Royal Shakespeare Company News

As part of the current three-play Royal Court at the Duke of York's Season with Posh by Laura Wade, Jumpy by April De Angelis and Constellations by Nick Payne, four of the UK's leading playwrights will direct one of their all-time favourite plays in a series of one-off afternoon readings from 29 June at the Duke of York's Theatre in a special event supported by The Ambassador Theatre Group. Nick Payne, Polly Stenham, Roy Williams and David Eldridge will select their favourite plays and will have less than two days to bring their vision to life with a full cast to be announced for staged readings on Friday afternoons this summer.

The Jewish Plays Project, LABA and Highbrow are co-producers of SIX by Zohar Tirosh-Polk, a fully staged work featured in OPEN: The New Jewish Theater Residency at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street). SIX will perform on June 23rd at 8:00 pm, June 24th at 3 pm and June 25th at 7 pm. Tickets are free by reservation at www.jewishplaysproject.org/tickets.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION will celebrate its 100th performance of the Chicago engagement on Friday, June 22 at 8 p.m. at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N Southport Avenue.

The London 2012 Festival, a 12-week nationwide celebration bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK, opens with five spectacular events taking place in Stirling, Derry~Londonderry, South Wales the Lake District, and Birmingham on Thursday 21 June 2012.

Soul Theatre returns to the Chicago theatre scene with a three-week engagement of Harold Pinter's comedic one-act THE LOVER, directed by Paul Wagar, playing June 28 - July 15, 2012 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St. in Chicago. THE LOVER features Ravi Batista, Carl Lindberg and Mick Weber. Tickets for THE LOVER are currently available through Brown Paper Tickets here. The press opening is Thursday, June 28 at 7:30 pm. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!

Live Theatre and Soho Theatre previously announced that following its critically acclaimed sell-out double run at Live Theatre, Newcastle and Soho Theatre, A WALK ON PART: THE FALL OF NEW LABOUR is transferring to the Arts Theatre in London's West End, with John Hodgkinson reprising his highly acclaimed role as Chris Mullin, from today, Tuesday 19 June to Saturday 14 July. Opening night is Tuesday 26 June, 7.30pm.

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced additional casting for the American Premiere of Nick Payne's If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, directed by Michael Longhurst. If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet will feature Michelle Gomez as "Fiona," Jake Gyllenhaal as "Terry" and Brian F. O'Byrne as "George."

Route 66 Theatre Company presents its newest world premiere collaboration, a one-of-a-kind original musical by local sensation Diana Lawrence (of Diana and the Dishes, and currently musical director of TICK, TICK, BOOM at Porchlight Music Theatre). NEXT STOP runs Monday and Tuesday nights at 7:30pm, tonight, June 18 through June 26, at Theater Wit, 1229 West Belmont Ave, Chicago IL.

Charles Moeller and Claudio Botelho bring to Brazil the most expensive musical ever produced here. An amazing concept and strong production values, as well as a gifted cast and creative team, turn the Brazilian production of Wizard of Oz in a landmark of the contemporary musical theater in this Country. Based on the theatrical RSC aproach of the original work (book and motion picture),Moeller and Botelho move in astonishing parallel ways to find their own, unique yellow brick road. The Brazilian Oz is a show to be remembered for years to come.

According to BBC News, actor Kenneth Branagh, X Factor judge and Diamond Jubilee songwriter Gary Barlow, Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Michael Boyd, and more were awarded knighthoods at Queen's Birthday Honours on June 15. Film star Kate Winslet was also recognized as a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), among others.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION will feature Love, Sex, the Meaning of Life and the Existence of God, a post-show talkback discussion with Mark Galli, Senior Managing Editor of Christianity Today, Stanton L. Jones, Provost of Wheaton College, and W. Jay Wood, professor and chair in the department of philosophy at Wheaton College, following the 8 p.m. performance on Friday, June 29 at the Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport in Chicago

Jagged Fence presents? the UK premiere of The Only True History of Lizzie Finn, by Sebastian Barry. Directed by Blanche McIntyre and designed by James Perkins with ?lighting design by Gary Bowman and sound design by George Dennis, the cast features Justin Avoth, Penelope Beaumont, Lucy Black, Karen Cogan,? Oliver Hembrough, Andrew Jarvis, Andrew Macklin and Shereen Martin.

Trevor Nunn will direct the Old Vic and Chichester Festival Theatre's production of KISS ME, KATE, with Music and lyrics by Cole Porter and Book by Sam and Bella Spewack, which is scheduled for London performances from the 20th of November and a Chichester premiere in June.

The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles (SCLA), under the artistic direction of Ben Donenberg, returns after 16 years to The Japanese Garden on the grounds of the VA West Los Angeles Healthcare Center Campus with a summer production of William Shakespeare's romantic comedy "As You Like It," directed by Royal Shakespeare Company artist Kenn Sabberton - July 10 to 29.

Some Like It Hot meets Twelfth Night in Ken Ludwig's delightful madcap comedy, Leading Ladies. Richard Israel directs a four-week run, tonight, June 8 through July 1, at International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center.

Elevator Repair Service announced that London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT) is set to present GATZ tonight, June 8 through July 15, 2012.

Paul Chequer and Mark Quartley will share the title role in Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful which will have a strictly limited run at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from 18 - 29 September 2012. Directed and adapted for the stage by Simon Reade, award-winning children's author Michael Morpurgo's Private Peaceful has designs by Bill Talbot and sound by Jason Barnes.

BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge was thrilled to sit down and speak with nearly all of this year's Tony Award nominees at the official Tony Brunch on May 2, 2012, and we will be bringing you special coverage on all of them throughout the awards season. Today we bring you Michael Cumptsy, nominee for Best Featured Actor in a Play for End of the Rainbow.