William Inge News

Three evenings of the William Inge Theater Festival, May 9-12, will explore the career and works of Carlyle Brown, including a multi-media tribute to the writer's achievements.

After selling out more than half its run prior to opening, Raven Theatre is pleased to announce a two week extension for its world premiere of Philip Dawkins' provocative drama THE GENTLEMAN CALLER, directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle, now playing through May 27, 2018 in Raven's intimate 55-seat West Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago.

New Conservatory Theatre Center Founder & Artistic Director Ed Decker announced the line-up for NCTC's 2018-19 subscription season last night at NCTC's annual Season Announcement Party for subscribers, donors and artists.

Florida Studio Theatre announces its 36th annual Richard and Betty Burdick New Play Reading Series, which will present three new staged readings by modern American playwrights. Part of FST's Sarasota Festival of New Plays, this three-day series will take place in Bowne's Lab Theatre on April 29, May 6, and May 13 at 3 PM each day. This series is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Reservations can be made online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org, by phone at (941) 366-9000, or by visiting the FST Box Office.

When you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it, what do you ask for next? When you've pushed every boundary until there's nothing left to hold you in, how do you find your way back home? Birdland is a sexy, searing exploration of empathy and the impact of unchecked privilege by Olivier and Tony Award winner Simon Stephens.

The Iceman Cometh begins previews tonight at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

Eclipse Theatre Company, the only Midwest theatre company to feature one playwright in one season, will begin their 2018 William Inge Season this spring with a production of his rarely produced 1962 play Natural Affection, with Rachel Lambert making her Eclipse directorial debut.

Classic Stage Company presents a new production of Tennessee Williams' SUMMER AND SMOKE, directed by Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director of The Transport Group, beginning performances Friday, April 13. The cast of SUMMER AND SMOKE will feature Glenna Brucken (Rosemary), Phillip Clark (Dr. Buchanan), and more.

Raven Theatre is pleased to continue its 35th anniversary season with the world premiere of Philip Dawkins' provocative drama THE GENTLEMAN CALLER, directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle, playing March 28 - May 13, 2018 in Raven's intimate 55-seat West Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. (at Granville) in Chicago.

Zoetic Stage (@ZoeticStageMIA) and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@ArshtCenter) are proud to present the South Florida premiere of DANCING LESSONS, Mark St. Germain's insightful, poignant, witty and hilarious romantic comedy. Playing March 8 - March 25, 2018 in the intimate Carnival Studio Theater (Ziff Ballet Opera House), DANCING LESSONS continues Zoetic Stage's 2017-2018 season at the Arsht Center as part of the Center's Theater Up Close Series.

What begins as a one-night-stand turns into a tug of war between a short-order cook who sees a lifetime of love and adventure ahead and a waitress who's been burned too many times in the past and is terrified of being hurt again in Terrence McNally's contemporary American classic "Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune", being presented by Catskill's Bridge Street Theatre for eight performances only, Thursdays through Sundays March 29-April 8, 2017.

Jonathan Berry returns this spring to Steep to direct the U.S. premiere of Simon Stephens' Birdland. Stephens, who won the Tony and Olivier Awards for his The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is Steep's Associate Playwright, and Birdland will be the fifth of his plays to be produced by the Edgewater ensemble. Steep Ensemble Member and Jeff Award-winning director Jonathan Berry recently directed Steppenwolf Theatre's You Got Older and The Crucible. Over the years, he has consistently produced some of Steep's most notable shows, including last year's sweeping epic Earthquakes in London and Laura Wade's Posh, which won the Non-Equity Jeff Award for Best Ensemble, and was nominated for Best Director and Best Production.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, celebrates the continuation of the Rolling World Premiere (RWP), Surely Goodness and Mercy by Chisa Hutchinson, at Redtwist Theatre. The play, commissioned by Writers Theatre of New Jersey, will receive a total of three distinct NNPN RWP productions, rolling through Member Theaters Salt Lake Acting Company (September 6-October 15, UT), Writers Theatre of New Jersey (September 28-October 15, Madison, NJ), and Redtwist Theatre (February 17-March 18, Chicago, IL). Surely Goodness and Mercy is NNPN's 73rd Rolling World Premiere.

Reacting to Wendy Davis' 2013 anti-abortion in the Texas Legislature, playwright C. Denby Swanson, author of 'The Norwegians,' resolved to write a play about a woman's right to choose and the effect of this wedge issue on female friendship or 'sisterhood.' The result was a darkly comedic drama, 'Gabriel: A Polemic,' in which four tightly-bonded women, confounded by issues of abortion and free will, are divided unexpectedly by a crisis of faith at their weekly dinner. The Drilling Company, which developed the play in a series of readings and workshops since 2014, will mount its world premiere March 9 to 26 at North of History, a new performance/gallery space founded by Gene Kaufman that is located at 445 Columbus Ave. (between 81st and 82nd Streets). Hamilton Clancy directs.

The Playgroup, LLC is proud to present the second production of its third season at the Willow Theatre at Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton, ALL TOGETHER NOW, written by Philip Middleton Williams and directed by Joyce Sweeney.

Today we celebrate the life and career of the late legend Elaine Stritch, who would have been 93 year-old today. 

T. Schreiber Theatre (TST) proudly presents The Fifth Annual Schreiber Shorts: An Evening of One Acts February 28th and runs through March 4th.

Broadway legend Elaine Stritch was born on February 2, 1925. In 2013, she celebrated her 88th birthday on Theater Talk with musical director Rob Bowman and actor Hunter Ryan Herdlicka, along with co-hosts Susan Haskins and Michael Riedel. Had Stritch not died in 2014, she would have been 93 today.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director), will close its 34th season with the New York Premiere of Sean Christopher Lewis's DOGS OF RWANDA, directed by Frances Hill and Peter Napolitano. This limited engagement at Urban Stages (259 West 30th Street), begins performances on Friday, March 9, opens on Monday, March 12 and will run through Saturday, March 31, 2018. Tickets for are $35 ($25 during previews; $50 on opening and $15 student rush) and may be purchased via OvationTix at www.urbanstages.org or by phone at 1.866.811.4111.

Frank J. Avella's black comedy, IRIS will be presented on Friday, February 16th at 8PM at the Dramatists Guild as part of the Friday Night Footlights Reading Series. The event is free.