Second Stage Theatre News

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has announced 10 Finalists for its prestigious playwriting award, now celebrating its thirty-sixth year. Chosen from over 100 submitted plays, the Finalists are

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE presents the world premiere of THESE PAPER BULLETS!, a modish ripoff of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, adapted by Rolin Jones, with songs by Billie Joe Armstrong, and directed by Jackson Gay, March 14-April 5 at the University Theatre (222 York Street). Opening Night is Thursday, March 20.

Producers Jayson Raitt, Barbara Whitman, Steven Chaikelson and Second Stage Theatre announced today another extension for Murder For Two - the hit musical comedy that gets some of New York's biggest laughs from a piano and two multi-talented performers in what Charles Isherwood of The New York Times calls "an ingenious miniature musical in the form of a snazzy vaudevillian double act." Murder For Two, currently starring Joe Kinosian and Brett Ryback, will extend its engagement at New World Stages (Stage 5 - 340 West 50th Street) to Sunday, July 6, 2014. Featuring book and music by Joe Kinosian, book and lyrics by Kellen Blair and direction by Scott Schwartz, the show began performances at New World Stages on Wednesday, October 23, 2013 and officially opened on Wednesday, November 6, 2013.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents the world premiere of The House that will not Stand, a humorous and gripping historical drama commissioned from award- winning poet-playwright and Oakland native Marcus Gardley. Sensuous, witty, heartbreaking, and uplifting - The House that will not Stand unearths a story about free women of color in 1836 New Orleans, where black Creole women entered into common-law marriages with affluent white men. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast below!

Second Stage Theatre has announced that JON ROBIN BAITZ's drama, THE SUBSTANCE OF FIRE, will be part of the company's current 35th Anniversary season. Directed by TRIP CULLMAN, THE SUBSTANCE OF FIREwill begin preview performances on Tuesday, April 22 and officially open on Monday, May 12. Casting and the full creative team will be announced at a later date.

LAUREN VELEZ, best known for her role as Captain Maria LaGuerta on the hit Showtime series, "Dexter," will play the role of Yaz in the upcoming Second Stage Theatre production of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Ms. Velez replaces the previously announced Elizabeth Rodriguez.

Second Stage Theatre will continue to celebrate its 35th Anniversary Season by once again offering its popular retro prices ($19.79 - the year in which the Company was founded) as well as audience perks for all of the productions this season. When these tickets went on sale for the season's first production, Little Miss Sunshine, the entire allotment sold out in under 2 hours.

The original cast recording of MURDER FOR TWO, the hit new musical comedy starring Jeff Blumenkrantz and Brett Ryback, with book and music by Joe Kinosian and book and lyrics by Kellen Blair, will be released digitally on Tuesday, January 14, 2014 by Ghostlight Records. To celebrate, the cast and creative team of MURDER FOR TWO are throwing an album release party immediately following the 7pm performance on Monday, January 13, 2014 at New World Stages.

Arden Theatre Company continues its 26th season of great stories with Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes under the direction of Lucie Tiberghien. The production appears on the Arden's Arcadia Stage from January 16 through March 16, 2014 at 40 N. 2nd Street in Philadelphia.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces the world premiere of The House that will not Stand, a historical comedic drama commissioned from award-winning poet-playwright and Oakland native Marcus Gardley. Sensuous, witty, heartbreaking, and uplifting - The House that will not Stand unearths a story about free women of color in 1836 New Orleans, where black Creole women entered into common-law marriages with affluent white men. When her wealthy lover mysteriously dies, Beartrice Albans' foundation of security hangs precariously by a thread. She is left to fend for her three unwed daughters in a world where freedom must be carefully negotiated. Told in a rich and lyrical river of words, this new play was developed through The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. It's helmed by Patricia McGregor, whose many credits include the celebrated production of Spunk at California Shakespeare Theater. The House that will not Stand begins previews on Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage on Friday, January 31, opens on Wednesday, February 5 and runs through Sunday, March 16, 2014.

The Murder For Two composing team Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair wrote a special show-themed "12 Days of Christmas, which was recently performed by cast members Brett Ryback and Jeff Blumenkrantz. BroadwayWorld is happy to exclusively bring you the hilarious video below!

Welcome to BWW's exclusive talk show, BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge. Follow Richard as he visits the theater's best and brightest in their dressing rooms, on their stages and favorite hang outs to talk about their lives, careers and all of the things you don't know, but want to know. In the special interview below, A Christmas Story composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul chat about how they were brought on to the creative team, what their writing process is like, and much more. Click below to check out the first part of the interview!

Broadway PR firm Polk & Co.'s founder and president, Matt Polk, has just announced that Tom D'Ambrosio, Wayne Wolfe, Frances White and Colgan McNeil will be joining the public relations, media strategies and social media firm. Beginning January 6, 2014, the four press agents, formerly of The Hartman Group, will join the existing company of five including press agents Jessica Johnson and Michelle Bergmann.

Grammy Award-nominated musician Nelson Gonzalez has joined the creative team of the upcoming Second Stage Theatre production of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, written by 2012 Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Mr. Gonzalez, who is widely considered the master of the Cuban Tres guitar, will oversee the production's musical elements and will lead a live band during performances.

The world's tastiest new musical will have its premiere this winter in NYC. The Chocolate Show!, arriving just in time for Valentine's Day, will begin performances on Saturday, February 1 with an official opening night set for Friday, February 14 at the 47th Street Theatre, 304 West 47th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. Featuring book and music by Alan Golub & Laura Goldfader, lyrics by Mr. Golub, The Chocolate Show! is directed by Dan Foster, choreographed by Grady McLeod Bowman and under the music direction of Jeffrey Klitz, who also provided the musical arrangements and orchestrations. Tickets for The Chocolate Show! are $39.50 - $59.50 and can be arranged online at www.ticketcentral.com or by calling 212.279.4200 or at the TicketCentral Box Office located at 416 West 42nd Street. The 47th Street Theatre box office (304 West 47th Street) will open one hour before each performance.

Murder For Two creators Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair just heralded in the holiday season with their annual festive concert, the Kellen and Joe Christmastime Show, which included selections from their songbook (including a handful of holiday tunes) performed by some of Broadway's brightest talent. Check out photos from the special concert event below!

Producers Jayson Raitt, Barbara Whitman, Steven Chaikelson and Second Stage Theatre just announced that Murder For Two composer Joe Kinosian will reprise his Joseph Jefferson Award-nominated performance as 'The Suspects' beginning Monday, January 20, 2014 in Murder For Two at Off-Broadway's New World Stages - Stage 5 (340 West 50th Street), alongside Brett Ryback, who continues in the role of 'Marcus,' the evening's lovable, if not experienced, detective. Murder For Two features book and music by Joe Kinosian, book and lyrics by Kellen Blair and direction by Scott Schwartz.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, December 15, 2013 - Sunday, December 15, 2013.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for Other Desert Cities. A riveting new play by Pulitzer Prize nominee and creator of TV's hit drama Brothers & Sisters, Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities was named the Outstanding Play by the Outer Critics Circle and called 'the best new play on Broadway' by The New York Times. Jackson Gay returns to direct this new production after helming the Alley Theatre's productions of August: Osage County, Red andIntelligence-Slave.

The world premiere of Laura Jacqmin's DO-GOODER opens 16th Street Theater's Season Seven performing January 16 - February 22, 2014 at 6420 16th Street in Berwyn, with a press opening of Thursday, January 23 at 7:30 PM. Directed by Artistic Director Ann Filmer, Do-Gooder is the first show in 16th Street's Season Seven 2014: How to Be Good.