Jane Anderson News

The Geffen Playhouse honored actress Annette Bening and Walt Disney Company's President and CEO Robert Iger during Monday's Backstage at the Geffen, a star-studded event raising $575,000 for the Geffen's Stage for Any Age education and outreach programs.

The newest edition of the American Theatre Wing's 'Working in the Theatre' will feature 'Steppenwolf: From Chicago to Osage County' on CUNY TV on Sunday, March 23 at 5 p.m. The segment will repeat on Friday, March 28 at 9 a.m., 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 29 at 11 a.m. The program becomes available as streaming audio and podcast from www.americantheatrewing.org, as well as iTunes, beginning Wednesday afternoon, March 26.

Nominations have been announced for the 39th annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, to be presented on March 17 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. Jason Graae, who will receive the Joel Hirschorn Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater, will host the event.

The event may be entitled 'We ♥ Playwrights,' but playwriting skills are just one of many things to 'heart' about the artists speaking at the Geffen Playhouse's upcoming fundraiser.

Quality of Life remains highly relevant leading up to next years presidential elections, and the enormously talented cast treats the work with utmost sincerity. Metcalf and Williams have the most dynamic characters to develop, as both come to terms with the others choices and their roller coaster emotional journeys drive the heart of Anderson's work...

LaBute is bringing his unapologetic romance to the Geffen Playhouse with himself at the helm. Set to open on February 6, 2008.

The Geffen Playhouse has announced the cast lineup for their first produced play in the theater's new commission program, The Quality of Life, which will star Laurie Metcalf, Scott Bakula, Dennis Boutsikaris and JoBeth Williams...

The Geffen Playhouse continues polishing its artistic plans for 2007/2008 with the announcement of the new season's productions by Producing Director Gil Cates.

According to NYTimes.com, the lineup for New York Stage and Film and Vassar College's 23rd Powerhouse summer theater season will include productions of John Patrick Shanley's Romantic Poetry: A Musical Play, featuring a score by Henry Krieger (Dreamgirls) and starring Mark Linn-Baker and Idina Menzel, Stephen Belber's (Match) new play, Geometry of Fire, and concert readings of Pete Towshend's new rock opera, The Boy Who Heard Music, and R-E-S-P-E-C-T, a musical featuring hit songs originally by Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett and more.

The Mississauga Players have a must-see winner this time out with Jane Anderson's play, DEFYING GRAVITY. * * * * 1/2 (OUT OF 5)