Theresa Rebeck News

The Fire Dept Artistic Directors Erica Gould and Audrey Rosenberg have announced that the cast for The Minotaur, the first installment of the company's 2009 Salon Series, will be Mario Cantone, Jill Clayburgh, Phoebe Neidhardt, Ethan Peck, Campbell Scott, and Jeremy Webb.

The Cherry Lane Theatre will present the 11th season of its Obie Award-winning Cherry Lane Mentor Project with the new play HOUSEBREAKING - written by Jakob Holder, mentored by playwright Charles Mee - with performances set to run March 24-April 4 at The Cherry Lane Studio (38 Commerce Street) in Manhattan. Daniella Topol directs.

Variety is reporting that Cherry Lane Theater has struck a deal with Westbeth, the artists' community that until recently housed Bank Street Theater in its space. Cherry Lane will expand into the theater, renaming the 90-seat black box venue the Cherry Pit to become its third stage. Not only will the venue give Cherry Lane another base for its mentoring program reports Vairety, but it will also provide an additional revenue stream as homeless New York City theater troupes hunt for affordable performance space to rent.

Dramatists Guild Of America's President John Weidman, Vice President Marsha Norman, Secretary David Ives and Treasurer Jonathan Reynolds have all announced that they are stepping down from their positions. Composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz has been selected to become the new President, while Peter Parnell will take over as Vice president, Doug Wright as Secretary, and Theresa Rebeck as Treasurer.

The Cherry Lane Theatre presents the world premiere production of Deirdre O'Connor's JAILBAIT--a new play about two teenaged girls and the men they meet when they pose as college students during a night out at a club in Boston--as the inaugural production at Cherry Lane's newest Off-Broadway theatre, the 90-seat Cherry Pit (155 Bank Street), with previews set to begin March 19 prior to its official press opening on March 25. Suzanne Agins directs.

Marin Theatre Company presents the final show of its highly successful 2008-09 season with a seminal work of modern comedy, Joe Orton's uproarious farce What the Butler Saw in MTC's Boyer Theatre beginning June 4.

Manhattan Theatre Club is pleased to announce the lineup for its 7@7 reading series. Now in its eleventh year, this free rehearsed reading series is dedicated to the support and development of new works. The 2009 lineup features six new plays and a musical, including works by two playwrights previously produced by MTC and one MTC-commissioned playwright.

Theresa Rebeck (creator of the Alley?s success The Scene and Bad Dates) returns to the Alley with Mauritius. The title, Mauritius, refers to an island off the coast of Africa from which a now highly collectible stamp, described as 'the crown jewel of philately,' was issued in the age of Victoria. Like the Maltese Falcon, the Mauritius stamp is the fraught object of desire for an assortment of shady characters with different and mysterious backgrounds and motives, who move through the twists of the plot's crosses and double-crosses. Recommended for mature audiences. Mauritius by Theresa Rebeck and directed by Scott Schwartz begins Friday, April 10 and runs through Sunday, May 3 on the Hubbard Stage.

The Cherry Lane Theatre will present the 11th season of its Obie Award-winning Cherry Lane Mentor Project with the new play HOUSEBREAKING - written by Jakob Holder, mentored by playwright Charles Mee - with performances set to run March 24-April 4 at The Cherry Lane Studio (38 Commerce Street) in Manhattan. Daniella Topol directs.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel has a soild series of stories in his 'On Broadway' column today, the first is the happy news regarding Will Ferrell's 'You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George Bush'and the fact it has been playing to packed houses night after night.

Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director, Ken Novice, Interim Managing Director, Tom Ware, Producing Director) announced casting today for the upcoming production of MAURITIUS by Theresa Rebeck.

Broadway heats up this summer when three-time Emmy Award nominee and 'Grey's Anatomy' star Chandra Wilson steps into the celebrated role of Matron 'Mama' Morton, the reigning cellblock diva of the smash hit musical CHICAGO, for a four-week limited engagement, Monday, June 8 through Sunday, July 5, 2009 at the Ambassador Theatre (219 W. 49th St.).

Michael Donald Edwards, Asolo Repertory Theatre's producing artistic director, announced today his selections for the 2009-2010 season of plays, his fourth season with the company. Asolo Rep's 51ST season kicks off in October with CONTACT, an exciting new musical produced by Asolo Rep in collaboration with the Sarasota Ballet. Other titles on the schedule are THE PERFUME SHOP, SEARCHING FOR EDEN: THE DIARIES OF ADAM AND EVE, THE LIFE OF GALILEO, HEARTS, MANAGING MAXINE, DANCING BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS: THE GINGER MUSICAL, and THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

the stageFARM (Carrie Shaltz, Founder/Executive Director and Alex Kilgore, Artistic Director) has announced the complete cast for the upcoming World Premiere The Gingerbread House by Mark Schultz, directed by Alex Kilgore. Performances begin Friday, April 11th as a visiting production at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater (224 Waverly Place), with Opening Night set for Saturday evening, April 18th at 8 p.m.

BWW's conversations with 'women who run the show' commence with Angelina Fiordellisi, artistic director of the Cherry Lane Theatre.

The Magic Theatre (www.magictheatre.org) April 4 - May 3* American Hwangap a new play by Lloyd Suh directed by Trip Cullman *First preview: April 4 * Press Opening: April 11 Runs Wednesday through Sunday

The Fire Dept Artistic Directors Erica Gould and Audrey Rosenberg have announced that the return of the company's Salon Series-staged readings of new plays, presented in non-proscenium environments that encourage an intimacy between audience and performer, followed by a discussion with the artists and noted guest speakers whose life experiences speak to the issues raised by the material-will begin with The Minotaur by Anna Ziegler (BFF), directed by Erica Gould (Neil LaBute's autobahn and Stand Up), and starring Mario Cantone (Sex and the City), Jill Clayburgh (Dirty Sexy Money, An Unmarried Woman), Campbell Scott (Dying Young, Singles, Longtime Companion), and Jeremy Webb (The Glorious Ones, Kander & Ebb's The Visit) on Friday, March 27 at 7 pm at the historic Players Club, 16 Gramercy Park South at 20th Street. The event will be produced by Audrey Rosenberg (Infamous with Sandra Bullock, upcoming documentary about Barack Obama).

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis will produce the Indiana premiere of Theresa Rebeck's mystery drama Mauritius in its Frank & Katrina Basile Theatre March 5 through April 4, 2009. Rebeck has had numerous productions of plays such as Spike Heels, Bad Dates, and The Family of Mann Off-Broadway, but Mauritius was her first play to be produced on Broadway (by Manhattan Theatre Club, in 2007.) Rebeck has worked as a television writer and producer as well, giving her ample experience in plot twists that must be resolved in a short span of time. Rebeck was looking casually on the Internet one day ('Sometimes I avoid work by just typing things in and seeing what comes up') and discovered photos of rare stamps from a 19th century wealthy man's collection. They were to be auctioned off, and among them were two rare stamps from the tiny island of Mauritius. Rebeck delved deeper into philately - stamp collecting - and loved the idea of the frailty and great value of tiny pieces of paper. Out of her research came a play that explores how flaws, in stamps and in people, can lead to complex human dynamics.

Twenty-three arts journalists have been chosen from 16 states to participate as fellows in the fifth National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater at USC Annenberg. Through the generous support of the NEA, the Institute will be conducted by USC Annenberg?s School of Journalism in Los Angeles from April 14 ?24, 2009.

The Cherry Lane Theatre will present the 11th season of its Obie Award-winning Cherry Lane Mentor Project with the new play HOUSEBREAKING - written by Jakob Holder, mentored by playwright Charles Mee - with performances set to run March 24-April 4 at The Cherry Lane Studio (38 Commerce Street) in Manhattan. Daniella Topol directs.