Second Stage News

Raven Theatre is pleased to announce its 2018-19 Season, kicking off this fall with the sharp and boisterous play CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined). Tyrone Phillips directs this drama about family, faith and revolution.

The Artistic Home will continue its 2017-18 season with Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize winning HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, to be directed by The Artistic Home's Associate Artistic Director Kayla Adams. It will open to the press Sunday, March 25 at 7:00 pm, following previews from March 21-24. HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, which premiered in 1997, was a Pulitzer Prize winner and a pioneering drama for its examination of pedophilia and sexual abuse of women. It follows a young woman, named L'il Bit, from age 11 to age 18 and her friendship and sexual affair with her uncle. Director Adams says, this courageous and surprising script reminds me again and again of the healing power of storytelling. In reviewing the 2017 production by the Cleveland Playhouse, the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER said, We can rejoice that 'How I Learned to Drive' feels as fresh and fearless as it did two decades ago - and mourn for the same reason.

The Lark has announced that playwrights Erika Dickerson-Despenza and David Zheng have been selected as the recipients of the 2018 Van Lier New Voices Fellowship. This year long residency is designed to support extraordinary playwrights of color under the age of 30, in order to help address the lack of inclusion of early career playwrights of color in the theater field. The Fellowship includes a cash award of $15,000, plus up to $3,000 in health insurance reimbursement, as well as access to a wide range of Lark resources, including artistic program participation, office and rehearsal space, and staff support. The 2018 cycle marks this Fellowship's fifth year at The Lark. Past fellows include Brittany K. Allen (Redwood), C.A. Johnson (Thirst), Donja R. Love (soft), and Christina Quintana (Gumbo). The Van Lier New Voices Fellowship is a critical component in The Lark's acclaimed portfolio of fellowships, designed to engage a diverse community of visionary playwrights whose work collectively reflects the vibrancy and complexity of our world.

Classic Stage Company presents the world premiere of Terrence McNally's Fire and Air, directed by John Doyle. The production begins performances tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 25. Opening night is Thursday, February 1.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) have announced that Manhattan Theatre Club will present the American Repertory Theater production of In the Body of the World, written and performed by Tony Award winner Eve Ensler and directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus, as part of MTC's 2017-2018 season.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) announces the cast and creative team for Hamlet, directed by STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn and featuring acclaimed actor Michael Urie as the tortured Danish prince. Shakespeare's most celebrated tragedy will run January 16-February 25, 2018 at Sidney Harman Hall.

The Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC) released its annual report, 'Ethnic Representation on New York City Stages' today for the 2015-16 theatre season. The report detaild the ethnic breakdown of actors on Broadway and at the 16 largest non-profit theatre companies in New York City. The report also tallies numbers for disabled actors. This year's report amasses 10 years of data, tracking hiring practices from the 2006-07 to 2015-16 seasons. It is the only publicly available report of its kind.

The Buffalo, N.Y. area is rich with art and artist, actors, writers, painters, ... the list goes on.

The Barrow Group Theatre Company, recipient of a Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award, continues their 2017-2018 season with the World Premiere of The Thing with Feathers, a play by Scott Organ.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES opens at Artisan Center Theater on Thursday, January 18, 2018 and runs through Saturday, February 3, 2018. 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 on Saturdays. Reserved seating tickets are $22.00 for adults and $12.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at ArtisanCT.com, or by calling the box office at 817-284-1200.

The Old Globe today announced it will present the fifth annual Powers New Voices Festival, a weekend of readings of new American plays by professional playwrights, playing January 12 14, 2018. The festival will kick off today, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. with Voices of the Community: Celebrating Local Playwrights, an evening of work created by San Diego residents through the Globe's arts engagement initiatives Community Voices and coLAB, and will continue with four readings by some of the most exciting voices writing for the American theatre today. The new American play readings commence on Saturday, January 13 at 4:00 p.m. with Laurel Ollstein's They Promised Her the Moon, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (Somewhere, The Whipping Man at the Globe), followed at 7:30 p.m. by Too Heavy for Your Pocket by Jir h Breon Holder, directed by Patricia McGregor (Globe for All's Measure for Measure).The Festival continues on Sunday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m. with The Tale of Despereaux, with book, music, and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. (The Old Man and The Old Moon at the Globe), based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo and the Universal Pictures animated motion picture. The Festival will wrap up that evening at 7:30 p.m. with The Great Leap by Lauren Yee, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg (Globe's Skeleton Crew).

The 13th Annual Goodspeed Festival of New Musicals, produced by Goodspeed Musicals' Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre, kicks off its much-anticipated three-day festival of brand-new works today, January 12, 2018 at The Goodspeed with a staged reading of the rousing new musical Five Points by Ethan D. Pakchar (Music) and Douglas Lyons (Music and Lyrics), and McKnight Fellowship winner Harrison David Rivers (Book).

McCarter Theatre Center is starting 2018 with a strong shot of Irish humor as it presents Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets, January 12 February 11 in the Berlind Theatre.

TBD Productions (Stephanie Yankwitt and Hunter Arnold, Owners) announces the official launch of TBD Casting , led by Casting Director and Co-Producer Stephanie Yankwitt and Casting Director Margaret Dunn. With a combination of over 25 years of experience in the industry, the work of this female-driven casting office spans theatre, TV, film, commercials, and web series.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica and Eva Price present Small Mouth Sounds by Drama Desk Award winner Bess Wohl (Pretty Filthy), and directed by Tony Award nominee Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) for three weeks only, January 11 through 28 with a press opening on January 12.

After a smash run last fall, Playwrights Horizons will present MILES FOR MARY, a new play by The Mad Ones. Directed by Lila Neugebauer, MILES FOR MARY received critical acclaim during its fall 2016 run at The Bushwick Starr.

RBTL's Auditorium Theatre is pleased to announce that the Rochester engagement of the hit Broadway musical ON YOUR FEET! based on the life story of seven-time GRAMMY winning international superstar Gloria Estefan and her husband, 19-time GRAMMY winning producer-musician-entrepreneur Emilio Estefan will star Cuban-American Broadway actress Christie Prades as Gloria Estefan, and acclaimed stage and television actor Mauricio Martinez, playing Emilio Estefan. ON YOUR FEET! will play RBTL's Auditorium TheatreFebruary 6-11, 2018, as part of the 2017-2018 M&T Bank Broadway Season presented by RBTL and Albert Nocciolino. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com, 800.745.3000 and the Box Office. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling 585-277-3325.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced complete casting today for the New York premiere of THE LOW ROAD, written by Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Bruce Norris. Directed by Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, THE LOW ROAD is part of The Public's Astor Anniversary Season at their landmark downtown home on Lafayette Street, celebrating 50 years of new work and the 50th Anniversary of HAIR.

The Marsh San Francisco announces award-winning performer Brian Copeland will offer free performances of his acclaimed The Waiting Period, a deeply moving and surprisingly funny work on his own struggles with depression and suicidal thought. This performance is particularly directed at those struggling with depression that would be otherwise unable to attend due to the cost of admission.

Following the opening of the Company's first permanent home, Target Margin Theater has announced that 13 diverse artists, via three distinct programs, will be supported in 2018. The Company's new home, located in the Sunset Park section of Brooklyn, enables Target Margin Theater to deepen their support of the next generation of theater makers through its annual incubator LAB festival, it's five-year-old fellowship program, and its new artist-in-residency program.