William Finn News

Berkeley Playhouse has announced the lineup for its sixth season. The family-friendly season of musicals timeless and new opens in October with Andrew Lippa and Brian Crawley's enchanting A LITTLE PRINCESS, directed by Berkeley Playhouse Artistic Director Elizabeth McKoy. Marissa Wolf returns to the company to direct Meredith Wilson's THE MUSIC MAN in February, followed by THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE in April, directed by Kimberly Dooley. Closing the MainStage season is SHREK THE MUSICAL directed by Elizabeth McKoy in July. In addition to the MainStage season, the company will present winter, spring, and fall YouthStage productions. The entire 2013-14 season will be staged at the Julia Morgan Theater (2640 College Avenue) in Berkeley. Subscriptions ($54-$112) on-sale March 23; single tickets ($17-$60) on-sale August 1. For tickets and information, the public may visit berkeleyplayhouse.org or call 510-845-8542x351.

Due to popular demand, Playwrights Horizons has announced an extension of its critically-acclaimed, sold out World Premiere production of The Flick, a new play by the heralded Obie Award-winning playwright Annie Baker (Circle Mirror Transformation at PH, The Aliens, her recent adaptation of Uncle Vanya). Originally set to play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 31, the production has extended to Sunday, April 7 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

The Theatre Group at SBCC has announced the 2013/2014 season beginning in July 2013 with the musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Following in October 2013 will be the classic BUS STOP, in March 2014 the hilarious comedy, NOISES OFF and in April/May 2014 the thought-provoking drama GROUND.

The long anticipated cast recording of the Drama Desk award-winning SEE ROCK CITY & OTHER DESTINATIONS has been recorded by Yellow Sound Label, produced by Michael Croiter, to be released in digital and CD formats on March 19, 2013. The album features the cast of the Summer 2010 off-Broadway premiere produced by Transport Group Theatre Company (Artistic Director, Jack Cummings III; Executive Director, Lori Fineman) at The Duke on 42nd Street. The album will be available everywhere, including iTunes and Amazon.com.

When FALSETTOS opened on Broadway in 1992, the theater world knew it was experiencing something brand new in musical theater. Everything about FALSETTOS breaks the mold of the Broadway musical.

Transport Group, the Drama Desk and OBIE award-winning theatre company, has announced that the New York premiere of a new musical, The Memory Show, book and lyrics by Sara Cooper; music by Zach Redler; directed by Joe Calarco, will begin performances Tuesday, April 16, at 7pm at The Duke on 42nd Street, a New 42nd Street project, at 229 West 42nd Street. The Memory Show features Catherine Cox and Leslie Kritzer. Opening night is scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 at 7pm.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. The second weekend of Kaplan Penthouse performances, the sixth week of American Songbook 2013, runs April 5-6, 2013. April 5th belongs to Cristin Milioti, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2012 for her lead role in the musical Once.

The OBIE Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) -- now in its 23rd season of presenting classics and new works performed by Asian American actors -- will present August Strindberg's A DREAM PLAY in a new adaptation by Sung Rno and Andrew Pang, directed by Mr. Pang, with previews set to begin March 22 prior to an official opening night of March 27 at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue (entrance on Dominick, 1 Block South of Spring).

The OBIE Award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) -- now in its 23rd season of presenting classics and new works performed by Asian American actors -- will present August Strindberg's A DREAM PLAY in a new adaptation by Sung Rno and Andrew Pang, directed by Mr. Pang, with previews set to begin March 22 prior to an official opening night of March 27 at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue (entrance on Dominick, 1 Block South of Spring). A DREAM PLAY runs through April 13. Tickets are priced from $15 (for preview performances, March 22nd- 26th) - $25 (for performances March 27th - April 13th). For Tickets & Information, please visit www.here.org or call 212-352-3101. This production of A DREAM PLAY is a part of SubletSeries@HERE, HERE's curated rental program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical support.

Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault announced the Theatre's 2013-2014 season will open with a new production of The Laramie Project, 15 years after the killing of Wyoming college student Matthew Shepard. The play is presented as the cornerstone production for the Ford's Theatre Society's Lincoln Legacy Project, a multi-year effort dedicated to sparking dialogue in the nation's capital around issues of social injustice and the ideals of equality for which Abraham Lincoln stood. A series of free special programs and events will be offered in connection with the play in September/October 2013.

Moonbox Productions presents A NEW BRAIN, the engaging, life-affirming musical about finding serenity, humor and music, in the face of death. Created by the Tony Award winning team behind Falsettos-composer William Finn (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and librettist James Lapine (Into the Woods, Passion)-the show runs March 15 -April 6, 2013, at the Plaza Theatre at the Boston Center for the Arts. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. (Press performance: Sunday, March 17 at 2pm). Tickets are available by calling Boston Theatre Scene Box Office at 617-933-8600 or online at www.bostontheatrescene.com.

'Exposed: Noel Carey in Concert' will be presented this Sunday, February 24th at The Duplex.

In the past 40 years, The Acting Company has produced and performed 137 classic and new plays for audiences totaling 3.5 million in 48 states and 10 foreign countries.

Now in its 15th season, Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook celebrates the best in American singing and songwriting with a new chapter in the Songbook story: 'American Songbook in the Penthouse,' a series of weekend-only performances by performers and composers presented in the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, an intimate yet elegant venue that brings artists closer to the audience in a cabaret-style setting. 'American Songbook in the Penthouse' embraces adventuresome performers and celebrates composers and lyricists, both newer and veteran. With a seating capacity of just 225, the Kaplan Penthouse allows acoustic performers to be heard the way they intend - near to the audience and without elaborate amplification. The size of the space also allows performers to interact with their audience to make them an integral part of their performance, something difficult to do in a larger, more formal venue.

The long anticipated cast recording of the Drama Desk award-winning SEE ROCK CITY & OTHER DESTINATIONS has been recorded by Yellow Sound Label, produced by Michael Croiter, to be released in digital and CD formats on March 19, 2013. The album features the cast of the Summer 2010 off-Broadway premiere produced by Transport Group Theatre Company (Artistic Director, Jack Cummings III; Executive Director, Lori Fineman) at The Duke on 42nd Street. The album will be available everywhere, including iTunes and Amazon.com.

The Lyric Theatre and Curtain Call Productions will be presenting William Finn's A New Brain, a musical by the Tony award-winning team behind 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and the Falsettos trilogy, starring Broadway Veteran Anna McNeely at the Lyric's Flagler Center, for four performances only, March 22nd- 24th.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and TriStan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the 10×10 New Play Festival, today, February 14 through March 3, part of the 2013 10×10 Upstreet Arts Festival.

Bella Signature Design presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee tonight, February 8 - 17 at BPA. It's the unlikeliest of hit musicals about the unlikeliest of heroes - a quirky yet charming cast of outsiders for whom a spelling bee is the one place where they can stand out and fit in at the same time and where they learn that winning isn't everything and that losing doesn't necessarily make you a loser.

New Century Players' THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, featuring Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin and Conceived by Rebecca Feldman with Additional material by Jay Reiss, will play the Milwaukie High School Blackbox Theater, tonight, February 8-17, 2013, directed by Ron K. Palmblad with musical director John Quesenberry.

BroadwayWorld.com noticed something today as we scoured Facebook and it's something that we really liked, so we wanted to share it with you because it's not so often that you find such generosity for actors. This weekend, all roads lead to St. Louis as actors are headed there from all over the country to audition for the Muny's summer production of LES MISERABLES directed by Richard Jay-Alexander and with music direction by Kevin Stites.