Guards at the Taj 2017 - Articles Page 4

La Jolla Playhouse is pleased to bring back for a sixth year its acclaimed new play development initiative, the DNA New Work Series, a weekend of readings of new works, taking place March 22 - 25, 2018 in the Playhouse's Rao and Padma Makeneni Play Development Center. Tickets for the DNA New Work Series are free but reservations are required by calling (858) 550-1010 or visiting LaJollaPlayhouse.org.

Rehearsals kicked off today for Steppenwolf Theatre Company's highly anticipated world premiere comedy, The Doppelganger (an international farce) written by Chicagoland native Matthew-Lee Erlbach (Showtime's Masters of Sex, Off-Broadway's Handbook for an American Revolutionary).

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of Guards at the Taj by acclaimed playwright Rajiv Joseph, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton. A stunning tale about the search for beauty in desperate circumstances, the Steppenwolf production will feature the original cast members, Omar Metwally (Humayun) and Arian Moayed (Babur), whom Amy Morton directed in the Off-Broadway world premiere which received rave reviews when it premiered in 2015 and won the 2016 Obie Award for Best New American Play.

BEDLAM (Eric Tucker, Artistic Director; Kimberly Pau Boston, Managing Director) returns to the work of George Bernard Shaw with their new production of PYGMALION featuring Rajesh Bose as Mr. Doolittle, Annabel Capper, Nigel Gore, Edmund Lewis, Vaishnavi Sharma as Eliza Doolittle, and Eric Tucker as Professor Henry Higgins.

La Jolla Playhouse announces Hundred Days, book by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher, music and lyrics by The Bengsons, directed by Anne Kauffman, and movement direction by Sonya Tayeh, as the final production of its 2018/2019 season, to run September 22 - October 21 in the Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Forum.

Theatre enthusiasts packed the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts tonight to hear Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Executive Director Phil Santora of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley reveal the lineup for the company's 49th season, which launches this summer. Among the exhilarating works announced were: the World Premiere of a new piece by Hershey Felder on Claude Debussy, an acclaimed Tony-winning musical, a thrilling political prizefight, and an array of Regional Premieres that include a hit comedy that sends up suburban values, a gospel/rhythm & blues musical developed at TheatreWorks, a heart-stirring musical for the holidays, a comic drama about one of the key historical events in the last century, a searing look at an unsung American hero, plus the return of the grown-up holiday hit The Santaland Diaries. For more information or to purchase subscriptions ($143 - $583) the public can call 650-463-1960 or visit theatreworks.org. Subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets will go on sale in spring 2018. Special pricing is available for seniors (65+), educators, and patrons 35 and under.

Artistic Director Mark Clements and Managing Director Chad Bauman are thrilled to announce Milwaukee Repertory Theater's 65th Anniversary Season which will be the largest season in over a decade featuring 15 productions across four venues with nearly 700 performances including expanded programming in the Stiemke Studio.

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series and Mark Cortale are pleased to present Patti LuPone with Seth Rudetsky as pianist and host. The one-night-only event is Monday, March 5, 2018 with performances at 6:30pm and 9pm in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theatre (1650 N Halsted).

Iconic star of The Office actor and comedian Rainn Wilson will return to the stage in Steppenwolf Theatre Company's production ofThe Doppelg nger (An International Farce). Wilson leads the cast as Thomas Irdley/Jimmy in the world premiere production.

The Offies 2018 finalists were announced live on Twitter & Facebook at 1pm today by OffWestEnd Panel Judge & Critic for The Stage Mark Shenton.

The Old Globe today announced it will present the fifth annual Powers New Voices Festival, a weekend of readings of new American plays by professional playwrights, playing January 12 14, 2018. The festival will kick off today, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. with Voices of the Community: Celebrating Local Playwrights, an evening of work created by San Diego residents through the Globe's arts engagement initiatives Community Voices and coLAB, and will continue with four readings by some of the most exciting voices writing for the American theatre today. The new American play readings commence on Saturday, January 13 at 4:00 p.m. with Laurel Ollstein's They Promised Her the Moon, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (Somewhere, The Whipping Man at the Globe), followed at 7:30 p.m. by Too Heavy for Your Pocket by Jir h Breon Holder, directed by Patricia McGregor (Globe for All's Measure for Measure).The Festival continues on Sunday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m. with The Tale of Despereaux, with book, music, and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. (The Old Man and The Old Moon at the Globe), based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo and the Universal Pictures animated motion picture. The Festival will wrap up that evening at 7:30 p.m. with The Great Leap by Lauren Yee, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg (Globe's Skeleton Crew).

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the Chicago premiere production of the Obie Award-winning play You Got Older, written by Clare Barron and directed by Jonathan Berry. This bawdy, irreverent and touching play features four ensemble members Glenn Davis (Mac), Audrey Francis (Hannah), Francis Guinan (Dad) and Caroline Neff (Mae), along with Emjoy Gavino (Jenny), David Lind (Matthew) and Gabriel Ruiz (Cowboy).

Dear Readers, it's been quite a year and, hopefully, we've come through it unscathed. God knows we've needed some shows to help us escape and others to make us think. But through it all we've had several shows that have proven to shine as some of the best of the year. Out of all the shows I was fortunate enough to see this year, I've selected a few that stood out. Here are those stand outs, a few honorable mentions and a few special mentions about which I just couldn't help myself but to mention in their own special way.

Theatre Exile continues its 2017/2018 season with Really by Jackie Sibblies Drury. In the studio she once shared with her boyfriend Calvin, a photographer poses Calvin's mother for a portrait. Like many artists, she struggles to capture on film what she envisions in her mind. As the photo shoot progresses, the women grapple with their memories of the man who was once the center of their lives.

The Lark announces that Leah Nanako Winkler, author of Kentucky, Two Mile Hollow, and Death for Sydney Black, will be the 2017-19 recipient of the Jerome New York Fellowship. The fellowship, designed to support an early career writer of extraordinary ability, promise, and vision, provides stipends of $25,000 in the first year and $15,000 in the second, in addition to an Opportunity Fund of $5,000 to be used for purposes of additional creative expenses such as travel, research, and workshops. The fellowship is designed to be a life-sustaining platform of support, allowing the fellow to focus on their craft, and to generate and develop a significant body of work.

The Old Globe today announced it will present the fifth annual Powers New Voices Festival, a weekend of readings of new American plays by professional playwrights, playing January 12 14, 2018. The festival will kick off on Friday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m. with Voices of the Community: Celebrating Local Playwrights, an evening of work created by San Diego residents through the Globe's arts engagement initiatives Community Voices and coLAB, and will continue with four readings by some of the most exciting voices writing for the American theatre today. The new American play readings commence on Saturday, January 13 at 4:00 p.m. with Laurel Ollstein's They Promised Her the Moon, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (Somewhere, The Whipping Man at the Globe), followed at 7:30 p.m. by Too Heavy for Your Pocket by Jir h Breon Holder, directed by Patricia McGregor (Globe for All's Measure for Measure).The Festival continues on Sunday, January 14 at 3:00 p.m. with The Tale of Despereaux, with book, music, and lyrics by PigPen Theatre Co. (The Old Man and The Old Moon at the Globe), based on the novel by Kate DiCamillo and the Universal Pictures animated motion picture. The Festival will wrap up that evening at 7:30 p.m. with The Great Leap by Lauren Yee, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg (Globe's Skeleton Crew).

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of BLKS by award-winning poet and playwright Aziza Barnes and directed by Nataki Garrett.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) presents the New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Lortel and Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph's (Guards at the Taj) play Describe the Night, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (Animals Out of Paper).

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) presents the New York premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Lortel and Obie Award winner Rajiv Joseph's (Guards at the Taj) play Describe the Night, directed by Giovanna Sardelli (Animals Out of Paper).

HOT MESS, a romantic comedy by Dan Rothenberg (Suburban Boy; Regretrosexual) and Colleen Crabtree (The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, The Groundlings), and directed by Jonathan Silverstein (tick, tick...BOOM; John & Jen; The Temperamentals), plays The Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theater Center (1627 Broadway at 50th Street) opening tonight, November 16th, it was announced today by producers Jay Alix and Una Jackman.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company announces an exciting new promotional deal in time for the 2017 holiday season. Perfect for both personal and business gifting, it's easy to warm hearts with the gift of theatre.

La Jolla Playhouse announces three world premieres and one west coast premiere for its 2018/2019 season, including: The Squirrels, by Tony Award nominee Robert Askins (Broadway's Hand to God), directed by Playhouse Artistic Director and 2017 Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley; Seize the King, by Will Power (Playhouse's The Seven), directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Jaime Casta eda; The Year to Come, by Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone) and queens, by Martyna Majok (Ironbound).

HOT MESS, a romantic comedy by Dan Rothenberg (Suburban Boy; Regretrosexual) and Colleen Crabtree (The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, The Groundlings), and directed by Jonathan Silverstein (tick, tick...BOOM; John & Jen; The Temperamentals), will play The Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theater Center (1627 Broadway at 50th Street) beginning tonight, November 7th, and opening on November 16th, it was announced today by producers Jay Alix and Una Jackman.

Karamu, the joyful meeting place, is the oldest continually running Black theatre in America. Ensemble, whose purpose is to showcase classical American drama, has some of its history steeped in Karamu.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents the world premiere production of BLKS by award-winning poet and playwright Aziza Barnes and directed by Nataki Garrett.