Coming Up This Week in Theatre

Below is BroadwayWorld.com's Upcoming Events calendar updated on 10/21/2008. For the complete calendar of upcoming events, concerts, openings, closings and more, visit BroadwayWorld.com's Event Calendar.

Broadway Aimed 'Pride & Prejudice' Holds Rochester Reading 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Producers of a homegrown musical version of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice want to engage the local community in its journey to Broadway with an exclusive local “first look” on Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the upstate city’s historic Eastman Theatre.

This special sneak peek of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, A Musical Play will feature a 16- piece orchestra made up of members of the prestigious Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra members, and Broadway cast members including Colin Donnell (Jersey Boys, Follies) as Mr. Darcy. As the Broadway production is slated for November of 2009, this Rochester-only showcase will not be the eventual full-scale production, but will feature costumes, lighting, simple sets and a professional New York City cast. A red carpet, “paparazzi” and other festivities will lend a Broadway feel to the one -night-only event. The musical is the work of two Rochester women, Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs, who have spent the past eight years researching and writing the book, music and lyrics.

Following a 2004 workshop with the Eastman School of Music, the show had its World Premiere in the summer of 2006 with The Ohio Light Opera. Both productions were directed by Eastman School of Music’s Steven Daigle. Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, A Musical Play was optioned for Broadway production that fall by the authors’ good friend, Rochester’s Lori Bajorek, who has since assembled a “dream team” of Broadway professionals that includes Tony Award-nominated Director Mark Lamos (Our Country’s Good, Seascape, The Rivals) and Executive Producer Donald C. Farber, Esq., a well-known theatre and film attorney who literally wrote the book on producing Broadway shows.

Actress Polly Bergen (Follies) starred in the play’s first New York City reading in 2007, which attracted national coverage in Playbill and BroadwayWorld.com. Bergen also starred as Elizabeth Bennett in First Impressions, the 1959 Broadway musical adaptation of the novel. From Tara Rubin Casting to the Charlotte Wilcox Company (General Manager) to Musical Director Fred Lassen, the amassed Broadway credits of Pride & Prejudice’s production team are impressive enough to open doors and pocketbooks. Indeed, Bajorek is inviting current and potential Broadway producers/investors to the Eastman Theatre show, but she’s looking for something “priceless” from the hometown crowd: enthusiasm.

“We really want Rochester to ‘own’ this show from the start,” says Bajorek, a successful local business woman and first-time producer. “This is ‘Rochester’s Musical,’ and we want the whole community to come with us to Broadway!”

Tickets to this exclusive preview of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice, a Musical Play at Eastman Theatre on October 21 at 7:30 p.m. are $35, $50 and $75 (includes a postperformance reception with performers at Max of Eastman Place). They are available at the Ticketmaster Box Office at 875 East Main Street (Auditorium Theatre), by calling 585- 232-1900, or online at www.tickemaster.com. Media please note: High-resolution photographs and interviews are available upon request. Please visit www.prideandprejudicebroadway.com for press kit and other information.

Hall's Production of 'Labour' Breaks In Rose Theatre - 10/21/2008

Peter Hall's latest staging of Shakespeare's Love's Labour Lost will be the first full production to be presented in Kingston's Rose Theatre. The theater opened officially in January after several years of fundraising and development.

The play will run from October 21st until November 15th and star Peter Bowles.

According to What's On Stage, "First conceived by local councillors and residents in 1986, the Rose Theatre, Kingston was in active development for six years prior to January, with Hall in place as its founder artistic director and vocal champion for five years. The veteran director has since handed over the reins to former English Touring Theatre Stephen Unwin (See News, 21 Jan 2008). Fundraising hiccoughs caused numerous delays in the opening of the theatre, which receives no Arts Council or Lottery grants. Additional money is still needed to secure future programming and operational costs and to implement Hall's long-term vision of the theatre as an active producing house with its own ensemble company."

Aurora Theatre Presents Shaw's 'Devil's Disciple' Starting 10/31 - 10/21/2008

Aurora Theatre Company continues its American trilogy with THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE from the master of English wit George Bernard Shaw. Aurora Theatre Company founding Artistic Director Barbara Oliver, who directed the company’s productions of Shaw’s The Man of Destiny, The Philanderer, Saint Joan, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Widower’s Houses, and Candida, returns to helm this classic Shavian comedy, starring Gabriel Marin, Søren Oliver, and Stacy Ross, and featuring Warren David Keith, Allen McKelvey, Trish Mullholland, Anthony Nemirovsky, Tara Tomicevic, and Michael Ray Wisely. THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE plays October 31 through December 7 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets and information ($28-50) the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

In THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE, America is at war with the British and the Redcoats want to hang the local minister in order to demoralize the townsfolk. Richard Dudgeon is a self-proclaimed “devil’s disciple,” but when the British come for the minister, he pretends to be the wanted man. Was it for love, country, or duty, or did the devil make him do it? Poking fun at religious zealotry and political arrogance, and rife with Shaw’s trademark humor and irony, this fictional account of an American “hero” set during the Revolutionary War is the playwright’s first popular success and his only full-length play set in America.

Aurora Theatre Company has assembled a talented ensemble of Company veterans and newcomers for THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE. Gabriel Marin returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Richard Dudgeon in THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE. Marin previously appeared in the Company’s productions of Gunplay and The Glass Menagerie. Additional credits include productions at SF Playhouse (Bug, Our Lady of 121st Street), Magic Theatre (The Rules of Charity), American Conservatory Theater, Marin Theatre Company, Thick Description, Word for Word, Chicago’s Dramatists Workshop, and LA’s Actors Gang.

Stacy Ross returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Judith in THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE; she previously appeared in the Company’s productions of The Man of Destiny, Hedda Gabler, and A Kind of Alaska. Additional credits include productions at California Shakespeare Theater (Arms and the Man), TheatreWorks (Dolly West’s Kitchen), San Jose Repertory Theatre (Major Barbara), Marin Theatre Company (Splittin the Raft), Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Cloud Nine), and American Conservatory Theater (The Constant Wife).

Søren Oliver returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Anthony Anderson; he was seen in the Company’s productions of Saint Joan and A Place with the Pigs, and directed productions of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek and Alarms and Excursions. Additional credits include a recurring role on the hit WB series Charmed and productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Mary Zimmerman’s Argonautika), San Jose Repertory Theatre (Death of a Salesman), Marin Theatre Company (Bleacher Bums), Magic Theatre (Killer Joe), and California Shakespeare Theater, among others. Oliver is the founding Artistic Director of Central Works Theatre Ensemble.

Warren David Keith, who starred in Aurora Theatre Company’s productions of Hysteria, A Life in the Theatre, and Death Defying Acts, returns to the Company as General Burgoyne. A veteran of the Bay Area stage, Keith’s credits include productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, Magic Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, TheatreWorks, and Marin Theatre Company, among others.

Trish Mulholland, who was featured in Aurora Theatre Company’s productions of Salome and The Chairs, returns to the Company as Mrs. Dudgeon. Mulholland’s credits include productions with Shotgun Players (Mother Courage, Caucasian Chalk Circle, Man and Superman), Berkeley Repertory Theatre (The Oresteia), and American Conservatory Theater (The Circle), among others.

Rounding out the cast are Michael Ray Wisely (Aurora Theatre Company, Marin Theatre Company, Magic Theatre), Anthony Nemirovsky (California Shakespeare Theater, Center REPertory Company), and Tara Tomicevic (Aurora Theatre Company).

Aurora Theatre Company founding Artistic Director Barbara Oliver returns to the Company to direct THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE. Oliver’s Aurora Theatre Company directing credits include last season’s Professional World Premiere of Ellen McLaughlin’s The Trojan Women, the West Coast Premiere of Ice Glen, Ibsen’s The Master Builder, and Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptation of The Persians, as well as productions of Shaw’s The Man of Destiny, Saint Joan, The Philanderer, Candida, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, and Widowers’ Houses. For the Company, she has also directed Seascape, The Belle of Amherst, and World Premieres of Ira Hauptman’s Partition, LeClanche Du Rand’s Transcendental Wild Oats, and Dorothy Bryant’s The Panel. Oliver is the recipient of several Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including the first Barbara Bladen Porter Award, as well as Drama-Logue awards for The Show Off and Dear Master. An accomplished Bay Area actress, Oliver has appeared in Aurora Theatre Company productions of The Chairs, The Gin Game, Holiday Memories, Bailegangaire, La Castrata, The Aspern Papers, and Dear Master. An instrumental figure in Bay Area theatre, Oliver stepped down from her role as Artistic Director at the end of the 2003-04 Aurora Theatre Company season.

Irish dramatist and ardent socialist George Bernard Shaw had his first success as a music and literary critic; as a dramatist he authored more than 63 plays during his career. Shaw’s work is leavened by a vein of comedy, but nearly all of his works bear earnest social messages that he hoped his audiences would embrace. Some of Shaw’s most popular works for the stage include Widower’s Houses (1892), The Philanderer (1893), Mrs Warren's Profession (1893), Arms and the Man (1894), Candida (1894), The Man of Destiny (1895), You Never Can Tell (1897), The Devil's Disciple (1897), Man and Superman (1902-03), Major Barbara (1905), Pygmalion (1912-13), Heartbreak House (1919), and Saint Joan (1923). Shaw died in 1950 at the age of 94; he remains the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize (1925) and an Oscar (1938 for Pygmalion).

Following THE DEVIL’S DISCIPLE, Aurora Theatre Company presents the West Coast Premiere of George Packer’s provocative recent Off-Broadway hit BETRAYED in January. Mark Jackson, who directed Aurora Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of Salome, returns to the Company to helm August Strindberg’s MISS JULIE in April. Bob Glaudini’s unconventional romantic comedy JACK GOES BOATING, directed by Joy Carlin, rounds out the season in June.

Aurora Theatre Company continues to offer challenging, literate, intelligent stage works to the Bay Area, each year increasing its reputation for top-notch theatre. Located in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District, Aurora Theatre Company has been called “one of the most important regional theaters in the area” by the San Francisco Chronicle, while The Wall Street Journal has “nothing but praise for the Aurora.” The Contra Costa Times stated, “perfection is probably an unattainable ideal in a medium as fluid as live performance, but the Aurora Theatre comes luminously close,” while the San Jose Mercury News affirmed “[Aurora Theatre Company] lives up to its reputation as a theater that feeds the mind,” and the Oakland Tribune declared “it’s all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora.”

Aurora Theatre Presents Shaw's 'Devil's Desciple' Starting 10/31 - 10/21/2008

Clarke's 'Garden of Earthly Delights' To Play at Minetta Lane Starting 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Alan Schuster, Martin Davis, Davo Entertainment LLC and Margaret Cotter in association with Barbara Foy present The Two River Theater Production  of  Garden of Earthly Delights in a limited 12-week Off-Broadway engagement beginning Wednesday, October 8. Conceived and directed by Martha Clarke, this production will have its Official Opening on Tuesday, October 21 @ 7:00 PM at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane).

Visionary director Martha Clarke brings Hieronymus Bosch’s provocative painting to life in Garden of Earthly Delights -- exploring heaven, hell and the beauty and sins in between. This production takes audiences on a journey from creation through Eden, earthly existence, damnation and redemption through a landscape of aerial and stage-based performance in a striking synthesis of visual elements and movement.

This reinvention of the acclaimed work by Martha Clarke touches down in New York for the first time since the groundbreaking production debuted at St. Clement’s (November, 1984). The show later played an extended run at the Minetta Lane Theatre (May-August 1987) and enjoyed engagements at numerous prestigious venues. The original production was honored with a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, an Obie Award for its score and an L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for choreography and drew great critical response, with Robert Brustein of The New Republic calling it, “Arguably one of the most significant works of postwar American theatrical art."

Conceived and directed by Martha Clarke, Garden of Earthly Delights features performers Sophie Bortolussi, Benjamin G. Bowman, Marjorie Folkman, Kurt Froman, General McArthur Hambrick, Whitney V. Hunter, Gabrielle Malone, Jennifer Nugent, Matt Rivera, Jenny Sandler, Isadora Wolfe and musicians Bohdan Hilash (winds), Wayne Hankin (winds), Egil Rostad (cello) and Arthur Solari (percussion). This production includes an Original Score by Richard Peaslee (also with Martha Clarke: Vienna: Lusthaus, The Hunger Artist, Miracolo d’amore; with Peter Brook / Royal Shakespeare Company: The Marat/Sade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Costume Design by Jane Greenwood (Martha Clarke’s Belle Epoque, An Uncertain Hour, Vers la flame, Marco Polo, Orfeo and Euridice; Broadway: Thurgood, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Set and Lighting Design by Christopher Akerlind (collaborations with Martha Clarke include Kaos, Belle Epoque, Sueno; Broadway Lighting Design credits: Top Girls, The Light in the Piazza), with state-of-the-art flying devices created by the “Flying by Foy” workshop.

Recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award, Martha Clarke's career spans theater, dance and opera. Trained at the Peabody Preparatory and later at Juilliard under Antony Tudor and Anna Sokolow, she was a founding member of Pilobolus Dance Theatre and Crowsnest. As a director, Clarke’s many original productions include Garden of Earthly Delights, Vienna: Lusthaus, Miracolo d’amore, Endangered Species, An Uncertain Hour, The Hunger Artist, and Vers la flame. She directed the premiere of Christopher Hampton’s Alice’s Adventures Underground at the Royal National Theatre in London. She directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the American Repertory Theater and a music/theater work, Belle Epoque, based on the life of Toulouse Lautrec, at Lincoln Center Theater.

She has collaborated with Richard Greenberg, Charles L. Mee and Sebastian Barry, among many others. Clarke has directed The Magic Flute for the Glimmerglass Opera and the Canadian Opera Company; Cosi fan tutte for Glimmerglass; Tan Dun’s Marco Polo for the Munich Biennale, the Hong-Kong Festival and the New York City Opera; and Gluck’s Orfeo and Euridice for the English National Opera and the New York City Opera. Clarke has choreographed for the Nederlans Dans Theater, the Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Rambert Dance Company and The Martha Graham Company, among others. In addition to the MacArthur Award, Clarke has received two grants from the Guggenheim Foundation as well as 15 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has received a Drama Desk Award, two Obie Awards and the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award. She has been the subject of a film for PBS, Martha Clarke, Light and Dark, and her Garden of Earthly Delights was filmed by the BBC. Her Kaos, based on the works of Luigi Pirandello, was awarded the first Tony Randall Foundation Award and ran at the New York Theater Workshop in 2006. In 2007, the NEA awarded a grant to re-envision her Garden of Earthly Delights under a program dedicated to the remounting of American masterworks.

Garden of Earthly Delights is produced by Alan Schuster, Martin Davis, Davo Entertainment LLC and Margaret Cotter in association with Barbara Foy. Currently, Garden of Earthly Delights is playing at The Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ (September 3-14).

Garden of Earthly Delights will play at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane between Sixth Avenue & MacDougal Street). Schedule: Wednesday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 7:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 PM. Tickets will be available through www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (212) 307-4100, or at the Minetta Lane Box Office starting October 4 (1:00 – 6:00 PM daily, closed Mondays). Preview tickets are available for $25.00. Post-opening tickets are $37.50 - $59.50 with premium seats available for $65.

For more information, visit www.GardenofEarthlyDelightsNYC.com

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Lanuches Young Adults Program With 'Glass Menagerie' 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Steppenwolf Theatre Company launches its Steppenwolf for Young Adults 2008-2009 Season with The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov. The production, featuring James T. Alfred, Shanésia Davis, Anthony Fleming III and Nambi E. Kelley, runs October 21 – November 9, 2008 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. Tickets are available to the general public for weekend performances only, with all additional shows reserved for school groups. The press performance is Saturday, October 25 at 11 a.m.

Featuring an all African-American cast, Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents a unique production of Tennessee Williams’ classic “memory play.” Delicately weaving truth and illusion, The Glass Menagerie evokes the drab realities of aspiring poet Tom, who spends his days in a warehouse. Living with his overbearing mother, Amanda and his crippled sister, Laura – Tom struggles to balance his dreams of a brighter future with his devotion to his family.

“As we move into our 2008-2009 season that Steppenwolf has titled ‘the season of the imagination,’ I want to take this opportunity to re-examine the American Dream, how the next generation imagines it and their place in the creation of it,” comments Hallie Gordon, Artistic and Education Director of Steppenwolf for Young Adults.

Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov appeared in Steppenwolf’s 2007-2008 production of Superior Donuts, a world premiere play by Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Tracy Letts. He is the co-founder of Chicago’s European Repertory Company and an Associate Professor and Director of Theatre Studies in the Performing Arts Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has directed at UIC, European Rep. and Rushfort in Los Angeles.

The design team includes: Martin Andrew (sets), Natasha Vuchurovich Djukich (costumes), Keith Parham (lights), and Robert Milburn and Michael Bodeen (original music and sound). Cassie Wolgamott is the stage manager.

About The Steppenwolf for Young Adults Programs:

Steppenwolf for Young Adults is Steppenwolf’s educational program for students, teachers and families, and is focused on making the theater accessible to the most underserved populations in Chicago. Steppenwolf for Young Adults consists of complementary programming components that are designed to enhance education, build self-esteem and social tolerance and encourage lifelong appreciation of the arts. At the core of Steppenwolf for Young Adults are the professional, full-scale productions produced specifically for young adult audiences each season.

Productions for Students and Families
Professional productions of established plays, original adaptations of novels and new works are presented for young adults through weekday student matinees and weekend family performances. The Residency Program provides teaching artists in the classroom before and after each production. SYA provides teachers and students with scripts, study guides and tours of the theater.

The Young Adults Council

A small group of high school students from across Chicago devoted to exploring the collaborative possibilities between the theater and young adults. Council members work with their peers, Steppenwolf staff and artists to create programs that speak to their interests, ideas and creative goals. The Council participates in various workshops and discussions, sees productions and creates their own programming for young adults at Steppenwolf.

Educator Workshops
The Teacher Theater Immersion Course is designed to help teachers integrate theater arts into their core curriculum. Our advanced Immersion 2 Course uses arts integration methods to approach a range of non-fiction works related to themes of our two productions. The Master Teacher Workshops help teachers improve student comprehension of literature through drama, using texts related to our Steppenwolf for Young Adults productions. All offer the opportunity to earn CPDU credits.

Steppenwolf for Young Adults is a citywide partner of the Chicago Public Schools School Partner Program.

Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance in the Upstairs or Downstairs Theatres.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation.

Casa Manana Presents 'Tuna Does Vegas' Starting 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Tuna Does Vegas, the hilarious new installment from the legendary “Greater Tuna” creative team, rolls into the Bass Performance Hall for a one week only engagement October 21 – 26, 2008.

Starring the incomparable duo Joe Sears and Jaston Williams, Tuna Does Vegas re-unites the lovable and eccentric characters from the ‘third smallest town in Texas’ as they take a rambling romp in Sin City. The hilarity begins when oddball-conservative radio host Arles Struvie announces on air that he and his wife Bertha Bumiller are heading to Vegas to renew their wedding vows…but everyone in Tuna, Texas goes along for the ride! Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, Tuna Does Vegas will feature the favorite characters from the award-winning “Greater Tuna” productions – with some new characters – all staged under the directorial hand of Mr. Howard.
Tuna Does Vegas is presented by Casa Mañana for an exclusive one week only limited engagement at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. Performance dates are: Tuesday, October 21 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, October 23 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. This show is suitable for most audiences. Traditional Tuna humor and innuendo. Parental guidance is recommended.

Tickets for Tuna Does Vegas are on sale and can be purchased by calling the Casa Mañana Theatre box office at 817-332-2272 or the Bass Performance Hall box office at 817-212-4280. You can also visit the box office at Casa Mañana Theatre, 3101 West Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, or at the Bass Performance Hall, 525 Commerce Street, Fort Worth. Ticket prices are $25 to $69, depending upon seating location and the performance dates and times. For more information about tickets, go to www.casamanana.org, or for more information about Tuna Does Vegas, go to www.tunadoesvegasthetour.com.

New Group Presents US Premiere of 'Mouth to Mouth' - 10/21/2008

The New Group presents the US premiere of Kevin Elyot's Mouth to Mouth directed by Mark Brokaw as the first production in its 2008-2009 season. Slated for a limited off-Broadway engagement from October 21 through December 27, this production features New Group artist David Cale, Lisa Emery and Elizabeth Jasicki. Mouth to Mouth will have its official opening on Thursday, November 6 at 7PM at the New Group @ Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street, New York.

Frank, a gay writer living with AIDS, attends a party at his friend Laura's house to celebrate the return of her teenage son from abroad. As the story shifts back and forth through time, it's clear that Frank may have played an unscrupulous part in the unraveling of his best friend's family. Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Play and a London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play, this West End hit is a haunting, twisting tale of undeclared passion and the fine line between intimacy and betrayal.

Mouth to Mouth enjoyed its world premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in 2001. Kevin Elyot's play, My Night with Reg, earned him the 1994 London Critic Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright and earned an Olivier Award nomination for Best Comedy.

After beginning his career as a theater actor, playwright Kevin Elyot wrote his first stage play, Coming Clean, which premiered at London's Bush Theatre and won the Samuel Beckett Award. Elyot's other plays include: Consent (1989), The Moonstone (1990), Artists And Admirers (1992), My Night With Reg, The Day I Stood Still (National Theatre, 1998), Forty Winks (Royal Court Theatre, 2004) and And Then There Were (Gielgud Theatre, 2005). His screenplays include Killing Time (BBC, 1990), which won the Writers' Guild Award for Best TV Play or Film, The Moonstone (BBC, 1996), My Night With Reg (BBC, 1997) and No Night Is Too Long (BBC/Alliance Atlantis, 2002).

Director Mark Brokaw helmed the Tony-nominated Broadway production of Cry-Baby. His additional Broadway credits include The Constant Wife and Reckless. With the New Group, Brokaw directed Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth (1996-97 season).

This production will feature Christopher Abbott (Off-Broadway: Good Boys and True), David Cale (Broadway: Three Penny Opera; Off-B'way: Two Thousand Years, My Night With Reg at The New Group; Film: Pollock), Lisa Emery (Broadway: The Women, The Smell of the Kill; Off-Broadway: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Abigail's Party, What The Butler Saw at the New Group), Darren Goldstein (Off-B'way: Abigail's Party, Terrorism at the New Group; Guttenberg! The Musical, Bad Jazz), Elizabeth Jasicki (Off-Broadway: Abigail's Party at the New Group), Andrew Polk (Off-Broadway: The Accomplices at the New Group – 2007 Drama Desk Nomination, Walmartopia; TV: "30 Rock," "Law & Order"), Richard Topol (Broadway: Awake and Sing – Drama Desk Award, Julius Caesar; TV: "The Practice") and includes set design by Riccardo Hernandez (Broadway: Caroline, or Change, Bring in 'Da Funk, Bring in 'Da Noise; Off-Broadway: Two Gentlemen of Verona), costume design by Michael Krass (Broadway: The Constant Wife – Tony Award nomination, Twelve Angry Men; Off-Broadway: A Feminine Ending), lighting design by Mark McCullough (Broadway: Jesus Christ Superstar) and sound design by David Van Tieghem (Broadway: Doubt, Mauritius). This production will also include original music by David Van Tieghem.

The New Group (Scott Elliott, Artistic Director; Geoff Rich, Executive Director): The 2008-2009 season continues this January as the New Group presents Eugene O'Neill's epic tragedy Morning Becomes Electra. Directed by Scott Elliot, the production will feature John Cullum, Lili Taylor, and Jena Malone. The season concludes this spring with the world premiere Seth Zvi Rosenfeld's Handball. The company's 2007-2008 season opened with the premiere of Jonathan Marc Sherman's Things We Want directed by Ethan Hawke, followed by Mike Leigh's Two Thousand Years and concluded with Ayub Khan- Din's Rafta, Rafta. The 2006-07 season featured Jay Presson Allen's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie followed by Wallace Shawn's The Fever and Bernard Weinraub's The Accomplices. The New Group is a recipient of the 2004 Tony Award (Best Musical - Avenue Q).

Mouth to Mouth will play at the New Group @ Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues) as follows: Monday at 8PM, Tuesday at 7PM, Wednesday through Saturday at 8PM and Saturday at 2PM (matinee). Tickets may be arranged through Ticket Central at www.ticketcentral.com or (212) 279-4200 or at the Theatre Row Box Office (12-8PM daily). Tickets are $56.25. For more information, visit www.thenewgroup.org.

Euan Morton Hosts Theatre Museum Awards 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Broadway's Boy George Euan Morton will host the 2008 Theatre Museum
Awards for Excellence on Tuesday October 21, 2009 at New York City's
famed Players Club located at 16 Gramercy Park. Cocktails and Silent
Auction at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. Awards Ceremony at 8 p.m.

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The evening is co-chaired by the Tony winning
Broadway couple Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, currently
represented on Broadway with the shows Legally Blonde, Hitchcock's The
39 Steps and American Buffalo.
Lane is Chairman of the Board for The Theatre Museum
and Comley is on the Advisory Board. The couple
are spearheading the fundraising efforts for a
permanent space in the Times Square district.
They have been with The Theatre Museum since its
founding in 2003.

Broadway Star Barbara Cook will present the Award for Excellence in
Theatre History Preservation for Individual Achievement to Rick McKay
for creating the BROADWAY THE GOLDEN AGE documentaries.

Comedian Pat Cooper will present the Career Achievement Award to
American radio and television personality Joe Franklin, who has been
entertaining New York audiences for more than half a century.

Noted composer Ervin Drake will present Five Towns College with the
Theatre Arts in Education Award.

Professor William Green of CUNY Queens College will present to The
Theatre Museum of Repertoire Americana with its Award of Excellence
for Theatre History Preservation to an Organization.

The legendary set designer, now director, Tony Walton will direct the
evening's events on stage with Aaron Gandy as Musical Director. The
evening's music will be from the restored Rogers and Hart score SPRING
IS HERE.

"The Theatre Museum is proud to have the opportunity to recognize a
diverse array of recipients this year," says museum president Helen
Marie Guditis. "Each is unique. Each has made a significant
contribution to theatre arts in accord with the principles and goals
of our cultural institution."

Dubbed "the king of nostalgia," television pioneer Joe Franklin
debuted on WJZ-TV (later WABC-TV) in 1951 with one of the medium's
earliest talk shows. He moved to WOR-TV (later WWOR-TV) in 1962 where
he remained a mainstay until 1999. It is estimated that as host of
"The Joe Franklin Show," he interviewed over 10,000 guests during its
43-year TV run. He can currently be heard Saturday nights
broadcasting on WOR radio's "Memory Lane" (710AM in NYC, 12 midnight)
and also be heard daily on Bloomberg Radio's "Lifestyles" segment.

An acknowledged authority on silent film and the owner of one of the
largest private sheet music collections in the world, Fr anklin has
written 23 books, including Classics of the Silent Screen and his 1995
autobiography Up Late with Joe Franklin. He has appeared as himself in
countless films, notably "Ghostbusters" and "Broadway Danny Rose."

Producer/Director/Writer/Cinematographer Rick McKay is the sole owner
and proprietor of Second Act Productions. His hit film, "Broadway:
The Golden Age," has won over 15 film festival awards and landed on 17
Top Ten film lists. McKay, who has won three Telly awards for his
television work, has produced episodes for A&E's "Biography" and
produced, directed and shot "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty" for "Egg: The
Arts Show." Much of this footage was also used to make the HBO
documentary of the same name, which won Stritch a 2004 Emmy. For five
seasons McKay was a segment producer on WNET13's "City Arts" and
recently helped to create the opening segment of two Tony Award
broadcasts. McKay is currently finishing his new film, "Fay Wray," a
half documentary chronicling Wray's legendary career in film.

Started in 1969, Five Towns College is a community of artists and
scholars who specialize in music, media, business, education, theatre,
film and the performing arts. This unique place, defined by the
talented men and women who form its constituency, boasts nearly 40
undergraduate and graduate programs, enrolling approximately 1,200
students.

Founded by Dr. Stanley G. Cohen and the late Mrs. Lorraine
Kleinman-Cohen in the southwestern corner of Nassau County, a
geographic region commonly known as the "Five Towns," the College was
New York's first institution of higher learning to establish programs
in both jazz/commercial music and music business. Although the
College was originally conceived as a "business" college, music
quickly became its forté.

Officially opened in 1973, the Museum of Repertoire Americana is
dedicated to preserving memorabilia and artifacts of early repertoire
theatre. The collection, featuring materials dating from the 1880s
through the 1970s, includes numerous pa inted curtains and scenic
pieces, playbills, show cards, advertising sheets, heralds,
photographs, programs, correspondence, tour schedules and other
original source materials.

The Iowa-based Museum features a research library containing thousands
of pieces of memorabilia and the largest collection of repertoire
scripts in the nation. The priMary Focus is on the many traveling
companies that performed in opera houses and tents, also known as
"under canvas" in the United States. Additional displays include
items encompassing vaudeville, minstrel shows, Medicine Shows, "Uncle
Tom's Cabin" shows, showboats and Chautauqua.

Founded in 2003, The Theatre Museum is New York State's first and only chartered, non-profit museum dedicated to the history of theatre. It is a museum-at-large -- presenting exhibitions in collaboration with other cultural institutions. The Museum's programs include community outreach, such as teaching children how to write, direct and stage live theatre, and the annual Theatre Museum Awards for Excellence Ceremony. Its primary mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate the legacy of theatre through innovative programming.

Act II Playhouse in Present Premiere of 'Magnetic North' Starting 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Act II Playhouse in Ambler, PA will present the premiere of Magnetic North, by William Donnelly, directed by Bud Martin. The show will begin preview on October 21st, 2008 and officially open on October 24th. I will play through November 16th, 2008.

In this new play, a young husband meets a woman from his past during a period of crisis in his marriage, bringing half-forgotten urges and uncertain intentions suddenly to the surface. Between the lure of the past and the need for connection, four very real people struggle to make sense of mixed signals and how much truth they need, or want, to hear. Winner of the 2006 Clauder Competition for New England Playwrights, Magnetic North is a charged tale that explores the shadowy border between intimacy and temptation—told with warmth, humor, and startling candor.

The play will star Sarah Shahinian, Brad Heikes, Christie Parker, and Paul Felder. Ticket prices: $20 for previews, $25 for weekdays, $30 for weekends (Friday-Sunday).

William Donnelly's plays have been produced by Portland Stage Company (Portland, ME), the Unicorn Theatre (Kansas City), Blue Forms (Columbus, OH), Mad Cat (Miami), Theater Alliance (Washington, D.C), and several Boston-area companies including Industrial Theatre, Rough & Tumble, Mill 6, and Alarm Clock. A number of his short plays have appeared in the Boston Theatre Marathon and are published in Baker's Plays anthologies of the event. He was a contributor to Alarm Clock Theatre Company's Elliot Norton Award-winning play, P.S. Page Me Later. He has twice been named a Clauder Competition Finalist and has had plays read as part of Portland Stage Company's Little Festival of the Unexpected. His play Apocalypso! was published as part of the 2002 Little Fest anthology. In 2005, he was awarded a Playwriting/New Theatre Works grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Magnetic North was named the 2006 Clauder Competition grand prize winner. Bill is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

WICKED Chicago Presents Free Backstage Tour 10/21 - 10/21/2008

The record-breaking Chicago Company of WICKED is now presenting an opportunity for audience members and fans to get up close and personal with WICKED the last two Tuesdays in October. Fans are able to go "Behind the Emerald Curtain" for free when they purchase a ticket to WICKED on Tuesday, October 21 or October 28, 2008. The tour takes place prior to the show at 5 pm, followed by a 7:30 performance of WICKED at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St., Chicago).

Those wanting to get behind the scenes will be able to do so for FREE on Tuesday, October 21 and October 28, 2008 at 5 p.m. "Behind the Emerald Curtain" is a private behind-the-scenes look at WICKED hosted by cast members. Participants will visit the exclusive "Behind the Emerald Curtain" Museum, which includes the set model by Tony Award-winner Eugene Lee and an up-close look at some of Tony Award-winner Susan Hilferty's costumes (with beautiful details not always visible from the audience), a few of the actual props and wigs from the show and film footage about the making of the global hit production.

The tour, which lasts about an hour, concludes with a question-and-answer portion with current cast members. Participants are also able to purchase exclusive merchandise available only on the tour as a memento of the experience.

This special offer is available for FREE by using the code "TOUR" when ordering WICKED tickets through Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (24 W. Randolph St., 151 W. Randolph St. and 18 W. Monroe St.), the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, or online at ticketmaster.com. Corporate clients and groups of 20 or more may call (312) 977-1710.

The Chicago Company of WICKED is now playing in at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre (24 W. Randolph St., Chicago). Breaking multiple box office records since opening in June 2005 and playing to packed audiences from across the world night after night, the production is the top grossing show in Chicago theatre history. The Chicago Company will take its final bow on Sunday, January 25, 2009.

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento, WICKED is currently presented in Chicago, on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre, on a national tour, in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre and in London at the Apollo Victoria Theatre.

For more information, visit www.wickedthemusical.com/chicago.

WICKED Chicago Presents Free Backstage Tour 10/28 - 10/21/2008

Aprile, DeVito, Robins and More to Read 'Night Sky' to Benefit NAA - 10/21/2008

The National Aphasia Association will present a special staged reading of Susan Yankowitz's Night Sky at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City on October 21st, 2008 at 8PM.

The reading will feature Lia Aprile, Lucy DeVito, Manu Narayan, Laila Robins, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Lee Wilkof. The play tells the story of an astronomer who acquires aphasia after being struck by a car

Suggested donation is $25.00. Call (800) 922-4622 or www.aphasia.org for more information.

Alumni Return to E.S.T's Under 30-Playwrights Group for Short Play Festival - 10/21/2008

Youngblood, Ensemble Studio Theatre's collective of emerging playwrights under 30 (RJ Tolan/Graeme Gillis, Artistic Directors), will celebrate its fifteenth season this year with Asking For Trouble, the biggest play festival in their history. Youngblood has invited their alumni - 41 playwrights, 35 directors and 120 actors – to participate in the mammoth 5-day event, including many EST members alongside emerging talents like Johnny Pruitt (“Chappelle’s Show”), Jessica Andres (“Gossip Girl”), Matt Lauria and Marguerite Stimpson (both of “Lipstick Jungle”). Writers taking part will include Lloyd Suh, Amy Fox, Ann Marie Healy, and Lucy Thurber, as well as recent Youngblood members like Amy Herzog, Qui Nguyen, Sam Forman and Zakiyyah Alexander. The series runs from October 21 through October 25 at E.S.T. (549 West 52nd Street).

"The spirit of E.S.T. and of Youngblood has always been the spirit of inclusion," said William Carden, E.S.T.'s artistic director. "It made sense for this anniversary to throw the door open as widely as possible."

Asking For Trouble is Youngblood's annual speed theater challenge: playwrights pick a cast and a director out of a hat, and are given one week to write a play for that cast. After one week of rehearsal, the plays are presented, off-book and fully staged, in a raucous, eclectic sampler platter of the group's unique voices. Asking For Trouble plays have gone on to productions at the Royal Court in London, the E.S.T. Mainstage, and the Humana Festival (including by Heideman Award winner Michael Lew, also participating in this year's festival).

Created in 1993 by EST founder Curt Dempster to provide an artistic home and proving ground for young talent, Youngblood has grown into a major resource for early career playwrights. Over the last fifteen years, Youngblood has nurtured over 50 playwrights, including Christopher Shinn, Annie Baker, Liz Meriwether, Steven Levenson and the late John Belluso.

"This is basically a big birthday party for us," said RJ Tolan, Youngblood's co-artistic director. "With 42 plays in five days, and almost 200 people involved, it's a chance for us to celebrate the membership and the artists we've worked with over the years while continuing to do what EST does best, which is to give new talent a chance."

Asking For Trouble is the kickoff to E.S.T.'s OCTOBERFEST, an annual fall harvest of new work where dozens of EST's 500 artistic members present new readings, workshops and performances, ranging from the legendary director Ulu Grosbard to “Daily Show” contributor Lewis Black.

"If you write a good play, you can get in the door – that's a bedrock principle of E.S.T. That's how we all ended up here," said Graeme Gillis, a Youngblood alumni writer and the group's co-artistic director. "So in that spirit this is a kind of homecoming. Everybody climbing back onto the boat."

Tickets to Asking For Trouble are only $10. For schedule and ticket information, go to www.youngbloodnyc.org. For more information about Ensemble Studio Theatre, go to www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org.

Florida Studio Theatre Presents STEPPIN' OUT 10/21 - 10/21/2008

Jerome Kern once stated, “Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music.” Florida Studio Theatre opens its Cabaret Winter Season with Steppin’ Out, October 21st, featuring a jazz and modern day influence on Berlin favorites such as “Puttin’ On The Ritz,” “Anything You Can do,” “Cheek to Cheek” and “Always.”

FST Cabaret favorites Jannie Jones and Jim Weaver return with newcomers Ryan Flanigan and Allison Renee Foster. “Irving Berlin will sing with fresh new voices and vivid contemporary musical arrangements,” said Artistic Director and show creator Richard Hopkins.

Broadway Actress Jannie Jones recently received critical acclaim in the National Broadway tour of All Shook Up as Sylvia. Jones most recently was in Harry Who? The Lullaby of Broadway at the Goldstein Cabaret. Broadway and Off-Broadway: The Full Monty, Faith Journey, Mama I Want to Sing. Critically Acclaimed in Mahalia as Mahalia Jackson and Ethel Waters, His Eye Is on the Sparrow written by Larry Parr. Broadway Actor Jim Weaver returns to FST after appearing in Over the Rainbow and Ain’t Nothin’ but The Blues. Other credits: Broadway: Marie Christine, Don’t Call Back. Off-Broadway: Anything Cole, Mahalia, Radio City, Attendin’ Skeletons.

New York Actress Alison Renee Foster roles include New York and abroad: Comrade Charlotte (Flora the Red Menace), Glenda Swanson (Whoop-up!), Trina (Falsettoland), Nellie Collins (Floyd Collins), Yitzak (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Sister Hubert (Meshuganuns), Edith (The Pirates of Penzance), Magenta (The Rocky Horror Show), Mary (Merrily, We Roll Along), Lucy (Snoopy!), and as a featured singer in Songs for a New World and The World Goes ‘Round. New York Actor Ryan Flanigan’s previous credits include All Shook Up (Chad), White Christmas (Jimmy), Grease (Teen Angel/Vince Fontaine) and other regional work.

Florida Studio Theatre’s Artistic Director, Richard Hopkins Directs. Hopkins last Directed Outlaws & Angels in the 2007-2008 Season. He has served as Artistic Director of Florida Studio Theatre since 1980 and has guided the company from a small touring group to a professional regional theatre. Stephen Hope will choreograph. Hope returns to FST having provided original choreography for Laughing Matters…Too, Good Evening, Altar Boyz and most recently A Murder, A Mystery and A Marriage. His choreographic work has been seen at Lincoln Center and on regional stages around the country. John Franceschina is the Music Director and Colleen Jennings is Lighting Designer for the production. They will work with FST Staff Members Marcella Beckwith (Scenic and Costume Design) and Jim Prosser (Pianist/Arranger).

Step out of summer and into the Cabaret Season Opener October 21 – January 3, 2009 at the Goldstein Cabaret. Tickets are $26 - $29 and may be purchased from the FST Box Office in person, by phone (941) 366 – 9000 or now online at www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

Known as Sarasota’s Contemporary Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre was founded in 1973 by Jon Spelman. Starting out as a small touring company, FST traveled to places such as migrant camps and prisons. The company eventually settled down into a permanent home, acquiring the former Woman’s Club building – now renamed the Keating Theatre. In the years that followed, Florida Studio Theatre established itself as a major force in American Theatre, presenting contemporary theatre in its three theatre venues: the Keating Theatre, the Goldstein Cabaret and its newest space, the Gompertz Theatre.

Even with its growth, Florida Studio Theatre remains firmly committed to making the arts accessible and affordable to a broad-based audience. Under Richard Hopkins, Artistic Director and CEO, FST develops theatre that speaks to our living, evolving, and dynamically changing world. As FST grows and expands, it continues to provide audiences with challenging, contemporary drama and innovative programs.

Florida Studio Theatre is grateful to Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy and Dale Berkowitz for underwriting the 2008 - 2009 Cabaret Season; Co-Producer Janet Hevey and to the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Florida Studio Theatre (FST) has been in operation in Sarasota since 1973. During its history, FST has grown into a theatre with a budget of over $4 million and 20,000 subscribers a year, more than any theatre its size in the country.

FST operates three theatres: the 173-seat Keating Mainstage Theatre, the 160-seat Gompertz Theatre and the 109-seat Goldstein Cabaret Theatre.

FST produces world premieres and contemporary works which have been produced on or off-Broadway within the last five years.

By focusing on the works of contemporary writers, FST has been able to offer plays to its audiences that are not normally produced by other area theatres. FST is comprised of six main programs: Mainstage, Cabaret, the Gompertz Theatre, Education, Touring and New Play Development.

FST has an extensive Education wing which offers over 20 classes weekly, and FST's touring company reaches over 60,000 students annually in the Southeastern United States and beyond. Through these programs, we inspire children to write plays for FST's annual Young Playwrights Festival.

The New Play Development Program is an integral part of Florida Studio Theatre and its mission. FST receives 8,000 new plays a year from established, emerging, and young writers. Many new scripts developed through this program reach the Mainstage and Cabaret Theatre stages.

The FST box office is located at the corner of North Palm Avenue and Cocoanut in downtown Sarasota, Florida. For more information, call 941-366-9000 or visit http://www.floridastudiotheatre.org.

Box Office Hours:
Mon. - 9 p.m. thru 6 p.m.
Tues. - Sat. - 9 a.m. thru 9 p.m.
Sun. - 11 a.m. thru 9 p.m.

Steppin’ Out Performance Schedule
October 21 – January 3, 2009
Goldstein Cabaret
Tickets: $26-$29

Tuesday October 21 7:30 PM
Wednesday October 22 7:30 PM
Thursday October 23 7:30 PM
Friday   October 24 7:30 PM
Saturday October 25 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday October 26 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday October 28 6:00 PM
Wednesday October 29 7:30 PM
Thursday October 30 7:30 PM
Friday   October 31 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday November 1 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday November 2 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday November 4 6:00 PM
Wednesday November 5 7:30 PM
Thursday November 6 7:30 PM
Friday   November 7 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday November 8 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday November 9 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday November 11 6:00 PM
Wednesday November 12 7:30 PM
Thursday November 13 7:30 PM
Friday   November 14 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday November 15 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday November 16 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday November 18 6:00 PM
Wednesday November 19 7:30 PM
Thursday November 20 7:30 PM
Friday   November 21 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday November 22 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday November 23 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday November 25 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Wednesday November 26 7:30 PM
Friday   November 28 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday November 29 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday November 30 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday December 2 6:00 PM
Wednesday December 3 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Thursday December 4 7:30 PM
Friday   December 5 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday December 6 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday December 7 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday December 9 6:00 PM
Wednesday December 10 7:30 PM
Thursday December 11 7:30 PM
Friday   December 12 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday December 13 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday December 14 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday December 16 6:00 PM
Thursday December 18 7:30 PM
Friday   December 19 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday December 20 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday December 21 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday December 23 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Wednesday December 24 7:30 PM
Friday   December 26 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday December 27 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Sunday December 28 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Tuesday December 30 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Wednesday December 31 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM
Thursday January 1 7:30 PM
Friday   January 2 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Saturday January 3 6:00 PM & 9:00 PM

photo courtesy Florida Studio Theatre

TRU and Back Stage Host Theater Eduction Panel Discussion 10/22 - 10/22/2008

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) and Back Stage will host the networking panel, I’ll Create an Educational Program and I’ll Get Funding … Won’t I?, on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:30pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (below W. 3rd Street), NYC.

Panelists include Linda Ames Key, education director of Vital Theatre Company; Jan Hacha, managing director of Amas Musical Theatre; Michael Pizzi, artistic director of Touching Humanity; David Shookhoff, president of the arts in education roundtable and director of education for Manhattan Theatre Club; and Suzanne Von Eck, artistic director of Gilgamesh Theatre Group.

The panel’s focus is to inspire companies to create educational programming for the right reasons, to dispel the misconception that educational programs will solve funding woes, and to explain how to create a program that a donor will consider supporting. Topics for discussion will include:

* contracts with the Department of Education,

* how educational programming ties into (or changes) a company’s mission,

* whether it is ever useful as a revenue stream, and

* the difficulties of administering an educational program

The panel will be co-moderated by Sherry Eaker, editor-at-large of Back Stage. Doors open at 7:00pm for networking and refreshments, panel starts promptly at 7:30pm. Admission is FREE for members of TRU; $12 for non-members.

TRU was founded in 1992 to promote a spirit of cooperation and support within the general theater community by providing information and a variety of entertainment-related services and resources that strengthen the business capability of producing organizations, individual producers, self-producing artists and other theater professionals. The company holds monthly seminars on a wide range of subjects important to theatrical producers and artistic directors conducted by panels of experts from both the commercial and not-for-profit segments of Broadway, Off-Broadway and the motion picture industry. These educational forums have been a core program of TRU since its inception, and in recent years executive director Ost has partnered with Ms. Eaker to generate topics of interest to both TRU membership and Back Stage readers. “Through TRU, Back Stage is able to reach beyond its actor base to a wider theater community,” said Ost, “and we get more visibility through the Back Stage connection.”

TRU also publishes a monthly email community newsletter of services, goods and productions. In addition, TRU served as the umbrella organization for a co-production by several of its member companies as a part of the first annual New York Fringe Festival. From that experience, the organization has expanded its production efforts by creating the TRU VOICES Annual New Play Reading Series and the TRU VOICES Annual New Musicals Reading Series in which TRU underwrites developmental readings of new works for theater. In 2001, TRU began giving annual scholarships to The Commercial Theater Institute, to encourage the development of aspiring producers, and most recently created a Producer Mentoring Program whose mentors are among the most prominent producers and general managers in New York theater. In March, TRU was associate producer of its first Equity showcase, Missives at 59E59 Theatre, a play that was developed in the 2006 TRU reading series. TRU programs for actors include an Annual Audition Event, Resource Nights and “Speed Dating” as well as free monthly actor events, including workshops.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by public funds awarded through the New York State Council on the Arts and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, as well as generous support from the Friar’s National Foundation Association.

For more information about TRU membership, visit www.truonline.org or call 212-714-7628.

Amas Presents Free Performances of BURLY-Q! 10/22 - 10/22/2008

Amas Musical Theatre presents two free performances of BURLY-Q! A Gay Burlesque, a show created by Phillip George (co-director of Forbidden Broadway) on Tuesday, October 22 at 7:30pm and Wednesday, October 23 at 6pm at the newly-restored Actors Playhouse, 100 Seventh Avenue South in New York. BURLY-Q! was written by Peter Charles Morris, Phillip George, Ernie Lijoi, Tom Orr and Hector Coris, with music by Fred Barton, David Caldwell, Brad Ellis, Ethan Fein, Mat Eisenstein, Dick Gallagher and Matt Ward. The production is directed by Phillip George (Forbidden Broadway, SHOUT! The Mod Musical, Whoop-de-doo). "BURLY-Q! is a loving homage to and madcap exploration of a treasure trove of classic burlesque routines, featuring up-to-date sketches and songs presented with a gay twist," says Amas Producing Artistic Director Donna Trinkoff. "With top bananas and beautiful men, there's something for everyone to enjoy in Burly-Q! And with a comedic director like Phillip George at the helm, you know it's going to be a fun evening."

The cast includes Fred Barton, Andrew Briedis, Michael Dexter, Mitchell Greenberg, Michael LaMasa, Jay Rogers and Jake Warnecke. The presentations are part of the ongoing Amas Six O'Clock Musical Theatre Lab, a development series for writers, lyricists and composers to mount new musicals, free to the general public.

For free tickets to BURLY-Q! A Gay Burlesque, email amasevents@aol.com or call (212) 563-2565.

Amas Musical Theatre is a non-profit, multi-ethnic theatrical organization founded in 1968 by Rosetta LeNoire. The Amas mission is grounded in non-traditional, multi-ethnic production, education and casting. Amas ("you love" in Latin) is devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals through the celebration of diversity and minority perspectives, the emergence of new artistic talent, and the training of inner-city young people. Recent productions include Wanda's World, Shout!, The Mod Musical, Lone Star Love, From My Hometown, Zanna, Don't! and Stormy Weather: The Story of Lena Horne.

The Amas Musical Theatre Lab is made possible through funding from the New
York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the
Arts--a State agency, ASCAP Foundation Irving Caesar Fund, the BMI Foundation,
the Barbara Bell Cummings Foundation, the Dramatists Guild, the Edith Meiser
Fund, the Shubert Foundation and through the generous support of many
individuals

For more information, visit http://www.amasmusical.org.

Amas Presents Free Performances of BURLY-Q! 10/22 - 10/22/2008

For more information, visit http://www.amasmusical.org.

Theater Mitu Presents Unique Staging of 'Death of a Salesman' at 14th Street Y Starting 10/22 - 10/22/2008

Theater Mitu breathes new relevance into Arthur Miller's classic Death of a Salesman with a relentlessly physical style that seamlessly fuses vaudeville, Japanese Noh and Butoh, innovative object puppetry, Balinese masks, conceptual design, propelled by live original music, a resounding timeworn chorus and an ensemble of just four actors. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls Mitu's work "outside the boundaries of standard Western drama...an exciting, fresh theatre-going experience."

Theater Mitu's Death of a Salesman will be performed at the 14th Street Y Theater Space (14th St. between 1st and 2nd avenues) from October 22 - November 1. General admission tickets are $18, and just $12 for students with valid ID and groups of 8 or more. Tickets available from www.smarttix.com, or by calling [212] 868-4444. More information online at theatermitu.org, or myspace.com/theatermitu

Conceived and Directed by Rubén Polendo the performance features dramaturgy Chris Mills, Lighting Design by Kate Ashton, Costume Design by Candida K. Nichols, Sound Design by Alex Hawthorn, Mask Design by Lori Petermann, Object Design by Sanaz Ghajarrahimi and Original Music by Ellen Reid.

The cast features Justin Nestor, Emily Davis, Dylan Dawson and Nathan Elam with the voices of: Bryce D. Howard, Jenni-Lynn Brick, Ryan West, Ben Fox, Aysan Celik, Nathan Baesel, Mark D. Schultz, & Jason Lew.

Death of a Salesman - 10/22/2008

Theater Mitu breathes new relevance into Arthur Miller's classic Death of a Salesman with a relentlessly physical style that seamlessly fuses vaudeville, Japanese Noh and Butoh, innovative object puppetry, Balinese masks, conceptual design, propelled by live original music, a resounding timeworn chorus and an ensemble of just four actors. Ben Brantley of The New York Times calls Mitu's work "outside the boundaries of standard Western drama...an exciting, fresh theatre-going experience." Theater Mitu's Death of a Salesman will be performed at the 14th Street Y Theater Space (14th St. between 1st and 2nd avenues) from October 22�November 1. General admission tickets are $18, and just $12 for students with valid ID and groups of 8 or more. Tickets available from www.smarttix.com, or by calling [212] 868-4444. More information online at theatermitu.org, or myspace.com/theatermitu Conceived and Directed: Rub�n Polendo Dramaturgy: Chris Mills Lighting Design: Kate Ashton Costume Design: Candida K. Nichols Sound Design: Alex Hawthorn Mask Design: Lori Petermann Object Design: Sanaz Ghajarrahimi Original Music: Ellen Reid Production Manager: Leighton Mitchell Stage Manager: Hilary Austin* Performers: Justin Nestor, Emily Davis, Dylan Dawson* & Nathan Elam With the voices of: Bryce D. Howard*, Jenni-Lynn Brick*, Ryan West*, Ben Fox*, Aysan �elik*, Nathan Baesel*, Mark D. Schultz, & Jason Lew* Assistant Director: Dan Waldron Directing/Design Assistant: John Robichau *appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association

Claassen's 'Conversation With Edith Head' Comes to Houston After UK Run - 10/22/2008

Arizona-based actress SUSAN CLAASSEN has just returned from a highly successful engagement on London's West End as legendary Hollywood designer Edith Head in "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head". Presented by Anthony Field Associates, the limited West End engagement at the new Leicester Square Theatre ran from July 29 through August 31, 2008, earning rave reviews. This engagement was preceded by a sold out run at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (see reviews below)

"A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head", based on Edith Head's Hollywood by Edith Head & Paddy Calistro, is a feast of delicious behind-the-scenes stories about Hollywood's greatest stars that provide an intimate portrait of Hollywood's legendary costume designer. In her six decades of costume design, Edith Head worked on over eleven hundred films; dressed the greatest stars of Hollywood; received 35 Academy Award® nominations, and won an unprecedented eight Oscars®. Edith Head's story is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself, filled with humor, frustration and, above all, glamour. This diva of design helped to define glamour in the most glamorous place in the world - Hollywood!

Ms. Claassen will next bring her 'intimate portrait' of Edith Head to Houston on October 22nd, opening Theater LaB Houston's 16th season with a 5-performance engagement. Performances are Wednesday, October 22nd @ 8pm; Friday, Oct. 24th @ 8pm; Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 8pm; Sunday, October 26th at 3pm and 6pm. Tickets at $20 ($25 on Saturday night)) are available at Box Office at (713) 868-7516 or by visiting www.theaterlabhouston.com. Theater LaB Houston is located at 1706 Alamo (off 2100 Houston Ave.)

Up-coming performances of "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" include:

March 5-8, 2009

Invisible Theatre, 1400 North Frist Avenue, Tucson, AZ

520 882-9721

www.invisibletheatre.com

March 13, 2009

Tubac Center of the Arts, 9 Plaza Road, Tubac, AZ

520.398.2371

http://www.tubacarts.org/performing_arts.asp

June 19-20, 2009

Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA

619-522-7390

June 22-23, 2009

Repertory Theatre, 987 lomas Santa Fe Drive.,

Solana Beach, CA

858.481.1055

http://www.northcoastrep.org/

Edith Head was a Hollywood costume designer for more than 60 years. 44 of those years were spent at Paramount Studios, where she worked with the most famous actors of the time, from Mae West and Clara Bow to Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis. When Paramount failed to renew her contract in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock stepped in and Ms. Head was invited to join Universal Studios. At Universal she costumed Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting" and won the first-ever Oscar® for a film without a female lead. Her eight Academy Award® celebrated her artistry in "The Heiress" (her first Oscar®), "Samson & Delilah", "All About Eve", "A Place in the Sun", "Roman Holiday", "Sabrina", "The Facts of Life" and "The Sting". Edith Head died in October 1981, still under contract to Universal Studios, having just completed the Steve Martin film, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid".

Susan Claassen was inspired to write and star in "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" while watching a TV biography of Ms. Head. Susan Claassen said: "Not only do I bear a striking resemblance to Edith, but we share the same love for clothes and fashion. Edith survived the boy's club of Hollywood to enjoy a 60-year career, during which she worked on 1,131 films, earned 35 Oscar nominations and won eight. She stitched Dorothy Lamour into her sarong; put Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in kilts in "The Road to Bali"; created Bette Davis' glamorous Margo Channing; made teenage girls swoon over Eliza Beth Taylor's white ballgown in "A Place in the Sun"; dressed Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious", Grace Kelly in "To Catch A Thief", Kim Novak in "Vertigo", Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard" and Sean Connery in "The Man Who Would Be King". There are many myths about her but she was a discreet, tenacious personality. She knew whose hips needed clever disguising and made sure those legendary stars always looked the part. Our show gives the inside scoop on Edith and the Golden Age of Hollywood."

"A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" premiered at the Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona in January, 2002 and was subsequently presented in Chicago; Key West, FLA; at the American Film Institute in Silver Spring, MD; Hartford; San Francisco; Nantucket, and Scottsdale, as well as in Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia and a 'sold out' engagement at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Out of the 2,000 shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival only 200 were officially designated 'Sold Out' engagements.)

As an actress, some of Susan's most memorable roles have been Bella in "LOST IN YONKERS" Alice B. Toklas in "Gertrude Stein AND A COMPANION" Hannah in "CROSSING DELANCEY", Shirley in "SHIRLEY VALENTINE" and Trudy in "THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE". In addition to her work with the Invisible Theatre she has been a consultant and director for the Waterfront Playhouse and The Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida, and directed Steve Ross in "I WON'T DANCE" at New York's famed Rainbow and Stars Cabaret and St. Paul's prestigious Ordway Theatre. As Managing Artistic Director of The Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, Susan has produced more than 335 productions and directed more than 50. She is the recipient of the 1985 Governor's Award for Women Who Create; the 1993 Humanitarian Torch Award for her efforts on behalf of people living with AIDS, and a 1996 Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children for her commitment to arts education for special populations. Susan was the 1999 City of Hope "Spirit of Life" recipient (as was Edith Head in 1976), and performs as a clown in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was recently selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle's 10 Most Admired Women and will be honored by The Jewish Federation in 2009 as one of Tucson's 13 most remarkable women.

Much of the dialogue in "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" comes directly from the famed designer. When she was asked to write the authorized posthumous autobiography, Edith Head's Hollywood, Paddy Calistro acquired more than 13 hours of recollections recorded by Edith Head – including her own snippy "Edithisms" as Ms. Head referred to her own sayings, such as: "I hate modesty, don't you?" and "Good clothes are not a matter of good luck." The show also features insights from Hollywood insiders who knew Ms. Head best: costume designer Bob Mackie, who once worked as Ms. Head's sketch artist; her dear friend Edie Wasserman, wife of the late Universal Studio head Lew Wasserman, and Art Linkletter, award-winning host of TV's "House Party", who brought Edith Head into the homes of America. Edith would stroll through the studio audience with Linkletter, offering brutally critical fashion, diet and grooming advice - all this half a century before the current mania for on-screen makeovers. "Go on a diet!" she would instruct an overweight woman, while instantly making her look ten pounds slimmer by pulling her shirt out of her trousers, whipping a belt around her middle and swapping her cheap gold jewelry for her own signature pearls. Young fans of Pixar's "The Incredibles" will recognized the superhero outfitter Edna Mode as an affectionate tribute to the legendary Hollywood costume designer.

Co-author Paddy Calistro is one of the leading authorities on the life and work of Edith Head and is the co-author of Edith Head's posthumous autobiography, Edith Head's Hollywood. She was selected as Ms. Head's official biographer based on her experience as a fashion journalist. A former fashion and beauty writer for the Los Angeles Times, Paddy wrote the weekly "Looks" column in the LA Times Magazine for four years. She was the West Coast reporter for Allure and has written for Glamour, Mademoiselle, House Beautiful, Elle, Four Seasons Magazine, Fitness and Los Angeles Magazine. For more than a decade Paddy was the lead interior design writer for LA Magazine, and was also the editor of American Style, a bilingual fashion magazine sold in Mexico and South America. The co-founder of Angel City Press, an independent book publishing company based in Santa Monica, she currently serves as its Publisher and Editor-in-chief.

For additional information about "A CONVERSATION WITH Edith Head" go to www.edithhead.biz.

Broadway Stars to Perform Outdoor Concert at Tudor City Greens 10/22 - 10/22/2008

A new outdoor concert series will be presented at the Tudor City Greens in New York City on Wednesday, October 22nd starting at 12 noon. The hour-long program of music and comedy - themed "Witchcraft" - will feature performers from Broadway and the New York City cabaret scene. The concert will be hosted by Tudor City resident, Broadway and cabaret performer Raissa Katona Bennett (Phantom of the Opera, Chess) and feature performances by Scot Albertson (2007 & 2008 MAC Award Nominee for Male Jazz Vocalist) Scott Barbarino and the Bev- Naps (2-time MAC Award winners), Mary Foster Conklin (MAC, Bistro Award winner), Eric Michael Gillett (Broadway: Sweet Smell of Success, The Frogs, New York City Opera; MAC-Award winner), Sarah Rice (Broadway's original Johanna in Sweeney Todd, The Fantasticks), Roger Mapes (GLBT Hall of Fame: Singer/Songwriter), Julie Reyburn (MAC, Bistro and Nightlife Award winner), Lennie Watts (MAC, Bistro Award winner) and cabaret newcomer Sierra Rein. The musical director is David Caldwell (Forbidden Broadway).

The event will take place in the South Park of Tudor City Greens Park � enter at Tudor City Place between East 42nd and 43rd Streets, between 1st and 2nd avenues in New York City.

A post-event reception with the performers will take place at Cibo (767 Second Ave. between East 41st and 42nd Streets).

The rain date for this event is Thursday, October 23rd at 12 noon. The Cast is subject to change.

Future concerts will resume in April 2009 throughout the spring, summer and fall.

Fred French called it a "city within a city," the Tudor City apartment complex he built in the late 20's between 40th and 43d Streets on a bluff just west of First Avenue. As a centerpiece he created two small parks, a sparkling pair of green patches in crowded midtown. In the late 1970s, when Harry Helmsley owned the complex, he was determined to construct two high rise buildings on the land where the North and South parks are. However, the residents of Tudor City were equally as determined that he would not! One long holiday weekend Sunday, bulldozers suddenly appeared and began hauling down the then wooden fencing. John McCain, (of The Manor), ran out into the street with a bullhorn shouting; "Come out. Come out. Residents of Tudor City, come out and save our parks!" Sure enough, as the story goes, little old ladies rushed out and threw themselves in front of the bulldozers, stopping all activity. This gave the Tudor City Association time to organize legal measures which effectively stopped any further movement on Helmsley's part and saved the parks. Now, the parks have been renovated by Tudor City Greens, the non-profit tenants' group that owns and maintains the gardens that are open to the public.

The October concert is being produced in association with the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), an organization dedicated to the support and promotion of the art of live entertainment in NYC (www.MACNYC.com).

Open Book and Nunkie Theatre Company Present OH, WHISTLE Starting 10/22 at 78th Street Theatre Lab - 10/22/2008

THE OPEN BOOK and NUNKIE THEATRE COMPANY are pleased to announce the upcoming production of "OH, WHISTLE…," two ghost stories by M R JAMES and performed by R M LLOYD PARRY at the 78th Street Theatre Lab. "OH, WHISTLE…" plays Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM, October 22nd through November 8th. In addition, performances of Lloyd Parry's 2007 M R James show, "A PLEASING TERROR," plays 10:00 PM on Friday, October 24th, 31st and November 7th. All single show tickets are $20. Friday double show tickets and group discounts are also available. To reserve tickets (cash, personal checks, or TDF vouchers only), call (212)362-0329, or visit https://the-open-book1.ticketleap.com for credit card purchases. The 78TH STREET THEATRE LAB is located at 236 West 78th Street, just east of Broadway.

This Hallowe'en, Robert Lloyd PARRY brings a seasonal shiver to New York City with his retelling of two of the greatest tales by M R James, the master of the English ghost story. Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad—a tale of nocturnal horror on the Suffolk coast—is considered by many to be the author's masterpiece. It is beautifully complemented here by The Ash Tree, a story of witchcraft and vengeance down the generations. A PLEASING TERROR (Friday nights at 10 PM only) offers two additional James stories: Canon Alberic's Scrap-book and The Mezzotint.

Every Christmas, Montague Rhodes (M R ) James (1862–1936) would write and perform new tales, to entertain friends in his rooms in King's College, Cambridge. A century later, these still have a special power to terrify and amuse. This unique interpretation gives New York theatregoers the opportunity to experience these eerie masterpieces in the manner in which they were originally enjoyed—as ghostly confections, told to a rapt audience.

"M R JAMES dedicated his stories to 'those who have at various times listened to them,' " explains Lloyd Parry, "and I try to evoke the tone and atmosphere of James' original performances. Reticence and suggestion are very important weapons in James' storytelling armory, so the staging, the lighting and the delivery are all very straightforward—and, one hopes, all the more chilling for that."

Robert Lloyd PARRY is an actor and art historian. He first read M R James' ghost stories as a teenager, and his passion for them was rekindled when he began working at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, where James was Director in the early 1900s. Since performing two of his favorite works in James' old office in the Fitzwilliam in 2006, he has pursued this enthusiasm around the UK, USA and Ireland, often performing in venues closely associated with the author. "OH, WHISTLE…" is the sequel to his critically acclaimed one-man show "A PLEASING TERROR," which toured the UK, USA and Ireland in 2006 / 2007. In 2008, Lloyd Parry's "OH, WHISTLE…" won The Dr! acula Society Hamilton Deane Award for best dramatic presentation in the Gothic genre. (The last winner was Guillermo del Toro for Pan's Labyrinth.). For more information visit www.nunkie.co.uk. You can also watch Robert Lloyd PARRY performing three excerpts of "A PLEASING TERROR" on youtube.com, keyword: nunkietheatreUSA.

Speed-The-Plow To Perform At Ethel Barrymore Starting 10/23 - 10/23/2008

The 20th Anniversary revival of DAVID MAMET's Speed-The-Plow is proud to announce it will now begin previews at the ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATRE (located at 243 West 47th St.) on Friday, October 3, 2008 with a new official opening set for Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 7pm.

The cast includes: Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner JEREMY PIVEN ("Entourage", Fat Pig) as film production exec Bobby Gould, three-time Tony-nominee RAÚL ESPARZA (The Homecoming, Company, Taboo) as ambitious producer Charlie Fox and ELISABETH MOSS (Mad Men) in the pivotal role of Karen, the temporary secretary to executive producer Bobby Gould, a role which was originally played on Broadway by Madonna. NEIL PEPE (David Mamet's Romance, Ethan Coen's Almost an Evening) will direct. Performances will be Tuesdays at 7 pm, Wednesday-Saturday at 8 pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets will be sold through Telecharge.com or 212-239-6200.

Speed-The-Plow is Mamet's scathing portrait of the film industry and the people who are willing to sell their souls for sex, fame and fortune.

The revival is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Ken Davenport, Scott Delman, Jamie deRoy, Ergo Entertainment, Ronald Frankel, Judith Hansen, Dede Harris, Peggy Hill, Patty Ann Lacerte, Alan Marks, Nicholas Rosenkranz, Ostar Productions, Adam Sansiveri, and Barry Weisbord.

JEREMY PIVEN's critically acclaimed, award winning portrayal of the slick, fast talking super agent, "Ari Gold" in the smash-hit HBO original series Entourage has propelled him to the forefront of the entertainment industry. The role has earned him a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards. Piven, will next be seen starring in the feature film comedy The Goods for Paramount Vantage as well as the Guy Ritchie directed Rocknrolla. Piven was most recently seen on the big screen in director Peter Berg's political drama The Kingdom opposite Jamie Foxx and in Joe Carnahan's Smokin Aces, in which he starred opposite Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta. Prior to Entourage, Piven had already established his presence in over 40 feature films with a number of impressive credits which include, The Player, Runaway Jury, Old School, Serendipity, Black Hawk Down, Very Bad Things, Singles, Rush Hour 2 and The Family Man. On the small screen Piven was a series regular on Cupid and Ellen and appeared on The Larry Sanders Show and in the telepic Don King: Only in America. In 2005, Piven returned to his theater acting roots when he starred alongside Keri Russell and Andrew McCarthy in the off-Broadway hit, Fat Pig by Neil LaBute. For his role, Piven received a Distinguished Performance Honor from the Drama League. Piven was born and raised in Chicago where his parents founded the Piven Theatre Workshop. His father, Byrne, taught the likes of John and Joan Cusack, Roseanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn. Jeremy is still very active with this Theatre and returns to Chicago frequently to help keep his father's dream alive.

RAÚL ESPARZA most recently starred in the Tony-nominated revival of The Homecoming for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Prior to that he starred in the Tony-Award winning Company, for which he received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and a Tony nomination. His previous New York stage appearances include Taboo, for which he also received a Tony nomination, The Normal Heart, Comedians, and tick, tick…Boom!, all of which earned him Drama League nominations. He received a 2001 Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut in the revival of The Rocky Horror Show.

ELISABETH MOSS currently stars as Peggy Olson in the Golden Globe Award-winning drama series Mad Men, which will return for its second season this month. Moss was nominated in 2008 for a SAG Award along with her Mad Men castmates for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Mad Men was also just nominated for 16 Emmys including "Outstanding Drama Series," and the show was additionally honored with a Peabody Award, An AFI Award, a TCA Award and a Writers Guild of America Award. Moss' theatre credits include: Franny in Franny's Way presented by Playwrights Horizons at the Atlantic Theater Company. She also played the same role at the Geffen Playhouse, L.A. She has performed in The Nutcracker with The Joffrey Ballet and in Sleeping Beauty with The New York City Ballet. Film credits include: Buddy Gilbert Comes Alive, The Attic, Day Zero, The Missing, Girl, Interrupted, Mumford, The Joyriders, A Thousand Acres, Imaginary Crimes and Virgin, for which she was nominated for a 2004 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She previously played Zoey Bartlet for seven seasons on The West Wing.

DAVID MAMET was most recently represented on Broadway by November and won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Glengarry Glen Ross. His other stage credits include Speed-The-Plow (Tony nom.), The Cryptogram (Pulitzer nom.), Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Oleanna, Romance, Boston Marriage, The Old Neighborhood, A Life in the Theatre and the adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance. Mamet is also a two-time Academy Award-nominee for The Verdict and Wag the Dog whose other film credits include State and Main, The Winslow Boy, The Spanish Prisoner, Homicide and The Untouchables. He a writer and co-producer for the current CBS hit "The Unit" and the author of numerous novels including The Wicked Son and Bambi vs. Godzilla.

NEIL PEPE (Director) has been the Artistic Director of the award-winning Atlantic Theater Company since 1992. Under Mr. Pepe's direction the Atlantic has garnered four Tony awards, six Obie awards and numerous others. He recently simultaneously directed both the acclaimed, sold-out world premiere of Academy Award® winning filmmaker Ethan Coen's Almost an Evening at Atlantic Stage 2 (and the subsequent commercial transfer to The Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street), and the world premiere of Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song at Atlantic's main stage Linda Gross Theatre. Pepe most recently staged a double-bill of Atlantic co-founder David Mamet's plays - The Duck Variations and the world-premiere of Keep Your Pantheon at the Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles.He directed Harold Pinter's first and most recent plays, The Room and Celebration at Atlantic and staged the world premiere of David Mamet's new play Romance in 2005, also at the Atlantic. He directed the world premiere of Howard Korder's Sea Of Tranquility in Spring of 2004 as well as the American premiere of Jez Butterworth's The Night Heron in the Fall of 2003 at the Atlantic. Mr. Butterworth and Mr. Pepe also collaborated on the critically acclaimed New York premiere of Butterworth's play Mojo (Drama League Award nomination). Mr. Pepe directed the last major revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo, starring William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall and Mark Webber which had its initial run at the Donmar Warehouse in London before moving to a sold-out run in New York. In the Fall of 2002, he directed the American premiere of the award-winning Joe Penhall play Blue/Orange starring Harold Perrineau, Glenn Fitzgerald and Zjelko Ivanek. Other notable productions include The Beginning Of August by Tom Donaghy starring Mary Steenburgen (South Coast Repertory and Atlantic), the World Premiere of Eric Bogosian's Red Angel starring Mr. Bogosian at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Refuge by Jessica Goldberg at Playwrights' Horizons, Zinnie Harris' Further Than The Furthest Thing at Manhattan Theatre Club, Wolf Lullaby by Hilary Bell, Clean by Edwin Sanchez, and Shaker Heights by Quincy Long (Outer Critic' Circle Award nomination), all at the Atlantic.

Speed-The-Plow Moves To Ethel Barrymore; Opening Now 10/23 - 10/23/2008

The 20th Anniversary revival of David Mamet's Speed-The-Plow is proud to announce it will now begin previews at the ETHEL BARRYMORE THEATRE (located at 243 West 47th St.) on Friday, October 3, 2008 with a new official opening set for Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 at 7pm.

The cast includes: Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jeremy Piven ("Entourage", Fat Pig) as film production exec Bobby Gould, three-time Tony-nominee RAÚL ESPARZA (The Homecoming, Company, Taboo) as ambitious producer Charlie Fox and ELISABETH MOSS (Mad Men) in the pivotal role of Karen, the temporary secretary to executive producer Bobby Gould, a role which was originally played on Broadway by Madonna. Neil Pepe (David Mamet's Romance, Ethan Coen's Almost an Evening) will direct. Performances will be Tuesdays at 7 pm, Wednesday-Saturday at 8 pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2 pm and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets will be sold through Telecharge.com or 212-239-6200.

Speed-The-Plow is Mamet's scathing portrait of the film industry and the people who are willing to sell their souls for sex, fame and fortune.

The revival is being produced by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Steve Traxler, Ken Davenport, Scott Delman, Jamie DeRoy, Ergo Entertainment, Ronald Frankel, Judith Hansen, Dede Harris, Peggy Hill, Patty Ann Lacerte, Alan Marks, Nicholas Rosenkranz, Ostar Productions, Adam Sansiveri, and Barry Weisbord.

Jeremy Piven's critically acclaimed, award winning portrayal of the slick, fast talking super agent, "Ari Gold" in the smash-hit HBO original series Entourage has propelled him to the forefront of the entertainment industry. The role has earned him a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards. Piven, will next be seen starring in the feature film comedy The Goods for Paramount Vantage as well as the Guy Ritchie directed Rocknrolla. Piven was most recently seen on the big screen in director Peter Berg's political drama The Kingdom opposite Jamie Foxx and in Joe Carnahan's Smokin Aces, in which he starred opposite Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta. Prior to Entourage, Piven had already established his presence in over 40 feature films with a number of impressive credits which include, The Player, Runaway Jury, Old School, Serendipity, Black Hawk Down, Very Bad Things, Singles, Rush Hour 2 and The Family Man. On the small screen Piven was a series regular on Cupid and Ellen and appeared on The Larry Sanders Show and in the telepic Don King: Only in America. In 2005, Piven returned to his theater acting roots when he starred alongside Keri Russell and Andrew McCarthy in the off-Broadway hit, Fat Pig by Neil LaBute. For his role, Piven received a Distinguished Performance Honor from the Drama League. Piven was born and raised in Chicago where his parents founded the Piven Theatre Workshop. His father, Byrne, taught the likes of John and Joan Cusack, Roseanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn. Jeremy is still very active with this Theatre and returns to Chicago frequently to help keep his father's dream alive.

RAÚL ESPARZA most recently starred in the Tony-nominated revival of The Homecoming for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Prior to that he starred in the Tony-Award winning Company, for which he received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and a Tony nomination. His previous New York stage appearances include Taboo, for which he also received a Tony nomination, The Normal Heart, Comedians, and tick, tick…Boom!, all of which earned him Drama League nominations. He received a 2001 Theatre World Award for his Broadway debut in the revival of The Rocky Horror Show.

ELISABETH MOSS currently stars as Peggy Olson in the Golden Globe Award-winning drama series Mad Men, which will return for its second season this month. Moss was nominated in 2008 for a SAG Award along with her Mad Men castmates for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Mad Men was also just nominated for 16 Emmys including "Outstanding Drama Series," and the show was additionally honored with a Peabody Award, An AFI Award, a TCA Award and a Writers Guild of America Award. Moss' theatre credits include: Franny in Franny's Way presented by Playwrights Horizons at the Atlantic Theater Company. She also played the same role at the Geffen Playhouse, L.A. She has performed in The Nutcracker with The Joffrey Ballet and in Sleeping Beauty with The New York City Ballet. Film credits include: Buddy Gilbert Comes Alive, The Attic, Day Zero, The Missing, Girl, Interrupted, Mumford, The Joyriders, A Thousand Acres, Imaginary Crimes and Virgin, for which she was nominated for a 2004 Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She previously played Zoey Bartlet for seven seasons on The West Wing.

David Mamet was most recently represented on Broadway by November and won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Glengarry Glen Ross. His other stage credits include Speed-The-Plow (Tony nom.), The Cryptogram (Pulitzer nom.), Sexual Perversity in Chicago, Oleanna, Romance, Boston Marriage, The Old Neighborhood, A Life in the Theatre and the adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance. Mamet is also a two-time Academy Award-nominee for The Verdict and Wag the Dog whose other film credits include State and Main, The Winslow Boy, The Spanish Prisoner, Homicide and The Untouchables. He a writer and co-producer for the current CBS hit "The Unit" and the author of numerous novels including The Wicked Son and Bambi vs. Godzilla.

Neil Pepe (Director) has been the Artistic Director of the award-winning Atlantic Theater Company since 1992. Under Mr. Pepe's direction the Atlantic has garnered four Tony awards, six Obie awards and numerous others. He recently simultaneously directed both the acclaimed, sold-out world premiere of Academy Award® winning filmmaker Ethan Coen's Almost an Evening at Atlantic Stage 2 (and the subsequent commercial transfer to The Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street), and the world premiere of Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song at Atlantic's main stage Linda Gross Theatre. Pepe most recently staged a double-bill of Atlantic co-founder David Mamet's plays - The Duck Variations and the world-premiere of Keep Your Pantheon at the Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles.He directed Harold Pinter's first and most recent plays, The Room and Celebration at Atlantic and staged the world premiere of David Mamet's new play Romance in 2005, also at the Atlantic. He directed the world premiere of Howard Korder's Sea Of Tranquility in Spring of 2004 as well as the American premiere of Jez Butterworth's The Night Heron in the Fall of 2003 at the Atlantic. Mr. Butterworth and Mr. Pepe also collaborated on the critically acclaimed New York premiere of Butterworth's play Mojo (Drama League Award nomination). Mr. Pepe directed the last major revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo, starring William H. Macy, Phillip Baker Hall and Mark Webber which had its initial run at the Donmar Warehouse in London before moving to a sold-out run in New York. In the Fall of 2002, he directed the American premiere of the award-winning Joe Penhall play Blue/Orange starring Harold Perrineau, Glenn Fitzgerald and Zjelko Ivanek. Other notable productions include The Beginning Of August by Tom Donaghy starring Mary Steenburgen (South Coast Repertory and Atlantic), the World Premiere of Eric Bogosian's Red Angel starring Mr. Bogosian at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Refuge by Jessica Goldberg at Playwrights' Horizons, Zinnie Harris' Further Than The Furthest Thing at Manhattan Theatre Club, Wolf Lullaby by Hilary Bell, Clean by Edwin Sanchez, and Shaker Heights by Quincy Long (Outer Critic' Circle Award nomination), all at the Atlantic.

Speed-The-Plow Moves To Ethel Barrymore; Now Opening 10/23 - 10/23/2008

'Dividing The Estate' to Play At Booth Starting 10/23 - 10/23/2008

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer), by arrangement with Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder and Executive Producer, Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director, Elliot Fox, Managing Director), will present Horton Foote’s critically acclaimed new play, DIVIDING THE ESTATE, directed by Michael Wilson this fall on Broadway at The Booth Theatre (222 West 45 Street). The production is scheduled to begin performances Thursday, October 23 and open on Thursday, November 20 for a limited engagement.

DIVIDING THE ESTATE, a human comedy about a family that must confront its past as it prepares for its future, opened to critical acclaim last fall at Primary Stages. The production featured a cast of 13 headed by Elizabeth Ashley, Arthur French, Hallie Foote, Penny Fuller and Gerald McRaney, with Devon Abner, Pat Bowie, James DeMarse, Virginia Kull, Maggie Lacey, Nicole Lowrance, Jenny Dare Paulin and Keiana Richard, all of whom will reprise their performances this fall.

DIVIDING THE ESTATE will have sets by Jeff Cowie, costumes by David C. Woolard, lighting by Rui Rita and original music and sound by John Gromada, the play’s original design team.

Playwright Horton Foote returns to Lincoln Center Theater where his play The Carpetbagger’s Children was presented at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.   His many plays include The Day Emily Married, The Roads to Home, The Young Man From Atlanta, The Trip to Bountiful, Lily Dale, The Widow Claire and Laura Dennis. His honors include the Pulitzer Prize for The Young Man From Atlanta and two Academy Awards for his screenplays for To Kill A Mockingbird and Tender Mercies.

Director Michael Wilson staged Horton Foote’s The Carpetbagger’s Children at Lincoln Center Theater as well as the playwright’s The Day Emily Married at Primary Stages. His other recent New York stage credits include Old Acquaintance for the Roundabout Theatre, Chris Shinn’s What Didn’t Happen, Eve Ensler’s Necessary Targets and Jane Anderson’s Defying Gravity. He has been the Artistic Director of the Hartford Stage for the past 10 years.

DIVIDING THE ESTATE will be performed Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3 pm. (There is no Saturday matinee on Oct. 25.) Tickets will be available beginning Monday, September 22, at the Booth Theater box office, by calling Tele-Charge at (212) 239-6200 or on-line by visiting www.lct.org.

Lincoln Center Theater is currently presenting its critically acclaimed, award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, winner of 7 2008 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, directed by Bartlett Sher at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. This Fall, in addition to DIVIDING THE ESTATE, LCT will present Noah Haidle’s new play Saturn Returns, directed by Nicholas Martin at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater beginning Thursday, October 16. Also this fall, LCT will begin a new programming initiative – LCT3 – devoted to producing the work of emerging playwrights, directors and designers. Through mounting fully staged, modestly budgeted productions, LCT3 will bring a new generation of artists and audiences to LCT. LCT3’s first production, Clay, a one-man hip-hop show written and performed by Matt Sax and directed by Eric Rosen, will begin performances Monday, October 6 at the Duke on 42nd Street.

ELIZABETH ASHLEY (Stella) Broadway: Enchanted April, The Best Man, Take Her, She’s Mine (Tony and Theatre World Awards), Barefoot in the Park (Tony nomination), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Tony nomination), The Skin of Our Teeth, Caesar and Cleopatra, Legend, Hide and Seek, Agnes of God. Considered one of the definitive interpreters of Tennessee Williams work, she has starred in many of his plays including (in addition to Cat On A Hot Tin Roof) Eight by Tenn, Suddenly Last Summer, The Red Devil Battery Sign, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Glass Menagerie. Film: The Carpetbaggers, Ship of Fools (Golden Globe nomination), Rancho Deluxe, Paternity, Dragnet, Happiness (Independent Spirit Award). Her many TV credits include: Evening Shade (Emmy nomination), The Two Mrs. Grenvilles, Miami Vice, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Homicide, The Larry Sanders Show.

ARTHUR FRENCH (Doug) Broadway: Ma Rainery’s Black Bottom, The River Niger, The Iceman Cometh, Death of A Salesman, Design For Living, You Can’t Take It With You. Off-Broadway: Two Trains Running (Lucille Lortel Award), Driving Miss Daisy. Film: Music of the Heart, The Out-of-Towners, Kinsey. Founding member of the original Negro Ensemble Co. Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance.

HALLIE FOOTE (Mary Jo) LCT: The Carpetbaggers Children. Off-Broadway: The Day Emily Married, When They Speak of Rita, The Trip to Bountiful, The Last of Thornton’s, Talking Pictures, Night Seasons, Laura Dennis, The Roads To Home, The Widow Claire. Film: 1918, On Valentine’s Day,   Her awards include the 1995 Drama Desk Award for the Horton Foote Season at the Signature Theatre Company and a 1993 Obie Award for The Roads To Home.

PENNY FULLER (Lucille) LCT: A New Brain, An American Daughter. Broadway: Barefoot in the Park, Cabaret, Applause, Rex.   Her many off-Broadway and regional credits include: The Cherry Orchard, Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, The Seagull, Chekhov in Yalta, Twelfth Night.    TV: The Elephant Man (Emmy Award), NYPD Blue, Love and War and received Emmy nominations for Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, Miss Rose White and China Beach.

GERALD McRANEY (Lewis). Off-Broadway: The Exonerated opposite Jill Clayburgh. His many television credits include the series Jericho, Deadwood, Simon and Simon, Major Dad, JAG and the films and mini-series Take Me Home: The John Denver Story, Nothing Lasts Forever, A Stranger Beside Me, Not my Son, Deadly Vows, Someone She Knows and Dream of Murder.

PRIMARY STAGES Primary Stages was founded in 1984 as a New York State non-profit theater company with the mission of producing new plays and nurturing the development of playwrights. Primary Stages has significantly contributed to the non-profit theater community by producing 22 seasons and over 90 productions. By fostering an environment where writers are encouraged to explore the scope of their creative vision, Primary Stages has been instrumental in developing the skills of hundreds of young artists as well as helping to create a library of new works for the American theater. Primary Stages has given life to many new plays by such writers as Charles Busch, Constance Congdon, A. R. Gurney, Willy Holtzman, David Ives, Julia Jordan, Gen LeRoy, Romulus Linney, Donald Margulies, Melissa Manchester, Terrence McNally, Conor McPherson, Lanie Robertson, John Patrick Shanley, and Mac Wellman. Over the years the company has received considerable critical acclaim including Obie, AUDELCO Outer Critic Circle, Lucille Lortel, Drama League and Drama Desk awards and nominations. The Stendhal Syndrome; No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs; One Million Butterflies; Boy; Indian Blood; Sabina; In The Continuum, and Hunting and Gathering are among the many plays that received their world premieres at Primary Stages.

42nd Street Moon to Present 'Girl Crazy' Starting 10/23 - 10/23/2008

42nd Street Moon gears up for its second production of the season: George and Ira Gershwin’s great musical romp of 1930, Girl Crazy, the slam-bang hit that boasts one of the greatest Broadway scores including the songs “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” “But Not for Me,” and “Sam and Delilah.” The show previews on October 23 and 24, and opens on Saturday, October 25 and runs through November 16.

Girl Crazy opened in October, 1930 – and was one of the most sensational hits of the decade. The outstanding Gershwin score was to be one of the greatest written during the “Golden Age” of Broadway musical theatre.

Two stars on the rise appeared in the show. Ethel Merman created a sensation in her New York musical comedy debut; it was the launch of one of the brightest careers in Broadway history. And Ginger Rogers – nineteen years old and with one Broadway supporting role already under her belt – was the actress who got to introduce the two big ballads.

The orchestra pit itself was star-studded: George Gershwin himself conducted the opening performance, and the orchestra members included Benny Goodman on clarinet, Jimmy Dorsey on saxophone, Glenn Miller and Jack Teagarden on trombone, and Gene Krupa on drums.

The story revolves around New York playboy Danny Churchill, who relocates to an Arizona dude ranch where he meets a wild band of characters. Jeff Horst makes his 42nd Street Moon debut in the leading role of Danny.   Meghann Reynolds, last seen in Oh, Lady! Lady!! plays Molly Gray, the role played by Ginger Rogers in her second Broadway appearance. Cami Thompson appears as Kate, the role in which Ethel Merman made her auspicious Broadway debut.

Taxi driver turned sheriff, Glieber Goldfarb, is played by 42nd Street Moon regular Kalon Thibodeaux, with Peter Sroka as Slick Fotherington. Others in the cast are Gabriel Grilli, Lisa Hensley, Peter Budinger, Andrew Willis-Woodward, Benjamin Pither, Nicholas Yenson, Jessica Payne and Justin Torres.

Girl Crazy will be directed by Dyan McBride, who played Molly Gray herself some ten years ago, and was seen in 42nd Street Moon’s productions of A Touch of Venus and Flora the Red Menace. David Dobrusky will serve as Musical Director, with choreography by Staci Arriaga, and costumes by Louisa Jarfmilowicz.

The 2008-09 season continues with delightful musical Ben Franklin in Paris, opening November 29. A forgotten gem from the richly prolific 1965-66 Broadway season, it chronicles Franklin’s efforts to get King Louis of France to recognize the United States as a sovereign nation, and starred Robert Preston in the original cast.

The New Year sees another return to France with The Baker’s Wife an enchanting version of Marcel Pagnol’s classic film set in Provence. Broadway dynamos Joseph Stein and Stephen Schwartz created a beautiful score for this story of a baker whose wife leaves him for a younger man. Gordon Greenberg, who has guided three prior productions of The Baker’s Wife in New York and New Jersey, joins 42nd Street Moon for this production that opens March 21.

42nd Street Moon next focuses on the Great White Way for a revue celebrating a lost Broadway Art in The Great Revue, featuring the songs of DeSylva, Brown and Henderson, Cole Porter, Dorothy Fields, Arthur Schwartz and Vernon Duke, Harold Arlen, and many, many more. This revue will run April 16-26, and is not included in the subscription package, but subscribers are offered a discount ticket price.

The 2008/09 season draws to a close with the highly acclaimed Maureen McVerry in Cy Coleman’s rip-roaring musical treat, Wildcat, the show that starred Lucille Ball in her only Broadway appearance ever, and provided her signature song “Hey Look me Over.”   It opens May 9.

Tickets to all performances ranging in price from $24 - $42 are available through the 42nd Street Moon Box Office at 415/255-8207 (Open Tues. – Fri. from noon to 5 p.m.), or through the website www.42ndstmoon.org.   A special $25 Childrens’ Subscription Series is available for a 1 p.m. matinee on the 2nd Saturday of each production for those under 18 years-of-age. All performances are presented at San Francisco’s intimate Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson St.

2nd Street Moon celebrates and preserves the art and spirit of the American Musical Theatre, contributing to its evolution and continuing vitality by presenting staged concert performances of classic and rarely performed musical works. Through productions, educational programs, and community outreach, the company is committed to increasing the awareness and appreciation of the rich heritage and cultural perspective of the musical theatre and its vast influence on the world stage. Since 1993 the company has staged more than 90 musicals, as well as several revues celebrating the dazzling legacy of the 20th Century’s greatest musical theater composers and lyricists.

Fuerza Bruta Brings Back 'DJ Connection' Starting 10/23 - 10/23/2008

Fuerza Bruta (“Brute Force”) brings back the celebrated nightlife event DJ CONNECTION that was a huge draw at its predecessor De La Guarda (which ran at the Daryl Roth Theatre for 6 hit years!). DJ CONNECTION – a wild, extended performance featuring to live DJs added to the mix. Heating things up are the first five DJs, scheduled as follows: Thursday, October 23 – Danny Krivit, Thursday, October 30 – Juan MacLean, Thursday, November 6 – Derrick May, Thursday, November 13 – David Waxman, Thursday, November 20 – Dave Hollands. Performances begin at 8:00 PM and run approximately 90 minutes.These shows will feature a live DJ weaving into the action, transporting audiences with new music mixed into the show’s stunning visuals. Fuerza Bruta, noted for its extraordinary aerial and aquatic feats, floods the senses in an environment of breathtaking scenes and pulsing music. DJ CONNECTION further pushes the boundaries of what a night at the
theater can be.

Fuerza Bruta is currrently enjoying an open-ended run at the Daryl Roth Theatre. Previews began October 11, 2007 and the show drew rave reviews when it opened on October 24. Audiences from around the world have been flocking to the show ever since.

ABOUT THE DJs:
Danny Krivit’s career on the decks started in 1971, when a neighbor (the Vice President of Polydor Records) introduced Danny to one of his artists - none other than the legendary James Brown, who gave Danny white-label promo copies of his “Get on the Good foot” and “Think” by Lynn Collins. Soon, Danny started DJing for his father’s disco, The Ninth Circle. In 1975, Danny’s father opened his second club, Ones, where Danny was the sole DJ through 1977. His sets were a huge success and enabled him to start promoting and DJing at his own after-hours club down the street.

His residencies grew throughout the 70s. In 1979, after DJing the opening of the Roxy, he became its resident DJ for the next four years. Throughout the 80s, he often played 6-7 nights a week, appearing at famed locations like Area, The Ice Palace, Laces, The Limelight, Red Zone, Save The Robots, Studio 54 (Virgin Islands), Tracks, The Tunnel, The World and others. In his 80’s studio work he contributed to tracks featuring legends like James Brown, Ecstasy, Passion & Pain, Brenda and the Tabulations, Gloria Gaynor and MFSB. Heading into the 90s, Danny inherited the Ninth Circle from his father and continued to DJ at clubs such as Mars, Tracks, The Choice, Palladium, Shelter, Sound Factory Bar, Twilo, The Warehouse and The Loft.

At its inception in 1996, Danny joined the Body & Soul team (Francois K and Joe Claussell) at Vinyl, regularly playing Sundays for its entire run. Danny’s talents and reputation have continued on worldwide rise, from North & South America to Europe and Japan. Juan MacLean started as a guitarist and synth player with acclaimed but obscure gonzo electro-punk band Six Finger Satellite, who formulated a blend of rigidly mechanized disco beats, oddly sumptuous synth melodies and razor-shredded guitar work in the early 90s.

The brutish but groovy result suggested a cross between Devo, Kraftwerk and Big Black – but in a world of grunge rock, Six Finger Satellite was ahead of its time. As a result, MacLean nearly gave up. Then, as the world prepared to party at the millennium’s turn, two shifts occurred. First, he quit Six Finger Satellite, got out of New York City and decided to try doing something more socially constructive with his life. Secondly, he found himself being hounded by Six Finger Satellite’s former live soundman, James Murphy, to start making music again. MacLean’s enthusiasm reignited and in 2000 he bought a computer and sampler and recorded “By The Time I Get To Venus,” his first single, which would be released by Murphy’s label, DFA Records.

If one name crops up again and again in discussions of techno, it is that of Derrick "Mayday" May. Alongside Juan Atkins, Carl Craig and Kevin Saunderson, May is regarded as one of the kings of the Detroit sound. Inspired by Yello and Kraftwerk, he began to make electronic music with Atkins and Saunderson while studying with them at Belleville High in Detroit. Recording as Mayday or Rhythim Is Rhythim (occasionally in conjunction with Carl Craig) and generally on his own Transmat Records label, he has carved out a new vein in dance music, synthesizing the advances of the electro movement with the more challenging end of the House movement - a music that defined "techno".

David Waxman has over 15 years in the music industry in a range of roles (nightclub promoter, manager, DJ/producer, A&R director and label executive). He has mixed 15 compilations that have sold over ¼ million units in total. His sets draw from a broad musical background, hitting a variety of styles including house, chilled, club classics, electro and trance. Whether playing at the largest clubs, or an ultra exclusive VIP room, his unique style transcends genres. The native New Yorker started his career in the city that never sleeps, but gained notoriety during his residency in South Beach at the legendary Liquid, where he was first to import the New York progressive sound that remained popular for years. Upon returning to NYC, he was offered a monthly residency at Twilo. This earned him a weekly spot opening for Junior Vasquez, as well as praise from Mixer, Muzik and Mixmag magazine. Soon after, Waxman was scouted by Crobar, landing him regular appearances at Crobar NY and Miami. He can now be seen and heard behind the decks at various clubs around the U.S. When not playing the hottest records on the weekends, he is signing them during the week to Ultra Records, where he is the Senior Director of A&R. New York-based DJ David Hollands brings his celebrated club sound from NYC’s biggest nightclubs to venues around the world, in cities like London, Munich, Buenos Aires, Moscow and Bangkok. He has delivered unforgettable nights at the world’s hottest clubs such as Pacha, Limelight, Twilo and Crobar alongside names like Richie Hawtin, Carl Cox and Laurent Garnier. In the last few years, Hollands has established himself as an industry favorite with his exclusive Sunday night parties at Soho’s Café Novecento. His hot tech-house sound brought together the likes of Moby and DJ Sasha along with the city’s top promoters and a sophisticated New York crowd. Time Out New York called Hollands “one of the city’s top DJ’s” and named the Novecento Sunday night parties a “don’t-miss-destination for the night.” Fuerza Bruta plays at the Daryl Roth Theatre (20 Union Square East at 15th Street).
G

eneral schedule: Tuesday through Thursday @ 8:00 PM, Friday @ 8:00 & 10:30 PM,Saturday @ 7:00 & 10:00 PM, and Sunday @ 7:00 PM.

Fuerza Bruta: DJ CONNECTION will play every Thursday evening beginning October 16 (performances at 8:00 PM). Tickets for all Fuerza Bruta: DJ CONNECTION performances are $75.00 and may be purchased online at www.telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200, or at the box office of the Daryl Roth Theatre. Group tickets maybe be purchased by calling 1-800-BROADWAY. For all performances, a limited quantity of $25.00 rush tickets will be made available at the box office 2 hours before show time (CASH ONLY). For more information, please visit www.fuerzabrutanyc.com

One Glass Productions Holds Fundraiser for Documentary Profiling Green Brooklyn Artists - 10/23/2008

One Glass Productions is pleased to announce "FilmArtFunction," a fundraising event benefiting the non-profit docu-series "Under the Bridges," profiling artists and creative businesses in the Brooklyn waterfront's DUMBO district who exceed expectations for environmentally sustainable practices and social responsibility. The event takes place on Thursday, October 23rd at Galapagos Art Space, 16 Main Street in DUMBO Brooklyn, the first cultural venue in NYC to be certified "green" by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), from 8pm - midnight and features live performances, film screenings and a fine art auction. For information or tickets visit FilmArtFunction.

With the pilot episode complete, One Glass plans to air the program on local network television once fundraising goals are reached to complete the series. The goal is to raise awareness of the evolution of DUMBO from its past as a desolate industrial waterfront to a center of Brooklyn's burgeoning the arts and culture community, while highlighting the efforts of companies and individuals to support and sustain practices that protect the environment.

A clip from the pilot can be seen at the Under the Bridges website, and a DVD screener of the full episode - with segments on Susan Woods of Aswoon Studios, Prague Kolektiv, Halcyon the Shop, and Spring Gallery - is available upon request.

In 2006, Stephanie Testa and Valery Jung Estabrook co-founded One Glass Productions. Projects have included an animated music video Dawn Landes, and a short film directed by Henry Cruz headed for the GLBT festival circuit in the Fall. In 2007, One Glass organized a sold-out Film Festival in Manhattan, called "a Celebration of Short Films."

"What I love about the Brooklyn waterfront is looking out and seeing the water, and seeing Manhattan. It makes you feel connected to the city," said Valery of their chosen location."We started this project for our love of the neighborhood. At first, we weren't sure what our focus would be, but when we started interviewing people, and the theme of recycling in art just naturally emerged," said Stephanie.

Stephanie Testa sold her first film - the documentary "Starving for Control" - while still a film student at the University of Rochester. Since, she has independently created over a dozen short films and music videos, and she worked as sound designer for cult film icon Barbara Hammer's latest film, A Horse is Not a Metaphor. She was recently profiled in Go Magazine.

Valery Jung Estabrook studied at Brown University, focusing on digital media and interactive art. Her work has included a feature length documentary and a series of self-portraits exploring her Korean-American identity. She directed One Glass's music video for Dawn Landes, "Bodyguard" recently screened in the Coney Island Film Festival.

FilmArtFunction will be hosted by actress and comedian Kendra Cunningham and will feature performances by pop-pianist Derrick Wang and illusionist Matthew Haicken, with music by DJ and Halcyon Records Store founder Shawn Schwartz. World famous ice sculptor, Joe O'donoghue will create an 8 foot tall custom made sculpture to be displayed at the event. The silent art auction includes works donated by twelve celebrated NYC artists, offered to the public at reduced prices.

OBAMA DRAMA - A Political Theatrical Spectacular! - 10/23/2008

CREATIVE DESTRUCTION Nelson T. Eusebio & Kelly L. Miller, Artistic Directors in association with Samantha Desz, DownTownTheatre Company

presents

OBAMA DRAMA A Political Theatrical Spectacular! Inspired by the Man, the Myth(s) and the Michelle of Barack Obama

7 world premiere short plays by: Zakiyyah Alexander, Nastaran Ahmadi, Sarita Covington, Kimberly Megna, Harrison David Rivers, Matt Schatz, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart

Directed by: Carlos Armesto, Nelson T. Eusebio III, Jose Zayas

Can Barack Obama save America? Is he the most important presidential candidate of our lifetime? Join Creative Destruction for a weekend of world premiere political drama, drinks and debate, as seven talented playwrights take on the Senator from Illinois.

October 23 - 25, 2008 � 8:00 pm

THE GALLERY at Access Theater 380 Broadway, 4th Floor Subways � N/R (closest), A/C/E/6 to Canal, 1/9 to Franklin

Tickets: $18 � www.brownpapertickets.com - 800-838-3006

www.CreativeD.org

Equity approved Showcase featuring:

Ashley Bryant*, Arlene Chico Lugo, Caitlin Clouthier*, Sarita Covington*, Wen-Chuan Dai, Siho Ellsmore*, Ariel Estrada*, Crystal Finn*, Ben Graney, Rory Lipede, Ryan McCarthy*, Tom Everett Russell*, Derrick LeMont Sanders, Shawn Setaro, Tiffany Rachelle Stewart*, Chandra Thomas*, Laura June Weissinger

*Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.

Production Manager - Cat Tate, Sets - Maiko Chii, Costumes - Kate Cusack, Sound - Sharath Patel

Brick Theater Presents LORD OXFORD 10/23 - 10/23/2008

The Brick Theater, Inc. presents LORD OXFORD BRINGS YOU THE SECOND AMERICAN REVOLUTION, LIVE! being the necessary and appropriate response to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's suppression of the freedoms and dignity of the European-American settlers and their descendants in the Royal Eastern American Colonies and the inordinate conferring of special favours and privileges on the merciless Indian savages and the former Negro slaves, in the year TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHT, written by Robert Honeywell and directed by Moira Stone, at the Brick in Brooklyn, New York from October 23 through November 22, 2008.

Hello, white people. It's just awful being under the thumb of the British. Ever since they slaughtered General Washington at the Battle of Brooklyn, handed our Southern plantations over to the slaves and restricted our settlements to the lands east of the Appalachians, we've had little to celebrate. But Lord Oxford feels your pain. Come to a live taping of Lord Oxford's Hour! where his faithful orphan sidekick Patty O'Pattycake and a merry band of Colonial actors will take your mind off the sorry state of the world through songs, skits and tableaux. Don't worry! Chin up! The Declaration of Independence will live again!

In a musical that's Democracy in America meets Alice in Wonderland meets Cabaret, Robert Honeywell brings back many of his actor/collaborators from Every Play Ever Written ("Gleefully funny … a must-see for anyone who has been onstage" – New York Times) and Greed: A Musical Love $tory ("One of the best new musicals in town" – nytheatre.com) in this bouffon-inspired, satire-laced political fantasia. Developed with acclaimed clown teacher Sue Morrison. Orchestrations and additional music by Matt Van Brink played live by an onstage band.

The cast features: Gyda Arber, Lynn Berg, Audrey Crabtree, Rasheed Hinds, Robert Honeywell, Iracel Rivero and Alyssa Simon. The design team includes: Robert Eggers (set), Fab Shim (costumes), Mick O'Brien (sound) and Bessie Award- winner Joe Levasseur (lighting).

Robert Honeywell (WRITER, COMPOSER & LORD OXFORD): Writing & composing credits include "Every Play Ever Written" ("gleefully funny … a must-see for anyone who has been onstage – New York Times) at the Pretentious Festival; "Greed: a Musical Love $tory" at the $ellout Festival ("one of the best new musicals in town" – nytheatre.com); "Ich Liebe Jesus!" at the Baby Jesus One-Act Jubilee; "Françoise changes her mind" at the Moral Values Festival; "Jenna is nuts" at The Brick; "World War III shall be a lovely daydream" at La Tea/CSV; and the libretto "Meetings" (Stefan Weisman, composer) for American Opera Projects. Acting credits include "Notes from Underground" (Underground Man) at The Brick & the NY Fringe Festival; "Every Play Ever Written" (Robert); "Mountain Hotel" (Pechar) in the Havel Festival; "Greed: a Musical Love $tory" (James Joyce); "Ich Liebe Jesus!" (Joseph) in the Baby Jesus One-Act Jubilee; "Memoirs of My Nervous Illness" at The Brick & 14th Street Y; the Faulkner adaptation "In a Strange Room" (Darl) at The Brick; "Martian Holiday" (Ray) in the Hell Festival; "Three Sisters" (Kulygin) in the Chekhov Now Festival; and "Richard III" (title role) at Nada. He is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of The Brick Theater.

Moira Stone (DIRECTOR) most recently directed in the 365Days/365Plays festival at The Public. This is her third collaboration with writer Robert Honeywell, having previously starred in "Greed: A Musical Love $tory" and performed and co-created "Every Play Ever Written," both at The Brick. Her other work includes over 40 off-off and indie theater productions in the last decade at HERE, Nada, The Brick, The Kraine and many other New York venues. Graduate of Indiana University. Proud member AEA.

Sue Morrison (DEVELOPMENT) has been teaching, directing and collaborating on Clown and Bouffon across the globe for more than 20 years. Her students are currently featured in Cirque du Soleil, Slava's Snow Show, Blue Man Group, Second City and on other international stages. Sue trained with Second City and Keith Johnstone and performed improvisation throughout Canada and later became a Second City main stage writer/performer. Sue has been Artistic Director of the Theatre Resouce Centre since 1993. She has taught at the dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre, and works regularly with the LUME company of Brazil. During the past 3 years, she has been a presenter at International Theatre Conferences in Brazil and Argentina. The Bravo Arts Channel aired "Burnt Tongue," directed and co-written by Morrison, and her work has been the focus of several international documentaries. Sue collaborated on "Absence of Magic," which was acclaimed by Time Out NY and the Village Voice. Other works in NYC include John Brown theatre's, "The Bastard American Show," and Eric Davis' "Red Bastard."

Matt Van Brink (ORCHESTRATIONS & ADDITIONAL MUSIC) is the composer and lyricist of several one-act musicals for children, including "A Single Winter's Day" and "The Animal Estates Home Buyer's Tour" (Concordia Conservatory). He has been an artist resident at the MacDowell Colony and was composer-in-residence for Collage New Music (Boston). His concert music and arrangements are published by Schott Music and Tenuto Press.

This show appears as part of The Brick's inaugural Mainstage Season. For the first time in its six-year history of providing audacious, high-quality theatrical experience to New York's most cutting-edge audiences, Williamsburg's Brick Theater is packaging six major productions under the umbrella of a single Mainstage Season. The Brick is also offering a variety of Season Ticket plans to ensure subscribers a first shot at its most exciting offerings to date.

The Brick Theater, Inc Mainstage Season: All works in the Mainstage Season will enjoy full performance runs, preceded by low-cost previews performances. In addition to the mainstage shows, Penny Dreadful, The Brick's ongoing monthly serial – now in its second season! – will air two performances per month of each new episode. The Brick will also host several workshop performances of new works, as part of its ongoing commitment to developing new theater in New York City (schedule to be announced).

The Brick and its non-profit company, The Brick Theater, Inc. were founded in September of 2002 by Robert Honeywell and Michael Gardner. Formerly an auto-body shop, a storage space and a yoga center, this brick-walled garage was completely refurbished into a state-of-the-art theater complex, with a large sprung floor and professional lighting and sound package.

The Brick has been home to numerous critically acclaimed original productions, including three years of the New York Clown Theatre Festival, Richard Foreman's Harry in Love, The Film Festival: A Theater Festival (featuring Death at Film Forum and The Stubborn Illusion of Time), Babylon Babylon, Notes From Underground, Bitch Macbeth, The Debate Society's A Thought About Raya, Secrets History Remembers, The Pretentious Festival (including Every Play Ever Written and Macbeth Without Words), The Present Perfect, Bouffon Glass Menajoree, Strom Thurmond Is Not a Racist/Cleansed, The Death of Griffin Hunter, the Havel Festival, Sexadelic Cemetery, Greed: A Musical Love $tory, The Kung Fu Importance of Being Earnest, The $ellout Festival, Adventures of Caveman Robot, Total Faith in Cosmic Love, The Baby Jesus One-Act Jubilee, Memoirs of My Nervous Illness, The Moral Values Festival (featuring Dear Dubya, World Gone Wrong, My Year of Porn), Tupperware Orgy, Bizarre Science Fantasy, Who is Wilford Brimley? The Musical, Jenna is nuts, Habitat, In a Strange Room (based on William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying), Fallout Follies, Assurbanipal Babilla's Assyrian Monkey Fantasy and stagings of Chekhov's Three Sisters, O'Neill's Beyond the Horizon, Maria Irene Fornes' Abingdon Square and the Brooklyn premiere of legendary Polish playwright Stanislaw Witkiewicz's The Pragmatists.

TICKET INFORMATION

Performances begin on Thursday, October 23 for a limited engagement through Saturday, November 22. The performance schedule is Thursday through Saturday at 8PM. Regular ticket price is $18 with $10 tickets available on Thursday, October 23. Performances are at The Brick, located at 575 Metropolitan Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (one block from the Lorimer stop of the L train / Metropolitan stop of the G train). For tickets and information call Theatermania at 212-352-3101 or visit www.theatermania.com. For more detailed directions & further information, see www.bricktheater.com.

Election Night Special! There is an added performance on Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM, followed by watching the election returns at The Brick. (And free beer!)

Tickets will be: $10 for previews, $18 for regular performances, and now three Season Ticket plans:

$45: The Threefer Pass: Admission to any three prime-time Mainstage shows ($3 off the regular ticket price)

$60: The Fiver Pass: Admission to all five of the prime-time Mainstage shows ($6 off the full ticket price)

$115: The Penny Saver Pass: Admission to all five Mainstage shows, all episodes of Penny Dreadful, and all workshop performances. ($115 - 13 performances for $9 each)

Theatre Rhinoceros and Grooviness Prodcution Presents 'His Heart Belongs to Me' - 10/23/2008

Theatre Rhinoceros and Grooviness Productions presents His Heart Belongs to Me, a new play by Jerry Metzker and directed by Maureen Studer.

"The unexpected death of his beloved partner sends a gay man's life on a tailspin that requires all of his inner reserves of strength to overcome," describe press notes of the show.

The cast includes Amanda Lee, Joan Saunders, Lauri Smith and Matt Weimer.

It plays at the Theatre Rhinoceros Studio, 2926 16th Street off Van Ness, San Francisco from October 23 through November 2. Thursday-Saturdays at 8 pm and Sunday November 2 at 3 pm

Tickets are $12 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office: 415-861-50

Village Theatre Holds Eighth Annual Youth Education Luncheon 10/23 - 10/23/2008

Village Theatre will hold its Eighth Annual Youth Education Luncheon, Thursday, October 23, 2008 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. The luncheon will support Village Theatre's youth education scholarships and free arts education programs. The program features emcee, Dave Ross of "The Dave Ross Show" on NewsTalk 97.3 KIRO as Master of Ceremonies.

This event helps Village Theatre fund their youth education programs, KIDSTAGE and Pied Piper that serve over 54,000 young people, families, and schools annually in a variety of ways. Scholarships for Village Theatre Youth Education Programs are provided to everyone who qualifies. Over 15% of Village Theatre's Youth Education participants receive scholarship tuitions and free tickets. Additionally, tickets and tuitions are subsidized for all students and youth to help keep all the programs affordable. Village Theatre is also able to use these funds to offer free in-school workshops that complement Washington State's Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs). These free art education programs are offered in over 30 districts throughout East King, North King, and Snohomish counties.

Village Theatre's Youth Education Programs help keep the arts a part of our local children's well-rounded education and life experience by providing classes, in-school outreach workshops, performance opportunities, and nationally and internationally acclaimed educational productions to over 54,000 local youth, families, and schools. The Annual Youth Education Luncheon is a critical fundraising event that allows Village Theatre to continue delivering quality, life-enriching educational programs for youth of all ages and their families.

A special thank you goes to Village Theatre's Eighth Annual Youth Education Luncheon Sponsors:

Underwriter: Detlef Schrempf Foundation
Producing Partners: Verizon Foundation
Directing Partners: Charles Schwab, Dr. Christian Manley, Eastside Pediatric Dental Group, Edward Jones Investments, Infospace, Prevail Credit Union, US Bank, and Craig and Joan Watjen.

There is no admission fee. Seating is reserved. For more information or to reserve your seat, please contact Jessica Wright, Special Events Coordinator at (425) 392-1942 x 151 or jwright@villagetheatre.org.

About Village Theatre Youth Education

KIDSTAGE is a performing arts training program in Issaquah and Everett for young people ages 3-20. KIDSTAGE offers classes, productions, and mentorships for young people that encourage teamwork and personal integrity, and foster self-esteem and an appreciation for live theatre. Fourteen percent of Village Theatre's KIDSTAGE participants receive scholarships.

The KIDSTAGE Mission:

To provide a personal development program for young people which uses theatre arts, to teach creativity and responsibility, to encourage teamwork and personal integrity and to foster self-esteem and appreciation for live theatre.

Pied Piper offers national touring educational performances to schools and families in Bellevue, Everett, Issaquah, and Mount Vernon. Each performance and in-school workshop complements and supports Washington State's grade specific Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs). The arts have the power to bring educational objectives alive in ways that make them at once exciting and unforgettable, enabling the subject matter to resonate in ways not possible on page or even in the classroom. Thanks to generous support, performances are affordable and accessible to all members of the community and allow thousands of children to experience an in-school workshop.

About Village Theatre

Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with over 18,000 subscribers and 170,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 80 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 54,000 young people, families, and schools annually.

Village Theatre season sponsors are The Boeing Company, Continental Airlines, Microsoft, and Lombardi's.

Village Theatre is also funded in part by 4Culture, ABODA, ArtsFund, ArtsUnited, Cascade Bank, City of Everett, City of Issaquah /Issaquah Arts Commission, Encore Arts Program, Frontier Bank, Journal Newspapers, National Endowment for the Arts, Overlake Hospital and Medical Center, PONCHO, Port Blakely Communities/Issaquah Highlands, Standing Ovation, and Washington State Arts Commission. Village Theatre is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and Theatre Puget Sound.

CPS Shakespeare! Workshop and Performance - 10/24/2008

CPS Shakespeare!, one of CST's landmark arts-in-education programs, takes to the stage of the Courtyard Theater with two public performances�the capstone of an intensive four week workshop, creating an ensemble of students and their teachers from each of Chicago Public Schools' five designated geographic districts. This 60-minute adaptation of one of William Shakespeare's classic plays is directed by Kirsten Kelly.

October 24 � 25, 2008, Courtyard Theater.

International Conference "Performing Arts Training Today" - 10/24/2008

International Conference "Performing Arts Training Today"

October 24 - 27, 2008 Bovec, Slovenia - in the heart of Julian Alps

The conference is open to professional performers, performing arts educators and teachers from all over the world interested in the research of topical questions and processes in contemporary performing arts education and training. The main tasks of the conference are to demonstrate various methods and techniques in contemporary performing arts education and training, to open discussions about successful and effective strategies, to establish new contacts, to exchange experiences with colleagues from different countries and to lay the foundation for future networking and collaboration.

The Conference is a wonderful opportunity for performers, performing arts educators and teachers to demonstrate their methods and techniques.

PRESENTATION FORMATS: � workshop/master class � work in progress � performance fragment (not requiring any special technical conditions) � reading/lecture � any other way of demonstration to the presenter's discretion

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & REGISTRATION: http://www.iugte.com/projects/conf.reg.php

ACCOMODATION & VENUE (Bovec mountain resort): http://www.iugte.com/projects/Bovec.venue.php

CONFERENCE INFO: http://www.iugte.com/projects/Conference.php

If you are unable to attend the conference there is opportunity to send your promotional materials: booklets or flyers about your company, announcements of workshops, courses, performances and other events. All materials will be displayed at the main information stand and will be available to the delegates during the entire period of the conference.

Brian Friel's MOLLY SWEENEY to Open at 6th Street Playhouse 10/24 - 10/24/2008

Brian Friel's MOLLY SWEENEY will be presented by the 6th Street Playhouse.

Three character's views and stories interweave on stage, threading in and around each other's lives with an unexpected and touching conclusion.

Molly, blind since early infancy, describes her world before and after an operation to restore some of her sight. Her husband, Frank, who has encouraged Molly's operation, relates his view of his wife's journey into sight and his dealings with her doctor. A once-famous eye surgeon, Dr. Rice, reveals his opinion of Molly and her husband and his own fears in performing the operation.

The production is directed by Bronwen Shears and features mollie boice of Sebastopol as Molly Sweeney, Keith Baker of Sebastopol as Frank and Dodds Delzell of Rohnert Park as Dr. Rice.

The production will run from Oct. 24 to Nov. 16, 2008 at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays 6th Street Playhouse Studio Theatre at 52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa.

Tickets are $15 to $20. General $20; Senior (62+) $15; Youth (13 to 21) $15

Tickets can be ordered by phone at 707-523-4185 or online at www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Kristin Chenoweth to Release New 'Lovely' Christmas Album 10/24 - 10/24/2008

On October 14, 2008 Sony BMG Masterworks will release KRISTIN CHENOWETH’s new Christmas CD A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS. For her third album, Chenoweth covers a wide range of Christmas songs from “Christmas Island,” popularized by The Andrews Sisters to Kristin’s personal favorite “Come On Ring Those Bells.”Recorded at Capitol Recording Studio’s legendary Studios A & B where Sinatra, Judy Garland and Nat King Cole all etched their Christmas standards, A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas is an eclectic combination of full orchestral arrangements, along with big band, a bit of tropical island flavor, pop and country.

In addition to well-known Christmas classics such as “Silver Bells” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” Chenoweth reinterprets Louis Armstrong’s modern standard “What A Wonderful World” and children’s favorite “Sing,” (originally written for Sesame Street’s loveable Big Bird) into a Christmas songs with the help of acclaimed producer Robbie Buchanan (Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow) and Executive Producer Jay Landers (Streisand, Midler, Manilow, Celine Dion and Josh Groban).

The album also features new compositions of “Home On Christmas Day,” co-written by Grammy Award winning producer Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey, Celine Dion) and Jay Landers and “Born On Christmas Day,” with lyrics by Grammy winning pop/soul singing legend Peabo Bryson.

On choosing to record a Christmas album Chenoweth says, “From the minute I signed with Sony Classical eight years ago, I wanted to record a Christmas album. I grew up listening to Barbra Streisand’s Christmas album, and that was such an inspiration to me. Christmas is my favorite holiday and I am blessed and excited to be able to do my own Christmas album.”

This fall Kristin will be featured in a new comedy Four Christmases directed by Seth Gordon and starring alongside Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. She also continues her role in ABC’s Pushing Daisies for which she was recently nominated for an Emmy. Kristin can also be heard as the voice of the fairy, Rosetta, in Walt Disney Picture’s Tinkerbell this fall and she just wrapped filming the independent film, Into Temptation, directed by Sundance filmmaker Patrick Coyle opposite Jeremy Sisto.

Track Listing:

1 I’ll Be Home For Christmas

2 Christmas Island

3 The Christmas Waltz

4 Do You Hear What I Hear?

5 Marshmallow Ride / Sleigh Ride

6 Sing

7 Silver Bells

8 Come On Ring Those Bells

9 What Child Is This?

10 Home On Christmas Day

11 Born On Christmas Day

12 Sleep Well Little Children / What A Wonderful World SOURCE Sony BMG Masterworks

Playhouse on the Green Presents 'Rocky Horror' 10/24-11/8 - 10/24/2008

Playhouse on the Green, a 54-year-old not-for-profit theater company in residence at a beautiful 228-seat jewel-box theater in the heart of downtown Bridgeport, CT, continues its 2008-2009 season of plays and musicals with Richard O'Brien's outrageous musical comedy The Rocky Horror Show, which runs for 10 performances only from October 24-November 8, 2008.

Since this sexy parody of horror and science fiction films premiered onstage in London in 1973, The Rocky Horror Show has become a rock 'n' roll musical phenomenon around the world, and now it is poised to take Bridgeport by storm! Featuring a Transylvanian transvestite, a cryogenically preserved motorbiker, and an untraditional version of Frankenstein's monster, Rocky Horror is perfect Halloween-time fun, whether you grew up doing "The Time Warp" or you've never experienced this classic kitsch. One special midnight performance takes place each week (see full performance schedule below).

Matt Schicker is Producer. The Rocky Horror Show is directed and choreographed by Steven Smeltzer (Barnum - The Musical). Timothy Heavner is musical director and Jim DeVivo is leader of Bridgeport-area band Greasewheazer. The cast of 14 includes: Jessica Ferraday of Milford; Jackson Gerber; Tracy James of Sandy Hook; Renee Kaminsky of Wilton; John Lahey of Bridgeport; Gina Lariccia-Garcia of Stratford; Jim Nassef of Fairfield; Cheryl Papsidera; Shannon-Courtney Porper of Ridgefield; Nigel Rees of Milford; Brian Riley of Bridgeport; Corey Scheys; Kevin Thompson of Stamford; and Jimi Winter of Bridgeport.

Natalie Inzero is Associate Producer; Brandy Devoid is Set Designer; Michael Jarett is Lighting Designer; Meredith Neal is Costume Designer; Jim DeVivo is Sound Designer; Patti Rice is Production Stage Manager; Martha Kemp is Wardrobe Assistant; Sasha Mastro is Technical Director; Donald Rowe is Light Board Operator. Marketing by graygraham.

Adult single tickets are $32. Senior Citizens tickets (65 and older) are $29. Student tickets (21 years and younger) are $18.

Tickets can be purchased 24/7 on-line at www.playhouseonthegreen.org or by calling TheaterMania at (866) 811-4111 (phone hours 9-9 weekdays, 10-6 weekends).

Playhouse on the Green is located at 177 State Street between Main Street and Markle Court in downtown Bridgeport. Free, secure parking one block from the theater is available. For more information visit www.playhouseonthegreen.org or call 203-333-3666.

The 2008-2009 season continues with: The Santaland Diaries and Season's Greetings by David Sedaris, which runs performances December 5-21, 2008; Twelve Angry Jurors by Reginald Rose, which runs February 6-22, 2009; the Connecticut Premiere of Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams by Terrence McNally, which runs March 13-29, 2009; and The Wiz by Charlie Smalls and William F. Brown, which runs April 24-May 10, 2009. Complete schedule of all performances, exact dates and times, can be viewed at www.playhouseonthegreen.org.

The Rocky Horror Show Performance Schedule

Friday 10/24 at 8PM
Sat 10/25 at 8PM *and* 12midnight
Thurs 10/30 at 8PM
Fri 10/31 at 8PM *and* 12midnight
Sat 11/1 at 8PM
Fri 11/7 at 8PM *and* 12midnight
Sat 11/8 at 8PM

Kerry Butler to Host 'Moon over Morocco' Benefit at La Jolla 10/24 - 10/24/2008

On Friday, October 24, 2008 La Jolla Playhouse hosts Moon over Morocco, a gala benefit featuring the Tony-nominated star of Xanadu on Broadway, Kerry Butler. The annual gala will take place in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse.

Proceeds will directly benefit La Jolla Playhouse New Play Development and Educational & Outreach Programs. This will ensure that the Playhouse continues to bring adventurous work to San Diego and the national theatre scene.

Experience intrigue amid Moroccan scents, pillows, garb, henna art, belly dancers and gourmet morsels by Wolfgang Puck Catering. The evening begins at 7pm with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception. At 8pm dinner is served with exquisite wines. The live auction starts at 9pm. At 9:30pm, Broadway’s Xanadu goddess Kerry Butler, who The New York Times says “sings gloriously” performs. Continuing the exotic flair, the “Bazaar” dessert and dance party featuring Las Vegas band, Zowie Bowie will take place from 10pm to 12:30am.

“I am absolutely delighted to have Kerry Butler performing here at La Jolla Playhouse – the next home of Xanadu,” says Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. “Not only is she a great friend, Kerry is also an electrifying, hilarious and enchanting performer.”

This year’s Gala is chaired by: Debby Jacobs, Sheri Jamieson, and JeAnne Jones. All of whom are generous supporters who decided to join forces this year to host Moon over Morocco. Gala individual ticket prices range from $75 to $2,500. Dinner tables are available from $3,000 to $25,000. The dress is cocktail or Moroccan-themed attire.

“What could be more exciting than an evening in Morocco with all of the fabulous colors and textures, the sights, sounds, intrigue and glamour of this mysterious country,” says gala chair JeAnne Jones, “and it is all coming to you on Friday, October 24th at the La Jolla Playhouse Gala!”

For additional information or to purchase tickets: please call 858-550-1020 x154 or go online to www.lajollaplayhouse.cmarket.com.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. The Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is considered one of the most well respected not-for-profit theatres in the country. Numerous Playhouse productions have moved to Broadway, including The Farnsworth Invention, Big River, The Who’s Tommy, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Dracula, Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer-Prize winning I Am My Own Wife, and the currently running Jersey Boys.

Kerry Butler (Clio/Kira in Xanadu on Broadway) starred as Audrey in Broadway’s LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS where she was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award. She originated the role of Penny Pingleton in HAIRSPRAY, earning the Clarence Derwent Award as well as Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. She also originated the roles of Shelley in BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL, Maddy in PRODIGAL, Isabelle in MIRACLE BROTHERS at the Vineyard Theater, and DeeDee in the musical version of THE OPPOSITE OF SEX. Kerry has enjoyed other long runs on Broadway as Belle in BEAUTY IN THE BEAST (DORA nomination), Eponine in LES MISERABLES and Ms. Jones in BLOOD BROTHERS. Other New York roles include Barrow in THE “I” WORD at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Claudia in THE FOLSOM HEAD at the Currican Theatre, and the workshops of THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT, PANDORA’S BOX, L’AMORE and BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY. On television Kerry played the lead role in a Fox television pilot. She has also appeared in a CBS television movie with Roma Downey entitled SECOND HONEYMOON. Kerry has had featured roles on several other television shows including ANOTHER WORLD, SESAME STREET, HOMETOWN, and most recently Claudia Reston on ONE LIFE TO LIVE. Kerry’s film credits include Lion’s Gate independent film, BOROUGH OF KINGS and a horror film entitled CAMPFIRE STORIES.

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

Elaine Paige to Perform at Palm Springs Art Museum 10/24 - 10/24/2008

Elaine Paige, world renowned musical theater legend, will be the opening act for the Annenberg Theater's 2008-2009 season on Friday, October 24 at 6 p.m. and the concert will feature a full orchestra on the stage of the Annenberg Theater at the Palm Springs Art Museum. This annual "Opening Night" fundraising event is presented by the Annenberg Theater Council (ATC) of the Palm Springs Art Museum and the presenting sponsor is Wells Fargo. Tickets for this special fundraising event are $375 and can be purchased through the Annenberg Theater Box office at 760.322.3246 or at psmuseum.org. A cocktail reception honoring Ms. Paige will follow immediately after the concert in the museum's lobby.

As an actress, recording artist and producer, Elaine Paige has made a major contribution to the musical theater scene and is often called "The First Lady of British Musical Theatre". Some of her signature roles include "Eva Peron" in the original London production of Evita, "Grizabella" in the original London production of Cats (she was the first actress to perform the classic song "Memory") and "Norma Desmond" in her Broadway debut of Sunset Boulevard.

Previous Opening Night performers have included Brian Wilson (2007), k.d. lang (2006), Renee Olstead (2005), Lilly Tomlin (2004) and Joan Rivers (2003). This marks the first time Ms. Paige will have performed at the Annenberg Theater.

Proceeds raised from Opening Night will benefit the Annenberg Theater Council, a membership council of the Palm Springs Art Museum that is dedicated to supporting and promoting the performing arts programs and performance schedule at the Annenberg Theater. The ATC is chaired by Tim Hanlon, President of the Wells Fargo Foundation.

Tickets: $295 for Annenberg Theater Council members; $375 for general public; Ticket price includes entry into post-concert party $95 show-only (does not include entry into the party) tickets are now available on a first-come first-served basis

To order tickets, call the Box Office at 760.325.4490.

FUERZA BRUTA Celebrates 1-Year Anniversary 10/24 - 10/24/2008

Fuerza Bruta (“Brute Force”), the new sensation from the creators of the international hit De La Guarda, soars as it celebrates its one-year anniversary on Friday, October 24. Fuerza Bruta pushes the boundaries of theatre in an open- ended run at the Daryl Roth Theatre, previews began October 11, 2007.

The New York Daily News hails Fuerza Bruta “a sexy, heart-pounding fantasy,” saying “Not many shows can boast that they deliver something you’ve never seen before. This one does,” while the New York Post describes it, “A dazzling blend of erotic, hypnotic, aquatic.” Variety remarks, “Highly theatrical, ferociously stimulating. An evening of jaw-dropping sensation. Fuerza Bruta with its magical effects, makes for an eye-popping adventure,” and The Star Ledger notes “Unexpected magnificence. Sensual, unearthly, nearly hallucinatory. Wear comfortable clothes and be in the mood for an unusually beguiliing time.”

Beyond the confines of spoken language, Fuerza Bruta floods the senses in an environment of breathtaking visuals and dynamic music. Performers run through moving walls, race across a whirling sail overhead and frolic in a watery world suspended just above the audience. The non-stop action and kinetic aerial imagery is set to a captivating soundtrack of percussive beats, engaging melodies and ambient music.

Diqui James (De La Guarda Co-founder/Co-creator) and Gaby Kerpel (De La Guarda Composer/Musical Director) have embarked on a project forming a new company that continues to push the boundaries of theatrical creativity, motivation and innovation. Together with Alejandro Garcia (De La Guarda Technical Director) and Fabio Daquila (De La Guarda Production Supervisior), they created this all new production, which springs from the core of De La Guarda and evolves into a new independent form – devoted to reinventing, transforming, and creating an experience that is unique and unrepeatable.

Fuerza Bruta premiered in Buenos Aires in 2005 and has been seen in Lisbon (2006), London (2006), Buenos Aires (2006), Bogota (2007) and at the 2007 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it earned critical praise and was honored with the prestigious Bank of Scotland Herald Angel award for “the biggest and best show on the Fringe – the must see event of 2007” (The Herald). Additionally, Fuerza Bruta played Berlin and Hamburg in Fall 2007. This show’s predecessor De La Guarda played New York in a smash 6-year Off-Broadway run as the inaugural production at the Daryl Roth Theatre, and also had productions in London, Las Vegas, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Seoul, Tel-Aviv, Amersterdam, Berlin, Tokyo, and other cities.

Fuerza Bruta in New York features performers Hallie Bulleit, Freddy Bosche, Daniel Case, John Hartzell, Joshua Kobak, Gwyneth Larsen, Tamara Levinson, Rose Mallare, Brooke Miyasaki, Jon Morris, Jason Novak, Marilyn Ortiz, Kepani Salgado-Ramos, and is presented by Live Nation Artists Events Group, Ozono Productions and David Binder Productions.

Fuerza Bruta launched its hot, wet and wild Boys Night performances on Friday, May 16. Originally slated to play once a month, Boys Night has been extended and expanded due to popular demand to play the first and third Friday of each month. Boys Night features remixed scenes and choreography – putting the men of Fuerza Bruta in the pool and at the fore. The show is also set to launch the celebrated weekly nightlife event DJ CONNECTION, which was a major hit at De La Guarda, on Thursday, October 23. DJ CONNECTION performances feature a live DJ woven into the action and an extended performance and dance party for the audience. DJ CONNECTION shows are slated to run every Thursday at 8:00 PM.

Fuerza Bruta plays at the Daryl Roth Theatre (20 Union Square East at 15th Street) as follows: Tuesday through Thursday @ 8:00 PM, Friday @ 8:00 & 10:30 PM, Saturday @ 7:00 & 10:00 PM, and Sunday @ 7:00 PM. Tickets are $75.00 and may be purchased online at www.telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200, or at the box office of the Daryl Roth Theatre. Group tickets maybe be purchased by calling 1- 800-BROADWAY. For all performances, a limited quantity of $25.00 rush tickets will be made available at the box office 2 hours before show time (CASH ONLY).
For more information, please visit www.fuerzabrutanyc.com.

Bryan Batt to Talk with US Weekly Editor at Out Professionals Event - 10/24/2008

Bryan Batt, currently starring on the Emmy Award-winning Mad Men will be appearing on October 24, 2008 at an Out Professionals event.

The event's web site promises that "You'll get up close and personal with this acclaimed actor, designer, fundraiser, and civic activist as he chats candidly with Bradley Jacobs, senior editor of Us Weekly -- and answers your questions."

On Mad Men, Batt plays Salvatore Romano, a closeted, Italian-American art director among the macho and WASP-y advertising men.

Batt made his Broadway debut in "Starlight Express," a 1988 musical in which he performed cartwheels on roller skates. He made his mark as Darius, the spectacularly dumb chorus boy in "Jeffrey," Paul Rudnick's groundbreaking stage and film comedy, and in a dozen other Broadway and off-Broadway offerings, including "La Cage aux Folles," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Saturday Night Fever."

Batt and his partner of 19 years, Tom Cianfichi, operate Hazelnut, a fine gift and home furnishings shop in New Orleans (www.hazelnutneworleans.com) Local charities benefit from a percentage of the sales of Bryan's signature "New Orleans Toile" and "Pontchartrain Beach" designs, In the wake of Katrina Bryan created an event, "Magazine Street Retail Relief" to promote local businesses and charities. The 4th Annual edition takes place on November 1 (www.magazinestreetretailrelief.com). While in evacuation he also initiated a web site (www.helpthecityofneworleans.com) to promote commerce and rebuilding.

At Us Weekly, Bradley Jacobs edits all movie-related stories and reviews as well as the breaking news-packed "Hot Stuff" section, one of the last departments to go to bed during the magazine's hectic Monday night closes. Jacobs regularly hosts lunch-time Q&A's at Us with visiting talent. This year his interviewees have included Denise Richards, The New Kids on the Block, Kathy Griffin, Tim Gunn and Pamela Anderson. Bradley covered entertainment for Newsweek and Newsweek.com before joining Us in 2003. He appears regularly on TV to discuss showbiz and celebrity news.

Location: LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th St.

Networking and Socializing: 6pm with beverage bargains. Program, followed by audience Q&A at 7pm.

Cost: Nonmembers $10; OP Members $5.

Click here for more information.

Photo: Bryan Batt by Walter McBride

Five Fingers of Funk Debuts at CTC in MN 10/24 - 10/24/2008

Classic 70s funk infuses pioneering hip hop theater artist Will Power’s fierce new coming-of-age tale, debuting October 24 at The Children’s Theatre Company (CTC). FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK, created by Power in collaboration with composer Justin Ellington and director Derrick Sanders, runs through November 16 on the Cargill Stage as the first show in the ctc4teens season.

In bringing FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK to the stage, CTC Artistic Director Peter Brosius says, “Like the recent Passing Strange and Spring Awakening, this show is completely new, completely unique. When we opened our Cargill Theatre with Flow and experienced the intensity, power and creativity of Will Power, I knew that I wanted him to create something new for CTC. He is a rare and unique artist, generous of spirit, prodigious in his talent, and vital in his theatricality.”

Will Power, the creator of Flow, the solo tour-de-force seen world-wide, is widely regarded as one of the leaders in hip hop theater. Says Power, “Funk was the soundtrack of my childhood. As I grew into a man and turned to hip hop as my main form of creative expression, I borrowed from the funk. It’s the foundation for what I do today. I wanted to create a piece rooted in my coming-of-age experiences but one that is relevant to today’s audiences and to the Twin Cities. As the home turf of Prince and The Time, Minneapolis was one of the epicenters of funk.”

It’s the 1970s and the mystical guru of all things groovy—the soulful Dr. Funk—opens the show with an introduction to the members of the newly formed band, “The Five Fingers of Funk.” The band has big dreams and one goal: to win the contest at Dee Dee’s Nightclub. When struggles with parents, bosses, the neighborhood drug dealer and their own inner demons test the group, the music’s the thing that holds them together. Humor, talent and dedication to the funkalicious fingerings of classic 70s funk music drive this new musical, recipient of a prestigious Joyce Award.

Power is co-composing the music for the show with Justin Ellington, whose work as a composer/sound designer with Alliance Theatre of Atlanta helped earn the company the 2007 Tony Award for Best Regional Theater. Director Derrick Sanders is the founding artistic director of Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago and was the director of the Lortel and Audelco-nominated King Hedley Off-Broadway for Signature Theatre.

“The idea of exploring the fabric of teenage American life through funk music intrigues me immensely,” says Sanders. “I think there could be no better reflection on the climate today than using the passion of the funk to explore the heights of possiblity and the depths of corruption that existed in the 70s and still echo today.”

FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK features a cast of eight actors who also serve as the show’s on-stage musicians: Keith Hale as Big Ced, Jahi Kearse as Poppo, Traci Allen as Ruby, Namir Smallwood as DP, Matthew Rein as Falcon, Edwin Lee Gibson in several roles including Dr. Funk, Greta Oglesby as Big Ced’s Momma and Dee Dee, and Steve Sweere also in several roles including Falcon’s Pa.

FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK opens Friday, October 24 (previews begin Tuesday, October 21), and plays through Sunday, November 16. The show is most enjoyed by ages 13 and older. Tickets range from $20–$35 for adults and $14–$29 for children (17 & under), students and seniors. Tickets are on sale at (612) 874-0400 or www.childrenstheatre.org.

The Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the first theatre for young people to win the coveted Tony® Award for Outstanding Regional Theater (2003). Founded in 1965, CTC serves over 300,000 people annually and is one of the 20 largest theater companies in the nation. The company is noted for defining worldwide standards for youth theatre with an innovative mix of classic tales, celebrated international productions and challenging new work.

Tickets: (612) 874-0400 or www.childrenstheatre.org

The Children’s Theatre Company FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK

Performance Schedule

Tue Oct 21       7:30pm PREVIEW
Wed Oct 22     7:30pm PREVIEW
Thu Oct 23       7:30pm PREVIEW
Fri Oct 24        8:00pm OPENING
Sat Oct 25       4:00 & 8:00pm
Sun Oct 26       1:00 & 4:00pm
Thu Oct 30       7:3opm
Fri Oct 31        8:00pm
Sat Nov 1        4:00 & 8:00pm
Sun Nov 2        1:00 & 4:00pm
Thu Nov 6        7:30pm
Fri Nov 7         8:00pm
Sat Nov 8        4:00 & 8:00pm
Sun Nov 9        1:00 & 4:00pm
Thu Nov 13      7:3opm
Fri Nov 14       8:00pm
Sat Nov 15      4:00 & 8:00pm
Sun Nov 16      1:00 & 4:00pm

FIVE FINGERS OF FUNK CREATORS

Will Power (Playwright, Composer) is an award-winning actor, rapper, playwright, and educator. His adaptation of the Greek tragedy Seven Against Thebes, retitled The Seven, enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway run at the New York Theater Workshop in 2006 and The La Jolla Playhouse in 2008. His solo show Flow was featured in the Hip Hop Theater Festival before touring nationally and internationally to critical acclaim. Power’s numerous awards include a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, the TCG Peter Zeisler Memorial Award, a Jury Award for Best Theatre Performance at the HBO US Comedy Arts Festival, a Drama Desk Award nomination, and the Trailblazer Award from The National Black Theater Network. Power’s numerous film and television appearances include The Steven Colbert Report (Comedy Central), and Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason (PBS).

Justin Ellington’s (Composer, Orchestrations, Music Director) music for the Alliance Theatre’s Topdog/Underdog, King Hedley II, Shakespeare’s R&J, Ferdinand and the Bull, and Androcles the Lion were part of the body of work that led to the Atlanta-based company’s 2007 Tony Award for Best Regional Theater. Additional Atlanta credits include shows for Push Push Theatre); Sisters (Jomandi); Psalm 13 (7 Stages Theatre); A Negro Dance Lesson (Horizons Theatre, Clark Atlanta University, 7 Stages, Georgia State University, and Total Dance. His regional credits include shows for La Jolla Playhouse, Goodman Theatre/Congo Square, Made n Da Shade/Cosmic Theatre Amsterdam, New York Theatre Workshop, and St. Louis Black Repertory. Upcoming projects include A Twelfth Night (Bristol Riverside Theatre) and Class of 3000 (Alliance Theatre). Ellington is a member of Multi-Platinum production company Bangladesh, responsible for hit records of Ludacris, Kelis, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes, and others.

Derrick Sanders (Director) is the Founding Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre Company. His most recent credits include August Wilson’s 20th Century Cycle at the Kennedy Center, Joe Turner’s Come And Gone at Center Stage, Elmina’s Kitchen and Stick Fly with True Colors Theatre in Atlanta, and his Off-Broadway debut with King Hedley II for Signature Theatre (which he received two Lucille Lortel and Audelco nominations). He received three JEFF nominations for Joe Turner’s Come And Gone, directed the world premiere of the Jeff-nominated Deep Azure, as well as Seven Guitars, for which he received a BTAA and JEFF Award for Best Director and Black Excellence Award for Best Producer. He was part of August Wilson’s world premiere productions of Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean on Broadway and at the Huntington Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and The Goodman. He was named 2005 Chicago Tribunes’ Chicagoan of the Year in Theater.

Wesst Coast Premiere of Twyla Tharp and Elvis Costello's 'Ni - 10/24/2008

The 2008-2009 season of dance at the Music Center at the Performing Arts Center for Los Angeles County opens with the return of Miami City Ballet led by Artistic Director Edward Villella, performing the much anticipated West Coast premiere of NIGHTSPOT, a Twyla Tharp and Elvis Costello collaboration, October 24-26 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Known for her innovation and creativity, Twyla Tharp has created some of the most memorable dances in modern repertory. Elvis Costello, whose adventurous musical talents make him one of the most revered artists of or time, provides an original musical composition intertwined with various motifs and quotations from existing songs. NIGHTSPOT features costumes designed by famed fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. Also on this program are Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy and George Balanchine's Tarantella and Symphony in Three Movements.

Although MCB is not releasing details on what NIGHTSPOT exactly means, both Tharp and Costello collaborated on the name and it reflects thematic elements found within the dance and within the music for the piece.

"I am always very divulging about what the ballets we perform mean," said Edward Villella, Founding Artistic Director of MCB. "But, this time, I think it would be nice for people to come see this new work with no preconceived notions. A little mystery can be fun, and with such great collaborators as Tharp and Costello, I think audiences are going to be thoroughly entertained," he added.

NIGHTSPOT is Miami City Ballet's first major commission and involves two of the most celebrated and sought-after artists of our time. Twyla Tharp has created some of the most memorable and innovative dances in the modern repertory, including Nine Sinatra Songs, Deuce Coupe, Push Comes to Shove, and In The Upper Room. She has also worked extensively on Broadway and in Hollywood, choreographing and directing the Tony Award-winning dance musical Movin' Out, set to the music of Billy Joel, and creating the choreography for the movies Hair and Amadeus, among others. This commission is Tharp's first major work for a ballet company in five years.

For it, she has joined forces with Elvis Costello who is providing an original musical composition. Costello's musical curiosity is expansive: besides rock and roll, it ranges from classical to jazz to country. His musical interests have led him into acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, The Brodsky Quartet, Paul McCartney, mezzo-soprano Sofie von Otter, and Allen Toussaint, among others.

Tharp created her ballet on 18 MCB dancers, and Costello's composition, which features new music intertwined with various motifs and quotations from existing songs, is written for a nine-piece onstage dance band and a thirty-two piece orchestra in the pit.

Isaac Mizrahi, one of the world's most famous fashion designers, created the costumes. Mizrahi has created costumes for theatre, dance, and opera. His most recent collaborations include Mark Morris' production of Orfeo ed Euridice at The Metropolitan Opera, as well as Scott Elliott's productions of Barefoot in the Park and The Threepenny Opera on Broadway. He received the 2002 Drama Desk Award for his costume design in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of The Women.

Mizrahi, who opened his first clothing business in 1987, is currently known for his women's and home line for Target stores. He also designs for Liz Claiborne and a couture line for Bergdorf Goodman. Mizrahi has received four awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, including two Designer of the Year awards. He hosted "The Isaac Mizrahi Show" on the Oxygen Network, and he can currently be seen on "ISAAC," which airs on the Style Network.

"We are so excited that Isaac agreed to create the costumes for this fantastic new work. Our dancers are thrilled to be working with three such wonderfully established artists – Twyla Tharp in the field of modern dance, Elvis Costello in music, and Isaac Mizrahi in fashion," said Edward Villella, Founding Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet.

NIGHTSPOT was made possible by a major grant from the Annenberg Foundation.

Also on this program are Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy and George Balanchine's Tarantella and Symphony in Three Movements. Wheeldon's Liturgy is a haunting pas de deux danced to music by contemporary composer Arvo Pärt. Tarantella, set to music by Gottschalk, is Balanchine's dynamic homage to Italian folk dancing. Symphony in Three Movements is Balanchine's 1972 masterpiece; a bold antiwar statement matched to what Stravinsky called his "war symphony."

A pre-performance talk by Edward Villella and/or his artistic staff will be conducted, free to the ticketed audience one hour prior to curtain.

About Miami City Ballet

Miami City Ballet is among the largest ballet companies in the United States, with more than 55 dancers - and has four home counties in South Florida: Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, and Collier on Florida's west coast, where MCB is the resident company at the Naples Philharmonic Center.

In addition to its Repertory Series, MCB performs "George Balanchine's The NutcrackerTM" annually in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Miami City Ballet's inaugural performance was on October 17, 1986, at Miami's Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.

Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella was the first American-born male star of the New York City Ballet (1957-1975); his career established the male's role in classical dance in the United States. Mr. Villella's vision and style for the Company is based on the techniques established by choreographer George Balanchine. In 1997, Mr. Villella received the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that can be bestowed upon an artist by the United States, the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Clinton. Also in 1997, he was named a Kennedy Center Honoree and was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. In 2003 Miami City Ballet premiered Mr. Villella's four-act ballet, "The Neighborhood Ballroom."

The Company's repertoire includes 88 ballets, and 9 world premieres. It includes George Balanchine masterworks, most notably "Prodigal Son," "Apollo," "Agon," and the full-evening "Jewels," and works by contemporary choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Jerome Robbins, and Trey McIntyre. Ballets by Frederick Ashton, Petipa, Bournonville, Edward Villella, and others also highlight the repertoire. The Company repertoire also includes classical works such as "Giselle" and "Coppélia."

The dancers of Miami City Ballet are an international mix. The Company's 55 dancers have come to MCB from Boston Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Caracas, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet of Belgium, and from world-famous training facilities such as the School of American Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Schools of the Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, among others.

Miami City Ballet has toured all over the United States. National performances include The Kennedy Center, the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta, Wolf Trap Farm Park, Orange County (CA) Performing Arts Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Shubert Theater (CT), McCarter Theater (NJ), SUNY at Purchase, ArtPark, and the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. Internationally, MCB has performed in Europe, Great Britain, South America, Central America, and Israel, including the 1994 & 1995 Edinburgh International Festivals (Scotland), the 1990 Lyon Biennale Internationale de la Danse (France), the Festival Internacionel de Cultura Paiz (Guatemala), and a two-week engagement at the Torino Danza 2000 Festival (Italy).

MCB was the seventh & final major American dance company to receive a Kennedy Center Ballet Commission; choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett created "Mystery of the Dancing Princesses," which premiered at The Kennedy Center in April 1995. Miami City Ballet will make its Manhattan debut at New York City Center this season.

In January 2000, Miami City Ballet took occupancy of its own Miami Beach headquarters, the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, achieved through a Capital Campaign begun in 1997.

The 63,000 square foot facility houses eight rehearsal studios (two of which combine to create a 200-seat theater), increased school facilities, MCB's wardrobe department and costume shop, a fully equipped therapy room, and increased administrative space. The building was designed by the award-winning architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of ARQUITECTONICA.

The Miami City Ballet School, which opened in Miami Beach in January 1993, trains students for professional careers in ballet. The School has an enrollment of 350 students, and no child of talent is turned away for lack of funds. In June 1997, Miami City Ballet accepted the first School graduate for a professional position. The School launched the Miami City Ballet School Summer Program in July 2001.

Calendar Listing
Miami City Ballet

Venue: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Performance Schedule:

Friday, October 24 – 7:30pm
Saturday, October 25 – 7:30pm
Sunday, October 26 – 2:00pm

Tickets:   $30.00 - $120.00
In Person:   Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office 135 N Grand Ave. All Ticketmaster Outlets including Wherehouse Music, Tu Musica and Ritmo Latino
Online:   www.ticketmaster.com
Phone:   Ticketmaster Phone Charge (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878
Groups:   15 or more, call Connie Nelson at (310) 831-1022

For more information:
Online: http://www.musiccenter.org/
Phone - Music Center Dance information line (213) 972-0711

Tharp and Costello's 'Nightspot' Opens in LA - 10/24/2008

The 2008-2009 season of dance at the Music Center at the Performing Arts Center for Los Angeles County opens with the return of Miami City Ballet led by Artistic Director Edward Villella, performing the much anticipated West Coast premiere of NIGHTSPOT, a Twyla Tharp and Elvis Costello collaboration, October 24-26 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Known for her innovation and creativity, Twyla Tharp has created some of the most memorable dances in modern repertory. Elvis Costello, whose adventurous musical talents make him one of the most revered artists of or time, provides an original musical composition intertwined with various motifs and quotations from existing songs. NIGHTSPOT features costumes designed by famed fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi. Also on this program are Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy and George Balanchine's Tarantella and Symphony in Three Movements.

Although MCB is not releasing details on what NIGHTSPOT exactly means, both Tharp and Costello collaborated on the name and it reflects thematic elements found within the dance and within the music for the piece.

"I am always very divulging about what the ballets we perform mean," said Edward Villella, Founding Artistic Director of MCB. "But, this time, I think it would be nice for people to come see this new work with no preconceived notions. A little mystery can be fun, and with such great collaborators as Tharp and Costello, I think audiences are going to be thoroughly entertained," he added.

NIGHTSPOT is Miami City Ballet's first major commission and involves two of the most celebrated and sought-after artists of our time. Twyla Tharp has created some of the most memorable and innovative dances in the modern repertory, including Nine Sinatra Songs, Deuce Coupe, Push Comes to Shove, and In The Upper Room. She has also worked extensively on Broadway and in Hollywood, choreographing and directing the Tony Award-winning dance musical Movin' Out, set to the music of Billy Joel, and creating the choreography for the movies Hair and Amadeus, among others. This commission is Tharp's first major work for a ballet company in five years.

For it, she has joined forces with Elvis Costello who is providing an original musical composition. Costello's musical curiosity is expansive: besides rock and roll, it ranges from classical to jazz to country. His musical interests have led him into acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, The Brodsky Quartet, Paul McCartney, mezzo-soprano Sofie von Otter, and Allen Toussaint, among others.

Tharp created her ballet on 18 MCB dancers, and Costello's composition, which features new music intertwined with various motifs and quotations from existing songs, is written for a nine-piece onstage dance band and a thirty-two piece orchestra in the pit.

Isaac Mizrahi, one of the world's most famous fashion designers, created the costumes. Mizrahi has created costumes for theatre, dance, and opera. His most recent collaborations include Mark Morris' production of Orfeo ed Euridice at The Metropolitan Opera, as well as Scott Elliott's productions of Barefoot in the Park and The Threepenny Opera on Broadway. He received the 2002 Drama Desk Award for his costume design in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of The Women.

Mizrahi, who opened his first clothing business in 1987, is currently known for his women's and home line for Target Stores. He also designs for Liz Claiborne and a couture line for Bergdorf Goodman. Mizrahi has received four awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, including two Designer of the Year awards. He hosted "The Isaac Mizrahi Show" on the Oxygen Network, and he can currently be seen on "ISAAC," which airs on the Style Network.

"We are so excited that Isaac agreed to create the costumes for this fantastic new work. Our dancers are thrilled to be working with three such wonderfully established artists – Twyla Tharp in the field of modern dance, Elvis Costello in music, and Isaac Mizrahi in fashion," said Edward Villella, Founding Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet.

NIGHTSPOT was made possible by a major grant from the Annenberg Foundation.

Also on this program are Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy and George Balanchine's Tarantella and Symphony in Three Movements. Wheeldon's Liturgy is a haunting pas de deux danced to music by contemporary composer Arvo Pärt. Tarantella, set to music by Gottschalk, is Balanchine's dynamic homage to Italian folk dancing. Symphony in Three Movements is Balanchine's 1972 masterpiece; a bold antiwar statement matched to what Stravinsky called his "war symphony."

A pre-performance talk by Edward Villella and/or his artistic staff will be conducted, free to the ticketed audience one hour prior to curtain.

About Miami City Ballet

Miami City Ballet is among the largest ballet companies in the United States, with more than 55 dancers - and has four home counties in South Florida: Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, and Collier on Florida's west coast, where MCB is the resident company at the Naples Philharmonic Center.

In addition to its Repertory Series, MCB performs "George Balanchine's The NutcrackerTM" annually in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Miami City Ballet's inaugural performance was on October 17, 1986, at Miami's Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.

Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella was the first American-born male star of the New York City Ballet (1957-1975); his career established the male's role in classical dance in the United States. Mr. Villella's vision and style for the Company is based on the techniques established by choreographer George Balanchine. In 1997, Mr. Villella received the highest and most prestigious cultural honor that can be bestowed upon an artist by the United States, the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Clinton. Also in 1997, he was named a Kennedy Center Honoree and was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. In 2003 Miami City Ballet premiered Mr. Villella's four-act ballet, "The Neighborhood Ballroom."

The Company's repertoire includes 88 ballets, and 9 world premieres. It includes George Balanchine masterworks, most notably "Prodigal Son," "Apollo," "Agon," and the full-evening "Jewels," and works by contemporary choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Jerome Robbins, and Trey McIntyre. Ballets by Frederick Ashton, Petipa, Bournonville, Edward Villella, and others also highlight the repertoire. The Company repertoire also includes classical works such as "Giselle" and "Coppélia."

The dancers of Miami City Ballet are an international mix. The Company's 55 dancers have come to MCB from Boston Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Caracas, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Joffrey Ballet, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet of Belgium, and from world-famous training facilities such as the School of American Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Schools of the Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, among others.

Miami City Ballet has toured all over the United States. National performances include The Kennedy Center, the 1996 Olympic Arts Festival in Atlanta, Wolf Trap Farm Park, Orange County (CA) Performing Arts Center, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Shubert Theater (CT), McCarter Theater (NJ), SUNY at Purchase, ArtPark, and the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. Internationally, MCB has performed in Europe, Great Britain, South America, Central America, and Israel, including the 1994 & 1995 Edinburgh International Festivals (Scotland), the 1990 Lyon Biennale Internationale de la Danse (France), the Festival Internacionel de Cultura Paiz (Guatemala), and a two-week engagement at the Torino Danza 2000 Festival (Italy).

MCB was the seventh & final major American dance company to receive a Kennedy Center Ballet Commission; choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett created "Mystery of the Dancing Princesses," which premiered at The Kennedy Center in April 1995. Miami City Ballet will make its Manhattan debut at New York City Center this season.

In January 2000, Miami City Ballet took occupancy of its own Miami Beach headquarters, the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, achieved through a Capital Campaign begun in 1997.

The 63,000 square foot facility houses eight rehearsal studios (two of which combine to create a 200-seat theater), increased school facilities, MCB's wardrobe department and costume shop, a fully equipped therapy room, and increased administrative space. The building was designed by the award-winning architect Bernardo Fort-Brescia of ARQUITECTONICA.

The Miami City Ballet School, which opened in Miami Beach in January 1993, trains students for professional careers in ballet. The School has an enrollment of 350 students, and no child of talent is turned away for lack of funds. In June 1997, Miami City Ballet accepted the first School graduate for a professional position. The School launched the Miami City Ballet School Summer Program in July 2001.

Calendar Listing
Miami City Ballet

Venue: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

Performance Schedule:

Friday, October 24 – 7:30pm
Saturday, October 25 – 7:30pm
Sunday, October 26 – 2:00pm

Tickets:   $30.00 - $120.00
In Person:   Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office 135 N Grand Ave. All Ticketmaster Outlets including Wherehouse Music, Tu Musica and Ritmo Latino
Online:   www.ticketmaster.com
Phone:   Ticketmaster Phone Charge (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878
Groups:   15 or more, call Connie Nelson at (310) 831-1022

For more information:
Online: http://www.musiccenter.org/
Phone - Music Center Dance information line (213) 972-0711

Minghella Directed 'Madama Butterfly' Returns to the Stage Starting 10/24 - 10/24/2008

The Met’s acclaimed production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, directed by the late Academy Award-winning film director Anthony Minghella, returns to the stage for twelve performances beginning Friday, October 24, 2008. Reprising their portrayals in the production this season are sopranos Patricia Racette and Cristina Gallardo-Domâs in the title role, tenors Roberto Aronica and Marcello Giordani as Pinkerton, and baritone Dwayne Croft as Sharpless. Patrick Summers conducts the opera for the first time at Met.

This season’s final performance of Madama Butterfly on Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. will be seen in hundreds of movie theaters across the country and around the world as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

When Minghella’s highly theatrical production opened the Met’s 2006-07 season, it was hailed by Alex Ross of The New Yorker, who wrote that “it offers several of the most piercingly beautiful images I’ve seen in an opera house.” With a creative team of assistant director and choreographer Carolyn Choa (who is directing the staging this season), costume designer Han Feng, set designer Michael Levine, lighting designer Peter Mumford, and puppetry by Blind Summit Theatre, Madama Butterfly was the first new production to premiere at the Met on opening night in twenty years. The performance marked the company’s first live transmission in Times Square and ushered in General Manager Peter Gelb’s inaugural season at the Met.

Patricia Racette, whose 2007 Met role debut as Cio-Cio-San (the title role of Madama Butterfly) was hailed by The New York Times as a performance sung “with strength, taste and emotional generosity,” is known as one of America’s finest singing actresses. She is also recognized for creating roles in new works by today’s leading composers, including Roberta in the Met’s world premiere of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy. She sang Ellen Orford in the Met’s new production of Britten’s Peter Grimes last season, which was also transmitted globally as part of The Met: Live in HD series. Cio-Cio-San is prominent in Racette’s repertory; she has performed the role at San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Munich’s Bavarian State Opera. The American soprano has performed numerous roles at the Met since her 1995 company debut as Musetta in La Bohème, including Violetta in La Traviata (at the premiere of Franco Zeffirelli’s new production in 1998), Elizabeth of Valois in Don Carlo, Antonia/Stella in Les Contes d'Hoffmann, and Alice Ford in Falstaff.

The Associated Press notes that Chilean soprano Cristina Gallardo-Domâs “has made ‘Butterfly’ her calling-card role.” In addition to the Met, her critically-acclaimed interpretation of the tragic title heroine has been seen at the Vienna State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Barcelona’s Liceu and at the Royal Opera Covent Garden, where it won her the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera in 2004. Her previous Met appearances include Mimì for her 1996 debut, Violetta in La Traviata, and Liù in Turandot.

Italian tenor Roberto Aronica made his Met debut in 1998 as Alfredo in La Traviata and has since returned to sing Rodolfo in La Bohème and the Duke in Rigoletto. Recent engagements include Rodolfo at the Royal Opera Covent Garden and in Munich, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera with the Netherlands Opera, and Pinkerton in Berlin.

Internationally renowned tenor Marcello Giordani has sung 17 roles with the Met since his 1995 company debut including four new production premieres. These include his admired portrayals of the dauntingly high roles of Cellini in Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini and Gualtiero in Bellini’s Il Pirata, and the season-opening premieres for the last two seasons, Pinkerton in this Minghella production of Madama Butterfly (2006), and Edgardo in Mary Zimmerman’s new staging of Lucia di Lammermoor (2007). Giordani adds yet another new production to his credit this season when he sings the title role in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust in Robert Lepage’s debut staging at the Met, premiering on November 7.

A graduate of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Dwayne Croft has performed more than 350 performances of 27 roles at the Met including Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Silvio in Pagliacci, Marcello in La Bohème, Ernesto in Il Pirata, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Count Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (debut, 1990), Billy Budd, Eugene Onegin, Pelléas, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and Valentin in Faust. He appeared in the Met’s recent opening night gala as Lescaut in Act III of Massenet’s Manon. Last year he sang Robert E. Lee in the world premiere of Glass’s Appomattox with San Francisco Opera.

Live broadcasts to be seen and heard around the world

Madama Butterfly will be seen and heard by millions of people around the world this season in movie theaters, on the radio, and via the internet, through distribution platforms the Met has established with various media partners. The Saturday matinee performance on March 7, in addition to being transmitted into movie theaters as part of the The Met: Live in HD series, will be broadcast live over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network.

Metropolitan Opera on SIRIUS Satellite Radio channel 78 will air the October 24, 29, November 4, 11, 19, March 3, and 7 performances of Madama Butterfly.

The opening night performance on October 24 will also be available via RealNetworks internet streaming at the Met’s web site, www.metopera.org.

About the Met

Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director James Levine, the Met has a series of bold initiatives underway that are designed to broaden its audience and revitalize the company’s repertory. The Met has made a commitment to presenting modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, with highly theatrical productions featuring the greatest opera stars in the world.

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2008-09 season pays tribute to the company’s extraordinary history on the occasion of its 125th anniversary, while also emphasizing the Met’s renewed commitment to advancing the art form. The season features six new productions, 18 revivals, the final performances of Otto Schenk’s production of Wagner’s Ring cycle conducted by Levine, and two gala celebrations; the galas include the season-opening performance featuring Renée Fleming as well as a 125th anniversary celebration on March 15. New productions include the company premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic as well as the Met’s first staged production of Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust since 1906, Massenet’s Thaïs, Puccini’s La Rondine, Verdi’s Il Trovatore, and Bellini’s La Sonnambula. Future seasons include new presentations of John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles (2009-10) and Thomas Adès’s The Tempest (2011-12).

Building on its 77-year-old radio broadcast history - currently heard over the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network - the Met now uses advanced media distribution platforms and state-of-the-art technology to attract new audiences and reach millions of opera fans around the world.

The Met: Live in HD series reached more than 935,000 people in the 2007-08 season, more than the number of people who saw performances in the opera house. These performances began airing on PBS in March 2008, and eight of these HD performances are now available on DVD, on the EMI and Universal labels. In the 2008-09 season, the HD series expands to feature 11 live transmissions, starting with the Met’s Opening Night Gala and spanning the entire season. The HD productions are seen this season in over 850 theaters in 28 countries around the world. Five new productions are featured, including the Met premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic. The Opening Night transmission was seen in the Americas only; the remaining ten high-definition productions are shown live worldwide on Saturdays through May 9 with encores scheduled at various times.

Live in HD in Schools, the Met’s new program offering free opera transmissions to New York City schools in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the Metropolitan Opera Guild, reached more than 7,000 public school students and teachers during the 2007-08 season. This season, Live in HD in Schools expands to reach schools in 18 cities and communities nationwide.

Continuing its innovative use of electronic media to reach a global audience, the Metropolitan Opera introduces Met Player, a new subscription service that will make its extensive video and audio catalog of full-length performances available to the public for the first time online, and in exceptional, state-of-the-art quality. Beginning on October 22, 2008, 120 historic audio recordings and 50 full-length opera videos will be available during the first month of the new service, including over a dozen of the company’s acclaimed The Met: Live in HD transmissions, known for their extraordinary sound and picture quality. New content, including HD productions and archival broadcasts, will be added monthly.

Metropolitan Opera Radio on SIRIUS channel 78 is a subscription-based audio entertainment service broadcasting both an unprecedented number of live performances each week throughout the Met’s entire season, as well as rare historical performances, newly restored and remastered, spanning the Met’s 77-year broadcast history.

In addition to providing audio recordings through the new Met on Rhapsody on-demand service, the Met also presents free live audio streaming of performances on its website once every week during the opera season with support from RealNetworks.

The company’s groundbreaking commissioning program in partnership with New York’s Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), provides renowned composers and playwrights with the resources to create and develop new works at the Met and at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. The Met’s partnership with LCT is part of the company’s larger initiative to commission new operas from contemporary composers, present modern masterpieces alongside the classic repertory, and provide a venue for artists to nurture their work.

The Met has launched several audience development initiatives such as the company’s Open House Dress Rehearsals, which are free and open to the public; two are planned for the 2008-09 season with operas and dates to be announced. Just prior to beginning the current season, the Met presented a free performance of the Verdi Requiem on September 18, in tribute to the late Luciano Pavarotti. Other company initiatives include the Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met which exhibits contemporary visual art; the immensely successful Agnes Varis and Karl Leichtman Rush Ticket program which provides deeply discounted orchestra seats two hours before curtain time; and an annual Holiday Series presentation for families. This season’s special Holiday Presentation is Julie Taymor’s production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, an abridged, English-language version of the opera which is given four special matinee performances and one holiday evening performance as a way for families to celebrate the holiday season.

PS 122 Presents World Premiere of 'Death' by Sara Juli - 10/24/2008

Performance Space 122 presents the world premiere of Death, a dance-theater piece by solo performance artist Sara Juli that addresses the taboo topic of death. After losing her father tragically to cancer, Juli experienced first-hand our culture's inability to deal with death. She was amazed that something inevitable was so uncomfortable for people who, in particular, seemed to struggle to find the right thing to say and do. In this 50-minute solo performance, Juli uses movement, text, song, gesture, sounds, humor and audience interaction to present a reflection on the awkwardness of death. Juli will be six months pregnant during the performance adding a layer of a piece about death while pregnant with life.

This piece marks Juli's first full-length work following the success of her internationally acclaimed show, The Money Conversation in which she cashed out her life savings of $5,000 and distributed it to audience members each night. In general, Juli's mission is to explore her own personal struggles through the medium of performance. In sharing her work, Sara is hopeful that others will understand an aspect of her personal turmoil, and be able to relate it to their own. Her introspective solo performance fuses movement, text, song, voice and gesture to both acknowledge the gravity of her burdens as well as to simultaneously laugh at their reality.

Named a "light of the downtown dance and theatre scene" by The New Yorker, Juli's newest work asks audiences to reflect upon their own relationship with death. Brian McCormick formerly of Gay City News has described her work as "Superbly played for maximum comic impact…" and The New York Times says that Sara Juli "gives of herself". Juli has created a performance vocabulary that combines personal work with public interaction surrounding universal issues. Death is receiving direction by multi-media artist Chris Ajemian with lighting by "Bessie" Award winning designer, Owen Hughes and Costume Design by Maggie Dick.

Sara Juli has been creating and performing innovative solo work in New York City for the past seven years. Her work has been performed at New York City venues including Dixon Place, Performance Space122, The Ontological Theater, Manhattan Theater Source, Williamsburg Art NeXus, The Flea Theater, Joyce SoHo and Joe's Pub as part of the Dancenow/NYC Festival, Movement Research at Judson Church, Danspace Project at St. Marks Church and American Dance Festival, where her work was selected as one of "The Best of Dance 2003" by the Independent Weekly. In February 2006, she created and performed her first full-evening solo show, The Money Conversation, where she gives away her life savings, in a sold-out run at Performance Space 122. The Money Conversation was an instant hit and has been touring nationally and internationally over the last two years to sold-out houses in Gronigen, The Netherlands, Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand, and around the United States.

The piece has received notable press coverage in The New York Times, The New York Post, Time Out (New York & New Zealand), Fox Five News, National Public Radio and in major publications, television and radio spots abroad. In June 2006, Sara created and performed, Deep Throat at the American Dance Festival in Durham, North Carolina. She has collaborated and/or performed with Debra Fernandez, Deborah Hay, Roxana Ramseur, Melissa Riker, Hana van der Kolk, and Chris Ajemian. She graduated from Skidmore College with a degree in Dance and Anthropology. Sara also works in the world of arts administration and is the Director of Development at Dance Theater Workshop. Sara Juli's show, The Money Conversation, is represented by Elsie Management. More information can be found at http://www.elsieman.org/artists/sara_juli.html

Chris Ajemian (Direction) writes and directs live and recorded works that fuse popular art with experimental form. Chris has demonstrated success in a range of mediums, including theater, film, television, and dance. A graduate of Boston College, Chris's training has brought him to the Advanced Directing Program at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, the Professional Directing Internship at Actors Theater of Louisville, and the Jonathan P. Alper Directing Fellowship at Manhattan Theater Club. In addition, Chris has worked for New York Theater Workshop, The Wooster Group, Anne Bogart and Richard Foreman. Since 2000, Chris has presented new work at major live arts venues such as the New York International Fringe Festival, New Haven Festival of Arts & Ideas, Actors Theater of Louisville, PS 122, Joyce SoHo, The Noorderzon Festival, and The American Dance Festival. At the same time, Chris has successfully pitched projects to companies such as Paramount, Showtime, NBC, CBS, and Bravo that have landed him multiple options for his work, including a development deal with Paramount Studios for a new one-hour network television series. In 2007, Chris presented his latest piece, The Irresistible Urge of Fancy, a full-evening music video with dance and animation, as well as Sara Juli's most recent dance theater works, The Money Conversation and Deep Throat, in the US and abroad.

Owen Hughes (Lighting Designer) has designed for Eiko & Koma, Peggy Baker, Roseanne Spradlin, Catey Ott & Eun Jung Gonzalez, Juliette Mapp and others. His theatrical designs have been seen at a variety of downtown hot spots, including the Ontological Theatre, PS 122, HERE, and others. As a Production Manager, he has worked for the Ontological-Hysteric Theatre, the Foundry Theater, and Arts at St. Ann's, and has toured to festivals throughout Europe and Asia. He received a Bessie Award for Lighting Design in 2003.

Maggie Dick (Costume Designer) Recent NYC designs include All the Bad Things at LAByrinth Theater Company, The Gun Play and The Female Terrorist Project at the Chocolate Factory, Murdering Marlowe at the Access Theatre and Pale Idiot at the NY Fringe Festival. Regional work includes designing Amadeus, Cymbeline, The Cherry Orchard and The Wives of Windsor at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and assisting at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. She was the assistant designer for Bubbling Brown Sugar starring Diahann Carroll and for the Montreal production of Beauty and the Beast. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.

More about Performance Space 122

Performance Space 122 is New York's ultimate destination for cutting-edge theatre, dance, music, live art and cross-media. Founded in 1979, Performance Space 122 is dedicated to supporting and
presenting artists whose work challenges the traditional boundaries of dance, theatre, music, and performance. Committed to exploring innovative form as well as material, PS 122 is steadfast in its search for pioneering artists from a diversity of cultures and points of view.

Death runs Friday, October 24 - Sunday, November 2 on the following schedule: Wednesday – Sunday at 8:30pm. Tickets from $20 each, $15 (students/seniors), $10 (P.S. 122 members). Tickets may be purchased online at www.ps122.org or via phone at (212) 352-3101. Performance Space 122 is located at 150 First Avenue at East 9th Street, New York, New York 10009. www.ps122.org.

InterAct Theatre Company to Present THE WAR PARTY Starting 10/24 - 10/24/2008

InterAct Theatre Company will present the East Coast premiere of THE WAR PARTY by Vincent Delaney directed by Rebecca Wright. It will run from Oct. 24 - Nov. 23 2008 at The Adrienne in Center City, PA. For tickets and more information please visit www.interacttheatre.org

ABOUT THE PLAY

It’s 3:00 a.m. on election night. Campaign headquarters is outfitted for a huge celebration; streamers, posters, olives. But the room is as quiet as a churchmouse. Laura Smith, the prohibitive Republican favorite, has lost her Senate race in a landslide. Suddenly without friends, and drunk as a skunk, Laura is thinking of cashing it all in… that is until one of her loyal and spunky interns, Jessie, rescues her from the brink of disaster and wrestles her, quite literally, back to political life. THE WAR PARTY is a modern political parable about the limitations of the two-party system. A timely and provocative satire featuring food fights, girls kissing and the spirit of FDR.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Vicent Delaney, Playwright of THE WAR PARTYVicent Delaney’s plays include THE ART OF BAD MEN, THREE SCREAMS, WRITER 1272 and KUWAIT, which won the Heideman Award from Actors Theatre of Louisville and the New Play Award from Sonoma Rep. His plays have been produced, commissioned and developed at the Guthrie, Cleveland Playhouse, ACT, Children’s Theatre Company, the Humana Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Magic, Woolly Mammoth, the Empty Space, PlayLabs, Seattle Public, the New Harmony Project, Pittsburgh Public, Florida Stage, InterAct, and the Orlando Shakespeare Festival, among others. THE SEQUENCE, commissioned by the Guthrie, has been produced around the country and in the UK. ACCELERATION RED won the Lamia Ink contest and was produced by Harrogate Theatre and Brooklyn College.

He is the recipient of a Bush Fellowship, a McKnight Fellowship, a Jerome Commission, the Apsey Award, the Nathan Miller Award, and a grant from the Seattle Arts Commission. His work is published by Smith and Kraus, Heineman, Samuel French, Dramatics Magazine and Playscripts.com. Vince is a Core Writer at the Playwrights Center.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Rebecca Wright, Director of THE WAR PARTYRebecca Wright (Director) is a Philadelphia-based director and dramaturg. Her Philadelphia directing credits include HOLD PLEASE with Eternal Spiral Project, Larry Loebell’s THE BALLAD OF JOHN WESLEY REED, and 2008 YOUNG VOICES for InterAct/Philadelphia Young Playwrights. She also assistant directed AN EMPTY PLATE AT THE CAFE DU GRAND BOUEF and SLEEPING BEAUTY with Whit MacLaughlin at the Arden Theatre, and BUG with Matt Pfieffer at Theater Exile. She has a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA in Performance and Culture from the University of London. She dramaturged InterAct's Barrymore-nominated production of HOUSE DIVIDED last season and James MacLindon's SAVING GRACE at PlayPenn 2008. She is the literary director and resident dramaturg at InterAct Theatre Company.

ABOUT THE CAST & CREW

Susan Wilder

Susan Wilder (Laura Smith) previously appeared on InterAct’s stage in SINCE AFRICA. Susan has worked on Broadway in KING LEAR (with Christopher Plummer), IVANOV (with Kevin Kline) and FAR EAST at Lincoln Center Theater. Regional credits include: Coconut Grove Playhouse, Walnut Street Theatre, Wilma Theatre (Barrymore Nomination for THE MAGIC FIRE), Arden Theatre (Barrymore Nomination for A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC), Studio Theatre (Washington D.C.), Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays, Marin Shakespeare Company, Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, and six years a member of The People's Light & Theatre Company. Her television and feature film credits include: "The Silence at Bethany" (American Playhouse - Christopher Award), "Perry Mason", "Spencer: For Hire", "Equal Justice", "The Petrified Forest" (CBS Live Broadcast), Big, Unbreakable and Universal Signs. As a teacher and text coach, she coached MEASURE FOR MEASURE at Theatre Couth Carolina as a Guest Artist of The Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C. Susan received her MFA from The Academy for Classical Acting at George Washington University.

Meghan Heimbecker

Meghan Heimbecker (Jessie) makes her InterAct debut with THE WAR PARTY. Meghan recently returned from doing the musical QUILTERS with the Great Plains Theatre in Kansas. Locally, she has worked with Walnut, Wilma (Barrymore Nominee for MY CHILDREN! MY AFRICA! ), 11th Hour, Montgomery, Arden, Prince, Theatre Horizon and Seventh Sister. Visit www.meghanheimbecker.com for more information about Meghan’s work as an actress, director and teaching artist.

Tim Moyer

Tim Moyer (Franklin D. Roosevelt) marks his 17th production at InterAct with THE WAR PARTY. Tim most recently appeared in last season's World Premiere production Seth Rozin's BLACK GOLD. A few of Tim's previous shows with InterAct include A HOUSE WITH NO WALLS, REINVENTING EDEN, BLUE/ORANGE (also at Act II Playhouse), BLACK RUSSIAN, BEE-LUTHER-HATCHEE, as Richard Nixon in NIXON'S NIXON (also at Act II), as Paul Barrow in the Barrymore Award-winning production of Permanent Collection, and as director of InterAct's production of MAN MEASURES MAN. Tim has also appeared in an episode of "Hack," worked on the film The Village, and appeared in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY at the Walnut Street Theatre.

The design team for THE WAR PARTY includes Set Design by Dirk Durossett, Costume Design by Susan Smythe, Lighting Design by Maria Shaplin, Sound Design by Chris Colucci and Props by Amanda Hatch. The production will be Stage Managed by Joshua Lieberman, with Jessica Hurley serving as Assistant Director, Kia Feindt as Assistant Stage Manager and Britt Plunkett as Technical Director.

Ryan Raftery & Friends: A Solo Act - 10/24/2008

"Hilarious!" - New York Observer

"Dietrich...with balls!" - Christopher Ciccone, author, Life With My Sister Madonna

"Kinda pitchy!" - Marc Shaiman, Composer/Lyricist, "Hairspray"

***SECOND SHOW ADDED BY POPULAR DEMAND *** FRIDAY, OCT 24TH at 9PM ***

Friday & Sunday, Oct 24 & Oct 26th, 2008 at 9pm (Sunday 8pm) - Upright Cabaret presents Ryan Raftery & Friends: A SOLO ACT at Upright Cabaret at Mark's Restaurant. The show that has been "changing lives bi-weekly" in the basement of a NYC bistro finally comes to Los Angeles...at another restaurant!

Brooklyn native Raftery sings everything from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Rihanna, interspersed with tales of his moving friendship with a hooker in the Deep South, his fabled rivalry with multi Grammy Award-winner Natalie Cole and much more. No singer alive can compete with the glorious clanging of knives and forks better than Ryan Raftery!

Tickets $15 Main Room, Patio Seating and SRO. Dinner Required with Main Room and Patio Ticket Purchase (no exceptions). Your Ticket purchase also confirms your dinner reservation (cost of dinner is not included in this show ticket). $30 pp Food/Drink min in Dining room // No min in Bar/Lounge

Dinner/ "10 Cane Rum" Drink Specials begin at 6:00PM/SHOWTIME 9:00PM (8PM Sunday)

Upright Cabaret at Mark's Restaurant, 861 N. La Cienega Blvd. WeHo, CA

For more information, please visit: www.uprightcabaret.com www.myspace.com/uprightcabaret www.youtube.com/uprightcabaret

Upright Cabaret Presents A SOLO ACT at Mark's Restaurant 10/24 - 10/24/2008

Upright Cabaret presents Ryan Raftery & Friends: A SOLO ACT at Upright Cabaret at Mark's Restaurant. The show that has been "changing lives bi-weekly" in the basement of a NYC bistro finally comes to Los Angeles...at another restaurant.

According to press notes, "Brooklyn native Raftery sings everything from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Rihanna, interspersed with tales of his moving friendship with a hooker in the Deep South, his fabled rivalry with multi Grammy Award-winner Natalie Cole and much more. No singer alive can compete with the glorious clanging of knives and forks better than Ryan Raftery!"

New York Observer says, "Hilarious!" Christopher Ciccone, author, Life With My Sister Madonna, calls it "Dietrich...with balls!" Marc Shaiman, the composer and lyricist of "Hairspray," says, "Kinda pitchy!"

Ryan Raftery & Friends: A SOLO ACT will be performed on Friday & Sunday, Oct 24 & Oct 26th, 2008 at 9pm (Sunday 8pm).

Tickets are $15 Main Room, Patio Seating and SRO. Dinner Required with Main Room and Patio Ticket Purchase (no exceptions). Ticket purchase also confirms dinner reservation (cost of dinner is not included in this show ticket). $30 pp Food/Drink min in Dining room // No min in Bar/Lounge

Dinner/ "10 Cane Rum" Drink Specials begin at 6:00PM/SHOWTIME 9:00PM (8PM Sunday)

Upright Cabaret is located at Mark's Restaurant, 861 N. La Cienega Blvd. WeHo, CA

For more information, visit: www.uprightcabaret.com, www.myspace.com/uprightcabaret and www.youtube.com/uprightcabaret.

John Jay College To Present DAHLIA For Three Performances Only - 10/24/2008

Justice takes the stage when Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 899 Tenth Avenue, presents Dahlia: A Very Nearly True Theatrical Fantasia, a new play by P. Seth Bauer, directed by Heath Cullens, with video projections by Tal Yarden, for three performances only Friday, Saturday and Monday, October 24, 25 and 27, at 7:00 pm, at the John Jay College Gerald W. Lynch Theater ,899 Tenth Avenue at 58th Street.

The grisly murder of a young actress and the dumping of her body in a vacant lot in Los Angeles in 1947 is infamous as the Black Dahlia Murder. Dahlia: A Very Nearly True Theatrical Fantasia is based on the 2003 best seller The Black Dahlia Avenger by retired Los Angeles Police Detective Steve Hodel in which he attempted to prove that his own father was guilty of the murder. P. Seth Bauer's play is a veritable who's who of Hollywood celebrity.

The play features Michael Pemberton, Joshua Stafford, Dawn McGee, Jillian Owens, Eileen Rivera and Ching Valdes.

John Jay College is both an internationally recognized leader in scholarly research on criminal justice and a premier academic institution whose public service mission draws students from around the world. John Jay College graduates have the intellectual acuity, moral commitment and professional competence to confront the challenges of crime, justice and public safety in a free society. The college seeks to inspire both students and faculty, to the highest ideals of citizenship and public service. At John Jay, research-driven criminal justice studies are skillfully integrated with a vibrant liberal arts education and a new performing arts initiative.

Dahlia: A Very Nearly True Theatrical Fantasia is presented free, but it is ticketed and tickets can be reserved online at www.ticketcentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200.

Broadway Advent Church to Present Revial of Johnson's GOD'S TROMBONES - 10/24/2008

A special revival of God’s Trombones by James WelDon Johnson’s as part of his Tribute to Black Preachers will be presented on Friday & Saturday, October 24 & 25, 2008 @ 7:30PM at Broadway Advent Church (2504 Broadway @ West 93rd Street) There is a suggested donation of $25.00 per person.

In 1927 at the height of the Harlem Renaissance James WelDon Johnson published a slim book of poetry entitled God’s Trombones to pay tribute to the Black preachers that he remembered from his childhood. The preachers with their broad range of vocal tones and colorful language reminded him of trombones.

This is a timeless old-time revival that weaves passionate biblical themes with moving gospel music and the lyrical qualities of the preacher’s message. These exhortations of repentance and forgiveness, hope and comfort emanating from the preachers stirred congregants to focus and strive to improve themselves and their communities. Mr. Johnson begins with a fervent prayer,”Listen, Lord” and follows with seven spirited sermons.

The seven sermons captured in verse are entitled:
“The Creation”
“The Prodigal Son”
“Go Down Death”
“Noah Built the Ark”
“The Crucifixion”
“Let My People Go”
“Judgment Day”

James Pettis, the producer, artistically engages his audience with the powerful presentations of the preachers, dance, sound effects and the dynamic Virginia Community Choir. This off Broadway revival production will delight all ages. Make this a family affair.

The Director James Pettis as a youngster studied piano under Dr. Undine Moore. At the Eastman School of Music during the summers, he refined his technique. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music. He is the recipient of many awards in piano competition. He has toured extensively in the U.S.A., Canada and in Europe. Additionally, he has performed in many venues, most notably, the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II and on TV’s soap opera, “The Guiding Light.”

In 1984, Mr. Pettis directed the Broadway version of God’s Trombones in New York City.

The Death of Frank - 10/25/2008

The Death of Frank, written by Stephen Belber and directed by Riccardo DiLoreto closes October 25, 2008 at the Turtle Shell's Theater in New York City (300 West 43rd Street, Suite 403). Performances begin weeknights at 8pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets ($18) are available online at www.smarttix.com or by calling 212-868-4444.

Nice People Theatre Co to Present 'Psalms of a Questionable Nature' Starting 10/25 - 10/25/2008

Nice People Theatre Company is celebrating the Halloween season by presenting the Philadelphia premiere of Marisa Wegrzyn's Psalms of a Questionable Nature. This eerie sibling drama runs October 25-November 9 at Walnut Street Theatre's Studio 5, 825 Walnut Street. It marks the Philadelphia directorial debut of Pirronne Yousefzadeh. Tickets cost $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and $15 for students and seniors. For more information go to www.nicepeopletheatre.org

Psalms of A Questionable Nature delves into the lives of step-sisters Greta and Moo who finally meet when they need to decide what to do with their dead parents' decrepit house. Together, they try to settle family affairs as they deal with the hideous family secrets locked in the basement. Greta just wants to sell the house, and Moo just wants to get to know her sister better. When a lethal secret is uncovered, the women become trapped in the twisted details of their dead parents' love and work, before they realize their very existence is at stake.

Rachael Joffred is portraying Moo and Janice Rowland is portraying Greta. With two female leads, the artistic staff for the show is largely female. Yousefzadeh directs Psalms of A Questionable Nature, and Caitlin Lainoff is designing the set. Nice People co-founders Nicole Blicher and Miriam White are serving as producing artistic directors. Chris Rummel is designing sound and Barrymore Award winner Shelly Hicklin is creating the lighting. Natalia de la Torre is designing costumes. Local artist Gina Tibbott will be designing props and Ryk Lewis will serve as the technical director for this dramatic thriller.

Yousefzadeh has directed or assistant directed at The Public/Joe's Pub, Summer Play Festival NYC, SITI Company, Collective: Unconscious, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis, and the Hangar Theatre, where she was a 2006 Drama League Directing Fellow. As a third year M.F.A. Directing Candidate at Columbia University, she has studied with Anne Bogart, Robert Woodruff, and Brian Kulick.

Wegrzyn is a rising voice in American Theatre. Her work has been produced at Steppenwolf Theatre as part of their First Look program. Her plays include: Killing Women, Ten Cent Night, The Butcher of Baraboo, and Hickorydickory. The Butcher of Baraboo was produced Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre. Her work has been produced or read at Washington University in St. Louis, Eckerd College/WordBRIDGE, Geva Theatre Center, Chicago Dramatists, Lucid by Proxy, The Hourglass Group, The Women's Project, Centerstage, and The Magic Theatre. She has a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis where she studied playwriting with Carter W. Lewis.

About Nice People Theatre Company: Nice People Theatre recognizes the importance of collaboration and that the process is equally as important as the final product. The company strives to work with "nice" people of diverse theatrical backgrounds. They are focused on intellectual, thought provoking, Philadelphia premieres that entertain, educate, and enrich the artistic fiber of the Philadelphia theatre community. Psalms of a Questionable Nature will be the company's fourth production. Their previous show, Have a Nice Life by Conor Mitchell & Matthew Hurt premiered at Mum Puppettheatre in March and to audience and critical acclaim before the company remounted it and played to 5 sold-out houses at the Prince Music Theatre's blackbox space during the 2008 Philly Fringe.

Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents 'The Glass Menagerie' - 10/25/2008

Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents
The Glass Menagerie
October 21 – November 9, 2008

Steppenwolf Theatre Company launches its Steppenwolf for Young Adults 2008-2009 Season with The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by ensemble member Yasen Peyankov. The production, featuring James T. Alfred, Shanésia Davis, Anthony Fleming III and Nambi E. Kelley, runs October 21 – November 9, 2008 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted. Tickets are available to the general public for weekend performances only, with all additional shows reserved for school groups. The press performance is Saturday, October 25 at 11 a.m.

A unique production of Tennessee Williams’ classic “memory play” featuring an all African-American cast. Delicately weaving truth and imagination, The Glass Menagerie centers on the Wingfield family in Depression-era St. Louis: Tom, an aspiring poet who spends his days in a warehouse, eager to start out on his own life’s journey; his overbearing mother, Amanda who yearns for the glamour of the past and his incredibly shy sister, who dreams of a brighter future and a happiness that seems just out of reach.

“As we move into our 2008-2009 season that Steppenwolf has titled ‘the season of the imagination,’ I want to take this opportunity to re-examine the American Dream, how the next generation imagines it and their place in the creation of it,” comments Hallie Gordon, Artistic and Education Director of Steppenwolf for Young Adults.

Ensemble member Yasen Peyankov appeared in Steppenwolf’s 2007-2008 production of Superior Donuts, a world premiere play by Pulitzer Prize-winning ensemble member Tracy Letts. He is the co-founder of Chicago’s European Repertory Company and an Associate Professor and Director of Theatre Studies in the Performing Arts Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has directed at UIC, European Rep. and Rushfort in Los Angeles.

The design team includes: Martin Andrew (sets), Natasha Vuchurovich Djukich (costumes), Keith Parham (lights), and Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen (original music and sound). Cassie Wolgamott is the stage manager.

Title: The Glass Menagerie
Directed by: Yasen Peyankov
Playwright: Tennessee Williams
Featuring: James T. Alfred (Tom), Shanésia Davis (Amanda), Anthony Fleming III (The Gentleman Caller) and Nambi E. Kelley (Laura).
Location: Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted
Dates: October 21 – November 9, 2008
Press Preview: Saturday, October 25 at 11 a.m.
Public Performances: October 25, November 1-2 and 8-9 at 11 a.m.
(All additional performances are reserved for school groups)
Ticket price: $20
Audience Services: 1650 N. Halsted, (312) 335-1650
Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

For information on Steppenwolf for Young Adult weekday school performances, contact the SYA Education Coordinator at (312) 654-5639.

About The Steppenwolf for Young Adults Programs:

Steppenwolf for Young Adults is Steppenwolf’s educational program for students, teachers and families, and is focused on making the theater accessible to the most underserved populations in Chicago. Steppenwolf for Young Adults consists of complementary programming components that are designed to enhance education, build self-esteem and social tolerance and encourage lifelong appreciation of the arts. At the core of Steppenwolf for Young Adults are the professional, full-scale productions produced specifically for young adult audiences each season.

Productions for Students and Families
Professional productions of established plays, original adaptations of novels and new works are presented for young adults through weekday student matinees and weekend family performances. The Residency Program provides teaching artists in the classroom before and after each production. SYA provides teachers and students with scripts, study guides and tours of the theater.

The Young Adults Council
A small group of high school students from across Chicago devoted to exploring the collaborative possibilities between the theater and young adults. Council members work with their peers, Steppenwolf staff and artists to create programs that speak to their interests, ideas and creative goals. The Council participates in various workshops and discussions, sees productions and creates their own programming for young adults at Steppenwolf.

Educator Workshops
The Teacher Theater Immersion Course is designed to help teachers integrate theater arts into their core curriculum. Our advanced Immersion 2 Course uses arts integration methods to approach a range of non-fiction works related to themes of our two productions. The Master Teacher Workshops help teachers improve student comprehension of literature through drama, using texts related to our Steppenwolf for Young Adults productions. All offer the opportunity to earn CPDU credits.

Steppenwolf for Young Adults is a citywide partner of the Chicago Public Schools School Partner Program.

Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance in the Upstairs or Downstairs Theatres.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation.

'EVERYTHING IS CHITA!' staring Marymonica Thomas! - 10/25/2008

"EVERYTHING IS CHITA!"

Marymonica Thomas brings the music of Chita Rivera Alive at Davenport’s

WHEN: Saturday, October 11th and Saturday, October 25th, 2008 - 8:00pm show
WHERE: Davenport’s Piano Bar 1383 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60622-2151 Phone: 773/278-1830. (http://www.davenportspianobar.com/)
TICKETS: Tickets are $18.00 with a two-drink minimum. Half price for Chicago Cabaret Professional members.

Join premiere singer/actress Marymonica Thomas and friends to celebrate the music of legendary Broadway performer Chita Rivera. This colorful, electric show highlights many signature songs from Chita's performances in West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Bye Bye Birdie, Kiss of the Spiderwoman and The Rink.

Village Players Performing Arts Center Presents DRACULA! - 10/25/2008

Village Players Performing Arts Center Presents:

DRACULA

A One-Woman Performance of the Classic Story

A one-of-a-kind Halloween event –hear the story of Dracula told like you've never heard it before!

Join Village Players as national storyteller Megan Wells treats audiences to a one-woman performance of the original Dracula! Called "the Kate Hepburn of storytelling," Megan gives audiences a dramatic and heart-pounding mix of myth and theater, adapted from Bram Stoker's famous novel.

An award winning theater and story artist, Megan Wells performs nationally from a full repertoire of original stories and revivified myths at regional theaters, colleges, festivals and corporations. She is the recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Award, a Parent's Choice Gold and an EdPress Distinguished Achievement Award. For more information about Ms. Wells, visit her website at www.meganwells.com.

Dracula runs Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 7:00 PM and Sunday, October 26 at 2:30 PM. All tickets are $20. This production is rated PG-13, and will run 90 minutes with an intermission.

Presented in the Blackbox Theater of the newly renovated Village Players Performing Arts Center located at 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. Plenty of parking is available on the street. The theater is handicap accessible; please call ahead to arrange for special seating. Tickets available at www.village-players.org or by calling 866-764-1010.

Village Players Performing Arts Center offers an eclectic mix of entertainment that empowers and inspires while exploring the human condition.

Shstrng Producions Presents 2nd Annual One-Minute Play F - 10/25/2008

2ND ANNUAL ONE-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL

90 plays. 42 Playwrights. 9 Directors. 1 Minute.

Saturday, October 25th & Sunday, October 26th
A Who's Who of the Next Generation of American Playwrights.
A rapid-fire evening...long on talent, short on time.

Shstrng Producions presents the 2nd Annual One-Minute Play Festival, Saturday October 25th at 8PM and Sunday, October 26th at 2PM and 8PM at The Barrow Group Arts Center (312 West 36th Street at 8th Ave.)

This 2 Day-Only event features more than 90 plays by over 40 playwrights, with 9 directors working with 40 actors. Every play is less than sixty-seconds from lights-up to lights-down.
Curated by Dominic D'Andrea.

The 2008 One-Minute Play Festival Playwrights:

-Robert Askins (Youngblood Member)
-Rachel Axler (Emmy Award Winning Writer, The Daily Show)
-Alex Beech (Primary Stages/ Intar Writers' Group)
-Susan Bernfield (Artistic Director, New Georges)
-Clay McLeod Chapman (Pumpkin Pie Show)
-Carla Ching (Ma Yi Wrtiers Group)
-Jihan Crowther (Youngblood Member/ NYTW Fellow)
-James Comtois* (Nosedive Productions)
-Emily Conbere* (Jamal Lullabies)
-Justin Deabler (Youngblood Member)
-Kristoffer Diaz (Welcome to Arroyo's, SPF)
-Bash Doran* (Living Room in Africa)
-Anton Dudley (Slag Heap, Cherry Lane)
-Bryan Dykstra (Clean Alternatives)
-Bixby Elliot (Playwright & Bolgger)
-Anna Fields (Confessions of A Rebel Debutant, pending book publication)
-Michael John Garces*(Artistic Director, Cornerstone Theatre Company)
-Sam Forman (upcoming, The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall at Theatre J in DC)
-Matthew Freeman (Blue Coyote Theatre Group)
-Graham Gordy (writer The Love Guru w/ Mike Myers)
-Ashlin Halfnight* (Electric Pear Productions, MCC Playwrights Coalition)
-Kyle Jarrow*(Obie Award Winner)
-Rajiv Joseph* (Animals Out of Paper, 2nd Stage)
-Kobun Kaluza (recent MFA grad, Brooklyn College)
-Sibyl Kempson* (Downtown Superstar)
-Leslie Kramer (52nd St Project)
-Courtney Brooke Lauria (Youngblood Member)
-Jeff Lewonczyk (Piper McKenzie Productions)
-Victor Lodato (New Dramatists Member, SPF)
-Ross Maxwell (Partial Comfort Member)
-Cassandra Medley (Relativity at Sloan/EST)
-Liz Merriwether (Mistakes Madeline Made, Naked Angels/ Yale Rep)
-Chiori Miyagawa (New Dramatists, The Lark, NYTW, etc)
-Meghan Mostyn-Brown (LABrynth Theatre member)
-Ed Napier (Lar's Meeting of The Minds Member, EST, etc)
-Michael Sendrow (Yongblood Member)
-Saviana Stanescu (Aliens With Extrodonary Skills, Womens Project)
-Caradad Svich (12 Ophelieas)
-Ken Urban (2008 NY Theatre Person of the Year)
-Rob Urbinati (Writer/Director)
-Anna Ziegler* (BFF at DR2)
-David Zellnik (Serendib at Sloan/EST)

*denotes 2007 Alumi returning writer

PLUS Special Surprise Guests

The 2008 One-Minute Play Directors:
Carlos Armesto, Dylan McCullough, Kim Weild, Claire Lundberg, Dominic D'Andrea, Lou Moreno, Shelley Butler, Jacob Krueger, & Michael Gardner.

Three performance dates:
Saturday, October 25th at 8pm
Sunday, October 26th at 2pm and 8pm

The Barrow Group Arts Center
312 West 36th Street at 8th Avenue
Tickets are $18.00
Tickets available at SmartTix
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=SEC15

A Closing Night Party will be hosted by Electric Pear Productions at the
Irish Rogue, 356 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036
on Sunday, October 26th at 10pm.
Raffle, Free Drink Tickets, Fun and Games

Shstrng Producions Presents One-Minute Play Festival 10/25 - 10/25/2008

Presented by Shstrng Producions, the 2nd Annual One-Minute Play Festival features 90 plays, 40 actors and nine directors. Each play will be one minute in length. Curated by Dominic D'Andrea, the festival displays the talents of over forty emerging American playwrights and will be mounted at Barrow Group Arts Center, 312 West 36th Street at 8th Avenue in New York on Saturday October 25th at 8PM and Sunday, October 26th at 2PM and 8PM. The 2008 One-Minute Play Directors include Carlos Armesto, Dylan McCullough, Kim Weild, Claire Lundberg, Dominic D'Andrea, Lou Moreno, Shelley Butler, Jacob Krueger, & Michael Gardner. A closing night party, which will feature a raffle, free drink tickets and games, will be hosted by Electric Pear Productions at the Irish Rogue, 356 W 44th St, New York, on Sunday, October 26th at 10pm.

*denotes 2007 Alumi returning writer

The Barrow Group Arts Center
312 West 36th Street at 8th Avenue
Tickets are $18.00
Tickets available at SmartTix
http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=SEC15

NJ's Shakepeare Theatre to Hold Prop & Costume Sale 10/25 - 10/25/2008

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey will hold a Prop and Costume sale on Saturday October 25 at the Shakespeare Theatre's Main Stage, the F. M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre. Doors open at 10:00 sharp. Admission is free.

The sale will feature one-of-a-kind items from the Theatre's prop collection in addition to The Shakespeare Theatre's costume collection. From period style dresses to masks to decorative items for the home, there is sure to be something for everyone. All items are priced to sell. All proceeds raised by the sale will support The Theatre's educational and artistic programs.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's Main Stage, the 308-seat F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, is conveniently located in Madison at 36 Madison Avenue (Route 124) at Lancaster Road (on the Drew University campus), just minutes from routes 287, 78 and 10. Parking is free. For more information, call 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

As a not-for-profit regional theatre, approximately 50% of the annual cost to produce The Shakespeare Theatre season and educational programs is earned through ticket sales. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey relies on contributions from corporate, foundation, and government sources and donations from individuals to maintain its Main Stage, Outdoor Stage and educational programming. Only with such support can The Shakespeare Theatre continue its education programs such as Shakespeare LIVE! which tours 1-hour versions of Shakespeare and other classic works to schools throughout the region annually; the Student Matinee Series which offers middle and high-school students and teachers the opportunity to attend school time performances of Main Stage productions and the Summer Professional Training Program which offers young actors, designers, technicians, and administrators hands-on professional training during an intensive 11-week summer program annually.

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F. M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and Drew University, as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals. American Airlines is the official airline of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Crystal Rock Water is the company's official water provider. Barefoot Wine is the official wine provider. The 2008 Outdoor Stage production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) is sponsored by Bank of America.

Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey Prop & Costume Sale 10/25 - 10/25/2008

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 2008 season features the Comedy of Errors, Amadeus, King Lear, Private Lives, A Streetcar Named Desire, Romeo and Juliet and the Winter's Tale. The outdoor stage features the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). For more information, call the box office at 973-408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

As a not-for-profit regional theatre, approximately 50% of the annual cost to produce The Shakespeare Theatre season and educational programs is earned through ticket sales. The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey relies on contributions from corporate, foundation, and government sources and donations from individuals to maintain its Main Stage, Outdoor Stage and educational programming. Only with such support can The Shakespeare Theatre continue its education programs such as Shakespeare LIVE! which tours one-hour versions of Shakespeare and other classic works to schools throughout the region annually; the Student Matinee Series which offers middle and high-school students and teachers the opportunity to attend school time performances of Main Stage productions and the Summer Professional Training Program which offers young actors, designers, technicians, and administrators hands-on professional training during an intensive 11-week summer program annually.

The acclaimed Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey is an independent, professional theatre company located on the Drew University campus. One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, it is New Jersey's only professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is received from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F. M. Kirby Foundation, The Edward T. Cone Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and Drew University, as well as contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, government agencies and individuals. American Airlines is the official airline of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Crystal Rock Water is the company's official water provider. Barefoot Wine is the official wine provider. The 2008 Outdoor Stage production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) is sponsored by Bank of America.

The Thugs by Adam Bock at Profiles Theatre Oct 29th - 10/25/2008

Profiles Theatre continues its 20th Anniversary Season
with the award-winning dark comedy
The Thugs by Adam Bock

Profiles production of The Thugs is making its Midwest Premiere at Profiles and will play in rep with the acclaimed comedy-drama Men of Tortuga

Profiles Theatre continues its 20th Anniversary Season with the OBIE Award-winning dark comedy The Thugs by Adam Bock, directed by Profiles Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. he production runs October 29-December 14, 2008, at Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway. The play will run in repertory with Profiles’ production of Men of Tortuga, playing through December 7, 2008. The press opening for The Thugs is Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at 8:00 p.m.

The Thugs is a dark comedy about the mysterious things that are happening on the 9th floor of a big law firm. When a group of temps try to discover the secrets that lurk in the hidden crevices of their workplace, they realize they would rather believe in gossip and rumors than face dangerous realities.

The Profiles production marks the Midwest Premiere of The Thugs. The play received its critically-acclaimed 2006 world premiere at the Soho Rep in New York, winning an OBIE Award for outstanding playwriting and was named to Time Out New York’s “Top Ten” lists. Mr. Bock has also won the prestigious American Theater Critics Award, the Glickman Award and the Theater Critics Circle Awards for Best Original Script, among others.

This is the second production of Profiles Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Season. The Thugs follows the October 9 opening of Men of Tortuga by Jason Wells and the two shows will play in repertory. The Thugs will play Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 p.m.

“We’re very excited to open our 20th Anniversary Season with these two productions,” says Profiles Artistic Director Joe Jahraus. “Both plays take a unique look at the people behind the scenes in the world of business, with Men of Tortuga giving us a portrait of the ruthless leaders who pull the strings and seek to destroy all who oppose them. Meanwhile The Thugs explores the lowly temps at a law firm who have lost their direction in life making gossip and rumor turn into paranoia and fear. These playwrights approach their subjects with their own distinct voice making them very unique experiences for the audience. Yet they will play together in rep beautifully.”
“The Thugs is about fear and how we get so afraid of something that we ignore the stuff that’s right in front of us,” says playwright Adam Bock. “It’s also about the idea that there are people who are disposable…How we treat each other and what passes as civility.”

Profiles’ Artistic Director Joe Jahraus is the director for The Thugs. He was also the director of Profiles’ highly praised Midwest premieres of In a Dark Dark House, Some Girl(s) and Fat Pig all by Neil LaBute as well as the American premiere of Apple by Vern Thiessen and the Midwest Premiere of Profiles’ award-winning hit production of Blackbird by Adam Rapp.

The cast features Profiles ensemble members Somer Benson as Diane and Tyler Gray as Joey. Also featured are Greta Honold, Caroline Dodge Latta, Jasmine McNeely, Bob Pries, Annie Slivinski, and Tori Ulrich.

The designers include Grant Sabin (set), Jessica Harpenau (lights), Kevin O’Donnell (sound), and Darcy Elora Hofer (costumes). The assistant director is Bradley Bartolo and the stage manager is Nya Watkins.

Tickets for The Thugs are $15 for previews (October 25 – October 28); $25 for all regular performances. Tickets are available by phone, (773) 549-1815, or online, www.profilestheatre.org. Performances are Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 4:00 p.m.

The Thugs will run in repertory with Men of Tortuga, which runs October 9 through December 7, 2008. Men of Tortuga plays Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm.
Profiles 20th Anniversary Season also includes the Midwest premiere of Great Falls by Lee Blessing, the U.S. premiere of The Wonderful World of Dissocia by Anthony Neilson and the World premiere of Graceland by Ellen Fairey.

Profiles Theatre is a not-for-profit professional theatre company founded in 1988 by five Eastern Illinois University alumni and has since been continually producing plays. Profiles brings new works to Chicago that illuminate the determination and resiliency of the human spirit. The company produces World, US and Midwest Premieres by new playwrights, as well as established writers whose work has been seen across the country and around the world. Profiles is particularly drawn to playwrights with a unique narrative style and use of language and the company takes pride in carefully selecting scripts that combine integrity with risk. Profiles Theatre is committed to producing plays that tell a story in a captivating way with productions that complement the ensemble and speak to its audience.

FACTS
Title: The Thugs
Playwright: Adam Bock
Directed by: Profiles Artistic Director Joe Jahraus
Featuring: Profiles ensemble members Somer Benson and Tyler Gray along with Greta Honold, Caroline Dodge Latta, Jasmine McNeely, Bob Pries, Annie Slivinski and Tori Ulrich
Dates: Previews: October 25 and 26 at 4:00 p.m. October 27 and 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Press opening: October 29, 2008, at 8:00 p.m.
Regular run: October 29–December 14, 2008
Schedule: Sat, Sun: 4:00 p.m.   Wed:     8:00 p.m.
Location: Profiles Theatre, 4147 N. Broadway
Parking is available for $6-$10 at 4100 N. Clarendon
(One block east of the theatre at the corner of Clarendon and Belle Plaine)
Ticket prices: Regular performances, $25; Preview performances, $15; Students and Senior Citizens receive a $5 discount on all performances; Group rates are available.
Box Office: Buy online at www.profilestheatre.org or call (773) 549-1815

Notes of Interest:

•    Profiles Theatre, founded in 1988, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary Season.

•    The Thugs will run in repertory with Men of Tortuga, which runs October 9 through December 7, 2008.

Biographies
Adam Bock (playwright) won an OBIE for playwriting when THE THUGS premiered at NYC's Soho Rep in 2006 and was named to both of TimeOut NY's Top Ten lists. His most recent play, THE DRUNKEN CITY premiered at Playwrights Horizons in March 2008. Other recent works include THE RECIPTIONIST which had its World premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in October 2007 and FIVE FLIGHTS which played Off-Broadway at Rattlestick Theater in 2004, after a five-month sold-out run at San Francisco's Encore Theater in 2002. The play won the Glickman Award, and was nominated for the American Theater Critics Award, the Elizabeth Osborn Award, and two BATCC Awards. Shotgun Players' production of SWIMMING IN THE SHALLOWS won the 2000 Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Awards for Best Original Script, Best Production, and Best Ensemble. Mr. Bock helped Jack Cummings III develop THE AUDIENCE, nominated for three 2005 Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical. His play THE SHAKER CHAIR, produced by Actors Theater of Louisville in the Humana Festival in 2005, was nominated for the Kesselring Prize. THE TYPOGRAPHER’S DREAM has been produced in New York City and San Francisco, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and in Berkeley in 2006. Mr. Bock is an artistic associate at Shotgun Players and Encore Theater, and is a resident playwright at New Dramatists.

JOE JAHRAUS (Director) is the founder and artistic director of Profiles Theatre. Joe most recently directed Profiles’ Midwest Premiere of IN A DARK DARK HOUSE by Neil LaBute. Prior to that he directed the Midwest Premiere of SOME GIRL(S), by LaBute, the American Premiere of APPLE by Vern Thiessen and the Midwest Premiere of FAT PIG by LaBute, for which he received a Jeff Citation Nomination for Outstanding Director. Joe also directed Profiles’ award-winning Midwest Premiere of BLACKBIRD by Adam Rapp. Other directing credits with Profiles include, BABYLON GARDENS by Timothy Mason, THE WATER ENGINE and SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO by David Mamet, and the award-winning Midwest Premiere of CARNAL KNOWLEDGE by Jules Fieffer, among others.

SOMER BENSON (Diane) was most recently seen in "Coax," part of Profiles' Midwest premiere of THINGS WE SAID TODAY by Neil LaBute. Some of her other favorite productions include PROOF, COLLECTED STORIES, and COME BACK TO THE FIVE AND DIME JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN. She was also the Assistant Director for Profiles' IN A DARK DARK HOUSE by Neil LaBute. Somer is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (CA), studied at Waubonsee Community College with Dr. Maria Bakalis, and Profiles Theatre.

Tyler Gray (Joey) is the newest member of Profiles Theatre. He was seen in "Long Division" as part of Profiles' Midwest premiere of AUTOBAHN by Neil LaBute, which received an After Dark Award for Outstanding Ensemble. Some of his other credits include THE LAST EXODUS OF AMERICAN MEN with Jackalope Theatre, PANDORA with Blue Moon Studio Theater, LANDSCAPE OF THE BODY at The Artistic Home and HANA’S SUITCASE with The Chicago Children's Theater. Tyler is a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago where he appeared in THE PILLOWMAN, SWEET WATER TASTE, THE CHANGELING, INVENTING VAN GOGH, PARADISE LOST, and THE HOUSE OF YES.

Greta Honold (Daphne) is making her Profiles debut. Most recently, she understudied and performed in Collaboraction's HEROES AND VILLAINS. Prior to that, she played Hana in Chicago Children's Theatre's HANA'S SUITCASE and appeared in Sean Graney's production of TOP GIRLS at the University of Chicago, and in Redmoon's outdoor spectacle TWILIGHT ORCHARD. Other recent productions include SKETCHBOOK 6 and 7 at Collaboraction, GREAT EXPECTATIONS and EURYDICE, both at Piven Theatre, and NO PLACE LIKE HOME and Tina Landau's MARIA ARNDT, both at Steppenwolf. Greta has been heard on the radio, reading for WBEZ's STORIES ON STAGE, and seen on TV, in the sitcom WHAT ABOUT JOAN? In June, she graduated from University of Chicago with a BA in Anthropology.

Caroline Dodge Latta (Mercedes) most recently appeared as Blanka in Citadel Theatre’s production of A NERVOUS SMILE. Other favorite roles include Nancy in Albee’s SEASCAPE for City Lit Theater Company, Ursula in VINCENT IN BRIXTON for Journeymen Theater, and the Landlady in Orwell’s 1984 for Theatre Entropy. She is a Distinguished Professor of Theater at Columbia College Chicago where she teaches acting. Directs and co-ordinates the internship program. From 1994-2001 she served as Dean of the College. She is delighted to be a part of Profile Theatre’s production and honored to be a former mentor/teacher of two of its ensemble members Eric Burgher and Tyler Gray.

Jasmine McNeely (Chantal), also affectionately known as Jeezy, is making her debut at Profiles Theatre. She was last seen parodying American Girl Dolls and natural disasters as Rita in the REFUGEE GIRLS REVUE as part of the 2008 New York Fringe Festival. Prior to her NY experience, Jasmine appeared in APOCALYPSE BLAOW ! at Gorilla Tango Theatre. She studied Musical Theater Performance at Columbia College Chicago where she has been seen in WEST SIDE STORY, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, URINETOWN, WOYZECK, and THE MISER. Jasmine is also a choreographer and her work has been featured in PIPPIN and RUTHLESS at Columbia. Other interests include modeling and she is the face for the “Second City Comedy Studies” brochure and Prestige Portraits.

Bob Pries (Bart), making his Profiles debut, is a veteran of more than 50 Chicago area productions and was last seen as Tom Bailey in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE at Porchlight. Recent productions include THE HOUSE THAT SWIFT BUILT with Red Square, SUNSET BOULEVARD with Marriott Lincolnshire, BLACK MILK with European Rep and A WINTER'S TALE with Chicago Shakespeare. He was one of Chicago's orginal NAKED BOYS SINGING at Bailiwick Repertory and his performance as Hucklebee in Pegasus Players' THE FANTASTICKS took him to Egypt and earned him his first Jeff nomination.

Annie Slivinksi (Mary) is working with Profiles Theatre for the first time. She recently appeared as Amanda in THE GLASS MENAGERIE at The Playground Theatre in Oak Park and in the title role of THE LADY FROM DUBUQUE with Infamous Commonwealth where she is a company member. Annie has also acted with Collaboraction, Remy Bumppo, Camenae, and New Leaf theatre companies and directed for Open Door Repertory. She is Co-Advisor of the Student Directing Program at Oak Park and River Forest High School.

Tori Ulrich (Elaine), a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, is making her Profiles debut. She was recently seen as Lorraine in Seanachai Theatre Company's production of WAR. She also appeared in LAUNDRY AND BOURBON with the Oil Lamp theatre as well as in SORDID LIVES, LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR and BAREFOOT IN THE PARK with the Easy Street Players.

Steve McQueen Memorabilia to Be Auctioned in LA 10/25 - 10/25/2008

Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams), the former Mrs. Steve McQueen, will be auctioning memorabilia and personal effects of her late husband, the legendary actor and movie star icon, Steve McQueen, at Bonhams & Butterfields auction, entitled Classic California and the "King of Cool," to be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 25, 2008. In addition to the auction itself, Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams), will also be involved with the 25th Anniversary Love Ride, part of California Bike Week, to be held on Sunday, October 26, 2008, with Jay Leno presiding as Grand Marshal.

Bonhams & Butterfields' annual vintage motorbike, custom car and sports-racing collectibles auction at LA's Petersen Auto Museum – now referred to as the "Classic California" sale -- features a wonderful assemblage of desirable early Steve McQueen memorabilia from the collection of his first wife, Neile McQueen Toffel (aka Neile Adams), as well as property from noted private and institutional collections culled from across the globe. The eagerly anticipated auction takes place in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 25, 2008.

To Steve McQueen fans and motorbike and car collectors, the Bonhams & Butterfields Fall sale is a must-attend event. Each of the last three annual auctions has featured select McQueen-owned and raced motorbikes, cars and collectibles – and each multi-million dollar sale has set world auction records and generated international interest. The Saturday afternoon auction is the traditional kick-off for the Love Ride, the world's largest one-day motorcycle charity fundraiser, celebrating its 25th year on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 -- part of California Bike Week.

For 2008, bidders will vie for Steve McQueen's first racing trophy (an engraved tankard expected to bring $2,000 to $4,000) and other early racing awards. The poster noting McQueen being honored by the Porsche Club of America could bring as much as $2,000, and several firearms used by the inveterate hunter should attract interest. Original signed contracts and documents for Bullitt (1968), Papillion (1973) and other early McQueen movies and productions will be offered along with signed letters and notes written to the McQueens by their famous friends – from Barbra Streisand and Sammy Davis Jr., racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, and fellow thespians Paul Newman, Janet Leigh, Debbie Reynolds and Rock Hudson, to name just a few.

McQueen's Buddha figure gold cufflinks were a gift from the legendary Bob Hope (est. $1,000/2,000) and never-before seen photographs depict the McQueens poolside, at home and on location. The actor's Chinese visa, which displays his passport-sized photo and signature, was carried by McQueen while he filmed Sand Pebbles in 1965 (est. $2/4,000). Additional lots include personal and household items, some of which were featured in select McQueen films.

These desirable Steve McQueen items stem from the collection of Neile McQueen Toffel (known on stage as Neile Adams), McQueen's first wife. Adams, a Broadway performer, met the man who'd become "The King of Cool" while she appeared on Broadway in The Pajama Game in 1956. McQueen was acting on Broadway too and the couple quickly fell in love and wed on November 2, 1956. They relocated to the West Coast and had two children together, a daughter Terry and a son Chad. Adams elected to put her own career on hold (she'd signed with MGM in 1957) to raise their children. The McQueens were one of the "Royal Couples of Hollywood" until their divorce in 1972. In 1986, Adams wrote her best seller My Husband, My Friend (AuthorHouse), re-released in 2006, about her life with Steve McQueen. She has recorded four albums and continues to perform in live cabaret shows in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago. She's performed in early October 2008, at The Metropolitan Room at Gotham in New York City with her autobiographical cabaret show, appropriately titled Something Cool!

Other auction highlights on the block for the "Classic California" sale include vintage advertising signage on tin and modern marketing devices designed with neon lighting. Original artworks depicting famous races and marques will attract collectors, and custom cars and vintage motorbikes will be the focus of competitive bidding throughout the auction.

Last year, in its fifth annual offering, Bonhams & Butterfields sold more than $2.2-million to collectors and motoring aficionados assembled at the Petersen Automotive Museum, with highlights including McQueen motorbikes, Von Dutch memorabilia, a bike from the collection of Clark Gable and several from the Estate of Charles Bronson, among many others.

Additional highlights will be announced soon. For more information, see: www.bonhams.com/us. To learn more about the Love Ride and California Bike Week, go to www.loveride.org. To learn more about Neile Adams and her life with the "King of Cool," go to www.myhusbandmyfriend.com.

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America and in August 2003, Goodmans, a leading Australian fine art and antiques auctioneer with salerooms in Sydney, joined the Bonhams Group of Companies. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further seven throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Boston in the USA; and Switzerland, France, Monaco, Australia, Hong Kong and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com. (01-08) For other press releases, go to www.bonhams.com/press.

HAPPY SUNSHINE KUNG FU FLOWER to Play Last Show on 10/25 - 10/25/2008

HAPPY SUNSHINE KUNG FU FLOWER will play their last show on Saturday October 25th, at 10:30 PM at the Zipper Factory Theater.

Called "Shocking, Engaging, Funny, and Totally Original," by Rachel Maddow (The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC), Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower is written/produced by Matthew-Lee Erlbach (Important Things with Demetri Martin, Comedy Central 2009), and has been featured by the NY Post, TONY, Village Voice, and NY Press. Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower is a multimedia socio-political satire centering on a group of outsourced Japanese Ninjas hired by China to infiltrate the American Psyche by taking on roles in the Media, Pop Culture, and Politics.

Now at The Zipper Factory, HSKFF began at Lotus and later moved to Comix and Ars Nova, gaining recognition and a cult following in NYC for integrating political pundits, celebrities, journalists, and music from the NYC underground scene into its raw comedy format. Past guests have included Amy Goodman, Mo Rocca, Rachel Maddow, Paul Rieckhoff, Lizz Winstead, Willie Geist, Hunter Bell, Michael Musto, and Rachel Sklar, among others. Sponsored by The Onion.

Happy Sunshine Kung Fu Flower is directed by Darren Katz (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), with music supervision by Ian Wehrle, and features writing and performances by Lynn Andrews (Annie), Tarik Davis (Boom Chicago), Brooke Ishibashi, and Matthew-Lee Erlbach. Kelli Jo Claxton serves as production manager/associate producer; Wendy Harris as general manager/associate producer; Mike Barczys is lighting designer; and Jeff Ashworth (Comix) and Heath Calvert (Huffiington Post) as contributing writers.

For tickets call 212.352.3101 or visit www.thezipperfactory.com. The Zipper Factory is located in Manhattan at 336 W 37th Street. For more information, go to www.kungfuflower.com

Broadway Advent Church to Present Revial of Johnson's GOD'S TROMBONES - 10/25/2008

NSMT's Academy Performance Ensemble Performs HALLOWEEN TOWN 10/25 - 10/25/2008

North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) has introduced the 2008 Academy Performance Ensemble. Under the artistic direction of NSMT's award-winning education program, these singers and dancers from Boston's North Shore ages 14 to 18 perform a wide range of selections from classic and contemporary musical theater to entertain audiences while gaining valuable real-life performance experience.

The Academy Performance Ensemble's first appearance will be at Boston Medical Center's "Halloween Town" at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston on Saturday, Oct. 25. This family friendly event will include kids' performers, pumpkin decorating, sing alongs, trick or treating, and more. The Academy Performance Ensemble will perform a selection of popular songs and teach audiences the "What Time Is It?" dance from North Shore Music Theatre's upcoming holiday season musical, Disney High School Musical 2 on stage December 18 through January 11, 2009 (tickets are on sale now).

"These kids have worked really hard to prepare a broad selection of song and dance numbers, and we are all extremely excited about their debut at Halloween Town," said Myvonwyn Hopton, Director of Dance at North Shore Music Theatre. "Whether or not they pursue performing arts in the future, the experience and self confidence they gain now will stay with them for a lifetime."

NSMT's Academy Performance Ensemble, formerly known as the NSMT Youth Choir, has appeared with the North Shore Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Red Cross Community Heroes Celebration, and at other community events around the North Shore. For more information, or to consider NSMT's Academy Performance Ensemble for your event, please call 978.232.7205 or visit www.nsmt.org.

Presented by iParty, the fourth annual Halloween Town on Oct. 25 and 26 at the Seaport World Trade Center benefits the Kids Fund at Boston Medical Center. For more information please visit: halloweentownboston.com.

Operating since 1955, NSMT has evolved into the largest non-profit producing theater in New England, with approximately 300,000 patrons annually. NSMT has gained a national and regional reputation for artistic achievement, specifically in the areas of developing new works and providing outstanding theater arts and education programs. NSMT has received numerous industry awards including The Elliot Norton Award, The Rosetta Le Noire Award from Actors' Equity, and The Moss Hart Award. NSMT annually produces a six musical subscription series and an acclaimed concert series. With its celebrated Theatre for Young Audiences program, a school touring program, and year-round classes for children, NSMT has become one of the region's leading providers of theater arts and education.

PHOTO: Academy Performance Ensemble members include: Front row (left to right): Sarah Cammarata of Lynnfield, Rachael Barthelmes of Beverly, Futaba Shioda of Burlington, Rachel Rikeman of Newburyport and Molly Grant of Boxford. Back row (l to r): Olivia Miller of Melrose, Alex Newell of Lynn, Kristina Kastrinelis of Boxford, Cassandra Balzarini of Rockport, Connor Doherty of Beverly, Connor Prickett of Lynnfield, Margaret Stanton of Rockport, Benjamin Raffalli of North Andover, Brendan Leonard of Rowley and DJ Plunkett of Lynn. Not pictured: Christian Doyle of Newburyport. Photo courtest NSMT.

North Shore Music Theatre is located at 62 Dunham Rd, Beverly, MA 01915. For more information, visit http://www.nsmt.org.

Joe's Pub Presents BOO-LESQUE WITH ZOMBIE RALPH 10/25 - 10/25/2008

BOO-LESQUE WITH ZOMBIE RALPH is a rampant revue of vamping vampires, Transylvanian trannies and gorgeous go-go-ghouls, presented by your Master of Scare-a-Moanies, Zombie Ralph. (Bradford Scobie, Doctor Donut of Shortbus, Moisty of Moisty the Snowman, Pilgrim William of Turkey Day with Pilgrim William). The show will be performed on October 25, 2008 at 11:30pm.

From press notes: "Hula-hoopin', strippin' witch, Miss Saturn, will have you spellbound! Stripper corpse, Tigger-mortis, will make you stiff! Magnificent mutant, Rose Wood, will freak you out! Stripper from the Black Lagoon, Doctor Lukki, will do a fin dance! Sugary sweety, Bunny Love, will give you a rush! Dancing dead baby, Bambi Cornstar, just might make you spit up! Plus: Baltimore's Acrobatic Burlesque Duo Trixie Little & the Evil Hate Monkey will raise the Bride of Monkeystein from the dead! She's Aliiive!"

Tickets are $15. For tickets, click here.

Joe's Pub is located at 425 Lafayette Street in New York. For more information, visit http://www.joespub.com or call 212-539-8777.

Joe's Pub Presents THE BREITHAUPT BROTHERS 10/25 - 10/25/2008

Don and Jeff Breithaupt, the composer and lyricist (respectively) that comprise the Breithaupt Brothers, bring their ever-evolving songbook back to Joe's Pub on October 27, 2008, at 7pm for another all-star revue, featuring a bumper crop of new songs and favorites, as well as a sampling of songs from Seeing Stars, their "boxing musical," an old-school romantic comedy set in Depression-era New York. As songwriters, the Breithaupt Brothers take their cue from the Great American Songbook era, but bring a contemporary energy and outlook to the material that makes their romantic, wry, sophisticated originals seem entirely fresh. The Toronto Star wrote, "In the world of fraternal songwriting teams, America may have had the Gershwins - George and Ira - but Canada's got the Breithaupts." The show features Kate McGarry, Greg Naughton and more.

Tickets are $25. Tickets can be purchased here.

Joe's Pub is located at 425 Lafayette Street in New York. For more information, visit http://www.joespub.com or call 212-539-8777.

HERE Arts Center to Throw Street Fair in Honor of 15th Anniversary 10/25 - 10/25/2008

Since 1993, the OBIE-winning HERE Arts Center has been a premier arts organization in NYC and a leader in the field of new, hybrid performance work. October 2008 marks HERE’s 15th Anniversary, and in celebration of that landmark date, HERE is throwing a Street Fair for its neighborhood, its audience, its friends, family and supporters. For three hours on a Saturday afternoon, HERE will present a series of 15 theatre, dance, puppetry, street spectacle, food artistry, music and children’s events, both on Dominick Street and inside its newly renovated space. These events include Trey Lyford and Geoff Sobelle reprising an excerpt from their HERE hit All Wear Bowlers, Vicky Virgin and company doing an excerpt from her “Salt Ballet”, Adam Matta doing bicycle painting on the street, Vampire Cowboys staging a fight, Lisa Levy offering bipartisan psychotherapy sessions, and music by the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, among others. In addition, food by working artists will be served, including Annie Lanzillotto and Treats Truck, and face painting and other activities for kids will be featured. The event is free.

HERE proudly supports artists at all stages in their careers through full productions, artist residency programs, festivals and subsidized performance and rehearsal space. Work at HERE is curated based on the strength and uniqueness of the artist’s vision. HERE’s Artist Residency Program (HARP) provides development, commissions and full production for up to 20 artists over one-to-three years. Under leadership of Founding Artistic Director Kristin Marting and Producing Director Kim Whitener, HERE has served over 12,100 emerging to mid-career artists developing work that does not fit a conventional programming agenda. Work presented at HERE has garnered 13 OBIE awards, an OBIE grant for artistic achievement, three Drama Desk nominations, two Berrilla Kerr Awards, three NY Innovative Theatre Awards, an Edwin Booth Award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

In 2005, with the support of the FJC, a foundation of donor advised funds, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the City of New York, HERE Arts Center purchased its long- time home as part of a five-year “Secure HERE’s Future” campaign. With full-scale renovations to the space concluding last June, thanks to generous support from the City of New York, HERE is poised to continue and expand its role as a downtown haven for the finest emerging art. Offering a comfortable, eclectic setting for artists and audiences alike, HERE features a new and improved café/gallery and two state-of-the-art performance spaces.

'War of the Worlds' and 'The Lost World' To Play at Brooklyn College Starting 10/26 - 10/26/2008

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College opens its 2008-2009 season with a sci-fi double bill, War of the Worlds and The Lost World, presented by America’s premiere radio theatre company, L.A. Theatre Works, on Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 3pm. This performance is the first in Brooklyn Center’s Theater series.

War of the Worlds and The Lost World will be directed by John de Lancie (Q on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”). The cast includes Josh Clark (Broadway: Execution of Justice, The Man Who Came to Dinner. Off-Broadway: Roundabout, MTC, American Place Theater. Television: Lieutenant Joe Carey on “Star Trek: Voyager,” “Heroes,” “Numb3rs”); Kyle Colerider-Krugh (Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, “Numb3rs,” “Without A Trace,” “ER”); Jen Dede (“Entourage,” “E.R.,” “Gilmore Girls”); Jerry Hardin (Deep Throat from “The X Files,” “Star Trek: Voyager”, ”Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Quantum Leap”); Peter McDonald (“E.R.,” “Becker,” “Beverly Hills 90210”); and Kenneth Alan Williams (seven productions with L.A. Theatre Works, “Passions,” “Will & Grace,” “E.R.,” “Chicago Hope.”)

War of the Worlds was originally performed on October 30, 1938 by Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre of the Air as a live 60-minute radio broadcast that reported an “eyewitness report” of an invasion from Mars. It used an updated adaptation of H.G. Wells’ original 1898 novel, authored by one of Welles’ writers, Howard Koch, who changed the time and location from Victorian England to a small town on the East Coast of the United States in 1938, making the story more personal for listeners. Although repeated announcements were made emphasizing the fictional nature of the story, it was taken as fact by thousands of Americans, causing widespread panic. According to The New York Times the broadcast “disrupted households, interrupted religious services, created traffic jams and clogged communication systems… at least a score of adults required medical treatment for shock and hysteria.”

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel The Lost World follows the exploits of Professor Challenger, who leads a scientific expedition deep into the Amazon jungle, claiming that prehistoric animals still exist. Cut off from the outside world on a primeval plateau, the fearless explorers discover a place where dinosaurs have evolved beside ape-men and the fate of the human race hangs in the balance.

About L.A. Theatre Works

Under the leadership of Producing Director, Susan Albert Loewenberg, L.A. Theatre Works (LATW) has been the foremost radio theater company in the United States for two decades. Broadcast in America on NPR and XM Satellite Radio, internationally on the BBC, CBC, Voice of America and many other English language networks, LATW has single-handedly brought the finest recorded dramatic literature into the homes of millions. Works by Eugene O’Neill, David Henry Hwang, Athol Fugard, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, David Mamet, Charlayne Woodard, Arthur Miller, and others have been performed and recorded by LATW with casts of the most critically acclaimed film and stage actors. LATW’s Audio Theatre Collection includes more than 400 classics and is available in over 8,000 libraries. LATW has received awards from the Audio Publishers Association, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Publisher’s Weekly, Writer's Guild of America, American Library Association, Grammy Awards and many others. For more information on these programs, LATW’s Audio Theatre Collection, national radio broadcast information and other exciting projects, visit www.latw.org.

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts

Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn’s diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center’s presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving schoolchildren from over 225 schools annually

'Caroline , or Change' - 10/26/2008

COURT’S CHICAGO PREMIERE PRODUCTION OF CAROLINE, OR CHANGE

REACHES RECORD-BREAKING TICKETS SALES

Due to ticket demand, performances have been added through October 26, 2008

Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Dawn Helsing announce the addition of new performances dates for the Chicago Premiere production of Caroline, or Change by Tony Award-winner Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, directed by Charles Newell. The production has been extended through Sunday, October 26, 2008, at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue.

Tickets for the week-long extension are now on sale through the box office, www.courttheatre.org and (773) 7534472. The production must close October 26, 2008.

The coins that 8-year-old Noah carelessly leaves behind in his pockets are more than just spare change to Caroline Thibodeax, an African American housekeeper working in a stifling basement laundry room in Louisiana in 1963. Blending blues, gospel, and traditional Jewish melodies in a breathtaking score, this deeply personal story from Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner (Angels in America) is drawn from the playwright’s own childhood. The vast social change taking place in 1960s America is the perfect backdrop for a powerful story that the New York Times proclaimed “an extraordinary new musical.”

Title: Caroline, or Change

Book

& Lyrics by: Tony Kushner

Music by: Jeanine Tesori

Directed by: Artistic Director Charles Newell

Musical

Direction by: Doug Peck

Featuring: E. Faye Butler as Caroline Thibodeax, Kate Frye, Rob Lindley, Byron Glenn Willis, Micah Dejon Williams, Malcolm Durning, Jacqueline Williams, Harriet Nzinga Plumpp, Jack Mulopulos, Iris Lieberman, Peter Kevoian, Dennis Kelly, Donica Lynn Henderson, Donavan Epison, Barbara Myers, Starr Busby and Melanie Brezill.

Dates: Previews: September 11 – September 19, 2008

Press opening: Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.

Regular run: September 21- October 26, 2008

Schedule: Wednesdays & Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.

Fridays: 8:00 p.m.

Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.

Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $40-$60

Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online www.CourtTheatre.org

'Martian Invasion! Decoding the War of the Worlds' Oct 26-27 - 10/26/2008

Victory Gardens Theater Fresh Squeezed
and
WNYC's Radio Lab

Present

"Martian Invasion!
Decoding the War of the Worlds"

On the eve of the War of the Worlds 70th Anniversary

Sunday, October 26th and Monday, October 27th at 7:30pm
Victory Gardens Biograph Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Avenue Chicago
Tickets: $30
773-871-3000 or victorygardens.org

"Radio Lab is the most innovative show on radio."
-Ira Glass, This American Life

The response to Orson Welles' 1938 national radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, which convinced over one million listeners that Martians were invading a small town in New Jersey, is now legendary: frantic calls to the police, women fainting, and in Seattle (where a purely coincidental blackout took place during the broadcast)
people fleeing town, firearms in hand.

How is it, then, that with the international publicity the broadcast triggered (Hitler had a thing or two to say about it), and its ongoing mystique, subsequent stagings were still able to inspire panic, terror, and mass hysteria over and over again throughout the world?

On the eve of the War of the Worlds 70th Anniversary, RADIO LAB - public radio's award-winning show about wonder, discovery and big ideas - is coming to Chicago to crack the case.

"MARTIAN INVASION! DECODING THE WAR OF THE WORLDS," a special live edition of the cult sensation Radio Lab, will take place at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, on Sunday, October 26 and Monday, October 27 at 7:30 pm. This special event, ideal for getting into the Halloween spirit, is presented as part of Victory Gardens' new Fresh Squeezed series of late night shows, out-of-the-box performances and edgy
social events showcasing fresh talent from Chicago and around the country, targeting younger, culturally adventurous audiences.

RADIO LAB hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich will deconstruct the original broadcast of War of the Worlds and describe what was happening-sociologically and psychologically-at each step. They will also stage a "field report" on the panic induced by the 1949 broadcast of War of the Worlds in Quito, Ecuador - which incited a riot at the radio station in which 15 people were killed. Along the way, Abumrad and Krulwich will hear from eyewitnesses, scientists, and master storytellers to investigate the nature of belief and skepticism, uncovering the neurological differences between those who believed and those who did not.

This innovative blending of old-time radio with Radio Lab's signature cutting-edge audio will be accompanied by the adventurous cellist Zoe Keating.

WHAT: Radio Lab Live! Martian Invasion: Decoding the War of the
Worlds

WHO: Radio Lab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich

WHERE: Victory Gardens Biograph Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago

TICKETS: $30, with a discount for Fresh Squeezed Members.
Or purchase online at http://www.victorygardens.org/radiolab

GETTING
THERE: Discounted parking is available one block south of the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater at Children's Memorial Hospital, and Lincoln Park Hospital two blocks south on Webster, at all times (no overnights). By CTA
train, take the Red, Purple and Brown lines to the Fullerton stop. Walk east on Fullerton to Lincoln, then north 1/2 block to the theater. The #8 Halsted, #11 Lincoln, #37 Sedgwick/Ogden, and #74 Fullerton CTA buses all stop at the corner of Fullerton and Halsted, 1/2 block south of the theater. See transitchicago.com for times and routes.

ABOUT RADIO LAB

Winner of the 2007 National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's Communication Award, Radio Lab explores big ideas and big questions - such as Morality, Deception and Mortality -- through a potent elixir of science, first-person storytelling and innovative radio theatre. Radio Lab is produced by WNYC Radio in New York and is heard on over 150 stations, including WBEZ Chicago Public Radio. Podcasts, a blog, and further
information can be found at www.radiolab.org.

Robert Krulwich

Robert Krulwich has been called "the most inventive network reporter in television" by TV Guide, "the man who makes the dismal science swing" by the Washington Journalism Review, and "the man who simplifies without being simple" by New York Magazine.

In addition to co-hosting WNYC's scientific documentary series Radio Lab, Krulwich is a correspondent for NPR's Science Desk, reporting on the intersections of science and technology with culture, politics and religion. He is also a regular correspondent on the PBS investigative series Frontline where he won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for his coverage of campaign finance in the 1992 presidential campaign, a national Emmy Award for his investigation of privacy on the Internet, "High Stakes in Cyberspace"; and a George Polk Award for an hour on the savings and loan scandal. His ABC special on Barbie, a cultural history of the world-famous doll, also won a national Emmy.

Krulwich anchored a cultural affairs series on PBS (and a simultaneous series on the BBC) called The Edge and has worked for CBS, Pacifica (where he covered the Watergate hearings), ABC's Nightline and World News Tonight, Rolling Stone (as Washington bureau chief), PBS's NOVA scienceNOW and NOW with Bill Moyers. He has also hosted Live at Lincoln Center and appeared on Jay Leno's premiere Tonight Show broadcast. Once a year Krulwich hosts a semi-fictional year-in-review called "Backfire," with friends Jane Curtin, Buck Henry and Tony Hendra.

Jad Abumrad

The son of a scientist and a doctor, Jad Abumrad did most of his growing up in Tennessee, before studying creative writing and music composition at Oberlin College in Ohio. Following graduation, Abumrad wrote music for
films, and reported and produced documentaries for a variety of local and national public radio programs, including On the Media, PRI's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and WNYC's "24 Hours at the Edge of Ground Zero." The Ring & I, an insightful, funny, and lyrical look at the enduring power of Wagner's Ring Cycle which he produced and hosted, aired nationally and internationally and earned ten awards, including the prestigious 2005 National Headliner Grand Award in Radio.

Zoe Keating

Zoe Keating is a classically trained cellist who has explored a wide range of non-classical musical forms, working with modern dance, experimental theater, performance artists and both popular and improvised music. A former
member of the cello-rock trio Rasputina, Zoë has worked with Imogen Heap, Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls, John Vanderslice and DJ Shadow. She appeared on Jay Leno with Scottish singer Paolo Nutini earlier this month.

'Tobacco Road' Now Playing at La Jolla Playhouse Through 10/26 - 10/26/2008

The cast and creative team have been assembled for the gritty, provocative 1930s drama Tobacco Road, which ran on Broadway from December 4, 1933 to May 31,1941, the longest Broadway run ever at the time. Today, 75 years since it opened, it remains the second-longest running drama in Broadway history, second only to Life with Father. It plays September 30 through October 26, 2008 in the Mandell Weiss Forum at La Jolla Playhouse.

Tobacco Road’s savage humor, religiosity and bold sexuality shocked Depression-era audiences and critics alike when it was first dramatized for the stage in 1933 by Jack Kirkland. It was based on Erskine Caldwell’s novel, Tobacco Road, published in 1932.

Rarely performed since then, La Jolla Playhouse’s searing and modern production promises to astound a new generation with its emotionally gripping and glaringly truthful look at humanity. In a ramshackle farm in Georgia during the Great Depression, the Lester family has become squatters on their own land. With no money, fuel or seed, their future on the farm seems hopeless. Unmoved by his wife’s pleas for a new life in the city, his daughter’s misery with her lecherous new husband, or his son’s questionable love affair with a traveling female preacher, stubborn patriarch Jeeter isn’t going anywhere. Their unbearable hunger and desperation causes a shattering endgame, in which a final act of compassion outshines the meanness of their lives.

Director David Schweizer makes his debut at the Playhouse with Tobacco Road, following his long and successful directing career with productions like Horizon, Boys from Syracuse and Wintertime. Schweizer will direct this searing portrait of the darker side of humanity and the perseverance of love, infusing it with resonance for modern audiences.

The cast features: Lucy Ann Albert (Grandma), Catherine Curtin (Sister Bessie), Kate Dalton (Ellie May), Mary Deaton (Pearl), John Fleck (Jeeter Lester), Joel J. Gelman (George Payne), Jan Leslie Harding (Ada Lester), Jesse MacKinnon (Henry Peabody), Chris Reed (Lov Bensey), Sam Rosen (Dude Lester), and Josh Wade (Captain Tim, u/s Dude).

Directed by David Schweizer, Sound Design and Composition by Shahrokh Yadegari, Lighting Design by Christopher Akerlind, Voice and Dialect Coached by Annie Hinton, the Fight Master is George Yé, Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene, Stage Manager is Anjee Nero, and the Assistant Stage Manager is Annette Yé.

“Tobacco Road is no-holds-barred theater that fascinated 1930s audiences in part because it commented on their precarious depression era lifestyle in a provocative and surprising way,” explained Schweizer. “Once again, now, it has intense contemporary relevance, in fact, it couldn’t be more timely given our current economic crises. Yet, there is also something about the play’s portrait of survival and human resourcefulness –scrappy, cunning human resourcefulness in the face of unbearable odds- that I find inspiring.”

La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director, Christopher Ashley, said “Seventy five years after it premiered on Broadway, Tobacco Road remains an incredibly relevant work, one that deserves to be re-discovered by a new generation” said. “I’m thrilled to welcome director David Schweizer to the Playhouse. His incisive and bold vision for the play takes the world of 1930s Georgia sharecroppers and plants it firmly in our modern consciousness.”

Preview performances begin September 30, and Tobacco Road officially opens October 5. It closes October 26, 2008.

The lead sponsor of Tobacco Road is American Express. The Co-sponsor is Northern Trust. Media sponsors include KPBS and Jazz 88.3 FM. La Jolla Playhouse receives support from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE: Tuesdays @ 7:30 pm / Wednesdays @ 7:30 pm / Thursdays @ 8:00 pm / Fridays @ 8:00 pm / Saturdays @ 2:00 pm (no Saturday matinee during first preview week) & 8:00 pm / Sundays @ 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm

Single ticket prices range from $29 to $62. To purchase: call (858) 550-1010 or go online to lajollaplayhouse.org.

This production contains adult content and graphic language.

The nationally acclaimed, Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse is known for its tradition of creating the most exciting and adventurous new work in regional theatre. Led by Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, the Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, and is now considered one of the most well respected not-for-profit theatres in Southern California. During the tenure of Director Emeritus Des McAnuff, numerous Playhouse productions moved to Broadway, including The Farnsworth Invention, Big River, The Who’s Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, A Walk in the Woods, Dracula, Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning I Am My Own Wife, and the currently-running Jersey Boys.

'Tobacco Road' to Close at La Jolla Playhouse 10/26 - 10/26/2008

WICKED DAY 'Pledge to be Green' Scavenger Hunt 10/26 - 10/26/2008

The Los Angeles production of WICKED announced today that as part of the national celebration of WICKED DAY, WICKED fans will be encouraged to commit to a green environment with a wickedly green, wickedly fun Scavenger Hunt through Hollywood on Sunday, October 26. WICKED DAY is celebrated around the world in the cities where the hit musical is performing.

This year WICKED is doing something for good for Hollywood and the community is invited to be part of it. WICKED is sponsoring a "Pledge to be Green" Wicked Day Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, Oct. 26 starting at Selma Park, where fans of the Tony-award-winning musical will embark on a thrillifying Scavenger Hunt through Hollywood. WICKED fans will receive a scavenger hunt map (that looks surprisingly like the map of Emerald City) loaded with clues and "green" tips, as well as an opportunity to enter into a raffle for tickets to a future performance of WICKED. The hunters will then embark on a Wickified journey to find strategically placed "Witches", each bearing a coveted green sticker needed in the quest to complete the hunt. As part of their pledge to be green, the hunters will greenify a street in Hollywood along the way. The hunt, which takes approximately one hour to complete, will be filled with Ozmopolitan surprises at every twist and turn!

The Wicked Day Scavenger Hunt is being presented with the assistance of the Hollywood Entertainment District and their CleanStreet team.

Ozians and the general public are all invited to put on their walking shoes, apply sunscreen, and gather their teams to embark on the Wicked Day Scavenger Hunt. Registration is from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at Selma Park, located on the corner of Selma Avenue and Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood. There is metered street parking (which is free on Sunday) in the area, as well as several parking lots on Schrader with a rate of up to $10. For more information visit: http://www.wickedday.com/events-la.html

About the Hollywood Entertainment District

The Hollywood Entertainment District is a five-year, property-based business improvement district that spans Hollywood Boulevard, from La Brea Avenue on the west to Gower Street on the east. The current BID consists of 200 property owners who are assessed $2.5 million annually to pay for security, maintenance services and marketing activities to promote the revitalization of the area. Major landmarks in the HED include Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Musso & Frank Grill, the Hollywood & Highland Center, the El Capitan Theatre, Capitol Records and the Pantages Theatre. For more information about the BID, visit http://www.hollywoodbid.org.

About WICKED

"Wicked" is the winner of 20 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards and has been called, "one of the most successful shows in Broadway history" by The New York Times. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.

WICKED tells untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

WICKED is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. WICKED can currently be seen in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre, New York, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Stuttgart, and in a North American Touring Production.

Tickets for WICKED are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com/wicked, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office (opens daily at 10am), 6233 Hollywood Blvd., or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

Village Players Performing Arts Center Presents DRACULA! - 10/26/2008

Village Players Performing Arts Center Presents:

DRACULA

A One-Woman Performance of the Classic Story

A one-of-a-kind Halloween event –hear the story of Dracula told like you've never heard it before!

Village Players Performing Arts Center offers an eclectic mix of entertainment that empowers and inspires while exploring the human condition.

'Wicked' Goes Green in Los Angeles 10/26 - 10/26/2008

The Los Angeles production of ‘Wicked’ announced today that as part of the national celebration of Wicked Day, ‘Wicked’ fans will be encouraged to commit to a green environment with a Wickedly green, Wickedly fun Scavenger Hunt through Hollywood on Sunday, October 26. ‘Wicked’ Day is celebrated around the world in the cities where the hit musical is performing.

This year ‘Wicked’ is doing something for good for Hollywood and the community is invited to be part of it. ‘Wicked’ is sponsoring a "Pledge to be Green" ‘Wicked’ Day Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, Oct. 26 starting at Selma Park, where fans of the Tony Award-winning musical will embark on a Scavenger Hunt through Hollywood. ‘Wicked’ fans will receive a scavenger hunt map (that looks surprisingly like the map of Emerald City) loaded with clues and "green" tips, as well as an opportunity to enter into a raffle for tickets to a future performance of ‘Wicked’. The hunters will then embark on a journey to find strategically placed "Witches", each bearing a coveted green sticker needed in the quest to complete the hunt. As part of their pledge to be green, the hunters will greenify a street in Hollywood along the way. The hunt, which takes approximately one hour to complete, will be filled with Ozmopolitan surprises at every twist and turn.

The ‘Wicked’ Day Scavenger Hunt is being presented with the assistance of the Hollywood Entertainment District and their CleanStreet team.

Ozians and the general public are all invited to put on their walking shoes, apply sunscreen, and gather their teams to embark on the ‘Wicked’ Day Scavenger Hunt. Registration is from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at Selma Park, located on the corner of Selma Avenue and Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood. There is metered street parking (which is free on Sunday) in the area, as well as several parking lots on Schrader with a rate of up to $10. For more information visit: http://www.wickedday.com/events-la.html

About the Hollywood Entertainment District

The Hollywood Entertainment District is a five-year, property-based business improvement district that spans Hollywood Boulevard, from La Brea Avenue on the west to Gower Street on the east. The current BID consists of 200 property owners who are assessed $2.5 million annually to pay for security, maintenance services and marketing activities to promote the revitalization of the area. Major landmarks in the HED include Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Musso & Frank Grill, the Hollywood & Highland Center, the El Capitan Theatre, Capitol Records and the Pantages Theatre. For more information about the BID, visit http://www.hollywoodbid.org.

About ‘Wicked’

‘Wicked’ is the winner of 20 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards and has been called, "one of the most successful shows in Broadway history" by The New York Times. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, ‘Wicked’ has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.

‘Wicked’ tells untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. ‘Wicked’ tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the ‘Wicked’ Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

‘Wicked’ is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. ‘Wicked’ can currently be seen in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre, New York, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Stuttgart, and in a North American Touring Production.

Tickets for ‘Wicked’ are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com/Wicked, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office (opens daily at 10am), 6233 Hollywood Blvd., or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

'Wicked' Goes Green in Los Angeles 10/26 - 10/26/2008

The Los Angeles production of ‘Wicked’ announced today that as part of the national celebration of Wicked Day, ‘Wicked’ fans will be encouraged to commit to a green environment with a Wickedly green, Wickedly fun Scavenger Hunt through Hollywood on Sunday, October 26. Wicked Day is celebrated around the world in the cities where the hit musical is performing.

This year ‘Wicked’ is doing something for good for Hollywood and the community is invited to be part of it. ‘Wicked’ is sponsoring a "Pledge to be Green" Wicked Day Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, Oct. 26 starting at Selma Park, where fans of the Tony Award-winning musical will embark on a Scavenger Hunt through Hollywood. ‘Wicked’ fans will receive a scavenger hunt map (that looks surprisingly like the map of Emerald City) loaded with clues and "green" tips, as well as an opportunity to enter into a raffle for tickets to a future performance of ‘Wicked’. The hunters will then embark on a journey to find strategically placed "Witches", each bearing a coveted green sticker needed in the quest to complete the hunt. As part of their pledge to be green, the hunters will greenify a street in Hollywood along the way. The hunt, which takes approximately one hour to complete, will be filled with Ozmopolitan surprises at every twist and turn.

The Wicked Day Scavenger Hunt is being presented with the assistance of the Hollywood Entertainment District and their CleanStreet team.

Ozians and the general public are all invited to put on their walking shoes, apply sunscreen, and gather their teams to embark on the Wicked Day Scavenger Hunt. Registration is from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. at Selma Park, located on the corner of Selma Avenue and Schrader Boulevard in Hollywood. There is metered street parking (which is free on Sunday) in the area, as well as several parking lots on Schrader with a rate of up to $10. For more information visit: http://www.wickedday.com/events-la.html

About the Hollywood Entertainment District

The Hollywood Entertainment District is a five-year, property-based business improvement district that spans Hollywood Boulevard, from La Brea Avenue on the west to Gower Street on the east. The current BID consists of 200 property owners who are assessed $2.5 million annually to pay for security, maintenance services and marketing activities to promote the revitalization of the area. Major landmarks in the HED include Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Musso & Frank Grill, the Hollywood & Highland Center, the El Capitan Theatre, Capitol Records and the Pantages Theatre. For more information about the BID, visit http://www.hollywoodbid.org.

About ‘Wicked’

‘Wicked’ is the winner of 20 major awards including the Grammy Award and three Tony Awards and has been called, "one of the most successful shows in Broadway history" by The New York Times. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, ‘Wicked’ has music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento.

‘Wicked’ tells untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. ‘Wicked’ tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.

‘Wicked’ is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. ‘Wicked’ can currently be seen in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre, New York, Chicago, London, Melbourne, Tokyo, Stuttgart, and in a North American Touring Production.

Tickets for ‘Wicked’ are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com/Wicked or by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, in person at the Pantages Theatre Box Office (opens daily at 10am), 6233 Hollywood Blvd., or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

'Thyestes Feast' World Premiere in LA 10/26 - 10/26/2008

Thyestes' Feast, a new Greek tragedy based on fragments of lost plays written and directed by Peter Wing Healey, will have its world premiere when it opens at the Whitmore-Lindley Theater Center in Los Angeles on October 26, 2008.

Thyestes' Feast is co-directed by Russell Ellison, with costumes by Karolyn Kiisel and sets by Tanya Kovaleski. Described as "Project Runway meets Oedipus Rex," Thyestes' Feast is an Elizabethan/Mycenaen/Kabuki fantasy filled with wit, humor and emotion as one of the great lost plays of Antiquity.

Peter Wing Healey, dancer, actor, writer, choreographer, director, known for his portrayal of female characters, will be featured in his new play, THYESTES' FEAST, based on fragments of lost Greek plays set in a high fashion version of the culture of ancient Mycenae. Mr. Wing Healey is known especially for the role of Mrs. Stahlbaum in Mark Morris's ballet "The Hard Nut" as seen on Great Performances on PBS and on Ovation TV. Octavio Roca of the San Francisco Chronicle called Wing Healey "a cross between the dance goddess Isadora and the late movie star Divine."

Wing Healey says, "I stumbled on the fact that Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles had all written trilogies on the subject. But all their full plays are lost. However, enough pieces of the original plot have survived to recreate the story." Mr. Wing Healey decided to write his own version of the play. "Of course, there is shrapnel; fragments of whatever was in my brain: a recipe for chicken stew, a bit of Levi-Strauss, some Game Theory, old Hollywood movies, the situation in this country, etc. etc.."

However, myth lovers of every stripe may rest assured that the play contains a faithful account of the original story.

SYNOPSIS: Atreus is king. His wife Aerope betrays him, becoming lovers with, and giving the throne, which is in her power to give, to his younger brother Thyestes. Thyestes, generous, benevolent ruler, beloved of the people, is ousted when his predilection for seducing the young virgins of the court comes to light. He and Aerope are exiled in the forest for ten years. When they return the people are anxious to forgive and reinstate them. Atreus must think of a way to get rid of them. He murders Thyestes' two sons and has them cooked into a stew. Aerope takes poison and dies. When Thyestes eats he is doomed to perpetual banishment. He calls down a curse on the House of Atreus. When the Sun sees what Atreus has done She retreats, furious, plunging the Earth into darkness.

The Golden Ram and The Sun will be played by former New York City Ballet dancer, Bridgette Trahan. Atreus will be played by Michael Serrato, recently of the Groundlings and Big Gay Sketch Show directed by Rosie O'Donnell, alternating with Clint Steinhauser, a member of Rachel Rosenthal's Fauve Conspiracy. Mr. Wing Healey will play the tormented Queen Aerope. Rounding out the cast will be Pat Lach, a veteran Los Angeles actress, Nathalie Broizat also of Fauve Conspiracy, Bruce Andersen of The Invisible Theater, David Anthony Hernandez, Robert Long and Michael Griffith.

When: Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 7, opens Sunday, October 26 and runs through November 30, 2008
Where: Whitmore-Lindley Theater Center, 11006 Magnolia near corner of Magnolia and Vineland, North Hollywood. Los Angeles
Running Time: 2 hours plus 15 minute intermission, light refreshments available
Parking: Free, street
Price: $20 at the door or $22.50 if charged in advance
Tickets: charge or reserve at 323 960 7745 or www.plays411.com/feast
Web: www.mesopotamianopera.org

COMPANY HISTORY: Peter Wing Healey, performer, librettist, choreographer, director and founder of The Mesopotamian Opera Company, Inc., whose original operas have been presented in New York at P.S. 122, The Judson Church, The Vineyard Theater, The Middle Collegiate Church, The R.A.P.P. Arts Center, H.E.R.E., The Greenwich House and Alice Tully Hall, LATC, Highways and The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock in northeast Los Angeles. Mr. Wing Healey has lived and worked in Los Angeles since 1996. He has a long association with The Mark Morris Dance Group both as a performer and as rehearsal director. He worked as a soloist in The Hard Nut, as rehearsal director on The White Oak Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov and has been balletmaster on the John Adams/Peter Sellars opera Nixon in China. In Los Angeles he has danced original works at The Getty Center, 2100 Square Feet, U.C.L.A., L.A.T.C. and Highways. He has received support for his work from American Opera Projects, TWEED Productions, The Gilman Foundation, The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, The Department of Cultural Affairs of the city of Los Angeles, The Jim and Elaine Marcus Foundation and The Noah Wyle Foundation. 1n 2006 he received the coveted James Irvine Foundation New Connections Grant of $25,000 for his urbanist opera, The Tree.

'Thyestes Feast' World Premiere in LA 10/26 - 10/26/2008

London's 'Wicked' Celebrates 2nd Anniversary - 10/26/2008

Wicked at the Apollo Victoria in London celebrated its second anniversary on Saturday, September 27, with the cast and crew thanking the fans for two years of support. The cast is also preparing for their annual charity fundraising day. Wicked Day 2008 will be on Sunday, October 26, with events scheduled across eight cities around the globe designed to raise money for good causes. In London, fans have already been invited to participate in "Positively Emerald Hat Competition" to get Wicked Day going before the event in an effort to raise money for Thrive, a charity that provides practical therapy for disabled and handicapped people by giving them an opportunity to exercise their green thumbs and do some gardening in and around the city. For Wicked Day on OCtober 26, everyone is invited to go to the Lindley Hall at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Vincent Square, London (SW1P 2PE) from noon to 6pm to join in the family-friendly festivities, which will include contests, face-painting, workshops, costumes and performances.

In conjunction with Wicked Day, the Positively Emerald Hat Competition invites everyone to make a hat that any citizen of the Emerald City would be proud to wear. The winner will receive a meal for four at London’s Hard Rock Café, four tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and the opportunity to meet members of the cast on stage after the show. To enter, take a photo of yourself of a fellow Ozian wearing your hat and upload it to the Wicked site. All the hats entered into the Positively Emerald competition will be displayed on the Positively Emerald gallery. During the week leading up to Wicked Day, members of the cast will view all the entries in the gallery and the most popular 10 finalists will be announced. These 10 finalists will be invited to bring their hats to Wicked Day for members of the cast to pronounce which hat is the most "Positively Emerald."

For more information about Wicked Day, visit: http://www.wickedday.co.uk.

To enter the Positively Emerald Hat Competition, visit: http://www.wickedday.co.uk/competitions.asp.

To chat about Wicked Day 2008 on the Official Fan Forum, visit: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/community/leisure/articles/0,,598817_705003,00.html.

For tickets to Wicked at the Apollo Theatre in London, visit: http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/ticketsandvenue.asp.

Fans Invited to Participate in London's 'Wicked' Day 2008 - 10/26/2008

After celebrating the 2nd anniversary of Wicked at the Apollo Victoria in London on Saturday, September 27, the cast and crew started preparing for their annual charity fundraising day. Wicked Day 2008 will be on Sunday, October 26, with events scheduled across eight cities around the globe designed to raise money for good causes. In London, fans have already been invited to participate in "Positively Emerald Hat Competition" to get Wicked Day going before the event in an effort to raise money for Thrive, a charity that provides practical therapy for disabled and handicapped people by giving them an opportunity to exercise their green thumbs and do some gardening in and around the city. For Wicked Day on OCtober 26, everyone is invited to go to the Lindley Hall at the Royal Horticultural Halls in Vincent Square, London (SW1P 2PE) from noon to 6pm to join in the family-friendly festivities, which will include contests, face-painting, workshops, costumes and performances.

In conjunction with Wicked Day, the Positively Emerald Hat Competition invites everyone to make a hat that any citizen of the Emerald City would be proud to wear. The winner will receive a meal for four at London’s Hard Rock Café, four tickets to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and the opportunity to meet members of the cast on stage after the show. To enter, take a photo of yourself of a fellow Ozian wearing your hat and upload it to the Wicked site. All the hats entered into the Positively Emerald competition will be displayed on the Positively Emerald gallery. During the week leading up to Wicked Day, members of the cast will view all the entries in the gallery and the most popular 10 finalists will be announced. These 10 finalists will be invited to bring their hats to Wicked Day for members of the cast to pronounce which hat is the most "Positively Emerald."

For more information about Wicked Day, visit: http://www.wickedday.co.uk.

To enter the Positively Emerald Hat Competition, visit: http://www.wickedday.co.uk/competitions.asp.

To chat about Wicked Day 2008 on the Official Fan Forum, visit: http://www.ivillage.co.uk/newspol/community/leisure/articles/0,,598817_705003,00.html.

For tickets to Wicked at the Apollo Theatre in London, visit: http://www.wickedthemusical.co.uk/ticketsandvenue.asp.

Fans Invited to Participate in London's 'Wicked' Day 2008 - 10/26/2008

Upright Cabaret Presents A SOLO ACT at Mark's Restaurant 10/26 - 10/26/2008

Adam Pascale Performs BROADWAY STATE OF MIND at Feinstein's 10/26 and 10/27 - 10/26/2008

FEINSTEIN’S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed “Best of New York” by New York Magazine and “an invaluable New York institution” by The New York Post, will continue their 10th Anniversary season with the return of award-winning star of Broadway's Rent and Aida, Adam Pascal. After two sold-out shows in the spring, Pascal will reprise his show “Broadway State of Mind” on October 26 and 27 at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

“Broadway State of Mind” explores the connection between the rock-oriented music that influenced Pascal during his youth and theatrical material that helped launch his career. The evening of music runs the gamut of popular song from such classic and modern musical theater tunes as Kander and Ebb’s “Maybe This Time” and “One Song, Glory” from Rent to Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” and other songs by artists such as Elton John, Pink Floyd and the Beatles. Pascal will also sing excerpts from his recent CD with Larry Edoff, Blinding Light. “I make a connection between the type of music I grew up listening to and the musical theater stuff that I find so appealing. The line between the two is the concept behind that show,” says Pascal.

Adam Pascal made his Broadway debut playing the HIV-positive rock guitarist “Roger” in the ground-breaking new musical, Rent. His performance in Rent was called “the golden-voiced, meditative soul” of the show and earned him a Tony nomination, a Theater World award, and an Obie Award. He went on to originate the role of “Radames” in the Elton John and Tim Rice musical Aida and play “Emcee” in the final Broadway performances of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret. Eventually, he ventured into the world of film to appear in SLC Punk, School of Rock, Temptation and reprised his role in the film version of Rent, directed by Chris Columbus. In 2000 Pascal returned to his rock roots with a solo recording contract on Sh-K-Boom Records. He released two solo rock albums, Model Prisoner – for which he wrote 10 of the album’s 12 songs – followed by Civilian, inspired by his children and the effects 9/11 had on his family and the world. In 2006, he formed the band, "Me and Larry" with fellow musician Larry Edoff. The two musicians began composing and performing original material and reworked Broadway songs in small venues throughout the US which led to Pascal winning the 2007-2008 Golden Icon Award for Best Small Venue Concert. The band's first CD, Blinding Light, was released in May 2008 on Pascal's own label.

FEINSTEIN’S AT THE REGENCY will play Sunday, October 26 and Monday, October 27 at 8:30 PM. Both shows have a $40 cover and $30 food and beverage minimum. Jackets are suggested, but not required. FEINSTEIN’S AT THE REGENCY is located at 540 Park Avenue at 61st Street in New York City. For ticket reservations and club information, please call (212) 339-4095 or visit us online at feinsteinsatloewsregency.com and TicketWeb.com.

John Jay College To Present DAHLIA For Three Performances Only - 10/26/2008

Esham and Sloan to Perform CHRIS AND GAVIN'S BROADWAY CAMPAIGN '08 10/26 - 10/26/2008

Gavin Esham and Christopher Sloan perform their original comic cabaret on October 26, 2008 9:30 PM at the famous Duplex Cabaret Theater entitled Chris and Gavin’s Broadway Campaign ’08: In Your Heart, You Know Their Right. Reforming Broadway, Maverick Style! Their show is a humorous take on politics, elections, and campaign issues, as seen by two unknown actors who decide the only way to get on Broadway is to nominate themselves. Set at a political convention that they are throwing for themselves, Chris and Gavin show how far people will go to get their Broadway dream. Reservations are preferred and can be made at www.the duplex.com Cover is $10 with a two drink minimum.

Christopher Sloan: Off Broadway: Joy, The Play About The Naked Guy. Other NYC Credits: All Shook Up (Pre-Broadway), Richard Rodgers Broadway. National Tours: Cabaret (Emcee), The Wizard of Oz, and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Recent TV: As The World Turns and Night of Too Many Stars (Gay Stephen Colbert) on Comedy Central.

Gavin Esham: Off Broadway: A Kiss From Alexander, Naked Boys Singing, Joy, Primrose, All is Love, Dreams This Way, The Normal Heart. International Tour: Title Role in Jesus Christ Superstar. Other Credits include Tommy (Bay Street), Cats, The Full Monty, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change.

Tune Honored at 'On Broadway' Benefit Hosted By Lansbury 10/27 - 10/27/2008

Rolex presents "ON BROADWAY! A Glittering Salute To The American Musical"- Career Transition For Dancers', 23rd Anniversary Jubilee on Monday, October 27 at 7pm at New York City Center, 131 West 55 Street (bet. 7 & 6 Aves).� Two of the honorees for the Gala are Brian Heidtke and Tommy Tune.� Multi award-winning actress Angela Lansbury will host the Gala, which will be followed by an Anniversary Supper with the Stars at Hilton New York's Grand Ballroom.� "ON BROADWAY! A Glittering Salute to the American Musical", is a glorious historical journey inside the Broadway musical seen through the eyes of legendary choreographers. The Gala will be the entertainment-dance event of the new season; accompanied by the Jubilee Orchestra with appearances by dance companies, dancers, stars and many surprises.� It is produced and directed by Ann Marie DeAngelo.

"We are pleased to present the Rolex Dance Award to Tommy Tune, the most illustrious choreographer, dancer, singer and director of our time. This winner of nine Tony Awards and The National Medal of Arts is not only dedicated to the art of dance, but also to supporting the mission of Career Transition For Dancers. We are pleased to celebrate his legendary career and many contributions to the world of dance," said Allen Brill, President and CEO of Rolex Watch USA.

Tommy Tune is the recipient of an unprecedented nine Tony Awards in 4 different categories plus, among other accolades, 8 Drama Desk Awards, 2 Obie Awards, 2 Astaire Awards, American Dance Award, Drama League Award, and the George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement. Tommy first danced onto Broadway in the chorus of "Baker Street",� followed by "A Joyful Noise", "How Now Dow Jones" and "Seesaw" (1st Tony).� He directed "The Club" then on to B'way, as choreographer and co-director on "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" followed by "A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine" (Tony).� Other shows are "Cloud 9"; "Nine, The Musical" (Tony). A double Tony Award win for "My One and Only". "Grand Hotel" followed with 2 more Tony wins; and the following year Mr. Tune did what no artist had done before when he won the same two prestigious honors back to back for "The Will Rogers Follies".� Tommy returned to perform his one-man song and dance show, "Tommy Tune Tonight!"� Tune has sung and danced for three U.S. Presidents, the Queen of England and the Royal Family of Monaco. He was inducted into the Broadway's Theatre Hall of Fame, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Brian Heidtke will receive the Career Transition For Dancers' Award for Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance.� He has been an active member of the dance community for years, serving both as board trustee and as a financial supporter.� He is the Vice President and Treasurer of ABT and chairs its education committee.� He is also the recipient of the Lucia Chase Award.� He has been an active supporter of the international ballet competition Youth America Grand Prix and of the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. Formerly the Vice President, Finance and Corporate Treasurer of Colgate-Palmolive Company, he is the Chair of the National Association of Corporate Treasurers and a board member of the Williams Capital Management Trust.

Career Transition For Dancers, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, has helped thousands of professional dancers identify their unique talents in preparation for establishing new careers when dance is no longer an option. Since 1985, they have provided more than 38,000 hrs (equivalent to $4 million) of one-on-one career counseling and program services (at no cost) and has awarded millions of dollars in scholarships for education and grants. CTFD also provides dancers with specialized services that include seminars and workshops, peer support groups, resource centers, a toll-free national hotline, and National Networking Directory. The Caroline & Theodore Newhouse Center for Dancers is at 165 West 46th Street Suite 701 (at Broadway � the Actors' Equity Building) NYC.� CTFD's phone number is (212) 764-0172 and the fax is (212) 764-0343 and in Los Angeles (323) 549-6660.�� www.careertransition.org

Gala tickets are $600, $750 & $1,200 each, which include the performance and a post-performance 'Anniversary Supper with the Stars', auction and dancing. Sponsorships, tables and journals ads are also available.� For gala tickets call Marjorie Horne of McEvoy & Assocs. at (212) 228-7446 x33 and for Group Sales (718) 499-9691. Show only tickets are $130, $75, $55 and $45.

Photo by Walter McBride/ Retna Ltd.

Steppenwolf To Present Bernhard Halloween On 10/27 - 10/27/2008

Steppenwolf Traffic is pleased to present with two hauntingly hilarious performances of A Sandra Bernard Halloween on Monday, October 27, 2008 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

Actress, comedienne, author, singer and provocateur Sandra Bernhard promises plenty of "tricks and treats" as she storms the Steppenwolf stage for A Sandra Bernard Halloween.� Audience members are invited to attend in costume as the outrageous and outspoken star brings her band The Rebellious Jezebels for an unforgettable night of music, wit and social commentary.� "An angst driven, foul-mouthed, poison-laced joy ride through the worlds of fashion, celebrity, rock and religion� Bernhard is a living, breathing bonfire" (The New York Times).� For more information, go to www.sandrabernhard.com.

A Sandra Bernhard Halloween
Sandra Bernhard & The Rebellious Jezebels
Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre
Monday, October 27, 2008
7:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
$60 (7:00 p.m.) & $50 (9:30 p.m.)
Audience Services:� 1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650
Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

Steppenwolf Traffic brings together artists of all disciplines and casts them as storytellers in one night only presentations on the Steppenwolf stage. Traffic provides an intimate and unique intersection of language, lyrics, poetry and music.

Motorola is the Corporate Sponsor of Steppenwolf Traffic. Traffic artists stay at The Talbott Hotel, the official hotel of Steppenwolf Traffic. BOKA is the official Monday Traffic Partner. Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible.� Street and lot parking are available.� Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon.� The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work.� Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation.

Photo Credit Ben Strothmann

Primary Stages To Honor LuPone At Gala 10/27 - 10/27/2008

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.

"Our Gala is a night to honor people who have made significant contributions to the theater.� We are thrilled to have this opportunity to honor Patti LuPone and The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group.� Patti is a phenomenal actor who consistently brings excitement and life to the productions she works on," stated Primary Stages Artistic Director Andrew Leynse.�� "And, The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel team, continue to champion and support new works both on and off-Broadway and throughout the world."

Patti LuPone swept the 2008 theatre awards winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance for her performance as Rose in the critically-acclaimed new Broadway production of the classic Jule Styne-Stephen Sondheim-Arthur Laurents� musical Gypsy, directed by the show's author, Mr. Laurents, currently at the St. James Theatre.

The Baruch-Routh-Frankel-Viertel Group has produced and general managed a wide range of plays and musicals on and off Broadway, in London and on tour for the past 23 years. Currently: Hairspray, Gypsy, Young Frankenstein, and Stomp in NY, Stomp on tour, Stomp Out Loud in Las Vegas, and Hairspray in London.� Previous productions include The Producers, Company, Sweeney Todd, The Fantasticks, The Sound of Music, Swing!, Smokey Joe s Cafe, The Weir, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Angels in America, Driving Miss Daisy, Penn & Teller, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Oleanna, Mnemonic, The Cocktail Hour, Love Letters, Marvin's Room, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Little Shop of Horrors, Jeffrey, Song of Singapore, and many others. Their shows have been awarded 35 Tonys, 46 Drama Desk Awards, 37 Outer Critics Awards, 4 Grammys, 8 Olivier Awards and 2 Pulitzer Prizes and have been featured in The New York Times crossword puzzle ten times.

Past honorees have included Daryl Roth and Jack O'Brien (2007), Julie Harris (2006), Susan Stroman (2005), Horton Foote and Primary Stages Founder and Executive Producer Casey Childs (2004), Harvey Fierstein (2003), A.R. Gurney (2001), John Guare (2000), Betty Comden and Adolph Green (1998), Stephen Sondheim (1997), Wendy Wasserstein (1996) and Terrence McNally (1995).

For additional information, tickets and sponsorships contact Sue Breger at 212-840-9705 or sue@primarystages.org.

Primary Stages launches its 24th season with the NY Premiere of Buffalo Gal by A.R. Gurney now in performance through August 30th.� The fall continues with the NY premiere of� A Body of Water by Lee Blessing (September 30, 2008 - November 9, 2008), the NY premiere of the new comedy, Love Child, written and performed by Daniel Jenkins and Robert Stanton (October 12, 2008 � November 19, 2008).� The second half of the 2008-2009 season kicks off with Shipwrecked! An Entertainment � The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself) by Donald Margulies (January 27, 2009 - March 7, 2009), concluding with the world premiere of a new comedy, Chasing Manet by Tina Howe (March 24, 2009 - May 2, 2009), featuring Tony Award-Winner Jane Alexander.� For additional information about Primary Stages, please visit www.primarystages.org.

PRIMARY STAGES was founded in 1984 as a New York State non-profit theater company with the mission of producing new plays and nurturing the development of new playwrights.� In our 23 seasons we have produced over 90 productions of new plays by such playwrights as Brooke Berman, Lee Blessing, Charles Busch, Constance Congdon, A.R. Gurney, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, David Ives, Julia Jordan, Romulus Linney, Michele Lowe, Donald Margulies, Melissa Manchester, Terrence McNally, Connor McPherson, John Henry Redwood, Lanie Robertson, John Patrick Shanley and Mac Wellman.� We seek to provide a supportive environment where writers are encouraged to explore the scope of their creative vision.� Our productions and our artists have received considerable critical acclaim including Obie, AUDELCO, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel (Outstanding Body of Work), Drama League, Drama Desk, Helen Hayes (Washington, DC), L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation, and Joseph Jefferson (Chicago) awards and nominations.� Many of our productions have been world premieres and all of them have been New York premieres.� Lincoln Center Theater is moving our 2007 production of Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate to the Booth Theatre on Broadway this fall.� Primary Stages continues to nurture playwrights through commissions, our weekly PrimeTime Reading Series and our emerging playwrights development program, The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, now in its 13th year.� We offer a wide array of classes and workshops at Primary Stages School of Theater, host free matinee performances for NYC public high school students, and enhance student' appreciation of the theater through in-school programming with our Primary Voices program.� To learn more about Primary Stages please visit our website at www.primarystages.org.

The Book of the Dead - 10/27/2008

A special performance of "Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again" by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA. hantigar, in 1977 founded by playwright Jean-Claude van Itallie and named by Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, is a not-for-profit educational foundation dedicated to the practice and exciting cross-pollination of theater, meditation and healing. The institution offers workshops and hosts theater artists, meditation masters, and healers. The barn had been Shantigar's theatre center and a community meeting place, but was lost to a fire in 2000.

The benefit evening October 27 will begin at 7:30 pm in the lobby with a silent art auction of Asian antiques and of art by friends of Shantigar, including Gwen Fabricant, Mary Frank, Betsy von Furstenburg, Ronald Rand, Deb Katz and Robert Wilson.

Contributors of $350 or more will receive two tickets to the benefit performance and an invitation to Wendy Gimbel's pre-performance party. Contributors of $100 will receive a ticket to "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" and a signed poster by Jean-Claude van Itallie. Contributors of $50 will receive a ticket to the performance alone. Reservations can be made by calling 413 339 4332 or visiting the Shantigar website at www.shantigar.org.

Irwin, De Shields, HAIR and More Perform at WorkShop Theater Benefit 10/27 - 10/27/2008

In honor of WorkShop Theater Company's 15th Anniversary Season, Tony Award winner Bill Irwin, two-time Tony Award nominee André De Shields, Heather MacRae, members of both the Original and Broadway-Bound casts of HAIR, along with New York's finest new vaudeville and burlesque acts and WorkShop Company artists, will perform live to benefit WorkShop Theater on Monday, October 27, 7:00 PM at the Zipper Factory.

Stars of stage and screen will be participating in an evening of songs, scenes and vaudeville in a Very Special Edition of Vaudeville Nouveau, the WorkShop's successful late-night variety show, now it's its second year, which will live up to its subtitle," An Extravaganza of Burlesque Proportions." In addition to the headliners, producer/creators Richard Kent Green and Nelson Lugo will also host Vaudeville Nouveau's own stars, beautiful burlesquer Rubie Fizz, Ravi The Scorpion Mystic and master juggler Sean Blue, along with the singing talents of WorkShop Company Artists Annie Chadwick, Gerrianne Raphael and Joanie Schumacher and WorkShop Theater Company actors performing scenes from new plays of the WorkShop's 2008/2009 15th Anniversary Main Stage Season, in a fast-paced 90 minute show, all in the unique 250-seat Zipper Factory Theater. Pre-Show entertainment will be provided by the "Rare and Ridiculous" Annie Lebeaux. All performers are subject to availability.

About the WorkShop Theater Company - Founded in 1994 as The 42nd Street Workshop, the WorkShop Theater Company is home to 160 professional member playwrights, actors and directors. The WorkShop Theater Company's mission is to provide a creative home where playwrights, directors and actors can develop their projects with a supportive community of peers, from inspiration to finished production. WorkShop writer/actor Natalie Mosco (HAIR original cast) wrote and stars in A BRUSH WITH GEORGIA O'KEEFFE, which is currently playing off-Broadway; in the past 18 months, two other productions, originally developed at the WorkShop, went on to off-Broadway runs: THE JAZZ AGE, by Alan Knee and THE DEVIL & BILLY MARKHAM, by Shel Silverstein. The WorkShop also originally developed the play which became the film FINDING NEVERLAND.

WorkShop Theater Company's 15th Anniversary Gala performance and after party is open to the public. Ticket prices from $100 - $350 with packages which include the benefit performance and an after party dinner at the Zipper Tavern, with special appearance by the Broken Pockets Band (The Devil & Billy Markham). For further information and to purchase tickets, please log-on to www.workshoptheatre.org or call 866-811-4111. The Zipper Factory is located at 336 West 37 Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in New York City.

Irwin, de Shields, McRae, and HAIR Perform at Workshop Theater Benefit - 10/27/2008

In honor of WorkShop Theater Company's 15th Anniversary Season, Tony Award winner Bill Irwin, members of both the Original and Broadway-Bound casts of HAIR - including two-time Tony Award nominee André De Shields, Heather MacRae, - along with New York's finest new vaudeville and burlesque acts and WorkShop Company artists, will perform live to benefit WorkShop Theater on Monday, October 27, 7:00 PM at the Zipper Factory.

Stars of stage and screen will be participating in an evening of songs, scenes and vaudeville in a Very Special Edition of Vaudeville Nouveau, the WorkShop's successful late-night variety show, now it's its second year, which will live up to its subtitle," An Extravaganza of Burlesque Proportions." In addition to the headliners, producer/creators Richard Kent Green and Nelson Lugo will also host Vaudeville Nouveau's own stars, beautiful burlesquer Rubie Fizz, Ravi The Scorpion Mystic and master juggler Sean Blue, along with the singing talents of WorkShop Company Artists Annie Chadwick, Gerrianne Raphael and Joanie Schumacher and WorkShop Theater Company actors performing scenes from new plays of the WorkShop's 2008/2009 15th Anniversary Main Stage Season, in a fast-paced 90 minute show, all in the unique 250-seat Zipper Factory Theater. Pre-Show entertainment will be provided by the "Rare and Ridiculous" Annie Lebeaux. Also from HAIR – Debbie Andrews, Joe Butler, Robert Camuto, Zenobia Conkerite, Kathy Nixon, Bruce Eyster, JoAnn Harris, Ula Hedwig, Marjorie Lipari, Natalie Mosco, Robert I. Rubinsky, Mary Seymour Williams, Lady Helena Walquer. All performers are subject to availability.

About the WorkShop Theater Company - Founded in 1994 as The 42nd Street Workshop, the WorkShop Theater Company is home to 160 professional member playwrights, actors and directors. The WorkShop Theater Company's mission is to provide a creative home where playwrights, directors and actors can develop their projects with a supportive community of peers, from inspiration to finished production. WorkShop writer/actor Natalie Mosco (HAIR original cast) wrote and stars in A BRUSH WITH GEORGIA O'KEEFFE, which is currently playing off-Broadway; in the past 18 months, two other productions, originally developed at the WorkShop, went on to off-Broadway runs: THE JAZZ AGE, by Alan Knee and THE DEVIL & BILLY MARKHAM, by Shel Silverstein. The WorkShop also originally developed the play which became the film FINDING NEVERLAND.

WorkShop Theater Company's 15th Anniversary Gala performance and after party is open to the public. Ticket prices from $100 - $350 with packages which include the benefit performance and an after party dinner at the Zipper Tavern, with special appearance by the Broken Pockets Band (The Devil & Billy Markham). For further information and to purchase tickets, please log-on to www.workshoptheater.org or call 866-811-4111. The Zipper Factory is located at 336 West 37 Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in New York City.

Steppenwolf's Traffic Presents A Sandra Bernhard Halloween! - 10/27/2008

Steppenwolf’s Traffic Presents
A Sandra Bernhard Halloween
Two Performances Only: Monday, October 27, 2008
Audience members invited to attend in costume!

Steppenwolf Traffic is pleased to present with two hauntingly hilarious performances of A Sandra Bernard Halloween on Monday, October 27, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

Actress, comedienne, author, singer and provocateur Sandra Bernhard promises plenty of “tricks and treats” as she storms the Steppenwolf stage for A Sandra Bernard Halloween. Audience members are invited to attend in costume as the outrageous and outspoken star brings her band The Rebellious Jezebels for an unforgettable night of music, wit and social commentary. “An angst driven, foul-mouthed, poison-laced joy ride through the worlds of fashion, celebrity, rock and religion… Bernhard is a living, breathing bonfire” (The New York Times). For more information, go to www.sandrabernhard.com.

Title:                              A Sandra Bernhard Halloween
Featuring:      Sandra Bernhard & The Rebellious Jezebels
Location:                       Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre
Dates:            Monday, October 27, 2008
Curtain Times:                7:00 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Ticket prices:                $60 (7:00 p.m.) & $50 (9:30 p.m.)
Audience Services:          1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650

Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

Steppenwolf Traffic brings together artists of all disciplines and casts them as storytellers in one night only presentations on the Steppenwolf stage. Traffic provides an intimate and unique intersection of language, lyrics, poetry and music.

Motorola is the Corporate Sponsor of Steppenwolf Traffic.

Traffic artists stay at The Talbott Hotel, the official hotel of Steppenwolf Traffic.

BOKA is the official Monday Traffic Partner.

Steppenwolf is located near all forms of public transportation and is wheelchair accessible. Street and lot parking are available. Assistive listening devices are available for every performance.

Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon. The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work. Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation.

'Martian Invasion! Decoding the War of the Worlds' Oct 26-27 - 10/27/2008

Victory Gardens Theater Fresh Squeezed
and
WNYC's Radio Lab

Present

"Martian Invasion!
Decoding the War of the Worlds"

New Photos from 'A Sandra Bernhard Halloween' - 10/27/2008

Steppenwolf Traffic is presenting with two hauntingly hilarious performances of 'A Sandra Bernhard Halloween on Monday, October 27, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago.

Actress, comedienne, author, singer and provocateur Sandra Bernhard promises plenty of “tricks and treats” as she storms the Steppenwolf stage for A Sandra Bernard Halloween. Audience members are invited to attend in costume as the outrageous and outspoken star brings her band The Rebellious Jezebels for an unforgettable night of music, wit and social commentary. “An angst driven, foul-mouthed, poison-laced joy ride through the worlds of fashion, celebrity, rock and religion… Bernhard is a living, breathing bonfire” (The New York Times).

For more information, go to www.sandrabernhard.com.

Ticket prices: $60 (7:00 p.m.) & $50 (9:30 p.m.)

Audience Services: 312-335-1650

Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

'A Sandra Bernhard Halloween' - 10/27/2008

For more information, go to www.sandrabernhard.com.

Ticket prices: $60 (7:00 p.m.) & $50 (9:30 p.m.)

Audience Services: 312-335-1650

Online ticketing available at www.steppenwolf.org

Kazan to be Featured on New Musical Cabaret Series 'Musical Mondays' - 10/27/2008

The Actors Fund will launch a new concert series MUSICAL MONDAYS, a series of Cabaret events in the lobby of the historic Pantages Theatre. Produced by John Bowab and Martin Wiviott, all shows include pre-show cocktail reception at 7:30 pm and post-show dessert reception with the artists.

On Monday October 27th Lainie Kazan will be featured. On Monday November 24th Stephen Schwartz will be featured along with special guests Jason Alexander, Susan Egan, Jason Graae, Debbie Gravitte, Karen Morrow, Hila Plitmann

The Pantages Theater Lobby is located at 6233 Hollywood Blvd in Los Angeles, CA. For tickets please call 323.933.9244 ext. 54. Tickets are $125 per concert / $200 for both concerts

The Golden Globe-winning Lainie Kazan is the embodiment of the word entertainer - an artist who has reached the pinnacle in virtually every area of performance. She has come a long way since she was Barbra Streisand's Broadway understudy in Funny Girl. After display her electrifying talent in two shows, she became the "chanteuse" of her native New York with nightclub stints and guest appearances on virtually every top variety and talk show in network television, including an unparalleled 26 appearances on The Dean Martin Show. She hosted her own variety special for NBC and opened the popular Lainie's Room and Lainie's Room East at the Los Angeles and New York Playboy Clubs. Lainie received critical acclaim for her role in the blockbuster comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which grossed over $600 million worldwide and won the People's Choice Award. She reprised her role in CBS' My Big Fat Greek Life TV series.

STEVEN SCHWARTZ is one of the most important composers and lyricists for musical theatre and musical films working today, with an entire career of stellar achievement. Nominated for six Academy Awards, and winner of three, his credits include the animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as last year's smash Enchanted and DreamWorks' first animated feature, The Prince of Egypt. Alongside his film work, Schwartz' incredibly successful stage productions include Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show and the worldwide phenomenon WICKED.

THE ACTORS FUND is a nationwide human services organization that helps all professionals - both performers and those behind the scenes - in performing arts and entertainment. Founded in 1882, The Fund serves those in film, theatre, television, music, opera, radio and dance with a broad spectrum of programs including comprehensive social services, health services, supportive and affordable housing, emergency financial assistance, employment and training services, and skilled nursing and assisted living care. Administered from offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, The Actors Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis, or transition. www.actorsfund.org.

South Coast Repertory Presents reading of THOMAS REPAIR 10/2 - 10/27/2008

South Coast Repertory's first NewSCRipts reading of the 2008-09 season will be Mat Smart's Thomas Repair. Thomas Repair is the 106th play to receive a staged reading as part of SCR's venerable play reading program. Smart also had the honor of kicking off the 2006-07 NewSCRipts season with his play The 13th of Paris. The NewSCRipts reading of Thomas Repair will take place on October 27 at 7:30pm on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are $12 each, include audience discussions with the playwright and dramaturg and may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

Thomas Repair centers around Jacob Thomas, who runs an unorthodox repair shop where he promises to fix anything that's broken. But he may have met his match when a mysterious girl – with an even more mysterious ailment – shows up in the middle of the night looking for help. Her skin is turning blue and so is her guitar, and nothing will get rid of the stain, but her problem is much more than skin-deep. As the mismatched pair of misfits dance around each other's secrets, it becomes apparent that both their lives are in need of mending, and the solution may require something that can't be found on the cluttered shelves of Thomas Repair.

Mat Smart wrote The 13th of Paris shortly after a trip to France that was made possible by a commission from SCR. He wrote the book and lyrics for Keep Ishmael, a new rock musical with music by Ethan Deppe that was produced at White Horse Theatre Company in Chicago. The Hopper Collection received productions at the Magic Theatre and Huntington Theatre Company. His New York credits include The Debate over Courtney O'Connell of Columbus, Nebraska and Shoes (SLANT Theatre Project); Chopin's Preludes (The American Living Room Festival at HERE Arts Center); Telescopes (Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab); and Pure (NY Fringe Festival and psNBC's "Highlights of the Fringe"). Smart's other plays include Hand, Foot, Arm, and Face (Baldwin New Play Festival at the University of California - San Diego, recipient of San Diego Playbill's award for Best New Play) and the Bebop Heard in Okinawa (The O'Neill's National Playwrights Conference).

The annual NewSCRipts series of three Monday evening play readings by emerging and established playwrights was launched in 1985 as a way to bring the audience into the process of creating new work. After each public reading, audience members engage in lively exchanges with the playwright and become active participants in the play's development, providing invaluable feedback for the writer. Plays selected for the NewSCRipts series have earned six Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999.

South Coast Repertory's NewSCRipts series of play readings is underwritten by Elaine J. Weinberg. Orange Coast Magazine is the Media Partner.

South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, California, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Boulevard on Park Center Drive.

Upcoming performances include The Heiress (10/17-11/16), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (11/7-23), A Christmas Carol (11/29-12/27), La Posada Mágica (The Magical Journey) (12/11-23), You, Nero (1/4-25), A Year with Frog and Toad (2/13-3/1) and Noises Off (2/6-3/8).

Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 400 productions, 108 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.

South Coast Repertory Presents THOMAS REPAIR Reading 10/27 - 10/27/2008

Coming Up This Week in Theatre - 10/21/2008

DRACULA

DRACULA