Off-Off-Broadway Theatre + Broadway News

Project Girl's TRAFFICKED Plays at Plannet Connections Theatre Festivity, 5/30-6/24

(5/21/2012) Project Girl Performance Collective is pleased to announce the debut of TRAFFICKED, directed by Ashley Marinaccio and produced by human rights advocate Jessica Greer Morris, as part of the 4th Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The Festivity will take place May 30th through June 24th at The Theatres at 45 Bleecker in New York City.

LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU, Shows on Cole Porter and Barbra Streisand and More Come to 92YTribeca, May & June

(5/21/2012) 92YTribeca has announced its upcoming theater events this month and in June 2012, including Handbook for an American Revolutionary, Let Me Ascertain You, On Cole Porter and All That Jazz, On the Iconic Barbra Streisand, and Woman of Whimsy. See below for details.

Matthew-Lee Erlbach Reads HANDBOOK FOR AN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY at 92YTribeca, 5/23

(5/21/2012) Join 92YTribeca for a reading and panel discussion of Handbook for an American Revolutionary, written and performed by actor, playwright, and Puffin Grant recipient Matthew-Lee Erlbach, whose work Rachel Maddow has called “shocking, engaging, funny, and totally original.” HANDBOOK FOR AN AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY, written and performed by Matthew-Lee Erlbach and directed by Mark Wing-Davey, will be read May 23, 7:30PM at 92YTribeca, with a panel discussion following the performance, moderated by Allison Kilkenny (Nation Magazine, Citizen Radio).

Mind The Gap Theatre Presents 'DEUTERANOMALY', 5/30-6/24

(5/21/2012) Mind The Gap Theatre will present Jessica Fleitman’s comedy Deuteranomaly: A One-Act in Two Parts as part of the 4th Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The production will be directed by Mind The Gap’s Artistic Director, Paula D’Alessandris (Under The Blue Sky at The Kraine; The Cleric at 59E59). The Festivity will take place May 30th through June 24th at The Theatres at 45 Bleecker in New York City.

Dance Theatre Piece POOR LIZA Comes to New York and Boston in June

(5/21/2012) One of Russia’s most famous actressses, Chulpan Khamatova, along with Bolshoi Theater soloist Andrei Merkuriev, will play for audiences in New York and Boston with POOR LIZA, based on the novel by Nikolay Karamzin. This envelope-pushing choreographed theatrical performance was dreamt up by lauded choreographer Alla Sigalova and composer Leonid Desyatnikov, and produced by Russia’s Theatre of Nations. Maestro Artist Management will present the performances in the US.

THE ETIQUETTE OF DEATH Previews 6/14 at La MaMa

(5/21/2012) La MaMa will present the World Premiere of The Etiquette of Death, a Chris Tanner Production co-directed by Everett Quinton and Julie Atlas Muz, and choreographed by Julie Atlas Muz, with contributions by a slew of New York’s finest downtown artists.

BWW JR: HELP WANTED: PIRATES! Babysitters, Pirates and Artists, Oh My!

(5/21/2012) Over at MamaDrama, we’ve had the honor of working with PLAYTIME, the first-ever childcare service for theatre-going parents. We’ve been wowed time and again by the incredible new work going on at Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre and the Westside Theatre while our kids enjoyed an afternoon or evening of the arts with the incredible “Artisitters” from Sitters Studio…the babysitting service that sends professional artists, actors, musicians, dancers and the like to your home to care for and inspire your child. So when I heard that Sitters Studio founder Kristina Wilson was producing a play for kids, my little guy and I couldn’t wait to check it out.

RECALL Directed by Adienne Campbell-Holt Set for 6/8-7/7 at Wild Project

(5/21/2012) The Wild Project will host Colt Coeur's RECALL from June 8 to July 7, 2012, directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt. The cast are Katya Campbell, Owen Campbell, Jordyn DiNatale, Caleb Scott, and Colleen Werthmann.

9 US Premieres Plus URBAN Set for New Victory Theatre 2012-13 Season

(5/21/2012) The New Victory Theater will launch its 2012-13 season with the U.S. premiere of URBAN by Circolombia, an edgy, thrilling and inspiring circus featuring young Colombian performers who share their real-life stories through acrobatics, aerial work and tremendous feats of strength. URBAN, which was originally commissioned by Roundhouse London as part of CircusFest 2010, will run from October 12 through October 21.

For Gay Pride Month, THE HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA Set for June 13-23

(5/21/2012) Arts at The Park, a component of the Park Avenue Christian Church (known as “The Park”), is pleased to present The Homosexual Agenda by playwright Robb Leigh Davis as part of The Park’s celebration of Gay Pride Month. The performances will be staged at The Park, 1010 Park Avenue at 85th Street.

Rochester Community Players' Stephanie Roosa Wins Outstanding Leading Actress at The Acting Irish International Theatre Festival

(5/21/2012) Stephanie Roosa was awarded "Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role" honors at the 2012 Acting Irish International Theatre Festival (AIITF) in Dublin, Ireland, May 20, 2012, for her performance as "Josie" in the Rochester Community Players' Irish Players production of A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O'Neill. The festival was held at the Axis Theatre, Ballymun, Dublin; six community theater companies from the United States, Canada and Ireland participated in this year's festival.

Craig Ramsay, Matt Loehr, Brian Childers et al. Star in A KISS FROM ALEXANDER, 5/21

(5/21/2012) Dennis Grimaldi Productions (Nice Work If You Can Get It, Godspell, Angels in America) presents industry readings of the new musical fantasy, A Kiss From Alexander, today, May 21st at 1pm and 4pm at Shetler Studios, 244 W 54th St, #12 in Manhattan.

Gingold Theatrical Group's Project Shaw Presents IN GOOD KING CHARLES'S GOLDEN DAYS, 5/21

(5/21/2012) Gingold Theatrical Group's PROJECT SHAW presents George Bernard Shaw's IN GOOD KING CHARLES'S GOLDEN DAYS – his outrageous comedy of royal manners – tonight, May 21 at 7pm at The Players Club (16 Gramercy Park South) in Manhattan. David Staller produces and directs.

Photo Flash: First Look at Hampton Theatre Company's BLACK TIE

(5/20/2012) A comedic clash of cultures and generations threatens to unravel what seems at first blush to be a traditional WASP wedding when the Hampton Theatre Company opens A.R. Gurney's new play, "Black Tie," on May 24. "Black Tie" will be performed at the Quogue Community Hall Thursdays through Sundays for three weeks, from May 24 through June 10. Take a first look at the production in the photos below, featuring Rosemary Cline, Christopher Scheer, Andrew Botsford, Cyrus Newitt and Sydney Schwindt!

Elizabeth Swados Directs JEWISH BOOKS COOKING Throughout NYC thru 6/17

(5/20/2012) Jewish Books Cooking, a new musical based on Jewish-themed children’s books and created and directed by award-winning composer and author Elizabeth Swados, premieres at The JCC in Manhattan today, May 20th and plays throughout New York City through the end of the month and into June.

Live IN Theater Presents THE LOMBARDI CASE 1975 Murder Mystery, Sundays thru 7/29

(5/20/2012) From award-winning actor/director Carlo D’Amore, and produced by Live IN Theater, THE LOMBARDI CASE 1975is a thrilling, interactive theatrical adventure, where audience members are transported into the world of the “Hell Precinct” to solve a notorious crime. The experience begins at THE LIVING ROOM, 154 Ludlow St., between Rivington and Stanton Sts., on the Lower East Side, NYC. Subways: F or J, M, Z to Essex Street- Delancey, or the F to 2nd Avenue. www.livingroomny.com. The show runs every Sunday, 2pm, through July 29th, 2012. For tickets ($49) and more information, please visit www.liveintheater.com.

Brooklyn Center Presents CINDERELLA Today, 5/20

(5/20/2012) Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College concludes its 2011-2012 Target FamilyFun series with American Family Theater's production of Cinderella today, May 20, 2012 at 2pm.

Paige Simunovich, Zachary Sayle, et al. Star in THE FAIRY HOAX at Workshop Theater Company Today, 5/20

(5/20/2012) Susanna Fazer (The Nerd) will direct a cast starring Paige Simunovich (Finian’s Rainbow, Mary Poppins) and Zachary Sayle (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, A Christmas Story, The Musical) with Justin Luciano, Stacey Scotte, Doug Shapiro, and Sean Patrick Folster in a reading of Jay D’Amico (last Piano-in-Residence at Windows of the World) and Pulitzer- nominated Tom Diggs’ new musical THE FAIRY HOAX in midtown Manhattan one day only today May 20, 2012 at 6 pm at Workshop Theater Company.

Kids 'N Comedy Presents THE HORRIBLE HISTORY SHOW Today, 5/20

(5/20/2012) KIDS 'N COMEDY presents "THE HORRIBLE HISTORY SHOW," today May 20, in which teen comics turn history upside down. The show takes place at 1 p.m. at the Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd Street.

National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbien Presents Mendy Cahan, 5/19 & 20

(5/19/2012) As it continues to explore Yiddish culture in bold, new ways, the Drama Desk Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre – Folksbiene brings the internationally acclaimed Israeli theatre artist Mendy Cahan to New York for an exclusive three-show engagement tonight, May 19 and tomorrow, May 20.

Four-Actor ROMEO AND JULIET Set for Long Island City, Now thru 6/10

(5/19/2012) Empirical Rogue (Tim Eliot, Artistic Director), a company comprised of MFA alums of the A.R.T./MXAT Institute at Harvard, teams with chashama to produce a four-actor Romeo and Juliet in a never-before-performed-in abandoned space in Long Island City (26-15 Jackson Ave.) tonight, May 19 through June 10, 2012. Tim Eliot will direct the production.

RIFFS ON RACE AND WAR Honors Malcolm X Tonight, May 19

(5/19/2012) Celebrating the day of his birth at the place of his tragic death, Riffs on Race and War, a one-woman show with live music, honors the legacy of Malcolm X on his 87th birthday. Riffs… examines universally resounding realities such as social inequality and the need for unity across humanity.

Sitters Studio Presents HELP WANTED: PIRATES Interactive Musical, Now thru 7/8

(5/19/2012) SITTERS Studio Productions produces the NYC premiere of "HELP WANTED: PIRATES" at the MAGNET THEATRE starting tonight, May 19th. The production, with book and lyrics by Chris WidneY and music by J. SEBASTIAN FABAL, is a new musical for children performed by adults. This interactive children’s musical is directed by MARY Catherine Burke, choreographed by JEN LITTLEFIELD with musical direction by Andrew Wheeler.

Rady & Bloom's THE ORANGE PERSON Plays in IRT's 3B Development Series, Now thru 5/26

(5/19/2012) Long-time collaborators Brian Rady and Jeremy Bloom introduce their inaugural summer season with The Orange Person, presented and developed in association with IRT’s 3B Development Series.

Katie Fabel Steps In For Last 2 Shows of Mind the Gap's ADRENALIN...HEART

(5/18/2012) Katie Fabel (BELLE OF BELFAST, THE SHAUGHRAUN) will fill for actress Mia Moreland for the final two performances of Mind the Gap Theatre’s US premiere of Georgia Fitch’s ADRENALIN…HEART, on Saturday, May 19 at 8:00pm and Sunday, May 20 at 3:00pm at Space on White (81 White Street, between Broadway and Lafayette) in Manhattan.

Photo Flash: Bill Connington, Gayton Scott et al. in THE GLASS MENAGERIE

(5/18/2012) Bill Connington, star of the award-winning play ZOMBIE, and Gayton Scott, of Broadway’s GYPSY (Bernadette Peters/Sam Mendes version) appeared in a special site-specific reading/workshop of THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams at Vassar College in upstate New York. It took place in the Rose Parlor, in the main building on the famed Seven Sisters campus. Also in the cast are William Connell (INDISCRETIONS) and Annmarie Benedict (ROBESON). Check out photos from the reading below!

Nancy Johnston Replaces Allyce Beasley in REVISITING WILDFIRE at the ArcLight Theatre

(5/18/2012) Nancy Johnston will replace Allyce Beasley and co-star with Lynne Wintersteller in Kari Floren's two-hander Revisiting Wildfire about two college roommates, best friends for life, who re-unite after thirty years.

Our Lady J to Play La MaMa, 5/25-27

(5/18/2012) Our Lady J presents Beauty As God(dess), a concert "celebrating the aesthetic of the Divine. Continuing her previously explored themes of non-traditional, post-religious forms of worship, Our Lady J and special guests perform songs honoring the ever-present, yet mostly unacknowledged modern deity : BEAUTY itself. Is there anything more valued in our 21st Century society? Is there anything more sacred and desired?"

STAGE TUBE: Preview of BURLESQUE TO BROADWAY May 18-19 - Starring Quinn Lemley, Natalie Loftin Bell and Stacey Harris

(5/18/2012) Experience the art of the tease as critically acclaimed Quinn Lemley stars in her new touring production, Burlesque to Broadway. The limited run will be presented two nights only, tonight, May 18th and 19th at 8 pm at Brooklyn's Millennium Theater. Check out the production video below featuring many of the songs from the show.

August Strindberg Repertory Theatre and Negro Ensemble Company Present PLAYING WITH FIRE, Now thru 6/10

(5/18/2012) August Strindberg's Chekhovian comedy, "Playing With Fire" (Leka med elden, 1893), in a translation by Ulrika Brand that has been newly adapted by Obie-winner Leslie Lee, Executive Director of Negro Ensemble Company, will be presented tonight, May 18 to June 10 with an all-black cast as the inaugural production of August Strindberg Repertory Theatre, directed by Robert Greer. The play, to be staged at New School for Drama, 151 Bank Street (West Village), will be a co-production of August Strindberg Repertory Theatre and Negro Ensemble Company in association with Theater Resources Unlimited.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES Opens Penguin Rep's Season Tonight, 5/18

(5/18/2012) The Hound of the Baskervilles, a comedy adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s celebrated Sherlock Holmes mystery, opens Penguin Rep Theatre’s 2012 season tonight, May 18.

Aporia Theater Presents World Premiere of WOYZECK Tonight, 5/18

(5/18/2012) Aporia Theater has announced the limited engagement of WOYZECK, a new adaptation by Artistic Director Sarah Elizabeth Wansley with original music by David Marenberg. Opening is tonight, May 18.

Stage Left Studio's June Repertory Month Features THAT PLAY: A SOLO MACBETH and 4 More

(5/18/2012) At midtown’s Stage Left Studio, it’s all about the writing. Producer Cheryl King has selected five critically acclaimed plays on a variety of subjects: Cuban refugees, 1930’s biracial lesbian love, surviving cancer, rent stabilization, and a solo Macbeth.

The Civilians Presents LET ME ASCERTAIN YOU: DEATH As Final Joe's Pub of the Season Tonight, 5/18

(5/18/2012) The Civilians, the award-winning New York-based theater company known for projects investigating real life topics, presents Let Me Ascertain You: Death tonight, May 18, 2012 at 9:30 PM at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette St.

Horse Trade Theater Group Extends THE H.P. LOVECRAFT FESTIVAL Through 7/29

(5/17/2012) The previously scheduled RADIOTHEATRE HOUR presentation of THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU has been cancelled and will now be replaced by the extension of the popular H.P. LOVECRAFT FESTIVAL, a repertory of cult horror classics by the Grandmaster of 20th Century American Horror. Stories will include REANIMATOR; THE CALL OF CTHULHU; THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZANN; COOL AIR; THE THING IN THE MOONLIGHT… live, onstage for the first time, complete with award-winning sound design and original orchestral scores.

Photo Flash: Asian And...'s RIGHT HERE WRITE NOW at Cherry Lane Theater - Eugene Oh, Diane Phelan, Matt Park & More

(5/17/2012) Asian and... has released extensive photo coverage of Right Here, Write Now, an evening of readings that took place at Cherry Lane Theatre on Tuesday May 15th, at 8pm. Check out the photos of Eugene Oh, Bonna Tek, Leanne Cabrera, Denise Rogers, Ivano Pulito, Satomi Blair, Andrew Eisenman, Tony Vo, Josephine Huang, Bobby Foley, Holly Chou, Cleo Gray, Jaygee Macapugay, Diane Phelan, Matt Park, Sade Namei, Jen Kwok, Lindsay Mack, Iliana Inocencio, Grant Chang, Emily Kratter, Lillian Rodriguez, Alex Grubbs and more below.

T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre Presents JACK'S BACK! World Premiere, Now thru 6/24

(5/17/2012) JACK'S BACK!, a world premiere musical with book by Elmer L. Kline w/ Lee Cardini & Tom Herman and music/lyrics by Tom Herman, will be directed by John Gould Rubin for T. Schreiber Studio & Theatre May 9-24.

IN THE COMPANY OF JANE DOE Premieres at New York Theatre Workshop's 4th Street Theatre, 5/17

(5/17/2012) Today, May 17 Cake Productions, one of the most cutting-edge-aware theatre companies in the country, will present the New York Premiere of Tiffany Antone’s prophetic wake-up call, “IN THE COMPANY OF JANE DOE,” a new play about a woman who gets herself cloned then wants a Do-Over. There are men in the play. One of them causes all the trouble.

JOURNEY ON: UNLEASH YOUR INNER HERO Plays The Secret Theatre, Now thru 6/10

(5/17/2012) JOURNEY ON, presented by Playing with Reality and directed by Shea Elmore, runs from tonight, May 17 through June 10 at The Secret Theatre in Long Island City, New York (44-02 23rd Street).

The Brick Presents CONFESS YOUR BUBBLE, 6/21-30

(5/16/2012) Playwright Matthew Freeman and director Kyle Ancowitz (The Theater Accident) return to The Brick with CONFESS YOUR BUBBLE. Their previous appearances include the much-ballyhooed productions of Glee Club and An Interview with the Author and That Old Soft Shoe.