Andre Bishop News

Today, May 16th, the winners of this years Drama League awards were announced with big wins for Patti LuPone, A Catered Affair, August: Osage County, Macbeth and South Pacific

The Drama League (Jano Herbosch, President; Roger T. Danforth and Gabriel Shanks, Executive Directors) proudly announces the roster of presenters scheduled to appear for the The 74th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon on Friday, May 16, 2008 (noon) at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square (1535 Broadway at 46th Street).

Artistic Director Russ Tutterow announced Chicago Dramatists' 30th anniversary season, featuring three productions of world premiere plays, and the fourth annual Many Voices Project. Each year Chicago Dramatists, 'the playwrights' theatre,' produces three of the best new plays from the hundreds developed through its many developmental programs. This year, 'Ten Cent Night' by resident playwright Marisa Wegrzyn, 'How I Became an Interesting Person' by resident playwright Will Dunne, and 'Hope VI' by resident playwright Nambi E. Kelley, will make up its production season.

South Coast Repertory's Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF) will celebrate its 11th annual edition with a lineup composed of seven SCR-commissioned plays from an array of writers. Since its creation in 1998, PPF has grown into one of the most important festivals of new scripts in the United States. This year's Festival will take place during the May 2 through May 4 weekend with a workshop production, four staged readings and two fully-staged World Premieres on South Coast Repertory's two major stages. Tickets to PPF may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) will present award winning actor John Lithgow in his new one man show John Lithgow: STORIES BY HEART on Sunday and Monday nights at 7pm beginning Sunday, April 20 in the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 W. 65 Street). John Lithgow: STORIES BY HEART, which will be directed by Jack O'Brien, will be presented during the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater run of Paul Rudnick's The New Century for 14 performances only through Monday, June 2.

South Coast Repertory's Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF) will celebrate its 11th annual edition with a lineup composed of seven SCR-commissioned plays from an array of writers. Since its creation in 1998, PPF has grown into one of the most important festivals of new scripts in the United States. This year's Festival will take place during the May 2 through May 4 weekend with a workshop production, four staged readings and two fully-staged World Premieres on South Coast Repertory's two major stages. Tickets to PPF may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

South Coast Repertory Artistic Directors David Emmes and Martin Benson have been named the recipients of the 2007-08 Margo Jones Medal. The prestigious award honors those who have demonstrated a significant impact, understanding and affirmation of the craft of playwriting, with a lifetime commitment to the encouragement of the living theater everywhere. The venerable duo has guided South Coast Repertory from a small touring company into one of the country's leading professional theaters, now approaching its 45th season and known world-wide for its development of new work for the stage. The Ohio State University Libraries and College of the Arts will present the award to Emmes and Benson on May 1 at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California, kicking off the theater's nationally-renowned Pacific Playwrights Festival.

ONE OF THE GREATEST musical theatre teams fo the modern theatre, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, have amassed a hug canon of songs and shows knownt he world over. They drop by to talk to us about their new show, The Glorious Ones, now playing at Lincoln Center at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. The team informs us of where they get their ideas, how they write, and the hardest hitting question: who comes first... Ahrens or Flaherty?

The previously announced Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic South Pacific will be presented on Broadway in spring of 2008

The 21st Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Oustanding Achievement Off-Broawday were presented on Monday, May 1st at New World Stages (formerly Dodger Stages, 340 West 50th Street) at 7 PM.

On February 6th, Christopher Durang, Andre Bishop, Jane Rosenthal and Frank Rich will honor Wendy Wasserstein on 'The Charlie Rose Show'

BroadwayWorld presents a gallery of photos of Wendy Wasserstein, the beloved playwright who just passed away at the age of 55

Beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein has died at age 55 of complications from lymphoma

The third of the new Fall season of the American Theatre Wing 'Working In The Theatre' Seminars continues on Thursday, November 4th. Playwrights, puppets and not for profit theatre companies are all major components of an exciting theatre season on Broadway and Off. This season, on a new set and in a new larger facility, the popular 'Working in the Theatre' Seminars have been expanded. The American Theatre Wing continues to provide a unique, enlightening, behind-the-scenes theatrical experience with these star-studded panels comprised of Broadway and Off-Broadway's major theatre personalities. Once again the ATW Seminars will provide some of the most entertaining and informative discussions on theatre today.

BroadwayWorld.com recently sat down with the New York Post's always controversial theater columnist - Michael Riedel. Read on to hear what he has to say about growing up *not* singing show tunes, Bernadette Peters, the current state of Broadway, and lots more...