Theater auditions: One male for Orlando Shakes rotating rep

Orlando Shakespeare Theater needs one non-Equity male for its rotating repertory of Romeo and Juliet and Cymbeline. Here’s the audition notice:

Local movie theaters to screen Shakespeare

Well, I missed the first installment (vacation beckoned), but several Orlando-area movie theaters will screen filmed versions of productions from London’s Globe Theatre this summer.

Fringe announces another Patrons’ Pick (and a lot of sell-outs)

David Lee’s Thom Pain (based on nothing), by playwright Will Eno, has been added to the Patrons’ Pick shows at the Orlando Fringe. It will have an additional performance at 3:45 p.m. Monday May 30 in the yellow venue (the Goldman Theater).

Also, congrats to all the folks who made possible shows with sell-out crowds:

Theater auditions: ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ in Kissimmee

Here’s an audition announcement from Osceola Center for the Arts:

Theater critics award top prize — again — to playwright Bill Cain

Bill Cain

For the second year in a row, New York playwright Bill Cain has won the $25,000 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Award for a new play — this time for 9 Circles, a harrowing but ultimately uplifting play about war and redemption.

Transitions: David Lee to NYC

David Lee

David Lee, who has spent the past half a dozen years as associate director of new-play development at Orlando Shakespeare Theater and as an assistant professor of theater at UCF, is leaving those posts to return to New York, where he’ll teach and direct.

Theater auditions: ‘Othello’ in Titusville

Here’s an audition notice for the Titusville Playhouse’s production of Othello:

Theater review: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at Orlando Shakes

By Elizabeth Maupin
Elizabeth Maupin on Theater

The young aristocrats in Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s new Midsummer Night’s Dream loll about in what looks like a hipster’s fantasy of a Grecian villa – all sun dapples and decadence. An underling sings part of Pink Floyd’s “Money,” and even the audience might be forgiven for never wanting to venture out into the woods, where life is a little more unruly and you just might need bug spray and galoshes.

Director David Lee’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream takes those differences to heart. For the city folk, the course of true love never does run smooth. But their angst-ridden characters and their citified ways stand in such contrast to the airy fairies of the forest – and the city folk are so much funnier – that you may find yourself wishing everybody would just stay in town.

Orlando Shakes announces season of (mostly) classics

Two plays by William Shakespeare and a classic comedy by Oscar Wilde will be among the offerings in Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s season for 2011-2012, artistic director Jim Helsinger has announced.

The 23rd season, which will feature Romeo and Juliet, Cymbeline and The Importance of Being Earnest, also will include the popular comedy A Tuna Christmas as well as two yet-to-be-announced titles, one of them to be chosen  from this season’s PlayFest shows later this spring.

Orlando Shakes announces cast for winter rep

Some familiar names and some that are not so familiar will be part of Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s winter repertory season, which will consist of three, count ’em, three shows all playing at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center early in 2011.

Shakespeare gala to open season

Image by turtlemom4bacon via Flickr

For those of you who are able, here’s a swell big-ticket event to usher in the new Orlando Shakespeare Theater season. The annual gala is at 5 p.m. Sunday evening, with lots of food and drink, auctions and a preview of the season’s first show, The 39 Steps.

Arts patron Alan H. Ginsburg will serve as the auctioneer for the live auction.

Here’s the official word. (Note: While this press release says the event is black tie, my invitation says cocktail attire. Now you know.)

Local theaters branch out? Well, not so much.

Every year American Theatre magazine publishes a list of the 10 most widely produced shows of the coming season — and most years that list is a look at what’s new and interesting and not so well-known. Granted, a small-cast Pulitzer-winner from a season or so before is likely to get a lot of productions across the country. But, besides A Christmas Carol and the plays of Shakespeare, you’re sure to see a lot of titles on that list that are just trying out their wings.

Not so much in Central Florida, where I just took a semi-systematic look at what’s scheduled for the 2010-2011 season and found a whole lot of same old, same old. The most popular playwright among the 60-plus theaters across Central Florida this season? Neil Simon, who’s now 83 years old and who hasn’t turned out a really good play (forgive me, but it’s true) in nearly 20 years.

Theater review: ‘Macbeth’

Macbeth may be one of William Shakespeare’s best-known tales, but it’s also one of his most challenging. Theater lore is full of tales of all the misbegotten productions of the so-called Scottish play, and theater legend tells of accidents, injuries and even deaths brought about by a play that is considered cursed.

Coming up this week (and next):

Your weekly dose of what’s happening in Orlando-area theater:

• Macbeth, Mad Cow Theatre
• Children of Eden, Breakthrough Theatre
• Waiting for Godot, Relevant Theatrics Theatre Company
• Fuddy Meers, Wanzie Presents
• Jacqueline Jones, Winter Park Playhouse Spotlight Cabaret Series
• Summer Shorts 2010: Summer Love, Playwrights’ Round Table
• The Staff Room, John Baker
• Good Seed Bad Seed, Project Genesis
• The Nightingale, Patchwork Productions
• The Wizard of Oz, Titusville Playhouse
• Bedlam in Cabin B, Lake Wales Little Theatre

and extended:

• Manuscript, I.D.10-t Productions

Details here:

Coming up: Red Chair, Shakespeare Gala, Improv Fest

It’s only the middle of July, but you ought to be filling up your calendar for August and September, when the arts season unofficially gets under way. (I hadn’t noticed it stopping for the summer, but that’s another story.)

Anyway, the self-proclaimed start of the arts season is the Red Chair Affair, set for Aug. 28. Then there’s the Orlando Shakespeare Theater Gala and the Orlando Improv Festival, both set for September. Here’s news about all three – first, Red Chair:

On Shakespeare: Did he or didn’t he?

In the Village Voice, Michael Feingold writes a compelling review of what sounds like a compelling book — James Shapiro’s take on the Shakespeare authorship question, and whether the man from Stratford actually did write all those plays. Now I have to read the book.