Alfred Lunt

Porchlight Music Theatre is launching the Cole Porter Festival - A Celebration of the Man and his Music this October. The festival includes a production of Anything Goes starring Meghan Murphy. Don't miss this incredible tribute to Cole Porter's career.

In this issue, we explore the efforts being made to sustain theater scenes in various cities, the evolution of Chicago's theater landscape, and the exciting announcement of a new Broadway musical adaptation. We also take a look at strategies to keep the curtain from falling on Seattle's theater scene.

Last week, I looked at support for independent producers. And there is more to be written about that—for example, the Creative & Independent Producer Alliance’s National New Work Development Network is likely to become even more important as we move forward. But this week is about World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide new work festival that ran from March 1 through June 30, 2023.

Kiss Me, Kate! is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack ,with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew and the conflict on and off-stage between Fred Graham, the show's director, producer, and star, and his leading lady, his ex-wife Lilli Vanessi.

Dr. Christopher Chan will host a free pre-show seminar Saturday, July 22 at 6:30 p.m., at Peninsula Players before the 8:00 p.m. performance of the Noël Coward's “Blithe Spirit.” 

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced prominent director Jerry Zaks will serve as Master Teacher for the 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, a national program to serve the future of American theater.

Walnut Street Theatre has announced that Demetria Joyce Bailey has been selected as one of 10 stage actors in the United States to be a 2023 Lunt-Fontanne Fellow.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance and East Lynne Theater Company (ELTC) present a staged reading of the classic romantic comedy THE GUARDSMAN AND THE ACTRESS by Ferenc Molnar, adapted by Mark Edward Lang.

Another classic from the 1940s is gracing the stage at Broadway at Music Circus.  This time, it’s Kiss Me, Kate, the musical-within-a-musical that cemented Cole Porter’s return to Broadway as a successful lyricist and composer.  It ended up being Porter’s longest-running Broadway show and won the very first Tony Award for Best Musical. 

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced renowned actor Tyne Daly will serve as the Master Teacher for the 2022 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, a national program to serve the future of American theater.

Washington DC's oldest continuously operating theatre, The National Theatre has added four distinguished new members to its Board of Directors. Joining the theatre's Board are private equity pioneer Daryn Dodson, longtime non-profit and arts leader Peter Jablow, innovative advertising and marketing executive Jean Komendera, and civic leader and two-term Washington DC Mayor, Anthony A. Williams.

For the first time since the lockdown, Mr. and Mrs. Karl are appearing locally, and they are bringing back a sure thing, their smash-hit show LEGALLY BOUND.

Howard University has announced the appointment of Phylicia Rashad as dean of the recently reestablished College of Fine Arts, effective July 1, 2021. In this role, she will report to Provost Anthony K. Wutoh. An alumna of Howard University, Rashad graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in fine arts.

We're looking into the history of each of these theatres, plus their namesakes Ethel Barrymore, Vivian Beaumont Allen, Lynn Fontanne, and Helen Hayes.

Un 30 de diciembre de 1948, el New Century Theatre subía el telón por primera vez para escenificar KISS ME, KATE. Este musical sobre la producción de la obra de Shakespeare THE TAMING OF THE SHEW estaba inspirado en las idas y venidas amorosas del matrimonio formado por  Alfred Lunt y Lynn Fontanne.

This week's Theater Stories features The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre! Learn about the iconic stage couple for whom the theater is named after, the multiple jukebox musicals that have made its home on the Lunt-Fontanne stage and more.

This week's Theater Stories features The Belasco Theater! Learn about the legendary theater-maker David Belasco, the history of the theater's Broadway plays, the apartment built above the theater and more!

The renaming of the theatre was dedicated to Stephen Sondheim, the greatest and best known artist in American musical theatre on his 80th birthday. 

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting has announced a special one-night reading of the fast-paced dramedy a?oeChurch & State,a?? a widely lauded play by Jason Odell Williams that seeks to explore the fraught dialogue about the nation's gun violence epidemic. The reading is a program of the Harold Clurman Lab Theater, the studio's professional wing which focuses on accessible world-class theater.

On the eve of her death, Anne Boleyn reflects on the journey that led her to become a queen, a mother, and, eventually, a woman condemned. A fascinating look at one of history's most famous marriages. Part of the 2nd Stages Series.