Shakespeare & Company News

As BEYOND THE REACH opens at theaters nationwide today, April 17, correspondent Larry Murray spoke with actor Jeremy Irvine about the film which also stars Michael Douglas, and his experience filming it.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly welcomes MacArthur 'Genius' Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney for the West Coast premiere of Head of Passes, a poignant and poetic story about the journey of family and faith, trial and tribulation. In a dilapidated house near the ever-shifting mouth of the Mississippi, Shelah's family gathers on a stormy night for her birthday -- bringing ghosts and secrets of the past with them. As her roof buckles under the weight of the rain, Shelah's convictions begin to wash away, leaving her to excavate the truths buried below. Directed by Tina Landau, the riveting Head of Passes comes to the Bay Area straight from its critically lauded world premiere in Chicago. Head of Passes is a co-production with the Public Theater in New York. It begins previews on Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage today, April 10, opens today, April 17, and runs through Sunday, May 24, 2015. Press night for Head of Passes will be held today, April 17, 2015.

Gamut Theatre Group's Harrisburg Shakespeare Company (HSC) opens its 22nd Free Shakespeare in the Park production, Troilus and Cressida, on June 5, 2015 at the Levitt Pavilion in Reservoir Park. Troilus and Cressida will run through June 20, 2015 with performances Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Nicu's Spoon presents RED NOSES by Olivier Award winning playwright Peter Barnes, directed by Stephanie Barton-Farcas. RED NOSES is now and it's final week, and plays through Sunday, April 19th at The Secret Theatre (4402 23rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101). Tickets are available at www.SpoonTheater.org or by calling 866-811-4111 and range from $15-$25.

One of the most famous shows of the last century, Joan Littlewood's legendary musical Oh What A Lovely War is to come to Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Directed by University of Birmingham graduate, Terry Johnson, the hit revival comes to The REP from 5 to 9 May, as the final venue the show's UK tour.

The Olivier Award-winning English Touring Opera (ETO) is performing a new season of fully-staged Italian opera at Exeter Northcott Theatre this April and May.

Follow the yellow brick road over the rainbow to Snug Harbor Music Hall for In The Wings Productions of THE WIZARD OF OZ, for a five-performance run Thursday, April 16 through Sunday, April 19.

Following the success of their UK tours in 2013 and 2014 the Reduced Shakespeare Company are pleased to announce a further 19 dates this Summer by popular demand.

Frank Licato will direct Neil LaBute's BASH, running May 13 thru May 30, 2015 at Weehawken Water Tower, located at 4100 Park Avenue, Weehawken, NJ.

A landmark in modern drama which inspired the hits 'Cabaret' and 'Chicago' and which includes one of the most popular songs of the century, 'The Threepenny Opera' plays on the Clarence Brown Theatre Mainstage tonight, April 16 through May 3, 2015.

John Goodman and Tom Sturridge will join Damian Lewis in the major new revival of David Mamet's gripping 1975 playAmerican Buffalo. Directed by Daniel Evans, American Buffalo will play at Wyndham's Theatre for a strictly limited run from tonight 16 April - 27 June 2015.

One of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting prizes, the Yale Drama Series Prize, will be given to Barbara Seyda for her play Celia, A Slave: 26 Characters Testify. The 2015 award recipient was chosen by playwright Nicholas Wright, who serves as judge for the 2015 and 2016 competitions.

The fourth Enniskillen International Beckett Festival, Happy Days, will take place over two long weekends, between 23 July and 3 August 2015.

The fourth Enniskillen International Beckett Festival, Happy Days, will take place over two long weekends, between 23 July and 3 August 2015.

The National Theatre's multi-award-winning production of The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time makes its Kent premiere at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, next month (May).

The Colony Theatre is thrilled to present the final production of its historic 40th Anniversary season, the Los Angeles Premiere of WORDS BY IRA GERSHWIN A Musical Play by Joseph Vass, directed by David Ellenstein, Musical Director Kevin Toney, Musical Arranger Joseph Vass. WORDS BY IRA GERSHWIN will preview today, April 15; Thursday, April 16; and Friday, April 17 at 8:00pm. It will open on Saturday, April 18 at 8:00pm and continue through Sunday, May 17.

Two of the most highly acclaimed British actors of their generation, Clare Higgins and Greg Hicks, are to star in the World Premiere of Clarion, set in the office of Britain's worst newspaper, the Daily Clarion.

On Twitter Watch, Josh Gad wrote ' that stage veteran and film star Ian McKellen has joined Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST as 'Cogsworth'. Set for a release on March 17, 2017, the beloved tale will be retold for the big screen with a modern live-action lens and the help of transformative CG magic. As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will star as Belle and the Beast/Prince respectively, and Luke Evans will play the role of Gaston. Emma Thompson has joined the cast as Mrs. Potts and Kevin Kline as Belle's father, Maurice. As BWW announced previously, Josh Gad will reportedly take on the role of Le Fou, with six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald playing Garderobe. Eight-time Oscar-winner Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards for the 1991 animated classic, will score the new BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which will feature new recordings of the original songs in addition to several new songs written by Menken and Sir Tim Rice. Bill Condon will direct from a script by Stephen Chbosky, and the film will be produced by Mandeville Films' David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman. Production begins in May at Shepperton Studios in London. Disney also recently announced it will be creating live-action versions of MULAN and PINOCCHIO, joining reboots of THE JUNGLE BOOK, PETE'S DRAGON and WINNIE THE POOH. The live-action adaptation of CINDERELLA, starring Lily James, just hit the big screen this winter. McKellen was last seen on the big screen as 'Gandalf' in THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (a role he originated in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) and will soon appear in MR. HOLMES and THE DRESSER. He is also well known for his role as 'Magneto' in the X-MEN movies. The Olivier-winning, classically trained actor last starred on Broadway in NO MAN'S LAND and WAITING FOR GODOT opposite Patrick Stewart. Before that, he appeared in DANCE OF DEATH, IAN MCKELLEN: A KNIGHT OUT AT THE LYCEUM, WILD HONEY, IAN MCKELLEN: ACTING SHAKESPEARE, AMADEUS -- which earned him a Tony Award in 1981 -- and THE PROMISE. McKellen was a member of the Old Vic and has performed at the Chichester Festival, in the West End, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre and more. 1991's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was an animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the traditional French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont,Beauty and the Beast is the 30th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. Additionally, it is third in the Disney Renaissance period. Starring Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson, Beauty and the Beast focuses on the relationship between the Beast (Benson), a prince who is magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle (O'Hara), a young woman who he imprisons in his castle. The film also features the voices of Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Angela Lansbury, who occupy supporting roles. The film was a box office success, and has since garnered over $424 million worldwide. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST was nominated for several awards, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture; it also received five additional Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Score, Best Sound, and three separate nominations for Best Original Song. Ultimately, the film won Best Original Score, while Best Original Song was awarded to its title song. In 2002, Beauty and the Beast was deemed 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. In April 1994, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST became Disney's first animated film to be adapted into a Broadway musical. '

Shakespeare & Company has finalized casting for its 38th performance season, and released a complete schedule of Opening Night dates. The announcement was made this week by Interim Artistic Directors Ariel Bock and Jonathan Croy, along with a positive report from Interim Managing Director Stephen D. Ball on the Company's box office successes to date. Shakespeare & Company's season opens on May 22 with The How and The Why, by Sarah Treem.

More than 25 nominations of outstanding actors, directors, designers and ensembles were announced today by The Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA), with winners to be revealed at the 33nd Annual Elliot Norton Awards on Monday, May 11, 2015 at 7 PM, at Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre.