Margot Harley News

The Acting Company (Ian Belknap, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Executive Director) presents William Shakespeare's beloved comedy, Twelfth Night, directed by Tony nominee Maria Aitken (The 39 Steps) with a dynamic cast of The Acting Company alumni and ensemble members of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players (REP). When her ship is wrecked, Viola washes ashore in the unfamiliar land of Illyria and embarks on a journey to find her lost brother. Brimming with music, love and longing, Shakespeare's enchanting play transports audiences to a world of comedic mayhem, mistaken identity and unrequited passion. This co-production with the Resident Ensemble Players comes to Polonsky Shakespeare Center (262 Ashland Pl, Brooklyn), May 10-27.

Oz Creator Tom Fontana's Screenplay By Stalin, Directed by Laura Savia, Follows Two Writers Burdened with Creating the Screenplay of Stalin's Life, Monday, January 29, 2018

In response to popular demand, The Acting Company (Ian Belknap, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Executive Director) extends their acclaimed production of playwright/poet Marcus Gardley's X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. the Nation through February 25, 2018. Coinciding with African Heritage Month, the Ian Belknap-directed play deepens our understanding of one of America's most complex, compelling historical figures, and explores the tumultuous landscape of ideology and activism in the 1960s. 

The Acting Company presents two one-night-only salon readings of new works from Tom Fontana and David Manis at New York's Theatre at St. Clement's (423 West 46th Street). On Monday, January 29, Fontana's Screenplay By Stalin following two writers commissioned by Stalin to write of his biopic will be read. Pretending to Be Danish, Manis's collection of short plays about performing Shakespeare (directed by Richard Hamburger), will be read on Monday, February 12.

The Acting Company has announced the full cast list for their one-night-only benefit reading of Crispin Whittell's adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, December 11 at Hunter College's Kaye Playhouse (695 Park Avenue).

The Acting Company honored playwright John Guare and film and theater producer/philanthropist Anne L. Bernstein - two individuals whose exemplary work aligns with the artistic and educational ideals of the widely acclaimed touring repertory company that promotes theater and arts education nationwide - at the Company's 2017 Winter Gala on December 4. BroadwayWorld has photos from the event below!

The Acting Company presents their acclaimed production of playwright/poet Marcus Gardley's X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. the Nation in a full Off-Broadway run, January 14-February 18, 2018, at the Theatre at St. Clement's.

The Acting Company has announced a one-night-only benefit reading of Crispin Whittell's adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, December 11 at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College (68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues).

The Acting Company will honor playwright John Guare and film and theater producer/philanthropist Anne L. Bernstein - two individuals whose exemplary work aligns with the artistic and educational ideals of the widely acclaimed touring repertory company that promotes theater and arts education nationwide - at the Company's 2017 Winter Gala, on December 4.

The Acting Company has announced its 2017-18 season, which exemplifies the venerable organization's commitment to cultivating a national audience for the theater with exceptional touring productions of classical and new works; developing the best young American actors by giving them an opportunity to practice their craft in a wide-ranging repertory; and educating students that have limited access to the arts.

On the heels of winning its second Ross Wetzsteon Award for Sustained Excellence at the 2017 OBIE Awards, Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director) have just announced its 2017-18 season.

Just last night, the Acting Company held a one-night-only benefit reading of British drama The Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold, starring Angela Lansbury. Completing the cast were Tedra Millan (Present Laughter, The Wolves) as Laurel, Patricia Conolly (The Front Page), Michele Tauber (Mint Theatre's The Charity That Began at Home), Holly Villaire (Scapino), Francesca Faridany (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) as Miss Madrigal, Simon Jones (Blithe Spirit, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as the Judge, David Lansbury (War Horse) as Maitland and Charlotte Parry (The Importance of Being Earnest) as Olivia.

Final casting has been confirmed for The Acting Company's benefit reading of British drama The Chalk Garden by Enid Bagnold, starring Angela Lansbury. The one-night-only event will take place on Monday, June 19 at 7 PM, at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, presented by The Acting Company in association with Andrew Bryan and Opus Blue Productions.

Additional principal casting has been confirmed for the Angela Lansbury-helmed reading of Enid Bagnold's British drama The Chalk Garden, a benefit for The Acting Company to be held for one night only, Monday, June 19, at 7 PM, at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College, 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

The Acting Company will conclude its 2016-2017 John McDonald Salon Series with Meg Miroshnik's Lady Tattoo, a compelling new play about the subversive trend of wealthy American women embracing tattoo artistry at the turn of the 20th century. Lady Tattoo explores the human need for the power and control that secrets offer. 

The Acting Company will continue its 2016-2017 John McDonald Salon Series with Rebecca Gilman's Dollhouse, a contemporary Ibsen reinvention of A Doll's House set in modern-day Chicago, on Monday, April 24th at 7 PM at the Pearl Theatre, 555 West 42nd St. between 10th and 11th Aves., New York, NY. 

Angela Lansbury will appear in The Chalk Garden, after all!

The Acting Company celebrated the opening of X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. The Nation in rep with Julius Caesar at The New Victory Theater on Friday night at Red Rooster on Malcolm X Blvd. in Harlem. Scroll down for photos from the festivities!

The Acting Company will continue its 2016-2017 John McDonald Salon Series with the first New York City reading of Marcus Gardley's Atlanta-based reinvention of Moliere, A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes: Or, The Gospel of Tartuffe on Monday, March 20th at 7 PM at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 10 W. 64th Street, New York, NY. 

The Acting Company (Ian Belknap, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Executive Director) will continue its 2016-2017 John McDonald Salon Series with a reading of Karel Capek's influential science fiction comedy R.U.R. on Monday, February 13th at 7 PM at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 10 W. 64th Street, New York, NY.