Al Cooper News

For the third year, five talented Long Island music students will receive a unique opportunity to study and perform this summer at Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. The program was developed by Usdan Center in 2011 and supported with a charitable grant from Bethpage Federal Credit Union. The Usdan Center/Bethpage Scholars in the Arts program gives accomplished students who otherwise couldn't attend Usdan, the opportunity to study at the country's largest not-for-profit summer arts day camp. The students were chosen for their fine musicianship and for their achievements as outstanding representatives of their communities.

Political economist Gar Alperovitz will speak about his new book, What Then Must We Do?: Straight Talk About the Next American Revolution, at the Commonwealth Club today, May 31 at 12pm.

Political economist Gar Alperovitz will speak about his new book, What Then Must We Do?: Straight Talk About the Next American Revolution, at the Commonwealth Club Friday, May 31 at 12pm.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. will welcome GRAMMY award winning recording artist Maroon 5 as the headliner for the 2013 Honda Civic Tour. The band will headline the 12th year of the popular concert series during the second leg of their current 2013 tour. In addition to Maroon 5, the Civic Tour will include global superstar Kelly Clarkson and the support acts of PJ Morton, Rozzi Crane and Tony Lucca on select dates.

Stanley, 25-year-old wunderkind lawyer, has a bewildering new client: a bright young man from the suburbs who's confessed to a senseless murder. As Stanley is drawn deeper into his troubled client's life, everything he believes about his place in the world is thrown into doubt. And his own life - enviable, seemingly perfect - starts to fracture.

KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, and official sponsor of PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson and Stacy Lewis, No. 1 ranked American player on the LPGA Tour, announced today that it will donate 5,000 new books to local schools for each tournament victory the golfers achieve this season. As part of KPMG's Family for Literacy initiative, the firm will select local schools in the city in which the golfers win to receive the new books for children in need.

JustFilms, the Ford Foundation's social justice film fund, is providing major support to eight independent films selected for competition and premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, the world's leading showcase for independent filmmaking.

Coral: Rekindling Venus, a video installation created by Australian artist Lynette Wallworth that immerses viewers in the stunning underwater realm of fluorescent coral reefs and exotic sea creatures, returns by popular demand to the American Museum of Natural History on January 22-24 in collaboration with the Sundance Film Festival. As part of this limited engagement, Walworth will participate in a Q&A via Skype from Park City, Utah after the evening screening on Wednesday, January 23. Coral: Rekindling Venus is a selection of the Sundance Film Festival's New Frontier program, which showcases films, media installations, multimedia performances, and panel discussions that explore the convergence of film, art, new media technology, and storytelling.

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, presents a family treat for the holidays, the Tony Award-winning musical BIG RIVER. Helmed by TheatreWorks Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, BIG RIVER plays November 28-December 30, 2012 (press opening December 1) at TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.

TheatreWorks presents a family treat for the holidays, the Tony Award-winning musical BIG RIVER. Mark Twain's story The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn comes alive in this enchanting musical adaptation. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below.

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, presents a family treat for the holidays, the Tony Award-winning musical BIG RIVER. Helmed by TheatreWorks Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, BIG RIVER plays tonight, November 28-December 30, 2012 (press opening December 1) at TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.

TheatreWorks presents a family treat for the holidays, the Tony Award-winning musical BIG RIVER. Mark Twain's story The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn comes alive in this enchanting musical adaptation. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the show below.

TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, presents a family treat for the holidays, the Tony Award-winning musical BIG RIVER. Helmed by TheatreWorks Founding Artistic Director Robert Kelley, BIG RIVER plays November 28-December 30, 2012 (press opening December 1) at TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.

Theater people from throughout Tennessee gathered at Belmont University's Bill and Carole Troutt Theatre on Sunday night for the 2013 First Night Honors to pay tribute to a group of eight remarkable people who have made indelible marks on the theater scene throughout their storied careers. Hosted by Holly Shepherd and Joel Diggs, the gala evening honored the eight leading lights of Tennessee theater as they were recognized as members of the First Night Class of 2013 Honorees.

Dressed to the nines-despite forecasts of thunderstorms and a tornado watch that hung over the region-theater people from throughout Tennessee gathered at Belmont University's Bill and Carole Troutt Theatre on Sunday night for the 2013 First Night Honors. Hosted by Holly Shepherd and Joel Diggs, the gala evening honored eight leading lights of Tennessee theater as they were recognized as members of the First Night Class of 2013 Honorees.

In fact, director Kate Adams and musical director Ginger Newman have crafted Nashville's own lovely and, I daresay, star-studded version of the musical which simply proves once again that Into the Woods is one of the most enchanting, most entertaining and most moving examples of contemporary musical theater at its best

A440 Arts Group welcomes Duo Sonidos (Adam Levin, guitar and William Knuth, violin) to its growing roster of composers, classical musicians, and ensembles for management and publicity in North America. A440 will also represent Adam Levin as a soloist.

The John W. Engeman Theater just announced the new sponsors for the 2012-2013 Season, North Shore LIJ Health System and Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Kevin J. O'Neill, Managing Director of the John W. Engeman Theater, Michael J. Dowling, president and chief executive officer of the North Shore-LIJ Health System and Kirk Kordeleski, CEO of Bethpage Federal Credit Union, held a press conference on Tuesday, July 3 to announce their new partnerships for the 2012-2013 Season. North Shore LIJ Health System is the official sponsor of the John W. Engeman Theater Main Stage for a three years and Bethpage Federal Credit Union is the sponsor for all Youth Programming for the next five years.

What better way to kick off Sunday-and to celebrate Father's Day!-than with the latest installment of Music City Confidential! Here's where you'll find all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating live theater industry. Amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit anywhere else, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…

Just when you thought it was safe to go to the theater once again, we welcome you to the debut installment of Music City Confidential, all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating (okay, so we obviously don't have enough to occupy ourselves) live theater industry (we're trying that out-does it work? Let us know, theaterati!) Here amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit elsewhere, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…