Coming: AFTER MISS JULIE

Strindberg's Miss Julie is a powerful play, which is also very strange and hard to make believable, since so much happens in a very short time, and the characters are extreme. But it is such an interesting play that people keep trying. (Here's one translation of Strindberg's script, including Strindberg's preface.)

In a new interpretation, changed enough, I guess, so that the name itself is slightly changed, one of the world's most exciting new playwrights, and three powerful young actors present their version at the American Airlines Theater in September as part of the Roundabout's new season.

After Miss Julie
By Patrick Marber
Directed by Mark Brokaw
With Sienna Miller, Jonny Lee Miller, Marin Ireland

Sept. 18 - Dec. 6, 2009
The Roundabout Theater Company
The American Airlines Theater
227 West 42 Street (btw 7th & 8th)

Patrick Marber wrote Closer.

Sienna Miller was recently in Interview and The Edge of Love.She's in G. I. Joe coming out this summer (Aug 7, 2009).

She was also in lots of gossip stories.

Marin Ireland was in Reasons To Be Pretty on Broadway, and is a rising star in films and theater.

Jonny Lee Miller was in Trainspotting. Some trivia (from Wikipedia) -- Jonny Lee Miller was in Hackers and married his co-star Angelina Jolie; he ran the London Maration in about 3 hours. He played the lead in Eli Stone, a series I rather liked, that was cancelled after 2 seasons (possibly a victim of the Writer's Strike).

Sienna Miller and Jonny Lee Miller, though both named "Miller" are not related.

The Story
In his new interpretation of August Strindberg's classic drama about class and sex, Miss Julie, playwright Patrick Marber transposes Miss Julie to the English countryside in 1945. Sequestered in her grandmother's country house on the eve of the Labour Party's historic landslide victory, young Miss Julie engages in a forbidden flirtation that quickly spins into a life and death struggle for power.

After Miss Julie
The Roundabout Theater Company

Sept. 18 - Dec. 6, 2009

American Airlines Theatre
227 West 42 St. (7th & 8th Aves)
Ticket Services: 212.719.1300

Coming: DREYFUS IN REHEARSAL

DREYFUS IN REHEARSAL

By JEAN-CLAUDE GRUMBERG
Adapted by GARSON KANIN (Born Yesterday, The Rat Race, Do Re Mi)
Directed by Chad Larabee

Poland. 1931. A troupe of amateur Jewish performers attempts to put on a play about French Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Complications ensue as the frustrated director struggles to make the company understand the relevance of live theatre and help his young lead find the conviction to play the title character. Through it all, the troupe discovers the strength of their collective voice and what they mean to each other.

Dreyfus in Rehearsal begins performances this Thursday, July 30 at the Beckett Theatre, Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

Tickets are $18.

Beckett Theatre,
Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

Thursday, July 30 at 8pm
Friday, July 31 at 8pm
Saturday, August 1 at 3pm & 8pm
Monday, August 3 at 7pm
Tuesday, August 4 at 7pm
Wednesday, August 5 at 3pm & 8pm
Thursday, August 6 at 8pm
Friday, August 7 at 8pm

To purchase:
www.ticketcentral.com
or
(212) 279-4200
Or in person at the
Box Office at Theatre Row, 410 W. 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Ave.)

Featuring:
Paul Anthony Stewart* (2004 Revival of Fiddler on the Roof, "Guiding Light") as Morris,
Lori Wilner* (A Catered Affair, Awake and Sing) as Zina,
Bob Ari* (Frost/Nixon, The Constant Wife) as Arnold,
Ari Butler* as Michael,
Holly Ann Butler* (Lincoln Center's Happiness, 2007 Revival of Grease!) as Myriam,
Lee Zarrett* (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Jane Eyre) as Mendl,
Daniel Pollack* (Arthur Miller's The Prince) as Zalman,
Teddy Bergman* as Dr. Wasselbaum/ Bronislaw and
Timothy Sekk* as Yanek.

With set design by Ken Goldstein,
Costume design by David Zyla,
Lighting design by Cory Pattak,
Original music by Matt Gould and
Fight direction by Joe Travers.
Iris D. O'Brien* serves as the production stage manager.

Presented by:
Philip Morgaman, Emily Miller, Frankie Grande

JUDE LAW => HAMLET

Jude Law will take the role of Hamlet in a Broadway production directed by Michael Grandage.

Preview performances start September 12, with the official opening on October 6.

(NOTE: Tickets are on sale to American Express Cardmembers only through July 17! Tickets will go on sale to the general public on July 18.)

Broadhurst Theatre 235 West 44th Street (Between Broadway and 8th Avenue)
New York NY 10036

Running Time: 3 hours and 10 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission

SUMMER THEATER 2009: LINCOLN CENTER FESTIVAL

Lincoln Center Festival 09 is presenting a fascinating series of plays this July by renowned theater companies from all around Europe: Hungary, Russia, Poland & more...

A Hungarian company is presenting Chekhov's Ivanov in a 20th Century Hungarian setting. Ivanov is Chekhov's deepest, darkest, and most disturbing and shocking play. The legendary Ariane Mnouchkine is making a rare New York appearance! This Festival is quite an important theatrical event!

The Lincoln Center

Festival 09

July 7 - 26

Global Theater!

Les Éphémères, Le Théâtre du Soleil, July 7–19

To begin the season, visionary director Ariane Mnouchkine and her acting collective share life experiences and find beauty in everyday moments.


lvanov, Katona József Theatre, July 7–11
Peasant Opera, Béla Pintér and Company, July 21–26

Two Hungarian companies present radically different works: Tamás Ascher's turn at Ivanov features Chekhov’s intense title character set in 1960s and 70s Hungary, and Béla Pintér and Company performs a hilarious musical soap opera, a farcical tale of taboos and tradition in the countryside.


Kalkwerk, Narodowy Stary Teatr, July 14–18

The masterpiece of renowned Polish director Krystian Lupa brings us face to face with madness, a work rooted in psychological complexity, humanity, and stylistic innovation.


Trilogia della villeggiatura, Piccolo Teatro di Milano/Teatri Uniti di Napoli,
July 22–26

Piccolo Teatro di Milano returns to the Festival to perform this uproarious commedia dell’arte satire, starring and directed by Toni Servillo (from the film Gomorrah).


Boris Godunov, Chekhov International Theatre Festival, July 22–26
Life and Fate, Maly Drama Theatre, July 21–26

Two acclaimed theater companies arrive from Russia with deeply moving works: the Chekhov International Theatre Festival presents an exposé of corrupt Tsarist Russia and the Maly Drama Theatre follows a deranged physicist under the direction of Lev Dodin.

SHAKESPEARE LAB PARTICIPANTS

Zaidan Jah & Lanna Joffrey
Two of the new members of the Shakespeare Lab
photos from imdb
The Public Theater Shakespeare Lab starts today and runs through July 24.

Lemon Andersen, Nathan Darrow, Paloma Guzmán, Zainab Jah, Lanna Joffrey, Modesto Lacén, Rebecca Lowman, William Mapother, Leslie Silva, Ryan Brooke Taylor, Molly Ward, and Victor Williams were selected from hundreds of applications to participate in this year’s program.

These are people to watch! They are among the best classical actors of their generation, and they are getting some of the best follow-up training here.

Under the direction of Barry Edelstein, The Shakespeare Lab immerses a carefully-selected company of professional, mid-career actors in a six-week intensive exploring the rigors, challenges, and joys of performing Shakespeare. The Shakespeare Lab is a unique opportunity for working American actors in mid-career to hone their craft and expand their classical skills. It aims to build a strong and diverse collective of classically trained actors which will expand The Public Theater’s community of artists.

The Lab’s workshops in Shakespearean performance are led by some of the most respected figures in American classical theater training, including Christopher Bayes, Lisa Benevides, Barry Edelstein, Robert Perillo, J. Steven White, Grace Zandarski, Janet Zarish and others. Guest artists, including eminent members of The Public Theater community and other leading Shakespeareans, will frequently visit the Shakespeare Lab.

The Shakespeare Lab was founded in 1995, and in the 14 years since, numerous members of the Shakespeare Lab Company have gone on to secure roles in the Park, at The Public Theater, on and off-Broadway, and in regional theaters. The Lab is the cornerstone of a busy summer of Shakespeare-related activity at The Public Theater, including the production of Twelfth Night, directed by Daniel Sullivan (June 10 to July 12, 2009); Shakespeare Lab Jr., a program of free, one-week Shakespeare workshops for New York City schoolchildren; and Summer Shake-Up, a one-day celebration of Shakespeare at the Delacorte Theater for New York City schoolchildren and their families.

Here are brief descriptions of the participants.

LEMON ANDERSEN is a critically acclaimed and award-winning renaissance artist. As a poet he has the greatest number of appearances on HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry”—seven times in five seasons. He is also an original cast member of Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway. He won a Tony Award for his writing and performance, as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination. He has been a mainstay in the spoken-word and theater scene for the past decade, performing in and selling out venues such as the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Apollo Theater, Chicago Theater, Hollywood’s Kodak Theater, and Philadelphia’s Live 8 Theater. His film credits include The Soloist and Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna, Sucker Free City, She Hate Me, and Inside Man. His theater and writing credits include Slanguage (New York Theater Workshop) and the book Ready Made Real: Poems.

NATHAN DARROW’s professional work includes productions of The Little Dog Laughed, Taking Sides, Translations, To Kill A Mockingbird, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Romeo and Juliet, The Pillowman, King Henry V, The Retreat from Moscow, The Game of Love and Chance, and Much Ado About Nothing, among others.

PALOMA GUZMÁN received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon where her Shakespeare credits include the role of Celia in As You Like It under the direction of Di Trevis (RSC, NT). Her TV and film credits include “Law & Order,” “Gossip Girl,” and the recent film Confessions of a Shopaholic. She was most recently seen in Michael’s Greif’s production of Boys’ Life at Second Stage.

ZAINAB JAH. Recent credits include Tranced (Azmera) at Merrimack Rep, Intimate Apparel (Mayme) at W.H.A.T, Trojan Women (Helen) with Classical Theatre of Harlem, In Darfur at The Public Theater, and Veronica Jonkers in the national tour of Athol Fugard's Valley Song. Film and TV credits include principal roles in “100 Center Street,” directed by Sidney Lumet, Dinner Rush with Danny Aiello, and “Law & Order.” Jah is a two-time winner of the Fresh Fruit Award for Acting for Nick Mwaluko’s plays Waafrika (2007) and S/HE (2008).

LANNA JOFFREY. Recent credits include Jason Grote’s 1001 (Denver Center, Denver Post Ovation Award), Nine Parts of Desire (Lyric Stage, Carmel O'Reilly, IRNE Award for Best Solo Performance) and Joffrey’s documentary play, Valiant (Tamilla Woodard, NY Fringe Festival Performance Award, NY Innovative Theatre nomination). Other credits include Metamorphoses (Capital Repertory, Maggie Mancinelli-Carter), Five Kinds of Silence (Boundless Theatre, Tlaloc Rivas), The Snow Queen (Urban Stages, Daniella Topol), Mac Wellman’s Cellophane (The Flea, Jim Simpson), Like I Say (Len Jenkin), Saviana Stanescu’s Waxing West (Jonathan Silverstein), Homeward Bound (Shannon Fillion), Marko The Prince (Immigrants Theatre Project, Marcy Arlin), Dancing at Lughnasa (Wendy Dann) and Israel Horovitz's Security and A Mother's Love. She has collaborated with Karen Finley on Lanna’s solo piece, Rain (The Flea). Film credits include Breathtaking, Security, The New Americans, So She Fell Silent and Someday Soon.

MODESTO LACÉN has been working for the past 16 years as an actor, director and producer in Puerto Rico and the United States. A graduate from the University of Puerto Rico with a BA in Drama (Magna Cum Laude), his Puerto Rican Theater credits include Medea; Blue Surge; The Boys in the Band; Godspell; Picasso at the Lapin Agile; Hamlet; Othello; El Bombón de Elena; Salsa Gorda (Best Actor 2004). Film credits include Las dos Caras de Jano; El Cimarrón; Desamores; Entremedio; 12 horas; Animal; Back in the Day; Dirty Dancing 2; Kidnapped in Paradise; and Second Honeymoon, among others. In 1998 Lacen established the company Nueva Escena with which he has produced: The Little Prince: the musical; Yepeto; Art (Director); Salsa Gorda ( Actor); and Los Coyotes (Actor). In 2004 he was recognized by the Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular as “Emblematic Actor” for artistic excellence and variety. Other theater credits include The Caucasian Chalk Circle, To Shakespeare With Love, Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Crúz (ACE and HOLA nominations), and Requiem por Yarini (ACE nomination).

REBECCA LOWMAN received an MFA from Columbia University in 1997. Favorite roles include Rosalind in As You Like It, Christopher in Tom Stoppard’s On the Razzle, Horatio in Hamlet, Meg in Crimes of the Heart, and the bellboy in first national tour of the musical Titanic. She has appeared on many television shows, including “Will & Grace,” “Without a Trace,” “Cold Case,” “Criminal Minds,” “Big Love,” “Private Practice,” and “The Shield”; she starred in an independent feature called Eve of Understanding and in the play iWitness at the Mark Taper Forum, directed by Barry Edelstein.

WILLIAM MAPOTHER. Television and film credits include “Prison Break,” “Lost,” “Criminal Minds,” “Viva Laughlin,” “K-Ville,” “Robot Chicken,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Threshold,” “The Inside,” “Line of Fire,” “Touched by an Angel,” “CSI: Miami,” “Law & Order: SVU,” Warrior, Hurt, Skip Tracer, The Burrowers, Moving McAllister, Moola, The Lather Effect, World Trade Center, The Zodiac, Lords of Dogtown, Chloe, Suspect Zero, The Grudge, The Kiss, The Pennsylvania Miners’ Story, Self Storage, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky, In the Bedroom, Mission: Impossible II, Magnolia, Trickle, Without Limits, and Born on the Fourth of July.

LESLIE SILVA performed in Chicago and Sleep Deprivation Chamber at the Signature Theatre in Washington, DC. Her other theater credits include Edmond at the Linda Gross Theater. Her television and film credits include “Numb3rs,” “CSI: Miami,” “Enterprise,” “Cold Case,” “The Agency,” “Odyssey 5,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Gideon’s Crossing,” “Girlfriends,” “ER,” “Providence,” “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “Cosby,” “New York Undercover,” Reversion, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The 70’s, and Fools Rush In.

RYAN BROOKE TAYLOR began his early performing career as a classical dancer, performing with such companies as the Dance Theatre of Harlem and the Pennsylvania Ballet. Taylor is a former student of Michael Miller's The Actor's Center where he studied with many great teachers, including Loyd Richards and Per Brah. More recently Taylor has performed as Actor and Creative Team member for Julie Taymor's Broadway company of The Lion King.

MOLLY WARD. Credits include The Seagull, Romeo and Juliet, and Three Sisters at American Repertory Theater. Three Sisters also went to The Edinburgh International Festival and she was nominated for an Elliot Norton Award. Other credits include the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's Our House at The Denver Center; Camille at Bard Summerscape; Before Breakfast at Provincetown Theater; Othello at Hartford Stage; Nobody with Rising Phoenix Rep.; Shaving the Pickle and The Shape of Metal with Origin Theater Company; Umbrella Plays in the NYFringe Festival 2008; and The Lacy Project in Ice Factory Festival 2007; As You Like It (NYFringe Festival 2000 in a parking lot, and moved to The Public Theater's New Works Now! series in 2001); The Stronger, with Chashama; and Richard Forman's Paradise Hotel (toured in Berlin, Salsburg, Copenhagen and Paris).

VICTOR WILLIAMS. He was most recently seen in the Public LAB workshop production of Philip Roth in Khartoum by David Bar Katz (dir. John Gould Rubin). He appeared as a guest artist in The Graduate Acting Program's production of Our Lady of 121st Street (dir. Michael Sexton). Other theater credits include Satisfy Me by Johnny Garcia at the Lillian Theater in Los Angeles (dir. Andrew Borba); Ohio Tip-Off by James Yoshimura at the Dallas Theater Center (dir. Kenneth Leon); and Troilus and Cressida at the New York Shakespeare Festival (dir. Mark Wing-Davey). His TV and film credits include “Fringe,” “ER,” “Girlfriends,” “Flight of the Conchords,” “The Practice,” “Animatrix,” “The King of Queens,” Copland, The Preacher's Wife, and Traci Townsend.

Coming: DANCE OF THE SEVEN HEADED MOUSE

DANCE OF THE SEVEN HEADED MOUSE
by Carole Gaunt
directed by Christopher McElroen

The Beckett @ Theater Row
410 West 42 Street
NY NY 10036


The fault lines are exposed when a seemingly picture-perfect Fifth Avenue family faces the harshest of realities - the death of their daughter. A father turns to work to drown his sorrow, while his wife drifts into a haze of pills and booze. When their surviving child Avril inexplicably drops out of her prestigious New England boarding school, her roommate Juliana arrives for a visit, determined to lure her back. Acting as a catalyst and witness, Juliana exposes the gaping cracks in the family's Upper East Side façade, forcing its three surviving members to engage with one another and the tragedy they share. Dance of the Seven-Headed Mouse is a tale of love, loss, and acceptance from Carole Gaunt, award-winning author of the memoir, Hungry Hill.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
TUESDAY 7pm; WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY 8pm
SATURDAY 2pm & 8pm; SUNDAY 2pm

Additional Performances:
Sun 6/21 at 7pm, Mon 6/22 at 7pm, Sun 7/5 at 7pm
Talkbacks on Tuesdays after the Show - 6/30, 7/7, 7/14 & 7/21

To Purchase Tickets:

Online: Visit http://www.ticketcentral.com/
By Phone: Call 212-279-4200
In person: Theatre Row Box Office at 410 West 42nd Street (btwn 9th Ave & 10 Ave).
Open 12pm - 8pm daily.

Now playing - A BATTLE OF WILLS

Cause Célèbre/Part Time Productions
In Association with The New Group
Launches a Unique And Exciting Production
Connecting Great Theatre, Top Talent & Compelling Causes

"A BATTLE OF WILLS: Internal and External"
Three Extraordinary One-Act Plays

Written by
Susan Charlotte, Tom Fontana, Dorothy Parker and Harold Pinter

Directed by
Christopher Hart, Antony Marsellis and John Shea.

Featuring An Award-Winning Rotating Cast including:
Delphi Harrington, Tasha Lawrence, Carolyn McCormick, Larry Pine, Lizbeth Mackay, Marian Seldes, John Shea, Kevin Stapleton and Frances Sternhagen

Meet the Broadway and TV stars (including "Law and Order" and "Gossip Girl") after each show.

5 Performances Only: May 31 - June 21 Performances will run on consecutive Sundays from May 31 - June 21 at The Acorn @ Theatre Row.

The Acorn @ Theatre Row(410 West 42nd Street)

TICKETS:

http://www.ticketcentral.com/

Phone at Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200

In Person at the Theatre Row Box Office

Call-646-366-9340--

Half-Priced Tickets & Father's Day Special HALF-PRICED TICKETS--$32.50-
Purchase by June 8th

Closing show, June 21st/Father's Day Special-Limited number of tickets
BUY ONE TICKET, GET ONE FOR FREE

A Portion of Proceeds Benefit Columbia Psychiatry's Lieber Recovery & Rehabilitation Clinic

Cause Célèbre, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to causes and charity, proudly announces the launch of Part Time Productions and its inaugural presentation, A Battle of Wills: Internal and External.

This debut production consists of three one-act plays featuring award-winning actors, writers and directors.

Performances will run on consecutive Sundays from May 31 - June 21 at The Acorn @ Theatre Row.

The show leads with This is On Me, the work of Oscar-nominated screenwriter Dorothy Parker adapted by Emmy-Award® winning writer Tom Fontana and directed by Antony Marsellis. An endless battle with men and alcohol fueled the writing of Dorothy Parker. Tom Fontana, having explored the dark side of human nature through his acclaimed television hits "Oz," "Homicide" and "St. Elsewhere," is the perfect writer to probe the pathos and poignancy of Parker's work.

The show continues with Ashes to Ashes, written by Nobel-prize winning playwright Harold Pinter and directed by Christopher Hart. In this extraordinary play, a wife's torment has a profound impact upon her husband, as reality and the inner-workings of her mind become indistinguishable. Regardless of their origin, the wife's troubled thoughts and images are very real - to her.

Love Divided By, written by award-winning writer Susan Charlotte and directed by Emmy-Award® winner John Shea, concludes the show. During this compelling drama, the audience watches as a sister gives in to her brother's desperate pleas to meet, only to discover why she has pushed him away.

The film version, with original music by Philip Glass, was selected to reopen MoMA's Titus II Theatre.

For more information: http://www.causecelebre.info/

Coming: THREE SISTERS, HEDDA GABLER - HB STUDIO ENSEMBLE

HB Studio Ensemble production

JUNE 12-29, 2009

THREE SISTERS

By Anton Chekhov

Translated by Paul Schmidt

with Candace Bryant Snezhana Chernova Selma Cifka Chris Gilmer Hanna Hayes

Ross Kramberg Philip Kushner* Alicia Lobo Don Marlette* Arnie Mazer David Shih*

Robert Spence Toshiji Takeshima Marius Zilberstein

June 12, 16, 19, 20, 23, 26 at 8PM

June 14, 28 at 3PM only

Presented by special arrangement with Helen Merrill LLC

+

HEDDA GABLER

By Henrik Ibsen

Adapted by Jon Robin Baitz

from a literal translation by Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey

with Chris Chinn* Jen Danby* Mindy Luce Andy McCutcheon* Dara O'Brien

Catherine Siracusa David Smilow

June 13, 15, 18, 22, 25, 27, 29 at 8PM

June 21 at 3PM only

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

*member Actor's Equity Association

an Equity Approved Showcase

Directed by Amy Wright

Lighting Design: Corrie Beth Shotwell

Costume Design: Catherine Siracusa

Managing Director: Marlene Mancini

Technical Director: Giovanni Villari

Stage Manager: AJ Dobbs

Office Manager: Tara Webb

RESERVATIONS: please call: 212-989-7856

Mon - Fri 12:30-5:30PM

LIMIT (2) two tickets per request

ADMISSION: Free!

HB Playwrights Theatre

124 Bank Street (between Greenwich and Washington Streets)

New York, NY 10014

SUMMER THEATER 2009: SUMMER PLAY FESTIVAL (AT THE PUBLIC)

$10 Tickets now on sale for the Summer Play Festival (SPF)

For the second year, SPF will be held at The Public Theater on Lafayette Street in New York City. The festival runs from Tuesday, July 7th – Sunday, August 2nd 2009.

The 2009 Festival will feature seven new plays and one new musical. The productions include:

• The Chimes by Kevin Christopher Snipes, directed by Adam Immerwahr
• Departure Lounge by Dougal Irivine, directed by Christopher Gattelli
• The Happy Sad by Ken Urban, directed by Trip Cullman
• Reborning by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Kip Fagan
• The Sacrifices by Alena Smith, directed by Sam Gold
• Tender by Nicki Bloom, directed by Daniella Topol
• We Declare You A Terrorist by Tim J. Lord, directed by Niegel Smith
• Whore by Rick Viede, directed by Stephen Brackett
  

Tickets are available at The Public Theater box office, 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, on Sunday and Monday from 1PM-6PM and Tuesday through Saturday from 1PM-7:30PM (212-967-7555). Tickets also are available for purchase online at the Summer Play Festival website: http://www.spfnyc.com/ .

Founded by Arielle Tepper Madover (producer of such shows as Broadway’s Mary Stuart, Frost Nixon, Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, The Pillowman, A Raisin in the Sun, and Freak), the non-profit organization The Living Room for Artists, Inc provides emerging writers, directors, designers and producers an opportunity to work on their craft in a protected environment, guided by established professionals at no cost to them.


About the Plays:

The Chimes by Kevin Christopher Snipes; Nick returns to his New England boarding school still haunted by choices he made 40 years ago. The past overwhelms the present as this thrilling drama flashes back to four young pranksters drawn together by their knack for Shakespeare and ripped apart by the onset of World War II.

Departure Lounge by Dougal Irvine; It’s the end of vacation as four guys wait for their flight home in this testosterone-driven new musical. With time to kill they recount the hilarious antics of the week, and as secrets tumble out we learn more about the lads than they know about themselves.

The Happy Sad by Ken Urban; Finding love is easy. Defining love is not. New York City provides the backdrop to a contemporary comedy of sex, love and dating in a city where there are too many options and not enough time.

Reborning by Zayd Dohrn; Art and life become disturbingly interchangeable when a sculptor of baby dolls meets a woman desperate to recreate the past. This dark comedy takes an unsettling look at work, latex, and the power of creation.

The Sacrifices by Alena Smith; At first glance the family has everything. But once they leave on a Caribbean cruise, the winds change, privilege becomes a prison, and their vacation will be anything but smooth sailing in this touching comedy drama.

Tender by Nicki Bloom; A random act of violence leaves a family shattered and searching for a way to be whole again. Amid the ramifications, mystery, memory and potential murder set the stage for this haunting and suspenseful drama.

We Declare You A Terrorist by Tim J. Lord; Eight hundred civilians are taken hostage during the performance of a hit Moscow musical. In the aftermath, the playwright is plagued by the story of his captor—a young woman willing to die for her cause—in an intense drama where one person’s patriotism is another’s act of terrorism.

Whore by Rick Viede; Sara just wants to be interesting, and an unexpected one-night stand propels her into a high stakes relationship with worldly Tim. As they are drawn into the fringes this thriller exposes a world of greed, lies and fear which threatens to break the rules that hold them together.

For more information visit http://www.spfnyc.com/

Coming: INTO THE HAZARD (HENRY 5)

INTO THE HAZARD [Henry 5]
by William Shakespeare

Adapted and directed by Jessica Bauman

"INTO THE HAZARD [Henry 5] is a raw and riveting new adaptation of Shakespeare's politically charged, battle-filled history saga. Peppered with mock media footage, from Fox News to reality TV, this modern minimalist production exposes how television shapes our perceptions of war and heroism.

This just in: The fight for the French throne rages on as a young and underestimated English king rises to iconic status amidst threats to national security and a military assault designed to divert attention from issues at home.

Six actors portray over 20 different characters, on stage & screen, transporting the play's scenes from the royal court to a series of backroom negotiations and private deals.

INTO THE HAZARD [Henry 5] propels the Bard's 1599 epic into the media-obsessed world of 2009. "

Featuring: NICK DILLENBURG, DAVID MCCANN*, ERIN MOON*, LUIS MORENO*, TREVOR VAUGHN*, SCOTT WHITEHURST*

With video appearances by: KELLY AUCOIN*, CHRISTOPHER BURNS*, DENIS BUTKUS*, KEVIN KELLY*, GODFREY SIMMONS*, SAMANTHA SOULE*

Set and Lighting Design by CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND
Costume Design by EMILY PEPPER
Video Design by AUSTIN SWITSER
Sound Design by JEREMY LEE
Stage Manager EMILY PAIGE BALLOU
Assistant Stage Manager MEI LING ACEVEDO*
Choreographer SCOTT BARROW
Assistant Director SAMANTHA TELLA
Casting by JUDY BOWMAN
General Management/Line Producer LISA DOZIER
Production Manager MATTHEW CECCHINI
Graphic Design by ACEGOULET.COM

INTO THE HAZARD [Henry 5]
Presented by New Feet Productions

MAY 30 - JUNE 20, 2009

Walkerspace, 46 Walker Street,

NYC SCHEDULE
Thursday @ 8:00pm
Friday @ 8:00pm
Saturday @ 8:00pm
Sunday @ 7:00pm
Monday @ 7:00pm

Tickets: Available at Ticket Central: 212.279.4200

Or CLICK http://www.ticketcentral.com/showdetails2.asp?showid=2087 TO PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE!

Or In Person - Box Office open one (1) hour before each performance.

For more information, visit http://www.intothehazard.com/

SUMMER THEATER 2009: WILLIAMSTOWN

Interesting plays, great actors and directors, and a pleasant town make the Williamstown Theater Festival a joyous place to visit in the summer. Note: Pick your hotel reservations carefully. (They vary in quality from very nice to not so much.)

Marion Seldes, Mary Beth Hurt, the brothers Corddry, some world premieres, and revivals of some classic modern plays are highlights of the season.


Here's the schedule in brief:

Jul 01 - 12 - CHILDREN - Main Stage
Jul 08 - 19 - KNICKERBOCKER - Nikos Stage
Jul 15 - 26 - TRUE WEST - Main Stage
Jul 22 - Aug 02 - WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THUNDER? - Nikos Stage
Jul 29 - Aug 09 - THE TORCH-BEARERS - Main Stage
Aug 05 - 16 - CAROLINE IN JERSEY - Nikos Stage
Aug 12 - 23 - QUARTERMAINE'S TERMS - Main Stage


Here's a little more detail:

Jul 01 - 12 - CHILDREN - Main Stage

A.R. Gurney (Playwright) John Tillinger (Director)

In a large summer home on an island off the coast of Massachusetts, an estranged brother’s return and a mother’s impending marriage recall painful memories of their father’s death, and seething arguments reignite one family’s struggle with its tragic past and uncertain future.


Jul 08 - 19 - KNICKERBOCKER - Nikos Stage

(World-Premiere) Jonathan Marc Sherman (Playwright) Nicholas Martin (Director)

"Are you ready?" The question looms over Jerry as the months tick by and... As the birth date creeps ever nearer, will the advice, encouragement and warnings of friends and family make Jerry more or less ready? The awe and terror of becoming a new parent shines through Sherman’s newest play as he examines whether one can ever truly be ready for parenthood.


Jul 15 - 26 - TRUE WEST - Main Stage

Sam Shepard (Playwright) Daniel Goldstein (Director) with brothers Nate & Rob Corddry

Squabbling siblings in this modern classic -- an explosive exploration of family rivalry as two very different brothers attempt to sell Hollywood their version of the great American Western


Jul 22 - Aug 02 - WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF THUNDER? - Nikos Stage

(World-Premiere) Noah Haidle (Playwright) Justin Waldman (Director)

After 27 years on the same soap opera, Ada is starting to confuse her art and her life. But after so many years of acting, her art is her life. The hilarity of day-time drama alongside the harsher, but often equally funny, realities of life.


Jul 29 - Aug 09 - THE TORCH-BEARERS - Main Stage

George Kelly (Playwright) Dylan Baker (Director & adaptation)with Marion Seldes and Becky Ann Baker.

1920s farce in which a troupe of amateur actors rehearse and perform a show-stopping new play — or try to with all their might.


Aug 05 - 16 - CAROLINE IN JERSEY - Nikos Stage

(World-Premiere) Melinda Lopez (Playwright) Amanda Charlton (Director)

Caroline is down and out in New Jersey. She’s having a nervous breakdown, her career as an actress is tragically dwindling, and a peculiar stranger has made his presence known in her new apartment. One woman’s whole-hearted attempt to accept the past and take hold of the future. "Funny & touching"


Aug 12 - 23 - QUARTERMAINE'S TERMS - Main Stage

Simon Gray (Playwright) Maria Aitken (Director) Mary Beth Hurt, Simon Jones and Jefferson Mays

Academics at a school (not the University) in Cambridge England. (Quartermaine is a teacher's name. "Terms" is a pun.)

Coming: OFFICES

Ethan Coen, Ethan of the Coen brothers, (Fargo, No Country For Old men, Burn After Reading, etc), multiple Oscar winner & many-other-awards winner, has written three short plays about the workplace, performed by a cast headlined by the distinguished actor and Oscar winner, F. Murray Abraham.

THE OFFICE

By Ethan Coen

Featuring... Daniel Abeles, F. Murray Abraham, Brennan Brown, Aya Cash, John Bedford Lloyd, Daniel London, Mary McCann, Joey Slotnick, Greg Stuhr, C.J. Wilson, Daniel Yelsky

Directed by Neil Pepe

Limited Engagement - April 15 - May 31!

Presented by the Atlantic Theater Company

Hiring and firing are antisocial acts. Workplace pressures make for nasty competition. And the work itself can be meaningless and alienating.

Accordingly, the three short plays that make up Offices are comedies.

April 15 - May 31
Tue-Fri at 8 pm, Sat at 2 & 8 pm, Sun at 3 & 7 pm

There may be special discounts available for Ticket Central patrons!
(for performances April 15-26)

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY
at the LINDA GROSS THEATER
336 W. 20th St., New York, NY

www.atlantictheater.org

WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM

The Public Theater will extend Christopher Durang’s WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM, directed by Nicholas Martin, through Sunday, May 3.

This is an extremely funny play. The acting and directing are matched perfectly to the script, which is hilarious. The set design is rich and attractive and, even better, gets its own punch line!

Our young ingenue wakes up to discover she is in bed with a guy she does not remember. But he looks and acts like he might be a terrorist. In this topical metaphor, he may not be the only one, if he is at all...

There are many clever inventions, including time sequences at the mercy of the actors; and this witty, entertaining and stimulating play grows in the mind from the starting moment to the closing curtain and then out of the theater... and it still grows when reflecting on it after.

"The additional week of performances will include a special performance Monday, April 27 at 8 p.m., in part to accommodate extremely high demand from within the theater industry. There will be no performance Tuesday, April 28. The remainder of the week will follow the standard performance schedule: Wednesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“The enormous response to WHY TORTURE IS WRONG… shows that Chris Durang has captured our moment perfectly,” said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. “We’re delighted there’s such an appetite for this wonderful production.”

"WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM tells the story of a young woman suddenly in crisis: Is her new husband, whom she married when drunk, a terrorist? Or just crazy? Or both? Is her father’s hobby of butterfly collecting really a cover for his involvement in a shadow government? Why does her mother enjoy going to the theater so much? Does she seek mental escape, or is she insane? Honing in on our private terrors both at home and abroad, Durang oddly relieves our fears in this black comedy for an era of yellow, orange, and red alerts.

"The cast of WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM features Amir Arison (Queens Boulevard at Signature), David Aaron Baker (A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway), Laura Benanti (2008 Tony winner for Gypsy on Broadway), Audrie Neenan (Oklahoma! on Broadway), Kristine Nielsen (Obie winner for Durang’s Betty’s Summer Vacation at Playwrights Horizons), John Pankow (“Mad About You”), and Richard Poe (Cry-Baby on Broadway).

"WHY TORTURE IS WRONG, AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM features scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Ben Stanton, original music by Mark Bennett, and sound design by Drew Levy.

"CHRISTOPHER DURANG (Playwright) returns to The Public after writing and starring in the acclaimed 1985 production of The Marriage of Bette and Boo. His works have been staged on and off-Broadway and include Sex and Longing, A History of the American Film (Tony nomination), Miss Witherspoon, Adrift In Macao, Betty’s Summer Vacation, Durang Durang, Beyond Therapy, Baby with the Bathwater, The Actor's Nightmare, Laughing Wild, and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You (Obie Award). Also an actor, he shared in an Ensemble Acting Obie for Bette and Boo, and performed Laughing Wild both in New York and in L.A. At Manhattan Theatre Club, he sang and tried to dance in the Sondheim revue Putting It Together with Julie Andrews. With Marsha Norman, he is co-chair of the Playwriting Program at the Juilliard School. A book called 27 Short Plays was recently published by Smith and Kraus. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

"NICHOLAS MARTIN (Director) is the artistic director of the Williamstown Theatre Festival and former artistic director of Huntington Theatre Company. He has directed the New York productions of Saturn Returns (Lincoln Center Theater), The New Century (LCT), Observe The Sons Of Ulster… (LCT), Chaucer in Rome, The Time of the Cuckoo (LCT), Fully Committed (Vineyard Theatre), Bosoms and Neglect (Signature Theatre), Sophistry, Betty's Summer Vacation (Playwrights Horizons; Obie Award, Drama Desk nomination), You Never Can Tell, The Rehearsal (Roundabout Theatre Company), Full Gallop, Overtime (Manhattan Theatre Club), Oblivion Postponed (Second Stage), and It Changes Every Year (Malaparte). His many regional credits include the Globe Theatre and the Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London productions of Full Gallop. Mr. Martin is a 1998 recipient of the TCG National Artist Residency Grant with Williamstown, where he has directed The Royal Family, Dead End, Dreading Thekla, The Matchmaker, Evolution, Camino Real."

Coming: THE QUESTION HOUSE at the FRIGID FESTIVAL

The Question House by Tara Dairman is a one-act comedy set in an office where everyone must speak in (well, what else...) questions...or be struck dead by a mysterious force.


Catherine Kjome as a paramedic in The Question House.

It is part of the FRIGID festival, and features a cast of extremely talented young actors. The director, Catherine Siracusa, in addition to many film and theatrical credits, has a long and distinguished history as writer and illustrator of children's books.

The Question House by Tara Dairman, directed by Catherine Siracusa, with Snezhana Chernova, Nick DeSimone, Howard Green, Catherine Kjome, Cam Kornman, Philip Kashner, and Tom Tinelli.

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, February 25 - 7:30PM
Sunday, March 1 - 8:30 PM
Monday, March 2 - 10:30 PM
Friday, March 6 - 6PM
Saturday, March 7 - 8:30PM

Running time is about 45 minutes, and all shows are at the Kraine
Theater, 85 East 4th Street (between 2nd and Bowery), NYC.

Tickets at:

http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=QUE10

Check out the entire program at the FRIGID festival. It seems very rich and interesting!

Coming: FREUD'S LAST SESSION

Continuing their long, celebrated tradtion of presenting interesting new and important theater free to the community:

HB PLAYWRIGHT'S FOUNDATION

Donna de Matteo, Executive Director

presents

FREUD'S LAST SESSION
by Mark St. Germain

as suggested by THE QUESTION OF GOD
written by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.

Directed by Rasa Allan Kazlas**

with

Fritz Weaver* Matthew Conlon*

*member Actor's Equity Association
**member SSDC

Costume Design: Patricia Adshead,Catherine Siracusa
Lighting Design: Diana Kesselschmidt
Managing Director: Marlene Mancini
Technical Director: Giovanni Villari
Office Manager: Tara Webb

DATES and TIMES:
February 24 - March 8, 2009
All PERFORMANCES at 8PM
EXCEPT:
Sundays March 1 and March 8, 2009 at 3PM only
NO PERFORMANCE: Monday March 2, 2009

To secure your reservations, please call the
HB Playwrights Foundation reservations line: 212-989-7856

Mon - Fri 12:30-5:30PM

LIMIT: two (2) tickets per request
ADMISSION: Free!

Coming: CHERRY SMOKE

The Clockwork Theatre
Presents
CHERRY SMOKE
By James McManus
(Winner of the 2006 Princess Grace Playwriting Award)
Directed by Jade King Carroll

STRICTLY LIMITED ENGAGEMENT!
February 21 - March 14
Tuesday through Friday @ 8pm
Saturday @ 2pm and 8pm
Sunday @ 2pm

The Kirk Theatre @ Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street at 9th Ave.

Check for special ticket price:
Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200,
or visit www.ticketcentral.com

Fish, a club fighter who has spent most of his life in and out of jail, is a ticking time bomb. Despite his constant struggle to change and lead a decent life, his violent outbursts and hair trigger temper result in countless confrontations with the law. His girlfriend, Cherry, a runaway who has been on her own since the age of ten, longs for a more simple life like the one Fish's brother, Duffy, and Duffy's wife, Bug, lead. The all consuming love Fish and Cherry have for each other is put to the test in this poetic and visceral drama, enjoying both its U.S. and Australian Premieres in February, 2009.

Featuring:
Marianna McClellan, Doug Nyman, Kate Rogal, & Jay Rohloff

Lighting Designer - Taryn Kennedy
Costume Designer - Olga Mill
Sound Designer - Iæden Hovorka
Co-Scenic Designers - Vincent Vigilante and Jay Rohloff
Technical Director - Mike Zimmerman
Production Stage Manager - Owen M. Smith


For more information about how you or your organization can get involved, and to have access to premium seating and greater discounts,check into becoming... Members of Clockwork.

EST - 5 WEEKS, 3 NEW PLAYS, 1 EVENT

UNFILTERED
five weeks of brand new plays

EST

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE

NODDING OFF by Emily Chadick Weiss,
Directed by Abigail Zealey Bess*

With Chris Ceraso*, Helen Coxe, Eunice Ha, and William Oliver Watkins
Performances Thu 2/12, Mon 2/16, Fri 2/20, Sat 2/21 @ 7pm; Sat 2/14 @ 2pm

Daniel's beautiful wife is pregnant, but he falls asleep every time she mentions the babe. Can his alluring psychiatrist help him figure out why he's sleeping through life?


PRINCES OF WACO by Robert Askins,
Directed by Dylan McCullough

With Kristin Griffith*, Evan Enderle, Scott Sowers* and Megan Tusing
Performances Thu 2/19, Mon 2/23, Fri 2/27 & Sat 2/28 @ 7pm; Sat 2/21 @ 2pm

Jim can't win. Fritz just stole back what he lost. And Esme knows that win or lose, somebody's got to go down.


LAKE WATER by Delaney Britt Brewer,
Directed by Jordan Young

With Ann Talman* and Audrey Lynn Weston
Performances Thu 2/26, Mon 3/2, Fri 3/6 & Sat 3/7 @ 7pm; Sat 2/28 @ 2pm

The story of a homecoming, a mysterious lake, and a family drowning in the things they cannot say.


Plus A Special Concert Event:
MARIETTA CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR by Lucy Alibar
Directed by RJ Tolan*

Thu 3/5 7pm, Sat 3/7 2pm and 10pm

Deep in the swamps of Georgia, little Christmas Flint battles trash and wild animals in her epic musical journey to become a Woman of Substance.


*denotes EST member

To review dates and times and purchase tickets,

click here to visit OvationTix.

Ensemble Studio Theatre

549 West 52 Street

New York, NY 10019

212 247-4982

http://www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org/

CTI - THE COMMERCIAL THEATER INSTITUTE - SPRING EVENTS

CTI, The Commercial Theater Institute,

www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com

is having two programs in the spring that are extraordinarily valuable for anyone interested in theater. I've attended (see the post below) the 3-Day Weekend event and I would strongly recommend it, not only for (current & potential future) producers, but for anyone (writers, directors, lawyers, investors, actors, and...well, anyone) interested in developing projects for the commercial theater. This is far and away the most accessible, interesting, informative, useful event about theater I've ever encountered.


Producing Reading, Workshops, and Showcases: A Practical Approach will have its spring session on March 6th, from 10am – 6pm, at Theatre Row.

Many new topics and speakers have been added since the December program.

The fee for the day is $140 in advance, $175 at the door.


The 28th Annual 3-Day Weekend Producing Conference (May 15th – 17th) is now accepting registrations. The early bird price is $335 by March 27th.

Registration forms for both events are on the CTI website.

http://www.commercialtheaterinstitute.com/

Limited Engagement O'NEILL'S MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA

FROM THE NEW GROUP:

A rarely mounted production of Eugene O'Neill's great triology:

MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA

Directed by Scott Elliott.

• Lili Taylor (Aunt Dan and Lemon, Six Feet Under),
• Jena Malone (Doubt, Saved!) and
• Joseph Cross (Milk, Running with Scissors)

...portray the toxic mother/daughter/son triangle in the revival of the Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece.

At the end of the Civil War, General Mannon's wife and daughter await his return with very different agendas. When battle-scarred son Orin arrives, he finds his house divided.

In this sizzling re-imagining of The Oresteia, three plays combine to create an epic 4-hour journey.

A classic tragedy of Freudian proportions, MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA is a tale of adultery, obsession and madness.

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT THROUGH APRIL 18TH

Featuring

Carolyn Baeumler, Mark Blum, Joseph Cross, Susan Goodwillie,

Mycah Hogan, Robert Hogan, Jena Malone,

Patrick Mapel, Sean Meehan, Anson Mount,

Phoebe Strole, Lili Taylor, John Wojda .

Monday - Saturday at 7:00 PM & Saturday at 12:00 Noon

ALL SHOWS START AT 7PM AND 12PM SHARP. (Intermission Meals available, provided by Café Metro. )

For tickets, contact:

Online - Ticket Central (special discounts may be available).

Phone - 212-279-4200

The New Group @ Theatre Row

410 West 42nd Street

2009 PREVIEW -- AN INTERESTING MOMENT

The expression "May you live in interesting times," in some cultures is said to be a curse. In theater it is the blessing of creative opportunity.

Theatrical (and other cultural) explosions are often sparked by just one of the following: (How "lucky (?)" we are to have so much tinder available at one time. Should be exciting...)

• =>Major changes in government.
• =>Wars.
• =>Economic crises.
• =>Climate shifts.
• =>New technologies for media.

Times like these are fertile for the growth of small-scale, experimental, and powerful theater that resonates with new issues, new problems, new solutions, and new techniques.

BOBOOBLOG will be looking for -- and supporting -- the most exciting new theater that may arise over the next few months and years. Let's start by reviewing some of the most interesting theater companies, and some of the new productions that are planned.


SOME VERY INTERESTING COMPANIES AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW:

The Public Theater -- The illustrious home of Shakespeare in the Park is currently presenting Under The Radar. Coming -- now in the works -- are a production of The Bacchae, and the move to Broadway of last year's production of Hair.

The Labyrinth Theater -- Affiliated with the Public Theater, this group of brilliant actors, co-founded by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is currently holding Master Classes and developing ensemble pieces. No plays are in the immediate schedule.

Classic Stage Company -- This important compny has an active schedule planned:

• =>Jan. 17—Mar. 1, 2009
  Denis O'Hare, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Peter Sarsgaard in Uncle Vanya. By Anton Chekhov, Directed by Austin Pendleton.
• =>Mar. 18—Apr. 19, 2009
  An Oresteia from the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
  Translated by Anne Carson.
  Part I Agamemnon by Aeschylus & Electra by Sophocles
  Directed by Brian Kulick & Gisela Cardenas
  Part II Orestes by Euripides
  Directed by Paul Lazar, Choreographed by Annie-B Parson.
• =>Jan. 19 & 26, Feb. 2 & 9, 2009
  Open Rehearsal Series
  Monday Night Othello By William Shakespeare
• =>Feb. 23 - Mar. 6, 2009
  The Young Company In association with Columbia University
  Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare, Directed by Tony Speciale.
• =>Mar. 23 & 30, Apr. 6, 2009
  A new Adaptation Series
  The Proust Project
  Evening One: Swann In Love
  Evening Two: The Proust Screenplay
  Evening Three: Albertine Regained.
  

Ensemble Studio Theater -- Home of the annual Short Play Marathon, EST is currently hosting the First Light Festival sponsored by the Sloan Foundation. William Carden, who succeeded Curt Dempster, the founding director, is giving EST an injection of energy. On the home page, EST is inviting distinguished theater professionals to join the ensemble as members.

Red Bull Theater is a New York-based theater company specializing in plays of heightened language, with a unique focus on the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Currently showing Women Beware Women, Red Bull Theater produces

• =>Full Productions of Great Classic Stories.
• =>Revelation Readings of Rare Classics and New Plays (Luis Alfaro's ELECTRICIDAD coming Monday, January 12th).
• =>In the Raw Workshop for New Productions ("Raw" & "Nude" -- see LAByrinth theater company -- are popular theater terms for workshops / readings of new productions, rarely actually presented "in the raw" or nude.)
• =>Bull Sessions with Literary and Theatrical Experts.
• =>Direct Address Education Outreach to Middle Schools.

Primary Stages -- Two productions are coming soon, and they are also currently enrolling classes in acting and playwriting.

• =>Shipwrecked - January 27 thru March 7 - by David Margulies, directed by Lisa Peterson.
• =>Chasing Manet - March 24 thru May 2 - by Tina Howe, with Jane Alexander & Lynn Cohen.

Lincoln Center Theater -- Always a major venue for important theater in NY. They are currently showing South Pacific. Happiness is coming. (Happiness is a new musical about a disparate group of New Yorkers caught on a subway train under unusual circumstances. It was commissioned and developed by Lincoln Center Theater. The production will reunite director-choreographer Susan Stroman and book writer John Weidman, whose last LCT collaboration was the Tony Award winning Best Musical Contact and it will mark the LCT debuts of composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie.)

Roundabout Theater -- Presenting a bevy of major shows.

• =>Pal Joey -- currently playing.
• =>Streamers -- closing soon.
• =>Hedda Gabler with Mary-Louise Parker -- starting previews; opens Jan 25.
• =>Waiting For Godot with Bill Irwin & Nathan Lane -- starts April 10.
• =>Distracted with Cynthia Nixon, a new play by Lisa Loomer -- starts Feb 7.
• =>The Philanthropist, by Christopher Hampton, with Matthew Broderick -- starts previews April 10 and opens April 26.
• =>and a BENEFIT PERFORMANCE of A Little Night Music with Natasha Richardson, Victor Garber, Christine Baranski, Marc Kudisch and Vanessa Redgrave!
  • • Gala Performance • •Monday, January 12, 2009 at 7:30pm Studio 54

Signature Theatre Company -- Each season the Signature Theatre presents a set of closely related works. 2008-2009 is the Negro Ensemble Company season. Zooman and the Sign by Charles Fuller is next, from March 3-April 19.

Playwrights Horizons has a terrific new theater building on Theater Row. The next shows are:

• =>February 6 - March 15 - The Savanah Disputation by Evan Smith with Obie Award winner Reed Birney, Drama Desk Award winner Marylouise Burke, Tony Award nominee Dana Ivey, and Kellie Overbey; directed by Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie.
• =>March 5 - April 5 - Inked Baby by Christina Anderson, with Tony Award winner LaChanze, Angela Lewis, Nana Mensah, and Obie Award winner Nikkole Salter; directed by Kate Whoriskey.
• =>May - June - Our House by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck; directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer.

LaMama ETC (That's Experimental Theater Club) has produced more than 45 years of cutting edge theater. New productions are almost too numerous to list. Check out their site frequently. Here's a few new shows coming soon:

• =>January 2 - 11, 2009 - Vocal Migrations is a multimedia spectacle created by Mexican composer Tareke Ortiz with contemporary instrumental-choral music performed live and ancestral indigenous Totonaca Dances. A new year´s celebration of life, communication and the migratory nature of all things full of color through dance, music, and the animation art by Eamonn Farrell.
• =>January 8 - 25, 2009 -Yanagai! Yanagai!, written by Andrea James (Yorta Yorta), evokes a place where past, present and future exist as one. On the banks of "Dhungula" sacred trees, familiar fishing holes, cheeky dingoes, min-min lights and the ghosts of the past weave a deep connection to the land. A theatrical feast of story, music, puppetry and magic realism.
• =>January 15 - 25, 2009 - La MaMa E.T.C. in association with Interpretations 20 presents "Robert Ashley Three Operas"; Dust, Celestial Excursions and Made out of Concrete.
• =>January 22 - February 8, 2009 - La MaMa will remount the Dyke Division's live lesbian dramatic serial of last season (ROOM FOR CREAM SEASON ONE: THE BOX SET) for those who couldn't get in, or who couldn't get enough of it. Adult audience only.
• =>January 29 - February 8, 2009 - Hamlet, A new work by Company EAST from Japan, directed and choreographed by Kenji Kawarasaki featuring Hiroshi Jin.
• =>& much more...

Manhattan Children's Theater-- The premiere on-going off-off Bway children's theater. Currently scheduled (for all ages):

• =>Harry the Dirty Dog -- Jan 10 - Feb 22 (with shows on Feb 16, President's Day)
• =>If You Give a Pig a Party -- Feb 28 - Apr 5
• =>Stanley's Adventures -- Apr 11 - May 16
  
  

For tickets and more scheduling information for all these theaters and more try:

=>TicketMaster
=>Telecharge
=>TheaterMania

We've just scratched the surface of all the theater activity in New York (much less the rest of the country & the world): TheaterMania provides a convenient current list of 775 shows in New York.