Walnut Street Theatre News

The Andak Stage Company announces the sixth world premiere of their first three seasons.

Theatre Exile's final production of their 12th season is the classic, American Buffalo by Pulitzer Prize-winning, David Mamet. Directed by Associate Artistic Director and 2008 F. Otto Haas Award winner, Matt Pfeiffer. The show runs April 9 - May 3 at Plays and Players Theatre. American Buffalo is recommended for mature audiences.

Last season the Walnut?s young audiences had a blast seeing Cinderella for our 2008 Kids? Series. This year?s show is a different ?matter? entirely, bringing Philadelphia?s own Berenstain Bears to life! Join us for our 2009 WST For Kids production of The Berenstain Bears? Family Matters. This hilarious world premiere musical, created by Michael Borton, takes three beloved Berenstain Bears tales and weaves them into one big adventure! The Berenstain Bears Family Matters runs at 11am on March 21 and April 4; 10:30am on March 20, 27 and April 2; and at 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm on March 28.

The Walnut Street Theatre continues its landmark 200th anniversary season with Born Yesterday - Garson Kanin's brilliant blend of satire, comedy and laughter. Directed by Mark Clements, this all-new production starts March 10, opens March 18 and runs through April 26 on the Walnut Mainstage.

Following the success of their last season where they were named one of nytheatre.com's 'People of the Year', Flux Theatre Ensemble will produce 3 plays in its 2009/10 season. Last year, Flux's A Midsummer Night's Dream was a Backstage Magazine 'pick' and was called 'immediately accessible and thematically adventurous' by Theatermania. For their New York Fringe production of Other Bodies, Heather Cohn won a Fringe Excellence Award for Outstanding Direction and Flux's ambitious Angel Eaters Trilogy received accolades from critics for being 'wildly ambitious', 'a veritable festival of theatre' and 'a model for other brave artists and production companies.'

Emmy-nominated Paul Anthony Stewart stars as Raskolnikov in a gripping 90-minute adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment at The Cleveland Play House. In addition to numerous New York and regional theatre roles, Stewart, who was nominated for his recurring role on 'Guiding Light,' recently appeared on Broadway in the revivals of Fiddler on the Roof and Cyrano - The Musical. Performed with only three actors, the adaptation of Crime and Punishment by Marilyn Campbell and Cut Columbus is being helmed by the acclaimed director of the 2005 Play House production of I Am My Own Wife, Anders Cato. Crime and Punishment begins in the Drury Theatre at The Cleveland Play House on Friday, February 27 and runs through Sunday, March 22, 2009. Tickets are on sale now at The Cleveland Play House box office by calling 216.795.7000 ext 4 or online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com. Crime and Punishment is presented in promotional partnership with National City and Baker & Hostetler.

The Walnut Street Theatre?s 2008-2009 Independence Studio on 3 season continues with Honor and the River, Anton Dudley?s powerful coming of age story about deep rivers and deeper emotions. Directed by Thomas Reing, Honor and the River starts on February 24, opens on February 26 and closes March 15.

After 23 years of guiding Totem Pole Playhouse into national prominence as a premiere professional summer theatre, Carl Schurr and Wil Love are stepping down at the end of the 2008 season. As Producing Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director, respectively, this theatrical duo has produced, directed and acted in well over one hundred productions since assuming their current positions in 1985. Ray Ficca, long time friend of Schurr and Love and a resident company member at the Playhouse will become the artistic director in September of this year.

Back by popular demand, Steven Brinberg (Winner of New York City Mac and Bistro Award for Best Cabaret) returns to the Rising Action as everyone's favorite diva, Barbra Streisand -- with a NEW show that salutes Oscar-winning songs. Simply Barbra Salutes the Oscars plays February 19, 2009 to March 15, 2009

The producers of ROCK OF AGES announced the complete, awesome cast for Broadway's new, smash hit musical today. Constantine Maroulis, ('American Idol' Season 4, Broadway's The Wedding Singer, RENT) reprising his critically acclaimed role as 'Drew', is now joined by Broadway's best 1970's & 1980's period actors Amy Spanger (The Wedding Singer, Kiss Me Kate) as 'Sherrie' and James Carpinello (Saturday Night Fever, VH1's 'So NoTORIous') as 'Stacee Jaxx'.

People's Light & Theatre Company presents the East Coast Premiere of Dwayne Hartford's new adaptation of A TALE OF TWO CITIES from the classic novel by Charles Dickens. A TALE OF TWO CITIES runs from March 11 - May 3, 2009, on the Main Stage. Co-Founder Ken Marini directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern. For tickets call 610-644-3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org. A TALE OF TWO CITIES is part of the Target Family Discovery Series and is part of the U.S. Airways New Plays Festival for Families.

The Walnut Street Theatre continues its landmark 200th anniversary season with Born Yesterday - Garson Kanin's brilliant blend of satire, comedy and laughter. Directed by Mark Clements, this all-new production starts March 10, opens March 18 and runs through April 26 on the Walnut Mainstage.

For almost a decade, Steven has toured with Marvin Hamlisch in guest appearances with Symphony Orchestras including The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Pittsburgh,(also featuring Barbara Cook) Oklahoma City, Denver, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Norfolk,Dallas, and Ft Worth.

The Andak Stage Company announces the sixth world premiere of their first three seasons.

The Walnut Street Theatre?s 2008-2009 Independence Studio on 3 season continues with Honor and the River, Anton Dudley?s powerful coming of age story about deep rivers and deeper emotions. Directed by Thomas Reing, Honor and the River starts on February 24, opens on February 26 and closes March 15.

Emmy-nominated Paul Anthony Stewart stars as Raskolnikov in a gripping 90-minute adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment at The Cleveland Play House. In addition to numerous New York and regional theatre roles, Stewart, who was nominated for his recurring role on 'Guiding Light,' recently appeared on Broadway in the revivals of Fiddler on the Roof and Cyrano - The Musical. Performed with only three actors, the adaptation of Crime and Punishment by Marilyn Campbell and Cut Columbus is being helmed by the acclaimed director of the 2005 Play House production of I Am My Own Wife, Anders Cato. Crime and Punishment begins in the Drury Theatre at The Cleveland Play House on Friday, February 27 and runs through Sunday, March 22, 2009. Tickets are on sale now at The Cleveland Play House box office by calling 216.795.7000 ext 4 or online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com. Crime and Punishment is presented in promotional partnership with National City and Baker & Hostetler.

Theatre Exile's 12th season is in full swing with the Philadelphia premiere of Blackbird by David Harrower, the 2007 Olivier Award winner for best new play in London. Directed by producing artistic director Joe Canuso, the show runs February 5 - March 1 at Plays and Players Theatre. Blackbird is recommended for mature audiences because of strong language and sexual content.

This year Walnut Street Theater celebrates its 200th birthday, and on February 3rd they will hold a big birthday bash. Boasting over 56,000 subscribers, The Walnut is not only the most popular theater company in Philadelphia, but also the most subscribed theatre company in the world. This season includes three magnificent and beloved musicals: get ready for DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, OLIVER! and FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. The Walnut also offers two spellbinding plays: A world premiere production of Eric Conger's THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY and Noel Coward's classic comedy, FALLEN ANGELS. The New Year brings new theatre to the Walnut stage with the world premiere production of Eric Conger's THE ECLECTIC SOCIETY (January 19 - March 7). It's the 1960's, and in order to become the big man on campus, you've got to play the game. In this fraternal society, new recruits need testing and traditions need to be upheld. This new American play celebrates the spirit of youth and the mischief that follows.

This February, the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia is celebrating the theatre community's commitment to the development of new works. The month of February will be the perfect time to check out a Premiere in America's First Great Theatre City! There are a number of fully staged productions running throughout the month, as well as readings, workshops and discussions. In the coming weeks the Theatre Alliance will be sending information highlighting new play development activities happening in February throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. Stay tuned for our weekly updates about what is coming to your local stages!

The Board of Trustees of the Fulton Opera House Foundation announced the appointment of Marc Robin as Artistic Director of Fulton Theatre at a morning press conference on Friday, January 23, 2009. Fulton Board President Harvey Owen opened the press conference by thanking the search committee for their work in recommending Mr. Robin to the Board for the position. 'I can truly say that this committee under Ellen Groff and Deidre Simmons' leadership worked very hard and researched Mr. Robin very carefully,' said Owen. 'The Board felt it had big shoes to fill. Not only did we have a challenge to find a highly qualified successor to a man who dedicated himself to building up the Fulton's image but also an obligation to do so. We owed it to Michael [Mitchell], to ourselves and to the community at large.'