Seattle Rep News

The Playwrights Foundation's 2013 Spring Rough Readings Series at Stanford University and in San Francisco will feature Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig's The World of Extreme Happiness, March 11 & 12: Monday, March 11 in Roble Hall at Stanford University, and Tuesday, March 12 at NOH Space in San Francisco.

The Strawberry Theater Festival will present The Light in the Refrigerator by Laura Zlatos, directed by Francesca Mantani Arkus, running tonight, February 27, 2013 - Sunday, March 9, 2013 at Hudson Guild Theater, 441 West 26th St. NY, NY.

What is the great evil we are failing to face up to today? Award-winning Bay Area auteur Mark Jackson (Salomania, Metamorphosis, Salome, Miss Julie) returns to Aurora Theatre Company to direct British playwright Alistair Beaton's elegant new translation of THE ARSONISTS, Max Frisch's classic comic parable about appeasement (sometimes known as Beidermann and the Firebugs or Fire Raisers). Featuring Dan Hiatt, Tim Kniffin, and Michael Ray Wisely, along with Kevin Clarke, Tristan Cunningham, Gwen Loeb, Dina Percia, and Michael Uy Kelly, THE ARSONISTS plays April 5 through May 12 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($35-60) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Red Bull Theater today announced that Derek Smith would join the cast for the American Premiere of a new adaptation of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death by Mike Poulton (Tony Award Nominee for Best Play for Fortune's Fool), directed by Joseph Hardy (Tony Award winner for Best Director for Child's Play).

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS will return to Colorado Springs for two performances only, after selling out in 2011. The limited engagement will run at the Pikes Peak Center, 190 South Cascade Avenue in Colorado Springs, on Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) brings Neil Simon's comic masterpiece about show business, friendship and growing old, 'The Sunshine Boys' to Arizona audiences. David Ira Goldstein directs one of Neil Simon's most beloved and acclaimed plays in ATC's new production that will premiere in Tucson for three weeks of performances and continue to Phoenix for an additional three weeks. ATC's 'The Sunshine Boys' opens at the Temple of Music and Art, running from March 2, 2013 through March 23, 2013. It continues its run in Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center from March 28, 2013 through April 14, 2013.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater's Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced that the world premiere of Buyer & Cellar, written by Jonathan Tolins, directed by Stephen Brackett, and performed by Michael Urie, will begin performances Wednesday, March 20 at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place, west of Seventh Avenue South. Opening night is set for Wednesday, April 3 at 7pm. Buyer & Cellar is scheduled to run through Saturday, May 4.

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents PTC@Play, a two-week festival of new work today, February 18-March 3 at PTC's home at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets). The festival will feature staged readings of four new plays by both established and emerging playwrights, a new play with music in development starring Tony and Barrymore Award winner Forrest McClendon as African American vaudeville legend Bert Williams, and an evening of short plays, FuturePhilly@Play, by seven emerging playwrights. Each playwright will be in-residence at PTC for their reading, and every reading will conclude with a reception where audiences and artists can meet. All events are free with curtain time at 7:30 PM. A highlight of PTC@Play will be the February 18th announcement of the winner of the Terrence McNally New Play Award, a $10,000 cash prize given annually to recognize a new play that celebrates the transformative power of art.

Tony Award-winner Judith Ivey, known for her critically acclaimed work in Long Wharf Theatre's productions of The Glass Menagerie and Shirley Valentine, stars in Curse of the Starving Class, by Sam Shepard, directed by Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein. The show takes place now through March 10, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

George Street Playhouse and Artistic Director David Saint have announced casting for the fourth production of the New Brunswick theatre's season, the world premiere of Rich Girl by Victoria Stewart.

It Gets Better is the upbeat, exciting, and funny narrative and musical that includes moments of pain and pathos from the 'It Gets Better' you tube videos and project, started by Seattle's Dan Savage. A 6-member cast of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) will partner with the UW Chorale, from the University of Washington, and over the course of a one-week residency, these artists will collaborate with other local performers, citizens, and educational and government institutions in building a community performance responding to the issue of bullying in local schools, culminating with a staged musical program at The Moore Theatre on February 23rd.

Company of Fools, part of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, finishes its 17th season with Distracted by Lisa Loomer running tonight, February 13 - March 1 at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. Time Out NY called Distracted a 'My favorite comedy of the year!' The play examines the perplexing and emotional journey of two parents hoping to make the best treatment decision of treatment for their son's Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Distracted, which premiered in Los Angeles in 2007 and made its Off-Broadway debut in 2010, is a sharp, chaotically entertaining riff on the challenges of parenting in the modern age.

Tony Award-winner Judith Ivey, known for her critically acclaimed work in Long Wharf Theatre's productions of The Glass Menagerie and Shirley Valentine, will star in Curse of the Starving Class, by Sam Shepard, directed by Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein.

Red Bull Theater will present the American Premiere of a new adaptation of August Strindberg's The Dance of Death by Mike Poulton (Tony Award Nominee for Best Play for Fortune's Fool), directed by Joseph Hardy (Tony Award winner for Best Director for Child's Play), for a strictly limited engagement beginning April 10th and continuing through May 4th only, at the Lucille Lortel Theater (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets). Opening Night is set for Thursday April 18th.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2012-2013 season with Marie Jones's Stones in His Pockets, directed by J.R. Sullivan, featuring Brian Vaughn and David Ivers. The production will run at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, from March 8 - April 14, 2013. The Press Opening is Friday, March 15, at 7:30 pm.

Following its acclaimed 16-week run at the Lookingglass Theatre Company this fall, Metamorphoses brings the mythical tales of Ovid to life at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 10 years after the Broadway premiere. Written and directed by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses is based on David Slavitt's translation and marks the first time Zimmerman will direct the production since its Broadway run. This is also the first time Zimmerman will stage Metamorphoses in the round, and a custom set will be designed with the largest pool of water ever created for this production. Metamorphoses dives onto the Fichandler Stage tonight, February 8-March 17, 2013.

When looking back on the history of the human race it always shocks me on how backwards a people we really can be. For example, why would a people restrict half of their fully functioning and intelligent members from trying to create advancements in their chosen fields? Yes, that's what we did and that's some of the central plotline of Anna Ziegler's "Photograph 51", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, focuses on. This engaging play shines a spotlight on an interesting moment in history where a brilliant scientist's work was hampered simply based on her gender.

A retrospective of the Brothers' 40 years of comedy, theatre, juggling, and music from their founding in 1973 on the streets of San Francisco to the Big White Way and the Silver Screen.

American Lyric Theater presents the next installment in its popular series, The Living Libretto, at the National Opera Center, tonight, February 6th, 2013. Featuring guest actors from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, each event is the culminating reading of extensive libretto workshops conducted for new operas currently being written by ALT Resident Artists.

The Colony Theatre will present the fifth production of its 'Season of Premieres' with the Los Angeles Premiere of I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT, written and directed by Peter Colley. I'LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT will preview tonight, February 6; Thursday, February 7; and Friday, February 8 at 8:00pm. It will open on Saturday, February 9 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, March 3 at The Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street (at Cypress) adjacent to the Burbank Town Center.