Vanessa Redgrave News

The Public Theater presents the free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, tonight, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whitney Bashor, Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, author E.L. Doctorow, Jackie Hoffman, Justin Levine, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, and Micah Stock join this exciting evening, which will celebrate Shakespeare and the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro.

The Ensemble for the Romantic Century (ERC) returns to Lenox, Massachusetts, for the second consecutive summer, with 12 performances of the fully staged theatrical concert, Beethoven Love Elegies. With a script drawn from Beethoven's letters and diaries and accounts by his contemporaries, interwoven with performances of some of his greatest music, this poignant, humorous, and emotionally intense production dramatizes Beethoven's young years in Vienna and his search for the perfect wife. Actor Kire Tosevski as Beethoven heads an outstanding company of five esteemed actors and four musicians (violinist Rachel Lee Priday, cellist Sebastian Bäverstam, pianist Eve Wolf, and baritone Chad Sloane).

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Women's Project Theater is going through some major changes. A national search has begun for a new Artistic Director to lead the company for the coming 2014-15 season and beyond. The new Artistic Director will succeed Julie Crosby, who recently departed the company as Producing Artistic Director, a position she held since 2006. During her tenure, Ms. Crosby led and nurtured the institution immeasurably, producing more than 25 plays by women playwrights and directors, and championing the careers of its alumnae lab artists.

In ABC's new medical drama BLACK BOX, Australian actor Ditch Davey plays brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Ian Bickman. New to the state-of-the-art facility known as The Cube, the arrogant surgeon forms an instant, explosive relationship with colleague Dr. Catherine Black (Kelly Reilly). Yesterday, BWW spoke to Davey about the show's focus on mental illness, and how he views the burgeoning relationship between Drs. Bickman and Black.

The Public Theater announced additional casting today for the free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, on Monday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Whitney Bashor, Annette Bening, Jessica Chastain, author E.L. Doctorow, Jackie Hoffman, Justin Levine, Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson, and Micah Stock join this exciting evening which will celebrate Shakespeare and the newly released Library of America book, Shakespeare in America, edited by Public Theater Shakespeare Scholar in Residence James Shapiro.

According to pictures on PerezHilton GLEE star Chris Colfer waited in line at a Barnes & Noble yesterday to get his copy of Hilary Clinton's memoir 'Hard Choices' autographed by the former First Lady.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater's Artistic Director David Van Asselt and Managing Director Brian Long have announced the World Premiere of The Long Shrift, written by Robert Boswell and directed by James Franco, will begin previews July 7th, 2014. The official opening night is set for July 13th, 2014 and closing night is August 23rd, 2014.

Recently, Kelly Reilly, star of ABC's BLACK BOX, spoke to BroadwayWorld about the challenges of playing such a complex character, and working alongside her hero, Vanessa Redgrave. With her soft-spoken British accent, it was clear that Kelly is very passionate about the story her show is telling.

Fresh off its recent Tchaikovsky production at BAM Fisher, the Ensemble of the Romantic Century (ERC) presents another fully staged theatrical concert interweaving drama and music about one of the most famous trials of the 19th century. Delivered by a top-caliber cast in an intimate setting, The Trial of Oscar Wilde focuses on the tragic shackling, public scrutiny, and subsequent imprisonment of the homosexual playwright/writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). A script based on Wilde's correspondence, plays, and short stories (performed by Broadway's Michael Halling as Oscar Wilde and esteemed Robert Ian Mackenzie as Lord Queensbury) provides a dramatic backdrop for chamber music by French and English composers from the late 19th and early 20th centuries including Chausson's masterful Concerto for violin, piano and string quartet, and works by Satie, Elgar, Faure and Franck in performances by the dynamic Amphion String Quartet, violinist Susie Park, pianist Max Barros and a romping barbershop quartet.

Barefoot Theatre Company and the SVA Film Department (Reeves Lehmann, Chair) presents the 15th Anniversary star-studded Barefoot Gala & Awards Ceremony produced by Artistic Director Francisco Solorzano (Floating Sunflowers, Love Simple, Sins of the Mother), Producing Director Christopher Whalen (Sins of the Mother, PS. I Love You), Associate Producing Director Danelle Eliav (Emoticon; Carnival Kids) and company members Raye Levine (Pirate, Other Histories) and Daniella Rabbani (Nina at Primary Stages).

Tickets are now on sale for The River, a new play by Jez Butterworth, starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo, and directed by Ian Rickson.

General on-sale will begin on Monday, June 16 at 12:01 AM for THE RIVER, a new play by Jez Butterworth, starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo, and directed by Ian Rickson. The production is currently on sale to American Express cardholders only.

Today it is BroadwayWorld's extreme honor to bring you an exclusive and extensive discussion with one of the finest American actors in history all about his legendary career onstage and on screens large and small - the commanding and versatile two-time Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-winning James Earl Jones. Touching upon much of his internationally regarded iconography as well as looking ahead to current and future endeavors, Jones eloquently expresses his observations on acting, art, humanity and life itself. Focusing on the ScreenVision presentation of Alfred Uhry's DRIVING MISS DAISY starring opposite fellow icon and InDepth InterView participant Dame Angela Lansbury, Jones astutely outlines the themes of the touching Southern drama depicting the unlikely friendship between an uptight society woman and her dedicated chauffer as well as opens up about his own experiences with culture clashes and race in his life. Additionally, Jones juxtaposes his observations of working alongside Vanessa Redgrave on the Broadway and West End iterations of the play versus the Australian tour with Lansbury which has now been preserved on film and is being shown in movie theaters across the country throughout this month. Plus, Jones reveals some of his own favorite moments in the powerful play and dissects the dynamics of his dense and complex characterization of Hoke in the piece and how he sees Hoke's relationship to that of Daisy (Lansbury) and her son, Boolie (played by Boyd Gaines). Besides all about DRIVING MISS DAISY, Jones also previews his upcoming Broadway return in the recently announced revival of the classic Kaufmann & Hart chestnut YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU and expresses his thoughts on the multi-racial casting planned for the hotly anticipated production. Furthermore, Jones looks back at some of his most fondly remembered roles to date - ranging from the voice of Darth Vader in STAR WARS and Mufasa in THE LION KING, to his seminal work in films such as DR. STRANGELOVE, CLAUDINE, CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY, FIELD OF DREAMS and more. All of that, his thoughts on the upcoming STAR WARS sequels currently in production, observations on his role in the new feature film comedy THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN, memories of his Shakespeare In The Park KING LEAR (available on DVD), his Tony Award-winning work in August Wilson's FENCES as well as much, much more!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) announced today that a special free one-night event, PUBLIC FORUM: SHAKESPEARE IN AMERICA, will take place on Monday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m. at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, with a line-up that includes Sarah Amengual, Michael Cerveris, Colman Domingo, James Earl Jones, Cynthia Nixon, Annie-B Parson, Steven Pasquale, and Michael Stuhlbarg, celebrating the world's greatest writer, American-style. Highlights of the evening will include James Earl Jones reading a scene from Othello, marking his return to the Delacorte after a 40-year absence and celebrating the 50th anniversary of his playing Othello on the Delacorte stage; Michael Cerveris reading a letter by John Wilkes Booth; and Steven Pasquale singing Tony in the "Tonight" duet from West Side Story.

American Express pre-sale for THE RIVER, a new play by Jez Butterworth, starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Donnelly and Cush Jumbo, and directed by Ian Rickson, will begin on Wednesday, May 28 at 10:00 AM. General on sale for the production will begin on Monday, June 16 at 12:01 AM.

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, actor and playwright Matthew Cowles passed away in his home on May 22nd at 69 years old. Below, BroadwayWorld remembers the ate actor.

Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will feature 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.

Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's MISS SAIGON makes its highly anticipated return to London tonight, May 21, 2014 at the Prince Edward Theatre, in the musical's 25th anniversary year. Let's see what the critics had to say...

Sony Pictures Classics has debuted the first official trailer from FOXCATCHER, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum

Sony Pictures Classics has debuted the first clip from FOXCATCHER, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Vanessa Redgrave