The New Group News

La Jolla Playhouse announces a fifth production for its 2013/14 season: the world premiere of The Tallest Tree, a new play with music written and performed by Daniel Beaty (Emergency, Through the Night), directed by Moises Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife, The Laramie Project). A co-production with Kansas City Repertory Theatre, The Tallest Tree will run in The Playhouse's Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre tonight, October 9 - November 3, 2013. The piece is produced in association with Tectonic Theater Project.

Maestro Alan Yamamoto, formerly with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, is bringing together two established, contemporary groups in the metro area – the Bechtler Ensemble and the Out of Bounds Ensemble – to create the Charlotte Composers Forum. The “new” group is scheduled to perform for audiences at Winthrop University on Oct. 20 and the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art on Oct. 27.

American Lyric Theater presents the first public libretto reading for the 2013-2014 season as part of its popular series, The Living Libretto, at the National Opera Center on Wednesday, October 16th, 2013. Featuring guest actors from the Broadway and off-Broadway stage, each event is the culminating reading of an extensive libretto workshop conducted for new operas being written by ALT Resident Artists under the auspices of the company's Composer Librettist Development Program.

CAPS LOCK THEATRE presents THE SEX WITH ROBOTS FESTIVAL, a series of short plays about sex with robots, written by a formidable group of playwrights: Micheline Auger, Danny Bowes, J. Julian Christopher, Richard Lovejoy & Eric Meyer, Mariah McCarthy, Mac Rogers, Leah Nanako Winkler and Natalie Zutter, with a robot sex song cycle by Nat Cassidy. The festival is set for November 5-10 at the Secret Theatre in Long Island City.

Shannon Sindelar, producing artistic director of Brooklyn's acclaimed Brave New World Repertory Theatre (BNW),today announced the launch of New Works, a new initiative featuring staged readings of new plays by emerging Brooklyn playwrights. Four plays have been selected for staged readings during the season and the first one is Captain Mike, by Gary Winter.

The Normal Heart/by Larry Kramer/directed by Simon Levy/Fountain Theatre/through November 3

Primary Stages has announced that Richard Topol (Broadway's The Normal Heart, The Merchant of Venice) will assume the role of Yogi Berra in their World Premiere production of Bronx Bombers, written and directed by Tony Award nominee Eric Simonson (Broadway's Lombardi). Due to artistic differences, Joe Pantoliano, initially announced to play the role of Yogi Berra, will not continue with the production. The production has delayed its first performance to tonight, September 20. Opening night remains scheduled for October 8 at 7pm. Bronx Bombers runs through October 19 at Primary Stages at The Duke on 42nd Street.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents The Winslow Boy, starring Tony nominee Michael Cumpsty as 'Desmond Curry', Academy & Tony Award nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as 'Grace Winslow', Alessandro Nivola as 'Sir Robert Morton' and Tony Award winner Roger Rees as 'Arthur Winslow'.

Primary Stages has announced that Richard Topol (Broadway's The Normal Heart, The Merchant of Venice) will assume the role of Yogi Berra in their World Premiere production of Bronx Bombers, written and directed by Tony Award nominee Eric Simonson (Broadway's Lombardi). Due to artistic differences, Joe Pantoliano, initially announced to play the role of Yogi Berra, will not continue with the production. The production has delayed its first performance to Friday, September 20. Opening night remains scheduled for October 8 at 7pm. Bronx Bombers runs through October 19 at Primary Stages at The Duke on 42nd Street.

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre presents Natural Affection by William Inge, the first production of the company's 21st Season. Directed by TACT Co-Artistic Director Jenn Thompson, performances begin at Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street - between 9th & 10th Avenues) tonight, September 17, 2013. Opening night is set for Thursday, September 26 at 7:30pm. Performances will continue through October 26, 2013.

The full cast for To Sir With Love, joining the previously announced Olivier Award winning actor Matthew Kelly (Florian), is Mykola Allen (Denham), Harriet Ballard (Monica), Peta Cornish (Gillian), Kerron Darby (Seales), Ansu Kabia(Ricky), Paul Kemp (Weston), Heather Nicol (Pamela) and Nicola Reynolds(Clinty).

The music of legendary Asian rock group, Ming Dynasty, is revived in The Sister Rosettas, presented by terraNOVA Collective tonight, September 13th and September 20th & 27th at 9:30 at IRT Theater. Featuring Diana Oh.

PICT Theatre's fifth production of the season is the Pittsburgh premiere of Martin McDonagh's hilarious whodunit A Skull in Connemara, one of a the Leenane trilogy of plays written by the contemporary Irish playwright. McDonagh's dark humor features the colloquial idioms of the west of Ireland, its rugged landscape, and its even more rugged people. McDonagh wrote one of PICT's most popular shows, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His short film Six Shooter won an Academy Award in 2006, and he was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for In Bruges, a feature-length film in which two hitmen hide in the Flemish city of Bruges after a problematic job.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for Charles Randolph-Wright's world premiere drama Love in Afghanistan. Randolph-Wright, a Resident Playwright through Arena Stage's American Voices New Play Institute and director of Motown the Musical currently on Broadway, joins forces with director Lucie Tiberghien (MCC Theater's Don't Go Gentle) to bring to life the tale of two fantastically different people discovering love in the most unlikely of places: war-torn Afghanistan. One, an emerging hip-hop artist, the other, a high-level Afghan interpreter, both fight to navigate the pitfalls of romance, religious differences and political unrest. Love in Afghanistan runs October 11-November 17, 2013 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for Charles Randolph-Wright's world premiere drama Love in Afghanistan. Randolph-Wright, a Resident Playwright through Arena Stage's American Voices New Play Institute and director of Motown the Musical currently on Broadway, joins forces with director Lucie Tiberghien (MCC Theater's Don't Go Gentle) to bring to life the tale of two fantastically different people discovering love in the most unlikely of places: war-torn Afghanistan. One, an emerging hip-hop artist, the other, a high-level Afghan interpreter, both fight to navigate the pitfalls of romance, religious differences and political unrest. Love in Afghanistan runs October 11-November 17, 2013 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

In To Sir With Love, joining the previously announced Olivier Award winning actor Matthew Kelly (Florian), are Mykola Allen (Denham), Harriet Ballard (Monica), Peta Cornish (Gillian), Kerron Darby (Seales), Ansu Kabia (Ricky),Paul Kemp (Weston), Heather Nicol (Pamela) and Nicola Reynolds (Clinty).

PICT Theatre's fifth production of the season is the Pittsburgh premiere of Martin McDonagh's hilarious whodunit A Skull in Connemara, one of a the Leenane trilogy of plays written by the contemporary Irish playwright. McDonagh's dark humor features the colloquial idioms of the west of Ireland, its rugged landscape, and its even more rugged people. McDonagh wrote one of PICT's most popular shows, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His short film Six Shooter won an Academy Award in 2006, and he was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for In Bruges, a feature-length film in which two hitmen hide in the Flemish city of Bruges after a problematic job.

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for Natural Affection by William Inge, the first production of the company's 21st Season. Directed by TACT Co-Artistic Director Jenn Thompson, performances begin at Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street - between 9th & 10th Avenues) on Tuesday, September 17, 2013. Opening night is set for Thursday, September 26 at 7:30pm. Performances will continue through October 26, 2013.