The American Conservatory Theatre News

Capital Stage presents the California Premiere of The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse. This satirical comedy follows four well-meaning white artists attempting to devise a politically correct Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month - to be performed for school children. One artist's career hangs on the line, dependent on this play's success...or failure. Will they do it? Should they do it? The Thanksgiving Play will be directed by Producing Artistic Director Michael Stevenson and is the seventh and final production of Capital Stage's 2017/18 Season: Future Tense. Performances will run from June 20 - July 22, 2018

In honor of the first day of PRIDE month, co-founders Andrea Prestinario and Royer Bockus announce the official launch of RING OF KEYS, a national network of queer women+, trans, and gender non-conforming artists working on and offstage in musical theatre.

Produced for the first time by African-American Shakespeare Company, the production will star the company's Artistic Director, L. Peter Callender as the King "you love to hate," in a role he has played once before in 2003; Director Kirsten Brandt makes her debut with AASC in the same play that marked her professional directorial debut in 2001; in a flip with tradition two male roles-Hastings and Buckingham-will be played by women in a play that freights one of Shakespeare's most memorable and oft-quoted opening lines: Now is the winter of our discontent

The Mountain Play, the San Francisco Bay Area's most magical outdoor theater experience is proud to present Mamma Mia! for its 105th Season. Directed by Jay Manley, Musical Direction by Jon Gallo, and Choreography by Nicole Helfer and Zoe Swenson-Graham.

Vietgone by Qui Nguyen is the Vietnamese-American playwright's own creation story-a telling of his parents' 1975 refugee camp romance in a "geek theater" spectacle that's at turns affecting, sage, raucous, and fantastical. A screenwriter for Marvel Studios and founder of Obie Award-winning company Vampire Cowboys, Nguyen's work champions representation and diversity on stage while dripping with pop culture nods, contemporary music, and action-adventure narrative. The production pairs this Studio-commissioned playwright with director and Studio Cabinet member Natsu Onoda Power. Drawing on Vietgone's comic book aesthetics, Studio's Stage 4 is transformed into a garage concert with a live band and original funk-rock-punk-n-roll score, giving audiences a front row seat to this anything-but-typical story of boy meets girl.

Participants of the 32nd annual Tennessee Williams Literary Festival descend to Jackson Square for the 2018 edition of the Stella Shouting Contest in hopes of seeing who will best channel their inner Tennessee Williams.

One woman's theatrical foray into the worlds of nature and technology, NATURAL/NOT NATURAL will be presented by author/performer Rebecca Singer in Catskill's intimate Bridge Street Theatre on Saturday April 14 at 7:30pm and Sunday April 15 at 2:00pm.

The Mountain Play - Casting is complete for the Mountain Play's production of Mamma Mia! which will inject the San Francisco Bay Area with a dose of Abba elation this May.

Written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by theatre legend Anne Occhiogrosso, Centenary Stage Company's mainstage theatrical season continues in the Lackland Performing Arts Center this Friday, February 16 at 8PM with Reza's 1998 Tony Award and 1996 Olivier Award winning comedy Art.  "Wildly funny, naughtily provocative…" says the NY Post, it all begins when Serge buys an expensive painting by a celebrated artist.  A white canvas with white diagonal lines.  Old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to hilariously batter one another over various slights and failures.  Art is a hilarious exploration of the very notion of what constitutes art while examining the meaning of friendship.  'Anyone looking for a play that is funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving should go to 'ART'.' (Independent, London).

Magic Theatre (Loretta Greco, Artistic Director and Jaimie Mayer, Managing Director) announced today that the theatre's 2018 gala fundraiser, Magic Masquerade, will be held at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on Friday, March 9, 2018 at 6:00 p.m.

There's a new performance venue in San Francisco, and the SF City Theatre Company has found a new home there. The Clarion Music Performing Arts Center is in San Francisco's Chinatown at 2 Waverly Place (at Sacramento Street.) SFCTC's first offering in the new venue will be Frederick Knott's suspense thriller, Dial M for Murder, March 10-24.

Written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Anne Occhiogrosso, Centenary Stage Company's mainstage theatrical season continues in the Lackland Performing Arts Center with Reza's 1998 Tony Award and 1996 Olivier Award winning comedy Art from February 16 through March 4.  "Wildly funny, naughtily provocative…" says the NY Post, it all begins when Serge buys an expensive painting by a celebrated artist.  A white canvas with white diagonal lines.  Old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to hilariously batter one another over various slights and failures.  Art is a hilarious exploration of the very notion of what constitutes art while examining the meaning of friendship.  'Anyone looking for a play that is funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving should go to 'ART'.' (Independent, London).

For the first time in its 23-year history, the African-American Shakespeare Company will present A Streetcar Named Desire. As is the company's custom, each season they choose one non-Shakespeare play from the canon of American classics. Tennessee Williams' Streetcar follows in the footsteps of the company's well-received 2017 production of August Wilson's Jitney, also staged at Marines Memorial.

Teatro ZinZanni today announced that prolific, award-winning actor Ron Campbell will make a brazen return to the velvet-laden spiegeltent to join the cast of Love, Chaos, and Dinner beginning January 21, 2018. Ron - aka Cecil B. DeGrille - replaces director and performer Joe De Paul - aka Ricky - whose planned departure from this production ends in a final performance on January 20. Tickets are available for purchase at ZinZanni.com/Seattle or by calling the box office at (206) 802-0015.

The NAACP announced today that actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover will be presented with the NAACP President's Award at the 49th NAACP IMAGE AWARDS on Monday, January 15, 2018 LIVE at 9pm/8c on TV One.

DANCE NOW is thrilled to present an encore presentation of Places Please!, an evening-length duet created and performed by longtime collaborators Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott of KEIGWIN + COMPANY. Two performances only: Today, January 11, at 7pm, and Sunday, January 14, at 5pm, at Joe's Pub at The Public, 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th Street and Astor Place), in Manhattan.

KEIGWIN + COMPANY makes their Soraya debut on Saturday, February 3 with an all-Bernstein program, which includes two world premieres with live musical accompaniment: Three Plus One performed to Bernstein's Piano Trio and Sonata to Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, both commissioned by The Soraya.

Pasadena Symphony's annual Holiday Candlelight concert returns to All Saints Church today, December 16, 2017. Having sold out for the past six years, the symphony will offer two performances to meet community demand at 4:00pm & 7:00pm.

DANCE NOW is thrilled to present an encore presentation of Places Please!, an evening-length duet created and performed by longtime collaborators Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott of KEIGWIN + COMPANY. Two performances only: Thursday, January 11, at 7pm, and Sunday, January 14, at 5pm, at Joe's Pub at The Public, 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th Street and Astor Place), in Manhattan.