Elizabeth Franz News

Berkshire Playwrights Lab will present a staged reading of Kelly Masterson's 'Edith' directed by Joe Cacaci on Wednesday, July 27 at 7:30pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. Tony Award-winning actress Jayne Atkinson will play the title role; the performance will also feature Michel Gill, Jack Gilpin, Bob Jaffe, and others TBA. Admission is free, but reservations are suggested. For tickets, call 413.528.0100 or visit the Mahaiwe Box Office (14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, Mass.).

Berkshire Playwrights Lab will present five free staged readings of new works by emerging and established playwrights on Wednesdays at 7:30pm on June 15, July 27, August 10, and August 24 at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, Mass.) and on Wednesday, June 29 at 7:30pm at Bard College at Simon's Rock Daniel Arts Center McConnell Theater

THE UMBRELLA PLAYS closes Sunday, April 10 at the Tank.

After a sold-out and critically acclaimed run at The New York International Fringe Festival, the award-winning The Umbrella Plays is back, for a limited engagement at The Tank, March 31st - April 10th.

Written by Stephanie Janssen and directed by Daniel Talbott (art. dir. Rising Phoenix Rep, Keep Your Baggage With You (at all times)), The Umbrella Plays connects six snap-shot-sized plays, each offering a glimpse into the lives of a disparate (and sometimes desperate) cast of characters, as they work their ways through inclement weather of the literal and figurative variety, searching for shelter in whatever form it can be found. The smallest and most common-place of objects, the simple umbrella, becomes the entry point into these stories, reminding us that there is more than meets the eye in the most innocuous-seeming pieces of a life, and the most fleeting of moments. Storms crash in and leave their marks, lovers are sought and lost and found again, ambitions jump the tracks and hopes get renewed, and in the swirl of these six stories, an umbrella is never, ever just an umbrella.

Written by Stephanie Janssen and directed by Daniel Talbott (art. dir. Rising Phoenix Rep, Keep Your Baggage With You (at all times)), The Umbrella Plays connects six snap-shot-sized plays, each offering a glimpse into the lives of a disparate (and sometimes desperate) cast of characters, as they work their ways through inclement weather of the literal and figurative variety, searching for shelter in whatever form it can be found. The smallest and most common-place of objects, the simple umbrella, becomes the entry point into these stories, reminding us that there is more than meets the eye in the most innocuous-seeming pieces of a life, and the most fleeting of moments. Storms crash in and leave their marks, lovers are sought and lost and found again, ambitions jump the tracks and hopes get renewed, and in the swirl of these six stories, an umbrella is never, ever just an umbrella.

2010 was quite a year for Broadway with some spectacular opening nights. We'll be sharing highlights from the year in photos, videos, interviews and more throughout this final week of the year. First off is a look at some of the star and excitement filled opening night curtain calls of 2010. Photos by Walter McBride / WM Photos / Corbis

The New York Times has just broke the news that stage and screen vet Philip Seymour Hoffman and Linda Emond will lead a revival of Death of a Salesman on Broadway as Willy and Linda Loman. The production will be directed by Mike Nicols and open on Broadway next fall. Hoffman and Nicols have been working out details for the production for months, according the report. The pair last collaborated on 2001 production of the Seagull in Central Park.

How do events change us? Do we look back with hope or despair at the way in which our lives are affected by the time in which we live? These are the questions posed by FIFTH OF JULY, a funny and moving play written by Sag Harbor's own Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson. Part comedy, part drama, The New York Times calls FIFTH OF JULY, "the wisest and funniest play of its generation."

Bay Street's FIFTH OF JULY begins previews Tuesday, July 6th through Friday, July 9th, with opening night Saturday, July 10th. The show runs Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, Sundays at 7pm, with matinees on Wednesdays at 2pm and Saturdays at 4pm except during preview week. On Tuesday, July 13th following the performance there will be a talkback with the actors. The show will close on Sunday, August 1st. Please note that this performance will contain partial nudity. FIFTH OF JULY is a co-production with the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts, where it will move following its run at Bay Street. BroadwayWorld brings you a sneak peek below!

How do events change us? Do we look back with hope or despair at the way in which our lives are affected by the time in which we live? These are the questions posed by FIFTH OF JULY, a funny and moving play written by Sag Harbor's own Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson. Part comedy, part drama, The New York Times calls FIFTH OF JULY, "the wisest and funniest play of its generation."

Artistic Director Nicholas Martin has announced the casting for the next three productions of the Williamstown Theatre Festival's 2010 Season: Our Town by Thornton Wilder, playing the Main Stage July 28 - August 8, Fifth of July by Lanford Wilson playing the Main Stage August 11 - 22, and the world premiere of After the Revolution by Amy Herzog on the Nikos Stage July 21 - August 1.

What makes a person propose marriage on the third date? Why would anyone say 'yes'? Such is the situation in Monica Bauer's Made For Each Other, a one-man tour de force about sex, love, and the power of memory.

How do events change us? Do we look back with hope or despair at the way in which our lives are affected by the time in which we live? These are the questions posed by FIFTH OF JULY, a funny and moving play written by Sag Harbor's own Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lanford Wilson. Part comedy, part drama, The New York Times calls FIFTH OF JULY, "the wisest and funniest play of its generation."

With just 10 days left to catch the engrossing performance that Newsday gives 4 stars, DISSONANCE is not to be missed. Written by BBC writer Damian Lanigan, Newsday says, 'Lanigan's intelligent, music-lovers drama deserves a shot at a longer New York/London run.'

What makes a person propose marriage on the third date? Why would anyone say 'yes'? Such is the situation in Monica Bauer's Made For Each Other, a one-man tour de force about sex, love, and the power of memory.

Tony Award-winner Elizabeth Franz, Lauren Ambrose and Treat Williams are all set for the Berkshire Playwrights Lab Gala May 21. The gala will be presented at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center at 8pm.

What makes a person propose marriage on the third date? Why would anyone say 'yes'? Such is the situation in Monica Bauer's Made For Each Other, a one-man tour de force about sex, love, and the power of memory.