Tennessee Williams News

The Community College of Baltimore County celebrates National International Education Week this month, exploring global education through music, dance, art and theatre. CCBC also hosts many varied activities.

Additional casting and the design team has been announced for Tennessee Williams' CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF starring Scarlett Johansson as Maggie, Ciaran Hinds as Big Daddy, Benjamin Walker as Brick and Debra Monk as Big Mama, directed by Rob Ashford. CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF will open at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street) on Thursday, January 17, 2013. Previews will begin Tuesday, December 18. This limited engagement runs 15 weeks only, through March 30, 2013.

The problem I've always faced in the past with productions of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie" is no matter how engaging the story is I just don't find myself invested in the characters. The show is a memory play and with that most productions fall into the trap of over accentuating the obvious flaws and guilt of the characters within Tom's memory. But what director Braden Abraham and the cast of the current production at the Rep have done is to keep those flaws but still present real and honest characters which allow the audience to care about their mistakes and well being. And that's what makes this production a complete success.

Contagious Laughter LLC. welcomes Roxie Lucas and Kevin O'Donnell to the cast of the World Premiere of LET'S KILL GRANDMA THIS CHRISTMAS by Brian Gianci, directed by John Dapolito. LET'S KILL GRANDMA THIS CHRISTMAS will begin performances on Sunday, November 25; it will celebrate its opening on Monday, December 3 and will run through January 6, 2013 at the Theatre at St. Clement's.

Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company presents the Regional Premiere of HOW THE WORLD BEGAN by Catherine Trieschmann.

Winner of the Theatre World and Drama League awards along with Olivier, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk nominations for his portrayal of Billy Bigelow in the Royal National Theatre/Lincoln Center Theatre production of CAROUSEL, Michael Hayden, also a Tony Award Nominee for JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG, is set to direct SUMMER AND SMOKE at the School of Theatre at Florida State.

EXIT Press announces the official publication of The Chamber Plays of August Strindberg translated by Paul Walsh. The translations from the Swedish of all five of these landmark plays mark the latest book published by EXIT Press, the publishing arm of San Francisco's EXIT Theatre.

Jermyn Street Theatre announces the cast for the UK premiere of the vintage off Broadway musical Boy Meets Boy. The line up comprises Stephen Ashfield, Craig Fletcher, Johnjo Flynn, Ben Kavanagh, Anna Nicholas and Benjamin Bailey, Carly Mackelvie, Gregory Sims, Biancha Szynal, Helen Turner, Jay Webb and Aron Wild.

DESCRIPTION: FOOD FOR THOUGHT PRODUCTIONS, the Award-Winning Theatre Company, is returning to its former home at the Players in Gramercy Park for another exciting season this fall. The opening show on Wednesday, October 31st will feature excerpts from 'THE ROUND TABLE' written by award-winning playwright Susan Charlotte and Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award winner Peter Stone, starring Penny Fuller and directed by Antony Marsellis. The play, which revolves around the lives of Dorothy Parker, George Kaufman, Robert Benchley, Robert Sherwood and Alexander Woollcott, is both entertaining and poignant, capturing the wit and the sadness of this very special time at the Algonquin Hotel. Another exciting addition to this program is Anne Kaufman, the daughter of George Kaufman. This unique program will be followed by a Q and A.

Vineyard Theatre will open its 30th Anniversary season with the world premiere production of Douglas McGrath's play CHECKERS. Opening night is set for tonight, October 28th. The production will be directed by Terry Kinney, it has been announced by The Vineyard's Artistic Director Douglas Aibel and Co-Artistic Director Sarah Stern.

Recently celebrated in Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning adventure Hugo, French filmmaker George Melies is considered the father of cinematic special effects. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of his birth, Melies' family has created a unique "cine-concert" that's touring the world. The tour comes to Chicago's Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Avenue, today, October 27, 12:15 p.m.

The multi-award-winning NoHo Arts Center Ensemble (NoHoAce) presents a world premiere play, ONE NOVEMBER YANKEE, written and directed by Joshua Ravetch and starring four-time Golden Globe nominee Harry Hamlin and two-time Emmy winner Loretta Swit. ONE NOVEMBER YANKEE will preview on Tuesday, November 13 at 8pm; Wednesday, November 14 at 8pm; Thursday, November 15 at 8pm and will open on Friday, November 16 at 8pm and will run for eight weeks through Saturday, January 5, 2013 at the NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Blvd. (at Lankershim) in North Hollywood.

Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with American Repertory Theater, presents the world premiere of Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Marie Antoinette will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) October 26 through November 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 1. The cast includes Fred Arsenault, Hannah Cabell, David Greenspan, Marin Ireland, Vin Knight, Jo Lampert, Polly Lee, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Silbermann, Teale Sperling, Brian Wiles, and Ashton Woerz.

Austin Pendleton will step into the role of Lebedev beginning Friday, October 26 in his production of Anton Chekhov's IVANOV at Classic Stage Company (135 East 13th Street) replacing veteran actor Louis Zorich, who has withdrawn due to a foot injury. Pendleton performed the role of Lebedev in a 1990 production at Yale Repertory. IVANOV, which stars Ethan Hawke, Joely Richardson and Juliet Rylance, and is directed by Pendleton, is currently in previews, prior to an official opening Sunday, November 4. The cast also features Glenn Fitzgerald, Annette Hunt, Stephanie Janssen, Roberta Maxwell, George Morfogen, James Patrick Nelson, Anthony Newfield, Jonathan Marc Sherman, and Anne Troupe. IVANOV will play a limited engagement through Sunday, December 9.

Hartford Stage, under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts, announced the lineup for Brand:NEW Fall Festival of New Works, scheduled today, October 25 - 28. The Festival will include readings of five new plays by Octavio Solis, Bess Wohl, Dan O'Brien, Matthew Lopez and Janine Nabers, as well as a playwrights' panel on October 28 at 4:30 p.m.

Hartford Stage today announced the winners of the Annual Young Playwrights' Competition, Write On, for students in grades 9-12, and this year's winners are Abigail Kehoe, Alyssa Slotnick, Christopher Snow, Joe Buchek and Jonas Shivers.