Van Dirk Fisher News

The AUDELCO Award-winning Riant Theatre held a cocktail reception to celebrate NYC's upcoming Strawberry One-Act Festival. Proceeds from the event went to benefit The Riant Theatre's Youth Empowerment Scholarship Awards, which provides valuable hands-on internships for teenagers and college students in the arts. Scroll down for photos!

The Riant Theatre - the AUDELCO Award-winning nonprofit providing a nurturing developmental environment for playwrights and theatre creators of diverse cultural backgrounds - will hold an afternoon cocktail reception on Saturday, June 17, 2017 from 2 - 4 pm at The Riant Theatre, located at 31 West 34th Street, 7th Floor (btw 5th and 6th Avenues). 

The Riant Theatre -- the Audelco Award-winning nonprofit providing a nurturing developmental environment for playwrights and theatre creators of diverse cultural backgrounds -- proudly presents THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL.

The Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival has announced the winners of the 2016 festival. The awards have been announced at the Closing Night Ceremony and Performance on July 31st at 7pm, at the Theatre at St. Clement's in New York City. Scroll down for photos!

The Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director) is proud to announce the finalists of the 2016 summer one-act play competition.

The Riant Theatre, a nonprofit theatre providing a nurturing environment to playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, proudly presents the 2016 Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival. The Festival opens on July 14th and runs through July 31st. Each festival evening will feature a program of one to four plays out of twenty-nine one-act works presented in competition, and on selected evenings, one of four full-length plays. All performances are presented at the Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue).

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director), a nonprofit theatre supporting playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, held the Launch Party for its annual Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival, which takes place from July 14th-31st. The evening included the presentation of 2016 Pioneer of the Arts Award For Outstanding Achievement In Television and Theatre to the Emmy-winning stage, film and TV actor Joe Morton, Tony Nominee and eight time AUDELCO Award winner, Andre De Shields, the acclaimed Broadway and television actress Barbara Montgomery, and multiple Grammy Award winner, Broadway musical director and arranger Chapman Roberts.

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director), a nonprofit theatre supporting playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, is holding the Launch Party for its annual Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival on Saturday, June 25, 2016, 3pm at the Poet's Den Theatre (309 East 108th Street, NYC). The evening will include the presentation of 2016 Pioneer of the Arts Award For Outstanding Achievement In Television and Theatre to the Emmy-winning stage, film and TV actor Joe Morton, Tony Nominee and eight time AUDELCO Award winner, Andre De Shields, the acclaimed Broadway and television actress Barbara Montgomery, and multiple Grammy Award winner, Broadway musical director and arranger Chapman Roberts. A reception with food, drinks and dancing will follow. Tickets ($50 before June 15th; $60 after that date) are available through The Riant Theatre's website (www.therianttheatre.com) and by calling the box office at 646-623-3488. They can also be purchased (cash only) at the door.

The Riant Theatre, a nonprofit theatre providing a nurturing environment to playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, proudly presents the 2016 Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival. The Festival opens on July 14th and runs through July 31st. Each festival evening will feature a program of one to four plays out of twenty-nine one-act works presented in competition, and on selected evenings, one of four full-length plays. All performances are presented at the Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue).

The Riant Theatre (Van Dirk Fisher, Artistic Director), a nonprofit theatre providing a nurturing environment to playwrights and theatremakers of diverse cultural backgrounds, proudly presents the 29th Season of the Strawberry One-Act and Theatre Festival. The festival opens on July 14th and runs through July 31st. Each evening will feature a program of one to four plays out of twenty-nine one-act works presented in competition, and on selected evenings, one of five full-length plays. All performances are presented at the Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenue, NYC).

The Riant Theatre is not only focusing on live theatre, but is taking theatrical productions virtual with its first Winter Online On-Demand Strawberry One-Act Festival competition. The deadline for submissions of videotaped plays is March 15. There is no fee.

The Riant Theatre's 28th Strawberry One-Act Festival presented the "Best Play Award" to the comedy "Casper, The Not So Friendly Ghost" written by  Domenic Servidio, a senior at New World School of the Arts in Miami, on August 24 at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space.

The Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival will announce winners for Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Video Diary at the Strawberry One-Act Festival Awards Ceremony & Performance on Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street.

The Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival  will host a special LGBT program spotlighting noted African American gay themed films 'Love for Passion' by Nathan Hale Williams and'The Strange Thing About the Johnsons' by Ari Aster together with the play 'Tricks' by Hispanic playwright Byrant Hernandez and directed by Van Dirk Fisher  at Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd St on Wednesday, August 19th at 9pm and at the Poet's Den Theatre, 309 East 108th Street on Saturday, August 22nd at 3pm.

The Riant Theatre has announced the 20 semi-finalists in the 28th Strawberry One-Act Festival competition, who will be presenting performances on Sunday, August 16 from 3:00pm - 11:00pm at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street.

The Riant Theatre presents the premiere of  Lovers, Strangers & What Some People Call Family, a group of nine plays in three acts that explore intimate and mysterious relationships,  during the 28th Strawberry One-Act Festival on August 13, August 18 and August 23 at 8:30pm  at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street.

The Riant Theatre's 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival will showcase a marathon of 21 one-act plays on Sunday, August 9 from 1:00pm - 11:00pm at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street, between Second and Third Avenues.

The Riant Theatre's 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival will kick-off with nine eclectic plays covering a gamut of themes ranging from American slavery, Nazi Germany and Muslim women to friendly ghosts, dead artists and an interracial lesbian couple on Wednesday, August 5 at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street, between Second and Third Avenues. These plays will also be performed on August 9. The tickets for the Strawberry One-Act Festival, from August 5 - 23 at the Tato Laviera, are $25.00 - $35.00  

The Riant Theatre's launch party for the 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival featured a special Pioneer of the Arts Award presentation to South African born, Obie Award winning director Liesl Tommy (Appropriate), who was recently tapped to direct Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o in her first New York play Eclipsed by playwright-actress Danai Guira (The Walking Dead.) Scroll down for photos from the party!

 The Riant Theatre will kick off the  Strawberry One-Act Festival with a launch party and reception  presenting Pioneer of the Arts Awards honoring  Liesl Tommy, Obie winning director from South Africa, and Peter Anthony Andrews, the first African American TV network entertainment vice president, on Sunday, July 26 at the Poet's Den Theatre, 309 East 108th Street from 3:00pm - 7:00pm.  Tickets for the event are $50.