Tag Archives: plays

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre takes classic theater outside the box

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre is part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center located in the Arts District of Downtown Dallas. The theater was built so that their main performance hall is surrounded by three glass walls, creating a unique experience for the audience. The architecture of the building (designed by REX/OMA) in conjunction with an extensive pulley system creates a stage space that provides a lot of freedom for directors to work with many quickly changing sets. It’s like a playground for contemporary theater. The building is a work of art in and of itself with the 12-story building standing seemingly suspended three stories up with only one supporting wall. Check with the Dallas Theater Center for performances and showtimes.

Award-Winning Shows at GableStage

Picture 59With 148 Carbonell Award nominations and 43 wins, it’s no wonder audiences flock to see GablesStage plays, which are presented in the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

Perfecting their theatrical craft for more than three decades, the players at GableStage, led for the last nine seasons by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Adler, whose legendary and provocative productions have been making headlines in Miami since his arrival at the theater, is something no one at this venue takes lightly. Speed the Plow and  A Lesson Before Dying are some of the award-winners and this season’s comedy Speech and Debate and the drama Fifty Words could very well garner more accolades.

1. Shakespeare in the Park June 16-30

One of the best things about summer-Picture 101besides the good weather- is being able to enjoy amazing theater in the great outdoors. Dallas puts on a fabulous Shakespeare in the Park Summer Series that begins in June and goes through to July. In June, though, you have the choice of two great Shakespearean plays. The first to open the series is Cymbeline, a tragedy/romance loosely based on the legends of the early Celtic British King Cunobelinus. Later in the month, and on through July, is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, Comedy of Errors. Moving into a different direction, this is short and slapstick happy in a story that deals with mistaken identities and a flurry of puns and wordplay.

Staging a Stellar Line-Up at Actors’ Playhouse

Picture 18Housed in Coral Gables’ historic Miracle Theatre, the Actors’ Playhouse is one of Miami’s premier spots to catch stellar stage productions for both adults and children. Impeccably restored, but still maintaining the look of another era with a neon marquee announcing the latest productions and a grand glass box office, the showcased plays are just as spectacular.

The Actors’ Playhouse continues to rack up the prestigious Carbonell awards- 57 and counting- and every season expect several classics alongside original plays by local playwrights. Catch a performance here and come away with a memorable evening.

Intimate Space, Big Talent at New Theatre

Explosive and provocative theatre with a twist is Picture 14what’s being presented at the intimate space that is the New Theatre, and it’s been happening here that way for 23 years. The quality of plays continues to get stronger as the playwrights and artistic and managing directors constantly collaborate to bring award-winning theater to South Florida.

Lovers of live theatre will recognize New Theatre playwright Nilo Cruz, who wrote the Broadway hit Anna in the Tropics, as one of the many writers churning out hits here. There are many surprises here, regularly offering seasons that feature classics like Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew alongside an original work by local favorite Michael McKeever, who has been exciting audiences with his original plays for years.

In other words, there’s something for every taste here, and that’s always been the theatre’s forte.

The Walnut: America’s Oldest & Most Popular Theatre

The Walnut Street Theatre is the oldest theater in America, having just celebrated its 200th birthday last year, and is one of the most subscribed to and most successful theater companies in the nation.

With performances ranging from the classics like Oliver and Fiddler on the Roof, to the intimate shows put on in the 80-seat Independence Studio, Walnut Street serves up an eclectic and exciting mix of productions throughout the year.

Soup to nuts (or nuts to nuts since we’re talking about the Walnut) the Theatre has its hand in all aspects of the performance. The Walnut’s fabrication and wardrobe department is located above the main stage, and creates all of the looks for actors on stage, including hair and make-up. They also have auditions in New York and Philadelphia for the main stage performances that have launched the careers of Kathryn Hepburn, Jane Fonda, and Marlon Brando, to name a few.

Tony Award-Winning Alliance Theatre

Now in its 39th season, Atlanta’s nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre, recipient of the 2007 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, is the leading professional resident theatre of the Southeast.

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Managing Director Thomas Pechar, the Alliance Theatre is a national theatre with a local address, reachiPicture 54ng out annually to almost 200,000 patrons and members of the community. Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance launched three Tony Award-winning hits to Broadway: Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida and Alfred Uhry’s The Last Night of Ballyhoo. And in a rare event for a regional theatre, it originated the national tour of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The theatre has premiered more than 50 works including adaptations of Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Pearl Cleage’s Blues for an Alabama Sky. Further evidence of the Alliance’s commitment to new work is found in its nationally recognized Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition, a cutting-edge program introducing student playwrights to professional networks while producing the world premiere of the winning student’s work. The Alliance Theatre also offers extensive education and outreach programs such as the Institute for Educators and the Collision Project for high school students. The Alliance continuously brings Atlanta the finest talent and finest art—proving once again that the Alliance is where great theatre lives.

The Alliance Theatre is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, which also includes the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, High Museum of Art, Young Audiences and the 14th Street Playhouse.