryant Park Picnic Performance series, beginning this Friday, June 18 with NYCO’s annual LGBTQ Pride concert, Pride in the Park.

Crossroads Festival Theatre consists of two installments: Fall Festival and Spring Festival, running September 22 – October 10, and June 7 to June 26, 2022, respectively.  

New York City Opera has announced the appointment of internationally acclaimed conductor and pianist Constantine Orbelian as the company’s Music Director and Principal Conductor.  Maestro Orbelian will conduct his first NYCO production this summer when the company performs a newly created version of Rigoletto on Sunday, August 29.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) have announced that Manhattan Theatre Club will present its 2021 Spring Gala, “NYC MTC: A Virtual Gala for Manhattan Theatre Club,” on Thursday, June 10 at 7:00pm ET. It will be available to view until 7:00pm ET on Monday, June 14.

Manhattan Theatre Club has announced the addition of seven new members to the company’s Board of Directors, reflecting MTC’s continuing efforts to broaden and diversify its board. These new members were elected to the MTC Board during the last twelve months: Mary Baccash, Howard B. Fife,  Clyde B. Jones III, and more.

NEAT will be the next offering in MTC’s virtual Curtain Call series. Originally produced at MTC in 1997, NEAT is written and performed by Tony Award nominee Charlayne Woodard and will feature original music by acclaimed Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones. The production will stream on demand from Thursday, April 15 through Sunday, April 25.