Wendy Kesselman News

The world premiere of Rajiv Joseph's (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) Gruesome Playground Injuries features Selma Blair (Hellboy, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Storytelling, Legally Blonde, NBC's Kath & Kim) playing Kayleen and Brad Fleischer (Center Theatre Group's premiere of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Broadway's Coram Boy, Off Broadway's Streamers) playing Doug.

The world premiere of Rajiv Joseph's (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) Gruesome Playground Injuries features Selma Blair (Hellboy, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Storytelling, Legally Blonde, NBC's Kath & Kim) playing Kayleen and Brad Fleischer (Center Theatre Group's premiere of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Broadway's Coram Boy, Off Broadway's Streamers) playing Doug.

The Primary Stages School of Theater (PSST) has announced a newly created Master Class Series that was created to provide students the chance to gain rare insight and experience from some of the finest working professionals in the theater.

The Primary Stages School of Theater (PSST) has announced a newly created Master Class Series that was created to provide students the chance to gain rare insight and experience from some of the finest working professionals in the theater.

The new developmental production of How Now, Dow Jones starring Cristen Paige (Spelling Bee, The Visit, Cry-Baby), Colin Hanlon (Rent, I Love You Because) and Fred Berman (The Normal Heart, Room Service) will begin performances this Saturday at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane) as part of the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival. This new production will also restore an Elmer Bernstein-Carolyn Leigh cabaret favorite to the show: 'Shakespeare Lied'.

South Ark Stage and kef productions will present the World Premiere of Lyric is Waiting by Michael Puzzo, directed by Adam Fitzgerald. This production will begin Thursday, July 30; Opening on Sunday, August 2 and will run through August 22, 2009 and take place at The Irish Repertory Theatre.

The new developmental production of How Now, Dow Jones starring Cristen Paige (Spelling Bee, The Visit, Cry-Baby), Colin Hanlon (Rent, I Love You Because) and Fred Berman (The Normal Heart, Room Service) will begin performances this Saturday at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane) as part of the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival. This new production will also restore an Elmer Bernstein-Carolyn Leigh cabaret favorite to the show: 'Shakespeare Lied'.

Westport Country Playhouse will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2010, staging a season of five productions including musicals, comedy and drama at the historic theater in Westport, Connecticut. 2010 will be the first official season of artistic programming by Mark Lamos, who was appointed Playhouse artistic director in February 2009.

South Ark Stage and kef productions will present the World Premiere of Lyric is Waiting by Michael Puzzo, directed by Adam Fitzgerald. This production will begin Thursday, July 30; Opening on Sunday, August 2 and will run through August 22, 2009 and take place at The Irish Repertory Theatre.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Ellen Richard, Executive Director) continues this summer's Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series with the world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan's Wildflower. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, Wildflower features Nadia Bowers, Ron Cephas Jones, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jake O'Connor and Renée Felice Smith. Previews began Monday, July 13 and opening night is this evening, Monday, July 27 at 7:00pm.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Ellen Richard, Executive Director) continues this summer's Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series with the world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan's Wildflower. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, Wildflower features Nadia Bowers, Ron Cephas Jones, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jake O'Connor and Renée Felice Smith. Previews begin Monday, July 13 and opening night is Monday, July 27 at 7:00pm.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Ellen Richard, Executive Director) continues this summer's Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series with the world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan's Wildflower. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, Wildflower features Nadia Bowers, Ron Cephas Jones, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jake O'Connor and Renée Felice Smith. Previews begin Monday, July 13 and opening night is Monday, July 27 at 7:00pm.

South Ark Stage and kef productions will present the World Premiere of Lyric is Waiting by Michael Puzzo, directed by Adam Fitzgerald. This production will begin Thursday, July 30; Opening on Sunday, August 2 and will run through August 22, 2009 and take place at The Irish Repertory Theatre.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director, Ellen Richard, Executive Director) continues this summer's Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series with the world premiere of Lila Rose Kaplan's Wildflower. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, Wildflower features Nadia Bowers, Ron Cephas Jones, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jake O'Connor and Renée Felice Smith. Previews begin Monday, July 13 and opening night is Monday, July 27 at 7:00pm.

UnsungMusicalsCo. is proud to announce the development of a new production of How Now, Dow Jones (www.HowNowDowJones.com) starring Sarah Litzsinger (Beauty and the Beast), Colin Hanlon (Rent) and Fred Berman (The Normal Heart). With book by Max Shulman, music by Academy Award winner Elmer Bernstein and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Carolyn Leigh, this newly revised version will be presented as part of the 2009 New York International Fringe Festival.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will kick off this summer's Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series with the world premiere of Zakiyyah Alexander's 10 Things To Do Before I Die. Directed by Jackson Gay, 10 Things To Do Before I Die will feature Francois Battiste, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Kyle Beltran, Dion Graham, and Tracie Thoms. Opening night is Thursday, May 28 at 7:00pm.

Wendy Kesselman's 'The Black Monk', which ran Off-Broadway from November 30th, 2008 through January 3rd, 2009, featuring Austin Pendleton, Elon Rutberg, Julie Craig, and Scott Robertson - under the direction of Kevin Newbury and musical direction of Chris Berg (with cellist Arthur Cook), will be making an original cast recording on Monday, May 25th, 2009. The album will be produced/engineered by Grammy Award winner John Kilgore. It will be released online in the fall exclusively on iTunes, and a record deal is pending.

Following a critically acclaimed season which included the Pulitzer Prize finalist Becky Shaw and the Broadway transfer of its musical hit Next to Normal, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) has announced three of the four plays scheduled for its upcoming 31st Season.

THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT -- a 4-week cultural event featuring the premieres of American and Japanese plays, an award-winning film documentary, and open forums about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima 60 years later -- will be presented May 8 through 30 at The Ohio Theater (66 Wooster Street) in Manhattan, it has been announced by the co-producers of this world-premiere event, the Off-Broadway theater companies Voice & Vision and Crossing Jamaica Avenue.

Voice & Vision and Crossing Jamaica Avenue present a special 4-week event re-examing 1945 atomic attacks and aftermath THE HIROSHIMA PROJECT Featuring the world premiere of I HAVE BEEN TO HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR, a new American play by Chiori Miyagawa ('America Dreaming'), about finding love amid the ravages of war, directed by Jean Wagner starring Joel de la Fuente ('Law & Order: SVU'), Obie-winner Juliana Francis-Kelly and Sue Jean Kim May 8-30 at The Ohio Theatre (66 Wooster Street)