Christina Ham News

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Dear Readers, when seeing the west coast premiere of Christina Ham's "Nina Simone: Four Women", currently at the Seattle Rep, if you're expecting a light, jukebox musical about the works of Nina Simone then you may be disappointed and you probably don't know much about Nina Simone in the first place as you couldn't really call her style "light". But what you are in for is a searing look at how Simone branched out from American Songbook covers to her own distinct style of songs that spurred the civil rights movement.

Seattle Rep today announced the complete casting for its highly anticipated west coast premiere production of Christina Ham's Nina Simone: Four Women, a celebration of the life and journey of one of America's most iconic singers and civil rights activists. When 'The High Priestess of Soul' Nina Simone heard about the tragic bombing deaths of four young girls in an Alabama church in 1963, the songstress turned to her music as a means of expressing the country's agony. In Nina Simone: Four Women, Ham uses Simone's 'Four Women' as the framework to explore Simone's shift from artist to artist-activist through storytelling, debate, and music, immersing audiences in the complex harmony of protest. Nina Simone: Four Women is directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton and runs April 26 - June 2, 2019 (opening night is May 1) on the Bagley Wright stage. Single tickets are on sale now (starting at $17) and are available through the Seattle Rep Box Office at 206.443.2222 or online at SeattleRep.org.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for the world premiere of Tazewell Thompson's inspirational a cappella music infused play, Jubilee. Inspired by the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, this uplifting new work chronicles the bold African American ensemble as they travel the world, captivating kings, queens and audiences with hymns and spiritual songs supported by their rich voices. Written and directed by Thompson with vocal arrangements and music direction by Dianne Adams McDowell, Jubilee runs April 26 - June 2, 2019 in the Kreeger Theater.

A number of families packed the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre Friday for the world premiere of 'The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963.'

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces that Alicia Grace (the Kennedy Center's She A Gem) will step into the role of Joetta "Joey" Watson. She replaces the previously announced Hailey Kilgore, who is departing the production due to an unanticipated scheduling conflict.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) today announced the 2019-20 Season, which features seven plays by women, a world premiere historical drama, two East Coast premieres, and three provocative plays with music, according to Artistic Director Sean Daniels and Executive Director Bonnie J. Butkas.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces complete casting for The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. This world premiere Kennedy Center commission is adapted by Christina Ham from Christopher Paul Curtis's Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning book.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, will present the 2019 Theatre Women Awards at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012) on Monday, March 25 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm). For more information on the 2019 TheatreWomen Awards, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theatrewomen.org.

People's Light presents Nina Simone: Four Women, a new music-filled play featuring hits like 'Sinnerman,' 'I Loves You Porgy,' and 'To Be Young, Gifted, and Black' performed by an all-star female cast. The play opens on legendary songstress Nina Simone in the moment she learns of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the event that shifted her career from nightclub singer to Civil Rights activist. Nina Simone: Four Women makes its regional premiere on the Leonard C. Haas Stage from February 27 through March 31. Tickets range from $30-$50. To purchase, call 610.644.3500 or visit www.peopleslight.org. People's Light is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355.  

'NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN' showcases the life and music of songstress Nina Simone and the testimonies of three different women, after the 1963 bombing of the 16th Baptist Church, in Birmingham, Alabama. It depicts the women diverse struggles that unite them together, at a time of civil unrest and racial disparity.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, will present the 2019 Theatre Women Awards at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (18 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012) on Monday, March 25 at 7pm (doors open at 6:30pm). For more information on the 2019 Theatre Women Awards, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.theatrewomen.org. 

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2018-19 season with Nina Simone: Four Women, written by Christina Ham and directed by Kenneth L. Roberson.Nina Simone: Four Women runs January 24 - March 2, 2019 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is scheduled for Friday, February 1, 2019 at 8pm.

New year, new Kilroys! For the past five years The Kilroys, an LA-based collective of playwrights/producers continuing the fight to achieve gender balance in the American theater, have been advocating for equal representation on our American stages, and have released an annual list of under-produced plays by women, trans, and non-binary writers. Despite some measurable progress, we still have a long way to go before we strike that balance. So, as we approach 2019, we are beyond thrilled to introduce a fresh new gang of fearless badass leaders. These women will seize our reins and continue the fight for equality, creating random acts of disruption along the way, while the OG Kilroys will serve as an advisory board supporting the current class. 

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2018-19 season with Nina Simone: Four Women, written by Christina Ham and directed by Kenneth L. Roberson. Nina Simone: Four Women runs January 24 - March 2, 2019 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is scheduled for Friday, February 1, 2019 at 8pm.

Following the success of its world premiere commission at Park Square Theatre in 2016, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN went on to a second production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top regional theatres last year.

Following the success of its world premiere commission at Park Square Theatre in 2016, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN went on to a second production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top regional theatres last year.

American Theatre magazine, published by Theatre Communications Group (TCG), has just released its annual lists of the Top 10 Most-Produced Plays and Top 20 Most-Produced Playwrights for the new season.

Following the success of its world premiere commission at Park Square Theatre in 2016, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN went on to a second production at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's top regional theatres last year.

Artistic Director Rick Dildine and Executive Director Todd Schmidt have announced their inaugural New Festival Season at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, which features 14 extraordinary productions, with a full six weeks of spring repertory along with unexpected theatrical experiences in found spaces.