Second Stage News

Vermont's award-winning Weston Playhouse Theatre Company announces a blockbuster line-up for its 2018 season. Founding Directors Malcolm Ewen, Tim Fort, and Steve Stettler continue Weston's tradition of celebrating the classics and nurturing the new in their 31st and final season at the helm of the esteemed company. The season includes three productions on the company's Main Stage at the historic Weston Playhouse and four productions at its new flexible Second Stage, Weston Playhouse at Walker Farm.

The Marsh welcomes a new solo show to the Berkeley stage, What They Said About Love by Steve Budd, which was awarded the Best of Fringe at the 2016 San Francisco Fringe Festival. In this absorbing solo show, Steve wonders why other people can and why he can't tie the knot. Budd sheds light on how people meet and make it to the altar, the push and pull of relationships, singles who can't seem to settle down, and more. The Oakland-based actor captures the physical and vocal nuances of more than a dozen Bay Area characters, using their own words taken from hours of interviews, and weaves in his relentless search for the one.

This winter, Portland Stage unveils the Dark Week Project, three staged readings of beloved playwright Sarah Ruhl's Dear Elizabeth while the Mainstage is 'dark', a technical term to signify that the theater is in a transition week between regularly scheduled productions. Dear Elizabeth will be performed by a rotating cast of Portland Stage Affiliate Artists and is directed by Todd Brian Backus.

MCC Theater today announced that Tony Award winner and MCC alum Jayne Houdyshell (The Humans; A Doll's House, Part 2; Coraline at MCC Theater) will star in the World Premiere production of Relevance, written by JC Lee ('How to Get Away With Murder,' 'Looking') with direction by Tony Award nominee Liesl Tommy (Eclipsed).

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top news: Farinelli and the King begins previews on Broadway, and more!

The Chase Brock Experience (CBE), a Brooklyn-based contemporary dance company, recently announced they will celebrate their 10th Anniversary NY Season at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre from November 27 - December 9, 2017. To further commemorate the company's first 10 years, CBE is excited to announce that they will offer the first-ever CBE Intensive from December 5 through December 8, 2017.

Lauren Kennedy started her career at the North Carolina Theatre, having performed in many of their productions since she was 7 years old. She went on to appear on Broadway in Sunset Boulevard (original cast), Side Show (original cast), Les Miserables (Fantine), and Monty Python's Spamalot (The Lady of the Lake). Her other performing credits include Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard (first national tour), Judy Haines in Irving Berlin's White Christmas (World Premiere), Cathy Hiatt in The Last Five Years (World Premiere), Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (London), Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's (St. Louis MUNY), Nefertari in The Ten Commandments (Los Angeles), Agnes Ford in Lone Star Love (World Premiere), Mary in Vanities (Pasadena Playhouse/Second Stage Theater), Martha Jefferson in 1776 (Paper Mill Playhouse), and The Witch in Into the Woods (Westport Country Playhouse).

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 on Friday, 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).

OBERON, the American Repertory Theater's (A.R.T.) second stage and club-theater venue on the fringe of Harvard Square, announces events to be presented at OBERON during December 2017 and January 2018 - including Live @ OBERON, OBERON Presents, Glowberon, and usual suspects.

Second Stage Theater (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has announced that Armie Hammer and Tom Skerritt will appear in the Broadway production of Young Jean Lee's dark comedy, STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, directed by Anna D. Shapiro.

SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway officially opens tonight, December 4th, at The Palace Theatre (1564 Broadway - Broadway at 47th Street). Scroll down to learn more about the company, plus watch interviews with the cast and get a peek at them in rehearsal in the video below!

Six former Weston Young Company members McKenzie Jones, Emily Morris, Matthew Pitts, Allie Seibold, Michael Seltzer, and Jacob Waldron return under the direction of Founding Director Tim Fort, for the first Weston Holiday Cabaret at the Company's second stage,Weston Playhouse at Walker Farm! Lovers of the summer Cabaret will adore this fun and festive holiday take on the popular summer staple. The Winter Cabaret is a perfect way to get into the holiday spirit and support Weston's Young Company program.

Producer/director Victor Wisehart has announced that two-time Helen Hayes Award-winner and star of Every Little Step Natascia Diaz along with stars of Arena Stage's The Pajama Game Britney Coleman (Babe) and Tim Rogan (Sid) will headline 'Holidays, Hearts, And Home,' a one-night-only benefit concert to raise money to provide relief efforts to Puerto Rico.

The Theater at the 14th Street Y is now accepting applications for the 2018-2019 Theater Season with a deadline of December 15, 2017.

Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company presents a special limited engagement of OLGA A Farewell Concert, a piece created by Beth Wilmurt (The Letters, The Eccentricities of a Nightingale, Jack Goes Boating, Bosoms and Neglect, and Salome) and Her Band. The piece is commissioned by Aurora as part of the company's Originate + Generate (O+G) new works initiative to promote the creation of forward-looking theater. OLGA A Farewell Concert plays a limited run in the company's second stage and cabaret performance space, Harry's UpStage.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Doyle and Executive Producer Jeff Griffin, will present the world premiere of Fire and Air, a new play by Tony Award winner Terrence McNally, directed by John Doyle, beginning performances Wednesday, January 17 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 25. Opening night is Thursday, February 1.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announce that the critically acclaimed world premiere production of HARRY CLARKE by Obie Award-winner David Cale (LILLIAN), directed by Obie Award-winner Leigh Silverman (VIOLET) and starring Tony Award-winner Billy Crudup (THE COAST OF UTOPIA, Spotlight, Vineyard's THE METAL CHILDREN) will extend for the third time, now playing through Saturday, December 23.

An array of award-winning teaching artists are lined up to share their craft and art with theater enthusiasts, theatre artists and writers in 2018. PlayPenn, the new play development organization based in Philadelphia, is proud to announce their Winter and Spring 2018 Education Series, led by award-winning playwright and University of Pennsylvania playwriting professor Jacqueline Goldfinger, which features both face-to-face courses in Philadelphia and online workshops that can be taken from anywhere in the world.

Folger Theatre continues its 2017/18 season with The Way of the World, a new comedy freely adapted from the classic play by William Congreve. Written and directed by renowned author Theresa Rebeck (Mauritus and Seminar and Broadway; creator and head writer of TV's Smash), the production will star Tony Award nominee Kristine Nielsen (Present Laughter, You Can't Take It With You, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike on Broadway).

Seven time Emmy Award-winner Ed Asner and three time Emmy Award and Tony Award-nominee Kate Burton will star in a two-week East Coast tour of concert readings of Jeff Cohen's play The Soap Myth. The readings, which will be directed by Pam Berlin and will also feature Ned Eisenberg & Blair Baker, will serve as a tribute to International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The tour will begin on Monday, January 22, 2018 in Miami Beach Florida, and will conclude on Thursday, February 1 at Hofstra University on Long Island.