Vital Theatre Company News

A selection of 40 short plays, chosen from over 450 submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies nationwide will be presented at the 33rd Annual Samuel French Inc.Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival on July 15th.

Ars Nova presents, as part of the Out Loud series, a FREE reading of: GOOD EGG by Dorothy Fortenberry, directed by Jackson Gay. GOOD EGG Responsible Meg has always taken care of her bipolar younger brother Matt. But when she decides to get pregnant-and have her embryos screened for bipolar disorder-is she taking the idea of 'being responsible' too far? A funny and surprising play about bioethics, siblings, and the limits of unconditional love. Dorothy Fortenberry recently graduated from the Yale School of Drama with an MFA in Playwriting. Yale School of Drama: Good Egg (directed by Snehal Desai), Bibles and Candy (directed by Mike Donahue), After the Flood (directed by Shana Cooper). Yale Cabaret: Bicycling for Ladies (music by Colin Wambsgans, directed by Becca Wolff), We're Celebrities, We're Just Not Famous Yet (directed by Becca Wolff) and the solo piece Paint Show. Her work has been developed at Arena Stage, Perishable Theatre, Studio 42, and The Tank, and produced by Journeyman Productions and Vital Theatre Company. She is the winner of the ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama and the Jane Chambers Student Playwriting Award. Jackson Gay's recent directing credits include Carly Mensch's Len, Asleep in Vinyl (Second Stage Uptown); Lucy Thurber's Scarcity, Kia Corthron's Master Disaster, Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theater Company); Works & Process with Jennifer Tipton (Guggenheim Museum); Thurber's Stay (Rattlestick); f**k You, Eu.ro.Pa! (Play Company); David Adjmi's Marie Antoinette (Sundance Institute Theatre Lab/Public Theater); Best Production Connecticut Critic's Award Jenny Chow (Yale Rep) . UPCOMING: Jason Grote's Box Americana (Eugene O'Neill Playwright's Conference); Workshop of Saviana Stanescu's For a Barbarian Woman (Long Wharf / International Festival of Arts & Ideas); Andy Bragen's Mother Earth (Minneapolis' PlayLabs); Made In Poland, by Przemys Taw Wojcieszek. (Play Company); A Year With Frog and Toad (Two River Theater); End Days, by Deborah Zoe Laufer (People's Light and Theater Company). Founder of the film production company YARN, whose upcoming projects include Sugar Land, by Lucy Thurber. Recipient of the Jonathan Alper Directing Fellowship at Manhattan Theatre Club, the Williamstown Theater Festival Directing Fellowship and the Drama League's New Directors/New Works Fellowship. MFA Directing Yale School of Drama. Since 2002, OUT LOUD has attracted a variety of the industry's top artists, including writers Stephen Belber, Jorge Cortinas, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Rinne Groff, Jordan Harrison, Rolin Jones, Adam Rapp, Sarah Ruhl and Christopher Shinn; directors Peter Askin, Jo Bonney, Trip Cullman, David Esbjornson, Moises Kaufman, James Lapine, Lisa Peterson and Leigh Silverman; and actors Jason Biggs, Robert Sean Leonard, Marsha Mason, Denis O'Hare, Rosie Perez, Paul Rudd, Mercedes Reuhl, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Swoosie Kurtz, David Strathairn and Fred Weller. Many OUT LOUD plays have gone on to receive full New York productions, including: Liz Flahive's From Up Here, Adam Bock's Swimming In The Shallows, Rinne Groff's The Ruby Sunrise, Daniel Goldfarb's Modern Orthodox, Elizabeth Meriwether's The Mistakes Madeline Made and Beau Willimon's Lower Ninth. Two Out Loud plays have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize: Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design Of Jenny Chow and Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House. Ticket & Schedule Information GOOD EGG will be read on Monday, June 23 at 7 PM. The Out Loud Series is FREE and open to the public. Reservations are required. Please call 212-977-1700 or email rsvp@arsnovanyc.com. Ars Nova is located at 511 West 54th Street. For more information, check out www.arsnovanyc.com. As New York's premiere hub for emerging artists and new work, Ars Nova is committed to developing and producing eclectic theatre, comedy and music to feed today's popular culture. To that end, Ars Nova strives to create daring collaborations, meld disciplines and give voice to a new generation of artists. Past productions include Boom, Dixie's Tupperware Party, At Least It's Pink, 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, Holy Cross Sucks!, Freestyle Love Supreme and The Wau Wau Sisters. In addition to its featured productions, Ars Nova supports and develops new work from the most promising emerging artists through its alternative comedy series (Tragedy Tomorrow), music series (Uncharted), public play-reading series (Out Loud), writer's group (Play Group) and artist-in-residence program. Ars Nova was founded in memory of Gabe Wiener. For more information, visit www.arsnovanyc.com.

A selection of 40 short plays, chosen from over 450 submissions by playwriting workshops, university theatre programs, and professional companies nationwide will be presented at the 33rd Annual Samuel French Inc. Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival on July 15th at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (416 West 42nd Street).

New Repertory Theatre announces the extension of My Name is Rachel Corrie. My Name is Rachel Corrie and Pieces, two solo plays, each about a young woman whose coming of age took place within the context of the Israeli/Palestinian situation run in rotating repertory until March 30, 2008. My Name is Rachel Corrie will extend until April 5, 2008. Both shows play at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown.

Vital Theatre Company is pleased to announce that it will be transferring its production of A (Tooth) Fairy Tale to off-Broadway's Soho Playhouse following the conclusion of its sold-out run at The McGinn Cazale Theatre ending Sunday, February 24.

Vital Children's Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of its hit production of Pinkalicious, The Musical, with book and lyrics by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann, music, lyrics and orchestrations by John Gregor, and based on the book 'Pinkalicious' by Elizabeth Kann and Victoria Kann. The production is directed by Teresa K. Pond. Featured in the company are Greg Barresi, Erin Wegner Brooks, Molly Gilman, Mathew Pelliccia and Meg Phillips.

The Littlest Light on the Christmas Tree, the animated film which won the 'Best Animated Feature' Accolades Award, has been adapted as a stage musical for young audiences and will premiere in New York City at Vital Theatre Company for a special limited engagement this holiday season now through January 6.

Vital Theatre Company is pleased to present its twelfth installment of 'Vital Signs,' the company's annual new works festival. The three-part series begins Thursday, November 29 at 7PM, and runs Thursday through Sunday until December 16.

The Littlest Light on the Christmas Tree, the animated film which won the 'Best Animated Feature' Accolades Award, has been adapted as a stage musical for young audiences and will premiere in New York City at Vital Theatre Company (2162 Broadway, 4th Floor) for a special limited engagement starting December 8 through January 6.

The limited Off-Broadway engagement of The Lady Swims Today concludes this Sunday, October 21. Robert Funaro ('The Sopranos') leads the cast of The Lady Swims Today, a new play by H.G. Brown, directed by Stephen Sunderlin at the TADA Theater (15 West 28 Street, between Broadway & Fifth Ave.) Also featured in the cast are Kelli K. Barnett, Vivienne Leheny, Jack Rodgerson, Rob Sheridan, Gordon Silva, and Kate Udall.

Robert Funaro leads the cast of The Lady Swims Today, a new play by H.G. Brown, directed by Stephen Sunderlin. Performances began September 13 at the TADA Theater, 15 West 28 Street (between Broadway & Fifth Ave.) The official opening night is Sunday, September 23.

Robert Funaro will lead the cast of The Lady Swims Today, a new play by H.G. Brown, directed by Stephen Sunderlin. Off-Broadway performances begin Thursday, September 13 at the TADA Theatre, 15 West 28 Street

Boy Howdy Productions has announced the cast and performance dates of the new play Madonna and Child and Other Divas, written by Tom Johnson and directed by Julie Hamberg to be presented at the New York International Fringe Festival/ FringeNYC in August.

Peculiar Works Project, producers of the acclaimed site-specific performance, OFF Stage: the West Village Fragments, will present 'BANG! For Your Buck'

Vital Children's Theatre will present The Game Boy, an original musical for children with book and lyrics by Robin Rothstein, and music and lyrics by Matthe Gandolfo.

Vital Children's Theatre has announced that its current production of Pinkalicious, The Musical will be moving to the SoHo Playhouse for an open ended run beginning Saturday, March 3rd.

The Vital Children's Theatre will open, 'Pinkalicious, The Musical' beginning January 13th.

Vital Children's Theatre will present Pinkalicious, an original musical for children with book and lyrics by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann, and music and lyrics by John Gregor

Presented as a co-production between HoNkBarK! and Vital Theatre Company, William Wycherley's ribald Restoration play The Country Wife will run from January 5, 2007 through January 27, 2007 at the McGinn Cazale Theatre in NYC. Previews begin Jan. 5 for a Jan. 8 opening