Sam Shepard News

The Elephant Theatre Company presents it's annual short play festival, LOVE BITES - VOLUME 8.0 beginning performances at The Elephant Theater (6322 Santa Monica Boulevard) on Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14, 2009 at 8 p.m. and runs Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. through March 14, 2009.

Tony- and Emmy- winner Elaine Stritch will be honored for her 'many achievements and humanity' on Monday, February 9 at the 6th annual pre-Valentine's gala, LOVE 'N' COURAGE hosted by Betsy Von Furstenberg at The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) with cocktails at 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm. Proceeds benefit the emerging playwrights' program at Theater for the New City, one of the last bastions for experimental and political theater in 21st century New York in the East Village. Joining the list of previously announced list of celebrities who will turn out to salute Ms. Stritch on Feb. 9 are Barbara Barrie, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, along with Hal and Judy Prince.

The Tony Award-winning actress ELAINE STRITCH will honored for her 'achievements and humanity' at Theater for the New City's 6th annual LOVE 'N' COURAGE benefit for the theater's Emerging Playwrights Program, it has been announced by Crystal Field, Executive Artistic Director of Theater for the New City. Co-hosted by playwright and actor CHARLES BUSCH and actress JULIE HALSTON, this year's benefit will take place at the beautiful National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South), on Monday, February 9, with cocktails beginning at 6:30pm, followed by dinner and performances.

Theater for the New City presents LOVE 'N' COURAGE, the 6th annual benefit for Theater for the New City's Emerging Playwrights Program, it has been announced by Crystal Field, Executive Artistic Director of Theater for the New City. Hosted by playwright and actor Charles Busch and featuring Tony Award-winning actress Marian Seldes, this year's benefit takes place at the beautiful National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South), on Monday, February 9, with cocktails beginning at 6:30pm, followed by dinner and performances.

Theater News from Broadway and the Baltimore/Washington Region

New Repertory Theatre announced today that Kate Warner, nationally known, award-winning director from Atlanta-based Dad's Garage Theatre Company, will be the company's new Artistic Director. 'Kate Warner is a natural leader,' said Michael McCay, Chairman of the Board of New Repertory Theatre. 'She has been very successful as an Artistic Director and is known for her programming savvy. Kate also has the vision and experience to drive the continuing growth of our theatre. Under her stewardship, Dad's Garage experienced impressive growth while remaining financially stable.'

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) presents the east coast premiere of LYDIA by OCTAVIO SOLIS, directed by JULIETTE CARRILLO at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street, at York Street) beginning February 6 through February 28. Opening Night is Thursday, February 12. LYDIA features music composed by Chris Webb; sets by Andrew Boyce; costumes by Amanda Seymour; lighting by Jesse Belsky; sound design, additional music, and arrangements by David Molina; voice and dialect by Beth McGuire; fight direction by Rick Sordelet; dramaturgy by Matt Cornish; and stage management by Donald E. Claxon. The cast of LYDIA includes Carlo Alb?n, Christian Barillas, Stephanie Beatriz, Armando Dur?n, Catalina Maynard, Onahoua Rodriguez, and Tony Sancho.

Tony- and Emmy- winner Elaine Stritch will be honored for her 'many achievements and humanity' on Monday, February 9 at the 6th annual pre-Valentine's gala, LOVE 'N' COURAGE hosted by Betsy Von Furstenberg at The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South) with cocktails at 6:30pm, dinner at 7:00pm. Proceeds benefit the emerging playwrights' program at Theater for the New City, one of the last bastions for experimental and political theater in 21st century New York in the East Village. Joining the list of previously announced list of celebrities who will turn out to salute Ms. Stritch on Feb. 9 are Barbara Barrie, Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson, along with Hal and Judy Prince.

eXit Productions presents the New York premiere of Margie Pignataro's original work WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE-opening on February 4 at the Dionysus Theatre Complex's L'il Peach Theatre (270 West 36th Street) in Manhattan. Ben Gougeon and Doug Spagnola will direct. WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE is a post-modern trip through the worlds of Wonderland and quantum mechanics. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's beloved Alice stories, WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE follows Alice through the ten-dimensions of time and space as she searches for identity in an uncertain world. With help from characters such as the Schizophrenic Cat, the Syphillitic Worm and Tofurky, Alice finds her place in a post-9/11 world by learning to understand quantum physics, human sexuality and the power of choice. WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE premiered in Lubbock, TX with the Experimental Artists Theatre! (EAT!) in August of 2008. Directed by Ben Gougeon and Doug Spagnola, the cast of WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE includes: Christa Hinckley, Joe Jung, Carmen Rae Meyers, Terrence Monte, James Redfern, Caitlin Sams, Megan Simard and Miles Warner, with costume design by Shana Albery.

The Bull presents a pulp revival of Fool for Love wherein two lovers, Eddie and May, trapped in a motel room that only exists on the horizon of the desert, battle to the death of their love in order to escape their lurid past. Fool for Love is arguably the hippest love story to hit the stage in three decades...yet recent renditions have lacked the comedy needed to lighten the weighty themes this play provides. We prefer to take it one step further into the brutal surrealism the play already offers. The characters in our version of Fool for Love are just that, characters.

Paul Adams, Artistic Director and Derek Jamison, Associate Artistic Director, present Emerging Artists Theatre's world premiere of THE CHISELERS by Mark Finley at TADA Theatre, beginning February 26, featuring Marie Wallace in the role of 'Beverley.' The production is directed by EAT member Melissa Attebery.

Loretta Greco has chosen Tough Titty to start off the new year, a dynamically theatrical and surprisingly funny odyssey through one woman's battle with breast cancer. Tough Titty, written by Oni Faida Lampley and directed by Robert O'Hara, marks the third play of Magic Theatre's 2008/09 season. In Tough Titty, when Angela's routine cannot keep breast cancer at bay, she must learn to face the disease, her family, and her community with equal doses of tenacity and humor. Richly emotional, Tough Titty is a boisterous exploration of one woman's willful search for grace.

Columbia Stages presents Big Love, written by Charles L. Mee and directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh, running February 18th - 21st, 2009, at The Riverside Theatre, located in the historic Riverside Church at 91 Claremont Avenue between 120th and 122nd Streets.

eXit Productions presents the New York premiere of Margie Pignataro's original work WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE-opening on February 4 at the Dionysus Theatre Complex's L'il Peach Theatre (270 West 36th Street) in Manhattan. Ben Gougeon and Doug Spagnola will direct. WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE is a post-modern trip through the worlds of Wonderland and quantum mechanics. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's beloved Alice stories, WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE follows Alice through the ten-dimensions of time and space as she searches for identity in an uncertain world. With help from characters such as the Schizophrenic Cat, the Syphillitic Worm and Tofurky, Alice finds her place in a post-9/11 world by learning to understand quantum physics, human sexuality and the power of choice. WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE premiered in Lubbock, TX with the Experimental Artists Theatre! (EAT!) in August of 2008. Directed by Ben Gougeon and Doug Spagnola, the cast of WONDERLAND IN ALICE: THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE includes: Christa Hinckley, Joe Jung, Carmen Rae Meyers, Terrence Monte, James Redfern, Caitlin Sams, Megan Simard and Miles Warner, with costume design by Shana Albery.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, a world premiere production of nine plays by Horton Foote that have been newly adapted by the Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning playwright into a three-part theatrical event, will be co-produced in the 2009-2010 season by Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) and Hartford Stage (Michael Wilson, Artistic Director; Michael Stotts, Managing Director). The productions will be directed by Michael Wilson and performed at Hartford Stage from August 27, 2009 to October 17, 2009 and at Signature Theatre Company, from October 29, 2009 to April 11, 2010. Each part of the three part cycle will be staged individually as well as in repertory and one-day marathons. Audiences may choose to see the individual parts or the entire trilogy. THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE encompasses nine newly adapted plays by Mr. Foote, together for the first time. Mr. Foote, 92, is actively adapting each of the full-length plays, some previously produced and others never before seen, into one epic cycle.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) announced initial casting for Christopher Durang's WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM and Craig Lucas's THE SINGING FOREST. Nicholas Martin will direct Why Torture Is Wrong... with a cast of seven that includes Amir Arison, David Aaron Baker, Kristine Nielsen and John Pankow. Mark Wing-Davey will direct a cast of nine that includes Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis in The Singing Forest. The cast for Why Torture Is Wrong..., which runs March 24 to April 26, will include Amir Arison (Queens Boulevard at Signature), David Aaron Baker (Dead Man's Cell Phone at Playwrights Horizons), Kristine Nielsen (Crazy Mary at Playwrights Horizons), and John Pankow (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at The New Group). Early casting for The Singing Forest, running April 7 to May 17, will feature Olympia Dukakis (Academy Award winner for Moonstruck) as Loe Reiman. Ms. Dukakis' New York stage credits include the Encores! production of 70, Girls, 70, Barra Grant's A Mother, A Daughter and a Gun, Social Security directed by Mike Nichols, Rose (Outer Critics Award and Drama Desk nom.), Who's Who in Hell, The Aspern Papers, Night of the Iguana, Christopher Durang's The Marriage of Bette and Boo (Obie Award), Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class, Peer Gynt, Titus Andronicus, Electra, Vaclav Havel's Memorandum, Brecht's A Man's a Man (Obie Award), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and A View From the Bridge (Theatre World Award).

Magic Theatre announced today that contributions totaling nearly $355,000 have been generated by its emergency fundraising appeal launched this past month. An additional $100,000 will be donated by a leading national supporter of the arts, which offered a matching grant to help secure the Magic's season. The campaign has thus far raised more than $450,000. 'The breadth and depth of support is incredible,' said Missy Kirchner, chairman of the Magic's board of directors. 'We've received more than 1,100 contributions from 23 states, ranging from $5.00 to $20,000. We needed $350,000 by January 12th to move forward with this season's productions and we made it.'

Screen Actors Guild Award-winner Lauren Ambrose (Awake and Sing!, 'Six Feet Under') and Tony? Award- winner Andrea Martin (My Favorite Year, Young Frankenstein) will star in Eugene Ionesco's EXIT THE KING, joining the previously announced Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Translated by Neil Armfield and Geoffrey Rush and directed by Neil Armfield, EXIT THE KING will begin performances Saturday, March 7, 2009 at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street) and open on Thursday, March 26, 2009. This limited engagement will run for 14 weeks only, through Sunday, June 14, 2009. Additional casting will be announced soon. EXIT THE KING is a hilarious and poignant comedy about a megalomaniacal ruler, King Berenger (Rush) whose incompetence has left his country in near ruin. Despite the efforts of Queen Marguerite (Sarandon) and the other members of the court to convince the King he has only 90 minutes left to live, he refuses to relinquish any control.

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) presents the east coast premiere of LYDIA by OCTAVIO SOLIS, directed by JULIETTE CARRILLO at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street, at York Street) beginning February 6 through February 28. Opening Night is Thursday, February 12. LYDIA features music composed by Chris Webb; sets by Andrew Boyce; costumes by Amanda Seymour; lighting by Jesse Belsky; sound design, additional music, and arrangements by David Molina; voice and dialect by Beth McGuire; fight direction by Rick Sordelet; dramaturgy by Matt Cornish; and stage management by Donald E. Claxon. The cast of LYDIA includes Carlo Alb?n, Christian Barillas, Stephanie Beatriz, Armando Dur?n, Catalina Maynard, Onahoua Rodriguez, and Tony Sancho.

ATC breaks ground with unprecedented mid-run cast switch, offering audiences the rare chance to see two versions of each play