John Ambrosone News

“Stop trying to be what everyone else wants you to be, man. Just be you.” Antonio Edwards Suarez recounts that his childhood best friend, Curtis, said to him growing up. This sentiment becomes in many ways the mantra for ANTONIO’S SONG: It’s a deeply human exploration of identity — and specifically Suarez’s identity — and all the elements that make us who we are. In ANTONIO’S SONG, Suarez and co-playwright Dael Orlandersmith share vignettes from Suarez’s upbringing that reflect the complexities of his identity. This is a touching, if not groundbreaking, solo show. Ultimately, theater reflects our humanity, and ANTONIO’S SONG reinforces that we turn to art to better understand ourselves. Structurally and thematically, this is well-trod territory.

The Milwaukee Rep welcomes theater back into the Stiemke Studio with Antonio's Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son by Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez, directed by Mark Clements. The Rep describes the play as a 'poetic journey of a dancer/artist/father questioning the balance of his passions -- art, culture, family.'

Originally programmed for March 2020, Milwaukee Rep will be bringing the world premiere production Antonio’s Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez to the Stiemke Studio January 27 – March 6, 2022. 

Milwaukee Rep will present the world premiere of  Antonio's Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez for a limited two week run in the Stiemke Studio March 24 - April 5, 2020. Antonio's Song / I Was Dreaming Of A Son features Antonio Edwards Suarez (The Night is a Child, Milwaukee Rep) in a personal solo/movement drama that explores the sins of our fathers and mothers as well as the gifts they bestow upon us in a poetic journey that will question/challenge the legacy of stereotypes.

Milwaukee Rep has announced the complete cast and creative teams for the final productions of the 2019/20 Season including the world premiere Antonio's Song / I Was Dreaming of a Son by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez in the Stiemke Studio March 24 - April 5, 2020; the world premiere event Hootenanny: The Musicale by celebrated musician David Lutken in the Stackner Cabaret March 27 - May 24, 2020; and the telenovela of passion and deception Destiny of Desire by Karen Zacarías in the Quadracci Powerhouse April 21 - May 17, 2020.

With a picnic hosted by the Board of Trustees, the Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University welcomes 2019 company members. Attended by CATF partners, donors, and community members, this annual event is the first time CATF's 2019 company comes to celebrate the six new plays they are about to create. These artists, from around the country, including cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, gather in historic Shepherdstown to create the future of American theater.

Baltimore Center Stage is pleased to announce the cast and artistic team for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Judith Ivey. The sultry American classic opens Baltimore Center Stage's 56th season.

Bianca Laverne Jones gives us a Berta a man would want to compose a song about. Her face, her eyes, the modulations of her voice, like the song Berta, Berta itself, communicate so much more than the lines she delivers. 'Berta is a voluptuous, stately Black woman with a striking countenance,' say the directions. Just so.

Known nationally and internationally for its professional cultivation of vibrant new plays, the Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University welcomes the 2018 company to Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Each July, artists from around the country, including cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, gather in historic Shepherdstown to create the future of American theater.

This week, a lighting-quick comedy takes the stage at TheatreSquared in the "gut-bustingly hilarious" (The Times) The Hound of the Baskervilles, a new adaptation that simultaneously spoofs and reveres Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most celebrated mystery. In this highly theatrical adaptation by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, Sherlock Holmes and Watson set off to the moors to debunk a family 'curse," and encounter dozens of suspicious characters who may be too much for Sherlock-or, for that matter, a cast of three-to handle. TheatreSquared's production is produced in partnership with Virginia Stage Company and directed by Mark Shanahan (Peter and the Starcatcher). Performances are April 25-May 27 at Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville. Tickets are on sale now from $17-$48 at (479) 443-5600 or theatre2.org.

Trinity Rep kick-starts its 54th season with Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, directed by Brian McEleney, running now through November 26, 2017, with opening night slated for next Monday, October 9. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Trinity Rep kick starts its 54th season with the pairing of two dynamic American plays in rep: Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman directed by Brian McEleney and Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene.

Trinity Rep kick starts its 54th season with the pairing of two dynamic American plays in rep: Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman directed by Brian McEleney and Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene.

The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University announces their 130-member company for the 2017 season.

The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) at Shepherd University announces their 130-member company for the 2017 season.

The 2016 CATF mission statement lists their vision as 'The Ultimate Theater Experience', and Not Medea, one of the five plays in rotating rep at the festival, completely satisfies this expectation. A highly creative and completely immersive theatrical experience, Not Medea is brilliantly written by Allison Gregory and expertly directed by Courtney Sale.

The feel-good family friendly show is fast paced, well-performed, and will have you laughing out loud. The show is full of wit, quips, and charm. The show will close in less than a week, and it's one that you do not want to miss this season. Don't forget to bring the kiddos. The comedy was adapted by Playwright Mark Brown, based on the 1873 novel by Jules Verne, and the production is directed by Mark Shanahan. The story is about Phileas Fogg's attempt to circumnavigate the globe within eighty days as a result of a wager with members of the London-based aristocratic group, the Reform Club.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for Around the World in 80 Days, which runs March 4-April 3 in the Hubbard Theatre.

Trinity Repertory Company kicks off its season in style with a smart, gripping production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.

Tony Award-winning Trinity Repertory Company, under the leadership of Richard L. Bready Artistic Director Curt Columbus kicks off their 2015-2016 season, Rebels, Renegades and Pioneers with William Shakespeare's JULIUS CAESAR, directed by Associate Artistic Director Tyler Dobrowsky. Julius Caesar runs now through October 11, 2015 in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!