J Stephen Brantley News

Theaterspeak will present WRITE OUT FRONT, an installation of over 125 award-winning and up-and-coming playwrights writing new plays in the storefront window of the Drama Book Shop during store hours, today, August 1st - 31st. In each two-hour time slot for WRITE OUT FRONT, a different playwright will write a new play on a laptop, while the screen shot of their computer is projected onto a 42' monitor facing the passersby on the street, making their normally private creative process public.

Theaterspeak will present WRITE OUT FRONT, an installation of over 125 award-winning and up-and-coming playwrights writing new plays in the storefront window of the Drama Book Shop during store hours, August 1st - 31st. In each two-hour time slot for WRITE OUT FRONT, a different playwright will write a new play on a laptop, while the screen shot of their computer is projected onto a 42' monitor facing the passersby on the street, making their normally private creative process public.

The 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering celebration of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud that HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community.

Dixon Place (Ellie Covan, Artistic Director) presents the 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering festival of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud the HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community. This year's HOT!, featuring hundreds of participating artists presenting their newest creations, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place, located at 161A Chrystie Street in New York City.

The 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering celebration of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud that HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community.

Dixon Place (Ellie Covan, Artistic Director) presents the 23rd Annual HOT!, the NYC Celebration of Queer Culture. The world's longest-running LGBTQ Performance Festival, HOT! offers theater, music, dance, puppetry, performance art and homoeroticism for the whole family! HOT! is the pioneering festival of queer performance and culture - and the oldest annual festival of its kind in the world. Dixon Place is proud the HOT! serves as the model for other queer festivals across the globe and has become a performance destination for emerging talent in the LGBTQ community. This year's HOT!, featuring hundreds of participating artists presenting their newest creations, will run July 5th through August 2nd at Dixon Place, located at 161A Chrystie Street in New York City.

Horse Trade Theater Group will present the 8th Annual FRIGID New York Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A) February 19-March 9. Founded in 2007, FRIGID New York is an open and uncensored theatre festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of theatre on the fringe of the mainstream, 100% of box office proceeds will go directly to the artists. FRIGID is here to chill out the New York independent theatre scene's ideas of what a theater festival can be!

In this production by NYIT Award-nominated Caps Lock Theatre, nytheatre.com "Person of the Year" Mariah MacCarthy reunites with director Leta Tremblay on their second site-specific production together, this time at an Astoria apartment. Mrs. Mayfield… is part play, part party, in which a group of former classmates (now all pushing thirty) reunite for a night of drinks and nostalgia. As people revert to their more childish sides, Lord of the Flies-style, what follows is a battle for affection, power, and ownership of memories. Also: nineties music!

Caps Lock Theatre, an NYIT-Award nominated theatre company founded by nytheatre.com 'Person of the Year' Mariah MacCarthy, will present Pussyfest Redux, tonight, February 9th and the 10th at Joria Productions (260 West 36th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue). The two evenings will feature monologues about the body, written for femaleidentifying or female-bodied actresses, as well as some live music by female musicians.

Caps Lock Theatre, an NYIT-Award nominated theatre company founded by nytheatre.com "Person of the Year" Mariah MacCarthy, will present Pussyfest Redux, February 9-10 at Joria Productions (260 West 36th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue). The two evenings will feature monologues about the body, written for femaleidentifying or female-bodied actresses, as well as some live music by female musicians.

THEATERSPEAK will present an installation of more than 70 award-winning and emerging playwrights writing new plays in the storefront window of the Drama Book Shop during store hours, August 13th - September 1st, In each two-hour time slot, a different playwright will write their play on a laptop, while the screen shot of their computer is visible to the street, opening their process up to the passerby on the street. Below, check out a video promo for the event, featuring J.Stephen Brantley of Hard Sparks writing a play

HardSparks, a New York City-based theater company, presented the first in a series of site-specific performances of new plays to take place in Southampton. SparkHampton: The Wickapogue Plays featured work by Crystal Skillman (Cut, Wild), J.Stephen Brantley (Eightythree Down, Blood Grass), and Daniel Talbott (Slipping, Yosemite), who also directed the three pieces. SparkHampton: The Wickapogue Plays featured J. Stephen Brantley, Kathryn Erbe, Brian Miskell, Seth Numrich, and Jelena Stupljanin. Check out the production in the photos below!

59E59 Theaters, with The Directors Company, in association with Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, and Invictus Theater Company is presenting MURDER IN THE FIRST, written by Dan Gordon and directed by Michael Parva. MURDER IN THE FIRST began performances on May 25 for a limited engagement through July 1, and celebrated an official opening night on June 6. BroadwayWorld has just recevieved production highlights and brings you an exclusive look below!

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes The Directors Company, in association with Chase Mishkin, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, and Invictus Theater Company, with MURDER IN THE FIRST, written by Dan Gordon and directed by Michael Parva. MURDER IN THE FIRST begins performances tonight, Friday, May 25, for a limited engagement through Sunday, July 1. Check out photos of Chris Kimball, Guy Burnet, Larisa Polonsky and more on stage below!

Theatre companies are always on the lookout for performance space. There are just not enough venues to house all the groups that have sprung up in the last few years. Even veteran companies have to sometimes choose unusual settings for their productions. Such is the case with BRIEFS, A FESTIVAL OF SHORT LESBIAN AND GAY PLAYS, which was performed at La Perla (February 24-26, 2012), which has probably seen more wedding receptions and private parties than play festivals over the years. However, the issue of space proved to be a non-factor, as a simple stage and just enough chairs allowed the festival to flourish, regularly selling out for every performance. I found it to be an enjoyable and entertaining excursion, myself, and was grateful for the opportunity to see an evening of short plays that centered around the subject of homosexuality, but brought to light different aspects than we're used to seeing.

Queens Theatre in association with theatre 167 presents JACKSON HEIGHTS 3 AM, a new play conceived and directed by Ari Laura Kreith. The two companies have collaborated to present the play at two venues-first at PS 69 (77-02 37th Avenue) in Jackson Heights (Jan 13-22) and then at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Ave So. in Flushing Meadow Corona Park) (Jan 27-Feb 5).

Queens Theatre in association with theatre 167 presents JACKSON HEIGHTS 3 AM, a new play conceived and directed by Ari Laura Kreith. The two companies have collaborated to present the play at two venues-first at PS 69 (77-02 37th Avenue) in Jackson Heights (Jan 13-22) and then at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Ave So. in Flushing Meadow Corona Park) (Jan 27-Feb 5).

Eight playwrights combined with director, Ari Laura Kreith, in creating a new work inspired by Jackson Heights (Queens) in the wee hours of the morning. Livery cab drivers, police officers, sex workers, Colombian drag queens, Bangladeshi insomniacs, expatriate ER doctors, Ecuadorian waitresses and a baby awake in its stroller are among the characters whose experiences are chronicled in this multilingual (English, Spanish, Bengali) production which features a multicultural ensemble cast of 24.

Queens Theatre in association with theatre 167 presents JACKSON HEIGHTS 3 AM, a new play conceived and directed by Ari Laura Kreith. The two companies have collaborated to present the play at two venues-first at PS 69 (77-02 37th Avenue) in Jackson Heights (Jan 13-22) and then at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Ave So. in Flushing Meadow Corona Park) (Jan 27-Feb 5).

Eight playwrights combined with director, Ari Laura Kreith, in creating a new work inspired by Jackson Heights (Queens) in the wee hours of the morning. Livery cab drivers, police officers, sex workers, Colombian drag queens, Bangladeshi insomniacs, expatriate ER doctors, Ecuadorian waitresses and a baby awake in its stroller are among the characters whose experiences are chronicled in this multilingual (English, Spanish, Bengali) production which features a multicultural ensemble cast of 24.