The One Act Play Festival - 1981 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 5

Two years ago, I revisited French Woods Festival of the Arts (which I attended from 1999 to 2002 as a camper/teen actor and then as an assistant director/stage manager) and BroadwayWorld kindly published an article I wrote about the experience. In light of my responsibilities at work (attorney by day, theater critic by night) and at home (including a hyperactive toddler and commuting daily between NY and NJ), I was not planning on visiting again this past summer, but that instantly changed when I learned that the camp was planning on presenting 1776 for the first time in nearly two decades - and with an all-female cast.

After sell out seasons in the West End and through the UK, Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's hit returns to the stage for one week only at Theatr Clwyd this November. Prime Minister Jim Hacker and his long-suffering Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby are back - still morally dubious and spinning the stories - all the while staring disaster and political ruin in the face.

  Rein celebrated the release of her new album Queen Of My Castle (Gulf Coast Records) with a CD Release Concert at The Merc in historic Temecula, CA two weeks ago. 'From the soulful, toe-tapping 'Yes I Sing The Blues' to the hard-rocking, 'Heat,' Rein showed a versatile voice and sharper-than-sharp songwriting skills with some meaty guitar licks thrown in for good measure,' Writes the Valley News in their review, which can be read in its entirety, here.  This past July Rein performed in front of thousands of music lovers at the Open Air Blues Festival in Romania, where she was born. 

Stage West presents First Date, Book by Austin Winsberg, Music and Lyrics by Alan Zachary & Michael Weiner

Ted Sperling, Artistic Director of MasterVoices, announced details of the acclaimed ensemble's 78th season, celebrating the joy of choral singing and the power of the human voice to unite, inspire and connect since 1941. Highlights include three major musical presentations at top venues, including a New York premiere, and the World Premiere of a new work, commissioned by the Company. Throughout the season there will be collaborations with leading singers, artists, ensembles and organizations, some who are familiar with and others who are new to the Company.

Rising blues artist Diana Rein celebrates the release of her new album Queen Of My Castle (Gulf Coast Records) with a CD Release Concert at The Merc, 42051 Main St., Friday, August 16. Showtime: 7pm. Tickets: $10. (purchase here). Info: (866) OLD-TOWN (653-8696) or visit https://tickets.temeculatheater.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=1245. 

Milwaukee Repertory Theater announces the cast and creative teams for the 201920 Season shows 2 Pianos 4 Hands, The Niceties, The Nerd and Nunsense.

The 29th annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival (Inside Out), championing innovative LGBTQ filmmakers from across the globe, revealed its full feature and short film lineup. The announcement was made today by Inside Out's Executive Director Andria Wilson and the festival's Director of Programming Andrew Murphy. Inside Out, which launched the first ever annual LGBTQ Film Finance Forum, has established itself as an international home and incubator for LGBTQ emerging and established filmmakers. This year's festival will take place May 23 to June 2, 2019.

If you are wondering whether it's necessary for you to have seen Qui Nguyen's critically-acclaimed 2015 play VIETGONE in order to enjoy its superior new sequel POOR YELLA REDNECKS, then don't worry too much about it. This incredibly funny, incredibly innovative, and incredibly well-acted follow-up is, by itself, a singular, superb stand-alone gem. All those loud laughs you're hearing in Costa Mesa for the past few weeks? They're all likely coming from South Coast Repertory, where this entertaining and thought-provoking must-see sequel is currently being presented in its first full World Premiere production through April 27, 2019 as part of the Tony Award-winning theater's annual Pacific Playwright's Festival. I truly cannot recommend this play-with-music enough.

Theatre Pro Rata is producing My Sister in This House by Wendy Kesselman this June at The Crane Theater . This award-winning drama explores the true story of two sisters who murdered their employer and her daughter in 1930s France. What drove these two young women, who served as maids in the household, to such a desperate act? Class conflict, family dysfunction, loneliness, and love all play a role in this complex and devastating tale.

The Actors' Gang presents VIOLENCE: The Misadventures of Spike Spangle, Farmer, written by The Actors' Gang Artistic Director Tim Robbins and Adam Simon and directed by Bob Turton, who was most recently seen at The Actors' Gang as "The Maniac" in Accidental Death of an Anarchist. This no-holds barred satire of militarism and media manipulation begins performances May 2nd (Press Opening May 11th at 8:00pm) and will run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through June 22nd. 

The fourth annual FilmTwo Initiative launches today in LA to support the career sustainability of thirteen artists developing their second features. FilmTwo encompasses two days of focused programming, including a writing workshop (led by Joan Tewkesbury), industry mentoring sessions, and one-on-one story meetings, kicking off a year of tailored creative and tactical support as part of the Institute's continuum of support for artists at key inflection points in their careers. The FilmTwo Initiative is supported by Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.

The Actors' Gang presents One Act Festival, featuring two contrasting programs performed in repertory. Show one, entitled The Classic, begins performances March 14th (press opening March 23) and features two classic one-act plays -- Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit, directed by Brian T. Finney, and Samuel Beckett's Krapps's Last Tape, directed by Cynthia Ettinger. Show two, entitled The Original, begins performances March 16 (Press Opening March 29) and features three new one-act plays written, directed, and acted by The Actors Gang ensemble:  Tradition, written by James Edward Bane and directed by Tess Vidal, A Perfect World, written by Lynde Houck and directed by Danielle Powell, and Clean Slate, written by Bob Turton and directed by Zoe Hall. Both programs will run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, through April 20th.  

In this "tale told by idiots," The Reduced Shakespeare Company weaves all of The Bard's famous characters, greatest lines and magnificent speeches into a brand new Shakespearean smorgasbord. William Shakespeare's Long Lost First Play (abridged) is a comic misadventure that will feel strangely familiar yet excitingly new, presented by The Broad Stage for two performances only April 5 and 6 at 7:30pm.

The little OPERA theatre of ny(LOTNY) presents the New York Premiere of Benjamin Britten's opera in two acts, OWEN WINGRAVE, with libretto by Myfanwy Piper, at GK Arts Center, 29 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY, from May 9-12, 2019, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $20-$45 and are available at www.ticketcentral.com.

Red Bull Theater today announced the cast for the next REVELATION READING, the New York Premiere of The Shadow of a Doubt by Edith Wharton, directed by Eleanor Holdridge: Emily Brown, Michael Cerveris, Kimberly Chatterjee, Samantha Blaire Cutler, Sanjit De Silva, Adam Harrington, Kathryn Meisle, Amanda Quaid and Brian Wile.  This will take place on Monday January 28th at 7:30 PM at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

The 8th ANNUAL BOSTON ONE-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (#1MPF) returns for its eighth year, in partnership with Boston Playwrights' Theatre. The marathon evening of one-minute plays by 60 established and emerging Boston area playwrights and directors plays three performances only. Today, January 5th at 8pm, Sunday, January 6th at 8pm, & Monday, January 7th at 8pm.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Founding Artistic Director Steven Maler announced the cast of the second production of its 2018-19 Season: Birdy, adapted by Naomi Wallace from the novel by William Wharton, and directed by Steven Maler. The production runs February 27 through March 10 at the Carling-Sorenson Theater at Babson College in Wellesley.

The 8th ANNUAL BOSTON ONE-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (#1MPF) returns for its eighth year, in partnership with Boston Playwrights' Theatre. The marathon evening of one-minute plays by 60 established and emerging Boston area playwrights and directors plays three performances only. Saturday, January 5th at 8pm, Sunday, January 6th at 8pm, & Monday, January 7th at 8pm.

Youtheatre celebrates a monumental 50 years of providing Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), coincidentally the 25th anniversary of Michel Lefebvre's tenure as Artistic and Executive Director of the company.

The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company will present the fourteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Will Reynolds and Eric Price. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented by Alan Cumming on Monday, November 26th from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony in the Penthouse Lounge of The American Airlines Theater.

The play will be shown from March 21, 2019 until March 24, 2019. 

There was only one prize-winning teenager carrying stones big enough to say thanks, but no thanks to Roy Acuff.  Only one son of Kentucky finding a light of inspiration from Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys and catching a fire from Bob Marley and The Wailers.  Only one progressive hippie allying with like-minded conspirators, rolling out the newgrass revolution, and then leaving the genre's torch-bearing band behind as it reached its commercial peak.  There is only one consensus pick of peers and predecessors, of the traditionalists, the rebels, and the next gen devotees. Music's ultimate inside outsider. Or is it outside insider? There is only one Sam Bush.

Boston Playwrights' Theatre (BPT) opens its 2018-19 season with The Tragic Ecstasy of Girlhood by Kira Rockwell. Running from October 11-21, this new drama is directed by Leila Ghaemi.

The month kicks off with local songstress Melveen Leed and the return of the Honolulu Jazz Quartet presenting a Tribute to Bird & Dizzy: The Birth of Bebop. Good music runs in the Artis family, so don't miss PraiseJesus Artis in her Blue Note debut. Jazz talent Abe Lagrimas Jr. is up next, followed by the Na Hoku “Female Vocalist of the Year” Kimié Miner. Paula Fuga returns with a tribute to Aretha Franklin and soul-singer DeAndre Brackensick is back with Shawn Pimental. We welcome Willie K back to the stage following a successful mainland tour and present the Blue Note debut of Kamuela Kahoano. The youngest of the family, Rodney Cazimero joins us later in the month followed by local giants Kumuhau,Brother Noland & John Cruz and Kuana Torres Kahele presenting 'Kakuhihewa, his tribute to O'ahu.