The dust hasn’t settled from Sunday’s Lortel Awards yet, but Off-Broadway is already hopping with nineteen openings this month (wow!) including two new musicals, a Pulitzer honoree making its New York bow, and stars of the big and small screens appearing on the boards – and even in the director’s chair! Will any of these productions be honored with 2011 Lortels? Why don’t you check them out and judge for yourself!

	THE BURNT PART BOYS Coal country, West Virginia, 1962. Fourteen year-old Pete's fighting to claim his past. His older brother Jake's hoping to forge a future. With their friends, they've embarked on a life-altering journey to the mine that took their father's life. Featuring a vibrant, haunting bluegrass and pop-inspired score, this gripping new musical from an acclaimed new team will capture your heart as it finds the streaks of light within the darkness. Playwrights Horizons and Vineyard Theatre at the Playwrights Horizons Mainstage. Now in previews, opens May 25, closes June 13.
	THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY A comic powerslam of a play, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY is a theatrical event that dares to throw political correctness out of the ring. Macedonio “The Mace” Guerra is a middle rank pro-wrestler who may have discovered his ticket to the big time: a charismatic, trash-talking Indian kid from Brooklyn whom he recruits as the perfect foil to the All-American champion, Chad Deity. But when their rivalry is used to exploit racial stereotypes in the name of ratings, all three men find themselves fighting for much more than the championship title. Second Stage Theatre. Now in previews, opens May 20, closes June 20.
	THE FOREST Follow two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest and Obie Award winner John Douglas Thompson (Othello) into THE FOREST where the most ferocious creature is love. Don't miss this delightful romantic romp from one of Russia's most beloved playwrights, Alexander Ostrovsky, as adapted by Kathleen Tolan. Classic Stage Company. Now in previews, opens May 6, closes May 30.
	FAMILY WEEK Jonathan Demme directs a new version of Beth Henley's bitterly funny play. A year after the death of her son, Claire checks into a recovery center in the desert, searching for a way to cope. When her mother, daughter and sister arrive to participate in "family week," long-dormant traumas collide with recent tragedies in comical, surprising and deeply moving ways. United in this family struggle, the women rage and reach out in an effort to reconcile their love with the way things are. MCC at The Lucille Lortel Theatre. Now in previews, opens May 4, closes May 23.
	GABRIEL GABRIEL is set around a largely forgotten moment in British history - the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. A naked young man washes up on a Guernsey beach. Unnervingly handsome and fluent in both German and English, he has no recollection of who he is - patriot or Nazi…innocent or madman. GABRIEL explores the heart of memory, identity and imagination, as well as the lies people tell themselves and each other to make the darkness light again. Atlantic Theatre Company. Now in previews, opens May 13, closes June 6.
	GRACELAND Sara and her brother Sam are not in Memphis. Not that Graceland. They're in Chicago, at Graceland Cemetery, looking for answers or maybe something else. The people they hook up with are more like them than they realize... Slackers? probably. Confused? definitely. Dazed? well, at least one of them is. Self-destructive? very likely. Cynical? uh, yeah. Explore GRACELAND, Ellen Fairey's moving and funny new play, about two estranged siblings who arereunited when they try to make sense of their father’s recent suicide. Directed by Henry Wishcamper. LCT3 at The Duke on 42nd Street. Previews begin May 3, opens May 17, closes May 30.
	HEBREW SCHOOL DROPOUT Three-time Emmy Award winning comedian Dave Konig takes theatergoers on a journey of faith…with really bad Mapquest directions! In this hilarious and touching new comedy, Konig goes from being a “lousy” Jew who doesn’t fit in with the good Jews, to a convert to Catholicism, to a national spokesman for the Catholic Church as a radio host on Sirius’ The Catholic Channel, to maybe an ever-so-slightly-better-than-lousy Jew. You don’t have to be Jewish, or Catholic (or Zorastrian even!) to love HEBREW SCHOOL DROPOUT. It’s like Levy’s Jewish Rye bread – with a schmear of mayonnaise.. Actor's Temple Theatre. Now in previews, opens May 17.
	THE KID The New Group's first musical since the Tony Award-Winning Smash Hit Avenue Q! THE KID is based on the true story of what happens when sex columnist Dan Savage and his boyfriend decide to start a family. The New Group at The Acorn Theatre. Now in previews, opens May 10, closes May 29.
	LASCIVIOUS SOMETHING In Blackburn Prize winner Sheila Callaghan's new play, LASCIVIOUS SOMETHING, an American and his young Greek bride escape to an island and plant a small vineyard. Their harvest ripens, and a fractious American woman arrives uninvited to stir up passions at their first tasting.The Women’s Project and Cherry Lane Theatre at The Julia Miles Theater. Previews begin May 2, opens May 11, closes June 6.
	THE METAL CHILDREN THE METAL CHILDREN is a timely drama about a New York writer (Billy Crudup), and his explosive encounter with a small American town that he travels to in order to defend a young-adult novel he wrote, which has been banned by the local school board. The controversy ignites heated emotions over religious beliefs and censorship. Written and directed by Adam Rapp. The Vineyard Theatre. Previews begin May 4, opens May 19, closes June 13.
	MY BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING Planning a wedding can be hell… or a hell of a lot of fun! Two handsome grooms, one overbearing Italian mother, a jealous ex-boyfriend, the wedding planner from Hell, and an assortment of kooky family and friends all gather together for Off-Broadway’s newest laugh-out-loud comedy with a heart. St. Luke’s Theatre. Previews begin May 5, opens May 22.
	OLIVER PARKER! Oliver is 17 and Jasper is 60. They are best friends. Oliver wants to get laid, and Jasper wants to help. Jasper wants to drink himself to death, and Oliver wants to save him. And they share a secret that could ruin them both... if it hasn't already. This world premiere by Elizabeth Meriwether (Heddatron, The Mistakes Madeline Made) is a jet black comedy about hurting the ones you love, and loving the ones that hurt. The stageFARM at the Cherry Lane Theatre. Previews begin May 8, opens May 17, closes June 6.
	RESTORATION Two-time Tony Award-nominee, playwright and actress Claudia Shear reunites with acclaimed director Christopher Ashley to create and star in her new play Restoration. Shear plays the lead role of Giulia, down-on-her-luck art restorer from Brooklyn who receives the possibly career-reviving job of “refreshing” Michelangelo's sculpture David in time for its 500th birthday celebration in Florence. New York Theatre Workshop. Previews begin April 30, opens May 19, closes June 13.
	THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS A smart, provocative and wickedly funny theatrical adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel about spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view. The play follows the clever scheming a high level demon employs to entice a human toward damnation. In this inverted moral universe set in an office in hell, God is called the “Enemy” and the devil is referred to as “Our Father below.” The stakes are high as human souls are the demon's primary source of food. Westside Theatre Upstairs. Now in previews, opens May 10.
	THAT FACE A powerful and darkly comic look at an affluent family in freefall. Mia has been suspended from boarding school. Her brother, Henry, has dropped out altogether. And Martha, their mum, manipulates them all. Money can no longer fix their problems -- now it's up to them. This Olivier Award-nominated play from Britain’s fastest-rising young playwright premieres in New York with the director of last season's acclaimed Blasted. Manhattan Theatre Club at New York City Center: Stage 1. Now in previews, opens May 18, closes June 27.
	THIS WIDE NIGHT A prison sentence isn’t over once you leave jail. Having just begun to rebuild a life on the outside, Marie is confronted with her past when former cellmate Lorraine shows up unannounced on her doorstep. The two outcasts, once so close on the inside, struggle to navigate a friendship beyond the prison walls -- which may threaten their prospects to start over. THIS WIDE NIGHT is a heartfelt and witty portrait of two lost souls trying to find their way in an unforgiving world. Naked Angels at Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Previews begin May 8, opens May 16, closes June 20.
	WHITE WOMAN STREET Ohio, 1916. Five outlaws led by Irish expatriate, Trooper O'Hara, converge on the town of WHITE WOMAN STREET. Haunted by dark memories of a long ago visit, O'Hara leads his rag-tag gang into the town -- and into the brothel, wherein he must face his demons. Against a poetic narrative of Irish and American history, Sebastian Barry weaves a searing tale that evokes a time of change and personal displacement. Stories are told, songs are sung, wild boars are shot and eaten, and a train filled with gold is approaching fast! Irish Repertory Theatre. Previews begin May 7, opens May 16, closes June 27.
	WHITE’S LIES Some guys are scared stiff at the prospect of settling down, getting married, having kids & Joe White is no exception. He’s a divorce lawyer, representing one of his many ex-girlfriends & above all else, he’s a bachelor who wouldn’t have it any other way. So when his mother desperately wants him to start a family, he’ll do the next best thing: make one up! What could go wrong? Only love, in the outrageous new comedy WHITE'S LIES. New World Stages: Stage 4. Now in previews, opens May 6.
	YEAR ZERO Vuthy Vichea is a 16-year-old Cambodian American who wears thick glasses, loves hip hop, and plays Dungeons and Dragons. After his mother’s death, Vuthy and his sister Ra struggle to reinvent themselves in Long Beach, California where being different can be deadly. YEAR ZERO is a moving comedic drama about a young generation paving a new future by remembering its past. Second Stage Uptown at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. Previews begin May 18, opens May 26, closes June 13.