Terrence McNally News

Expect a sparkling debut to our 2011 Festival with 'Bright, Beautiful Things: A World Premiere of Tennessee Williams One-Acts' a special event hosted by the incomparable four-time Tony award winner, Zoe Caldwell on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at Southern Repertory Theatre.

Due to the previously announced extension of GOOD PEOPLE, MTC is announcing a revised schedule for the new Broadway production of Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning MASTER CLASS, directed by Stephen Wadsworth, featuring Olivier Award nominee Sierra Boggess and Tony and Emmy Award winner Tyne Daly.

Lynne Meadow (Artistic Director) and Barry Grove (Executive Producer) are pleased to announce that due to overwhelming demand, a second extension for Manhattan Theatre Club's world premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire's GOOD PEOPLE, the critically acclaimed new American play directed by Daniel Sullivan. Tickets to the limited engagement are now on sale through Sunday, May 29. The production had previously been on sale through Sunday, May 8.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, stage veterans Nicholas Hoult, John Kassir, Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy, and Stanley Tucci are on board for New Line/Legendary's 'Jack the Giant Killer.' The movie will be written by Darren Lemke and directed by Bryan Singer.

On April 11, 2011, Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre will honor esteemed stage and screen actress Bernadette Peters with the company's second Stephen Sondheim Award. The award, established in 2009 in honor of America's most influential contemporary musical theater writer and composer, will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy. The 2011 Sondheim Award Gala is chaired by Ted and Mary Jo Shen; Honorary Hosts include Stephen Sondheim, Helen Henderson, His Excellency Gary Doer and Ms. Ginny Devine, The Honorable James Moran, His Excellency Giulio Terzi and Ms. Antonella Cinque, and The Honorable Jim Webb and Mrs. Webb. The Sondheim Award Gala will help to benefit Signature Theatre's numerous artistic, education, and community programs. Last year's recipient was stage, screen, and television icon Angela Lansbury.

ZOMBIE has won the Best Short Film (Horror) award from the Washington DC Independent Film Festival. The ZOMBIE team of director Thomas Caruso, lead actor/screenwriter Bill Connington, and producer Michael Cooper, attended the screening of the film on March 7th in Washington. ZOMBIE is a short film based on the award-winning play penned by and acted in by Connington. It was presented at the New York International Fringe Festival, Off-Broadway at Theater Row for an extended run, and at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York. ZOMBIE is based on the award-winning novella by famous American author Joyce Carol Oates. The ZOMBIE team is currently developing the property as a feature film.

Westport Country Playhouse will host its second annual open house, "Playhouse Community Day," on Saturday, March 19, 1 to 5 p.m., offering a wide variety of family activities, backstage tours, displays and historic artifacts, insight on the upcoming 2011 season and ticket discounts throughout the afternoon. Admission is free and open to the public. Complimentary snacks and beverages will be available.

Broadway favorites Brian Stokes Mitchell and Barbara Walsh are now scheduled to join the all-star cast on stage to salute Terrence McNally on Monday, March 28, 2011 at the Longacre Theatre at 7:00pm. A benefit for The Acting Company, Ms. Lansbury has gathered Audra McDonald, Alan Cumming, Tyne Daly, Edie Falco, Roger Rees and Raul Esparza who will sing, share memories and recreate scenes from dozens of McNally hits. John Glover, Marin Mazzie, Joyce DiDonato, Malcolm Gets, Emily Skinner, Alexandra Silber, Bobby Steggert, Jason Danieley and Stephen Bogardus will round out the evening.

Signature Theatre will be hosting their traditional "Pride Night" on Friday, March 25, 2011 - a special event for members of the GLBT community.

The ZOMBIE team of director Thomas Caruso, screenwriter/lead actor Bill Connington, and producer Michael Cooper, attended the Washington DC Independent Film Festival.

Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre has announced the artistic team behind the upcoming world premiere of the musical comedy And the Curtain Rises (formerly known as Wheatley's Folly), which begins performances on Thursday, March 17, 2011. And the Curtain Rises marks the third production presented as part of Signature's groundbreaking American Musical Voices Project, the largest commissioning program for new musicals in the country, following Michael John LaChiusa's Giant in 2009 and Ricky Ian Gordon's Sycamore Trees last year.

DIARY OF A CHORUS GIRL, directed by Sara Wolkowitz, is an original webseries the follows the making of Broadway's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN through the eyes of Alex Ellis, a cast member making her Broadway debut! A 10 episode journey, each episode will go live on Wednesdays from March 16, 2011 through May 18, 2011 on www.DanceOn.com.

Broadway Beat recently went behind the scenes of Broadway's newest musical, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which just began previews at the Neil Simon Theatre last week. During their visit at the rehearsal studio, they stopped to chat with Aaron Tveit, who plays leading man Frank Abagnale Jr. in the production.

Broadway Playwright Terrence McNally and SpeakEasy Stage Company Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault will be honored at SpeakEasy Stage Company's 20th Anniversary Gala on Monday, April 4th, 2011, from 6-9PM at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel.

Philadelphia Theatre Company continues its 35th Anniversary Season with the Philadelphia debut of Anna Deavere Smith in her one-woman, award-winning show Let Me Down Easy, running March 18 through April 10, 2011 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets).

Two-time Tony Award-nominated Alison Fraser has joined the cast of David Ives' new comedy, THE SCHOOL FOR LIES, from the Molière classic The Misanthrope, directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, beginning performances Wednesday, April 13 at Classic Stage Company (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 22. The official press opening is Sunday, May 1 at 2 pm. The cast of THE SCHOOL FOR LIES also feature Mamie Gummer, Jenn Gambatese and Hamish Linklater, as well as Steven Boyer, Frank Harts, Rick Holmes, Hoon Lee and Matthew Maher.

Broadway Beat recently went behind the scenes of Broadway's newest musical, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, which just began previews at the Neil Simon Theatre last week. During their visit at the rehearsal studio, they stopped to chat with Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz, who plays lovable FBI agent Carl Hanratty in the show.

Sh-k-boom will release the cast recording of Broadway's newest musical, CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. The show, which began previews at the Neil Simon Theatre last week, is based on the hit DreamWorks film and the incredible true story that inspired it. A release date for the album has not yet been announced.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater concludes its 16th season with the world premiere of Carson McCullers Talks About Love, a theater piece with music written and performed by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Suzanne Vega ("Tom's Diner," "Luka") with music by Ms. Vega and Tony Award-winner Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening).

Award-winning Broadway actor Brian Murray has joined the cast of "Angel Street," a Script in Hand reading of the Victorian suspense thriller upon which the classic film "Gaslight" is based, at Westport Country Playhouse on Monday, March 14, 7 p.m. Murray will play the role of Inspector Rough.