The Public Theater News

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) will begin previews on Tuesday, February 15 for TIMON OF ATHENS, the inaugural production of Public LAB SHAKESPEARE featuring Richard Thomas in the title role.

HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, will play Heinz Hall for a limited engagement February 15-20, 2011.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) has added two additional performances to the world premiere production of Rinne Groff's COMPULSION, directed by Oskar Eustis and featuring Hannah Cabell, Matte Osian and Mandy Patinkin. COMPULSION, which opens on Thursday, February 17 and must close on Sunday, March 13, has added two additional weekend performances on Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the added performances are on sale now at (212) 967-7555 or www.publictheater.org.

Amphibian Stage Productions is proud to continue its twelfth season with the regional premiere of the acclaimed play Animals Out of Paper by Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph. Amphibian veteran Evan Mueller directs Andrés Ortiz, Laurel Whitsett, and Marshall York in this heartwarming comedy that runs from March 11 to 27 at the Hardy & Betty Sanders Theatre in the Fort Worth Community Arts Center.

LaMaMa Etc Presents La MaMa-loped: Because we can. Come see a bunch of gay people get legally hetero married in a performance art investigation of that institution we call marriage.

Broadway's master songman, Mandy Patinkin, accompanied by Paul Ford on piano, will bring his critically acclaimed theatre concert to the VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL on Monday, February 14 at 8 p.m.--Valentines Day.

Today the American Repertory Theater announced that Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater in New York, will be the recipient of the A.R.T.'s 2011 Robert Brustein Award.

For Valentine's Day, Westport Country Playhouse will present a reading of Neil Simon's whimsical and touching romantic comedy, "Chapter Two," part of Westport Country Playhouse's popular Script in Hand Series, on Monday, February 14, 7 p.m.

Following the sold out performances and overflow crowds at its first five Cino Nights presentations (of Gary Sunshine's BEST SEX EVER, Mando Alvarado's (O)N THE 5:31, Courtney Baron's HERE I LIE, Florencia Lozano's BUSTED, and Kristen Palmer's THE STRAY DOG), Rising Phoenix Rep continues the series on February 13th at 7 p.m. with Emily DeVoti's THE UPSTART.

Blessed Unrest, Winner of the 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Production of a Play, presents MACHINAL at the Interart Theater, 500 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019. Performances begin Saturday, February 19 through Monday, March 14.

?Chicago Shakespeare Theater's (CST) Funk It Up About Nothin'-an exuberant 'hip-hoptation' of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing-thrills audiences Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare and closes February 13, 2011, before embarking on an Australian tour from February 23 through April 2, 2011.

Hollywood Food Chain Productions, producer of the six-time Ovation Nominated, U.S. Premiere of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle at the El Portal Theatre in 2006, in association with Elephant Stageworks (David Fofi. Artistic Director) are thrilled to present THE VIOLET HOUR, written by Richard Greenberg.

The Flea Theater will present the World Premiere of #serials@theflea, a raucous late night play competition featuring The Bats and some of NYC's hottest young playwrights.

The Friend Center for the Arts at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) and the Magic Theatre present The Virgin Play Reading Series on four Mondays in March. These readings of scripts-in-progress by the playwrights themselves, offer audiences the chance to hear the plays before they arrive on the stage and see the new play development process up close. After each reading, the playwright and director will have a conversation with the audience members.

San Francisco's cutting-edge Cutting Ball Theater welcomes the spring with the Bay Area Premiere of LADY GREY (in ever lower light) and other plays by Will Eno, hailed by The New York Times as 'a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation.' LADY GREY (in ever lower light) and other plays, featuring Danielle O'Hare, Galen Murphy-Hoffman, Gwyneth Richards, and David Sinaiko, runs March 11-April 10 (Press opening: March 17) at the Cutting Ball Theater in residence at EXIT on Taylor (277 Taylor Street) in San Francisco. For tickets ($15-50) and more information, the public may visit cuttingball.com or call 800-838-3006.

Hollywood Food Chain Productions, producer of the six-time Ovation Nominated, U.S. Premiere of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle at the El Portal Theatre in 2006, in association with Elephant Stageworks (David Fofi. Artistic Director) are thrilled to present THE VIOLET HOUR, written by Richard Greenberg.

Hollywood Food Chain Productions, producer of the six-time Ovation Nominated, U.S. Premiere of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle at the El Portal Theatre in 2006, in association with Elephant Stageworks (David Fofi. Artistic Director) are thrilled to present THE VIOLET HOUR, written by Richard Greenberg.

Brian Cox, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Noth, Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland star in the Broadway revival of Jason Miller's Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON, directed by Gregory Mosher. Preview performances begin on Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 with and official opening on Sunday, March 6th, 2011 at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre (242 West 45 Street). The first commercial spit has been released and appears below!

The Public Theater's acclaimed production of THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, starring Al Pacino as Shylock and Lily Rabe as Portia, will conclude its successful Broadway run on Sunday, February 20 at the Broadhurst Theatre. The critically lauded production began at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park last summer and officially opened on Broadway on November 13. It recouped its capitalization after only 10 weeks and will be making its first profit distribution to investors next week. Tickets are on sale now at Tele-Charge at 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.

TheatreWorks New Milford is proud to christen its 44th Season of live theatre in New Milford with the darkly comic, terse, and off-beat TALK RADIO by Eric Bogosian.