Sweet Bird of Youth Revival

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans ends its seventh season with Spring Storm by Tennessee Williams this September at The Lower Depths Theatre on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans, directed by Salvatore Mannino.

Seventeen years ago, Susan Priver starred as Flora opposite Henry Olek as Edward with Shelly Kurtz as the match seller in Harold Pinter’s A Slight Ache, a tragicomedy of manners that takes a funny, ominous, and unsettling journey into the human psyche. All three actors will reprise their roles in a visiting production of Pinter’s play, directed by Jack Heller at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A. from August 26 through October 1. I decided to speak with Susan about her experience with both productions of Pinter’s play.

Tennessee Williams’ SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, an underrated tale of comebacks and second chances while desperately clinging to the past, is the playwright’s latest steamy, brutal Southern drama to hit the stage in New Orleans.

The cast has been announced for HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES  by Alan Aykbourn at The Mill at Sonning. Performances run 10 August - 23 September.

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans will be presenting Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams this July & August at The Marigny Opera House, returning for its fifth production in the historic space. In this piece, Williams dove into the human impulse to fly when faced with adversity, the tolls of aging, and the challenges of remaining pure in a hostile world.

Theatre for a New Audience will present Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending, July 9–August 6 at Polonsky Shakespeare Center. See who is starring, and learn how to purchase tickets!

Smoking Mirror Theatre Company, dedicated to producing Shakespeare's plays in the New York City area, announced that it will present the pre-Off-Broadway engagement of Shakespeare's Prisons: Tales of Conscience and Illusion, June 15 - 18, as a (TLab Shares Hosts) guest production at Theaterlab.

Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs will lead an upcoming film adaptation of Raynor Winn’s memoir The Salt Path.

This June Pitlochry Festival Theatre is set to stage an exciting and rare Scottish revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams’ powerful and iconic portrayal of love, lust and loneliness.

San Francisco Playhouse has announced its 21st season, to be presented September 2023 to September 2024. See full programming, and learn how to purchase tickets!

Acclaimed actress, Harriet Robinson (National Theatre's Sweet Bird of Youth) will make a triumphant return to theatre with the debut of her one-person play, “My Stellar Performance, But I Digress!” written and performed by Ms. Robinson, with comedian Allison Deller adding her voice to various characters throughout Harriet's life, was adapted and is directed by award-winning director Jonathan S. Cerullo (The Boys from Syracuse, Windywoo, Big Apple Circus).

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company (TWTC) started its 2023 season with the Tennessee Williams classic, NIGHT OF THE IGUANA, currently running at The Lower Depths Theatre at Loyola University in New Orleans through March 26.

Acclaimed actress, Harriet Robinson (National Theatre's Sweet Bird of Youth) makes a triumphant return to theatre with the debut of her one-person play, 'My Stellar Performance, But I Digress!' written and performed by Ms. Robinson.

The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans will be presenting Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams this March at The Lower Depths Theatre at Loyola University New Orleans. This play was Williams' last commercial success on Broadway, and TWTC will be presenting a fresh and inventive take that remains true to the play's essence.

 In mythology, Midas is a character who turns everything he touches into gold. It's at once his blessing and his curse, a talent and, when the wrong things turn to gold, a source of tragedy.

Ruth Stage has announced that two-time Tony Award nominee Alison Fraser (The Secret Garden) will reprise her role as ‘Big Mama’, as well as announcing the complete casting for their provocative and controversial modern staging of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Obie and Drama Desk Award winner Frederick Weller (To Kill a Mockingbird, “In Plain Sight”) will join Ruth Stage's provocative and controversial modern staging of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as ‘Big Daddy.’

The complete cast has been announced for “The Secret Garden” at Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre. See who will star in the show, performance dates, how to purchase tickets and more!

Diversionary Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for its production of The High Table, by Temi Wilkey, directed by Niyi Coker Jr.  The High Table will run February 9 – March 5 (press opening on February 18) at Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. 

Ruth Stage has announced that their provocative and controversial modern staging of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, returning to New York City in early 2023, will star Courtney Henggeler in the central role of “Maggie the Cat.” This will mark Henggeler’s Off-Broadway and New York City stage debut.

Amy Jo Jackson has been garnering praise for THE BRASS MENAGERIE for two years and this writer has finally arrived at the party.

On the heels of a 35 show run this past summer, Ruth Stage's provocative and controversial modern staging of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will return to New York City in early 2023. Opening night is scheduled for Sunday March 5th, 2023. The production will close on Friday night March 31st, 2023.

The Orange Tree Theatre has announced the full cast for Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, marking Paul Miller's final production as Artistic Director, following his lauded rediscoveries of Shaw's other early plays How He Lied to Her Husband, Misalliance and The Philanderer. Miller directs Kemi Awoderu, Alex Bhat, Rebecca Collingwood, Miranda Foster, Jonah Russell, Jonathan Tafler and Alex Waldmann

  Multi award-winning performer Shana Farr will return to The Laurie Beechman Theatre on October 12, 20, and November 7 at 7pm with a new, one-woman show that explores dreams and faces reality.

Casting has been set for the U.S. premiere of “2:22 – A Ghost Story” playing at Center Theatre Group / Ahmanson Theatre this fall. Get the scoop on the cast!

Leopoldstadt officially begins previews on Broadway, September 14. Get to know the cast bringing this play to the stage!

For its sixth season of production and its second season in residence at its Reginald Vaughn Theater, Invictus Theatre Company will present three plays examining the power of rhetoric to move community opinion and action, whether for good or for bad.

​​​​​​​Joining Simon Russell Beale in the title role, Clare Higgins as Gunhild Borkman and Lia Williams as Ella Rentheim, are Sebastian De Souza as Erhart Borkman, Daisy Ou as Frida Foldal, Laila Rouass as Fanny Wilton and Michael Simkins as Wilhelm Foldal who complete the cast for Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman, in a new version by Lucinda Coxon at the Bridge Theatre.

Feud: Capote's Women will be based on Laurence Leamer’s book, 'Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era.' Hollander will lead as Capote with Lane playing Slim Keith. The series will also feature Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, Chloë Sevigny as C.Z. Guest, and Calista Flockhart as Lee Radziwill.

A new CBS Mornings segment explored the lives of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, whose lives are the subject of a new docu-series, the Last Movie Stars. The segment featured interviews with Ethan Hawke, the series director, and Clea Newman, the couple's daughter. Watch the new clip now!

Simon Russell Beale plays the title role in Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman, in a new version by Lucinda Coxon. Joining him are Clare Higgins as Gunhild Borkman and Lia Williams as Ella Rentheim. 

COMPANY director, Marianne Elliott, has made history as the first female to win three Tony Awards for directing!

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, in a new production by Ruth Stage, will play The Theater at St. Clements (423 W. 46th Street) beginning previews July 15, and opening night is set for July 24. The original scheduled run of this production, which had been announced for January, 2022, was postponed due to the ongoing health crisis.

Some of Melbourne's best-loved local choirs will join the upcoming season of Melbourne Theatre Company's long-awaited production of The Heartbreak Choir opening on 29 April.

The 17th Annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival has announced its September program titled Tutti Frutti Tennessee Williams.  The 2022 roster will feature six plays by Tennessee Williams, the first time the Festival will feature an All-Williams lineup since their first year in 2006.

Melbourne Theatre Company's long-awaited production of The Heartbreak Choir will open on 29 April starring William McInnes (An Ideal Husband), Maude Davey (The Newsreader), Carita Farrer Spencer (Ladies in Black), Ratidzo Mambo (Escape from Pretoria), Emily Milledge (The House of Bernarda Alba), Louise Siversen (Noises Off) and Julian Weeks (Savage Rivers).

FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club, will present Shana Farr in Whistling Away the Dark: The Songbook of Julie Andrews on Sunday, March 13 at 7:00PM.

Sex and the City has returned for a new spin-off series, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis. Read about the many Broadway appearances from the casts of different incarnations of the beloved franchise, including Chris Noth, David Eigenberg, Mario Cantone, and Kim Cattrall.

Seth Sikes will return to Top of the Pines in Rehoboth Beach, on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:00PM for one performance only. Seth made his Rehoboth Beach debut earlier this year and performed to a sold-out crowd. 

PlayWell Productions, Team Angelica and Epicene today announce the full cast for Very Special Guest Star which opens at Omnibus Theatre on 25 November, with previews from 23 November, and runs until 12 December.

Award-winning actress Harriet Robinson returns to theatre with the debut of her one-person play, 'Here Comes Harriet!' written and performed by Ms. Robinson with direction by Emmy-Award winner Beth Bornstein Dunnington. Here Comes Harriet! premiered on United Solo's Theatre Festival's new streaming platform, United Solo Screen.

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced that The Lamplighter, a new musical with a book by Sara Porkalob, music and lyrics by Justin Huertas, and story by Kirsten “Kiki” deLohr Helland, Huertas, and Porkalob, concludes the trio of Musical Radio Plays it will produce in its 2020/21 digital season.

Seth Sikes will return to The Mansion of Saratoga in Rock City Falls, NY, on Friday, May 21 for one performance only. The show, called Runnin’ Wild, will feature Seth singing favorites from the Great American Songbook, including classics by Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Liza Minnelli. 

Orange Tree Theatre today announce the full casts for Shaw Shorts: How He Lied to Her Husband and Overruled – a double bill of Bernard Shaw's short plays directed by Artistic Director Paul Miller.

Since taking over the helm of the storied Alhambra Theatre & Dining, Managing Partner Craig Smith has wanted to produce a Tennessee Williams play, and on February 24, 2021 he will get his wish as the Alhambra opens his most famous one, The Glass Menagerie. 

Veteran actress Sally Kirkland will lead a masterclass for the students of The International Acting Studio (TIAS) in Belgrade, Serbia on Monday, February 22nd.

Fiona: Tennessee Williams wrote some of the greatest roles for women and most were based on people he had met and known during his life. I had the great fortune of playing the Princess in SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH the year before with the same company; in fact, we toured to the US with it and it was an exhilarating and memorable experience. It is always a joy to work a second time with like-minded actors and creative team, so it was great to work with Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer again! Amanda is said to be based on Williams' mother and so I read biographies and accounts of his life to filter into the characterization. All characters in his work are facetted and Amanda is deeply complex and full of contradictions - a delusional, flighty, down to earth, disillusioned person who above all is a devoted and doting mother. There are many more Williams' women I would like to play!

Actress Kim Cattrall recently chatted with BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz about her fears for the stage, and why she thinks theatre is so important.

Beloved actress Shirley Knight passed away from natural causes on April 22nd at the home of her daughter, Kaitlin Hopkins, in San Marcos, TX.

We continue our series with leaders in the theatre arts to learn about their upcoming plans and find out how they are dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. We had the opportunity to interview Bonnie J. Monte, the Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. She gave us her insights about the Theatre.