Frank Rich News

Taking a page out of its sister network FOX's playbook for Glee and New Girl, FX will offer viewers a Special Preview Episode of its hit comedy series Wilfred for viewing across multiple platforms over a two-week period beginning today, June 14 in advance of the series' official season two premiere launch on Thursday, June 28.

Over 350 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm tonight, June 11 at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC). This year has been Open Doors' biggest year ever with a total of 23 mentors and 7 guest mentors working with 22 groups of students from New York City high schools.

Taking a page out of its sister network FOX's playbook for Glee and New Girl, FX will offer viewers a Special Preview Episode of its hit comedy series Wilfred for viewing across multiple platforms over a two-week period beginning on Thursday, June 14 in advance of the series' official season two premiere launch on Thursday, June 28.

USA Network, the leading network in Social TV, is transporting ROYAL PAINS fans into a never-before-seen digital world where they can become part of the summer Hamptons fun through engaging, exclusive video content and second screen interaction. USA and partner Toyota will give fans original video content, exclusive access to show talent and the chance to win the Summer on the Set Sweepstakes. Using the new Viggle app, which rewards viewers for watching their favorite shows, fans can dive into never-before-seen videos with seamless social sharing capabilities starting with the season premiere tonight, June 6, 9/8c.

Over 350 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm on Monday, June 11 at The Pershing Square Signature Center - Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC). This year has been Open Doors' biggest year ever with a total of 23 mentors and 7 guest mentors working with 22 groups of students from New York City high schools.

Today we are kicking off the 2012 InDepth InterView Tony Awards Series with the director/choreographer of the hottest hit of the 2011-2012 theatrical season, NEWSIES, that was recently awarded with a boatload of Tony Award nominations, in addition to a short-running show that has a very vocal group of advocates and supporters that also received a handful of Tony noms, BONNIE & CLYDE - the passionate and visionary Jeff Calhoun. Discussing all aspects of his mega-hit with Disney's NEWSIES and his success d'estime with Frank Wildhorn's BONNIE & CLYDE, as well as all about his years spent developing both, Calhoun illustrates his process and sheds some light on many aspects of the creation of the wildly different vehicles, as well as his opinions on the theatrical environment of today. Additionally, Calhoun outlines his experiences working with NEWIES and BONNIE & CLYDE breakout stars Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes - both Tony nominees - as well as his many years spent as an associate choreographer for legendary Tony-winning master director Tommy Tune creating many remarkable musicals such as GRAND HOTEL and THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES. Plus, Calhoun conveys his infectious enthusiasm for his craft and discusses what drives him to create while also sharing his humbled appreciation for the recognition of both his new musicals this season by the Tony Award committee and reflecting on his vast multitude of experiences in the theatre so far in his career - everything from starring in SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS and MY ONE & ONLY on Broadway to choreographing THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES and BUSKER ALLEY with Tommy Tune and transitioning into directing/choreographing with the hit revivals of GREASE, BIG RIVER, PIPPIN, ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (with Graciele Daniele), BELLS ARE RINGING, as well as GREY GARDENS and the rest. All of that and much, much more in this career-spanning conversation with one of Broadway's best!

The runaway British hit CALL THE MIDWIFE, a new drama that depicts midwifery in 1950s London, kicks off the PBS 2012 fall season with a six-part Sunday-night run that begins September 30. A production of BBC Worldwide and Neal Street Productions, MIDWIFE further strengthens PBS' hold on quality Sunday night programs and launches a fall full of drama - both fictional and real - anchored by Ken Burns's new documentary THE DUST BOWL, PBS ELECTION 2012 coverage of the presidential campaign including FRONTLINE's award-winning 'The Choice,' and the season two return of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC 'Upstairs Downstairs.'Sundays continue to be a source of captivating drama for PBS, while strong Wednesday 'Exploration' nights feature new episodes of the science series NATURE, NOVA and an updated NOVA scienceNOW, hosted for the first time by tech guru and New York Times reporter David Pogue. Monday nights open with a series of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW specials that lead into the first fall season of MARKET WARRIORS. The award-winning film series INDEPENDENT LENS moves to Mondays at 10 p.m. beginning October 29, creating a new space for independent film that will also be the home for POV's 2013 season. Friday night PBS ARTS programs include the four-part series VOCES, which highlights Latino and Hispanic arts, and AMERICAN MASTERS 'Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance.'

New Haarlem Arts Theatre (NHAT), the professional theater company of City College of New York (CCNY), will open its second season June 14 to July 8 with 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' by August Wilson, directed by Eugene Nesmith and starring Johnnie Mae as Ma.

Geva Theatre Center's 2011-2012 Wilson Mainstage Season concludes with Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musical Company, which begins performances tonight, May 9 and runs in the Elaine P. Wilson Mainstage through June 10.

Two River Theater Company today announced the lineup of productions for its 2012-13 Season.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company hosts an evening of conversation tonight, May 7, between two exceptional students of American theater: renowned journalist and former New York Times drama critic Frank Rich and Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. Inspired by Steppenwolf's season theme, "Dispatches from the Homefront," their onstage discussion offers a unique perspective on culture and world events. Following the conversation, the audience has the opportunity to ask questions of Rich and Lavey.

Texas Performing Arts continues a legacy of presenting world-class performances to the University of Texas at Austin and Central Texas audiences with the unveiling of its most ambitious and diverse season to date. The 2012-2013 season highlights talent from around the world in an eclectic mix of music, theatre, dance, and conversation.

HBO has renewed the comedy series 'Girls' and 'Veep' for second seasons, to include 10 episodes each.

Geva Theatre Center's 2011-2012 Wilson Mainstage Season concludes with Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's musical Company, which begins performances on May 9 and runs in the Elaine P. Wilson Mainstage through June 10.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company hosts an evening of conversation on Monday, May 7 between two exceptional students of American theater: renowned journalist and former New York Times drama critic Frank Rich and Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey. Inspired by Steppenwolf's season theme, "Dispatches from the Homefront," their onstage discussion offers a unique perspective on culture and world events. Following the conversation, the audience has the opportunity to ask questions of Rich and Lavey.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Emmy(R) winner for 'Seinfeld' and 'The New Adventures of Old Christine') stars as Selina Meyer in VEEP, the story of a woman who becomes vice president, only to discover the job is nothing like she expected, but everything she was warned about. Created by Armando Iannucci (Oscar(R) nominee for co-writing 'In the Loop'), the new comedy series kicks off its eight-episode season SUNDAY, APRIL 22 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Sondheim is the winner of an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards, including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award. Described by Frank Rich of the New York Times as 'the greatest, and perhaps best-known artist working in musical theatre', his most famous scores include (as composer/lyricist) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins. He also wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy. Lloyd Webber has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. He has also gained a number of honours, including a knighthood in 1992, followed by a peerage from the British Government for services to Music, seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, fourteen Ivor Novello Awards, seven Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. Several of his songs, notably 'The Music of the Night', 'I Don't Know How to Love Him', 'Don't Cry for Me, Argentina' and 'You Must Love Me', 'Any Dream Will Do' and 'Memory' have been widely recorded and were hits outside of their parent musicals.