Shakespeare & Company News

The Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose has unveiled a sensational line-up for its fall 2018 season, featuring appearances by acclaimed dancers and musicians, world-class theatre, and family-friendly events. The stellar season kicks off with the Hammer Plaza Celebration, a free event featuring live performances by innovative aerial dance troupe BANDALOOP and the innovative Bridgman|Packer Dance company performing 'Truck.'

Theatre for a New Audience kicks off its 2018-2019 season with the U.S. premiere of The Emperor, featuring virtuosic shape-shifting actor Kathryn Hunter and Ethiopian musician Temesgen Zeleke, founder of Krar Collective. Walter Meierjohann directs this parable about power in decline-an adaptation by Colin Teevan of Ryszard Kapuscinski's celebrated and controversial 1978 book of the same title, about the downfall of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.

theatreWashington today announced plans for Theatre Week 2018, a three week celebration that will offer $15 and $35 tickets to over 20 productions, a free Kickoff Party, and other free special events.

Production images are today released for the 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller's riveting drama The Price at Theatre Royal Bath's Main House where it runs until Saturday 25 August, with opening night for press on Wednesday 15 August. Jonathan Church, Artistic Director of Theatre Royal Bath's Summer Season, directs the production starring one of Britain's most celebrated actors, David Suchet, as furniture dealer Gregory Solomon with Olivier Award winning actor Brendan Coyle playing Victor Franz, and television stars Adrian Lukisas Walter Franz and Sara Stewart as Victor's wife, Esther Franz.

Zach Wyatt will star as Anthony alongside previously announced Maisie Williams as Caroline in the UK premiere of Lauren Gunderson's I and You, which will be directed by Artistic Director Edward Hall on the Main Stage. Richard Molloy's Every Day I Make Greatness Happen, winner of the Nick Darke Award in 2017, will receive its world premiere Downstairs in September, and will star Sofia Barclay, Moe Bar-El, Jon Foster, Susan Stanley and Josh Zare.

The Playwrights Realm (Katherine Kovner, Founding Artistic Director; Roberta Pereira, Producing Director) today announces the complete cast and creative team for the world premiere of Jonathan Payne's The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd, directed by Awoye Timpo (Sept. 7-Oct. 6, at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project).  This world premiere marks the first full production from the mordantly funny and unsparing voice of Jonathan Payne.

Grab your guitars and look to the stars! Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati begins its 2018-2019 Season with the charming regional premiere of Fly By Night written by Kim Rosenstock, Will Connolly, and Michael Mitnick. This enchanting musical sparkles with humor and heart as two sisters follow their stars to New York City's stage and food service industry where the light of love leads to unexpected discoveries about fate and fortune.

Queens-based Rude Grooms announced today initial details for the company's inaugural public production: William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, led by actor-manager Laura Piccoli (Unhealthy at Battalion Theatre Co) and produced in partnership with Long Island City Artists at the Plaxall Gallery and the Astoria Park Alliance. The production will play shows in Queens at the Plaxall Gallery, Astoria Park, Queensbridge Park, and Rainey Park as well as in Manhattan at the West End Theatre. Reservations are strongly encouraged and can be made online at rudegrooms.com.

The Growing Stage, The Children's Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong, New Jersey will be holding auditions for its musical production of the Royal Shakespeare's THE WIZARD OF OZ Monday, August 27 at 7:00 PM for adults and Tuesday, August 28 for young people ten to 17. The production is under the direction of Stephen L. Fredericks, the Growing Stage's Executive Director, with musical direction by Stephen Fox and choreography by Jillian Petrie.  The call is open and will run from 7:00 to 10:00 PM.  The production has four AEA roles available with all other parts available to community artists. All auditioning should have a song prepared with printed accompaniment that should be no longer than sixteen measures and reading from the script.

English Touring Theatre today announces the full cast for the upcoming revival of Richard Twyman's critically acclaimed production of Othello, a co-production with Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. Richard Twyman directs Kitty Archer (Desdemona), Philip Correia (Cassio), Naby Dakhli (Montano), James Ellis (Duke), James Godden (Soldier/Senator), Paul McEwan (Iago) Victor Oshin (Othello) and Kelly Price (Emilia) joining returning cast members Chris Bianchi (Brabantio), Hayat Kamille (Bianca), Brian Lonsdale (Roderigo) and John Sandeman (Lodovico).

The Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda The Musical has announced new casting with Hayden Tee playing Miss Trunchbull alongside Rob Compton and Holly Dale Spencer as Mr and Mrs Wormwood. Gina Beck will continue to play Miss Honey, having joined the company in September 2017. Isobel Hubble and Francesca McKeown will join Sarah Munday and Olivia Wells in sharing the title role of Matilda. The multi award-winning production is currently playing its seventh year in the West End and is booking until 20 October 2019.

Ever wondered what goes into creating your favourite productions? Those moments of magic (or macabre) where you go 'How did they do that?!' In our new Special Effects series, we'll be discovering how the worlds on stage come to life by exploring the worlds off stage, talking to the creatives and crews from some of the UK's biggest shows and theatre companies. This month, we're looking at stage blood and effects in two infamously bloody shows. We spoke to the Company Stage Manager on Michael Grandage's The Lieutenant of Inishmore and the Designer of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Tamburlaine, who shared their practices (and a few secrets).

Bill Kenwright's production of the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers announces its 2018 Autumn tour, opening on Tuesday 4 September at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley and visits St Helens Theatre Royal from Tue 11 - Sat 15 September.

Denton Community Theatre is proud to present The Wizard of Oz, By L. Frank Baum, With Music and Lyrics by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, Background Music by Herbert Stothart, Dance and Vocal Arrangements by Peter Howard, Orchestration by Larry Wilcox, Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Based upon the Classic Motion Picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros.  This production is directed by Mildred A. Peveto with music direction by Jett Cheek.   

Bill Kenwright's production of the international smash hit musical Blood Brothers announces its 2018 Autumn tour, opening on Tuesday 4 September at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. This iconic musical has been visiting theatres across the country throughout 2018, performing to sell-out houses and receiving standing ovations.

King of Cuba, a new comedy by award-winning writer Cristina Garcia, has extended through August 26th at the historic Berkeley City Club (originally scheduled to close August 19). In King of Cuba, two aging Cubanos hilariously have a go at each other. Opening night Marga was described as 'dethroning machismo,' while the house erupted as El Comandante (Marga Gomez) remarked "Nobody has bigger cojones than I do." The night then roiled with laughter as the two silver haired Cubanos 'knock each other down' verbally and otherwise.

Six directors and 30 actors from the Chicago theatre community will collaborate to create staged readings of six new feminist plays in the Artemisia Fall Festival 2018, to be performed September 24-26 and October 1-3 at The Edge Theater at 5451 N. Broadway. Artemisia Founding Artistic Director Julie Proudfoot and Literary Manager Sharai Bohannon have curated the festival from submissions solicited from writers, agents and literary managers across the US with whom the company has had working professional relationships. One play from the six to be performed will be chosen for further development by Artemisia Artistic Director Proudfoot, who will work closely with the playwright over the next two years to develop their feminist story for a full production in Chicago.

In honor of Artistic Director Michael Kahn's final season with the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC), the opening show of the 2018-2019 Season, William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, will feature beloved performers, many of whom have been with the Company since the very beginning.

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company may be celebrating its 25th anniversary, but it is still breaking new ground as a company! In its second year at The Otto M. Budig Theater in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati's home for the classics is turning to a new genre of classics: the classic musical. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, September 7-29, 2018 with a book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, will be directed by CSC's Producing Artistic Director Brian Isaac Phillips and features longtime ensemble member Matthew Lewis Johnson in the principal role. The production is generously sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and Construction Process Solutions Limited.

Washington Ensemble Theatre has announced that Kiki Abba (No More Sad Things, Forward Flux), Kevin Kelly (The Nether, WET; The Merchant of Venice, Seattle Shakespeare Company), and Cheyenne Barton (The Wolves, ACT) will lead the cast of Everything You Touch, the brash dark comedy by Sheila Callaghan that kicks off the company's 15th Anniversary Season this fall.