Duke University News

Casting is set for Studio Theatre's production of Pipeline, playwright Dominique Morisseau's searing drama about the school-to-prison pipeline and a mother desperately trying to keep her son from becoming ensnared in it. The production runs January 15-February 16, 2020 and is directed by Awoye Timpo. Starring are DC theatre favorite Justin Weaks (Studio's Curve of Departure) as high school student Omari and Andrea Harris Smith making her Studio debut as his mother, public school teacher Nya. In its recent People Issue, Washington City Paper's called Weaks a 'standout,' going on to say: 'D.C. theater audiences love Justin Weaks. ...Weaks came to D.C. for a job about four years ago, not expecting to stay. But he kept getting cast in shows, and lucky for local theatergoers, he's still here.'

Soka Performing Arts Center presents internationally-acclaimed pianist Murray Perahia in a solo piano recital on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 8pm. Program: TBD. With his performances described as revelatory, Perahia has remained a consistent and dominating presence in the classical world for over four decades, procuring his place amongst the greats with meticulous technique and scrupulous musicianship. The virtuoso pianist is widely known for his affinity for the Classical and early Romantic repertoire, including Mozart and Bach.

The Actors Fund, the national human services organization for everyone in performing arts and entertainment, will hold its Annual Gala on Monday, April 6, 2020. The evening will celebrate Tony Award-winning actor Matthew Broderick and Emmy Award-winning actor, producer and designer Sarah Jessica Parker; Tony Award-winning actor and Chairman of The Actors Fund Brian Stokes Mitchell; Academy Award-winning producer, co-owner of the New York Football Giants, and philanthropist Steve Tisch; and American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) President Richard L. Trumka as they receive The Actors Fund's Medal of Honor.

Criteria just announced their first new album in nearly a decade and a half, aptly titled Years. The new album will be released on January 17, 2020 via 15 Passenger, a label owned and operated by singer, Stephen Pedersen's old bandmates in Cursive. Yesterday they premiered explosive anthemic lead single “Agitate Resuscitate” as well as a comical short film featuring a dual over the album's release between singer Stephen Pedersen and Tim Kasher of Cursive via Brooklyn Vegan. The song's syncopated post-hardcore groove and shout along lyrics set the perfect tone for the rest of the record melding their hallmark anthemic sound with new hints of prog, post-punk and just a touch of metal.  

The Iraqi maqam (modal system), one of Iraq's richest cultural offerings, features sophisticated melodies, infectious rhythms, and eloquent poetry. Hamid Al-Saadi, Iraq's foremost exponent of this centuries-old tradition, is renowned for his powerful voice and highly ornamented style, as well as his comprehensive knowledge of the intricate details of the music and poetry of Iraq. Al-Saadi is the only person from his generation to have memorized and mastered all 56 maqamat from the Baghdad repertoire, and is one of the few vocalists to keep this maqam alive today. He is joined by Safaafir, the only US-based ensemble dedicated to performing the Iraqi maqam in it traditional format. The group is led by the acclaimed Amir ElSaffar (santur-zither) and Dena El Saffar (joza-bowed stringed instrument, violin) of Iraqi descent, and features Tim Moore on percussion.

Each season An die Musik (oboe, string trio, and piano), co-founded in 1976 by pianist Constance Emmerich, returns to an enthusiastic and overflowing crowd at Merkin Hall to perform with imagination, brilliance, and warmth. This year's only New York concert takes place on Sunday afternoon, November 10, 2019, 4 pm at Merkin Concert Hall, Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY. The artists performing this fall with An die Musik will be Mark Peskanov, violin; Nicholas Mann, viola; Robert Ingliss, oboe; Thomas Demenga, cello; and Constance Emmerich, piano.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a?? the american vicarious proudly presents the World Premiere of (A)loft Modulation by NYC-based playwright Jaymes Jorsling. Inspired by true events at 821 6th Avenue from 1957 - 1965,  (A)loft Modulation will feature a live jazz band led by saxophonist Jonathan Beshay that will improvise nightly. Opening Night is tonight, Thursday October 3rd. This limited Off-Broadway engagement runs through Sunday, October 27th.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a?? the american vicarious proudly presents the World Premiere of (A)loft Modulation by NYC-based playwright Jaymes Jorsling. Inspired by true events at 821 6th Avenue from 1957 - 1965,  (A)loft Modulation will feature a live jazz band led by saxophonist Jonathan Beshay that will improvise nightly. Previews begin tonight, Thursday September 26th, with Opening Night set for Thursday, October 3rd. This limited Off-Broadway engagement runs through Sunday, October 27th.

The Board of Directors of the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts elected Jeffrey A. Stoops Board Chairman for the 2019-2020 season during its recent annual meeting.

The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association elected Thomas L. Beckmen to succeed Jay Rasulo as Chair of the Board at its annual meeting today. The appointment is effective as of October 1.

The Portland Civic Theatre Guild is delighted to announce that Recent Unsettling Events by Portland playwright Andrea Stolowitz is the Portland Civic Theatre Guild's New Play Award Selection for 2020 Fertile Ground: A City Wide Festival of New Works.

Ford Theatres presents the premiere of Hassan Hajjaj: My Rockstars Experimental Live, a musical art installation, for one performance only, Friday, October 11 at 8:00 pm at the Ford Theatres. The show is presented with UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance.

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??the american vicarious proudly presents the World Premiere of (A)loft Modulation by NYC-based playwright Jaymes Jorsling. Inspired by true events at 821 6th Avenue from 1957 - 1965,  (A)loft Modulation will feature a live jazz band led by saxophonist Jonathan Beshay that will improvise nightly. Previews begin Thursday September 26th with Opening Night set for Thursday, October 3rd. This limited Off-Broadway engagement runs through Sunday, October 27th.

Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019, joined with international partner Sing for Hope to bring joy and healing to Duke University Children's Hospital in the form of a special Sing for Hope Piano by Noël Copeland. Though Nia was crowned Miss America in September 2018, this story is many years in the making.

As THE IMBIBLE: A SPIRITED HISTORY OF DRINKING enters its sixth smash year as one of the 100 longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time with over 1,000 performances, its producers have announced the return for the fifth season of THE IMBIBLE: CHRISTMAS CAROL COCKTAILS!   

a??a??a??a??a??a??a??The Association for Theatre in Higher Education named Randy Reinholz (Choctaw), the recipient of their most prestigious honor, named for Ellen Stewart, well-known Artistic Director of the acclaimed La MaMa Theater in New York. Reinholz, a celebrated leader in the field of theater and higher education, has been at the forefront of equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice for 25 years as the Founder and Producing Artistic Director of Native Voices at the Autry, the only Equity theater company wholly dedicated to developing and producing Native American plays.

En Garde Arts presents Amy Brenneman's THRESHOLD, an autobiographical theater piece that tells the story of how Brenneman became a true ally to her daughter, Charlotte, who has a rare chromosomal abnormality.

Chester Theatre Company (CTC) presents Martín Zimmerman's On the Exhale July 25-August 4. First preview is July 25 at 2:00pm, and the opening is July 25 at 8:00pm. Written in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, the play takes a unique look at the issues surrounding guns and gun violence in America. The production stars CTC Associate Artistic Director and Berkshire native Tara Franklin.

Magic Theatre (Loretta Greco, Artistic Director and Kevin Nelson, General Manager) announced today the complete cast and creative team for Magic Arts & Community's Premiere Tenderloin Community Performance of Barbara Hammond's Visible From Four States. 

STEEPLECHASE, a new dark comedy by Chris Nelson with direction by Maridee Slater begins as part of New York Theater Festival's Summerfest at Hudson Guild Theater (441 West 26th Street) on Monday August 19th with subsequent performances on August 23rd and 25th. The cast includes Valerie Redd*, James O'Hagan-Murphy*, Amy Laird Webb, Rob McDermott, Joel Reyer, Schuyler Van Amson, Tyra Hardy, Cristina Lucas* and Allison Pappas. *(Member of Actors Equity). Costume design is by Corina Chase. Lighting and set design are by John Salutz.