Second Stage News

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley continues its 2016/2017 season with Beth Henley's brilliantly imaginative tale of relationships, Crimes of the Heart. Three hard-luck sisters reunite in their small, pitiless Mississippi hometown, each nursing her own grudge. In a hurricane of hilarity and hurt, Lenny is turning 30, Meg is fresh from rehab, and Babe is out on bail. The boundaries of sisterhood are put to the test as each sibling comes to terms with her dreams gone awry. The New York Timessaid Crimes of the Heart "overflows with infectious high spirits." This Pulitzer Prize and NY Drama Critics Circle Award-winning play will be directed by Giovanna Sardelli. Crimes of the Heart will have performances January 11 - February 5, 2017 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View. For tickets ($31-$80) and information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Fran Drescher - the Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress and noted Barbra Streisand fan - will serve as celebrity host when Maestro Luke Frazier and The American Pops Orchestra present Don't Rain on My Parade: 75 Years of Barbra Streisand on Friday, January 13, 2017 at 8:00 PM.

After a sold-out performance last year, alumni from the Penn State School of Theatre return to State College for 'We Are... ON BROADWAY!', a one-night-only concert.

In what has become an annual ritual, a total of 32 established and emerging composers, lyricists, and librettists will converge on the Goodspeed campus from mid-January through mid-February 2017 to participate in the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing 18 new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company has just released photos from the construction site of its new, year-round second stage on the Walker Farm property in Weston. Check them out below!

CELEBRATION THEATRE presents as part of its New Works Reading Series, BEATING OFF by Ryan Fogarty directed by Michael Taylor Gray and performing one night only onToday, December 20 at the West Hollywood City Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente in West Hollywood.

TheaterWorks (Rob Ruggiero, Producing Artistic Director) announced today the full cast and creative team for SUNSET BABY by Dominique Morisseau directed by Reginald L. Douglas

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) is thrilled to welcome the return of St. Louis Actors' Studio with their acclaimed LaBUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL, an evening of one-act plays featuring the NYC premieres of short plays by Neil LaBute, Gabe McKinley, Cary Pepper, andAdam Seidel. Directed by Kel Haney, Michael Hogan, and John Pierson, the LaBUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL begins performances on Friday, January 13 for a limited engagement through Sunday, February 5.  The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 8:30 PM; and Sunday at3:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members).  To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org. 

59E59 Theaters will welcome the return of St. Louis Actors' Studio with their acclaimed LaBUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL, an evening of one-act plays featuring the NYC premieres of short plays by Neil LaBute, Gabe McKinley, Cary Pepper, and Adam Seidel.

Flux Theatre Ensemble will present the world premiere of Marian, or The True Tale of Robin Hood by Adam Szymkowicz (Clown Bar, Ubu, Pretty Theft) January 28 - February 11 at the New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street, Ste. 1E, New York, NY 10014).

Just before we say good riddance to 2016, the podcast is back with one more episode with Lighting Designer and four-time Tony Nominee Japhy Weideman. Japhy is fresh off the hit show DEAR EVAN HANSEN, and he tells us about the challenges and nuances of lighting a musical in a black void filled with projected imagery. Cory and Japhy also talk about his style and approach to lighting with examples from his work including BRIGHT STAR, THE NANCE, DEAD POET'S SOCIETY, MACBETH, and THE VISIT. 

Award winning EMH Productions begins its sixth season of provocative and compelling theatre with the titillating Sex with Strangers by acclaimed writer Laura Eason.  A two-character modern day drama, this play made its debut at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and was directed by David Schwimmer (of the hit TV series Friends) when it debuted at Second Stage Theatre in New York.  Since then, it made its West Coast debut last summer at the Geffen Playhouse to sold out houses, and has been one of the top 10 most produced plays of 2015/2016.  This timely play delves into the world of social media,  treatment of women as sex objects, the dynamics of a relationship between a younger man and an older woman, along with testing our understanding of whether a public persona is who a person truly is behind closed doors.  Sex with Strangers will run from February 2nd through February 18th, 2017 at The Geery Theatre, 2130 L St, Sacramento, CA 95816

CELEBRATION THEATRE presents as part of its New Works Reading Series, BEATING OFF by Ryan Fogarty directed by Michael Taylor Gray and performing one night only onTuesday, December 20 at the West Hollywood City Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente in West Hollywood.

PlayMakers Repertory Company will present a workshop production of"De Profundis," an original work being developed and directed by explosive theatre-makers Brian Mertes and Jim Findlay.

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company's Weston 101, a series of entertaining and interactive classes in anticipation of the productions in its 2017 season, returns for its second year with reduced prices and an array of artists participating live and via video link.

OBERON, the American Repertory Theater's (A.R.T.) second stage and club theater venue, presents the I.D. Festival - a festival exploring gender identity and celebrating the diverse experiences of the trans community.

Primary Stages has announced complete casting today for the New York premiere of FADE, written by Tanya Saracho (Mala Hierba) and directed by Jerry Ruiz (Basilica).

When Dear Evan Hansen made its off Broadway debut at Second Stage Theatre last spring, Michael Park was there... just not onstage. That's because following a successful regional premiere at Washington DC's Arena stage, he moved straight from one show family to another, heading an eternally youthful clan in Tuck Everlasting.

The Muny announced today the directors, choreographers and music directors for The Muny's 2017 Season, which opens on June 12 with Jesus Christ Superstar.

Laguna Playhouse Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham is thrilled to announce the third show in the Laguna Playhouse 2016-2017 season, CHAPATTI, written by Christian O'Reilly and directed by David Ellenstein, based on the direction of Judith Ivey. 'I just fell in love with this play and the beautiful and quirky love story at its center.  I think our audiences are about to fall in love with it too,' says Wareham.  CHAPATTI will begin previews on Wednesday, January 11; will open on Sunday, January 15 at 5:30pm and will run through Sunday, January 29, 2016 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach.