Second Stage Theatre News

Second Stage Theatre will present the world premiere of Sofia Alvarez's FRIEND ART, directed by Portia Krieger, and the New York premiere of Lucy Teitler's ENGAGEMENTS as part of the company's fourteenth annual SECOND STAGE THEATRE UPTOWN SERIES this summer.

Goodman Theatre announces Broadway stars John Dossett and Douglas Sills will join the cast of War Paint, a new musical starring two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole as Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, respectively. Dossett will portray Tommy Lewis, Miss Arden's husband and chief marketing officer, and Sills will portray the ambitious Harry Fleming, Madame Rubinstein's clubby confidante and faithful ally.

Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 19 writers and 9 new musicals selected for this summer's Rhinebeck Writers Retreat residencies.  For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 26, each writing team will have a weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their new musical. This year's writers include New York Drama Critics award winner Brian Crawley, Tony nominee Hunter Foster, 2016 Kleban award winner Daniel Goldstein, Susan Smith Blackburn finalist Michele Lowe, Arlen award winner Georgia Stitt, Fred Ebb award winner Adam Gwon, and New Dramatists Loewe Award winner Sarah Hammond. The 9 musicals were selected from among 95 applicants by a distinguished panel: Kent Nicholson of Playwrights Horizons, Donna Lynn Hilton of Goodspeed Musicals, Barbara Pasternack of Theatreworks USA, Steve Stettler of Weston Playhouse, Mara Isaacs of Octopus Theatricals, Drama Desk nominated composer Neil Bartram, and Robert Zukerman, former Director of Theatre at the New York State Council on the Arts. 

Second Stage Theatre's critically acclaimed musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, is currently enjoying a sold out run that comes to an Off-Broadway end on Sunday, May 29th. The show has been rumored for a transfer since it opened to rave reviews, a move confirmed today by the show's lead producer Stacey Mindich, speaking today at a Syracuse University graduation ceremony. 

Second Stage Theatre's critically acclaimed musical, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, will add one performance on Sunday, May 22 at 8pm to its completely sold out run.  Tickets for this special benefit performance are $500.  All proceeds will fund Second Stage Theatre's educational initiatives, including free student matinees and internships.  The limited run of DEAR EVAN HANSEN will conclude on Sunday, May 29th.

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) has announced the line?up for the 2016?2017 season which starts Sept. 1 and will include world?renowned artists such as James Surls, life?changing workshops like the Military Artistic Healing program, and award?winning theatre productions such as Shrek: The Musical.

New Light Theater Project and Access Theater will present the New York premiere production of Mother Knows Best, a new comedy based on the true story of a Jewish mother who is forced to come to terms with her gambling addiction. Performances begin May 9, 2016 at Access Theater.

INSIDE THE BOX by Cecilia Copeland is set for its first public presentation in the Planet Connections Festivity, with proceeds to benefit Planned Parenthood.

?In this World Premiere HFF 16 Premiere of "TILT", two strangers' carpool from Los Angeles to Sacramento unravels after they decide to try to extort money from a Department of Motor Vehicles bribery scheme headquartered in Bakersfield.  The show will have its Press Preview June 6th at 8:00PM at Sacred Fools - Second Stage Theatre.  Tickets available at:  http://hff16.org/3396

Windy City Playhouse, Chicago's most sophisticated new theater, presents the off-Broadway hit This, a tart 'melanchomedy' centering on four educated, artistically inclined thirtysomething New Yorkers whose longtime friendship is tested by an act of infidelity. Writer, director and playwright Carl Menninger (a former Deerfield native) returns home from Washington, D.C. to direct this piercing, beautifully crafted new play for lovers of language by Melissa James Gibson. Previews for This begin Wednesday, June 15 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park.

Laguna Playhouse Board of Directors announced today that, later this month, Ellen Richard will be joining Laguna Playhouse as its Interim Executive Director. The Playhouse announced late last year that it was undertaking a national search guided by Arts Consulting Group (ACG) for an Executive Director to succeed Karen Wood who had held this position for the past eight years.

We've caught Tony fever here at BroadwayWorld.com, and it's spreading! Follow us on BWW throughout the day, as we'll bring you Tony nominee reactions, exclusive reports, surprises, behind the scenes coverage and oh, so much more!

In the 2014-15 season, the NYC theatre industry hit a record high in the 9 years AAPAC has data collected. For the first time, 30% of all available roles went to actors of color, a jump from 24% the previous year. After three years in a row of exceeding the nine-year average of 23%, it seems safe to say that there is a definite upward trend in the casting of actors of color.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, May 1, 2016 - Sunday, May 1, 2016.

Updated this week! Check out upcoming Equity Auditions from Sunday, May 1, 2016 for both productions in your area and around the country including what/when/where and how to audition!

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Original star of THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Deborah S. Craig posted a behind-the-scenes shot in rehearsals with the rest of her 'SPELLING BEE' co-stars, including Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Celia Keenan-Bolger and more, for Second Stage Theatre's upcoming gala honoring producer David Stone. Check it out below!

Crowded Outlet, a not-for-profit development and producing organization in its inaugural year, is proud to announce the New York premiere of the new comedy LONE STAR SPIRITS. 

History Matters/Back To The Future, committed to promoting the study and production of women's plays of the past, has announced the winner of the second annual Judith Barlow Prize. Lindsay Adams, a student at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., has been chosen for her one-act play, HER OWN DEVICES, which was inspired by Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Harvey.

A re-imagined version of the 1921 musical SHUFFLE ALONG, one of the earliest stage hits starring, written and directed by African-Americans, opens tonight, April 28, on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. SHUFFLE ALONG has a new book and is directed by George C. Wolfe, choreographed by Savion Glover. Scroll down to learn more about the company, plus watch SUNDAY MORNING's recent behind-the-scenes look at the show!