Playwrights' Center Announces 37th Annual PlayLabs Festival
For the 37th annual presentation of PlayLabs Festival, the premier new play incubation program, the Playwrights' Center is meeting the changing needs of the moment. Public readings will be presented online and the festival roster has expanded to include four playwrights developing their work.
RETURN OF NATURE, A Walking Play, Comes To The Old Manse This September
a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Trustees is pleased to present the return of TigerLion Arts' critically acclaimed outdoor walking play Nature at the Old Manse in Concord this September. Reprising the sell-out production in 2017 which welcomed nearly 2,000 over its two-week run, Nature will be presented over a three-week period beginning on Friday, September 13, 2019.
Chicago Latinx Actors Announced For Festival Of New Latinx Works
The Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) proudly announces the Chicago actors performing the readings at the 2018 LTC Carnaval of New Latinx Work (Carnaval 2018: ConeXion!). Carnaval 2018: ConeXion! features readings of six new Latinx plays paired with Latinx directors, actors, designers and dramaturgs at The Theatre School at DePaul University, 2350 N. Racine, Chicago, 19-21 July 2018. Readings are free and open to the public, and tickets can be requested at www.LatinxTheatreCommons.com.
BWW Review: Mixed Blood Theatre Adds Music to a Rolling World Premiere Play to Create a Funny, Sweet, Relatable, and Poignant New Original Musical MERMAID HOUR: REMIXED
On a snowy Sunday afternoon, several of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers gathered in an old firehouse in Minneapolis to witness the rolling world premiere of a new play called MERMAID HOUR, which means that the premiere is happening in several theaters around the country. In this story of a 12-year-old transgender girl, her parents, and her friends, playwright David Valdes Greenwood set out to 'write a real portrait of a family life, not just an 'issue' play with a message of 'do this' or 'do that.' From where I was sitting, he succeeded. But what makes Mixed Blood Theatre's production of Mermaid Hour special is that it's the only one of the world premieres to feature music; the Mixed Blood team worked with the playwright to turn his play into a musical. As a musical theater nerd who thinks every play is better with music, I couldn't be happier with this turn of events. MERMAID HOUR: REMIXED is not only a real and relatable family story that features transgender characters, too often under- or mis-represented onstage, but it's also done in song!
Mixed Blood Theatre Company Presents MERMAID HOUR: REMIXED
A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of Mermaid Hour: ReMixed opens at Mixed Blood on April 6th, 2018. This new chamber musical explores the gender continuum through the prism of a prepubescent transgender biracial girl. Written by David Valdes Greenwood, the show tells the story of how working class parents Pilar and Bird face the cracks in their marriage, their opposing parenting styles, and their fears as they negotiate their daughter's gender transition. Meanwhile, she navigates puberty, her first crush, and the possibility that YouTube holds all the answers. Original score written by Eric Mayson.
BWW Review: Jungle Theater's Hilarious and Heart-breaking LONE STAR SPIRITS Smartly Examines Small Town Life, Regrets, and Family
Y'all, Jungle Theater's LONE STAR SPIRITS got me feeling all the feels! Hilarious and heart-breaking, it's one of the best plays I've seen this year. Brought to us by wife/husband director/playwright team Sarah Rasmussen and Josh Tobiessen, it features crisply drawn characters beautifully brought to life by a brilliant five-person cast, an incredibly detailed and realistic set, family drama, a poignant exploration of small town life, ghosts, country music, and accidental gunshots. I was laughing throughout the show and wiping away tears at the end, which is pretty much my favorite kind of play. Friends, you'd be wise to get on down to the Jungle between now and May 7 to experience this practically perfect 90 minutes of theater.
BWW Review: THE LION IN WINTER at Guthrie Theater
Holiday gatherings of dysfunctional families are nothing new. James Goldman's crackling script for THE LION IN WINTER is set at Christmas 1183, and since the family is a royal one with questions of succession looming, the scheming and double-crossing are fevered.
Photo Flash: Guthrie Theater's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Celebrates Opening Night!
Friday night, July 12, saw the opening of the Guthrie Theater's romantic summer comedy Pride and Prejudice helmed by Guthrie director Joe Dowling. The production is the Simon Reade adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel and features Ashley Rose Montondo (Guthrie: Charley's Aunt, University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program) as Miss Elizabeth Bennet along with Vincent Kartheiser (Guthrie:A Christmas Carol, Henry V, Henry IV; Regional theater: Death of the Novel; Film: Untamed Heart, In Time; Television: 'Mad Men') as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Scroll down for photos from the curtain call and opening night party!
Photo Flash: First Look at Vincent Kartheiser, Ashley Rose Montondo and More in Guthrie Theater's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Friday night, July 12, saw the opening of the Guthrie Theater's romantic summer comedy Pride and Prejudice helmed by Guthrie director Joe Dowling. The production is the Simon Reade adaptation of the classic Jane Austen novel and features Ashley Rose Montondo (Guthrie: Charley's Aunt, University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program) as Miss Elizabeth Bennet along with Vincent Kartheiser (Guthrie:A Christmas Carol, Henry V, Henry IV; Regional theater: Death of the Novel; Film: Untamed Heart, In Time; Television: "Mad Men") as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!
Erin Krakow, Ivy Beech and More Join The Guthrie's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
The Guthrie Theater today announced complete casting for its summertime romance Pride and Prejudice adapted for the stage by Simon Reade based on the novel by Jane Austen in the 200th anniversary of its publication. The production will be directed by Joe Dowling and will feature Erin Krakow (Guthrie: The Importance of Being Earnest; Off-Broadway: The Shanghai Gesture, Prometheus Bound; Television: "Army Wives") as Miss Elizabeth Bennet along with previously announced Vincent Kartheiser (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Henry V, Henry IV; Regional theater: Death of the Novel; Film: Untamed Heart, In Time; Television: "Mad Men") as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Mixed Blood Theatre's IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES Runs 4/5-27
This tale of courage and sisterhood is inspired by the true story of the Dominican Republic's Mirabal siblings whose underground resistance proved that despots are not invincible. IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES, on stage April 5-27 at Mixed Blood Theatre, will be performed in Spanish and English (with translated supertitles in both languages). This bilingual world premiere of Julia Alavarez's 1994 New York Times best-selling historical fiction is written by Caridad Svich, author of Mixed Blood's 2010 play based on Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits.