reasons to be pretty - 2008 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 19

The Henry Hewes Design Awards Committee has nominated 60 theater artists for recognition of their outstanding work in 46 productions presented during the 2008-2009 New York theater season. The awards will be presented at a luncheon to be held late this fall.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) presents the world premiere of Alexander Dinelaris' Still Life, directed by Will Frears. The cast will feature Dominic Chianese, Halley Feiffer, Ian Kahn, Adriane Lenox, Kelly McAndrew, Sarah Paulson, Matthew Rauch and Frederick Weller. Performances began at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on September 16 and continue through November 1, 2009.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) has announced the trio of English actors who will appear in the American premiere production of Alexi Kaye Campbell's The Pride, directed by Joe Mantello. Hugh Dancy (Adam, Journey's End), Andrea Riseborough (Happy Go Lucky) and Ben Whishaw (Bright Star, Brideshead Revisited) will star in the four person play, with a fourth actor to be announced shortly. The production will mark Ms. Riseborough and Mr. Whishaw's New York stage debuts. Performances begin at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, NYC) on January 27 and continue through March 20, 2010. Opening night is set for Tuesday, February 16 at 7:00 p.m.

The gossip blogs are abuzz this morning with news that Lily Allen has decided to retire from singing. The singer has 'confirmed' that she will be taking time off from music indefinitely and will thus not be recording a follow-up album to her wildly successful 'It's Not Me, It's You' or tour any further with this current record.

Profiles Theatre opens its 21st Anniversary Season with the Midwest premiere of the drama The Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute, directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. The production runs September 25- November 15, 2009, at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. The press opening is Thursday, October 1, 2009, at 8:00 p.m.

MEMPHIS, an original Broadway musical, opening 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.

MEMPHIS has nabbed the Shubert Theater for its fall run.

Eating Their Words, producer of unprecedented theatrical and culinary events, will feature Tony nominee Isabel Keating (The Boy from Oz), Christopher Evan Welch (Festen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Austin Lysy (An American Plan), and Aya Cash (From Up Here, the upcoming Killers and Other Family) in new short plays by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, The Understudy), Jonathan Marc Sherman (Things We Want), and Sam Forman (The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall) at ?The Tocqueville Event?, Monday October 19th at 7PM.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director), in association with Sonia Friedman Productions and Ostar Productions presents Sienna Miller as 'Miss Julie', Jonny Lee Miller as 'John' and Marin Ireland as 'Christine' in the American premiere of playwright Patrick Marber's drama After Miss Julie, a version of Strindberg's Miss Julie, directed by Mark Brokaw.

The Open Fist Theatre Company presents their First Ever, FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, with new works written by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Steven Haworth, Karen Hartman, Julie Hebert, Neil LaBute, Rick Pagano and directed by Bjorn Johnson, Neil LaBute, Marya Mazor, Charles Otte and Randee Trabitz. The Festival began on Thursday, July 23 and runs through Sunday, September 13 at The NEW Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. (former home of The Actor's Gang) in Hollywood.

The Open Fist Theatre Company presents their First Ever, FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, with new works written by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Steven Haworth, Karen Hartman, Julie Hebert, Neil LaBute, Rick Pagano and directed by Bjorn Johnson, Neil LaBute, Marya Mazor, Charles Otte and Randee Trabitz. The Festival began on Thursday, July 23 and runs through Sunday, September 13 at The NEW Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. (former home of The Actor's Gang) in Hollywood.

Women's Project, truly on a roll in its 32nd year (and not looking a day over 29!) of producing plays written and directed by women, has signed Maggie Siff, one of the acclaimed ensemble of actors in the hit, third-season TV series 'Mad Men,' to play Aphra Behn in Liz Duffy Adams's three-hander Or, directed by Wendy McClellan.

Profiles Theatre opens its 21st Anniversary Season with the Midwest premiere of the drama The Mercy Seat by Neil LaBute, directed by Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. The production runs September 25- November 15, 2009, at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. The press opening is Thursday, October 1, 2009, at 8:00 p.m.

BroadwayWorld.com presents it's newest column, Twitter Watch, which will bring you only the best and most interesting reports straight from the mouths of Broadway stars, shows and more on the hot social networking service - Twitter!

To commemorate the Shubert Theatre Box Office opening for the new Broadway musical MEMPHIS there was festive special performances by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan, the Cast of MEMPHIS, and VH1 Save the Music Foundation student keyboard ensemble from Jersey City's MS 41. on Wednesday, August 26th at 12pm in Shubert Alley.

To commemorate the Shubert Theatre Box Office opening for the new Broadway musical MEMPHIS there will be special performances by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan, the Cast of MEMPHIS, and VH1 Save the Music Foundation student keyboard ensemble from Jersey City's MS 41. on Wednesday, August 26th at 12pm.

To commemorate the Shubert Theatre Box Office opening for the new Broadway musical MEMPHIS there will be special performances by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan, the Cast of MEMPHIS, and VH1 Save the Music Foundation student keyboard ensemble from Jersey City's MS 41. on Wednesday, August 26th at 12pm.

The Open Fist Theatre Company presents their First Ever, FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, with new works written by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Steven Haworth, Karen Hartman, Julie Hebert, Neil LaBute, Rick Pagano and directed by Bjorn Johnson, Neil LaBute, Marya Mazor, Charles Otte and Randee Trabitz. The Festival began on Thursday, July 23 and runs through Sunday, September 13 at The NEW Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. (former home of The Actor's Gang) in Hollywood.

Continuing a tradition that dates back to 1920, when Burns Mantle founded the annual Best Plays Theater Yearbook, the Best Plays of 2008-2009 were announced today by editor Jeffrey Eric Jenkins.

The Open Fist Theatre Company presents their First Ever, FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, with new works written by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Steven Haworth, Karen Hartman, Julie Hebert, Neil LaBute, Rick Pagano and directed by Bjorn Johnson, Neil LaBute, Marya Mazor, Charles Otte and Randee Trabitz. The Festival began on Thursday, July 23 and runs through Sunday, September 13 at The NEW Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. (former home of The Actor's Gang) in Hollywood.

Full casting was announced today for MEMPHIS, an original Broadway musical, opening 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.

The Open Fist Theatre Company presents their First Ever, FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, with new works written by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Steven Haworth, Karen Hartman, Julie Hebert, Neil LaBute, Rick Pagano and directed by Bjorn Johnson, Neil LaBute, Marya Mazor, Charles Otte and Randee Trabitz. The Festival will begin on Thursday, July 23 and run through Sunday, September 13 at The NEW Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. (former home of The Actor's Gang) in Hollywood.

MCC Theater (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, Artistic Directors; William Cantler, Associate Artistic Director; Blake West, Executive Director) has announced casting for two productions of its 2009-10 season.

The Open Fist Theatre Company presents their First Ever, FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, with new works written by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Steven Haworth, Karen Hartman, Julie Hebert, Neil LaBute, Rick Pagano and directed by Bjorn Johnson, Neil LaBute, Marya Mazor, Charles Otte and Randee Trabitz. The Festival will begin on Thursday, July 23 and run through Sunday, September 13 at The NEW Open Fist Theatre, 6209 Santa Monica Blvd. (former home of The Actor's Gang) in Hollywood.

A first for the company, The Australian Ballet is looking to provide insights into the creation of new work from a punter's point of view by commissioning three citizen bloggers to document the creation of CONCORD.