Bert Wood News

THE ASTORIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (APAC) has announced the New York premiere production of Gregory S. Moss's (punkplay, House of Gold) BILLY WITCH, choreographed by Wendy Seyb (The Pee Wee Herman Show, Yeast Nation), with original music by Nathan A. Roberts, musical direction by Brenna Sage and directed by Erik Pearson (Billy Witch, Studio 42). BILLY WITCH will play a limited engagement at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY. Entrance on 30th Road.) Performances begin tonight, November 1 and continue through Saturday, November 17. Opening Night is Saturday, November 3 (8 p.m.).

Cellist Maya Beiser and composer/pianist Michael Harrison's new album Time Loops will be released by Cantaloupe Music today, October 30, 2012.

Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with American Repertory Theater, presents the world premiere of Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Marie Antoinette will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) October 26 through November 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 1. The cast includes Fred Arsenault, Hannah Cabell, David Greenspan, Marin Ireland, Vin Knight, Jo Lampert, Polly Lee, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Silbermann, Teale Sperling, Brian Wiles, and Ashton Woerz.

Weddington Street Productions in association with Summerwind Productions proudly presents Christmas My Way - A Sinatra Holiday Bash! starring Luca Ellis, Jason Graae, Heather Lee and Beth Malone; directed by David Grapes with musical direction by Vince di Mura. The holiday celebration will be December 15 - December 31, 2012, at the historic El Portal Theatre Mainstage in the NOHO Arts District, North Hollywood, CA.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.), under the Artistic Direction of Diane Paulus has announced the complete cast for its February 2013 production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, to be directed by Tony Award-winning director John Tiffany. Multiple Tony and Emmy Award winner Cherry Jones returns to the A.R.T. to play Amanda Wingfield, and will be joined by Zachary Quinto as Tom, Celia Keenan-Bolger as Laura, and Brian J. Smith as the Gentleman Caller. The Tony Award-winning design team includes set and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sound by Clive Goodwin.

Cellist Maya Beiser will see the New York premiere of her new production, ELSEWHERE, a "CelloOpera," in four performances from tonight, October 17 through 20 at 7:30pm, during the 2012 BAM Next Wave Festival in the inaugural season of the Fishman Space, part of BAM's new Richard B. Fischer Building which opens in September 2012 at 321 Ashland Place in Brooklyn. ELSEWHERE is produced by Beth Morrison Projects.

Washington National Opera (WNO) will present the world premieres of three new 20-minute operas on Monday, November 19, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater: The Game of Hearts by composer Douglas Pew and librettist Dara Weinberg, Part of the Act by composer Liam Wade and librettist John Grimmett, and Charon by composer Scott Perkins and librettist Nat Cassidy. The three operas, each highlighting American culture and themes, are the first new works created under the auspices of the American Opera Initiative, WNO's new commissioning program.

Yale Repertory Theatre, in a co-production with American Repertory Theater, presents the world premiere of Marie Antoinette by David Adjmi, directed by Rebecca Taichman. Marie Antoinette will be performed at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street) October 26 through November 17. Opening Night is Thursday, November 1. The cast includes Fred Arsenault, Hannah Cabell, David Greenspan, Marin Ireland, Vin Knight, Jo Lampert, Polly Lee, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Silbermann, Teale Sperling, Brian Wiles, and Ashton Woerz.

THE ASTORIA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (APAC) has announced the New York premiere production of Gregory S. Moss's (punkplay, House of Gold) BILLY WITCH, choreographed by Wendy Seyb (The Pee Wee Herman Show, Yeast Nation), with original music by Nathan A. Roberts, musical direction by Brenna Sage and directed by Erik Pearson (Billy Witch, Studio 42). BILLY WITCH will play a limited engagement at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church (30-44 Crescent St, Astoria, NY. Entrance on 30th Road.) Performances begin Thursday, November 1 and continue through Saturday, November 17. Opening Night is Saturday, November 3 (8 p.m.).

ANNIE, the new production of the Tony Award-winning musical, went into rehearsal today in New York City with its full company. The production begins previews October 3, 2012 and opens November 8, 2012 at the Palace Theatre (Broadway at 47th Street). Meet the full cast below!

Tonight, September 29, David T. Little's long-awaited debut full-length opera, Dog Days, created in collaboration with librettist Royce Vavrek, and based on the eponymous short story by Judy Budnitz (1998), receives its world premiere, opening a run of five performances: Sep. 29, Oct. 6 at 8:00 PM; Sep. 30, Oct. 7 at 3:00 PM; Oct. 5 at 7:30 PM. The fully-staged production, directed by Robert Woodruff, premieres at Montclair State University's Alexander Kasser Theater in Montclair, NJ.

After three years in the making, David T. Little's "Dog Days" will receive its world premiere at Peak Performances' Alexander Kasser Theater, tonight, September 29-October 7.

Looking ahead to winter, David T. Little's evening-length multi-media music-theatre work, Soldier Songs (2006), receives its New York City premiere as part of BMP and HERE's inaugural PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now festival January 11-13 + 16-18, 2013, showcasing pioneering work by a new generation of opera-theatre and music-theatre composers. Created and composed by Little, Soldier Songs is based on recorded interviews with veterans of five wars, with a libretto adapted by the composer.

On Saturday, September 29, David T. Little's long-awaited debut full-length opera, Dog Days, created in collaboration with librettist Royce Vavrek, and based on the eponymous short story by Judy Budnitz (1998), receives its world premiere, opening a run of five performances: Sep. 29, Oct. 6 at 8:00 PM; Sep. 30, Oct. 7 at 3:00 PM; Oct. 5 at 7:30 PM. The fully-staged production, directed by Robert Woodruff, premieres at Montclair State University's Alexander Kasser Theater in Montclair, NJ. Watch a behind-the-scenes video with rehearsal footage and interviews with the Dog Days creative team below!

On Saturday, September 29, David T. Little's long-awaited debut full-length opera, Dog Days, created in collaboration with librettist Royce Vavrek, and based on the eponymous short story by Judy Budnitz (1998), receives its world premiere, opening a run of five performances: Sep. 29, Oct. 6 at 8:00 PM; Sep. 30, Oct. 7 at 3:00 PM; Oct. 5 at 7:30 PM. The fully-staged production, directed by Robert Woodruff, premieres at Montclair State University's Alexander Kasser Theater in Montclair, NJ.

After three years in the making, David T. Little's "Dog Days" will receive its world premiere at Peak Performances' Alexander Kasser Theater, September 29-October 7.

Celebrated stage veteran Candy Buckley completes the cast of this fall's highly anticipated new Broadway musical SCANDALOUS: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson.

"In here, life is beautiful," the Emcee deviously purrs to the audience at the start of CABARET, now playing at Austin's City Theatre Company. Though he is referring to Berlin's seedy Kit Kat Klub, the same can be said of The City Theatre. In here, life is many things: clever, engrossing, and always beautiful, even when the proceedings turn dark and sinister.

Cellist Maya Beiser will see the New York premiere of her new production, ELSEWHERE, a "CelloOpera," in four performances from October 17 through 20 at 7:30pm, during the 2012 BAM Next Wave Festival in the inaugural season of the Fishman Space, part of BAM's new Richard B. Fischer Building which opens in September 2012 at 321 Ashland Place in Brooklyn. ELSEWHERE is produced by Beth Morrison Projects.

Cellist Maya Beiser and composer/pianist Michael Harrison's new album Time Loops will be released by Cantaloupe Music on October 30, 2012.