BroadwayWorld.com Santa Barbara Stories

WAITRESS Will Embark on 10th Anniversary North American Tour This Fall

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 10:34:52 PST

The Broadway musical Waitress will launch a North American tour this September in honor of its 10th anniversary. Featuring a score by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, the tour will tech and launch in Owensboro, KY at the Riverpark Center before continuing to 40+ cities including Austin, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. Additional cities along with casting will be announced at a later date. Check out the full list of tour dates below!

“Ten years later, WAITRESS continues to resonate with audiences through Sara Bareilles’ gorgeous score, which brings both humor and emotional depth to every moment in this beloved show,” said Tony® Award-winning director, Diane Paulus. “Taking this production back on tour for its 10th anniversary is an incredible opportunity to share Jenna’s journey with new audiences and to celebrate the connections this story continues to inspire."

About Waitress

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness.

WAITRESS opened April 24, 2016 at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Based upon the 2007 motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly, WAITRESS is the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, with a book by Jessie Nelson, a score by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles (composer of “Love Song” and “Brave”), choreography by Lorin Latarro and direction by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.

The production is currently on UK tour. Check out photos here.

The WAITRESS Tour features Direction and Choreography re-created by Abbey O’Brien, and includes Scott Pask, Scenic Design; Suttirat Anne Larlarb, Costume Design; Ken Billington, Lighting Design; Brian Walters, Sound Design; Bernie Ardia, Hair Design; Nadia DiGiallonardo, Music Supervision. Arrangements by Nadia DiGiallonardo and Sara Bareilles, and Orchestrations by Sara Bareilles and The Waitress Band. Casting by ARC Casting.

Tour Dates

Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center – September 25-27, 2026
Bloomington, IN – IU Auditorium – September 29-30, 2026
Wilmington, NC – CFCC – October 2-4, 2026
Peoria, IL – Civic Center – October 6-7, 2026
Mason City, IA – NIACC – October 8, 2026
Sioux Falls, SD – Washington Pavilion – October 9-11, 2026
Chicago, IL – Nederlander Theatre – October 13-18, 2026
Champaign, IL – State Farm Theatre – October 19, 2026
Austin, TX – Bass Hall – October 21-23, 2026
Orange, TX – Lutcher Theatre – October 24, 2026
Monterrey, Mexico – Showcenter Complex – October 29-November 1, 2026
Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker Theatre – November 10-11, 2026
Pueblo, CO – Memorial Hall – November 18, 2026
Lubbock, TX – Buddy Holly Hall – November 20-22, 2026
Greeley, CO – Union Colony Civic Center – November 25, 2026
Denver, CO – Buell Theatre – November 27-29, 2026
Stillwater, OK – McKnight Theatre – December 1-3, 2026
Washington, DC – National Theatre – December 8-13, 2026
Easton, PA – State Theatre – December 15-16, 2026
Des Moines, IA – Civic Center – December 18-20, 2026
Norfolk, VA – Harrison Opera House – January 5-10, 2027
Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium – January 12-13, 2027
College Station, TX – Rudder Auditorium – January 19-20, 2027
Tyler, TX – Cowan PAC – January 21, 2027
Fort Worth, TX – Bass Performance Hall – January 22-23, 2027
McAllen, TX – McAllen PAC – January 26, 2027
Lawrence, KS – Lied Center – January 28, 2027
Oklahoma City, OK – Civic Center Music Hall – January 29-31, 2027
Durham, NC – DPAC – February 5-7, 2027
Philadelphia, PA – Academy of Music – February 9-14, 2027
Chattanooga, TN – Memorial Auditorium – February 19-21, 2027
Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel PAH – February 23-25, 2027
The Villages, FL – Morse PAC – February 26-27, 2027
Burlington, VT – The Flynn – March 18-19, 2027
Hartford, CT – Bushnell – March 30-April 4, 2027
Milwaukee, WI – Marcus Center – April 6-7, 2027
San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre – April 9-11, 2027
Grand Junction, CO – Asteria Theatre – April 13-14, 2027
San Jose, CA – San Jose Center for the Performing Arts – April 16-18, 2027
Los Angeles, CA – Pantages Theatre – April 20-25, 2027
Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrom Center – April 27-May 2, 2027
Modesto, CA – Gallo Center – May 11-12, 2027
Folsom, CA – Harris Center – May 13-18, 2027
Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center – May 21-23, 2027
Dayton, OH – Mead Theatre – June 1-6, 2027
Roanoke, VA – Berglund PAC – June 8, 2027
Charleston, WV – Clay Center – June 9, 2027
St. Paul, MN – Ordway – June 15-20, 2027
Eugene, OR – Hult Center – June 25-27, 2027

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL Launches 25th Anniversary North American Tour

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 22:36:56 PST

After 25 years and more than 17 million audience members worldwide, Menopause The Musical is hitting the road for a special anniversary tour. The celebration begins July 14-26, 2026, at Laguna Playhouse in California and will continue across North America through 2027.

Menopause The Musical is celebrating a major milestone. The groundbreaking musical comedy has announced a 25th Anniversary North American Tour, launching July 14-26, 2026, at Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California, before traveling to cities across the United States through 2027.

What began in 2001 as a small production performed for 76 audience members in an Orlando perfume shop-turned-theater has grown into an international phenomenon. Over the past 25 years, more than 17 million people have seen the show, which transformed conversations around menopause and helped turn what was once considered a taboo topic into a celebration of shared experience and sisterhood.

Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, creator and playwright Jeanie Linders developed the musical as a comedic and empowering look at the realities of "The Change." The story follows four women who meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a department store sale and discover they have more in common than they realized. Through parodies of classic songs and candid conversations about hot flashes, mood swings, aging and self-discovery, the women form an unlikely friendship while inviting audiences to laugh along with them.

At the time of its debut, the word "menopause" was rarely discussed publicly. According to the production, some theaters initially refused to book the show, and even public venues hesitated to display its title. Yet audiences embraced the musical, finding comfort, humor and community in its honest portrayal of a universal life experience. One of the show's most beloved traditions remains its finale, in which audience members join the cast in a celebratory kickline parody of "YMCA" titled "This Is Your Day."

"To those who have been through the change, are going through it now, or love someone who is, may this production bring you as much laughter, support, and fellowship as intended," said director and producer Seth Greenleaf. "And may our dear Jeanie be laughing and singing along from whichever perch she's watching."

About the Show

Menopause The Musical features a book and lyrics by Jeanie Linders. The creative team includes director Seth Greenleaf, music supervisor and additional arranger Alan J. Plado, assistant director Kim Simari, choreography supervisor Teri Adams and assistant music supervisor Roberta B. Wall. Columbia Artist Theatricals represents the production.

The musical debuted in Orlando before running Off-Broadway for four years and launching a national tour that continues today. International productions have been staged in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, France, Slovenia and numerous other countries. The show also holds the distinction of being the longest-running musical in Las Vegas history.

25th Anniversary Tour

The anniversary tour will visit dozens of cities across North America. Confirmed stops currently on sale include Laguna Beach, Thousand Oaks, Albuquerque, Aurora, Bloomington, Shipshewana, Effingham, Burnsville, Port Huron, Worcester, Schenectady, Englewood, Sanford, Concord, Columbus, Jacksonville, Sarasota and Midland, with additional engagements scheduled through spring 2027. More dates are expected to be announced.

Tickets and additional tour information are available at MenopauseTheMusical.com.

25th Anniversary Tour Dates

On Sale Now

Laguna Beach, CA — July 14-26, 2026 — Laguna Playhouse
Thousand Oaks, CA — September 30, 2026 — Bank of America Performing Arts Center
Albuquerque, NM — October 4, 2026 — Popejoy Hall
Aurora, IL — October 17, 2026 — Paramount Theatre
Bloomington, IL — October 18, 2026 — Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
Shipshewana, IN — October 27, 2026 — Blue Gate PAC
Effingham, IL — October 29, 2026 — Effingham Performance Center
Burnsville, MN — November 3, 2026 — Ames Center
Port Huron, MI — November 6-7, 2026 — McMorran Place Sports & Entertainment Center
Worcester, MA — November 11, 2026 — The Hanover Theatre Auditorium and Stage
Schenectady, NY — November 12-15, 2026 — GE Theatre at Proctors
Englewood, NJ — November 19, 2026 — Bergen Performing Arts Center
Sanford, ME — November 21, 2026 — Sanford Performing Arts Center
Concord, NH — November 22, 2026 — Capitol Center for the Arts
Columbus, GA — January 12, 2027 — RiverCenter for the Performing Arts
Jacksonville, FL — January 14, 2027 — Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts
Sarasota, FL — February 17, 2027 — Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Midland, MI — March 20, 2027 — Midland Center for the Arts

Coming Soon

Yakima, WA — September 19, 2026 — Capitol Theatre
Livermore, CA — September 23, 2026 — Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center
Folsom, CA — September 24-27, 2026 — Harris Center
Greensboro, NC — October 22, 2026 — Carolina Theatre
Cornelius, NC — October 23-24, 2026 — Cain Center for the Arts
Greeneville, TN — October 25, 2026 — Niswonger Performing Arts Center
Kearney, NE — November 1, 2026 — Merryman Performing Arts Center
Macon, GA — January 9, 2027 — The Grand Opera House
Oxford, AL — January 10, 2027 — Oxford Performing Arts Center
Fort Pierce, FL — January 15, 2027 — Sunrise Theatre
West Palm Beach, FL — January 16, 2027 — Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
Dallas, TX — February 5-6, 2027 — AT&T Performing Arts Center
Marietta, GA — February 11-14, 2027 — Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre
Avon Park, FL — February 18, 2027 — Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts
The Villages, FL — February 20-21, 2027 — Savannah Center
Lancaster, PA — February 25, 2027 — American Music Theatre
New Brunswick, NJ — February 27, 2027 — State Theatre New Jersey
Beverly, MA — February 28, 2027 — The Cabot Performing Arts Center
Waterville, ME — March 4, 2027 — Waterville Opera House
Nashua, NH — March 6, 2027 — Nashua Center for the Arts
Plymouth, MA — March 7, 2027 — Memorial Hall
Ann Arbor, MI — March 16, 2027 — Michigan Theater
Akron, OH — March 21, 2027 — Edwin J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall
Sioux Falls, SD — April 10-11, 2027 — Orpheum Theater Center
Wausau, WI — April 28, 2027 — The Grand Theater
Ames, IA — April 30, 2027 — Stephens Auditorium
Mason City, IA — May 1, 2027 — North Iowa Community Auditorium
Atlantic City, NJ — May 11, 2027 — Tropicana Showroom
Evans, GA — May 20, 2027 — Columbia County Performing Arts Center
St. Louis, MO — May 23, 2027 — Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center

Photo Credit: MTM Myrtle Beach 2026 Cast: Ingrid Cole, Nancy Slusser, Stacey Harris, and Anise Ritchie

PCPA Announces Summer Season Featuring COME FROM AWAY, Disney's FROZEN And More

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:32:58 PST

This summer, PCPA invites audiences to enjoy a season of inspiring true stories, family-friendly adventures, and memorable music. Performances run from June 11 through August 23 at the Marian Theatre in Santa Maria and the Solvang Festival Theater.

Experience the true-life triumph of Come From Away, the magic of Frozen, the excitement of Luchadora!, and the energy of Beehive. This season promises theatrical experiences that will move, delight, and inspire, both under the stars and on stage.

Come From Away

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Irene Sankoff & David Hein
JUN 11 – 27, 2026 Solvang Festival Theater

When the unthinkable happens on September 11, 2001, 38 planes are suddenly diverted to the remote town of Gander, Newfoundland, doubling its population overnight. Chaos looms— but instead, something remarkable happens, proving that compassion can outshine crisis. Come From Away is a high-energy, heartwarming musical with a soaring folk-rock score and a true story that will leave you inspired.

Luchadora!

By Alvaro Saar Rios
JUN 18 – JUL 3, 2026 Marian Theatre

Luchadora! reimagines the legend of Mulan in the high-flying world of Mexican wrestling. When a worn pink mask resurfaces, Nana Lupita relives her secret teenage quest to step into the ring and fight for her family’s honor. Packed with heart, humor, and high-flying moves, this vibrant, family-friendly adventure celebrates identity, legacy, and the courage to claim your power.

Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical

Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez
Book by Jennifer Lee
Originally directed on Broadway by Michael Grandage
Based on the Disney film written by Jennifer Lee and directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee
Originally produced on Broadway by Disney Theatrical Group
JUL 5 – AUG 2, 2026 Solvang Festival Theater

For the first time in forever, Disney’s Frozen comes to life on the PCPA stage with all your favorite songs from the Academy Award-winning animated film—plus new ones that you are sure to love. Join Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, and an entire cast of incredible characters on a magical adventure through snowstorms, sisterhood, and self-discovery. With magnificent music, heart, and a flurry of fun, Frozen is an unforgettable celebration of love and letting go.

Beehive the 60s Musical

Created by Larry Gallagher
JUL 23 – AUG 2, 2026 Marian Theatre
AUG 7 – 23, 2026 Solvang Festival Theater

A vibrant, high-energy tribute to the women and music that defined a generation. From sock hops to soul to social change— packed with hits from Aretha, Janis, Diana, and more—Beehive is a feel-good celebration of sisterhood, style, and the decade that redefined everything.

Tickets can be purchased at the PCPA website, or through the box office by calling 805-922-8313. Tickets start at $25.

ANYTHING GOES to Open The Theatre Group at SBCC's 26/27 Season at Garvin Theatre

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:58:51 PST

The Theatre Group at SBCC will open the 26/27 season with Anything Goes. Performances will run from July 8-25, 2026 in the Garvin Theatre. Anything Goes features music and lyrics by Cole Porter, original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse, new book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman.

Directed by Katie Laris, Musical Direction by David Potter and Choreography by Michele Spears.

All aboard for one of the most beloved musicals of all time where a love-sick stowaway faces a host of obstacles on the race to romance. A crew of sailors, chorus girls, millionaires, a preacher in tap shoes and public enemy number 13 all pitch in to help him and prove that true love is just one dance step away. It's delightful, delicious and de-lovely! Featuring classic Cole Porter songs such as I Get A Kick Out Of You, Blow Gabriel Blow and You're The Top.

Anything Goes will feature: Kaitlyn Diffenderfer, Austin Escamilla, Fred Hunter, Sam Malone, Tamara Norton, Van Riker, Tiffany Story, Matt Talbott, Samuel Truax, Atalia Zahrndt and an ensemble of 22 talented singers and dancers.

Tickets are priced at $22 general admission, $19 for seniors and SBCC staff, and $10 for students during previews; $32 general admission, $27 for seniors and SBCC staff, and $16 for students for Thursday evening and Sunday matinee performances; and $34 general admission, $29 for seniors and SBCC staff, and $19 for students for Friday and Saturday evening performances.

ANYTHING GOES to Open The Theatre Group at SBCC's 26/27 Season at Garvin Theatre

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:58:51 PST

Directed by Katie Laris, Musical Direction by David Potter and Choreography by Michele Spears.

Around The BroadwayWorld: Top News, Reviews, Interviews & More from May 2026

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:03:21 PST

Around the BroadwayWorld is our monthly snapshot of the biggest stories making waves across the global theatre community. In this May 2026 edition, we're bringing you a fresh batch of standout reviews from regional stages across the country - from Brigadoon at Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles to The Phantom of the Opera at Seattle's Paramount Theatre and Pippin at Signature Theatre in DC.

Diane Paulus directs an immersive, David Bowie-inspired Life on Mars at American Repertory Theater, the producers of Japan's Gypsy revival walk back a planned title change, and we go behind the scenes with interviews spanning Adam Fields of the Beetlejuice national tour, The Muny's casting director Michael Baxter, Richard Kind on finally taking on Edna in Hairspray, and BWW's Kid Reporters chatting with the touring Von Trapp kids of The Sound of Music. Plus, get a first look at exciting new productions through performance videos and photos, including Anastasia at La Mirada Theatre, Dear Evan Hansen at Arden Theatre, Pippin at Signature Theatre, and the Manila cast of Jesus Christ Superstar - and so much more from across the BroadwayWorld.

Diane Paulus Will Direct Immersive David Bowie Inspired LIFE ON MARS at American Repertory Theater

Joshua Wright | Boston

Diane Paulus will direct Life on Mars, an immersive theatrical production set to David Bowie's music, as the inaugural production at the Goel Center for Creativity & Performance in May.

GYPSY in Japan: Producers Walk Back Title Change Ahead of 2026 Revival

Joshua Wright | Japan

The Japanese revival of GYPSY will retain its original title when it returns to the stage in 2026, reversing an earlier decision to present the production under the name 'Rose.'

Interviews

Interview: Adam Fields of BEETLEJUICE National Tour

Brock Mills | Jacksonville

For Adam Fields, returning to Jacksonville with the national tour of Beetlejuice the Musical isn’t just another stop, it’s a full-circle moment. The production will play in Jacksonville from May 12–17 at the Jacksonville Center for the Performing Arts.

Interview: BWW’s 'Kid Reporters' Chat With THE SOUND OF MUSIC’s Touring Von Trapp Kids

Melissa Heckscher | Los Angeles

BroadwayWorld Los Angeles' kid reporters talk with the young touring cast of THE SOUND OF MUSIC to find out what it's like to be part of one of Broadway’s most iconic shows and what actually happens behind the curtain.

Interview: Chatting with The Muny's Casting Director Michael Baxter

James Lindhorst | St. Louis

Michael Baxter’s work will shine on The Muny stage during all 50 performances this summer. He led the efforts and had a hand in hiring every one of the 194 actors who will fill the principal and ensemble roles.

Interview: Richard Kind Talks Finally Taking on Edna in The Muny's HAIRSPRAY

James Lindhorst | St. Louis

When The Muny opens their production of Hairspray on June 15, 2026, the legendary Richard Kind will don Edna Turnblad’s housecoat and step into her fuzzy house slippers. Kind, star of stage, screen and film, calls it bucket list moments to get to perform at The Muny and play Edna all at the same time.

Reviews

Review: BRIGADOON at Pasadena Playhouse

Andrew Child | Los Angeles

Brava to Alexandra Silber for capturing all the heart and humor of Lerner’s original book with her thoughtful new adaptation and brava to Katie Spelman for dreaming up a Brigadoon that is as ebullient and spirited as it is deeply human.

Review: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at Paramount Theatre

Shelley Dean | Seattle

It’s almost unbelievable for me to admit that this was my first time seeing The Phantom of the Opera. Of course, I knew the iconic songs and had seen countless clips over the years, but experiencing the production live on stage for the first time was entirely different, haunting, and spine-chilling in the best way possible. From the chandelier drop to the monumental set pieces, the show truly lives up to its legendary reputation. The 2026 tour, directed by Harold Prince, serves as a revitalized version of the original production, featuring Maria Björnson’s iconic designs, musical staging, and choreography by Gillian Lynne. It is absolutely ravishing, and Seattle audiences are lining up hours early to witness the spectacle for themselves.

Review: PIPPIN at Signature Theatre

Aidan O'Connor | Washington, DC

Certain facets of the human condition are foundational to our very existence – change, connection, desire. One such particularly toxic universal truth is a constant need to be something more than we currently are. To search for happiness in external achievement rather than within ourselves, in our simple joys. Pippin at Signature Theatre breathes within that precise virulence, relatively orchestrated by a troupe of impeccably costumed and choreographed players. A feast for the eyes in all senses, Matthew Gardiner’s production surpasses even the highest of expectations.

Videos

Video: Watch La Mirada Theatre's ANASTASIA Star Lena Ceja Perform 'Journey to the Past'

Michael Major | Los Angeles

La Mirada Theatre has released new video footage of Lena Ceja rehearsing 'Journey to the Past' from their upcoming production of Anastasia. The production features Dillon Klena as Dmitry, a role first played on Broadway by his brother Derek Klena.

Photos/Video: DEAR EVAN HANSEN At Arden Theatre

A.A. Cristi | Philadelphia

Arden Theatre Company is now presenting DEAR EVAN HANSEN as the final production of its 2025/26 season, with performances continuing through July 5. New production photos and video have been released from the Philadelphia production, including footage of Evan A. Kaushesh performing “Waving Through a Window.”

Video: Watch 'Corner of the Sky' From Signature Theatre's PIPPIN

Michael Major | Washington, DC

Watch a video of Brayden Bambino performing 'Corner of the Sky' in Signature Theatre's production of Pippin. The in-the-round production is now running through July 26 with tickets available now.

Photos

Photos: Get a First Look at JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR in Manila

Oliver Oliveros | Philippines

The 2017 Olivier Award winner for Best Musical Revival, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' has officially opened at The Theatre at Solaire.

COMPANY to Open at Ojai Art Center Theater This Summer

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:52:39 PST

The Ojai Art Center Theater will present one of Broadway's most beloved musicals when Stephen Sondheim's acclaimed comedy Company opens Friday, June 12th. Directed by David Henderson, the production continues weekends through July 12th at the historic Ojai Art Center Theater.

Winner of multiple Tony Awards and widely recognized as a landmark in American musical theater, Company follows Bobby, a single man celebrating his 35th birthday while observing the marriages, friendships, and complicated relationships of the people around him. Through a series of witty and poignant vignettes, the show explores the joys and challenges of human connection with humor, sophistication, and emotional depth.

Audiences will enjoy many of Sondheim's most memorable songs, including Being Alive, The Ladies Who Lunch, and Another Hundred People.

The production features an outstanding ensemble cast led by Kyle Caldwell as Bobby, with Laura Ring as Joanne, Hillary Boyd as Amy, Genevieve Schatz as Marta, Haley Abbott as Kathy, Darrienne Lissette Caldwell as April, Marisa Miculian as Sarah, Kellen Vanetti as Harry, Amber Rae Bowyer as Susan, James Alderete as Peter, Kelly Summers as Jenny, Emily Redman Hall as David, Ven Martinez as Paul, and R. Shayne Bourbon as Larry.

Adding a touch of real-life romance to the production, Kyle Caldwell and Darrienne Lissette Caldwell, who portray Bobby and April, are husband and wife offstage.

Behind the scenes, the production is supported by a talented creative team, including Producer Herb Hemming, Artistic Director and Producer Tracey Williams Sutton, Technical Director Laura Light, Assistant Technical Director Andrew Eiden, Stage Manager Christina Fabbro, Sound Engineer Larry McMillan, Vocal Director Darrienne Lissette Caldwell, Choreographer Janet McNeil, Dance Captain Hillary Boyd, and pianist Andrew Street.

Costumes are designed by Gamyn DelNagro Blacker, sets by Taylor Kasch, and lighting by the design team of David Henderson and Laura Light. Production photography is by Stephen Adams.

"This production highlights not only the genius of Stephen Sondheim, but also the extraordinary talent that exists within our own community," said Tracey Williams Sutton, Artistic Director of the Ojai Art Center Theater. "It's a celebration of live theater and the connections that bring people together."

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, from June 12th through July 12th. Please note there will be no performance on Saturday, July 4th.

COMPANY to Open at Ojai Art Center Theater This Summer

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:52:39 PST

Audiences will enjoy many of Sondheim's most memorable songs, including Being Alive, The Ladies Who Lunch, and Another Hundred People.

Adding a touch of real-life romance to the production, Kyle Caldwell and Darrienne Lissette Caldwell, who portray Bobby and April, are husband and wife offstage.

Costumes are designed by Gamyn DelNagro Blacker, sets by Taylor Kasch, and lighting by the design team of David Henderson and Laura Light. Production photography is by Stephen Adams.

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, from June 12th through July 12th. Please note there will be no performance on Saturday, July 4th.

Photos: Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper in EVERY BRILLIANT THING at Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:29:15 PST

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara is continuing its 47th season with Every Brilliant Thing, written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, directed by Jenny Sullivan and starring Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper. Chcek out photos below!

EVERY BRILLIANT THING is performed in the round and began previews on Wednesday, June 3; will open on Saturday, June 6 at 8pm; and run through Sunday, June 21 at the New Vic Theatre, 33 Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

What makes life worth living? A child starts a list of every brilliant thing in the world, hoping to help their mother through depression. As the list grows - ice cream, the color yellow, the sound of laughter - the audience is invited on a heartwarming, interactive journey through life’s highs and lows, discovering joy in the simplest things.

Photo Credit: Zach Mendez

Audience member with Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper

Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper

Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper with audience member

LUCHADORA! to Open at PCPA's Marian Theatre in Santa Maria

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:12:01 PST

PCPA will present Luchadora!, a vibrant and heartwarming adventure by Alvaro Saar Rios, playing June 18 - July 3 at the Marian Theatre.

Luchadora! reimagines the legend of Mulan through the bold, high-flying world of Mexican wrestling. When a worn pink mask resurfaces, Nana Lupita recalls her teenage years in 1960s Texas—riding bikes with friends, working at her family's flower stand, and secretly dreaming of the lucha libre ring. But when she learns her ailing father is set to compete in a high-stakes match and that his honor is on the line, everything changes. With the help of a mysterious mask maker, Lupita trains in secret to set an ancient grudge right.

Full of heart, humor, and high-flying heroics, Luchadora! is a vibrant, family-friendly tale of love, identity, and the courage to step into your own power. This family-friendly production is an inspiring theatrical experience that will delight children and adults alike.

"My first introduction to Alvaro Saar Rios's work was 3 years ago when I saw photos of Seattle Children's Theatre production of Luchadora!. I was immediately enthralled by this story and quickly dove into Alvaro's catalogue of writing, which, much to my delight, is focused on theatre for families and young audiences. He also specifically writes young Latinas as his protagonists. When I asked him why, he said, 'I was surrounded and raised by incredible strong women, and they deserve to have better stories.'

At the heart of Luchadora!, are women, younger and older, who refuse to be put into any box society mandates they be in. These rebellious femmes quietly and loudly pursue their desires to be more than is expected of them. And in the time-honored tradition of women pursuing firsts, this is also a story about secrets—having them, keeping them, and the liberation that comes from revealing them and stepping into our truth.

To "luchar" means to fight, and right now, there are members of our community who are in a fight for their lives, their rights, and their dignity. Luchadora! is also a love letter to those families who as Father says in the play, “are more than just people who pick fruits and vegetables”. These vital members of our community are the lifeblood of Santa Maria and the Central Coast. Tu lucha es mi lucha. Siempre. Your fight is my fight. Always." - Marilet Martinez

The creative team includes Director Marilet Martinez, Costume Designer Caroline Rein, Scenic Designer Josafath Reynoso, Lighting Designer Keith Rice, Composer & Sound Designer David R. Molina, Fight Director Noah Esquivel, and Stage Manager Rebekah Carriere.

The cast includes Stephanie Román as Vanessa/ Lupita, Dena Martinez* as Nana Lupita, Jessie Villaseñor as Mask Maker/Ringer Announcer, Robert Ramirez* as Father, Edella Oroz Westerfield as Liesl/ Hannah, Joey Adanalian as Leo/ Newspaper Boy #2/ Green Luchador, Noah Esquivel as El Hijo/ Blue Luchador, and Edwin Blanco as Boy/ Newspaper Boy #1.

LUCHADORA! to Open at PCPA's Marian Theatre in Santa Maria

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:12:01 PST

PCPA will present Luchadora!, a vibrant and heartwarming adventure by Alvaro Saar Rios, playing June 18 - July 3 at the Marian Theatre.

BroadwayWorld Launches Producer Fantasy Game

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 11:00:05 PST

Ever watched the weekly Broadway grosses roll in and thought you could pick the winners? Now you can put it to the test. BroadwayWorld has launched the Producer Fantasy Game, a free, season-long competition that lets theatre fans build a roster of Broadway shows and earn points based on how those productions actually perform at the box office. The draft window is open now.

How It Works

The setup is simple. During the draft window, you pick any six Broadway productions that opened this season. Drafting is non-exclusive, so there is no need to race a rival for a hot title. Any number of players can roster the same show.

From there, your shows go to work for you. Every week, each production on your roster earns fantasy points based on its reported box office grosses and capacity percentages. When Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle nominations and wins are announced, your shows bank bonus points on top of that. And each week you can answer our Fantasy Forecast prediction questions for up to five bonus points per correct call.

Weekly Scoring

Each week, a show earns one base point for every $50,000 it grosses, so a $1 million week is worth 20 base points. On top of that, shows can earn bonuses: up to five points for filling seats (based on how close to full capacity the house ran), six points for grossing $2 million or more (or three points for grossing between $1 million and $2 million), and eight points if its gross jumped at least 15 percent from the week before. A show loses four points if its gross dropped at least 15 percent. If a show goes dark and reports no gross for a week, it scores zero for that week with no penalty.

The Fantasy Forecast

The Producer Fantasy Game is really two games in one. The first is the box office game: drafting shows and earning points from their weekly grosses and awards. The second is the Fantasy Forecast, a weekly set of prediction questions about what's happening on Broadway, where each correct answer is worth up to five points. You can play one or both.

We track them separately so you can shine at either. Your Producer score covers the box office game, your Forecast score covers your prediction results, and your Combined score adds the two together for the overall championship ranking. The leaderboard lets you toggle between Overall, Producers, and Forecasters, so a sharp predictor can top the Forecasters board even during a rough season for their roster, and a roster powerhouse can lead the Producers board without answering a single question.

Managing Your Roster

Your lineup stays at six shows all season, and you have plenty of room to maneuver. You get one free drop every week, three additional season drops to use anytime before the trade deadline, and free replacements whenever a show on your roster closes. New productions open throughout the season and become available the moment they start reporting grosses, so it pays to keep a transaction in your pocket for that buzzy new opening.

Join the Game

The Producer Fantasy Game is free for all BroadwayWorld users, and you can join any time the draft window is open. Draft within the first two weeks of the season and your roster is scored from opening week, so the earlier you get in, the more weeks you bank. Build your roster, make your predictions, and start climbing the leaderboard today.

A DRAG QUEEN CHRISTMAS to Return for 12th Year With 39-City National Tour

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 19:57:07 PST

“A Drag Queen Christmas” will return for its 12th year, launching a 39-city national tour this November - December. The 2026 edition is hosted by returning fan favorite and theatre star Nina West, and features an all-new merry lineup of drag superstars from the Emmy-winning RuPaul's Drag Race franchise.

Artist pre-sale begins Wednesday, June 3 at 10 a.m. (local time) with the code “TWELVE,” and general on sale begins Friday, June 5 at 10 a.m. (local time) at dragfans.com.

This year's cast includes:

Myki Meeks, Winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Nini Coco, Runner-up, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Darlene Mitchell, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Juicy Love Dion, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Discord Addams, Drag Race Season 18 (2026)
Crystal Methyd, Drag Race All Stars Season 11 (2026) & Drag Race Season 12 (2020)
Silky Ganache, Drag Race All Stars Season 11 (2026), Drag Race All Stars Season 6 (2021), Drag Race Season 11 (2019)

“A Drag Queen Christmas” is the world's premiere holiday drag showcase and a sensational theatrical experience that delivers high camp, over-the-top lip-sync performances, side-splitting comedy, elaborate costumes, Broadway-style staging, and a whole lot of heart—something we all seek during the chaos of the holiday season. With plenty of spectacular surprises in store, the show offers audiences a chance to see drag queens at the top of their game perform showstopping numbers of epic holiday proportions on revered theater stages across America. Each year, “A Drag Queen Christmas” provides an annual tradition for folks from all walks of life to come together and connect, find community, and celebrate the season with joy and laughter.

This dazzling, 18+ holiday extravaganza runs two hours and offers fans the chance to add-on a VIP Meet & Greet Experience—including early access to the venue, photos with the queens on stage, autographs, and exclusive tour merchandise.

A Drag Queen Christmas 2026 Tour Dates:

November 11 - Detroit, MI (Fisher Theatre)

November 12 - Rochester, NY (Kodak Center)

November 13 - Rutland, VT (Paramount Theatre)

November 14 - Portland, ME (Merrill Auditorium)

November 15 - Boston, MA (Emerson Colonial Theatre)

November 17 - Red Bank, NJ (Count Basie Center for the Arts)

November 18 - Morristown, NJ (Mayo Performing Arts Center)

November 19 - Washington, DC (Warner Theatre)

November 20 - Durham, NC (Durham Performing Arts Center)

November 21 - Wilmington, NC (Wilson Center - Cape Fear Community College)

November 22 - Philadelphia, PA (Fillmore)

November 24 - Pittsburgh, PA (Byham Theater)

November 25 - Columbus, OH (Palace Theatre)

November 27 - Chicago, IL (Riviera Theatre)

November 28 - Appleton, WI (Fox Cities Performing Arts Center)

November 29 - Omaha, NE (Orpheum Theater)

November 30 - Oklahoma City, OK (The Criterion)

December 1 - Des Moines, IA (Hoyt Sherman Place)

December 2 - Kansas City, MO (Uptown Theater)

December 4 - Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)

December 5 - Salt Lake City, UT (Kingsbury Hall)

December 7 - Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)

December 9 - Sacramento, CA (Channel 24)

December 10 - San Francisco, CA (Golden Gate Theatre)

December 11 - Stockton, CA (Bob Hope Theatre)

December 12 - Los Angeles, CA (The Wiltern)

December 13 - Santa Rosa, CA (Luther Burbank Center)

December 15 - Mesa, AZ (Mesa Arts Center)

December 16 - Tucson, AZ (Fox Tucson Theatre)

December 17 - El Paso, TX (Plaza Theatre)

December 19 - Austin, TX (ACL Live at The Moody Theater)

December 20 - Dallas, TX (Winspear Opera House)

December 21 - Wichita, KS (Orpheum Theatre)

December 22 - St.Louis, MO (The Factory)

December 23 - Knoxville, TN (Tennessee Theatre)

December 26 - Tampa Bay, FL (Straz Center for the Performing Arts)

December 27 - Fort Myers, FL (Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall)

December 28 - West Palm Beach, FL (Kravis Center for the Performing Arts)

December 29 - Jacksonville, FL (Florida Theatre)

New World Symphony Extends Artistic Director Stéphane Denève's Contract

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:11:31 PST

New World Symphony (NWS) Board Chair William M. Osborne III announced the extension of Artistic Director Stéphane Denève’s contract through the 2031–32 season.

"Stéphane Denève has brought extraordinary energy, vision and purpose to New World Symphony,” said Osborne. “Extending his contract underscores our confidence in his ability to deepen the Fellows’ experience, expand our creative horizons, and further anchor the organization as a vital force in Miami’s cultural life."

"Leading the New World Symphony artistically since 2022 has been a source of infinite joy, inspiration, and hope,” said Stéphane Denève. “This extraordinary institution is not only shaping the next generation of musicians, but also redefining what an orchestra can be and mean in our time. I am deeply honored to carry this journey forward for a second five-year term alongside our Fellows, faculty, staff, board, and audiences. Together, we will continue to build upon the spirit of Michael Tilson Thomas’s remarkable legacy, champion excellence, curiosity, and joie de vivre, and keep seeking new ways to connect, create, and share music with the world.”

"At the center of the New World Symphony are the Fellows who spend up to three years finding their own voice and preparing for the transition to professional life,” said Howard Herring, President & CEO. "Stéphane Denève leads them through this process, carrying forward MTT’s expectation of excellence – the process of excellence that energized the institution. As part of his responsibility, and in partnership with the Fellows, he reimagines the future of classical music, an art form that has a 1,000-year-old legacy and a bright future. And, he approaches this serious work with joy. That is the magic of Stéphane Denève, now and into his extended commitment."

Denève’s first full season as Artistic Director began with the New World Symphony’s 2023-24 season. He is only the second person to hold the position in the organization’s 39-year history, succeeding co-founder Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT).

Denève’s passionate quest for exploring the classical canon, from core repertoire to today’s contemporary works, shapes a vision that expands the orchestral experience through programming that builds on tradition and reflects modern times. Denève's approach embraces cross-disciplinary collaboration and the integration of technology, enriching performance and broadening how symphonic music is experienced and understood.

Since his appointment in fall 2022, Denève has welcomed over 25 guest conductors and soloists, led the NWS Fellows in eight premieres, and developed groundbreaking multidisciplinary projects enhanced by customized visuals and digital elements that fully utilized New World Center’s projection surfaces and media capabilities. These include multimedia presentations of Debussy’s La Mer and Gershwin’s An American in Paris, featuring custom visuals Denève helped design with NWS Media; Albert Roussel’s The Spider’s Feast with NWS-commissioned animations by artist Grégoire Pont; an opera double bill of Viktor Ullmann’s The Kaiser of Atlantis and Kurt Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins (October 2024); and Resonance of Remembrance: WWII and the Holocaust, a season-long series commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (2024-25 season). Denève is also an integral part of NWS’s online presence through NWS Inside and NWS’s YouTube channel, where his performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet have each garnered over 1.2M views.

Denève also continues the New World Symphony’s tradition of collaboration with Miami’s cultural institutions, including Miami City Ballet, the Florida Memorial University (FMU) Ambassador Chorale and the Master Chorale of South Florida. In partnership with Miami City Ballet, Denève recently led the world premiere of a choreographic concerto featuring ten 21st-century choreographers and composers in five new works (April 2026). Denève’s programming also reflects a deep commitment to today’s masterworks, with each season showcasing select works such as Jennifer Higdon’s blue cathedral (September 2023), Anna Clyne’s PALETTE (March 2025), an all-John Adams concert (January 2026) and Kevin Puts’ Contact in December 2026.

In the 2026-27 season Denève’s concert highlights include Beethoven’s epic Ninth Symphony — performed for the first time at New World Center, the composer’s revolutionary celebration of equality and humanity, featuring singers from the Master Chorale of South Florida integrated with the orchestra (October 10 & 11, 2026); an all-Prokofiev program by violinist James Ehnes including the composer’s Violin Concertos No. 1 & No. 2 (November 21 & 22, 2026); the continuation of the Modern Masterworks series with Kevin Puts’ Contact with acclaimed string trio Time for Three in its NWS debut; his first Mahler performance with NWS with the composer’s Symphony No. 1, “Titan,” ( on February 20 & 21, 2027); a program of John Adams, Guillaume Connesson, George Gershwin and Carlos Simon with saxophonist Steven Banks (May 1 & 2, 2027); and two digitally immersive programs: New World Center will transform for Strange Magic: Ravel + Stravinsky, bringing Pétrouchka and L’enfant et les sortilèges to life through live puppetry, projection and vivid animation; and documentary film meets a live original score in Trees: A Live Cinema Documentary, from Academy Award–nominated director Sam Green.

In his review for South Florida Classical Review of Denève’s inaugural concert as Music Director of the New World Symphony in October 2023, Lawrence Budmen wrote, “The French conductor is a superb orchestral colorist and, as in previous appearances, he consistently draws the very best from his players. He added, “...this initial concert bodes well for the season ahead and the future of the New World Symphony in the Stéphane Denève era.”

Contest: Win Tickets to THE MONSTERS at La Jolla Playhouse

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:51:23 PST

Enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to The Monsters at La Jolla Playhouse. BroadwayWorld is giving away a pair of tickets to two winners.

For years, LIL has observed her estranged brother from the shadows, studying every punch he throws. BIG, an aging but respected force in the local mixed martial arts circuit, remains unaware his little sister has been tracking his career from afar… until she appears unexpectedly on his doorstep.

“The Monsters hits hard and hugs harder… For anyone who grew up with siblings, it might revive the urge to bust out the couch forts and start pretending all over again.” San Francisco Chronicle Award-winning playwright Ngozi Anyanwu writes and stars alongside Sullivan Jones (HBO’s The Gilded Age) in this West Coast premiere of a warm-hearted and action-charged sibling story that grapples with the fight to build a life you can be proud of.

Raw and riveting, The Monsters delivers an emotional knockout. Begins June 2 at La Jolla Playhouse. For more information on The Monsters, click here.

SONIC LIVE IN CONCERT to Launch Global Tour With US and UK Premieres

Wed, 27 May 2026 20:59:39 PST

As Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates 35 years as one of the most iconic video game franchises of all time, Senbla and SEGA today announced Sonic Live In Concert (www.sonicliveinconcert.com). This new concert experience brings the music and moments of the beloved video games to the stage.

Featuring iconic moments and music from the very first game in 1991 through today, the production will debut in the U.S. at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on September 26, 2026, before making its European premiere at London's Eventim Apollo on September 30. The U.S. tour will visit more than 30 cities nationwide, and a UK tour will follow in February 2027. More European dates will be announced at a later time. Tickets will go on sale May 29, 2026, with pre-sale tickets going on sale on May 28, 2026.

As part of a global rollout celebrating the franchise's milestone anniversary, Sonic Live In Concert features the most recognizable music from the Sonic universe, performed by a live ensemble alongside rock musicians, vocalists, and electronic elements. The setlist includes fan-favorite tracks and an incredible array of music from the very first game through to today accompanied by synchronized HD footage of iconic levels, moments and boss battles from the franchise. Audiences can expect musical Easter eggs woven into the arrangements, adding an extra layer of discovery that brings Sonic's world vividly to life on stage.

The concert also highlights the creative legacy behind Sonic's music from legendary composers Jun Senoue and Tomoya Ohtani, whose work has helped define Sonic's sound across generations.

"Sonic has some of the most distinct and celebrated music in gaming," says Ollie Rosenblatt, CEO of Senbla. "We wanted to create a live show that stays true to what the fans love about Sonic's music, from the electronic and melodic themes to high-energy rock."

“Music has always been a core part of Sonic's identity, shaping how fans experience this world across generations," said Ivo Gerscovich, Chief Business & Brand Officer at SEGA of America, Inc. "With this concert, we're looking forward to celebrating that legacy in a live setting; bringing together the energy, emotion, and creativity of Sonic's music in a way that both longtime fans and new audiences can enjoy together.”

Since his debut in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog has become a global entertainment icon spanning video games, film, television, and consumer products. With renewed momentum driven by recent film releases, new game titles, and a global brand campaign tied to the 35th anniversary, the franchise continues to reach new generations of fans worldwide.

The performance schedule includes:

September 20, 2026 – Spokane, Washington – First Interstate Center for the Arts
September 22, 2026 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre (preview)
September 23, 2026 – Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium (preview)
September 25, 2026 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Civic Theatre (preview)
September 26, 2026 – Hollywood, CA – Dolby Theatre
September 27, 2026 – Riverside, CA – Fox Performing Arts Center
September 29, 2026 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center - Ikeda Theater
September 30, 2026 – London, U.K. – London Eventim Apollo
October 1, 2026 – Las Vegas, NV – Resorts World Theatre
October 2, 2026 – Fresno, CA – Saroyan Theatre
October 3, 2026 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic
October 4, 2026 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
October 6, 2026 – Denver, CO – Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
October 8, 2026 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
October 9, 2026 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Center
October 10, 2026 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port
October 11, 2026 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
October 13, 2026 – Wichita, KS – Orpheum Theatre
October 15, 2026 – Omaha, NE – Orpheum Theater
October 16, 2026 – Peoria, IL – Prairie Home Alliance Theater
October 17, 2026 – Louisville, KY – The Louisville Palace Theatre
October 18, 2026 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory
October 19, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
October 20, 2026 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
October 22, 2026 – Brandon, MS – City Hall Live
October 23, 2026 – Huntsville, AL – VBC Mark C. Smith Concert Hall
October 24, 2026 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
October 25, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – Steven Tanger Center for Performing Arts
October 27, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – Ovens Auditorium
October 28, 2026 – North Charleston, SC – North Charleston Performing Arts Center
October 29, 2026 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
October 30, 2026 – St. Petersburg, FL – Duke Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater
October 31, 2026 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center for the Performing Arts - Au Rene Theater
November 1, 2026 – Orlando, FL – Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
February 17, 2027 – Glasgow, UK – Royal Concert Hall
February 18, 2027 – Edinburgh, UK – Usher Hall
February 19, 2027 – Manchester, UK – Bridgewater Hall
February 20, 2027 – Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall

For more information, tour dates, and tickets, visit www.sonicliveinconcert.com.

New Plays And Musicals Wanted For 4th Annual Playwright's Festival

Sat, 23 May 2026 15:52:56 PST

New Art City Theatre (NACT), a pioneering theatre company in Ventura, CA, will accept submissions of new original plays and musicals for inclusion in their 4th annual playwrights festival. Festival '27 will be held March 4-7, 2027 with matinee and evening staged readings of the four plays selected, followed by talkback sessions with the audience.

The online submission portal will be open May 29th until 9:00 PM Pacific Time on July 10th, 2026.

Their mission is to nurture emerging playwrights, providing them with a platform where their vision comes to life. They believe in equal access to opportunities in theatre, which is why the submission process is completely blind, ensuring that talent shines through regardless of background. Festival '27, like prior festivals, will be offered free to the public, providing the opportunity to experience live theatre.

Submitted pieces must be full length with a run-time of at least 75-minutes and must not be published or have been produced onstage, either amateur or professional. There's an administrative fee of $25 to submit. Once received, submissions will be reviewed by the NACT reading team. Up to four plays or musicals will be selected to participate in a week-long residency in Ventura. The purpose of the week is to facilitate further development of the writer's work and to give the public a peek into what the creative process looks like from behind the curtain.

For more information or to make a submission: https://newartcitytheatre.org/festival

Colburn Orchestra to Make Ojai Festival Debut Under Esa-Pekka Salonen

Wed, 20 May 2026 05:45:29 PST

Colburn School will take center stage at this year’s landmark 80th Ojai Music Festival, with performances spanning the festival’s programming. In its Ojai Festival debut, the Colburn Orchestra will perform twice, including the festival’s finale under the baton of Festival Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, who leads the Negaunee Conducting Program and holds the Maestro Ernst H. Katz Chair of Conducting Studies at Colburn. This performance will also feature Colburn alumna Geneva Lewis and Leila Josefowicz. Salonen Fellows Mert Yalniz and Aleksandra Melaniuk share the podium with Salonen in Saturday night’s concert featuring the LA Phil New Music Group alongside Lewis, who appears in five events throughout the festival, including the opening-night U.S. premiere of Salonen’s new work for violin and cello. LA Dance Project will also give the world premiere of a festival-commissioned work choreographed by Janie Taylor, Artistic Director of Colburn’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Together, these performances showcase Colburn’s far-reaching impact across music, dance, and the broader artistic landscape.

On Friday, June 12, Salonen leads the Colburn Orchestra in Steven Stucky’s Colburn Variations, a work honoring the students, faculty, and staff of Colburn, as well as its founder, Richard D. Colburn. The program continues with Salonen’s kinēma, a lyrical, cinematic work, featuring clarinetist Anthony McGill. Witold Lutosławski’s Grave, (Metamorphoses for cello and strings) featuring cellist Jay Campbell follows, and the concert concludes with Schoenberg’s first large-scale work and one of his most popular, Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night).

For the Festival’s finale concert on Sunday, June 14, the Colburn Orchestra is joined by an array of celebrated guest artists: violinists and Colburn alumna Geneva Lewis and Leila Josefowicz, soprano Bridget Esler, tenor Eric Finbarr Carey, and baritone Abdiel González. J.S. Bach’s Prelude from Partita No. 3 in E major for violin, BWV 1006 opens the concert, followed by Salonen’s FOG, a dreamlike fantasy around the Bach Partita that pays homage to Frank Gehry—the name is both a play on the architect’s initials (Frank Owen Gehry) and Gehry’s sailboat, Foggy. The work is also inspired by the historic moment when music was first played in Walt Disney Concert Hall during Salonen’s tenure as the LA Phil’s Music Director. FOG received its world premiere at Colburn in February 2019, conducted by Salonen at a special concert celebrating Gehry’s 90th birthday. György Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and Stravinsky’s Pulcinella (complete ballet) close out the concert.

Geneva Lewis, who has been praised as “clearly one to watch” by Musical America, performs in three other programs: Sunday’s Morning Meditation (June 14), Friday morning’s Reflection (June 12), and Thursday evening’s Quartet for the End of Time (June 11) which will feature Lewis in the U.S. premiere of Salonen’s new work for violin and cello.

Both Geneva Lewis and Leila Josefowicz are alumni of Colburn’s Community School of Performing Arts, a dynamic training ground that has helped shape generations of world-class artists through high-quality arts education for students of all ages and skill levels. Lewis studied with Colburn faculty violinist Aimée Kreston and Josefowicz studied with Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair Robert Lipsett.

On Saturday, June 13, Salonen Fellows Mert Yalniz and Aleksandra Melaniuk join Salonen to lead the LA Phil New Music Group and violinist Geneva Lewis in a program of Gabriella Smith, Salonen, Magnus Lindberg, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and John Adams. Salonen joined the Colburn faculty in September 2018 to establish and lead the Negaunee Conducting Program, a pre-professional conducting program that supports a small, select group of students, known as Salonen Fellows. For the past three years, under Salonen’s guidance, Yalniz and Melaniuk have gained significant real-world podium experience, including working with Salonen at the San Francisco Symphony, and served as preparatory conductors for the Colburn Orchestra. They also conduct the Zipper Outreach Orchestra, Colburn’s performing ensemble for its community engagement activities, and have appeared on stages at The Soraya, UCLA’s Royce Hall, and the Fred Kavli Theatre at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center in Thousand Oaks.

On the afternoon of Friday, June 12, LA Dance Project will give the world premiere of a festival-commissioned work featuring choreography by Janie Taylor, Artistic Director of Colburn’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Created in response to four works from Luciano Berio’s Sequenza series, the program brings together choreography by Taylor, Jobel Medina, and Madeline Hollander. With live music performed by festival artists, the work highlights the close interplay between dancer and musician, while exploring the unexpected sonic landscape of Berio’s writing and his use of extended techniques through dance. A second performance will take place on the afternoon of Saturday, June 13.

Student Blog: Moments In The Woods

Thu, 28 May 2026 10:37:42 PST

“Into the Woods, it’s time to go, I hate to leave, I have to though.” There’s something haunting about those lyrics from Into the Woods. They sound simple at first, almost like a goodbye. But the older I get, and the more I write about theater, the more I realize they’re really about memory.

Writing for BroadwayWorld has surprised me in ways I never expected. BroadwayWorld is what I grew up reading. It was the bridge that connected me to a place that meant so much to me: Broadway, the shows, and the people I admired. I originally thought writing about theater would simply allow me to share my love for it and celebrate storytelling onstage. It has done exactly that, but it has also allowed me to document my own moments in the woods and hold onto the memories and the way they made me feel.

There is also something deeply surreal about writing for BroadwayWorld because I still read it the same way I did growing up. I still scroll through articles about new Broadway casts, opening nights, national tours, and performers whose journeys inspired me long before I ever imagined becoming part of that world myself. BroadwayWorld was never just a website to me, it was a window into a world that felt magical and larger than life. Seeing my own name listed as an author for the first time felt like stepping into the very stories I used to dream about being part of. In many ways, it reminded me that the woods we admire from a distance sometimes become the woods we eventually walk through ourselves.

That feeling became even more meaningful when I had the opportunity to write and perform my own show, The Journey of Inspiration Through Theater, at The Green Room 42. Sharing my story onstage alongside Broadway performers whose journeys helped shape my own felt like a full-circle moment I still struggle to put into words. It reminded me why capturing these moments matters so much to me. Writing about theater, preserving memories, and sharing personal experiences is not only about holding onto moments for myself, it is about encouraging others to take the first step into their own woods, even if they are uncertain where the path may lead. Because sometimes the most life-changing moments begin with simply being brave enough to enter the woods at all.

Every musical, every play, every lyric, every conversation about theater seems to lead me somewhere personal. Strangely enough, many of those places are in the woods.

Not literal fairy tale woods filled with witches and giants, but the woods of memory, the memories I have created over the years both onstage and in the audience.

Writing about theater has become a pathway back to moments I once experienced, and writing them down allows me to remember them forever: the feeling of walking through Shubert Alley, walking down 45th Street, the silence that somehow never feels empty when the houselights dim and a show begins, the feeling of watching friends make their Broadway debuts, and going backstage afterward to interview those same friends in dressing rooms on Broadway and national tours.

When I listen to Sondheim’s score or revisit Into The Woods, I don’t just think about characters searching for wishes. I think about how all of us wander through emotional forests trying to understand ourselves.

Writing about theater has helped me hold onto feelings I once carried inside theaters, and reminds me never to lose that magical spark a show can place inside your heart.

A show can begin as something you have hoped to see for years, and then suddenly become a reflection of your own life and the way you view the world. A song lyric becomes a doorway. A performance reminds you of a version of yourself you haven’t visited in years. That’s what surprises me most about this journey: writing about theater is not only about observing art. Sometimes it’s about discovering where the art meets your own memories.

The woods in Into the Woods are complicated. They’re magical, dangerous, uncertain, and transformative all at once. Real life feels that way too. We enter different woods throughout our lives hoping to find answers, only to discover pieces of ourselves instead. That is what writing for BroadwayWorld has done for me.

I also carry this with me into my podcast, The Inspiration Show, where I have the privilege of speaking with actors about their own journeys through their woods. Hearing them reflect on the moments that shaped their paths, the uncertainty, the breakthroughs, has made me realize how universal this experience really is. Each conversation reminds me that everyone is walking through their own version of the woods, trying to find meaning, purpose, and connection along the way. And being trusted with those stories means everything to me, because it reinforces why I began all of this in the first place: to honor the journey through these woods in whatever form it takes.

And maybe that’s why those lyrics stay with me:

“I hate to leave, I have to though.”

Because eventually we all leave certain woods behind. We all walk out of theater doors after the show is over carrying so much love in our hearts. But through writing, through trying to string words together to explain what we felt, we capture those moments. Those moments in the woods. They remain there forever. And when we return to those words later, we get to visit those woods again, if only for a moment.

“The trees are just trees, the woods are just woods.”

But sometimes the moments we experience within them become the memories that shape us forever. Here are a few moments from my own journey through the woods, the theaters, the friendships, the stages, and the memories that continue to stay with me long after the curtain comes down.

Because the most beautiful thing about the woods is not getting lost in them, it’s remembering who you were while you were there. Write it down. Remember it. Hold it close and carry those moments in the woods with you.

THE NOTEBOOK North American Tour Adds 26 Cities to 2026-27 Route

Tue, 19 May 2026 08:13:15 PST

The North American Tour of THE NOTEBOOK hasannounced engagements for the 2026-27 season, adding 26 cites to the previously announced route, including stops in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, and Houston. The tour began performances on September 6, 2025, at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, and has welcomed over 500,000 patrons to date.

Read the reviews for the touring production of The Notebook.

Allie and Noah, two people from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart in a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. Based on the book that has sold millions of copies worldwide and a film that is one of the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all-time, the musical adaptation of THE NOTEBOOK played Broadway at the Schoenfeld Theatre from March 2024 to December 2024 following a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2022.

THE NOTEBOOK features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (writer and producer on NBC's “This Is Us,” The Cake). The production is directed by Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, RENT) and Schele Williams (Aida, The Wiz), with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge! The Musical).

The creative team for the tour includes scenic design by David Zinn and Brett J. Banakis, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, hair and wig design by Mia Neal, and projection design by Lucy Mackinnon. The production's music supervisor is Carmel Dean, who also collaborated on arrangements with Ingrid Michaelson and on orchestrations with John Clancy, and the music director is Tina Faye. Casting by The Telsey Office, Patrick Goodwin, CSA.

The production was recognized with three 2024 Tony Award nominations (Best Book of a Musical, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical), Drama League Award nominations for Outstanding Production of a Musical, two Distinguished Performance Awards and the Founders Award for Excellence in Directing, Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical.

2026-2027 Tour Dates:

Detroit, MI — Fisher Theatre
September 22 – October 4, 2026

Dayton, OH — Schuster Center
October 6 – 11, 2026

Grand Rapids, MI — DeVos Performance Hall
October 13 – 18, 2026

East Lansing, MI — Wharton Center
October 27 – November 1, 2026

Richmond, VA — Altria Theater
November 3 – 8, 2026

Pittsburgh, PA — Benedum Center
November 10 – 15, 2026

Schenectady, NY — Proctors
December 1 – 6, 2026

Boston, MA — Emerson Colonial Theatre
December 8 – 20, 2026

Oklahoma City, OK — Civic Center Music Hall
December 29, 2026 – January 3, 2027

Houston, TX — Hobby Center
January 5 – 10, 2027

Dallas, TX — Winspear Opera House
January 12 – 24, 2027

New Orleans, LA — Saenger Theatre
January 26 – 31, 2027

Hershey, PA — Hershey Theatre
February 3 – 7, 2027

Providence, RI — PPAC
February 9 – 14, 2027

Rochester, NY — Auditorium Theatre
February 16 – 21, 2027

Fayetteville, AR — Walton Arts Center
February 24 – 28, 2027

Huntsville, AL — Von Braun Center
March 2 – 7, 2027

Ft. Lauderdale, FL — Broward Center
March 9 – 14, 2027

Ft. Myers, FL — Barbara B. Mann Hall
March 16 – 21, 2027

Naples, FL — Artis—Naples
March 23 – 28, 2027

North Charleston, SC — North Charleston PAC
March 30 – April 4, 2027

Birmingham, AL — BJCC Concert Hall
April 6 – 11, 2027

Atlanta, GA — Fox Theatre
April 13 – 18, 2027

Tucson, AZ — Centennial Hall
April 27 – May 2, 2027

San Jose, CA — Center for the Performing Arts
May 4 – 9, 2027

Sacramento, CA — SAFE Credit Union PAC
May 11 – 16, 2027

ANYTHING GOES, CLUE, ENCHANTED APRIL, and MRS. CHRISTIE Set for SBCC Theatre Group 81st Season

Fri, 15 May 2026 22:59:45 PST

The The Theatre Group at SBCC has announced the productions planned for its 81st season, featuring a lineup of musicals, comedies, mysteries, and literary adaptations across the Garvin and Jurkowitz Theatres.

The season will open with ANYTHING GOES, running July 10–25, 2026 in the Garvin Theatre. Featuring music and lyrics by Cole Porter, the musical includes a book by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse, with a revised book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. Set aboard an ocean liner, the musical follows a stowaway pursuing romance amid a cast of sailors, socialites, gangsters, and entertainers. Songs include “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Blow Gabriel Blow,” and “You’re the Top.”

CLUE

The fall production will be CLUE, performing October 9–24, 2026 in the Garvin Theatre. Based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn and adapted by Sandy Rustin with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price, the stage comedy is inspired by both the Clue board game and the Paramount Pictures film adaptation.

The play follows a group of guests gathered at Boddy Manor for a mysterious dinner party that quickly turns deadly as the characters attempt to uncover the killer’s identity.

ENCHANTED APRIL

Spring 2027 will feature ENCHANTED APRIL by Matthew Barber, adapted from the novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. Running March 5–20, 2027 in the Garvin Theatre, the romantic comedy centers on two English women who escape dreary London life by renting a villa in Italy, where they rediscover joy, companionship, and renewed purpose.

MRS. CHRISTIE

The season’s Jurkowitz Theatre production will be MRS. CHRISTIE by Heidi Armbruster, running April 16–May 1, 2027.

Inspired by the real-life 1926 disappearance of Agatha Christie, the play follows a modern-day Christie enthusiast who uncovers a mysterious unpublished diary while visiting the author’s estate. The story intertwines past and present narratives while exploring identity, mystery, and reinvention.

Student Showcase

Season subscribers will also receive priority access to the student showcase production of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY, adapted by Joe Landry. The production will run November 11–21, 2026 in the Jurkowitz Theatre and reimagines the classic holiday story as a 1940s live radio broadcast.

Season subscription packages for the four-show season range from $96 to $124 depending on performance day and include a discount from standard single-ticket pricing.

Single tickets for all productions will go on sale June 22, 2026.

ANYTHING GOES, CLUE, ENCHANTED APRIL, and MRS. CHRISTIE Set for SBCC Theatre Group 81st Season

Fri, 15 May 2026 22:59:45 PST

CLUE

The play follows a group of guests gathered at Boddy Manor for a mysterious dinner party that quickly turns deadly as the characters attempt to uncover the killer’s identity.

ENCHANTED APRIL

MRS. CHRISTIE

The season’s Jurkowitz Theatre production will be MRS. CHRISTIE by Heidi Armbruster, running April 16–May 1, 2027.

Student Showcase

Season subscription packages for the four-show season range from $96 to $124 depending on performance day and include a discount from standard single-ticket pricing.

Single tickets for all productions will go on sale June 22, 2026.

StageMag Launches Programmable PDF Editor for Digital Theater Programs

Thu, 21 May 2026 10:04:02 PST

StageMag, the digital show program platform from BroadwayWorld, today launched its new PDF Editor to all producers and stage managers using the service. The tool gives editors granular, real-time control over how their digital program renders as a downloadable or printable PDF - the format most often used in lobby printouts, accessibility packets, and press kits.

Until now, the StageMag-to-PDF path was a one-shot export: whatever fit, fit. The new editor turns the export into a configurable surface. Each section of a program including the cast list, song list, director's note, bios, advertisements, sponsor pages, articles, listings and more — can be individually told how to paginate. Editors choose between three strategies per section:

Flow: natural pagination, sections may split across pages.
Own page: start the section on a fresh page.
Fit one page: start fresh and scale the section to occupy the whole page.

A live preview pane re-renders the PDF on every change, so editors see the final printed result as they work rather than guessing and re-exporting.Beyond the strategy picker, the editor exposes a set of advanced controls familiar to anyone who has hand-tuned a long-form print document: hide-element selectors (drop sponsor strips or vestigial nav from the print version), forced page breaks before or after named elements, a draggable section-order list, custom header/footer/watermark text, and a custom-CSS escape hatch for theaters whose programs follow a house style.

The release also includes paper-level controls including US Letter or A4, portrait or landscape, three margin presets, three type scales, and a "booklet" mode that adds a binding gutter for stapled lobby printouts.

The PDF Editor is available now to all StageMag-enabled productions at no additional cost, under the Share PDF tab in the program editor. Existing programs render with sensible defaults; the new controls are opt-in and per-production.

About StageMag

StageMag is BroadwayWorld's digital playbill platform, used by Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional, university, and community theater productions to publish interactive programs that audiences open on their phones from a QR code in the lobby. StageMag is offered as a free service to participating productions.

About BroadwayWorld

Founded in 2003, BroadwayWorld is the largest theater website in the world, covering Broadway, the West End, and theater news, reviews, interviews, and resources across all 50 US states and 45 countries.

A Season Driven by Music as Broadway in Thousand Oaks Reveals 2026-27 Lineup

Fri, 08 May 2026 13:20:23 PST

A Season Driven by Music as Broadway in Thousand Oaks Reveals 2026-27 Lineup

The American Theatre Guild has announced its 2026-27 Broadway in Thousand Oaks season at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center, unveiling a lineup that leans strongly into music-driven storytelling and audience favorites while still offering discovery. The upcoming season includes Hadestown, The Bodyguard, and A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical as subscription titles, with The Carpenters Songbook: A Live Celebration offered as a special add-on engagement. All four productions mark Thousand Oaks premieres, continuing the Guild’s commitment to bringing major touring Broadway directly to Ventura County.

According to Craig Aikman, Senior Director of Presenting Operations for The American Theatre Guild, programming a season is always about balance. “You want to give everybody what they want to see, but you also want to expand their horizons a little bit and maybe surprise your audience,” he said. “I think this season kind of does that.”

That balance is evident in a lineup unified by music, whether drawn from mythology, pop superstardom, or iconic catalogs. Anchoring the season is Hadestown, which plays December 11 through 13, 2026. Winner of eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Anais Mitchell’s folk opera has become one of the most acclaimed Broadway titles of the last decade.

“Hadestown may be more of an unknown title for some audiences,” Aikman acknowledged, “but that show is life-changing as far as I’m concerned. It takes a story you may already know and transports it into a completely different world.” With its New Orleans-inspired sound and poetic reimagining of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, the show arrives in Thousand Oaks as a full Broadway tour with talent drawn directly from New York. As Aikman noted, “You don’t have to go to New York. You don’t have to go to the Pantages. You can experience this world-class entertainment right in your own backyard.”

The season continues March 17 through 19, 2027, with The Bodyguard, the stage adaptation of the 1992 film starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. The production blends romance, suspense, and spectacle, supported by a score featuring Houston’s legendary hits including I Wanna Dance with Somebody and I’m Every Woman.

“You go see The Bodyguard for the romance and the thriller aspect of it,” Aikman said, “and also because you want to hear I Will Always Love You. But there’s more to it than just the music. It’s about how the songs help tell the story.”

Closing out the subscription season is A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, playing June 11 and 12, 2027. Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, the musical traces the songwriter’s journey from his Brooklyn beginnings to becoming one of the most successful hitmakers in American music history. “People know the music,” Aikman said, “but what really draws them in is the story of how he became who he became. It’s in the same vein as Jersey Boys and Beautiful. You’re discovering the person behind the catalog.”

In addition to the subscription titles, the season includes The Carpenters Songbook: A Live Celebration, a one-night-only add-on event on November 30, 2026. The concert-style production blends live performance with storytelling rather than traditional portrayals of Karen and Richard Carpenter. “It’s artists giving their take on the music and telling their story in a really unique way,” Aikman explained. The show carries particular resonance in Thousand Oaks, as Aikman noted that The Carpenters were from the area, making the performance feel like a homecoming for their music.

Behind the scenes, The American Theatre Guild presents Broadway seasons in 11 markets nationwide, but Aikman emphasized that each city is programmed individually. “It’s not about creating a widget and moving that same widget from city to city,” he said. “We really pay attention to what speaks to each audience. Thousand Oaks has its own personality.”

After nearly two decades with the organization, Aikman remains confident in the enduring power of live theatre. “There’s something romantic about going to the theater,” he said. “The lights go down, the orchestra swells, and you escape for a little while. That still resonates.”

Season Memberships for the 2026-27 Broadway in Thousand Oaks series are on sale now. Tickets and memberships are available exclusively at BroadwayInThousandOaks.com or through the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Box Office.

Photo Credit: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING Will Come to the New Vic Theatre

Wed, 06 May 2026 05:16:20 PST

Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara will continue its 47th “Truth and Illusion” season " with the current smash hit Broadway stage experience, EVERY BRILLIANT THING, written by Duncan MacMillan with Jonny Donahoe, directed by Jenny Sullivan and starring Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper. EVERY BRILLIANT THING will be performed in the round and will begin previews on Wednesday, June 3; will open on Saturday, June 6 at 8pm (press opening); and run through Sunday, June 21 at the New Vic Theatre, 33 Victoria Street in Santa Barbara.

What makes life worth living? A child starts a list of every brilliant thing in the world, hoping to help their mother through depression. As the list grows - ice cream, the color yellow, the sound of laughter - the audience is invited on a heartwarming, interactive journey through life's highs and lows, discovering joy in the simplest things.

"There may be no more powerful theatrical experience right now than EVERY BRILLIANT THING - a single performer, an audience invited to play along, and a list of reasons to keep going," comments Scott Devine, ETC's executive artistic director. "It's funny, brave, and profoundly human - a list that ranges from Christopher Walken's voice to the smell of old books to inappropriately timed ABBA songs and somehow reminds us that the smallest things are often what hold us together. In a season exploring truth and illusion, few stories feel more truthful, or more necessary, than this one."

ETC is committed to ensuring that transformative theatrical experiences remain accessible to all Santa Barbara community members through its “Community Pay-What-You-Can Program.” The Pay-What-You-Can performance for EVERY BRILLIANT THING will be Wednesday, June 3 at 7:30pm.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Jenny Sullivan (Director) is an award-winning theater and film director, actor, writer and producer. Favorite directing gigs at: The Wallis Annenberg Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, The Acorn and Lucille Lortel Theaters Off-Broadway, Long Wharf Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Laguna Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse and Rubicon Theatre. Jenny began directing for ETC in 2005! In 2025, Justice was her 15th production! Other ETC productions include: The Children; Tenderly: The Rosemary Clooney Musical; Sleuth; The Legend of Georgia McBride; I Am My Own Wife (Indy Award); Baby Doll; Good People; Tea at Five; The Year of Magical Thinking; The Lion in Winter (Indy Award); The Mystery of Irma Vep (Indy Award); The Clean House (Indy Award); The Memory of Water; and Dublin Carol (Indy Award). Other Santa Barbara productions include Marat/Sade, The Way We Live Now: Theatre for Our Lives in This Crisis Called AIDS (Center Stage Theatre) and Listen for Wings (Access Theatre); Nancy Nufer's Food Confessions; Mother Earth/Father Sky; and The Shadow Box, all played at The Lobero Theatre. Jenny was a founding member of Santa Barbara's “The Mime Caravan,” the creators of the annual Summer Solstice Celebration. Films: Access All Areas and The Next Best Thing (in which she had the good fortune to direct her father Barry). Her film I Know Catherine, The Log Lady is currently being screened across the country. Jenny is most proud of the world premiere of her play J for J starring Jenny, Jeff Kober and the late great John Ritter.

Duncan MacMillan (Playwright) is a writer and director for theatre, television and film. Theatre includes: Lungs; People, Places and Things; Every Brilliant Thing; The Seagull (adapt. Chekhov, with Thomas Ostermeier); Rosmersholm (adapt. Henrik Ibsen); 1984(adapt. George Orwell, co-written with Robert Icke); City Of Glass (adapt. Paul Auster) and 2071 (co-written with Chris Rapley); The Forbidden Zone; Wunschloses Unglück (adapt. Peter Handke); Reise Durch die Nacht (adapt. Friederike Mayröcker) and the English language version of Thomas Ostermeier's An Enemy Of The People (adapt. Henrik Ibsen, Duke of York's Theatre, West End). Duncan directed the ten-year anniversary remount of his play Every Brilliant Thing at the Edinburgh Festival, and co-directed (with Jeremy Herrin) the West End transfer @SohoPlace for Second Half Productions, featuring five different performers. He also co-directed 1984 (with Robert Icke) for Headlong, which ran in the West End three times after two UK tours and tours of the US and Australia and transferred to the Hudson Theater, Broadway. Other directing includes the US premiere of Mike Bartlett's Contractions (Studio Theatre, Washington DC), and the world premiere of Simon Vinnicombe's Cradle Me (Finborough Theatre).His work has been performed throughout the world, including The National Theatre, the Old Vic, the Royal Court, Almeida, Barbican, St Ann's Warehouse, Melbourne Theatre Company, Berliner Ensemble, Hamburg Schauspielhaus, Schauspielhaus Köln, Burgtheater Wien, Vesturport, Kansallisteatteri, Nationaltheatret Oslo and in the repertory of the Schaubühne Berlin, as well as the Edinburgh Festival, the Manchester International Festival, Salzburg Festival, Festival d'Avignon and Theatertreffen, in the West End and on Broadway. His screen work has appeared on the BBC, HBO, Netflix and at the Berlin and London Film Festivals. Reise Durch die Nacht was awarded the Nestroy Preis for Best German Language Production. Both 1984 and People, Places and Things were nominated for Best New Play at the Olivier Awards, and Rosmersholm was nominated for Best Revival. He won Best Director (with Robert Icke) at the UK Theatre awards and the Liverpool Arts Awards, and the production also received nominations at the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Tony Awards.

Jonny Donahoe (Creative Consultant) is a comedian, writer and performer. He is the co-creator and original performer of Every Brilliant Thing, which has now played in over seventy countries across six continents. He has also written and performed for over ten years with his touring comedy group “Jonny & The Baptists.” They have performed their shows at the Royal National Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, Barrow Street Theatre, New York, Soho Theatre, Downstage Theatre Wellington, Liverpool Everyman and Battersea Arts Centre amongst many others. Jonny was nominated for a Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Every Brilliant Thing. “Jonny and the Baptists” have been nominated for a Chortle Award, Hackney Empire New Act of the Year and the Musical Comedy Awards. He won a BBC Audio Drama Award for his work on Sound Heap (Max Fun/Auddy). Other plays include Anna/Anastasia (Oran Mor/Traverse/APA), 30 Christmases, (New Diorama, London/ OFS, Oxford), and Forgiveness (UK & International Tour). Short plays include The Sound Ours Hearts Made (Trafalgar Studios/Paines Plough) and There Was an Old Woman (Soho Theatre). He has appeared regularly on “The Now Show,” “Sketchorama,” “Fresh from the Fringe,” and “Infinite Monkey Cage” (all BBC Radio 4), and “Live from TV Centre” (BBC TV/Battersea Arts Centre), among many others. His performance in Every Brilliant Thing was recorded at Barrow Street Theatre by World of Wonder and released as a special on HBO.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING features Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper who has dedicated his life to storytelling in character. Born into a family of performers, gathering to share music and art was an essential part of growing up. Ensconced in layered, deep and sometimes broad character work for most of his career. He has appeared Off-Broadway in Rothschild & Sons, Lonesome Traveler, and Julius Caesar. Regionally he has been seen in Sweeney Todd, Fiddler On The Roof (La Mirada), A Gentleman's Guide To Love and Murder, Harvey (Laguna) A Wicked Soul In Cherry Hill (Geffen), Waitress (Moonlight),The Tempest (Alabama Shakespeare), The Play That Goes Wrong, Sherlock Holmes' Last Adventure (Portland Stage) Once (Geva), Rounding Third (FST), House of Dreams (SDRep), Oliver!, Matilda (5Star) Sweeney Todd, Once, Shakespeare In Love (South Coast Rep) King Lear (Rubicon), Side Show (La Jolla), Of Mice And Men, Laughter on the 23rdFloor, Sherlock Holmes, Side By Side By Sondheim, and Words By (North Coast Rep). He's appeared on television in “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC) “Dying For Sex” (F/X) “Ghosts” (CBS) “The Connors” (ABC) “Fairly Oddparents” (Paramount+) “Danger Force” (nickelodeon) “Fuller House” (Netflix) “Superstore” (NBC) “Casual” (Hulu) and in the films: Let It Stay Here, Diamond Bar, Goodbye Canarsie, 0s & 1s and the upcoming Sin & Tonic. He can also be seen singing “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” among the snow-capped mountains in a Coors Light commercial. He has performed in concert at the historic Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara along with his fellow “Lonesome Travelers”. “The Lonesome Travelers in Concert” can be heard on all streaming platforms.

Our “brilliant” team of designers includes: Fred Kinney (Scenic, and Costume Design); Jared Sayeg (Lighting Design); Randy Tico (Sound Design); Casting by Michael Donovan Casting, Michael Donovan, CSA & Richie Ferris, CSA; Dramaturgy by Ward LeHardy. The Production Stage Manager is Kristal Georgopoulos.

Producers for EVERY BRILLIANT THING include Visionary Producers Dana White, Geof and Laura Wyatt; Executive Producers are the Zegar Family Foundation; Supporting Producers are Deborah and Peter Bertling, Anne and David Gersh, Deb and Ken Pontifex, Helene Segal and George Konstantinow, Sheila M. Stone.

EVERY BRILLIANT THING Will Come to the New Vic Theatre

Wed, 06 May 2026 05:16:20 PST

What makes life worth living? A child starts a list of every brilliant thing in the world, hoping to help their mother through depression. As the list grows - ice cream, the color yellow, the sound of laughter - the audience is invited on a heartwarming, interactive journey through life's highs and lows, discovering joy in the simplest things.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

OPERATION MINCEMEAT Reveals 2026-27 Tour Dates and Cities

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:12:44 PST

OPERATION MINCEMEAT has announced the full 2026/27 season dates for the North American leg of its world tour. The news comes as OPERATION MINCEMEAT celebrates its 500th performance on Broadway this Saturday, May 2, after hitting 2,000 performances worldwide - now playing simultaneously in the West End, on Broadway, and on tour across the UK. Following the North American leg, further stops on its international journey will include Australia, China, Mexico, and New Zealand.

Read the reviews for the Broadway run here.

Producer Jon Thoday for Avalon said, “Launching our third OPERATION MINCEMEAT production, the North American leg of the world tour, as the show reaches 500 performances on Broadway and passes 2,000 worldwide is incredibly exciting. With its continued international growth and an expanding fanbase, we look forward to welcoming new audiences across the continent.”

The North American leg of the Mincemeat World Tour will launch at the Providence Performance Arts Center (Providence, RI), on September 20, 2026, before crisscrossing North America this upcoming season, with stops including Chicago, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

Operation Mincemeat Tour Dates:

Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Center
September 20–26, 2026

Chicago, IL – CIBC Theatre
September 29–October 11, 2026

Boston, MA – Colonial Theatre
October 13–25, 2026

Toronto, ON – Theatre TBD
October–December 2026

Philadelphia, PA – Forrest Theatre
December 15–20, 2026

Columbus, OH – Ohio Theatre
January 5–10, 2027

Detroit, MI – Fisher Theatre
January 12–24, 2027

Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre
January 26–31, 2027

Eugene, OR – Hult Center
February 3–7, 2027

Seattle, WA – 5th Avenue Theatre
February 10–21, 2027

Tempe, AZ – ASU Gammage
February 23–28, 2027

Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theatre
March 2–7, 2027

San Francisco, CA – Orpheum Theatre
March 9–28, 2027

Los Angeles, CA – Pantages Theatre
March 30–April 18, 2027

San Diego, CA – Civic Center
April 20–25, 2027

Hartford, CT – Bushnell Center
May 4–9, 2027

Durham, NC – Durham Performing Arts Center
May 11–16, 2027

Greenville, SC – Peace Center
May 18–23, 2027

Fayetteville, AR – Walton Arts Center
May 25–30, 2027

Tampa, FL – Straz Center
June 1–6, 2027

Washington, DC – The National Theatre
June 8–20, 2027

Buffalo, NY – Shea’s Performing Arts Center
June 22–27, 2027

Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
July 6–11, 2027

Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
July 13–18, 2027

Fort Worth, TX – Bass Performance Hall
July 20–25, 2027

About Operation Mincemeat

In OPERATION MINCEMEAT: A NEW MUSICAL, it's 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they've got a trick up their sleeve. Well, not up their sleeve, per se, but rather inside the pocket of a stolen corpse. Equal parts farce, thriller, and Ian Fleming-style spy caper (with an assist from Mr. Fleming himself), OPERATION MINCEMEAT tells the wildly improbable and hilarious true story of the covert operation that turned the tide of WWII.

Written by triple Tony Award nominees SpitLip (comprised of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts), OPERATION MINCEMEAT began performances on Broadway on February 15, 2025, and continues to play at the historic Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street), where it has been extended eight times and will soon celebrate its 500th performance. The West End production, which has been playing at the Fortune Theatre since March 29, 2023, is widely recognized as one of the best-reviewed shows in West End history, holding the record for the most five-star reviews for a new musical, with a tally of 131. OPERATION MINCEMEAT has just launched its world tour, beginning with a UK leg before heading across the pond.

Olivier Award nominated Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky's Edge, National Theatre – Best New Musical Olivier Award winner) will reprise his work for the tour, while Olivier Award nominated Jenny Arnold (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) continues as Choreographer. The creative team will include Olivier nominated Set and Costume Designer Ben Stones (Standing at the Sky's Edge), Tony and Olivier winning Lighting Designer Mark Henderson (The History Boys), Tony nominated Sound Designer Mike Walker (Charlie & The Chocolate Factory), Tony nominated Orchestrator Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), and Olivier nominated Music Supervisor Joe Bunker (Spring Awakening). Georgie Staight is Associate Director and Paul Isaiah Isles is Associate Choreographer. Production Stage Management is by Geoff Maus, Casting is by Carrie Gardner, CSA, and General Management is by TT Partners.

OPERATION MINCEMEAT has been nominated for 64 awards since opening at the 77-seat New Diorama Theatre in 2019, winning 13, including Best Musical 3 times, from the Olivier Awards, WhatsOnStage Awards, and Off-West End Awards. On Broadway, the show was nominated for 4 Tony Awards in 2025, including Best Musical. The production won Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Jak Malone's portrayal of Hester Leggatt, who previously won the Olivier Award in the same category. The production has also received nominations for Outstanding Production of a Musical at the Drama League Awards, Outstanding New Broadway Musical at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, Best Musical at the BroadwayWorld Theater Fans' Choice Awards, and Favourite New Musical at the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards.

RAGTIME Will Launch National Tour in Fall 2027

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:00:22 PST

Lincoln Center Theater’s Broadway revival of Ragtime, directed by Kewsong Lee Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, announced today that it will launch a North American Tour in the fall of 2027. The tour will premiere at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre in Buffalo, New York, before continuing onto cities across the U.S. and Canada. Additional tour stops and casting will be announced at a later date.

Lincoln Center Theater’s limited engagement of Ragtime has been extended twice by popular demand with performances now through August 2, 2026. The production set a new box office record at the Vivian Beaumont Theater and was recently nominated foreight Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Lear deBessonet), as well as five Drama League Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Direction of a Musical (Lear deBessonet).

“Ragtime is one of the most ambitious musicals ever written, and it feels timelier than ever,” said producers Tom Kirdahy, Kevin Ryan, Robert Greenblatt, and Lamar Richardson in a statement. “What Lear deBessonet and this extraordinary company have created at Lincoln Center Theater is both epic in scale and deeply human. We couldn’t be more excited to share it with communities across North America.”

“It’s a real honor to kick off the North American Tour of Ragtime at Shea’s Buffalo Theatre,” said Buffalo presenter Al Nocciolino. “This is the kind of production people talk about long after the curtain comes down—remarkable in scale and deeply moving. We’re thrilled to welcome it to our stage and proud to share it with our community first.”

Lincoln Center Theater" width="356">

Featuring a Tony Award-winning score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, Tony Award-winning book by Terrence McNally, and Tony Award-winning orchestrations by William David Brohn, Ragtime weaves fictional narratives with real historical figures and events, creating a rich tapestry that blurs the line between personal struggle and national identity, making history feel both intimate and epic.

The creative team for Ragtime includes Ellenore Scott (choreography), David Korins (scenic design), Linda Cho (costume design), Adam Honoré & Donald Holder (lighting design), Kai Harada (sound design), 59 Studio (projection design), Tom Watson (hair & wig design), Ann James (sensitivity specialist), and The Telsey Office, Craig Burns, CSA (casting).

OH, MARY! Reveals Tour Dates and Cities For 2026-27

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 11:23:47 PST

The North American Tour of Oh, Mary! has announced the dates and cities for its 2026-27 season. The tour of the Tony Award and Olivier Award-winning comedy will tech and launch at The Bushnell in Hartford, Connecticut, with performances beginning September 19, 2026. Casting will be announced at a later date. Check out the full list of tour dates below~

Written by Tony Award and Olivier Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway on July 11, 2024, and continues to play at the Lyceum Theatre, where it became the first show in the theatre’s 121-year history to gross more than $1,000,000 in a single week. Oh, Mary! has since broken its own box office record twelve times and became the first show of the 2024-25 Broadway season to recoup its investment. Oh, Mary! opened to rave reviews in London’s West End on December 18, 2025.

Oh, Mary! is a dark comedy about a miserable, suffocated Mary Todd Lincoln in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Unrequited yearning, alcoholism, and suppressed desires abound in this one-act play that finally examines the forgotten life and dreams of Mrs. Lincoln through the lens of an idiot (playwright Cole Escola).

The full creative team for the Broadway production includes dots (Scenic Designer), Holly Pierson (Costume Designer), Cha See (Lighting Designer), Daniel Kluger (Sound Design and Original Music), Drew Levy (Sound Designer), Leah J. Loukas (Wig Designer), Addison Heeren (Props Supervision), and David Dabbon (Musical Arrangements). Casting by Henry Russell Bergstein, CSA.

Oh, Mary! is produced on Broadway by Kevin McCollum & Lucas McMahon and Mike Lavoie & Carlee Briglia with Bob Boyett, The Council, Jean Doumanian Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, Jay Marcus & George Strus, Irony Point, Richard Batchelder/Bradley Reynolds, Tyler Mount/Tommy Doyle, Nelson & Tao, Palomares & Rosenberg, and Showtown Productions.

Tour Dates

September 19–23, 2026
Hartford, CT — The Bushnell

September 29–October 4, 2026
San Diego, CA — San Diego Civic Theatre

October 6–11, 2026
Las Vegas, NV — The Smith Center

October 13–November 1, 2026
San Francisco, CA — Curran Theatre

November 3–8, 2026
Seattle, WA — The Paramount Theatre

November 10–December 6, 2026
Los Angeles, CA — Ahmanson Theatre

December 21, 2026–January 3, 2027
Boston, MA — Emerson Colonial Theatre

January 6–17, 2027
Saint Paul, MN — Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

January 19–February 7, 2027
Chicago, IL — CIBC Theatre

February 9–21, 2027
Washington, DC — The National Theatre

February 23–28, 2027
Detroit, MI — Fisher Theatre

March 9–14, 2027
Philadelphia, PA — Miller Theater

March 16–28, 2027
Charlotte, NC — Blumenthal Arts

March 30–April 4, 2027
Cleveland, OH — Connor Palace

April 6–11, 2027
Tampa, FL — Straz Center

April 27–May 9, 2027
Houston, TX — Hobby Center

May 11–16, 2027
West Palm Beach, FL — Kravis Center

Play Broadway Games Every Day in May and Win a Merch Prize Pack

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:30:20 PST

Broadway fans, your daily warm-up just got a whole lot more rewarding. BroadwayWorld is launching the May 2026 Games Challenge - a month-long streak competition open to fans across the U.S., with a $250 merch prize pack featuring merchandise from popular Broadway shows up for grabs.

The challenge runs all 31 days of May 2026 (Eastern Time), and all you need to enter is a free BroadwayWorld account.

How It Works

The rules are simple: play at least one BroadwayWorld game every day in May. That's it. Complete all 31 days and you'll earn one entry to win the prize pack. Tracking is automatic once you're logged in - your progress populates on the challenge page as you play, no manual check-ins required.

Any of these six games count toward your daily credit:

Make-Up Days: Because Life Happens

Miss a day? You're not out of the running. Play all six games in a single day and you'll earn a make-up credit, which automatically forgives your earliest missed day. You can bank up to three make-up credits over the course of the month - so a skipped Tuesday or a busy weekend doesn't have to end your streak. Credits are applied to your missed days in order, oldest first.

Ready to Start Your Streak?

The May 2026 BroadwayWorld Games Challenge runs May 1-31 (Eastern Time) and is open to U.S. residents only.

Click here to get started. Sign in with your free BroadwayWorld account and your tracking begins automatically - no registration beyond that required.

See full rules and regulations here.

BroadwayWorld.com Santa Barbara Stories

WAITRESS Will Embark on 10th Anniversary North American Tour This Fall

About Waitress

Tour Dates

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL Launches 25th Anniversary North American Tour

About the Show

25th Anniversary Tour

25th Anniversary Tour Dates

On Sale Now

Coming Soon

PCPA Announces Summer Season Featuring COME FROM AWAY, Disney's FROZEN And More

Come From Away

Luchadora!

Disney’s Frozen the Broadway Musical

Beehive the 60s Musical

ANYTHING GOES to Open The Theatre Group at SBCC's 26/27 Season at Garvin Theatre

ANYTHING GOES to Open The Theatre Group at SBCC's 26/27 Season at Garvin Theatre

Around The BroadwayWorld: Top News, Reviews, Interviews & More from May 2026

Editor's Picks: Top News Stories

Diane Paulus Will Direct Immersive David Bowie Inspired LIFE ON MARS at American Repertory Theater

Interviews

Interview: Adam Fields of BEETLEJUICE National Tour

Interview: Richard Kind Talks Finally Taking on Edna in The Muny's HAIRSPRAY

Reviews

Videos

Photos

COMPANY to Open at Ojai Art Center Theater This Summer

COMPANY to Open at Ojai Art Center Theater This Summer

Photos: Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper in EVERY BRILLIANT THING at Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara

LUCHADORA! to Open at PCPA's Marian Theatre in Santa Maria

LUCHADORA! to Open at PCPA's Marian Theatre in Santa Maria

BroadwayWorld Launches Producer Fantasy Game

How It Works

Weekly Scoring

The Fantasy Forecast

Managing Your Roster

Join the Game

A DRAG QUEEN CHRISTMAS to Return for 12th Year With 39-City National Tour

This year's cast includes:

A Drag Queen Christmas 2026 Tour Dates:

New World Symphony Extends Artistic Director Stéphane Denève's Contract

Contest: Win Tickets to THE MONSTERS at La Jolla Playhouse

SONIC LIVE IN CONCERT to Launch Global Tour With US and UK Premieres

New Plays And Musicals Wanted For 4th Annual Playwright's Festival

Colburn Orchestra to Make Ojai Festival Debut Under Esa-Pekka Salonen

Student Blog: Moments In The Woods

THE NOTEBOOK North American Tour Adds 26 Cities to 2026-27 Route

2026-2027 Tour Dates:

ANYTHING GOES, CLUE, ENCHANTED APRIL, and MRS. CHRISTIE Set for SBCC Theatre Group 81st Season

CLUE

ENCHANTED APRIL

MRS. CHRISTIE

Student Showcase

ANYTHING GOES, CLUE, ENCHANTED APRIL, and MRS. CHRISTIE Set for SBCC Theatre Group 81st Season

CLUE

ENCHANTED APRIL

MRS. CHRISTIE

Student Showcase

StageMag Launches Programmable PDF Editor for Digital Theater Programs

About StageMag

About BroadwayWorld

A Season Driven by Music as Broadway in Thousand Oaks Reveals 2026-27 Lineup

EVERY BRILLIANT THING Will Come to the New Vic Theatre

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

EVERY BRILLIANT THING Will Come to the New Vic Theatre

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

OPERATION MINCEMEAT Reveals 2026-27 Tour Dates and Cities

Operation Mincemeat Tour Dates:

About Operation Mincemeat

RAGTIME Will Launch National Tour in Fall 2027

OH, MARY! Reveals Tour Dates and Cities For 2026-27

Tour Dates

Play Broadway Games Every Day in May and Win a Merch Prize Pack