Shakespeare Theatre Company News

Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce Writers Theatre's World Premiere production of Days Like Today, with music and lyrics by Alan Schmuckler and book by Laura Eason, directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam, music direction by Doug Peck and choreography by Tommy Rapley. The production runs May 6-July 13, 2014 at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The press opening is May 22, 2014 at 7:30pm.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company's revival of Henry IV, Part 2 is a fine production filled with terrific acting and some wonderful ensemble moments. Nevertheless, that doesn't stop the play from failing to achieve the dramatic excellence of its prequel.

A lively musical version of Carlo Collodi's classic tale, Pinocchio, is the final Youth Series play in RLT's 2013-14 season, opening today, April 18 in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre. The play is directed by Linda O'Day Young, RLT's Youth Theatre and Education Director.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company's well-crafted, well-acted and magnificently directed revival of William Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 is an exciting production perfect for a novice theatergoer or the most seasoned Shakespearean veteran.

The highly celebrated New York troupe Fiasco Theater will make their Washington, DC debut with their production of William Shakespeare's clever comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona at Folger Theatre. Directed by company members Jessie Austrian and Ben Steinfeld, The Two Gentlemen of Verona will play at the Folger from today, April 17 - May 25, 2014.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, presents its Annual Dinner and Mock Trial at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) on Monday, May 19, 2014. This marks the 20th year that Shakespeare Theatre Company has produced the Mock Trial. The evening begins with dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Trial at 7:30 p.m. The dinner will be held in the Forum while the Trial will be in Sidney Harman Hall. This year's trial includes a special session of the Supreme Court of Austria, convening at Sidney Harman Hall to hear the case of Isabella v. The Duke of Vienna. Some of the allegations include illegal secret surveillance, false imprisonment, negligent appointment of an unfit deputy, and disrespect of commitment to religious vows.

'NCIS: Los Angeles' star and Broadway veteran Barrett Foa (Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q, ...Spelling Bee) will begin performances as Alex More in the smash hit comedy Buyer & Cellar on Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street). For the past five seasons, Barrett Foa has co-starred opposite LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell as tech geek Eric Beale on CBS' top-rated hit series 'NCIS: Los Angeles' which is currently the #2 show on television.

theatreWashington today kicks off its celebratory theatreWeek (April 14 - 20, 2014), offering countless opportunities for both lifelong patrons and reticent newbies to explore Washington's diverse professional theatres-from discounted performances to ticket giveaways and promotions to behind-the-scenes events. A joint endeavor with presenting sponsor The Washington Post, the Washington theatre community, Destination DC, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the campaign spotlights Washington-area theatre through a regional ad campaign, to be seen by millions. The celebration culminates with the 30th Annual Helen Hayes Awards on April 21 at the National Building Museum.

The Brown University/Trinity Rep MFA Programs present two raw and devastatingly humanistic plays running in repertory this May. Sam Shepard's poetic and psychedelic rock and roll drama The Tooth of Crime, opens May 1st and is directed by Dan Rogers (Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs '15). Alternating with this Shepard play starting May 2nd is Adam Rapp's surreal and dark new-age comedy, Stone Cold Dead Serious, directed by Flordelino Lagundino (Brown/Trinity Rep MFA Programs '15). Performances of both plays run May 1 through May 18 in the Pell Chafee Performance Center, 87 Empire Street, Providence. General admission is $10, with a $5 discounted ticket for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, by phone (401) 351-4242, and online at www.trinityrep.com. Audiences should note that both of these productions contain mature subject matter and adult language.

Tonight, April 10, TheatreSquared will launch its first mainstage Shakespeare production with the playwright's signature drama, Hamlet, starring Grant Goodman. The production is helmed by director Sean Patrick Reilly and features a professional cast including T2 associate artistic director Amy Herzberg.

Best for ages 5-10, Cinderella: the Remix runs in Imagination Stage's Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Theatre April 9-May 25, 2014. Tickets start at $10, and may be purchased online at www.imaginationstage.org, at the Imagination Stage box office, or via phone at 301-280-1660. Group rates are available.

Kenopsia Productions and Blind Pug Arts Collective have announced the run of Fault Lines: Two One Acts, a compilation of two bold and biting one act plays that explore the boundaries of familial love, and the dangers of parental protection going too far. The show begins with The Rest, is Silence by rising playwright Kelsey Jayne Hogan, and concludes with frag by Michael John Garces, Artistic Director of Cornerstone Theatre Company. Emerging director Elizabeth Schneider will direct these two complimentary, yet stylistically contrasting pieces that expose the fissures of family dysfunction.

The 2013-2014 season at Cleveland Play House (CPH) continues with the compelling world premiere production of Deborah Zoe Laufer's Informed Consent. Co-produced with Geva Theatre Center, this incredibly thought-provoking production is inspired by the real life court case between the Havasupai Indian tribe and Arizona State University, and sparks an intriguing debate on both ethicality and morality. Directed by Sean Daniels and Sponsored by Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth, Informed Consent will serve as the centerpiece to CPH's 2014 New Ground Theatre Festival and will run from April 23 - May 18 in the Second Stage.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for Alan Ayckbourn's science fiction comedy Communicating Doors. Eleven plays penned by Alan Ayckbourn have been produced by the Alley, including the American premiere of Henceforward, directed by Ayckbourn, in 1987 and House & Garden in 2002. Alan Ayckbourn has been inducted into the American Theatre's Hall of Fame, received the 2010 Critics' Circle Award for Services to the Arts, became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and was knighted in 1997 for services to the theatre.

HAl Holbrook's legendary - and possibly longest running - one-man show, HAl Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight!, brings the beloved author to life with irreverent humor and astonishing authenticity. Millions have enjoyed the show since its original Tony- and Emmy-winning performances on Broadway and on television, and Holbrook continues to perfect it, drawing upon his vast experience on the stage and screen. HAl Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight! plays a limited engagement at the National Theatre tonight and tomorrow, April 4 and 5 at 8 p.m.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company, recipient of the 2012 Regional Theatre Tony Award, presents Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 as part of the Clarice Smith Repertory, starring Stacy Keach. STC Artistic Director Michael Kahn will direct both parts of this sweeping epic - one of Shakespeare's culminating achievements in the history play genre - over multiple nights. The two productions will run in the Company's Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from March 25 - June 8, 2014. Check out a first look at Keach as Falstaff below!

A lively musical version of Carlo Collodi's classic tale, Pinocchio, is the final Youth Series play in RLT's 2013-14 season, opening on Friday, April 18 in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre. The play is directed by Linda O'Day Young, RLT's Youth Theatre and Education Director.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey has announced the appointment of stage director and longtime company guest artist Stephen Brown-Fried as the Theatre's Artistic Associate & Casting Director. 'I am thrilled to be back at this company. I do not know of another theatre that combines excellence in classic theatre and such a deep commitment to teaching. The combination of professional practice and educational training here is unparalleled,' says Brown-Fried.