Tennessee Williams News

Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET) has announced its 2012-13, 15th anniversary mainstage season. This coming season will feature classic, contemporary and original productions including a recent Off-Broadway smash musical, a Tony-winning Hitchcock adaptation and a time-honored holiday tale. This season will also include a new production of Maryland Ensemble's first show, an original work that MET premiered more than 15 years ago.

Sonnet Repertory Theatre celebrates a decade of producing classic theatre for the modern planet with a world-premiere adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Michael Raver, directed by Quin Gordon. The Picture of Dorian Gray will begin performances tonight, August 9, with an official opening slated for Friday, August 10, at The Studio Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

Rubicon wraps up a summer of youth productions with the fourth annual KIDS FOR KIDS BENEFIT CONCERT, a youth produced fundraiser that benefits Rubicon's Education & Outreach.

Mitch Douglas, Tennessee Williams' last literary agent at ICM, will join the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival in an informal conversation with Festival Curator David Kaplan over Coffee during the four-day festival taking place September 20-23, 2012.

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre (Scott Alan Evans, Cynthia Harris and Jenn Thompson, Co-Artistic Directors) today announced that it has been given a $50,000 matching grant from arts philanthropist Adrienne Arsht to be used to subsidize actors salaries for the upcoming 2012/13 season.

The Kings Head Theatre's acclaimed revival of Tennessee Williams' autobiographical play Vieux Carre, which ended a sold-out run on Saturday, is to transfer to the West End to Charing Cross Theatre from Tuesday August 14 for a strictly limited three-week season.

Revolve Productions presents "PIECES" by Chris Phillips at the 16th New York International Fringe Festival this August. The new play is directed by Brian Zimmer and will be performing at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre in the Village at 38 Commerce Street, NYC.

With this week's news of the passing of American literary and political icon Gore Vidal at the advanced age of 86, now seems a particularly apt time to look back at a truly anomalous career and some of the highlights of a life lived on pages, stages, planes, trains and many of the most exclusive locales in the world.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, presents Woody Sez - The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie, devised by David M. Lutken and Nick Corley, directed by Nick Corley. The production runs September 14 - October 21, 2012 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd.

The Juilliard School welcomes the inaugural class of its new Master of Fine Arts in Drama program this Fall 2012. Eight graduate actors have been accepted into the highly selective program and will begin classes this September. Juilliard's M.F.A. in Drama is a four-year conservatory program in actor training providing the tools necessary to meet the demands of an ever-evolving performing arts career and preparing young artists to become versatile and dynamic leaders in their field. The M.F.A program joins Juilliard's four-year B.F.A. program, headed by James Houghton, the Richard Rodgers Director of the Drama Division.

Lorenzo Pisoni's celebrated one-man show, Humor Abuse, returns to American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) for an exclusive limited engagement.

The Lark Play Development Center announced that seven plays-in-development have been chosen for its 19th annual Playwrights' Week, which will take place September 26-29, 2012.

On Saturday evening, August 11th, at 7:30 p.m. center stage at The Burt Reynolds Institute for Film and Theatre (BRIFT) will once again come alive in the most hilarious of ways. Three short plays by award-winning writer Christopher Durang will be performed by actors trained by Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds. The Burt Reynolds Institute is an intimate venue with limited seating. Due to the demand for tickets, this return engagement will once again allow theatre goers to enjoy an evening of laughter and relaxation.

As first reported on Deadline.com, Margo Martindale has joined the cast of the big screen adaptation of Tracy Letts' AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY. The actress joins previously announced cast members Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Abigail Breslin, Juliette Lewis and Chris Cooper.

The award-winning Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Artistic Directors, has announced its first annual Poker Royale benefit. The Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament will be held on Saturday, August 18, beginning at 6pm. All proceeds will go toward shows in the highly anticipated 2013 season of the critically acclaimed company.

The Broadway community mourns the loss of celebrated writer Gore Vidal, who passed away yesterday at age 86. The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in his memory on Friday, August 3rd, at exactly 8:00 p.m. for one minute.

Happy Birthday, Sam Mendes! Sam Mendes is best known for whis work as the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, and his direction of the film American Beauty and the Broadway production of Cabaret on Broadway starring Alan Cumming. His production of Oliver! became the longest running show ever to play at the London Palladium. Additional stage credits includeTennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie, Stephen Sondheim's Company (which had the first ever African American 'Bobby'), Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus and his farewell duo of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and Twelfth Night, which transferred to the Brooklyn Academy Of Music and Gypsy on Broadway starring Bernadette Peters.

Single tickets go on sale to the general public today, Aug. 1, for Lyric Opera of Chicago's 58th season. The internationally renowned company will present grand opera with exceptional casts and productions in its beautiful home, the historic Civic Opera House. Lyric will offer 68 performances of 9 operas in the 25-week season, including 6 new-to-Chicago productions, Saturday, October 6, 2012, through Saturday, April 6, 2013.