John Alexander News

Premium network EPIX released an official trailer and three additional first look photos for the highly anticipated new series, Belgravia. Premiering on EPIX in 2020, Belgravia is a story of secrets and scandals amongst the upper echelon of London society in the 19th century. When the Trenchards accept an invitation to the now legendary ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond on the fateful eve of the Battle of Waterloo, it sets in motion a series of events that will have consequences for decades to come as secrets unravel behind the porticoed doors of London's grandest neighborhoods.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announces the details of its 2019-20 season. Under the theme of 'Music and Nature,' the 2019-20 season features repertoire, collaborations, and a curricular sequence that connects to nature's presence in music from multiple stylistic periods.

 Theatrical Outfit (TO) held its annual fundraising gala, 'Our Luckie Stars,' on Saturday, April 27th at its home, The Balzer Theater at Herren's on Luckie Street in the heart of downtown Atlanta. The event honored long-time TO patrons Doug and Florida Ellis and featured silent and live auctions, wonderful food, and exciting entertainment from familiar TO artists. The evening was a celebration of the theatre's mission to provide world-class conversation-starting theatre to inspire a compassionate, joyful, and just community. The gala raised over $123,000, breaking its fundraising goal and surpassing last year's success.

The 36th season of the Verdi Chorus continues with the Walter Fox Singers in Love is Timeless for one night only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on May 4, at 7:30pm.  Led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum, the Walter Fox Singers comprise the professional ensemble of the Verdi Chorus, which is the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus. This program, devoted to the timeless nature of love in all of its intricacies, will feature best loved arias, duets and emsembles from the world of opera, as well as favorite songs from the canon of mid-century American musical theater

The Gershwins' Real Magic, a new musical created by NYC arts education nonprofit Inside Broadway(Executive Director, Michael Presser) and developed with The Estate of George & Ira Gershwin andTams-Witmark, a Concord Theatricals Company, will get 2 special performances on Monday, April 15 at10:30am and 12:30pm at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, Bruno Walter Auditorium.Created to introduce a new generation to the beloved music of George & Ira Gershwin, this exciting new production began a New York City-wide school tour in January and will have played 90 performances over 10 weeks at over 50 New York City Public Schools. Since its creation in 1982, Inside Broadway has impacted the lives of over 1 million New York City public school students with its one-of-a-kind theatre arts and education programs that enrich, educate and foster new generations of theatergoers.

Filming has commenced on Belgravia, a Julian Fellowes-penned six-part limited series for ITV and EPIX from Carnival Films, the makers of Downton Abbey.

This Spring marks the start of the 36th season of the Verdi Chorus, who will present their Spring Concert, L'Amore e la Vita (Love and Life) for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 6 and 7. Led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum, the Verdi Chorus is the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus. This program, which Ketchum humorously calls the Rom-Com of opera, will feature selections from two Verdi operas I vespri siciliani and Ernani, three Donizetti operas - Don Pasquale, La fille du r giment and L'elisir d'amore, as well as operatic sequences from Bizet's Les p cheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), Delibes' Lakm , and Puccini's La rondine.

During the auction lot for ROCKETMAN: an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John, Alexander Gilkes welcomed to the stage actor Taron Egerton, star of the upcoming motion picture film. Following a short preview of the trailer and a round of bidding on a trip to the London premiere of the film, the audience was taken by surprise when Gilkes asked Taron to sing one of Elton John's songs. Only agreeing to the performance if Elton played the piano, guests were brought to their feet as they watched Elton John take his position on the keys while Taron belted out the lyrics to one of his most beloved ballads, "Tiny Dancer."

This Spring marks the start of the 36th season of the Verdi Chorus, who will present their Spring Concert, L'Amore e la Vita (Love and Life) for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 6 and 7. Led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum, the Verdi Chorus is the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus. This program, which Ketchum humorously calls the Rom-Com of opera, will feature selections from two Verdi operas I vespri siciliani and Ernani, three Donizetti operas - Don Pasquale, La fille du r giment and L'elisir d'amore, as well as operatic sequences from Bizet's Les p cheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers), Delibes' Lakm , and Puccini's La rondine.

Today in The Bronx at P.S. 72X, leading NYC arts education nonprofit Inside Broadway (Executive Director, Michael Presser) begins its city-wide school tour of The Gershwins' Real Magic, a new musical they developed with The Estate of George & Ira Gershwin and Tams-Witmark, a Concord Theatricals Company Music Library. The tour will play 90 performances over 10 weeks at over 50 New York City Public Schools in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan. Since 1982, Inside Broadway has impacted the lives of over 1 million New York City public school students with its one-of-a-kind theatre arts and education programs that enrich, educate and foster new generations of theatergoers.

Embarking on its 36th Season, The Verdi Chorus (Anne Marie Ketchum, Founding Artistic Director), announced today that auditions will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica for The Verdi Chorus Spring 2019 Concert.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts presents Rob and Friends - A Little Night Music, an evening of songs from Broadway and film musicals featuring Pacific Chorale Artistic Director Rob Istad, eight Pacific Chorale singers and an instrumental ensemble in three performances November 8-10, 2018 at 7:30pm. Rob and Friends - A Little Night Music follows last season's triumphant performances of 100 Years of Bernstein.

The Verdi Chorus 35th anniversary season culminates with its Fall 2018 concert Passione! Opera! for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 10 and 11 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, this program, which marks the end of a landmark year for the company, will feature selections from three Verdi operas - Aida, Don Carlo, and the famed chorus "Va, pensiero," from Nabucco, as well as operatic sequences from Boito's Mefistofele, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Catalani's La Wally and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.

The Verdi Chorus 35th anniversary season culminates with its Fall 2018 concert Passione! Opera! for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on November 10 and 11 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum.   As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, this program, which marks the end of a landmark year for the company, will feature selections from three Verdi operas - Aida, Don Carlo, and the famed chorus 'Va, pensiero,' from Nabucco, as well as operatic sequences from Boito's Mefistofele, Saint-Saens' Samson and Delilah, Catalani's La Wally and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann.

Currently in its tenth summer season, New York Euripides Summer Festival presents Suppliants in three outdoor stages and one indoor stage from the 2nd through the 10th of August. All performances are free of charge to the general public including students and children. In this unusually structured tragedy from ca. 421 BCE, the wives and children of killed soldiers go to Eleusis, near Athens, to seek justice for their dead and help from the monarch of Athens to pressure Thebes to surrender the corpses to their families so that they can be given a  proper burial.

Doghouse Ensemble Theatre presents a developmental reading of the new play THANK YOU FOR YOUR HOME by John Alexander Hatcher. April 15 at 3pm and 7:30pm. Directed by Ashlyn Frank

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director | Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced the cast for the next REVELATION READING, Thomas Middleton's The Second Maiden's Tragedy, directed by Craig Baldwin: Zainab Jah, Dion Johnstone, Robert Joy, Christopher Michael McFarland, Dion Mucciacito, Denis O'Hare, Bhavesh Patel, Reynaldo Piniella, John-Alexander Sakelos, Lee Sellars, Miriam Silverman, and Sam Tsoutsouvas.  This will take place on Monday April 16th at 7:30 PM at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).  

The Verdi Chorus celebrates its 35th anniversary with its Spring 2018 concert The Force of Destiny for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 28 and 29 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, their program will feature selections from three Verdi operas - La forza del destino, Nabucco, including the famed chorus "Va, pensiero," the opening party scene of La traviata, and conclude with beloved melodies from Strauss' Die Fledermaus.

Ally Theatre Company opens their Second Season with the World Premiere of Rabbit Summer by Tracey Conyer Lee, presented January 12-28 2018 at Joe's Movement Emporium as part of the Women's Voices Theatre Festival.

Pacific Chorale, the resident choir of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, will be presenting its popular holiday concerts in December.