Susan Hilferty News

The Public Theater announced complete casting today for the major New York revival of A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner.

From the extraordinary creative vision of acclaimed director Yaël Farber (Les Blancs, Mies Julie, The Crucible) comes this evocative and mythic production of Federico García Lorca's most famous tragedy, in a new adaptation by the multi award-winning Irish playwright Marina Carr.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, welcomes six new members to its board of directors: May Adrales, associate artistic director, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee, WI; John Fontillas, planner, architect, partner, H3, New York, NY; Angela Gieras, executive director, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City, MO; Mara Isaacs, founder and executivecreative producer, Octopus Theatricals, New York, NY; Anthony Rodriguez, producing artistic director and co-founder, Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, GA; and Hana S. Sharif, artistic director, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO. 

Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah today announces the complete cast for Blood Wedding. Multiple award-winning director Yael Farber (Les Blancs, Mies Julie, The Crucible) brings Federico Garcia Lorca's famous tragedy to the Young Vic this September in a new version by Marina Carr.

Well before that founding father refused to throw away his shot, even before those Mormons made us giggle with their irreverence, the hot ticket in town was "Wicked". Well, Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's witches have returned to the Emerald City and the bloom is still quite firmly attached to that bright pink rose in Glinda's hair.

Young Vic Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah has announced the Programme for 2020.

Michael Kahn's final production at Shakespeare Theatre Company deeply understands the underlying questions and humanity of the tale, and draws out an emotional, sympathetic performance that rings with a relevance to our lives today. Under his direction, 'The Oresteia' is not just insight to our shared history, but also into the world we want to build.

Theater fans and collectors can have their very own bit of Broadway when set pieces and props from the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q will be made available for an online auction on the Broadway Design Exchange website from May 6 to 16. The auction coincides with the May 26 closing of AVENUE Q, which has played 16 years on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as in theaters around the world. 

The 25th Anniversary TDF/Irene Sharaff Awards were held last Friday, April 26 at The Edison Ballroom. The honorees were: Susan Hilferty who was presented the TDF/Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award by her friends Chita Rivera and Michael Mayer; scenic designer John Lee Beatty who was presented the Robert L. B. Tobin Award by former Sharaff awardee, Jane Greenwood; Miodrag Guberinic who was presented the Kitty Leach Young Master Award by former Sharaff awardee Paul Tazewell, and Rodney Gordon who was presented the TDF/Irene Sharaff Artisan Award by Tony winner (and former employee) Cady Huffman.  This year's film by Suzy Benzinger was a special tribute to Irene Sharaff in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the awards.

Award-winning costume designer SUSAN HILFERTY and legendary scenic designer JOHN LEE BEATTY are among the 25TH Anniversary TDF/Irene Sharaff Award recipients which were just announced by TDF

Award-winning costume designer SUSAN HILFERTY and legendary scenic designer JOHN LEE BEATTY are among the 25TH Anniversary TDF/Irene Sharaff Award recipients which were just announced by TDF

The soft clanging of pots and pans gently hitting each other is the first indication that the title characters of South African playwright Athol Fugard's 1969 indictment of Apartheid segregation, Boesman and Lena have arrived.

Boesman and Lena officially opened on Monday, February 26 in the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center. The production is a limited engagement through March 17, 2019.

Verdi's tragic jester returns in Michael Mayer's neon-bedecked, Las Vegas-themed production. Baritones Roberto Frontali and George Gagnidze share the title role, and soprano Nadine Sierra reprises her portrayal of Gilda, the role that helped launch her now-blossoming Met career. Tenors Vittorio Grigolo and Bryan Hymel share the role of the lascivious Duke, and Nicola Luisotti conducts.

No matter what one thinks of the Met's transfiguration of Verdi's RIGOLETTO from Francesco Maria Piave's Mantua to '60s Las Vegas--I personally like much of this “Rat Pack” production from director Michael Mayer--the singing at Saturday's performance [the second of the season] was first rate.

On January 10th, A.R.T./NY named Boundless Theatre Company (Maria-Cristina Fuste, Executive Artistic Director) one of the 2019 recipients of the Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund Grant! This grant was awarded to enhance the design of Boundless' upcoming production of Fur by Migdalia Cruz, directed by Elena Araoz. Three women designers of color - costume designer Sarita Fellows, scenic designer Regina Garcia, and lighting designer Maria-Cristina Fuste - will use the grant funding to more fully realize their artistic vision for the production.

Signature Theatre presents Boesman and Lena by Athol Fugard and directed by Yael Farber.The production runs February 5, 2019 to March 17, 2019 with a February 25, 2019 opening night in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

The cast and creative team have been announced for the Signature Theatre production of Boesman and Lena by Athol Fugard and directed by Yael Farber.

I interviewed Diana Damrau when she had just done her first Violetta, her role debut in the Met's old Willy Decker production. It was a part she lusted over from the time she saw the 1982 Zeffirelli film, but was careful about taking on--waiting for the right time in her vocal development. That was nearly six years ago and the good news is that she has developed into a first-rate Violetta, sounding better than she has in some time, and looking every inch the glamorous (yet consumptive) courtesan.

The Metropolitan Opera's new production of La Traviata, opening December 4, will be the first opera conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin as the Met's Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director. Soprano Diana Damrau, who made her acclaimed role debut as Violetta at the Met during the 2012–2013 season (with Maestro Nézet-Séguin on the podium), returns as the tragic heroine.