WPA Theatre News

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. The Trumpet of the Swan, part of the Jack Elliott Family Concert Series, runs for a limited engagement, this weekend, May 2 - 4, 2014 at the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by Tony Award-winning composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) is pleased to celebrate women working in theatre with four special events in the month of May. The events include the oral history of Tony-winning actress Bebe Neuwirth on May 5th, a benefit performance of Forever written and performed by award-winner Dael Orlandersmith on May 6th at HERE, May 8th is the second annual advocacy march through Times Square, and May 12th is a networking event on Theatre and Other Careers.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts presents The Trumpet of the Swan, A Novel Symphony for Actors and Orchestra, adapted by Marsha Norman from E.B. White's timeless children's novel, with music by composer, Jason Robert Brown. Norman and Brown are also currently represented on Broadway with the new musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. The Trumpet of the Swan, part of the Jack Elliott Family Concert Series, runs for a limited engagement, May 2 - 4, 2014 at the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

The League of Professional Theatre Women is pleased to present Award-winning actress BEBE NEUWIRTH for the next Oral History interview on Monday, May 5, 2014 at 6:00 pm at the Bruno Walter Auditorium of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on 65th Street & Amsterdam Avenue. Ms. Neuwirth will be interviewed by arts journalist Patrick Pacheco. Admission is free, but seats will be on a first-come-first-seated basis.

Long Wharf Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein and Managing Director Joshua Borenstein, will present The Last Five Years, written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, from May 7 through June 1, 2014 on the Claire Tow Stage in the C. Newton Schenck III Theatre.

VOW is an inaugural and extremely ambitious musical theatre workshop being presented by the Marymount Manhattan College Musical Theatre Program (Pat Hoag Simon, Coordinator for Musical Theatre) and The Directory Of Contemporary Musical Theatre Writers (David Sisco, Founder & Curator) that opens wide the creative process of the Broadway musical theatre industry to twenty very fortunate musical theatre students currently enrolled in Marymount Manhattan College's progressive Musical Theatre Program.

'Versailles' by Richard Ploetz is a dark and winding tale of a 28-year old single mother and 'party girl' fighting against desperate circumstances and dead-end relationships in a seedy North Florida community. Estranged from her family, her youth and beauty fading, she works as a pole dancer and tests her sexual powers on her boyfriend, her boss and her neighbors until a mysterious figure, Mr. Mason, appears, who may bring her deliverance or further entrap her. Her jagged story will be told February 20 to March 9 at Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., presented by Nedworks Inc. Ian Streicher directs.

VOW is an inaugural and extremely ambitious musical theatre workshop being presented by the Marymount Manhattan College Musical Theatre Program (Pat Hoag Simon, Coordinator for Musical Theatre) and The Directory Of Contemporary Musical Theatre Writers (David Sisco, Founder & Curator) that opens wide the creative process of the Broadway musical theatre industry to twenty very fortunate musical theatre students currently enrolled in Marymount Manhattan College's progressive Musical Theatre Program.

Mikhail Baryshnikov serves as the Honorary Chairman for Uptown Downtown, a special one-night-only extravaganza to benefit the Abrons Arts Center on October 14. Bringing together the brightest lights of New York City's uptown and downtown performance scenes, the evening will feature Kyle Abraham, Joey Arias, Jack Ferver + James Whiteside, Ellen Greene, Robert La Fosse, Bebe Neuwirth, Philippe Petit, and other special guests. Lance Horne serves as Musical Director.

The Harvard Department of Music and the Office for the Arts at Harvard have announced the appointment of Jason Robert Brown as Blodgett Artist-in-Residence during the spring of 2014. A celebrated American composer, Brown has been hailed as 'one of Broadway's smartest and most sophisticated songwriters since Stephen Sondheim' (Philadelphia Inquirer). He is known best as the award-winning composer and lyricist of the musical The Last 5 Years, and the Tony-award winning composer of Parade.

Little Shop of Horrors, with Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Music by Alan Menken, Based on the film by Roger Corman, Screen play by Charles Griffith and originally produced by the WPA Theatre (Klye Renick, Producing Director), as well as the Orpheum Theatre, New York City by the WPA Theatre, David Geffen, Cameron Mackintosh and the Shubert Organization, will be directed by Adam Ewing with musical direction by Anne Britt at the Gallery Theater.

Little Shop of Horrors, with Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman and Music by Alan Menken, Based on the film by Roger Corman, Screen play by Charles Griffith and originally produced by the WPA Theatre (Klye Renick, Producing Director), as well as the Orpheum Theatre, New York City by the WPA Theatre, David Geffen, Cameron Mackintosh and the Shubert Organization, will be directed by Adam Ewing with musical direction by Anne Britt at the Gallery Theater.

As the dog days of summer needlessly drag on in Houston, enveloping the city in oppressive heat, Michael J. Ross' MJR Theatricals | Music Box Musicals is presenting LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Roger Corman's notorious 1960 low-budget horror-themed comedy The Little Shop of Horrors serves as the basis for this cult favorite and classic musical. The cherished musical premiered on May 6, 1982 at the Workshop of the Players' Art (WPA) Theatre. It went on to garner critical acclaim Off-Broadway when it opened on July 27, 1982 at the Orpheum Theatre. The Off-Broadway production enjoyed 2,209 performances across its 5 year run. Its popularity and notoriety lead to the 1986 film adaption of the musical as well. 31 years later, the musical is still a favorite among producers and audiences alike, and MJR Theatricals | Music Box Musicals' production easily proves why.

THE LOUDEST MAN ON EARTH plays atTheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto tonight, July 10 - August 4.

THE LOUDEST MAN ON EARTH plays atTheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto July 10 - August 4. For tickets ($19-$73) and information the public may call (650) 463-1960 or visit www.theatreworks.org.

Bay Street Theatre presents THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, written by Charles Ludlam and directed by Kenneth Elliott, as the second production in its 2013 summer Mainstage season following the hysterical comedy, LEND ME A TENOR playing through June 23. THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP runs today, July 2 - 28 and stars Tom Aulino and 5 time Obie Award winning actor David Greenspan.

Bay Street Theatre presents THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP, written by Charles Ludlam and directed by Kenneth Elliott, as the second production in its 2013 summer Mainstage season following the hysterical comedy, LEND ME A TENOR playing through June 23. THE MYSTERY OF IRMA VEP runs July 2 - 28 and stars Tom Aulino and 5 time Obie Award winning actor David Greenspan. Tickets are $59.50 and $69.50 with subscriptions to all 3 Mainstage productions starting at $138. For more information call the Box Office at 631-725-9500 or buy online at www.baystreet.org. July 2 will be a "Pay What You Can" performance with a limited number of tickets available on that date after 2 pm at the Bay Street Theatre Box Office. Please note that due to the fireworks display in Sag Harbor, the July 6 performance will be at 7 pm.