Spring is coming, and one look at the opening schedule on Broadway makes me feel like I should just take out a sublet. There are a LOT of shows opening, especially in April. The economy might be tanking, but lots of shows are getting in under this year's Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic Circle Award deadlines and that's good news for the Great White Way and theater lovers.
Meanwhile, some shows open in March and there are some other great theater-related programs that will help pass the time. Check these out:
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU), Audience Extras and Back Stage present the industry panel "Producing Opportunities beyond New York: Fringe Circuits, Colleges, Arts Centers and More" 7:30 pm Wednesday, Feb. 17 at The Players Theatre Mainstage, 115 MacDougal St. (below West 3rd Street), NYC.
Panelists will include Nancy Holson, producer/writer (The News in Revue, Bush Wars, Parenting 101); Joshua Kane, writer-performer Wild Baboo Productions LLC (toured internationally with one-man shows, has created and performed works for major museums, arts centers and festivals, including the Smithsonian Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Peabody Museum at Yale, the Ridgefield Museum of Contemporary Art); Dorothy Leeds, writer-performer (has booked her one-woman show Good Lessons from Bad Women, around the country); Dorothy Marcic, writer (her musical Respect has played in 17 cities with over 2200 performances); Ronald Rand, writer-performer (currently tours across America and the world in his solo play, Let it Be Art! as Harold Clurman, founder and publisher of "The Soul of the American Actor," author of "Acting Teachers of America"); Virginia Scott, director-writer (Fringe tours, books shows regionally and in New York City, including The US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, The Theatre at Monmouth in Maine, The Comedy Central Theatre and UCB LA in Los Angeles; and internationally at The Guilded Balloon in Edinburgh, The Centaur Theatre in Montreal, the Grahamstown International Festival in South Africa and festivals throughout Canada).
Doors open at 7 for networking and refreshments, panel starts promptly at 7:30 pm. FREE for TRU members; $12 for non-members. Please call at least a day in advance for reservations: 212-714-7628; or e-mail TRUnltd@aol.com. The panel will be co-moderated by Sherry Eaker, editor-at-large of Back Stage. Details of the upcoming TRU musicals series may be found at www.truonline.org/TRUMusicals.htm. For more information about TRU membership, visit http://www.truonline.org/ or call 212-714-7628.
The Primary Stages School of Theater (PSST) continues its highly successful specialty workshops as a way for students to quickly jumpstart new projects and refine important skills in a shortened amount of time. The spring workshop instructors include David Adjmi, Joanna Gleason, David Grimm, Itamar Moses and Leigh Silverman.
Spring 2010 Workshop Schedule
Writing
The Petri Dish: Or, How to Grow a New Play with David Adjmi
March 6 and 7 from noon to 3 pm.
Getting Started with David Grimm
This two-day intensive character-based workshop is for all playwrights focused on generating new material and discovering different ways of approaching the work. This is not a lecture, this is not theory -- writers learn by writing, so come prepared to write and share.
March 13 and 14 from noon to 3 pm.
Everything is Action with Itamar Moses
This workshop will explore the ways in which “action,” like a vibrating one-dimensional string, creates all of the illusions that summon a complete theatrical world.
April 10 and 11 from 2 to 5 pm.
Performance Technique
Acting the Song with Joanna Gleason
This is an acting class with music. If you fear singing, it's for you. If you sing and are stiff on stage, it's for you. The goal of the workshop is not to refine your smile as a chorus boy or girl - it's about acting. Period. Text, context, subtext. Each student needs to have memorized two ballads from musical theater or old standards. No jazz, no rock. Bring sheet music for those songs. The accompanist can adjust keys etc. No recording devices will be permitted. Students are encouraged to attend multiple sessions.
Section A: Saturday, March 20 from 11 am to 2 pm.
Section B: Saturday, April 24 from 11 am to 2 pm.
Primary Previews with Tessa LaNeve
This three-night seminar offers an advance look at Primary Stages 26th season of exciting new plays by some of today's most prominent playwrights. Each night of the seminar is dedicated to reading and discussing one of the upcoming plays with Primary Stages Literary Manager, Tessa LaNeve. Participants will deconstruct the texts, conjure up their dream casts, discuss design and production elements, and place these three plays within the larger NYC landscape of American theater. The classes will be invited to special performances of each play for post-show talkbacks. Section A: Wednesdays, Feb. 24, March 3 and 10 from 7 to 9 pm.
Section B: Wednesdays, March 17, 24 and 31 from 7 to 9 pm.
Section C: Wednesdays, April 7, 14 and 21 from 5 to 7 pm.
Directing Intensive with Leigh Silverman
This intensive weekend will offer two full days geared towards gaining significant directing experience and confidence. There will be challenging class work and personalized feedback from 16 hours of hard work, group participation, focus and learning.
April 17 and 18 from 10 am to 6 pm.
Private Coaching with Andrew Leynse
Having problems with a monologue? Nervous about a big upcoming audition? Let’s schedule a private session for you to bolster your confidence! These private, one-on-one acting sessions are geared to meet your individual acting needs whether they be for film, television, stage, or audition preparation.
Information is available by contacting PSST Director LaNeve at 212- 840-9705 extension 212, via email at tessa@primarystages.org, or by visiting the Primary Stages website at http://www.primarystages.org/.
The Drama Desk has limited seating for nonmembers at its first Panel Discussion of the 2009-2010 theater season on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the BMI offices at 320 West 57th St. There is no admission charge for Drama Desk members and guests.
The panel discussion, entitled Women At Work: Directing and Writing for the Theater," will feature women with a multitude of creative credits in the theater, including Christina Anderson, author Inked Baby, Drip, GLO, Annie Baker, author, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Aliens, Body Awareness, Sheila Callahan, author, Lascivious Something (opening Spring 2010), Dead City, That Pretty Pretty; Or, the Rape Play, Karen Carpenter, director and former associate artistic director of The Old Globe, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Pam McKinnon, director, Clybourne Park, Smudge, Peter and Jerry, Susan H. Schulman, director, Broadway's The Secret Garden, Little Women, The Sound of Music, Rinnie Groff, author, Compulsion (currently at Yale Rep), The Ruby Sunrise, Co-writer/Lyricist, Saved and Sheryl Kaller, director, Next Fall (now in previews on Broadway), Adrift in Macao, Jayson With a Y.
The panel will be moderated by Adrienne Onofri, a features writer for BroadwayWorld.com, who has done several series on women theater artists for the website. Reservation are required and may be made by emailing PJRJS@aol.com.
Looking ahead:
Broadway Shows Scheduled to Open:
The Miracle Worker
Circle in the Square Theatre
Opening: March 3
Cast: Abigail Breslin and Alison Pill
A revival of William Gibson's play about Helen Keller and her teacher.
A Behanding in Spokane (**Mature)
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
Opening: March 4
Cast: Christopher Walken, Zoe Kazan, Anthony Mackie and Sam Rockwell
World premiere of a new black comedy by Martin McDonagh centered on a man's search for his missing left hand.
Next Fall (**Mature)
Helen Hayes Theatre
Opening: March 11
Cast: Patrick Breen, Maddie Corman, Sean Dugan, Patrick Heusinger, Connie Ray and Cotter Smith
Transfer of Naked Angels' Off-Broadway run of Geoffrey Nauffts' drama about a five-year relationship between two gay partners and how religion factors into it.
Looped (**Mature)
Lyceum Theatre
Opening: March 14
Cast: Valerie Harper, Brian Hutchison and Michael Mulheren
Matthew Lombardo's new comedy about Tallulah Bankhead, who is in a sound studio to re-record (or "loop") one line of dialogue for be her last film.
All About Me (**Mature)
Henry Miller's Theatre
Opening: March 18
Cast: Barry Humphries, Michael Feinstein, Gregory Butler, Jodi Capeless and Jon-Paul Mateo
Dame Edna meets Michael Feinstein, written by Christopher Durang.
Come Fly Away
Marquis Theatre
Opening: March 25
Cast: John Selya, Keith Roberts, Karine Plantadit, Holley Farmer
Twila Tharp chorepgraphs and directs this dance piece about four lovelorn couples featuring the vocals of Frank Sinatra.
Red
Golden Theatre
Opening: April 1
Cast: Alfred Molina and Eddie Redmayne
The Donmar Warehouse production of John Logan's play about abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko.
Lend Me a Tenor
Music Box Theatre
Opening: April 4
Cast: Anthony LaPaglia, Tony Shalhoub, Justin Bartha, Jan Maxwell, Mary Catherine Garrison, Jennifer Laura Thompson
Stanley Tucci directs the revival of the 1930s comedy about a world-famous star who goes missing before his debut with Cleveland's local opera.
The Addams Family
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Opening: April 8
Cast: Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Carolee Carmello, Kevin Chamberlin, Jackie Hoffman, Zachary James, Terrence Mann, Adam Riegler, Wesley Taylor and Krysta Rodriguez
The creepy family comes to the stage.
Million Dollar Quartet
Nederlander Theatre
Opening: April 11
Cast: Hunter Foster, Elizabeth Stanley, Eddie Clendening, Lance Guest, Levi Kreis and Rob Lyons
Transfer of the Chicago musical by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux about Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley all coming together one night for a jam session.
La Cage Aux Folles
Longacre Theatre
Opening April 18
Cast: Douglas Hodge, Kelsey Grammer
Transfer of the London Menier Chocolate Factory musical by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein's about a gay couple and a visit from their son's finacee's family.
American Idiot
St. James Theatre
Opening: April 20
Cast: John Gallagher Jr., Stark Sands, Michael Esper, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Christina Sajous, Mary Faber, Tony Vincent
New rock musical featuring songs from Green Day's album of the same name and "21st Century Breakdown."
Sondheim on Sondheim
Studio 54
Opening: April 22
Cast: Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, Leslie Kritzer, Tom Wopat
A new revue and portrait of Sondheim.
Promises, Promises
Broadway Theatre
Opening: April 25
Cast: Kristin Chenoweth, Sean Hayes, Brooks Ashmanskas, Katie Finneran and Tony Goldwyn
A revival of the musical based on Neil Simon's The Apartment with music by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Fences
Cort Theatre
Opening: April 25
Cast: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Chris Chalk, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Russell Hornsby and Mykelti Williamson
August Wilson's story about a former Negro League baseball player who struggles with his life as a garbage man gets revived with some star power.
Enron
Broadhurst Theatre
Opening: April 27
Cast: Norbert Leo Butz, Stephen Kunken
Transfer of London's Jerwood Theatre production of Lucy Prebble's financial scandal drama.
Collected Stories
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Opening: April 28
Cast: Linda Lavin, Sarah Paulson
Donald Margulies' new play about two female writers gets its premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club.
Lips Together, Teeth Apart (**Mature)
American Airlines Theatre
Opening: April 29
Cast: Megan Mullally, Lili Taylor, Patton Oswalt
Roundabout Theatre Company revives Terrence McNally's play about two straight couples vacationing amongst the gay community at a Fire Island beach house on July 4.
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