Blues diva Ma Rainey and her band have come to a Chicago studio to cut a record, but their artistic differences nearly stop the session before it starts. Full of unforgettable characters and the raw power of the blues, this 1920s installment of Wilson's groundbreaking cycle of plays confronts the issues of race, fame, and generational divides through the rhythms of the African-American South.
August Wilson (1945-2005) The most-produced African-American playwright of all time, August Wilson was a self-taught writer whose distinctive style combined poeticism and everyday slang. The plays of his remarkable Pittsburgh Cycle chronicled the black experience in America in every decade of the 20thcentury, winning two Pulitzer Prizes and redefining African-American storytelling for a generation of theatergoers.
Funny, magical, and moving, Lorenzo Pisoni's Humor Abuse is a tour-de-force journey through the photo album of his extraordinary life. A touching homage to his father, Humor Abuse opens Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2009/2010 season at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Co-written by Pisoni and Erica Schmidt, who also directs the piece, Humor Abuse runs September 25-October 25.
MEMPHIS has nabbed the Shubert Theater for its fall run.
Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will present Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's The Exonerated, October 9 - 18 in the Nafe Katter on the Storrs campus
Funny, magical, and moving, Lorenzo Pisoni's Humor Abuse is a tour-de-force journey through the photo album of his extraordinary life. A touching homage to his father, Humor Abuse opens Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2009/2010 season at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Co-written by Pisoni and Erica Schmidt, who also directs the piece, Humor Abuse runs September 25-October 25.
Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director of the Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre, today announced that Signature Theatre is expanding its American Musical Voices Project (AMVP) for a fourth year with the commission and production of a new musical by Adam Guettel for its 2011-2012 season. Also announced as part of The Next Generation segment of the AMVP were two additional musical commissions awarded to Peter Foley and Marisa Michelson as well as honoree grants given to Chris Miller and Scott Davenport Richards for the development of future musical ideas. Signature, with the support of The Shen Family Foundation, has awarded $595,000 to artists in honors and commissions in the past three years. The American Musical Voices Project is the largest single musical theater commissioning and producing initiative at any non-profit theater in America.
MEMPHIS, an original Broadway musical, will open Monday, October 19, 2009 at the Shubert Theatre (225 W. 44th Street) following critically-acclaimed and sold-out engagements at La Jolla Playhouse and Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. Previews begin on Wednesday, September 23, 2009.
Philadelphia Theatre Company announces its 2009-2010 mainstage season, highlighted by a world premiere by Terrence McNally, a Tony Award-winning musical and a pre-Broadway production. Expanding to a five-play series, the season features the world premiere of Terrence McNally's Golden Age, the six-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The Light in the Piazza by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel, Lorenzo Pisoni's multi-award winner Humor Abuse, August Wilson's first major play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the dark comedy thriller Mauritius by Theresa Rebeck, and a special summer comedy revue, City of Nutterly Love: Funny as Bell!, co-produced with Chicago's The Second City.
Variety reports that the Broadway-bound musical MEMPHIS has nabbed the Shubert Theater for its fall run, with a group sales announcement indicating the show will begin previews on September 23rd, 2009. The official announcement about a theatre location or for exact preview and opening dates has been made as of yet.
Court Theatre concludes its 54th season with August Wilson's beloved classic The Piano Lesson, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. The fourth play in Wilson's Century Cycle will run at Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis Avenue, May 5 - June 7, 2009. The press opening is Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
The Downstairs New Play Reading Series is a demonstration of Arena's longstanding commitment to the development of new works and to the support of American artists. Arena Stage is proud to announce the 10th year of the Downstairs Series, which includes new works by Arena favorites Tazewell Thompson (director of Arena's M. Butterfly, Yellowman), Psalmayene 24 (Imagination Stage's Zomo the Rabbit) and fresh new voice Seamus Sullivan.
Court Theatre concludes its 54th season with August Wilson's beloved classic The Piano Lesson, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. The fourth play in Wilson's Century Cycle will run at Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis Avenue, May 5 - June 7, 2009. The press opening is Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
It was announced today that MEMPHIS, a new musical about the birth of rock 'n' roll in the turbulent 50s which recently played a critically acclaimed and sold-out engagement at Seattle?s 5th Avenue Theatre, is aiming to open on Broadway in the fall of 2009. Based on a concept by George W. George (producer of the Tony nominated Bedroom Farce & film: My Dinner With Andre), MEMPHIS features a book & lyrics by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change), and music & lyrics by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan, in his Broadway debut. The new musical is directed by Tony nominee Christopher Ashley (Xanadu) and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys).
Angelo Parra's The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith will be performed at the New Brunswick Playhouse, running March 3?29. Miche Braden, who portrayed Bessie Smith in the previous productions of the play, will recreate the title role once more.
'Gem of the Ocean' opens on October 11, with performances Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm through November 16. Previews are scheduled October 3 through 10. Tickets are $25.00 on Thursdays and Fridays and $28.00 on Saturdays and Sundays, except opening night (October 11), which is $30.00 and previews which are $15.00. On Thursdays and Fridays only, students with ID are $18.00 and seniors $23.00. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.
Dr. Bonnie Maslin and Dr. Yehuda Nir will host a party for The Classical Theatre of Harlem at their East Hampton home on Sunday, August 17.
Thirty years after its Tony Award-winning world premiere, Ain't Misbehavin'comes to Goodman Theatre in a brand new production.
Tony Nominee John Earl Jelks, and James Williams discuss Radio Golf, and their long relationship with the project, having worked on it since its inception at Yale. They also discuss working with August Wilson.
The 3rd Annual Classical Theatre Of Harlem Gala by Moët Hennessy The Classical Theatre of Harlem, a not-for-profit theatre dedicated to producing theatre that truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is New York City, will hold their 3rd annual benefit on Monday, May 7th at the Low Memorial Library at Columbia University
On Tuesday, May 1, 2007, longtime theatrical publicist Jeremy Shaffer - who since late 2004 was co-owner/operator of Shaffer-Coyle Public Relations - joins The Publicity Office, the respected New York-based press agency headed by Marc Thibodeau.
Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Kathryn M. Lipuma, Executive Director) announced today that it would extend August Wilson's KING HEDLEY II one additional week since the originally scheduled run has been sold-out for weeks.
Signature Theatre Company, under the direction of Founding Artistic Director James Houghton and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, will pay tribute to the late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson at their annual Benefit Gala on Monday, February 26.
Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Kathryn Lipuma, Executive Director) announces complete casting for SEVEN GUITARS, the first play of its 2006-2007 three-play tribute to the works of August Wilson.
Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Kathryn Lipuma, Executive Director) announces complete casting for SEVEN GUITARS, the first play of its 2006-2007 three-play tribute to the works of August Wilson.
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