William Francis News

 South Coast Repertory  celebrates the holiday season with the 42nd production of A Christmas Carol, a longtime Orange County favorite.

Colt Coeur will present the World Premiere of Dodi & Diana, by Kareem Fahmy. Commissioned by Colt Coeur and directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Eureka Day), Dodi & Diana begins previews on October 1, 2022, for a strictly limited engagement through October 29, 2022, at HERE.

Today's top stories: select Broadway shows (To Kill a Mockingbird, West Side Story, The Lehman Trilogy, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and The Book of Mormon) will be just $50 through March 29!

Griffin Osborne is currently starring as Vinny in the world Premiere of the Off-Broadway play Drift at New World Stages. Drift is a new American drama written by William Francis Hoffman, directed by Academy Award winner Bobby Moresco and starring Emmy Award winner Joe Pantoliano.

Previews begin tomorrow at 2 PM for the World Premiere of Drift, a new American drama written by William Francis Hoffman, at New World Stages, Stage 5 (340 West 50th Street), ahead of an official opening night on Monday, March 16. Directed by Academy Award® winner Bobby Moresco, Drift stars Emmy Award® winner Joe Pantoliano ('The Sopranos,' Bad Boys For Life in movie theaters now).

Drift, a new American drama written by William Francis Hoffman, will have its World Premiere off-Broadway at New World Stages, Stage 5 (340 West 50th Street), in a production directed by Academy Award winner Bobby Moresco and starring Emmy Award winner Joe Pantoliano ('The Sopranos,' Bad Boys For Life in movie theaters now). The limited engagement will begin performances on Thursday, February 27, with an official Opening Night set for Monday, March 16.

The beloved musical A Little Night Music is getting a new Los Angeles production with an eye-catching cast, including Tony Award winner, Daisy Eagan, as Petra and NBC's Hairspray Live! star, Garrett Clayton, as Henrik.

Drift, a new American drama written by William Francis Hoffman, will have its World Premiere off-Broadway at New World Stages, Stage 5 (340 West 50th Street), in a production directed by Academy Award winner Bobby Moresco and starring Emmy Award winner Joe Pantoliano.

The Grand Ballroom of the SS United States, which once played host to presidents and celebrities of the 1950s and 60s, was filled nightly with the sounds of a custom Steinway. Recently acquired by the SS United States Conservancy, the historic baby grand piano specially designed for America's Flagship will be available for public display for the first time at Steinway Hall in Manhattan starting February 1.

DRIFT a?" a new American drama written by William Francis Hoffman (Cal in Camo), directed by Academy Award® winner Bobby Moresco (Crash, Million Dollar Baby) and starring Emmy® winner Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) will have its world premiere Off-Broadway production from February 27 through May 24 at New World Stages, (340 West 50th Street in Manhattan). For tickets and information, please visit www.Telecharge.com.

In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater will host a 25th Anniversary AlumniJam every Monday night in January. These four events will showcase 15 alumni playwrights who will revisit past productions and share new never-before-seen work. Participating writers include Bill Bowers, Jessica Dickey, William Francis Hoffman, Xavier Galva, Basil Kreimendahl, Michael Laurence, Jessica Litwak, Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, Matt Pepper, Tim Pickney, Diana Oh, Dael Orlandersmith, Jose Rivera, Cori Thomas, and Jonathan Tolins. These writers represent some of New York's greatest voices-Pulitzer finalists, Obie winners, and Academy Award nominees-who have shaped Off-Broadway theater over the last quarter century.

The new year is a time of new beginnings. Palm Beach Dramaworks will usher in 2019 with the introduction of a program that gives the general public a first look at plays so new, they're still evolving. The Dramaworkshop's first-ever New Year/New Plays Festival will take place over the weekend of January 4-6, when five plays will receive readings on PBD's mainstage. Saturday's program will also include a discussion, "Regional Theatre and the Development of New American Plays," featuring panelists of industry professionals from major organizations.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) is thrilled to announce the eighth annual Roundabout Underground Reading Series, a five-night event that includes nightly readings of new works written and directed by emerging artists, as well as post-show receptions. The Reading Series will feature new works by Aaron Carter, Emily Feldman, Dave Harris, Jonathan Spector and Sanaz Toossi.

The new year is a time of new beginnings. Palm Beach Dramaworks will usher in 2019 with the introduction of a program that gives the general public a first look at plays so new, they're still evolving. The Dramaworkshop's first-ever New Year/New Plays Festival will take place over the weekend of January 4-6, when five plays will receive readings on PBD's mainstage. Saturday's program will also include a discussion, "Regional Theatre and the Development of New American Plays," featuring panelists of industry professionals from major organizations.

The new year is a time of new beginnings. Palm Beach Dramaworks will usher in 2019 with the introduction of a program that gives the general public a first look at plays so new, they're still evolving. The Dramaworkshop's first-ever New Year/New Plays Festival will take place over the weekend of January 4-6, when five plays will receive readings on PBD's mainstage. Saturday'sprogram will also include a discussion, "Regional Theatre and the Future of American Plays," featuring panelists of industry professionals from major organizations.

The new year is a time of new beginnings. Palm Beach Dramaworks will usher in 2019 with the introduction of a program that gives the general public a first look at plays so new, they're still evolving. The Dramaworkshop's first-ever New Year/New Plays Festival will take place over the weekend of January 4-6, when five plays will receive readings on PBD's mainstage. Saturday's program will also include a discussion, "Regional Theatre and the Future of American Plays," featuring panelists of industry professionals from major organizations.  

Do wounds from the past irrevocably impact our capacity to connect? Lyrical and mysterious, Hoffman's play probes the nature of bonding in family relationships and beyond. With heart aching humor, he explores the revelations we all resist when overcoming the obstacles we must conquer.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison & Lisa Rothe, Co-Presidents) will present the 2018 Theatre Women Awards at The TimesCenter (242 West 41st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues) on Friday, March 16 beginning at 6:30PM. Tickets ($65-$250) are available for advance purchase at www.theatrewomen.org. 

Newly announced 2018 Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients ZOE SARNAK (music & lyrics) and EMILY KACZMAREK (book) are bringing their new, original musical AFTERWORDS to the stage, as part of the Beta Series at Village Theatre, a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. 

Casting has been announced for The Trial, the next play in the Politics of the Absurd reading series presented by Christopher Maring/ CM Stage Productions. Joining the reading will be Krysta Rodriguez (What We're Up Against, "Trial & Error", Spring Awakening), Mamoudou Athie ("The Get Down", Patti Cake$,), Brian Wiles ("Public Morals", "Turn"), Brian D. Coats (Jitney, "Boardwalk Empire"), John Rothman (Ghostbusters, "One Mississippi") Sam Breslin Wright ("Madame Secretary", The Beaver), and Tony nominee Kristine Neilson (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, You Can't Take it With You). The Trial, adapted by Steven Berkoff from the novel by Franz Kafka, and directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt (What We're Up Against, Dry Land), will take place at the Baruch Performing Arts Center on March 5, 6, and 7.