Jenny Giering News

CHURCHILL, a new play adapted and performed by Ronald Keaton, will receive its Off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages, with performances beginning this Friday, February 6th following an acclaimed 2014 sellout world premiere engagement in Chicago. Under the direction of Kurt Johns, this limited engagement of CHURCHILL is based on the life and writings of one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th Century. The official opening night is set for Wednesday, February 18th.

UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) Drama Department will produce Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical PASSION with guest Director Kent Nicholson, this weekend, January 23 - 25, 2015. The play is an essential part of the Department's second themed season - LOVE, LUST AND GREED.

Kathy Evans, Founding Executive Director of Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, announced that applications are open for the fifth summer of retreats for musical theatre writers and are due February 23. Rhinebeck Writers Retreat will host 8 writing teams with 8 individual weeklong residencies in a private home in the countryside near Rhinebeck, New York. The retreats will take place between June 28 and August 30. Applications are due February 23 and the submission fee is $25.

CHURCHILL, a new play adapted and performed by Ronald Keaton, will have its Off-Broadway premiere at New World Stages, with performances beginning February 6th following an acclaimed 2014 sellout world premiere engagement in Chicago. Under the direction of Kurt Johns, CHURCHILL is based on the life and writings of one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. The official opening night is set for Wednesday, February 18th.

UC Irvine's Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) Drama Department will produce Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's musical PASSION with guest Director Kent Nicholson, January 23 - 25, 2015. The play is an essential part of the Department's second themed season - LOVE, LUST AND GREED.

Director Ethan McSweeny clearly knows his way around the play, and offers mature Washington audiences a visually rich, complex Tempest that has its share of magical moments, but which at its core is unvarnished by sentiment. And Geraint Wyn Davies gives us a Prospero who is a temperamental, gravelly, flesh-and-blood nobleman, more Hemingway than Santa Claus.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) continues its 2014-2015 mainstage season with one of William Shakespeare's late masterpieces,The Tempest. STC Affiliated Artist Ethan McSweeny, following his imaginative production of A Midsummer Night's Dream two seasons ago, applies his flair for visual panache to The Tempest, in which sprites, goddesses and fools hold court. The Tempest will play at the Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW) from December 2, 2014-January 11, 2015.

Julie Atherton and Paul Spicer have a long and varied history with new and contemporary musical theatre, both as individuals and as a pair. Together they co-founded Notes from New York, a concert series designed with the intention of introducing London to new musical theatre and making it cool, and celebrated its 5 year anniversary with a fully staged production of Jason Robert Brown's cult musical The Last 5 Years. They were also the original team behind Taking Notes, a summer course developed to share their skills with aspiring actors. This summer, they continue their mission to inspire a new generation of musical theatre performers with Onstage Acts, a week long enrichment programme in new and contemporary musical theatre featuring masterclasses with casting directors, agents, composers and directors, as well as performers currently working in the West End and beyond. Ahead of the course's launch on August 4th, Julie and Paul shared some of their favourite contemporary musical theatre moments from the careers which made them West End theatre's reigning experts on the subject.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, in conjunction with Christopher Page, CEO and Founder of Army Week Association, announced today a partnership between the two organizations for an upcoming concert reading of The Long Walk, a new opera with music by Jeremy Howard Beck and libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann.

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) announces nine awards granted from their National Fund for New Musicals, a major funding program to support NAMT member not-for-profit theatres in their collaborations with writers to create, develop and produce new musicals. Now in its sixth year, the Fund will provide grants totaling $35,500 to nine organizations across the country.

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater, in conjunction with Christopher Page, CEO and Founder of Army Week Association, announced today a partnership between the two organizations for an upcoming concert reading of The Long Walk, a new opera with music by Jeremy Howard Beck and libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann.

Pride Films and Plays has announced that an extra performance of the hit musical Songs From An Unmade Bed has been added for Sunday, April 27 at 3:00. The final performance is still scheduled for that same day at 7:30.

A team of nearly 100 stars from Broadway, film, television, and music will cast, write, compose, direct, rehearse, tech, and perform four original musicals - all in the obscenely short time between an evening meet-and-greet on Sunday, April 6 and show time on Monday, April 7 at 8pm. The 24 Hour Company ® is teaming with the Exchange, an off-Broadway theater company, to create the sixth-ever 24 Hour Musicals. The event benefits the Exchange's summer retreat, The Orchard Project, which kick-starts innovative new theatrical work from around the world.

Pride Films & Plays' next mainstage show is the Chicago premiere of Mark Campbell's musical revue Songs from an Unmade Bed, a love letter to gay men living in the city. Songs From An Unmade Bed is performed by Kevin Webb* and Jordan Phelps*, joined by understudies Jonas Davidow and Tommy Thurston on percussion, and is directed by Derek Van Barham*, under the music direction of Robert Ollis*. Scroll down for a look at the cast!

Aria Entertainment is delighted to announce final casting today for the second annual From Page To Stage Festival, a season of new musical theatre at the Landor Theatre from Monday 10 February toSunday 9 March 2014.

A total of 46 established and emerging writers, composers and lyricists will converge on the Goodspeed campus in East Haddam, CT this month to participate in the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing nearly 30 new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

Kathy Evans, Founding Executive Director of Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, announced that applications are open for the fourth summer of retreats for musical theatre writers. Rhinebeck Writers Retreat provides a writing team with a weeklong residency to work on their musical in a private home near Rhinebeck, New York. There will be eight one-week retreats offered between June 29 and August 31st. Applications are due February 15 and the submission fee is $20. The submitted musical can be at any stage of development, as long as it has not been published or licensed. All information, guidelines, and online application can be found at www.rhinebeckwriters.org.

Page To Stage is a season of new musical theatre dedicated to the showcasing of work in development to an audience, to garner feedback and create new opportunities for the artistes involved. Which will take place from 10th February until 9th March 2014 for a dedicated four-week period.

In this week's edition, we caught up with Price Waldman who is starring in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder- currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

Katy Lipson of Aria Entertainment and Robert McWhir of The Landor Theatre are delighted to announce the full programme of work for the second annual From Page To Stage Festival, a season of new musical theatre at the Landor Theatre from Monday 10 February to Sunday 9 March 2014.