Enough! Groundbreaking Plays by Teen Writers to Address Gun Violence, Premiering at The Kennedy Center on November 6!
Plus, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed!
Welcome to The Scene, your weekly round-up of theatre news you may have missed. In this week’s email:
BROADWAY BEAT- Kenny Leon to direct Broadway revival of ‘Our Town’ | ‘The Who’s Tommy’ to receive Broadway revival in 2024 | Glindas and Elphabas of Wicked Celebrate the Show’s 20th Anniversary | Why Broadway curtain times are changing | Eddie Redmayne, Gayle Rankin to star in new Broadway ‘Cabaret
HOT TOPICS - There’s One Business Like Show Business | The Cottage, King James, and Lucy Join Broadway Licensing Global Catalogue | The New Guide To Going Global | Good Times and Bum Times Made These Theater Veterans Even Stronger | The Women's Prize for Playwriting Reveals 50 Longlisted Scripts
WEST END WATCH - First live adaptation of The Hunger Games to debut in London next year | Cruel Intentions musical to receive London premiere in 2024 | Tony-Winning Producer and Everton Football Club Chair Bill Kenwright Dies at 78
REGIONAL THEATRE NEWS - Repertory Theatre of St. Louis cancels two productions amid $2.5 million deficit | Ella Perez, Catherine Ariale, and Morgan Scott to Star in The Cher Show National Tour | Grumpy Monkey, The Musical and More Announced for Pasadena Playhouse
THE BIG IDEA – Enough! Groundbreaking Plays by Teen Writers to Address Gun Violence, Premiering at The Kennedy Center on November 6.
PLAYSCRIPTS FREE READ OF THE WEEK - The War of the Worlds: The 1938 Radio Script based on the novel by H.G. Wells, by Howard E. Koch
The Broadway Beat
KENNY LEON TO DIRECT BROADWAY REVIVAL OF ‘OUR TOWN’ by Andy Lefkowitz, Broadway News - The production is expected to open in the fall of 2024.
‘THE WHO’S TOMMY’ TO RECEIVE BROADWAY REVIVAL IN 2024 by Ruthie Fierberg, Broadway News - This production first bowed at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
GLINDAS AND ELPHABAS OF WICKED CELEBRATE THE SHOW’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY by Samuel Maude, Elle - Past and present stars share what “Popular” and “Defying Gravity” mean to them, and others come together to sing the two hit songs in exclusive videos.
WHY BROADWAY CURTAIN TIMES ARE CHANGING by Naveen Kumar - More productions are shaking up their schedules in response to shifting audience habits.
EDDIE REDMAYNE, GAYLE RANKIN TO STAR IN NEW BROADWAY ‘CABARET’ by Peter Marks, The Washington Post - The revival, directed by Rebecca Frecknall and co-starring Gayle Rankin, will transform the August Wilson Theatre into a decadent Berlin club.
Hot Topics
THERE'S ONE BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS by Wailin Wong, Adrian Ma, Brittany Cronin, NPR - It turns out the business of producing a Broadway hit shares a few things in common with the business of investing in tech start-ups.
THE COTTAGE, KING JAMES, AND LUCY JOIN BROADWAY LICENSING GLOBAL CATALOGUE by Logan Culwell-Block, Playbill - Penned by Clue: On Stage playwright Sandy Rustin, The Cottage is currently making its Broadway debut.
THE NEW GUIDE TO GOING GLOBAL by Gordon Cox, Jaques - I spent months talking to the people who bring Broadway to the world. Here are 10 up-to-the-minute takeaways.
GOOD TIMES AND BUM TIMES MADE THESE THEATER VETERANS EVEN STRONGER by Elisabeth Vincentelli, The New York Times - Graciela Daniele and Priscilla Lopez are working together on Michael John LaChiusa’s memory musical, “The Gardens of Anuncia,” inspired by Daniele’s early life.
THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR PLAYWRITING REVEALS 50 LONGLISTED SCRIPTS by Meg Masseron, Playbill - The plays will next be narrowed down to a shortlist, then a pool of finalists.
West End Watch
FIRST LIVE ADAPTATION OF THE HUNGER GAMES TO DEBUT IN LONDON NEXT YEAR by Gemma Nettle, The Stage - The first-ever live adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games will make its debut in London in the autumn of next year.
CRUEL INTENTIONS MUSICAL TO RECEIVE LONDON PREMIERE IN 2024 by Georgia Luckhurst, The Stage – ‘Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical’ will have its London premiere at the Other Palace Theatre.
TONY-WINNING PRODUCER AND EVERTON FOOTBALL CLUB CHAIR BILL KENWRIGHT DIES AT 78 by Alex Wood & David Gordon, Theatre Mania - Kenwright was responsible for more than 500 productions over his six-decade career.
Regional Theatre News
REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS CANCELS 2 PRODUCTIONS AMID $2.5 MILLION DEFICIT by Daniel Neman, St. Louis Post Dispatch - The theater company, which was founded in 1966, announced Wednesday that it would not present its upcoming scheduled productions of “The Lion” and “The Greatest Love for Whitney: A Tribute to Whitney Houston.”
ELLA PEREZ, CATHERINE ARIALE, AND MORGAN SCOTT TO STAR IN THE CHER SHOW NATIONAL TOUR by Margaret Hall, Playbill - The hit bio-musical won two Tony Awards for its 2018 Broadway bow.
GRUMPY MONKEY, THE MUSICAL AND MORE ANNOUNCED FOR PASADENA PLAYHOUSE by Linda Buchwald, Theatre Mania - Two full productions and additional events and classes are part of the programming, which is the Playhouse’s largest expansion to date.
The Big Idea
Enough! Groundbreaking Plays By Teen Writers to Address Gun Violence, Premiering at The Kennedy Center on November 6, 2023
ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence, in partnership with The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a roster of eminent Washington D.C.-area theaters, will serve as the linchpin of a nationwide, multi-city reading happening on November 6, 2023. The winning plays, selected by an illustrious panel of renowned playwrights including Idris Goodwin, Lauren Gunderson, Zora Howard, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Octavio Solis, and Lloyd Suh, are as follows:
The Smiles Behind by Niarra C. Bell (Virginia)
A Call for Help by Pepper Fox (Kentucky)
Lighting Strike by Amanda Fagan (Montana)
A Disorderly House by Sam Lee Victor (New Jersey)
No Prospering Weapons by Justin Cameron Washington (Michigan)
The Matter at Hand by Valentine Wulf (Washington)
Led by its creator and Joaquin Oliver Artistic Producer, Michael Cotey, the ENOUGH! initiative invites the nation's teens to lend their voices to this critical issue through the power of theater.
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Kennedy Center Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact, aptly noted, "Great art allows us to see the human condition in new and unique ways, and these young theater makers are an inspiration for using their distinctive voices to shine a light on the gun violence epidemic."
Beyond the Kennedy Center: A Nationwide Reading
While the flagship event will occur at the Kennedy Center, the initiative goes far beyond the national capital. A nationwide reading of the plays is scheduled for the same evening, involving a variety of theaters from coast to coast. The nationwide reading aims to mobilize communities around the issue of gun violence, capitalizing on the unique ability of theatre to facilitate nuanced conversations.
In addition to gaining national exposure, the winning playwrights will receive a $500 stipend sponsored by the gun violence prevention organization Change the Ref. They will also have their works published and licensed by Broadway Licensing Global imprint Playscripts, and gain a Guild membership and craft training through The Dramatists Guild.
David Henry Hwang, a returning panelist judge, observed that the "quality of this year's submissions was truly impressive, in terms of artistic quality as well as the diversity of stories and communities represented." He underscored that "these exciting and inspiring young dramatists show us once again that our nation needs their voices to say ENOUGH! to the plague of gun violence."
A Call to Theaters, Schools, and Communities
ENOUGH! is extending an open invitation to schools, theaters, and community organizations to stage local readings of the winning plays. Michael Cotey, ENOUGH!'s creator, emphasized that these plays "provide powerful insight into the perspective of a generation where the threat of gun violence has become ubiquitous with going to school growing up."
As these plays come to life on stages across the nation exactly one year ahead of the next presidential election, they serve as a compelling and urgent reminder of the need for substantive action on gun violence.
For more details on the winning playwrights, their plays, and how to participate in the Nationwide Reading, visit enoughplays.com/reading.
In a world that so often confronts us with headlines of tragedy and conflict, as it did just this week, the ENOUGH! initiative and its partners are proof that the pen—and the stage—remain mightier than the sword.
For further information, visit enoughplays.com and check out the newly released ENOUGH! 2023 Audience Guide. This 40-page audience guide includes deep dives into each play, writer spotlights, essays on the issues, and resources on gun violence statistics and current gun laws.
FREE READS
Read entire plays for free! Free Reads titles are perfect for your theatre, school, and competition performances. Click on the play’s title or image to be taken to the Play’s page; once you are there, click the "READ NOW" button and enjoy!
Free Read of the Week
The War of the Worlds: The 1938 Radio Script
based on the novel by H.G. Wells, by Howard E. Koch
The Story: Broadcast from New York's Mercury Theatre in 1938, this infamous radio play, based on the novel by H. G. Wells, had many terrified listeners convinced that an actual alien invasion of Earth was taking place. Adapted by Howard E. Koch, co-writer of Casablanca, and directed and narrated by Orson Welles, this original script detailing the frightening tale of an extraterrestrial takeover is now available to bring to life onstage to thrill and chill audiences.
Science Fiction Drama | 60 - 65 minutes | 5 M, 6 Any (4-22 actors possible: 0-9 W, 4-22 M) | Set: Minimal