Mary Kathryn Nagle News

After celebrating its ten-year anniversary in 2021, HowlRound Theatre Commons announces its first published anthology, featuring essays from each year of the last decade, available for preorder now.

  Seattle Rep today announced a second round of its large-scale playwright commission project, 20x30: Reimagining the Anthropocene, in which the organization has commissioned three playwrights in an effort to plants seeds for the future of the industry.

Following a transformative season of performances—including three regional premieres, the inaugural year of the National Capital New Play Festival, and the world premieres of Tim J. Lord's “We declare you a terrorist…” and Charly Evon Simpson's “it's not a trip it's a journey”—Round House is excited for audiences to return and experience a celebration of live theatre, with a slate of shows designed to remind them of the power, joy, and necessity of this art form.

With two major revivals on stage helmed by Artistic Collective members—August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean directed by Resident Director Chuck Smith (through February 27) and Manilow Resident Director Mary Zimmerman's The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (February 11 – March 20)—the Goodman announces several artistic updates as its 2021/2022 “Homecoming” Season continues.

The Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program is open for submissions for the 2nd Annual Young Native Actor's Contest.

 #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence today announced its selection of eight eye-opening, provocative and vital plays as the winners of its national short play competition.

As many teens return to classrooms for the first time since the pandemic, THIRD RAIL is joining forces with #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence to give them a platform to explore the impact of gun violence on their lives and communities by writing 10-minute plays.

As Fidel Castro ponders on how to move his country forward, his political partner, Celia Sánchez, is never far from his side. Imbued with magical realism, Celia and Fidel is the dynamic story of radical change in Cuba featuring the country's most notorious political figure and Cuba's most influential female revolutionary.

As many teens return to classrooms for the first time since the pandemic, #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is giving them a platform to explore the impact of gun violence on their lives and communities by writing 10-minute plays. Submissions are being accepted now through November 1 and the call is open to all writers across the U.S. in grades 6-12. 

Theatre for a New Audience will present a new virtual production of The Oresteia, the New York premiere of Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptation and translation of Aeschylus’ trilogy, featuring music composed by Kamala Sankaram, directed by Andrew Watkins (TFANA, as Assistant Director: The Winter's Tale, The Skin of Our Teeth, The Father, A Doll's House).

The Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program has announced the Winners of the Inaugural Misty Upham Award for Young Native Actors.

We've rounded up some of the top productions on stage this summer! Find something near you to see using our comprehensive guide below!

Mary Kathryn Nagle’s brilliant MANAHATTA superimposes the 17th century “purchase” of Manahatta (known today as Manhattan) by the Dutch East India Company from the Lenape people with the financial crisis of 2008, in which many people lost their homes as a result of predatory lending practices.

Theatre for a New Audience presents First Love, a theatricalization for Zoom of Samuel Beckett's short story of the same name, directed by six-time OBIE winner JoAnne Akalaitis and performed by Tony and Emmy Award nominee Bill Camp (Broadway: Death of a Salesman, The Crucible; TV: The Queen's Gambit, The Night Of). The creative team includes Eamonn Farrell (Video Design), Jennifer Tipton (Lighting Design) and Kaye Voyce (Scenic and Costume Design).

The combination of multi-format programming is a celebration of OSF’s continued commitment to presenting world-class theatre on its stages and its recent foray into groundbreaking digital programming, introducing fans, supporters, and new audiences worldwide to the company’s award-winning artistry.

The 2021 digital on-demand streaming season includes a limited-run schedule for favorites from the OSF archives beginning with Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, directed by Shana Cooper; Manahatta by Mary Kathryn Nagle, directed by Laurie Woolery; and Snow in Midsummer by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, based on the classical Chinese drama The Injustice to Dou Yi That Moved Heaven and Earth and directed by Justin Audibert.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces its robust lineup of digital programming for the 2021/22 Looking Forward Season. Following on the success of last year's virtual offerings, the upcoming season expands even further to reflect Arena's commitment of championing diverse voices, engaging audiences and producing compelling, dynamic work. As part of Arena's mission to serve artists and audiences on a national, regional and local scale, the 2021/22 Looking Forward Season is packed with ambitious new works.

In partnership with its annual Yale Young Native Playwright’s Contest, this year the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program is launching the inaugural Young Native Actor’s Contest. The winners will be honored as part of their Annual New Native Play Festival in April.

Lighting the Way: An Anthology of Short Plays About the Climate Crisis is now available in paperback and ebook from Lulu and Amazon. Edited by Chantal Bilodeau and Thomas Peterson, this anthology includes 49 inspiring plays by writers from across the world.

With an eye toward the future, Seattle Rep today announced the largest playwright commission project of the organization's history. After what has and continues to be a relentless year for the arts, Seattle Rep plants seeds for the future of the industry by devising an ambitious commission project featuring three initiatives: 20x30: Reimagining the Anthropocene, a program that will commission 20 playwrights; New Directions, a program that will commission directors each year; and the launch of a commissioning program for Seattle Rep's Public Works.