S. Epatha Merkerson News

The Broadway revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson which concluded its Broadway engagement on January 29, 2023, has officially recouped its investment.

Discover Olney Theatre Center's production of 'Fiddler on the Roof' with a fresh global perspective. This timeless musical explores themes of rising anti-Semitism, Russian aggression, refugee crises, and women's struggles against patriarchal authority. Don't miss this captivating show running from November 8 to December 31 in Olney, Maryland.

BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big opening night of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and you can check out photos from the star-studded red carpet arrivals here!

NEW FEDERAL THEATRE will hold its 53rd Anniversary Celebration on October 2 at Edison Ballroom, honoring Woodie King, Jr., Gabrielle Kurlander, and Sade Lythcott. The gala is chaired by Kenny Leon and Lynn Whitfield.

Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre (NFT), led by Producing Artistic Director Elizabeth Van Dyke, will hold a 53rd Anniversary Celebration October 2, 2023 at Edison Ballroom, 240 West 47th Street.  

Join the annual Black Theatre Day celebration on Sunday, Sept. 17 to honor the legacy of the African Grove Theatre and support Black theatres worldwide. Discover the history and impact of Black theatre and the careers it has launched.

From August 10 to 26, the Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC), in conjunction with their residency at Penn Live Arts, will perform the world premiere of 'Mecca Is Burning' at Harlem School of the Arts.

TKTS, which revolutionized same-day discount theatre tickets for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, marked 50 years in Times Square with a special celebration in front of the red steps. IN this video, watch as Broadway comes out to celebrate!

On Wednesday, June 28, TDF’s TKTS will mark 50 years in Times Square. Starting at 11am, there will be a special celebration in honor of TKTS’ golden anniversary behind the TKTS Booth on Broadway and 47th Street, in front of the red steps.

Theater J has announced its 2023-2024 season, the first season planned by the theater’s new Artistic Director, Hayley Finn. Featuring world premiere productions, the debut of a solo play series, and an abundance of new works by emerging writers within the American theater landscape, this season builds on Theater J’s legacy as a home for exceptional new work within Washington, DC and throughout the country.

PBS' NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, America's national night of remembrance, will return live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol hosted by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise, acclaimed actors who are dedicated to veterans' causes and supporting our troops in active service.

New York, New York, the final musical of the 2022-23 Broadway season is open at last!  The show is now officially running at Broadway's St. James Theatre. We have photos from inside the opening night party!

The hit Broadway revival of August Wilson's The Piano Lesson is featured in the latest episode of “Working in the Theatre” with director LaTanya Richardson Jackson and set designer Beowulf Boritt. The episode features exclusive interviews and discussion on their collaboration on August Wilson's The Piano Lesson.

Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington will reprise their Broadway performances in the upcoming film adaptation of The Piano Lesson, which is currently set for a Netflix premiere. Malcolm Washington will direct the upcoming feature, which will also include Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins, and Ray Fisher.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents The Philip Roth Festival, a three-day celebration (Friday, March 17 - Sunday, March 19) of the iconic writer from Newark, New Jersey. A bevy of actors come out to discuss and participate in events celebrating the novelist who influenced their work as actors. 

Some of the country's finest actors including Tony Award-winner Tony Shalhoub and Cynthia Nixon, with Sam Waterston and more will deliver a March 19 dramatic reading of The Plot Against America, Philip Roth's timely and timeless masterwork.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center announced the complete cast of its one-time dramatic reading of the late Philip Roth's bestselling novel The Plot Against America featuring some of the most esteemed actors working today in a monumental performance at the center of PHILIP ROTH UNBOUND: Illuminating a Literary Legacy, NJPAC's three-day celebration of the iconic writer.

POKER FACE has been renewed for a second season. POKER FACE is T-Street's two-time Academy Award nominee Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s first television series and is produced by MRC Television, along with multiple Emmy nominated executive producer and star Natasha Lyonne, under her production banner Animal Pictures.

Rogue Machine is presenting the World Premiere of “COME GET MAGGIE” in Los Angeles beginning tonight. Written by Diane Frolov, with Lyrics by Diane Frolov and Susan Justin, and Music by Susan Justin, this intergalactic, joyously quirky new musical pays homage to all those with the courage to live life as their true selves. The production is directed by Michael Pressman and runs through March 26, 2023.

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), the anchor cultural institution for the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey, in collaboration with the Newark Public Library, will present PHILIP ROTH UNBOUND, a weekend-long festival that will celebrate, challenge and explore the life, legacy and work of novelist and Newark-native Philip Roth, on what would have been his 90th birthday weekend.