Brian Yorkey News

The Pulitzer and Tony award winning musical, Next To Normal, by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitts, is a force to be reckoned with. For its Long Island premier, now playing through June 23rd, Jeffrey Sanzel's incarnation of this dark, rock musical at Theatre Three provides the audience with an honest and heartbreaking glimpse into a family dealing with many varied emotions.

Barksdale Theatre and Theatre IV announce that the two nonprofit theaters will formally merge effective July 1, 2012 under a new name - Virginia Repertory Theatre (Virginia Rep). With a budget exceeding $5 million, four distinct venues, and an annual audience over 550,000, Virginia Rep will become the largest professional theater and one of the largest performing arts organizations in Central Virginia along with the Richmond Ballet, Richmond Symphony, and the Virginia Opera. Barksdale and Theatre IV celebrated the announcement and the unveiling of the new Virginia Rep sign today, May 20, at the November Theatre (formerly the Empire Theatre) at 114 West Broad Street at 4:00 p.m. after the closing of Seussical, thelast mainstage children's production under the Theatre IV name. Virginia Rep will transition into the new organization between now and July 1.

Mad Cow Theatre today announced the cast for Next to Normal, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey.

Boiler Room Theatre debuts its most eagerly anticipated production of the 2012 season next week with Next To Normal, the groundbreaking 2009 Tony Award-winning musical, starring Nashville stage favorite Megan Murphy Chambers as Diana, a suburban wife and mother who contends with her worsening bipolar disorder while her family struggles to take care of one another.

Following an acclaimed season which included the world premiere of Paul Weitz's Lonely, I'm Not and a critically lauded second staging of Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winner, How I Learned To Drive, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has just announced two of the four mainstage productions in the company's upcoming 34th season. For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com. All productions are staged at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre, 305 West 43rd Street (just west of Eighth Avenue).

The Stages Repertory Theatre brings NEXT TO NORMAL and the Goodman household to Houston audiences this summer for a limited engagement. The rock musical plays the theater's main stage from tonight, May 16 to June 24. No further casting or creative details have been announced, but BroadwayWorld will keep you informed as the Goodman family takes shape.

In a correlative column to this weekend's extensive and exclusive InDepth InterView, tonight we are shining a special solo spotlight on the vast multitude of talents possessed by one of Broadway's brightest stars - known best to theatre fans for his tremendous turns in Maury Yeston's TITANIC, Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY, the original musicals SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, SHREK and NEXT TO NORMAL as well as original dramas such as TIME STANDS STILL - who now can now regularly be seen on NBC's hit music drama series SMASH, and, starting this Sunday in a three-episode arc on Showtime's THE BIG C with fellow Broadway notable Tammy Blanchard - the one and only Brian D'arcy James. While you will have to wait until tomorrow for the career-spanning conversation that covers his experiences working on those thrilling original musicals as well as reflections on collaborating with the starry array of cast members and creatives on the Steven Spielberg-produced SMASH and what lays ahead for Season Two, now is an absolutely ideal opportunuity to reacclimatize ourselves. Just what can't Brian d'Arcy James do? As this spell-binding collection of clips prove - everything; and then some.

Mad Cow Theatre today announced the cast for Next to Normal, the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey.

Deadline.com reports that GLEE and 'American Horror Story' co-executive producer Brad Buecker will direct Lionsgate's upcoming musical TIME AFTER TIME. Steve Golin, Joy Gorman and Matt Weaver will produce the film.

The Arkansas Repertory Theatre brings NEXT TO NORMAL and the Goodman household to Little Rock audiences this summer for a limited engagement. The rock musical will play from tonight, May 1st through the 27th.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director and Casey Reitz, Executive Director) has been chosen as one of the 40 finalists in this year's Partners in Preservation program, which awards up to $250,000 to the cultural institutions that receive the most votes from its supporters. If selected, Second Stage Theatre will use the grant money to restore the facade of the company's future home, the 100-year old Helen Hayes Theatre on Broadway. The finalists were presented by celebrity guest Katharine McPhee of NBC's hit "Smash" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Thursday, April 26. Second Stage at the Helen Hayes Theatre is the only Broadway theatre selected as a finalist.

The BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop announces its Spring Smoker, a semi-annual showcase for new songs from Workshop writers. The event will be held in the 30th Floor Media Room of BMI's New York office at 7 World Trade Center/250 Greenwich Street tonight, April 26, at 5:30PM and is open to members of the entertainment industry as well as Workshop members. Reservations are a must: Ssantana@bmi.com or 212 220-3177. Running time is 70 minutes.

The BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop announces its Spring Smoker, a semi-annual showcase for new songs from Workshop writers. The event will be held in the 30th Floor Media Room of BMI's New York office at 7 World Trade Center/250 Greenwich Street on Thursday, April 26, at 5:30PM and is open to members of the entertainment industry as well as Workshop members. Reservations are a must: Ssantana@bmi.com or 212 220-3177. Running time is 70 minutes.

Next to Normal had its Canadian premiere last summer when the 1st National Tour came through Toronto with Tony Award Winner Alice Ripley reprising the role of Diana. Now, the show is getting its own all Canadian production in Winnipeg as the Manitoba Theatre Centre takes on the story. BWW is thrilled to be able to bring its readers this first look at the Canadian cast.

TheatreSquared announced today the TheatreSquared Season 7, the 2012/13 lineup. The four-play season includes the Olivier Award-winning comedy NOISES OFF by Michael Frayn, PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT, a comedy by Tennessee Williams, Stephen Karam's SONS OF THE PROPHET, and the 2010 Pulitzer- and three-time Tony Award-winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL.

Opening Theatre In The Park's season in September is the Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning musical Next to Normal. With what's being described as 'a thrilling contemporary score by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Next to Normal is an emotional powerhouse of a musical about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. Making its Triangle debut, this emotionally charged contemporary classic is not to be missed.'

Red Branch Theatre Company is the first organization in Columbia to premiere NEXT TO NORMAL. The show runs on select dates from April 6th through April 22nd at Drama Learning Center in Columbia.