Lee Breuer News

The Public Theater and the Onassis Foundation USA will begin free performances for a limited six-performance run of THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS on Tuesday, September 4.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham) and the Onassis Foundation USA announced today six free performances of THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS, the groundbreaking re-telling of Sophocles' classic, for a limited engagement, September 4-9 at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. With book, original lyrics, and direction by Lee Breuer and original music, adapted lyrics, and music direction by Bob Telson, the iconic musical returns to New York City for the first time since 2004 to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the original production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and to honor visionary director Lee Breuer for his lifetime of excellence and historic collaboration with The Public Theater.

As part of the 2018 Next Wave Festival, BAM and Onassis Cultural Center New York will present Speaking Truth to Power, a fall series of theater productions, conversations, and film screenings that explores the concept of free speech as a form of resistance, and examines the challenges facing individuals, societies, and movements that seek to employ it. While freedom of speech is considered a cornerstone of our democratic freedoms, ancient Greeks wrestled with the extent to which the power to speak freely could degrade the very institutions designed to protect that right. The debate about the role of truth--who is able to speak it and the potential dangers posed to our society when it is either permitted or restricted--rages on.

Beginning tomorrow, July 28, designer, director, master puppeteer, and MacArthur "genius" Basil Twist will perform in his singular creation, Symphonie Fantastique, during all Saturdayevening performances. The 20th-anniversary production, which has received near universal acclaim and is scheduled to close on September 2, will include Twist on July 28, August 4, 11, 18, 25 and September 1 at 8:30pm. Set to Hector Berlioz's revolutionary 1830 score, Symphonie Fantastique, for the first time in New York, features live piano accompaniment by Christopher O'Riley. Hailed as a creative masterpiece when it debuted in 1998, the production, which opened on April 4, is a presentation from HERE's Dream Music Puppetry Program and a centerpiece of HERE's 25th anniversary season.

HERE is thrilled to present Cabaret Fantastique, a culminating concert event featuring pianist Christopher O'Riley who performs his haunting solo piano arrangements of songs by Radiohead, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, The Smiths, Elliott Smith, Portishead, and Sun Kil Moon. Master puppeteer and MacArthur "genius" Basil Twist and company members from Symphonie Fantastique will accompany O'Riley with new puppet work. The one-of-a-kind event will take place on August 19 at 7pm. Known to millions as the host of NPR's From the Top, O'Riley is currently performing live piano accompaniment for Basil Twist's Symphonie Fantastique, which continues performances at HERE until September 2.

THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS will return to New York this fall, lighting up the Delacorte Theater in September.

The co-producers behind The Kilbanes' Weightless, a hit rock opera-retelling of Ovid's Metamorphoses, as well as New York's Obie Award-winning The Tricky Part and Lucille Lortel Award-winning All the Rage, return to San Francisco with a new production of A Lesson From Aloes, to be presented at Z Below. Written by internationally-acclaimed playwright Athol Fugard and directed by Obie Award winner Timothy Near, this inventive revival will feature a star-studded cast of regional theatre's finest actors. A Lesson From Aloes will be presented June 3 - 29, 2018 (press opening: Thursday, June 7, 2018) with performances 7:30pm Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2pm Sundays at Z Below, 470 Florida Street, San Francisco. Tickets ($25-$50) and information can be found at www.alessonfromaloes.com or by phone at 415-626-0453.

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents the MFA One-Acts as part of the 2018 Wagner New Play Festival. The MFA One-Acts include The Clitorish, written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and directed by Nicholas Rapp; Joshua, written by Ali Viterbi and directed by Vanessa Stalling; and Tambo and Bones, written by Dave Harris and directed by Joseph Hendel.

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents the MFA One-Acts as part of the 2018 Wagner New Play Festival. The MFA One-Acts include The Clitorish, written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and directed by Nicholas Rapp; Joshua, written by Ali Viterbi and directed by Vanessa Stalling; and Tambo and Bones, written by Dave Harris and directed by Joseph Hendel.

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents the MFA One-Acts as part of the 2018 Wagner New Play Festival. The MFA One-Acts include The Clitorish, written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and directed by Nicholas Rapp; Joshua, written by Ali Viterbi and directed by Vanessa Stalling; and Tambo and Bones, written by Dave Harris and directed by Joseph Hendel.

In response to overwhelming demand and near universal critical acclaim, Symphonie Fantastique - the singular creation by designer, director, master puppeteer, and MacArthur "genius" Basil Twist - extends its 20th anniversary engagement to July 15. Set to Hector Berlioz's revolutionary 1830 score, Symphonie Fantastique, for the first time in New York, features live piano accompaniment by Christopher O'Riley. Hailed as a creative masterpiece when it debuted in 1998, the production, which opened on April 4, is a presentation from HERE's Dream Music Puppetry Program and a centerpiece of HERE's 25th anniversary season.

The Old Globe's 2017-2018 Season continues with today's announcement of the complete cast and creative team for the Southern California debut of A Thousand Splendid Suns, Ursula Rani Sarma's sweeping and deeply moving theatrical production based on the best-selling book by Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner).

The co-producers behind The Kilbanes' Weightless, a hit rock opera-retelling of Ovid's Metamorphoses, as well as New York's Obie Award-winning The Tricky Part and Lucille Lortel Award-winning All the Rage, return to San Francisco with a new production of A Lesson From Aloes, to be presented at Z Below.

What if gospel music was taken out of church? What if its structure, soul and power were applied to some other ancient stories, such as, for example, Sophocles, where actors talk about gods plural?

Avant Bard's acclaimed up-close and unplugged production of The Gospel at Colonus reopens with some exceptional new talents on board-including a gospel recording artist and a drummer who worked on Black Panther.

Avant Bard's acclaimed up-close and unplugged production of THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS reopens with some exceptional new talents on board-including a gospel recording artist and a drummer who worked on Black Panther.

From March 27-April 1, Mabou Mines is proud to present the work of its 2018 SUITE/Space artists in a festival-like setting-two performances each night for 6 nights in a row-in the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Mabou Mines Theater. The inaugural SUITE/Space artists, Tariq Al-Sabir, Tamar-kali, Davalois Fearon and Sanaz Ghajar, work in a variety of disciplines and share Mabou Mines' commitment to breaking new ground in form and content. Founded in the summer of 1970 as an artist-driven collective, Mabou Mines has a long history of fostering the next generation of artists through mentorships and residencies. SUITE/Space is a new performance initiative for artists that reflect New York City's rich cultural landscape and provides artistic advisement, development support, rehearsal space, and opportunities for public performance. 

Well-known gospel recording artist Kenton Rogers has joined the cast of Avant Bard's revival of The Gospel at Colonus, a critical and audience hit last season. Rogers--an actor, singer, and ordained preacher--will headline The Gospel at Colonus in the role of Singer Oedipus along with local civic legend William T. Newman Jr., who returns as Preacher Oedipus.

Well-known gospel recording artist Kenton Rogers has joined the cast of Avant Bard's revival of The Gospel at Colonus, a critical and audience hit last season. Rogers-an actor, singer, and ordained preacher-will headline The Gospel at Colonus in the role of Singer Oedipus along with local civic legend William T. Newman Jr., who returns as Preacher Oedipus.