Sam Pinkleton News

New Your City Center's Encores! Off-Center series is back and better than ever! The series will kick off the 2016 season with Runaways through July 9th. RUNAWAYS is set in 1977 when Liz Swados spent several months observing and interviewing childRunaways before shaping their stories, fears, and fantasies into a musical. A deeply unconventional work in its day, Runaways feels like the funkiest, most heartbreaking mixtape ever to come out of a 1970s boom box, packed with reggae anthems, hip-hop, soul-food lullabies, and spoken-word poetry. The Encores! Off-Center production will honor a theater visionary who was ferocious, inspiring, and left us far too soon.

New Your City Center's Encores! Off-Center series is back and better than ever! The series will kick off the 2016 season with Runaways from July 6-9th. RUNAWAYS is set in 1977 when Liz Swados spent several months observing and interviewing child Runaways before shaping their stories, fears, and fantasies into a musical. A deeply unconventional work in its day, Runaways feels like the funkiest, most heartbreaking mixtape ever to come out of a 1970s boom box, packed with reggae anthems, hip-hop, soul-food lullabies, and spoken-word poetry. The Encores! Off-Center production will honor a theater visionary who was ferocious, inspiring, and left us far too soon.

Just last summer, Roundabout Theatre Company presented Joshua Harmon's Significant Other, directed by Trip Cullman. Now according to the New York Times, Jeffrey Richards will bring the play to Broadway in Winter 2017, beginning performances in February and opening in March at a Shubert theatre. 

Abingdon Theatre Company, in association The Muse Project, announces a week-long extension of STET, with Off-Broadway performances now running through July 10.

New Your City Center's Encores! Off-Center series is back and better than ever! The series will present RUNAWAYS from July 6-9th. Before the production goes up, BroadwayWorld has your first look behind the scenes at rehearsals this past weekend. 

The Lobby Project, a series of free pre-show events presented in conjunction with New York City Center's Encores! Off-Center season, will take place July 6-9 & 27-30. These events provide an insightful exploration of the topics and themes presented in the season's musicals through performances, conversations with artists and experts, workshops, and a Menken Mixtape contest in which the winners will perform their Alan Menken remixes for Menken himself. The Lobby Project events take place in City Center's Grand Tier lobby one hour before curtain and are free for that evening's ticket holders.

Producer Aaron Harnick just announced that Tony Award nominee Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) will play the title role in the 2017 Broadway premiere of AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL at a confirmed Broadway theater to be announced, following a limited engagement at CTG's Ahmanson Theatre from December 4, 2016, through January 15, 2017. Full casting, Broadway theater and dates to be announced soon.

?Abingdon Theatre Company, in association with The Muse Project, announces talkbacks following the performances of STET on Sunday, June 26 at 2pm; Tuesday, June 28 at 7pm; and Thursday, June 30 at 7pm. Written by Kim Davies and developed by Kim Davies, Jocelyn Kuritsky and Tony Speciale, STET is a new play inspired by the Rolling Stone article 'A Rape on Campus.' Artistic Director Tony Speciale directs the world premiere, marking his first programming as Artistic Director.

Gary DiMauro, Therese Steiner, and Showstoppers NY present a special engagement of I LOVED LUCY, Lee Tannen's loving and candid play about his friendship with Lucille Ball, on Thursday, July 21 at 8pm at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street). Direct from the play's critically acclaimed London premiere at the Jermyn Street Theatre, Sandra Dickinson reprises her celebrated performance as Lucy. Jermyn Street Theatre's Artistic Director Anthony Biggs is set to direct.

New York City Center today announced the cast of the Encores! Off-Center production of Runaways, Elizabeth Swados' landmark musical about the stories, fears, and fantasies of runaway children. Cast largely from an open call attended by over 300 teenagers of 'all ethnicities, body types, gender identification, and ability levels,' the 'wolfpack' of 25, as director Sam Pinkleton affectionately calls them, embody the ferocious kinetic energy of today's New York-just as the original cast reflected the New York of 1978.

The original Off-Broadway production of the critically acclaimed comedy 'Buyer & Cellar' will take the stage of Westport Country Playhouse, June 14 - July 3. 

Previews are underway for Theatre for a New Audience's production of August Strindberg's THE FATHER in a new version by Scottish author David Greig commissioned by Theatre for a New Audience and performances start tonight, May 10, at 7:30pm for A DOLL'S HOUSE in an adaptation by Thornton Wilder not seen in New York since its Broadway premiere in 1937.

Abingdon Theatre Company, in association with The Muse Project, will present STET, a new play inspired by true events, written by Kim Davies and developed by Kim Davies, Jocelyn Kuritsky and Artistic Director Tony Speciale. A limited Off-Broadway engagement will begin previews on June 11, as part of Abingdon's 2015-2016 Season, with an official press opening scheduled for June 23. Tickets are now on sale through July 3. Tony Speciale is set to direct the world-premiere production, which marks his inaugural programming as Artistic Director.

The Father and A Doll's House, Theatre for a New Audience's two plays in rotating repertory directed by Arin Arbus featuring Maggie Lacey and John Douglas Thompson at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place, have new opening dates: The Father, now in previews, will open Wednesday, May 25, at 7:30pm and A Doll's House will begin previews Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30pm for an opening Tuesday, May 24, at 7:30pm.

Previews begin Sunday, May 1, at 7:30pm for Theatre for a New Audience's production of August Strindberg's The Father in a new version by Scottish author David Greig commissioned by Theatre for a New Audience and Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30pm for A Doll's House in an adaptation by Thornton Wilder not seen in New York since its Broadway premiere in 1937.  The plays, both directed by Arin Arbus, Associate Artistic Director of Theatre for a New Audience, feature Maggie Lacey as Nora in A Doll's House and as Laura in The Father and John Douglas Thompson as Thorwald in A Doll's House and the Captain in The Father.

On May 2nd, The 24 Hour Company® is teaming with The Exchange, an off-Broadway theater company, to create the eighth annual The 24 Hour Musicals to be held at the Highline Ballroom. A team of more than 100 - including stars from Broadway, film, television, and music - will cast, write, compose, direct, rehearse, tech, and perform four original musicals - all in the obscenely short time between an evening meet-and-greet on Sunday, May 1st and show time on Monday, May 2 at 8pm. The event benefits the Exchange's summer program, The Orchard Project, which incubates and accelerates innovative new theatrical work from around the world.

Full casting has been announced for the new musical THE GREAT COMET, featuring the Broadway debuts of 18 cast and creative team members including Josh Groban as 'Pierre' and Denee Benton as 'Natasha.' Created by Dave Malloy (Preludes, Ghost Quartet) and directed by Rachel Chavkin (Small Mouth Sounds, Preludes) - also making their Broadway debuts - THE GREAT COMET will blaze intoBroadway's Imperial Theatre (249 West 45th Street) beginning in the first week of October with opening night set for Monday, November 14, 2016.Ticketing info will be announced shortly. To sign up for news updates and presale ticketing opportunities, visit www.greatcometbroadway.com.

Abingdon Theatre Company, located in Manhattan's Garment District, announces that Associate Artistic Director Kim T. Sharp is departing after a 16-year association with the company. Sharp will pursue theatre projects he has nurtured and explore further literary and management opportunities.

Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre has a high-profile lineup slated for its 50th Anniversary Season.

Want to be in an Encores! production? This is your chance! New York City Center will hold an open audition for teen actors (ages 13-18) on Saturday, March 19, at Talent Unlimited High School (317 East 67th Street) for the Encores! Off-Center production of Runaways-Elizabeth Swados' landmark 1978 musical about the stories, fears, and fantasies of young people living on the streets.