Robin Williams News

KQED Public Television's Emmy Award-winning series Truly CA: Our State, Our Stories continues with the broadcast premiere of Stage Left: A Story of Theater in San Francisco, today, November 11, 2012, at 10pm on KQED 9. Directed by Austin Forbord and executive produced by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, this vibrant, energetic documentary celebrates the history and impact of the raucous San Francisco theater movement and has been called "a valuable record of regional innovation… an entertaining documentary mixing intriguing archival materials with explanatory insights from observers on both sides of the footlights" (Variety). Through compelling interviews, vivid archival footage of early performances, photographs, and video of productions, Stage Left illustrates the important, intriguing and sometimes outrageous theatrical innovations of Bay Area artists that changed the art form worldwide. For more information please visit stageleft-movie.com and the Truly CA website at kqed.org/trulyca.

After concluding an extensive, nationwide search, this year's 'Comics to Watch' features a record 10 comedians performing in the showcase reflecting an ever-expanding scope of the very best young talent on the comedy scene today. COMEDY CENTRAL and The New York Comedy Festival teamed up again for the third annual 'Comics to Watch' showcase which took place at Carolines on Broadway on Wednesday, November 7 as part of the 2012 New York Comedy Festival. The 'Comics to Watch' event will premiere in full-length on cc.com/comicstowatch on Monday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET and is available through Wednesday, November 14. Subsequently, clips of the individual performances from 'Comics to Watch' 2012 will be live on the site.

In this week's edition of 'Regional Highlights of the Week', we bring you the most-read stories for the week of November 5. Sit back and catch up on all the latest theater happenings around the nation and the world!

After concluding an extensive, nationwide search, this year's 'Comics to Watch' features a record 10 comedians performing in the showcase reflecting an ever-expanding scope of the very best young talent on the comedy scene today. COMEDY CENTRAL and The New York Comedy Festival teamed up again for the third annual 'Comics to Watch' showcase which took place at Carolines on Broadway on Wednesday, November 7 as part of the 2012 New York Comedy Festival. The 'Comics to Watch' event will premiere in full-length on cc.com/comicstowatch on Monday, November 12 at 4:00 p.m. ET and is available through Wednesday, November 14. Subsequently, clips of the individual performances from 'Comics to Watch' 2012 will be live on the site.

Vital Theatre Company's newest smash hit Fancy Nancy The Musical, is moving downtown to Culture Project. Beginning November 24th, performances will run every Saturday at 1:30 pm and every Sunday at 12 noon. Tickets are $29.50. Premium seats are available for $49.50. For reservations, visit www.vitaltheatre.org, call us at (212) 579-0528, or visit McGinn/Cazale box office Mondays-Fridays from 9-5, or visit the Culture Project box office one hour before the show. Culture Project is located downtown at 45 Bleecker St.

For the sixth consecutive year, the Bob Woodruff Foundation (BWF) and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF) are proud to present STAND UP FOR HEROES, an evening of comedy and music benefiting our injured service members, veterans and their families, taking place at the Beacon Theatre tonight, Nov. 8, 2012, at 8 p.m.

Talk Show Listings For Thurssday, November 8

Robin Williams returns to Durham as he sits down to "chat" with his old friend, comedian, actor, writer, director, and author David Steinberg at DPAC, Durham Performing Arts Center, on Saturday, January 26, 2013.

Vital Theatre Company has announced that its long-running production of Pinkalicious, The Musical will play its final performance at the Culture Project (formerly Bleecker St Theatre) on Sunday, November 11th at noon. The production will continue performances at the new Hamilton Stage for the Performing Arts in Rahway, New Jersey on November 17th at 1 pm and November 18th at 11 am, then will appear on tour in South Orange, NJ; Easton, PA; Lakewood, NJ; Red Bank, NJ; Sandusky, OH; and New Albany, OH before it will return to its new home at the Riverside Theatre in February of 2013.

After five years of ongoing renovations, the popular Upper West Side performance space the Triad Theater (158 West 72nd Street) officially re-launches today as STAGE 72 as a part of the New York Comedy Festival, which will include performances and appearances by Susie Essman, Meredith Vieira, two special editions of Celebrity Autobiography featuring Janeane Garofalo, Tony Danza, Mario Cantone, SNL alum Rachel Dratch, and more.

Are we at a sufficient remove from the last decade of wars in the Middle East to be able to step back and take an analytical view that is balanced or unbiased? In BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, Rajiv Joseph's 2010 Pulitzer Prize Finalist play having its Boston premiere at Company One, the playwright addresses this challenge by asking a lot of questions without professing to know the answers. He leaves it to each member of the audience to draw their own conclusions.

NYC & Company, New York City's official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, New York Comedy Festival and Comedy Central present the second annual Comedy Week, today, November 5-11.

And Toto too Theatre Company today announces their final production of the 2012 season, the World Premiere of Naked in Encino by Wendy Kout.

The New York Comedy Festival presents, in association with Vandalog.com, Little Italy, and Montana Cans, announced today the addition of "The Art of Comedy," a series of events and art installations involving New York's most talented street artists that will take place this November. "The Art of Comedy" brings together acclaimed artists Ron English, Hanksy, and Gilf! who will showcase their respective humorous works of art in an effort to bring smiles to the faces of millions of New Yorkers.

Talk Show Listings For Thurssday, November 8

Our biggest musical of the season opens TONIGHT! Presenting LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, the 1984 Tony winner for Best Musical, with book by Harvey Fierstein and music by Jerry Herman, based on the farce by Jean Poiret (which also inspired the Robin Williams / Nathan Lane movie The Birdcage). Transvestite nightclub owner Georges and performer Albin, two men partnered for better or worse, get a bit of both when Georges' son is engaged to the daughter of a right-wing politician. Georges agrees to masquerade as "normal" when meeting the family of the bride-to-be, but Albin has other plans.

Football legend and new host of LIVE with Kelly and Michael, Michael Strahan and Emmy® and Golden Globe award-winning actress, Sofia Vergara join the star-studded community of prominent personalities lending their time and talents in support of the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign.

Labyrinth Theater Company (Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vazquez and Managing Director, Danny Feldman), the award-winning, downtown ensemble, announced today its annual signature benefit Celebrity Charades 2012 will be postponed due the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy. A new date has not yet been selected but is expected to be announced in the coming days. Labyrinth Theater Company's annual star-studded fundraising event remains one of the most popular 'happenings' of the year in New York City and was originally scheduled for Monday, November 5th at Capitale.