All stories by Kenneth Jones on BroadwayStars

Friday, February 23, 2024

“Esspy,” a New Play by Nandita Shenoy, Charts Unique Doctor-Patient Relationship by Kenneth Jones

Actors often have side hustles, from waiting tables to word processing, but rarely are their performance skills so utilized as when they become “standardized patients,” presenting script…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 04:08PM
Monday, February 12, 2024

“Ten Minutes On a Bench”: A New Romantic Comedy for a Cast of Four (or Many More) by Kenneth Jones

The set for Kenneth Jones’ new comedy, Ten Minutes On a Bench, couldn’t be simpler: It’s a park bench. In the 13-scene play, that bench becomes a perch for 27 characters who are seekin…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 10:14AM
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Ground UP Series Has New Plays By Kenneth Jones, Dianne Nora, Jeff Talbott, Chris Thorpe by Kenneth Jones

The indie Manhattan company Ground UP Productions will present four new plays in its winter 2024 staged reading series on four Mondays in February. The playwrights and plays are Dianne Nora�…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 11:57PM
Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Book-Banning Drama “Alabama Story” Makes Its Tampa Premiere by Kenneth Jones

Florida’s Powerstories Theatre, the nonprofit professional theater devoted to “true stories to open minds and hearts and inspire action worldwide,” will present the Tampa premiere of K…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 10:29PM
Sunday, December 17, 2023

Damon Runyon’s Noo Yawk Denizens Celebrate Christmas in Audio Play “Three Wise Guys” by Kenneth Jones

There’s a delightful new holiday distraction in store for fans of radio plays, theater and the stories of Damon Runyon. In fall 2023, Hear Play Audio Theatre released the audio play Three …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 05:32PM
Sunday, November 19, 2023

How Actress Jan Lucas Turned a Broken Marriage Into a Healing Song Cycle by Kenneth Jones

Jan Lucas has carved out a beautiful career acting on stages around the country, primarily in Chicago and Indianapolis. I was lucky to meet her when she was cast in a developmental reading …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 06:43PM
Thursday, September 28, 2023

“Ten Minutes on a Bench,” Kenneth Jones’ New Comedy About a Dating App, Tests Its Compatibility in Detroit by Kenneth Jones

Ten Minutes on a Bench, a new comedy about series of first dates arranged through a fictional app that places potential partners on a park bench to meet for a restricted amount of time, gets…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 09:57AM
Friday, September 15, 2023

“Alabama Story,” Tale of Banned Books, Bullied Librarians and Civil Rights, Get NJ Premiere by Kenneth Jones

South Camden Theatre Company gives Alabama Story its New Jersey premiere Sept. 15-Oct. 1, 2023. Kenneth Jones’ play based on the true story the persecuted state librarian of Alabama is get…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 12:44PM
Thursday, July 13, 2023

Christine Toy Johnson’s “Secret Wisdom of Trees” Gets New Sunshine at Florida Studio Theatre by Kenneth Jones

Christine Toy Johnson’s play The Secret Wisdom of Trees, about a woman’s need to map her past as she faces a future with Alzheimer’s disease, will get a fresh developmental step in a …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 01:04PM
Sunday, July 9, 2023

Sweet Home! “Alabama Story,” a Play About Book Banning, Gets Its Huntsville Debut in 2024 by Kenneth Jones

Alabama Story, the fact-inspired censorship drama about a state senator who rattles the shelves of a librarian who protects a children’s picture book, will make its Huntsville, Alabama bow…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 11:43AM
Sunday, June 25, 2023

I Wrote a Play About Saying “Gay,” Coming Out, Feeling Pride by Kenneth Jones

I’m writing this on June 25, 2023. It’s Pride Day in New York City. Every LGBTQ+ person is on their own journey. The path is rarely easy. The destination is rewarding. Chosen family can …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 12:53PM
Friday, June 23, 2023

Heartland Comedy “Hollywood, Nebraska” Gets Fifth Booking, This Time in Canada by Kenneth Jones

Hollywood, Nebraska, the rueful comedy about show people, small towns and coming home, will get a unique presentation in Canada by Naked Stage Readers Theatre, a company known for its barebo…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 03:56PM
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Very Little Theatre to Present Oregon Premiere of “Alabama Story” by Kenneth Jones

Very Little Theatre, one of the oldest community theaters on the West Coast, will give Alabama Story its Oregon premiere in spring 2024 as part of a seven-title season on two stages. Stanley…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 10:30PM
Monday, June 19, 2023

Playwright Melissa Maxwell’s “Imbroglio” Premieres at Great River Shakespeare Fest by Kenneth Jones

Two couples who are best friends and neighbors are on the brink of conflict. Herman is facing challenges. His pal Lou just got a huge opportunity. There’s the rub of Imbroglio, a play by M…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 10:50AM
Thursday, June 8, 2023

“Alabama Story” in Grand Rapids Is Ebony Road Players’ Lens on “Loving Day” by Kenneth Jones

Ebony Road Players, the only Black theater company in Grand Rapids, is presenting the west Michigan premiere of Kenneth Jones’ social justice drama Alabama Story — about interracial marr…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 01:49PM
Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Pioneer Theatre’s 2023 Reading Series Has “Dust People,” “Will It Go Round” and “How Can I Help You?” by Kenneth Jones

Plays by Matthew Ivan Bennett, Kaaron Briscoe and Catherine Trieschmann will be presented in staged readings in Pioneer Theatre Company’s spring 2023 Play-by-Play Festival of new works in…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 07:16PM
Sunday, May 21, 2023

Sean Grennan’s “A Rock Sails By,” a Comedy About Cosmic Questions, Gets World Premiere by Kenneth Jones

A facts-only astrophysicist at life’s crossroads is challenged to view a celestial phenomenon in a new way in the world premiere of Sean Grennan’s new dramatic comedy A Rock Sails By, ge…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 12:54PM
Thursday, May 4, 2023

Landmark Child Custody Case Is Personal to Playwright Jenny Mercein in “Two Elizas” by Kenneth Jones

Family history often provides inspiration for playwrights, as actor-playwright Jenny Mercein knows too well. For her past plays, she has borrowed from her own easily accessible personal hist…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 12:09AM
Tuesday, April 25, 2023

“Alabama Story” Gets West Virginia Premiere at Greenbrier Valley Theatre; Cast Announced by Kenneth Jones

Amy Baldwin and Matthew Scott Campbell will face off as ideological foes in the West Virginia premiere of Kenneth Jones’ highly theatrical Alabama Story, playing Greenbrier Valley Theatre …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 01:55PM
Thursday, April 20, 2023

Children’s Book About Interracial “Rabbits’ Wedding” Is Called Propaganda — in 1959 by Kenneth Jones

Once upon a time there was a children’s picture book, “The Rabbits’ Wedding,” about a bunny with white fur who marries a bunny with black fur. Written and illustrated by Garth Willia…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 12:09PM
Monday, April 10, 2023

Westchester’s Schoolhouse Theater Is Back, Under New Artistic Director Owen Thompson by Kenneth Jones

The Schoolhouse Theater, the resident Equity theater company that has produced classic and new works in Westchester County, New York since 1986, relights as a live performance venue this spr…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 02:32PM
Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Playwrights Lee Osorio, Sandra Seaton, Malcolm Tariq, Steve Yockey Get Readings in Southern Writers Fest by Kenneth Jones

New scripts that explore Southern identity will be presented in staged readings in the 2023 Southern Writers Festival of New Plays at Alabama Shakespeare Festival March 17-18 in Montgomery, …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 04:00PM
Friday, February 3, 2023

Nandita Shenoy’s Fertile “The Future Is Female…” Premieres at Flint Rep by Kenneth Jones

At a women’s wellness retreat run by an unseen male guru, cloistered attendees Lois, Toni, Maria and Aditi meet, share housing, chafe, bond and ask questions of themselves and the world in…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 03:48PM
Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Peninsula Players Reads Plays by John Reeger, Christopher G. Smith and Jeff Talbott by Kenneth Jones

Peninsula Players is famous in the Midwest for its summer productions in Door County, Wisconsin, but it’s not dormant all winter long. Plays are tested off-season, too. Titles in the compa…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 08:21PM
Monday, December 26, 2022

“Alabama Story” Gets West Virginia Premiere at Greenbrier Valley Theatre by Kenneth Jones

Alabama Story, the true story of an embattled librarian persecuted for protecting children’s books in the Deep South of 1959, will make its West Virginia debut at Greenbrier Valley Theatre…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 05:15PM
Monday, December 12, 2022

“Hollywood, Nebraska,” a New Comedy, Premieres in Alabama in February 2023 by Kenneth Jones

Hollywood, Nebraska, the six-actor comedy by Kenneth Jones that reunites two high school friends in their hometown in the Great Plains, will get its third production in a rolling world premi…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 10:33AM
Monday, November 28, 2022

Dramatists Play Service Publishes Acting Edition of “Alabama Story” by Kenneth Jones

Alabama Story, Kenneth Jones’ fact-inspired play about an embattled librarian in the Civil Rights era, is now published in an Acting Edition from Dramatists Play Service, which also licens…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 03:44PM
Friday, November 11, 2022

Brenda Withers’ “Off Peak,” a Bittersweet Romantic Ride, Commutes to Off-Broadway by Kenneth Jones

In spring 2022, I read a rueful, charming, tough-minded new play called Off Peak, about former lovers meeting on a train, and I knew immediately that I wanted to throw some questions at pla…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 04:13PM
Sunday, October 23, 2022

“Ballycroy,” Marek Norman’s Ghostly Musical Play, Materializes in Stratford Concert by Kenneth Jones

A fire that consumed three immigrant hatmakers in a notorious Ontario town more than a century ago has ignited the imagination of Canadian composer-lyricist Marek Norman, who turned their st…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 01:14PM
Wednesday, October 12, 2022

That Time Angela Lansbury E-Mailed Me About the 11-O’Clock Number From “Mame” by Kenneth Jones

Years ago I did some work on an article I wanted to write about Jerry Herman’s five greatest show tunes. Y’know, one of those clickbait pieces where readers will either celebrate you or …

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 12:05AM
Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Jeffrey Lo’s “Waiting for Next” Premiere Explores Highs and Lows of Friendship by Kenneth Jones

Nearly 30 years of milestones in the lives of two pals who meet in middle school are centerstage in Jeffrey Lo’s heartfelt, charming comedy-drama Waiting for Next, finally getting its worl…

SOURCE: bykennethjones.com at 01:59AM

All that Chat

2023-2024 BROADWAY SEASON
May 30, 2023: Grey House - Lyceum Theatre
Jun 26, 2023: Just For Us - Hudson Theatre
Jul 24, 2023: The Cottage - Hayes Theater
Nov 16, 2023: Spamalot - St. James Theatre
Dec 18, 2023: Appropriate - Hayes Theater
Mar 07, 2024: Doubt - Todd Haimes Theatre
Apr 14, 2024: Lempicka - Longacre Theatre
Apr 17, 2024: The Wiz - Marquis Theatre
Apr 18, 2024: Suffs - Music Box Theatre
Apr 25, 2024: Mother Play - Hayes Theater
Jun 10, 2024: The Drama Desk Awards