Thornton Wilder News

Legendary playwright and author Thornton Wilder's nephew and literary executor, Tappan Wilder, discusses the life and legacy of his celebrated uncle, at a special illustrated talk, "Thornton Wilder's Versatile Pen." Presented by the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company A Noise Within (ANW), this talk takes place on Sunday, May 5, 2013, 5:30 p.m., at its Pasadena theatre.

Timeless slice of life from Thornton Wilder still hits us where we live.

'Hello Dolly...it's so nice to have you back where you belong.' I have to admit, prior to seeing the ebullient production of 'Hello Dolly!' at Georgia Ensemble Theatre, I generally considered the musical, by Jerry Herman (music and lyrics) and Michael Stewart (book), to be a relic of a bygone era, based on a play of an era even more bygone (Thornton Wilder's 1938 comedy 'The Merchant of Yonkers,' reworked as 'The Matchmaker' in 1955). However, after seeing this joyful production, directed by Suzi Award winner Heidi Cline McKerley, I must concede that this heart-warmingly energetic show is in fact back where it belongs, on stage entertaining audiences young and old.

National Asian Artists Project presents a Rediscover Series production of the Broadway classic, HELLO, DOLLY!, by Jerry Herman (music/lyrics) and Michael Stewart (book). Performances April 29th and May 6th at 7:30 PM. Two Performances ONLY- to Benefit National Asian Artists Project.

Theatre for a New Audience, whose vision is based on its core commitment to ideas, to language, and to artists and audiences, has scheduled the first three of its new Open Books Series of free lectures beginning Thursday, April 25, at 6:00pm with Kenneth Gross, author of Puppet: An Essay on Uncanny Life (University of Chicago Press, 2011), and continuing with Penelope Niven, author of Thornton Wilder: A Life (Harper, 2012) Tuesday, May 21,at 5:00pm and Jonathan Kalb, author of Great Lengths: Seven Works of Marathon Theater (University of Michigan Press, 2011), Thursday, May 30, at 6:00pm.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is seeking volunteers to assist with ushering, concessions, and its gift shop for the Theatre's 2013 Season which begins May 29th. The Shakespeare Theatre will hold a Volunteer Open House on Thursday, May 9 at 6 p.m. at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Avenue, in Madison. Community members interested in volunteering are invited to attend this open house to find out more about The Shakespeare Theatre and volunteer opportunities; meet the professional management staff; mingle with veteran volunteers; and to learn about the 2013 Season from Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte. For more information, call 973-408-3694.

Artists' Exchange gathered a solid ensemble of local actors for their production of 'Our Town,' and this group makes the most of each and every character portrayed on stage.

Thornton Wilder's classic play Our Town, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is the story of a small community and the ordinary lives of its inhabitants, told with a sensitivity and quiet wisdom that ultimately captures the heart of the human experience and what connects us all.

Amas Musical Theatre's (Donna Trinkoff, Producing Artistic Director) Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Company will present the Tony Award winning musical Hello Dolly, featuring the Teen Academy, directed by Christopher Scott, choreography by Monica Johnson and musical direction by Sam Wilmott. Performances for Hello Dolly will begin on Friday, May 3 and run through May 12, 2013 at The LABA Theatre at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street). Tickets are $16/ Children & $20/ Adults and can be purchased by calling Ovation Tix at 212 352 3101 or by visiting https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9769498.

Composer Stephen Sondheim will receive the 54th Edward MacDowell Medal, it was revealed today. Awarded by The MacDowell Colony, one of the nation's leading artist residency programs, The MacDowell Medal has been awarded annually to an individual artist who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her field.

Georgia Ensemble Theatre (GET), North Fulton's only professional theatre company, will close its 2012-2013 20th anniversary season-long celebration with the classic Broadway musical, Hello, Dolly! by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart, directed by Heidi Cline McKerley running April 11-28, 2013, at the Theatre's home, the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest Street, Roswell, GA. This production is generously sponsored by the Kimberly-Clark Corporation.

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, offers a free, one-night-only reading of SARAH RUHL's humorous and heartbreaking LATE: A COWBOY SONG on Wednesday, April 17, 7 pm, as part of its "Words Within" reading series at its Pasadena theatre. Directed by Susan Angelo and featuring A Noise Within resident artists, Ruhl's genre-defying ode to the contemporary cowboy pays homage to Frank Capra's iconic film It's a Wonderful Life. In her signature quirky style, the two-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright utilizes convention only to break with it, offering a meditation on the idiosyncrasies of American culture while challenging definitions of love, partnership, gender and tradition. The Chicago Times describes the work, which premiered in 2010, as "gentle and knowing" and "a play about all manner of uncertainties." The New City Chicago critic proclaimed, "I wouldn't be surprised if Late: A Cowboy Song quickly becomes a modern classic."

Thornton Wilder's classic play Our Town, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, is the story of a small community and the ordinary lives of its inhabitants, told with a sensitivity and quiet wisdom that ultimately captures the heart of the human experience and what connects us all.

In the midst of hosting one of the nation's most influential festivals of new work, the Humana Festival of New American Plays, Artistic Director Les Waters and Managing Director Jennifer Bielstein are thrilled to announce Actors Theatre of Louisville's 50th Anniversary Season lineup. From a grassroots theatrical venture housed in a small loft space on Fourth Street, Actors Theatre has grown into one of the most important regional theatre companies in America, and occupies almost an entire square block in the heart of downtown Louisville. Actors Theatre's 2013-2014 Brown-Forman Series,demonstrates the theatre's commitment to engage and inspire its community with a diverse lineup of work that includes American theatre classics, fresh adaptations, Broadway hits and a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama.

Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co presents the Chicago premiere of The Brig by Kenneth Brown, directed by Jennifer Markowitz.

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, concludes its 21st season with the West Coast premiere of GEORGE FARQUHAR'S THE BEAUX' STRATAGEM, a hilarious period yet contemporary "buddy road trip" filled with eccentric characters adapted by THORNTON WILDER and KEN LUDWIG, opening Saturday, April 6 and closing Sunday, May 26, 2013 (previews begin Saturday, March 30). Set in the early 1700's in the English countryside, two girl-crazy young adventures are on the road-trip of their lives when, out of the blue, they find themselves hopelessly in love. Co-Producing Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott directs the play, which is the remarkable creation of three playwrights working in three different centuries. Described as "sheer laugh-out-loud fun" (The Free Lance-Star), the play "glides confidently from silly to wry, from the pratfall to the riposte" (The Washington Post) and is "a delightful romp that seamlessly reaches across the centuries to combine the old with the new" (Theater Mania). The run includes a 'Pay What You Can" date on Thursday, April 4.

In preparation for Ford's Theatre Society and Signature Theatre's co-presentation of the Tony-winning musical HELLO, DOLLY!, which will be directed by Eric Schaeffer and runs March 15 through May 18, 2013 in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post conducted a series of interviews with those involved onstage and behind the scenes during the original Broadway production.

Transport Group, the Drama Desk and OBIE award-winning theatre company, has announced that the New York premiere of a new musical, The Memory Show, book and lyrics by Sara Cooper; music by Zach Redler; directed by Joe Calarco, will begin performances Tuesday, April 16, at 7pm at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project, at 229 West 42nd Street. The Memory Show features Catherine Cox and Leslie Kritzer. Opening night is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 at 7pm.

Rubicon Theatre of Ventura presents the centerpiece of the company's 15th Anniversary 'Our Town/Your Theatre' Season, with Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic Our Town. This year marks not only Rubicon's 15th anniversary, but also the 75th Anniversary of Our Town's first production, which is being celebrated nationally. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production below!

Huntington Theatre Company has received 35 IRNE Award nominations from the Independent Reviewers of New England, the most of any small or large theatre company in the region. The Committee recognized six of the eight productions the Huntington produced in 2012 with the following nominations.