Thornton Wilder News

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present a workshop of the Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical See Rock City & Other Destinations, music by Brad Alexander, book and lyrics by Adam Mathias, June 6 - 13 at The New 42nd Street Studios. The workshop, which is directed by Transport Group artistic director Jack Cummings III, is being presented for an invited audience.

Inspired by Thornton Wilder's 1938 drama of everyday existence, The Ordinary Theater will present the World Premiere of THE JOYS OF FANTASY. Playwright/director Mitchell Polin re-mixes Wilder's classic ideas with literary, theatrical, musical and visual arts innovations to create a wholly original theater experience. This site-specific multimedia production will be presented for a limited engagement beginning July 8 at Twelve21, an 8,000 square foot event space in Chelsea.

Our Town - Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning stage classic about small town life extends through July 11 at The Actors' Gang. Our Town explores the poignancy of everyday life in a quiet New England village in the early years of the 20th century. This timeless play is told through the eyes of the Stage Manager, who allows a girl named Emily to relive a day in her life, then stands back and watches. After exploring her town of Grover's Corners for its daily life, love and marriage, and finally life and death, Emily is left to ask, 'Doesn't anyone ever realize life while they live it?'

Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announced that the Alley Theatre subscription season - the Theatre's 63rd - will combine three world premieres, including Frank Wildhorn's new musical Wonderland, Rajiv Joseph's bold and theatrical Gruesome Playground Injuries and Kenneth Lin's gripping Intelligence-Slave, along with re-imagined productions of the great American classic Our Town by Thornton Wilder and the sublime fantasy Harvey by Mary Chase.

Producers Emanuel Azenberg and Ira Pittelman are pleased to announce casting for THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS - new productions of two of Neil Simon's most beloved and successful works, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. David Cromer (currently represented in New York with the critically acclaimed production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town) directs THE NEIL SIMON PLAYS, which will be performed in repertory at a theatre to be announced.

As the Hackmatack Playhouse of Berwick comes back to life for the 37th summer season, so do the questions. What?s with the different color theater seats? Why is the playhouse called ?Hackmatack?? What?s playing this year?

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present An Evening With...William Finn & Friends on Monday, June 15th at 7:00PM at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Bedford Streets.

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Sunday Symposium, 'A Conversation with A. R. Gurney,' following the Sunday, May 31, 3 p.m. matinee performance of Gurney's vital and insightful family drama, 'Children.'

Continuing its seventh season, Resonance Ensemble (Eric Parness, Artistic Director; Rachel Reiner, Managing Director) is proud to announce the third production in the 2008-09 season. Reflections: An Evening of Short Plays, will include the world premieres of Their Town by Alvin Eng, What Happened Then by Michael Feingold and Compromise by Ian Strasfogel, with revivals of Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett and Swan Song by Anton Chekhov (with a translation by Marian Fell and adaptation by Eric Parness).

Everyman Theatre announces the 2009/2010 Season. Subscriptions are on sale now. Whether you are re-newing your subscription or becoming a subscriber for the first time, Everyman has something for Everyone!

A. Tappan Wilder, nephew of famed playwright Thornton Wilder and literary executor, and cast members of the critically acclaimed (Lucille Lortel Award-winning) production of' Thornton Wilder's Our Town will read selected letters written by Wilder and answer audience questions following tomorrow evening's (Tuesday) 7:30 p.m. performance at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street).

OBIE winner Donna Lynne Champlin, who starred in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, as well as James Joyce's The Dead, By Jeeves and Hollywood Arms, will perform her one-woman show, Finishing the Hat, as a benefit for the Drama Desk Award-winning, off-Broadway theatre company, Transport Group, on Monday, May 11, at 7:00pm, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 West 42 Street, at Ninth Avenue.

Awards were handed out for 14 categories and 2 special awards are announced by the Off-Broadway League for the Lucille Lortel Awards recognizing Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. This year?s ceremony benefits The Actors Fund. A list of nominees follows below.

The producers of the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of' Thornton Wilder's Our Town staged by Obie award-winner David Cromer, have announced that Scott Parkinson will temporarily assume the central role of 'Stage Manager' in this staging of Wilder's timeless play beginning Friday, May 1st. Mr. Comer departs the company for a 5-week hiatus to honor a prior commitment with plans to return in mid-June.

The Whole Backstage Theatre presents an American classic, Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'The Skin of Our Teeth.' Ignoring the limits of time and space, a host of characters and three acts are used to review the history of mankind.

For the fourth consecutive year, The Cleveland Play House presents FusionFest, the only multidisciplinary performing arts festival at a regional theatre in the country, from April 29-May 10, 2009. The festival will offer a sampling of international and 'other-worldly' works, including an ancient Japanese art form, Dogugaeshi, by master puppeteer Basil Twist, performances by Charles Ross of his One-Man Star Wars Trilogy, and a world-premiere adaptation of Thorton Wilder's comic novel Heaven's My Destination, by Tony-award nominee Lee Blessing and commissioned by The Play House expressly for FusionFest with support from The Roe Green Foundation.

The producers of the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of' Thornton Wilder's Our Town staged by Obie award-winner David Cromer, have announced that Scott Parkinson will temporarily assume the central role of 'Stage Manager' in this staging of Wilder's timeless play beginning Friday, May 1st. Mr. Comer departs the company for a 5-week hiatus to honor a prior commitment with plans to return in mid-June.

The Cleveland Play House Artistic Director Michael Bloom announces the world premiere production of Thornton Wilder's novel Heaven's My Destination, adapted by award-winning playwright Lee Blessing. The play is the centerpiece of the fourth annual FusionFest, a multidisciplinary performing arts festival.

Continuing its seventh season, Resonance Ensemble (Eric Parness, Artistic Director; Rachel Reiner, Managing Director) is proud to announce the third production in the 2008-09 season. Reflections: An Evening of Short Plays, will include the world premieres of Their Town by Alvin Eng, What Happened Then by Michael Feingold and Compromise by Ian Strasfogel, with revivals of Catastrophe by Samuel Beckett and Swan Song by Anton Chekhov (with a translation by Marian Fell and adaptation by Eric Parness).

A. Tappan Wilder, nephew of famed playwright Thornton Wilder and literary executor, Obie award-winner David Cromer and cast members of the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of? Thornton Wilder?s Our Town will appear at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center (1972 Broadway) on Friday afternoon, April 17th at 4:00 p.m. in celebration of the playwright?s 112th birthday. Messrs. Wilder, Cromer and cast members will read selected letters written by Wilder and scenes from Our Town followed by a ?Q&A? and book signing.