Signature Theatre News

Free Range Humans takes a giant step into immersive narrative with a site-specific staging of the Broadway musical JEKYLL & HYDE, where the audience will follow the action through the winding back rooms of an historic downtown Frederick church.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Bret Adams and Paul Reisch Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of their 2019 Idea Awards for Theatre; three grants awarded to adventurous new voices in playwriting and musical theatre, as well the visionary playwrights who have inspired and blazed trails before them.

Deadline reports that a comedy pilot led by Ms. Pat has landed at Hulu. J. Bernard Calloway will star opposite the comedian, while Lee Daniels and Brian Grazer executive produce. 'Fame' alum Debbie Allen directs the pilot.

Theatre production company Parity Productions has released its monthly list of Qualifying Productions for September a?"their popular directory of New York City shows in which the individual creative teams have 50% of the positions filled with women and/or trans and gender nonconforming (TGNC) artists (directors, designers, and playwrights). 

The Tank (Meghan Finn, Artistic Director) will present the World Premiere of The Séance Machine, written by EllaRose Chary and Brandon James Gwinn(Cotton Candy and Cocaine with Theater C; TL;DR: Thelma Louise; Dyke Remix at Rhinebeck Writers Retreat/The Tank), co-produced by Kimberly Hyacintheand directed by Julia Sears (Bullet Catchers with Women in Combat Theatre Project; Wives Tale with Exquisite Corpse Company) at The Tank (312 West 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues), October 10-31. Performances will be on Thursday, October 10 at 7pm & 9:30pm, Friday, October 11 at 7pm, Saturday, October 12 at 7pm, 9pm & 11pm, Thursday, October 17 at 7pm & 9:30pm, Friday, October 18 at 7pm, Saturday, October 19 at 7pm, Thursday, October 24 at 9:30pm, Friday, October 25 at 7pm, Saturday, October 26 at 7pm, 9pm & 11pm, Monday, October 28 at 7pm & 9pm, Tuesday, October 29 at 7pm & 9pm, Wednesday, October 30 at 7pm, and Thursday, October 31 at 7pm, 9pm & 11pm. Tickets ($20) are available for advance purchase at www.thetanknyc.org. The performance will run approximately 60 minutes, with no intermission.

Signature Theatre announces the full cast and creative team for the regional premiere of Escaped Alone by legendary playwright Caryl Churchill (Cloud 9, Top Girls) and directed by acclaimed DC actress Holly Twyford (Signature's A Little Night Music, Sex with Strangers).

It's time to grab your best gal pals and head to Ogunquit Playhouse for the hilarious musical comedy Menopause The Musical®, on stage September 4 through September 14. A raucous celebration of womanhood created by Jeanie Linders and inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, Menopause The Musical® applauds women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived a?oeThe Change.a?? The show is produced by special license from GFour Productions, the producers of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL®, now in its 18th year, and 14th as the longest-running musical in Las Vegas history. The director of the Ogunquit Playhouse production is Tony Award®-winner Seth Greenleaf. This joyful parody of 25 re-lyricized classic hits from the '60s, '70s, and '80s features chart-toppers including a?oeI Heard it Through the Grapevine that You No Longer See 39,a?? and the disco favorite a?oeStayin' Awake, Stayin' Awake!a?? 

Sondheim's Assassins recently opened at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. The production runs through September 29, 2019 in The MAX space. Read what the critics had to say!

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) has announced that beginning with the 2020 Festival of New Musicals, all writers can submit an application to be considered for the Festival free-of-charge. In keeping with previous years, submissions to the Festival will require an endorsement from an industry professional, but for the first time there will be no cost associated with on-time submissions regardless of who is endorsing the piece. NAMT's the current strategic plan aims to expand the musical theatre network by broadening and lengthening the development pipeline, a goal that will be accomplished in part through increased access and inclusivity. By removing submission fees and streamlining the Festival application process, NAMT aims to remove a potential barrier to entry for writers interested in applying to the Festival. Applications for the 32nd Annual Festival of New Musicals will open on October 24th, and information about the application process can be found on the NAMT website at namt.org/festapp.

The 2019 Theatre Week Kickoff Party celebrates the launch of the 2019-2020 theatre season and the start of Theatre Week in the Washington region. The event will take place on Saturday, September 7, 11am-4pm at Arena Stage Mead Center for American Theater. It is a free event and tickets are available through the TodayTix app and website.

Signature Theatre and Stephen Sondheim have been a winning combination in the DC theatre scene since 1991when the company presented Sweeney Todd at Gunston. In 1992 it presented the Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman collaboration known as Assassins. The show was produced again by Signature in 2006 in their garage space.

Huntington Theatre Company has announced the extension of The Purists. Due to high ticket demand, this new play about people with opposing viewpoints who choose to get along will now run at the South End/Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA from August 30 a?" October 6.

The cold never bothered them, anyway! As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the first national tour of the Tony-nominated musical Frozen has found its citizens of Arendelle, from Anna and Elsa to Hans and Kristoff. To prepare you to let the storm rage on, we're getting to know the production's cast, including Caroline Bowman, Caroline Innerbichler, F. Michael Haynie, Austin Colby, and more!

It is not often one opens a theater program and on page one sees a letter from composer Stephen Sondheim. I had the privilege of attending the joint Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Sondheim concert on June 24, 2019 at Town Hall in New York City to raise funds for 'Brady United Against Gun Violence' (see link below). It was a very moving evening of great theatrical music by two of this country's best composers.

After a brief hiatus, Peter's Alley returns with a production of Audrey Cefaly's award-winning show, The Gulf. The show follows two women as they attempt to navigate the ever changing waters of their relationship. The Gulf will run Friday, September 13 through Sunday, October 6 at The Writer's Center Theater in Bethesda, MD. 

Signature Theatre has announced casting and the creative team for Fires in the Mirror, by Obie, Drama Desk and MacArthur Award winner Anna Deavere Smith, featuring Michael Benjamin Washington (The Boys in the Band) and and directed by Saheem Ali.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??the american vicarious proudly presents the World Premiere of (A)loft Modulation by NYC-based playwright Jaymes Jorsling. Inspired by true events at 821 6th Avenue from 1957 - 1965,  (A)loft Modulation will feature a live jazz band led by saxophonist Jonathan Beshay that will improvise nightly. Previews begin Thursday September 26th with Opening Night set for Thursday, October 3rd. This limited Off-Broadway engagement runs through Sunday, October 27th.

Signature Theatre presents Assassins with music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman and directed by Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Gigi, Follies).

The 2019 Henry Hewes Design Award Honors for the 2018a?"2019 theater season were announced today and will be presented at the awards ceremony on October 7 in New York.

Signature Theatre presents Assassins with music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman and directed by Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer (Broadway's Gigi, Follies).