Bill Barnes News

The Old Globe's GLOBE FOR ALL returns to bring free professional Shakespeare directly to diverse, multigenerational audiences in underserved communities around San Diego County. This second year of GLOBE FOR ALL follows a highly successful inaugural production in 2014. One of the Bard's most charming comedies, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, will be directed by renowned Shakespearean Rob Melrose, Artistic Director of San Francisco's Cutting Ball Theater, who makes his Globe debut. He directs a cast of local professional actors, including recent graduates of the Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program.

DANCENOWNYC continues its 20th anniversary celebration with the 2015 DANCENOW Joe's Pub Festival. Acclaimed for its adventurous short-takes format, the annual DANCENOW Festival presents a wide variety of work from some of today's most exciting choreographers. Continuing its focus on New York-based artists across generations, the 2015 Festival will feature short works by 50 emerging and established dance makers, all of whom DANCENOW has presented over the last twenty years.

Berkeley Rep has announced the full company for its 2015-16 season opener Amelie, A New Musical, starring award-winning actress Samantha Barks.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents World Stages in the 2015-2016 season. With a long history of presenting original global works, the Kennedy Center's International Programming brings leading companies and artists from the U.S. and abroad to present six cutting-edge works of theater, music, dance, and more as part of this season's World Stages.

Artistic Director Alex Kilgore hosted a launch party and first annual silent auction to benefit Accabonac House yesterday, July 21, 2015 at Ashawagh Hall (780 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY). The silent auction featured art by Gibby Haynes, Jim Tozzi, and Dan Witz, with music by Invisible Familiars, and a special performance of Happy Hour by Monica Bill Barnes Company. Scroll down for photos from the event!

Artistic Director Alex Kilgore announced today that a launch party and first annual silent auction to benefit Accabonac House will be held today, July 21, 2015 at Ashawagh Hall (780 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY).

As the capacity audience was settling in on opening night of Groundworks Dance Theatre's summer concert in Cain Park's Alma Theatre, there was a loud electronic sound stage right. As the eyes shifted in its direction, a lawn mower was pushed on stage. This was followed by a series of other sounds and actions of everyday occurrences including playing golf, sunbathing, and living in suburbia.

Artistic Director Alex Kilgore announced today that a launch party and first annual silent auction to benefit Accabonac House will be held Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at Ashawagh Hall (780 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton, NY).

The complete cast and creative team have been announced for The Comedy of Errors as The Old Globe's 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival continues the Globe's 80th Anniversary festivities as part of the Balboa Park Centennial Celebration.

The Old Globe presents William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night, directed by Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, as part of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement runs through July 26, 2015, with opening night tonight, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

DANCENOWNYC continues its twentieth anniversary celebration with the 2015 DANCENOW Joe's Pub Festival. Acclaimed for its adventurous short-takes format, the annual DANCENOW Festival presents a wide variety of work from some of today's most exciting choreographers. Continuing its focus on New York-based artists across generations, the 2015 Festival will feature short works by 50 emerging and established dance makers, all of whom DANCENOW has presented over the last twenty years. The Festival will take place at Joe's Pub, Wednesday-Saturday, September 9-12, at 7pm, with an encore performance featuring a dozen producer picks on Thursday, September 24, at 7pm. 

This month, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival presents Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host, a special pre-Festival performance starring Ira Glass, the host and executive producer of the famed public radio program This American Life. 'The Tina Fey of dance' (Sarah Kaufman, The Washington Post) Monica Bill Barnes and fellow dancer and collaborator Anna Bass perform with Glass, bringing the unlikely art forms of talk radio and dance together for a production that is 'unapologetically human and refreshingly relatable' (Brian Schaefer, The New York Times). This limited engagement will be presented in the Ted Shawn Theatre for two performances only, tonight, June 13 at 8pm and tomorrow, June 14 at 2pm.

Artistic Director Alex Kilgore announced today that Pulitzer Prize Winning Playwright Annie Baker was awarded the first residency of Accabonac House, a year-round interdisciplinary artists retreat dedicated to the memory of Lisa de Kooning, who grew up in the house, located in the heart of Historic Spring/East Hampton. Her father, the Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning, traded a painting in 1961 for the property, which served as his first studio in Springs as well as a home for his only child, Lisa and her mother the illustrator, Joan Ward.

Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking attendance of Festival 2014, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival opens its 2015 season in June.

May 26, 2015 - (Becket, MA) Following the critical acclaim and record-breaking attendance of Festival 2014, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival opens its 2015 season in June. Highlights of Festival 2015 include Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host, a special dance and radio stage production starring Ira Glass, host of This American Life; the return of Nederlands Dans Theater 2; the world premiere of American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Daniil Simkin's INTENSIO; Cuban contemporary ensemble Malpaso Dance Company, performing with GRAMMY Award-winning pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble; and the launch of Martha Graham Dance Company's 90th Anniversary, including a world premiere by eminent choreographer Mats Ek. 

SPACE on Ryder Farm, a nonprofit artist residency program announces its 5th season. Housed on Ryder Farm in picturesque Brewster, NY, SPACE will host over 150 artists as they develop 75 projects.

The complete cast and creative team have been announced for The Old Globe production of William Shakespeare's delightful and romantic Twelfth Night. Rebecca Taichman, whose production of the time-traveling Time and the Conways fascinated audiences last April, is back to direct the first show of the 2015 Summer Shakespeare Festival. The Old Globe engagement will begin performances on June 21 and run through July 26, 2015, with opening night on Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m., in the Lowell Davies Festival Theatre.

More than 400 alumni, donors and supporters gathered at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall last week for the 2015 NYU Tisch School of the Arts Gala, honoring Michael C. Hall, Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman, with a special tribute to Mel Silverman. The evening was a celebration of the dreams of NYU Tisch students, both past and present, and featured performances by current students and alumni of NYU Tisch and the cast of A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder. The event was hosted by Anna Deavere Smithand included presenters Peter Krause, Winnie Holzman and Tyne Daly. Also in attendance were Ewan McGregor,Lauren Graham and Morgan Macgregor. Over $1.1 millionwas raised to support the education of talented young artists from around the world.

DANCENOWNYC kicks off its 20th anniversary season with the world premiere of NEWYORKnewyork@AstorPlace, a new dance-theater work by Obie and Bessie Award-winning choreographer Mark Dendy. Performances will take place today-Friday, May 6-8 at 7pm, and Saturday, May 9 at 7pm and 9pm, at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.