KILL THE WHALE, a new rock, hiphop, and folk opera by 2023 Larson Grant Recipient Daniel Emond, will premiere at Joe’s Pub (435 Lafayette St. NYC) on Sunday, April 14 at 6:00 PM.   

Directed by Jason Sparks and featuring music direction by Simone Allen , the 90-minute show will feature Courtney Bassett (Teeth), Grace Mclean (In The Green, Bad Cindarella, Suffs), Amber Gray (Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812), Jessie Shelton (Hadestown), Jana Djenne Jackson (Almost Famous), Daniel Emond (The Great Comet), Camellia Hartman (3X NPR Tiny Desk performer), and Kyle Scatliffe (Hamilton). To purchase tickets, please visit, https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2024/d/daniel-emond/

L-R: Brad Fryman as Orson Welles, Patrick Hamilton as Kenneth Tynan, Luke Hofmaier as Sean, the Stage Manager. Photo by Jonathan Slaff.

From March 14 to 31, Theater for the New City (TNC), in association with Oberon Theatre Ensemble and Strindberg Rep, will present the 25th Anniversary presentation of “Orson’s Shadow” by Austin Pendleton, directed by the author. It is the first time Mr. Pendleton has directed his own work. The actors are Brad Fryman as Orson Welles, Ryan Tramont as Laurence Olivier, Patrick Hamilton as Kenneth Tynan, Luke Hofmaier as Sean, the Stage Manager; Natalie Menna as Vivien Leigh and Kim Taff as Joan Plowright.  www.theaterforthenewcity.net 155 First Ave. (at E. 10th Street)

The 16th Annual United Solo Festival is back March 4 thru April 28 at Theatre Row featuring shows from across the country and around the globe. www.unitedsolo.org

The 39th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards – the only New York theatre award to exclusively honor Off-Broadway – will be handed out in the annual ceremony set to take place Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 7:00PM at NYU Skirball. Special Award recipients for 2024 have also been announced. The Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League and the Lucille Lortel Theatre, with additional support provided by TDF. The event will, as always, be open to the public, with tickets available for purchase beginning April 4 at tickets.nyu.edu or at the NYU Skirball box office Tuesday – Saturday 12pm–6pm. As always, the Lortel Awards is a benefit for the Entertainment Community Fund and fans are encouraged to make donations at LortelAwards.org. 

2024 Special Award Recipients  

  • Lifetime Achievement Award              Ruben Santiago-Hudson
  • Playwrights’ Sidewalk                         Dominique Morisseau
  • Outstanding Body of Work                  Ars Nova

Featured Image: Daniel Emond