Rob Handel News

Robert Ramirez has been named the new head of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, effective August 1. Ramirez joins CMU from the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin (UT), where he served as professor and chair.

The Obie Award-winning HERE has announced programming for Puppetopia, a presentation of HERE’s Dream Music Puppetry program. Puppetopia will run May 11–22, 2022 in the HERE Mainstage & Dorothy B. Williams Theatres (145 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10013).

New Camerata Opera presents The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace by Kamala Sankaram and Rob Handel as their spring 2022 mainstage production on April 7, 8, and 9 at 8pm, and April 10 at 3pm at Dixon Place Theater on the Lower East Side.

Today American Lyric Theater has announced the Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative as part of an ongoing commitment to mentoring the next generation of operatic writers. First steps include the appointment of conductor Kelly Kuo as ALT’s new Associate Artistic Director and the creation of a free, virtual Opera Writers Symposium.

The OBIE-winning HERE will present the world premiere of Only You Will Recognize The Signal, a serial space opera featuring music by Kamala Sankaram, libretto by Rob Handel, and direction by Kristin Marting.

The OBIE-winning HERE has announced additional programming for its HERE THERE EVERYWHERE fall 2020 season. HERE's expanded online programming continues to innovate with the serial space opera, Only You Will Recognize The Signal, featuring a libretto by Rob Handel, music by Kamala Sankaram, and direction by Kristin Marting.

Art House Productions has announced the 2020-2021 cohort of its INKubator Program. INKubator is a year-long generative process for a select group of 6 playwrights in residence at Art House Productions. This year's playwrights are Andrea Coleman, Izzi D'Esposito, Madeline Dennis-Yates, Nathaniel Foster, Aja Nisenson, and SMJ.

The Farm Theater in collaboration with Hillsborough Community College in Tampa, FL have awarded Playwright Amy Gijsbers van Wijk their Physical Distance Commission.

The OBIE-winning HERE, has announced HERE THERE EVERYWHERE, a return to live in-person events along with expanded online programming for its summer and fall 2020 season, featuring original relevant works by more than 235 diverse artists. A centerpiece of the season is #stillHERE: IRL, an adventurous new series that reimagines the live experience.

The McKnight Foundation and Playwrights' Center are continuing to invest in the future of theater by supporting some of today's most promising playwrights through the McKnight National Residency and Commission and McKnight Fellowships in Playwriting. The awards are all the more pertinent as many theater-makers face unprecedented challenges during this moment of crisis.

Just last night, The Public Theater presented the world premiere of WHAT DO WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT? Conversations on Zoom, a new play in the Rhinebeck Panorama, written and directed by Tony Award winner Richard Nelson. Commissioned by The Public Theater and written by Nelson from his home in Rhinebeck, New York, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this unique theatrical experience was performed as a benefit for The Public Theater.

HERE will present all decisions will be made by consensus, a 15-minute operatic experiment by composer Kamala Sankaram, librettist Rob Handel, and director Kristin Marting.

Renowned composer Kamala Sankaram (Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera) has embarked on an opera experiment during the current COVID-19 health crisis which has shut down the world's stages. Sankaram, along with librettist Rob Handel, have composed the world's first Zoom opera.

In response to the current pandemic, the OBIE-winning HERE has announced additional free online programming designed to uplift audiences during these challenging times.

Compiled by the New York Opera Alliance, with support from OPERA America, opera fans can turn to NYoperafest.com, a complete list of events hosted by local, New York City-based opera companies. More than 40 virtual events are scheduled for the month of April alone (scroll below for complete calendar).

In response to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the Obie-winning HERE has announced several free online programming activities designed to uplift audiences during these challenging times.

OPERA America is pleased to announce the three pairs of protégés and mentors selected for the organization's Mentorship Program for Women, now in its third year. The Mentorship Program for Women provides a unique opportunity for promising opera company administrators to be paired with established industry leaders who can help them identify barriers to advancement and develop plans for professional growth. 

Each spring HERE offers a window into the creative process of their nationally recognized HERE Artist Residency Program (HARP). For 21 years, this exploration of new work in development, previously known as the Culturemart Festival, has blurred the boundaries between theatre, music, dance, new media, and visual art. The 2020 edition, which runs February 23-March 1, not only features seven daring workshop presentations but a new name that better captures the essence of the experience: HERE RAW / Resident Artist Works.

The Exponential Festival will present Savannah Reich's CAVEMAN PLAY at Patch Works (98 Moore Street, Brooklyn) from January 8-11, 2020.

The Civilians, under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director Steve Cosson and Managing Director Margaret Moll, announces the members of its 2019-20 R&D Group, comprised of writers, composers, and directors who are creating new works derived from creative inquiry.