Second Stage News

I walk into the Guthrie Theater and I immediately see a pool of water built on the Wurtele Thrust Stage...and I immediately know I'm in for a theatrical treat. Metamorphoses, written and directed by the incomparable Mary Zimmerman, has taken Minneapolis by storm after its run in California (it's a co-production with Berkeley Rep). Our very own BWW Reviewer Karen Bovard called it '...a visual feast,'. As a captivated audience member and a performer, I was so hungry to know some of the thoughts of the show's ten ensemble members. Luckily, I was able to do so a few days later over a delightful phone call.

Just last night, Second Stage Theater celebrated its 40th Birthday Gala with a special concert performance last night, May 6 at Hammerstein Ballroom, headlined by Emmy and Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth.

The OBIE Award-winning NAATCO, National Asian American Theatre Company, kicks off their 29th season with the World Premiere of Gordon Dahlquist's [Veil Widow Conspiracy].

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Kick off a brand new week by catching up on the latest Broadway news!

Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 27 writers of nine new musicals for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat's summer weeklong residencies. This year's artists include Obie-winner Heather Christian, Kleban-winner Brian Crawley, TV and film writers Bekah Brunstetter (THIS IS US) and Cinco Paul (DESPICABLE ME), inaugural Stephen Schwartz Award winner Oliver Houser, and ASCAP Foundation scholarship winner Khiyon Hursey. The musicals cover a wide range of subjects. Four have LGBTQ themes: a historical look at Florida in the 1950s (IN A SUNSHINE STATE), a Palestinian/Israeli love story (BORDERS), a modern coming of age of a young black man (SEAN'S STORY PART I | THE AWAKENING), and a fantasy queer rock musical celebrating lady love (TL;DR: THELMA LOUISE; DYKE REMIX). Two are darkly comedic historical musicals: one featuring Mary Magdelene (A.D. 16) and the second a WWII plot to foil Hitler (OPERATION MINCEMEAT). Other subjects include the opioid crisis (ALMOST HEAVEN), the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (THE GOLDEN SPIKE), and a mystery involving a woman with a sleep disorder (NARCOLEPSY).

Out of the Box Theatrics presents the Off-Broadway Premiere of THE PINK UNICORN by Elise Forier Edie. Directed by Amy Jones, this site-specific one-woman drama stars Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley (Next To Normal, Side Show, Sunset Boulevard). Previews begin May 9 at the Episcopal Actors' Guild with opening slated for May 15.

Sunbathe in Darkness, a 90-minute comedy written by Adam Cash and Drew Petriello and directed by Brandon Karsh, will make its world premiere at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival in June. Together, they have created a play that is absurd, cathartic, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming all at once.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre celebrated the end of its 2018/2019 run and the new works theater community with the OriginKC: NEW WORKS FESTIVAL, running April 19 through May 19, 2019. The focal point of the Festival is the three-day intensive Festival Launch Weekend, May 3, 4 and 5, that features staged readings, panel discussions, two premiere opening nights, and post-show conversations.

Today, Sundance Institute's Theatre Program announces the nineteen artists who represent the creative teams that will convene to develop new work at the annual Lab at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah July 8-28.

Today, Sundance Institute's Theatre Program announces the nineteen artists who represent the creative teams that will convene to develop new work at the annual Lab at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah July 8-28.  

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents The Jefferson Middle School Monthly, written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and directed by Carla Harting, as part of the 2019 Wagner New Play Festival.

Producers Hunt Lowry announced today that an industry reading of Arnold's play For Better For Worse will be held on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at District Social (252 W 37th St.). 

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents Monster, written by Ava Geyer and directed by Joseph Hendel, as part of the 2019 Wagner New Play Festival.

The three-day event begins with the company launch and fundraiser on Saturday, May 18 at 7pm, followed by two free staged public readings of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Wilbur's translation of Moliere's THE MISANTHROPE, directed by Moliere in the Park's Founding Artistic Director Lucie Tiberghien, with original songs by Tony and two-time Obie Award winner Stew, on Sunday, May 19 at 7pm and Monday, May 20 at 7pm.

Moliere in the Park, presented in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance and the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, has announced its inaugural season.

The Queens Theatre may cause a stir when it premieres Relic, or, I Was Bubbie's Favorite by Joel Feinman (as told to Lojo Simon), an outrageous new comedy by playwright Lojo Simon and directed by Will Pomerantz, that explores the cult of celebrity, religion and idolatry in modern times. The play, set in the Queens neighborhood of Rego Park, revolves around an out-of-work actor who finds what purports to be the world's greatest relic in his grandmother's attic, offering him the fame and fortune he always sought. He discovers, however, that it may not be all he wants! Performances will be held Friday, May 10th through Sunday, May 19th (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays).

A love letter to those who shape our lives, hold us together and break our hearts. IAMA Theatre Company presents theworld premiere of Mama Metal, a joyfully irreverent black comedy by 2017 Humanitas Play LA award-winner Sigrid Gilmer that entwines issues of identity with pop culture icons to tell a truly unique mother-daughter story. Deena Selenow directs for a May 23 opening atAtwater Village Theatre, where performances will continue through June 23. Low-priced previews begin May 17.

Producers Jennifer Ashley Tepper and Allison Bressi announce the cast of the New York Premiere of the new musical comedy BROADWAY BOUNTY HUNTER, opening Off-Broadway this summer at Greenwich House Theater

Queer|Art, NYC's home for the creative and professional development of LGBTQ+ artists, is pleased to announce the new Mentors for the 2019-2020 program cycle of Queer|Art|Mentorship (QAM). Applications open May 12th.The Mentorship program is the cornerstone of Queer|Art's activity, providing a platform of support for LGBTQ+ artists focused on creative issues and long-term sustainability of artistic practice. Over the course of a year-long exchange, the program helps to forge new relationships between early-career and established LGBTQ+ artists and curators, bridging professional and social thresholds that often isolate artists by generation and discipline.

Rhinebeck Writers Retreat is producing a reading of the new musical THE TATTOOED LADY, book by Obie-winner Erin Courtney, music and lyrics by Lucille Lortel-winner Max Vernon, and direction by Ellie Heyman. THE TATTOOED LADY was selected for Rhinebeck Writers Retreat's Triple R program, giving the writers 2 readings and a residency to do extensive development of their musical in a compressed time frame.