Dividing the Estate - 2007 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 9

La MaMa e.t.c. proudly presents the World Premiere of The Book of Lambert, written by Tony Award nominated and Obie Award winning playwright Leslie Lee. The play, directed by Cyndy A. Marion, features Lucille Lortel and Obie Award winning actor Arthur French, who recently performed on Broadway in Horton Foote's Dividing The Estate. The Book of Lambert runs from February 13th to March 1st, 2009 in a limited engagement at the historic La MaMa e.t.c. as part of their Black History Month celebration. Lambert previews on February 13th and officially opens on February 14th, Valentines Day. Founded by the venerable Ellen Stewart, La MaMa e.t.c. is located at 74A East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue & Bowery in NYC. Performances take place in the First Floor Theatre and run Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm with an added performance on Wed 2/18 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $13 for students and seniors and can be purchased by calling 212-475-7710 or visiting www.LaMaMa.org. The Book of Lambert depicts the lives of six lost souls hiding from society in the subterranean depths of an abandoned NYC subway tunnel. Their leader is Lambert, an African-American man who has been hurt - possibly beyond repair - by his former love, a beautiful Caucasian woman. A bright but disillusioned ex-college professor, Lambert begins writing a prophetic book on life. In an effort to guide and re-focus this wayward flock, Lambert unleashes his own identity issues while coming face to face with the demons of his past. The Book of Lambert is a telling story of how our histories can haunt us, and how we may or may not recover from them.

Hartford Stage, under the leadership of Michael Wilson, artistic director, and Michael Stotts, managing director, announced today that the Broadway hit comedy Dividing the Estate, by Horton Foote, directed by Wilson, will transfer to Hartford Stage in May 2009 to close the Tony Award-winning theatre's 45th season. The gospel musical drama Gee's Bend, which was to have been the sixth and final MainStage offering this year, has been postponed until next season.

This year will be of particular interest due to the economic situation, which makes the phrase 'more for your hard earned dollar' even harder...

This February, THE STORY OF MY LIFE, a new musical comes to Broadway. Starring Will Chase (Rent, Aida, The Full Monty) and Tony Award nominee Malcolm Gets (Amour, Merrily We Roll Along,Caroline in the City), the show is directed by Tony Award winner Richard Maltby, Jr. (Ain't Misbehavin', Song & Dance), THE STORY OF MY LIFE features a score by Neil Bartram and a book by Brian Hill. Performances begin Tuesday, February 3rd on Broadway at The Booth Theatre (222 West 45th Street). Opening night is Thursday, February 19th at 7:30PM.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), Off-Broadway's preeminent theater company, will honor Tony Award-winning actress Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group at this year's Primary Stages 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, October 27, 2008.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), Off-Broadway's preeminent theater company, will honor Tony Award-winning actress Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group at this year's Primary Stages 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, October 27, 2008.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), in association with Martin Hummel, present the New York premiere of the new comedy, Love Child, written and performed by Daniel Jenkins (Mary Poppins, Big River) and Robert Stanton (The Coast of Utopia, All in the Timing), as an added event of the 2008-2009 season. Under the direction of Carl Forsman, performances are set to begin Sunday evening, October 12, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. and will run in repertory with A Body of Water by Lee Blessing for a limited engagement through November 19, 2008. Opening night is October 26, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.

Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), Off-Broadway's preeminent theater company, will honor Tony Award-winning actress Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group at this year's Primary Stages 24th Anniversary Gala Benefit to be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel (109 East 42nd Street) on Monday, October 27, 2008.

Lincoln Center will present Horton Foote's Dividing The Estate this fall in arrangement with Primary Stages, who originally presented the Off-Broadway run. The 2007 cast will reprise there roles on Broadway including Elizabeth Ashley, Hallie Foote, Gerarld McRaney, Penny Fuller and Arthur French. Michael Wilson will continue to direct.

The 53rd annual Village Voice Obie Awards were presented last night at a ceremony at Webster Hall, an East Village landmark in Manhattan.

Celebrating its 58th season of bestowing awards of excellence in the field of theater, the Outer Critics Circle, is an association with members affiliated with more than ninety newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations, and theatre publications in America and abroad. The annual awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 22nd (4PM) at the legendary Sardi's Restaurant.

New Yorkers are getting a 'Southern Treat' as the work of famed playwright Tennessee Williams is available on various stages around the city. The most recent offering being The Actors Company Theatre's long-awaited production of Tennessee Williams' The Eccentricities of a Nightingale. In honor of this production TACT will host several post-show discussions exploring the life, love and work of Williams. These discussions will take place directly after the performances at the Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row on West 42nd Street and are free with a purchase of a ticket to the performance. The Eccentricities of a Nightingale is directed by Jenn Thompson and opens May 5th, 2008.

Nominations for the 53rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at the New York Friars Club. 'A Catered Affair' led the way with 12 nominations.

Foote also received an Academy Award for Writing the Adapted Screenplay for To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962. His original screenplay Tender Mercies won an Academy Award for Writing of Original Screenplay, as well as the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay. Foote's screenplay for The Trip to Bountiful (1985) garnered him another Academy Award nomination.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) artistic director Carey Perloff today announced the final casting and design team for A.C.T.'s 30th anniversary production of Sam Shepard's classic interrogation of the American dream, Curse of the Starving Class

LAByrinth Theater Company (Artistic Director John Ortiz; Co-Artistic Director Philip Seymour Hoffman; Co-Artistic Director and Executive Director John Gould Rubin) and The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Mara Manus) announced today that the world premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis' THE LITTLE FLOWER OF EAST ORANGE will extend its run through Sunday, May 4. The production, directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, will open on Sunday, April 6 and was originally scheduled to close on Sunday, April 20.

THE LEAGUE OF OFF-BROADWAY THEATRES AND PRODUCERS today announced the nominations for THE 23rd ANNUAL LUCILLE LORTEL AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT OFF-BROADWAY, which will be presented on Monday, May 5th at the Union Square Theatre (100 East 17th Street).

Primary Stages has announced final casting for the second production of the 2007-2008 season: the New York premiere of the play Dividing The Estate by Horton Foote.

Primary Stages has announced the final play selection for its 2007-2008 season: the world premiere of Hunting and Gathering by Brooke Berman

Primary Stages' 23rd season will include the New York premiere of works by Horton Foote, Willy Holtzman and Michael Hollinger, with a fourth production to be announced.