Second Stage Theater News

Segerstrom Center for the Arts Board Chairman Mark C. Perry announced today that Casey Reitz will become the Center's new President. The presidential search committee, led by long-time Center board members, Lawrence Higby and Shanaz Langson, made a unanimous recommendation after a six-month search conducted by the global executive search firm, Korn Ferry. Since 2010, Reitz has served as Executive Director of Second Stage Theater in New York City, winning a Tony Award as Best Musical Producer of Dear Evan Hansen in 2017. Reitz will assume his new role in December 2019.

Due to extremely strong ticket demand, the acclaimed production of Alexis Scheer's OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD, directed by Whitney White, has been extended a second time and will now run through Sunday, November 3, announced WP Theater (Lisa McNulty, Producing Artistic Director; Michael Sag, Managing Director) and Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, President & Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director).

Casting has been announced for the national tour of ANASTASIA, coming to Segerstrom Center for the Arts November 5 a?" 17, 2019 in Segerstrom Hall. Rising theater star Jake Levy makes his national tour debut in the principal role of Dmitry.

It's no rumor: the Anastasia tour's new Dmitry, Jake Levy, is taking over BroadwayWorld's Instagram Story this Saturday, October 19th, at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre! Be sure to tune in throughout the day to get a peek behind the scenes with this kid on the fly on a two-show day! You're not gonna want to miss being welcomed to his Petersburg!

THE ADDAMS FAMILY opens at Artisan Center Theater on Thursday, October 17, 2019 and runs through Saturday, November 2, 2019. The 150 seat Second Stage theater is located at 444 East Pipeline Road in Hurst. Performances are at 7:00pm on Thursdays and Fridays and 3:30pm and 8:00pm on Saturdays. Reserved seating tickets are $28.00 for adults, $26.00 for students and seniors, and $16.00 for children 12 and under. Thursday night tickets are $26.00 for adults and $14.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at ArtisanCT.com, or by calling the box office at 817-284-1200.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre announced today that two shows which received their world premiere productions at Spencer Theatre are going on to new life on the East Coast. New York's Second Stage Theater announced this week that Between the Lines, which premiered in 2017 at KCRep in association with Daryl Roth Productions, will be produced Off-Broadway. Performances begin April 21, 2020, and it officially opens in May 2020. Between the Lines is based on The New York Times Best-Seller Book by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer with Book by Timothy Allen McDonald and Music & Lyrics by Elyssa Samsel & Kate Anderson.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre announced today that two shows which received their world premiere productions at Spencer Theatre are going on to new life on the East Coast. New York's Second Stage Theater announced this week that Between the Lines, which premiered in 2017 at KCRep in association with Daryl Roth Productions, will be produced Off-Broadway.

Deadline reports that 'Choir Boy' and 'Ain't Too Proud' star and Tony nominee Jeremy Pope will star opposite Darren Criss on Netflix's 'Hollywood,' from executive producer Ryan Murphy.

Due to extremely strong ticket demand, the acclaimed production of Alexis Scheer's OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD, directed by Whitney White, has been extended one week and will now run through Sunday, October 27.

Next up on the Second Stage, The Players Club of Swarthmore's Children's Series presents, Junie B. Jones The Musical. A delightful adaptation of four of Barbara Park's best-selling books, Junie B. Jones The Musical, is brought to life in a genuinely comical (and not strictly-for kids) musical. With lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zinia Goldrich, Junie B. Jones The Musical is delightfully entertaining. Meg Cranney is both the director and choreographer and Alyssa Cherewaty is the music director.      

Nadine Garner (The Blake Mysteries) stars alongside Gig Clarke (The Code), Nicholas Denton (Wild), Paul Goddard (Pulse), Yalin Ozucelik (Othello) and Dan Spielman (Macbeth) in the Australian premiere of Anna Ziegler's Photograph 51, a delicate exploration of sacrifice in the pursuit of science, love and a place in history.

Second Stage Theater has announced that WE'RE GONNA DIE, a show performed by Janelle McDermoth (A Bronx Tale), will be part of the company's current 41st season. 

Welcome to his Petersburg! As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Jake Levy is set to assume the role of Dmitry on the national tour of Anastasia beginning on October 8th at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. To prepare you to meet the kid on the fly, we're getting to know the star by looking at some of his most memorable performances. Check it all out!

We're throwing it back and celebrating the importance of education by looking back at some of your favorite Broadway stars' theatre roots in their local musicals and plays growing up! We've gathered posts from stars including Corey Cott, Andrew Barth Feldman, Rachel Zegler, and more to see the beginnings of their passion of the arts! Get a blast from the past by checking out all the photos and clips below!

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, announces the recipients of the second round of the 2019 Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards. The awards, totaling $583,000, allow 15 productions extra time for the development and rehearsal of new plays with the entire creative team, hoping to extend the life of the world premiere play after its first run. 

The Comrades today announced its lineup of plays for the 2019-20 season a?" a trio of dark comedies by playwrights whose works have been well-received in Chicago and will explore various types of power in human relationships. The season will lead off with a one-weekend Midwest premiere of CONTRACTIONS, by Mike Bartlett, the British author of COCK and EARTHQUAKES IN LONDON. CONTRACTIONS is a surreal two-character play concerned with the balance of power in the employer-employee relationship. The four-performance run, directed by Adrienne Matzen, will be the Chicago premiere of this play that was first seen at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2008.

Geffen Playhouse today announced its selection of six local writers to participate in the second cycle of The Writers' Room, a forum for engagement and collaboration between Los Angeles playwrights. The participants for 2019/2020 are Boni B. Alvarez, Chloé Hung, Inda Craig-Galván, Juan José Alfonso, Ramiz Monsef and Ruby Rae Spiegel.

What if we all had a literal internal clock that counted down to our time of death? This is the premise of Marisa Wegrzyn's award winning play Hickorydickory. Cari Lee's mortal clock was tinkered with, so she's stuck at age 17 for eternity. Now she's the same age as her daughter, Dale, whose time may be literally running out. Hickorydickory is a funny, heartbreaking story about family, and mortality, and sacrifice. Part of the Main Stage Series.

Due to extremely strong ticket demand, Second Stage Theater will extend its acclaimed production of Bess Wohl's new play, MAKE BELIEVE, by one week, now running through Sunday, September 22nd.

California Shakespeare Theater closes its 2019 summer season with Macbeth by William Shakespeare and directed by Victor Malana Maog playing September 18 through October 13, 2019 at the Bruns Amphitheater.