TheatreWorks News

Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, presents the Off-Broadway premiere of the new musical THE LIGHTNING THIEF as the featured production of its 26th annual Free Summer Theatre Program in New York City.

San Jose Repertory Theatre presents the Bay Area premiere of the critically-acclaimed The Big Meal, by Dan LeFranc, the 2010 New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award Winner. This razor sharp portrait of a modern American family runs today, May 8 through June 1, and is directed by Kirsten Brandt, San Jose Rep's Associate Artistic Director.

The highly anticipated Las Vegas production of Mamma Mia! begins performances at The New Tropicana resort in Las Vegas tonight, May 8. The talented cast features Mamma Mia! alumni, including all three Dynamos as well as several Las Vegas locals who will join the company.

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, has announced the appointment of Giovanna Sardelli to the position of Director of New Works. Sardelli brings stellar national directing credits and close ties with many of today's hottest rising playwrights to the company, which has established itself as a leader in cultivating and producing new works. No stranger to TheatreWorks, Sardelli helmed the company's 2013 production of Somewhere by rising star Matthew Lopez, as well as the TheatreWorks' 2011World Premiere of Pulitzer Prize-nominee Rajiv Joseph's The North Pool, named by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of that year's ten best productions in the Bay Area.

The Drama Desk and Obie Award-winning Keen Company presents Keen Teens, the educational theatre partnership between Off-Broadway's Keen Company and the theatrical publishing company Samuel French. The writers for the program's eighth season are Kristoffer Diaz, Halley Feiffer, and Kenny Finkle, who have been commissioned to write thirty-minute, large cast plays, which will be produced with student actors Off-Broadway.

Closing Aurora Theatre Company's 22nd season is David Mamet's powerful, fast-paced drama AMERICAN BUFFALO. Tony-nominated director Barbara Damashek, who helmed Aurora Theatre Company's acclaimed productions of Fat Pig and Private Jokes, Public Places, returns to direct AMERICAN BUFFALO, featuring James Carpenter (John Gabriel Borkman, The Master Builder, The Birthday Party, The Homecoming), Paul Vincent O'Connor (Death Defying Acts, National Tour August: Osage County), and Rafael Jordan. AMERICAN BUFFALO plays June 13 through July 13 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-60) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org. For mature audiences.

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, the longest operating performance venue in lower Manhattan, proudly presents Theatreworks USA's Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, performing on Sunday, June 1 at 1:30PM. Alexander… is the final show in BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center's 2013-2014 Family Theater Season, featuring plays, musicals, puppetry, concerts and dance for all ages.

Upcoming Non-Equity Auditions from Sunday, May 4, 2014.

The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center presents Theatreworks USA's family friendly production of the mooooo-ving musical, Click, Clack, Moo today, May 3 at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $15, $20, $25 and are available online at www.whbpac.org.

TheatreWorks New Milford's spring production, the comedy-drama, The Last Night Of Ballyhoo by Alfred Uhry - winner of the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play - opens tonight at 8:00pm. Scroll down to see some photos from the production!

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center revealed the 2014-15 Bemis Company Education Series last night to a group of educators throughout the Fox Cities and Northeast Wisconsin. The series of daytime performances is comprised of titles that connect with grades PreK-12 curriculum. Highlights include Curious George, The Great Gatsby, Pilobolus and The Lightning Thief.

People's Light is proud to announce new play commissions for Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Kate Fodor, Karen Hartman, Dominique Morisseau, and Kathryn Petersen. These six playwrights are the first participants in our New Play Frontiers residency program. New Play Frontiers is an initiative to conceive, develop, and produce new plays that explore our American identity through stories of deep meaning to specific populations in the five-county region that surround our theatre.

The Kleban Foundation just announced that the 24th annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist has been awarded to Nathan Tysen and the 24th annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre librettist has been awarded to Arthur Perlman.The 2014 prizes will be presented on Monday, June 23, 2014, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) hosted by ASCAP and BMI.

Tonight, May 2, TheatreWorks New Milford will debut Alfred Uhry's 1997 comedy-drama, THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO, winner of the Tony Award for Best Play. The curtain goes up at 8:00 p.m. on this four-week run.

Premiere Stages will celebrate its 10th Anniversary as the professional theatre in residence at Kean University with a blockbuster 2014 Season, featuring an expanded lineup of award-winning premieres, engaging musical presentations for young audiences, captivating summer camps for middle-school and high-school students, and collaborations with like-minded organizations, both on and off campus. Over the past decade, with its unique commitment to presenting ground-breaking and socially relevant work, Premiere Stages has grown to become one of the nation's most respected centers for new play development.

Sleeping Cutie: A Fractured Fairy Tale Musical with Music by Doug Katsaros and Lyrics / Book by Diane Sampson - A world premiere production in this exclusive Off a Cliff / PlayGround co-production in San Francisco has been extended! Due to popular demand - six Performances have been added! Now playing thru May 21, 2014.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for recent Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Appearing in titles roles are Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, announces the lineup of productions for its 2014/15 Season. The year will include world-premiere plays and musicals that have been developed at the theater, including Your Blues Ain't Sweet Like Mine, a new play written and directed by Tony Award-winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson; and Be More Chill, a musical by Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz, adapted from the novel by Ned Vizzini and directed by Scott Ellis. The season will also include a range of world masterpieces and American classics, and work for audiences ages three and up

San Francisco Playhouse (Artistic Director Bill English & Producing Director Susi Damilano) continues its provocative eleventh season with Seminar by recent Susan Blackburn Award nominee Theresa Rebeck (Smash, The Scene).

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, kicks off its 45th season with the World Premiere of THE GREAT PRETENDER, a touching comedy about friendship, love, and learning to let go by Broadway playwright David West Read. The show runs July 9 through August 3, 2014.