John Kelly News

Since Trump announced his executive order banning refugees and creating a de-facto religious test for immigrants on Friday, signatures on George Takei's petition have skyrocketed. As of this afternoon, more than 233,000 people have signed the petition.

Radio 3 controller Alan Davey will be announcing that the BBC Concert Orchestra has appointed Dobrinka Tabakova as its new composer in residence, succeeding Guy Barker, who has been the associate composer for four years.

Actor and activist George Takei has started a Care2 petition to gather support for the Muslim community and allow signers to speak out against Trump policies that would target them.

Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Avenue, kicks off its 2017 Season with the world premiere ofMona Mansour's play Unseen. Ensemble member Maureen Payne-Hahner directs a cast featuring ensemble members Brittany Burch (Mia) and Alexandra Main (Jane) with guest artist Ashley Agbay (Derya). Unseen runs from February 10 - April 9, 2017.

The Bryn Mawr College Performing Arts Series presents two different lineups of innovative theater makers, choreographers and musicians for the second installment of its WINTRY MIX/PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL, a curated sampler of new works of performing arts. Emerging and established regional artists and performers known for their artistic daring will show their latest creations at the Hepburn Teaching Theater stage in Goodhart Hall, Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28 at 8:00 p.m.

About Face Theatre launches 2016-17 Season with a reimagining of Doug Wright's I AM MY OWN WIFE, the Tony, Pulitzer Prize and Lambda Literary Award-winning play first developed at AFT back in 2003. Traditionally staged as a one-person play performed by a male actor, Artistic Director Andrew Volkoff's new exploration will feature transgender actress Delia Kropp with three additional actors. I AM MY OWN WIFE will play now through December 10, 2016 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The legendary story of King Arthur will return to 11 German and 1 Swiss arenas in December 2016 for ALL NEW rock opera!

Many New York City companies have toured to the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival (IDGTF) in the last decade, and now a new play by the festival's founder is coming to NYC.

About Face Theatre is pleased to launch its 2016-17 Season with a reimagining of Doug Wright's I AM MY OWN WIFE, the Tony, Pulitzer Prize and Lambda Literary Award-winning play first developed at AFT back in 2003. Traditionally staged as a one-person play performed by a male actor, Artistic Director Andrew Volkoff's new exploration will feature transgender actress Delia Kropp with three additional actors. I AM MY OWN WIFE will play November 4 - December 10, 2016 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at aboutfacetheatre.com, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at Theater Wit Box Office. The press opening is Thursday, November 10 at 7:30 pm.

Carol Lipnik - the spellbinding, wistfully-humorous singer and songwriter called an "ethereal vocal phenomenon" by The New York Times -  continues her current Fall Sunday Night Residency at Pangea through Sunday, December 18 at 7:00 PM.

About Face Theatre will launch its 2016-17 Season with a reimagining of Doug Wright's I AM MY OWN WIFE, the Tony, Pulitzer Prize and Lambda Literary Award-winning play first developed at AFT back in 2003.

TOSOS presents the US premiere of Brian Merriman's Critically Acclaimed Play Eirebrushed: The untold story of the Irish Rebellion's gay heroes November 15 - 19 at Downtown Art. 

Atari! Pong! Space Invaders! The New Colony will conclude its 2016 Season with the world premiere comedy MERGE, a fast-paced, heartfelt and uproarious journey inside the burgeoning 1970s video game industry. Written by Spenser Davis and directed by Co-Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood, MERGE will play October 8 - November 13, 2016 at The New Colony's resident home, The Den Theatre's Upstairs Main Stage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets go on sale Monday, August 22 at www.thenewcolony.org.  

Platform 2016: Lost & Found, the eleventh and most ambitious edition to date, will examine the impact of AIDS on generations of artists.

Atari! Pong! Space Invaders! The New Colony concludes its 2016 Season with the world premiere comedy MERGE, a fast-paced, heartfelt and uproarious journey inside the burgeoning 1970s video game industry. Written by Spenser Davis and directed by Co-Artistic Director Andrew Hobgood, MERGE plays now through November 13, 2016 at The New Colony's resident home, The Den Theatre's Upstairs Main Stage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. The press opening is tonight, October 11 at 7:30 pm, and BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

It helps us drive our cars, use our cell phones and socialize online, but artificial intelligence is beginning to make a big difference in cancer, too. And that may be just the beginning, as Charlie Rose reports on the next edition of 60 MINUTES, Sunday, Oct. 9 (7:30PM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.

Since their inception in 2009, the Platform series, Danspace Project's signature curatorial initiative, has 'given dance presentation a makeover.' (The New York Times). Conceived by Danspace Project Executive Director and Chief Curator Judy Hussie-Taylor as exhibitions that unfold over time, Platforms are multi-week series of performances and events, organized by guest curators, that act as deep inquiries into artistic practice and concerns. Ten Platforms have been held to date, each accompanied by a print catalogue.

The Gift Theatre, Chicago's most intimate and pioneering Equity ensemble theatre, presents the world premiere of Melissa Ross' haunting and heartfelt mystery A Life Extra Ordinary. Ensemble member John Gawlik directs a cast featuring ensemble members Cyd Blakewell (Annabel), John Kelly Connolly (Bill), Paul D'Addario(Tom), Darci Nalepa (Polly), Lynda Newton (Grace), Jay Worthington (Jeff), and making his Gift Theatre debut, Rudy Galvan (Sam). A Life Extra Ordinary opens Today, October 6 at The Gift Theatre, 4802 N. Milwaukee Avenue. Press performance is onMonday, October 3 at 7:30PM.

About Face Theatre is pleased to launch its 2016-17 Season with a reimagining of Doug Wright's I AM MY OWN WIFE, the Tony, Pulitzer Prize and Lambda Literary Award-winning play first developed at AFT back in 2003. Traditionally staged as a one-person play performed by a male actor, Artistic Director Andrew Volkoff's new exploration will feature transgender actress Delia Kropp with three additional actors.

CAROL LIPNIK - the spellbinding, wistfully-humorous singer and songwriter called an "ethereal vocal phenomenon" by The New York Times - will introduce a new show to launch her Fall Sunday Night Residency at Pangea. "Goddess of Imperfection," which brings her unprecedented engagement at the club into its second year, will open on Sunday, September 18 at 7:00 PM to run through Sunday, December 18. The dreamlike new evening pays tribute to the broken, uncertain state of the world with a set of new original songs and specially-selected covers that reach above the chaos and reflect back on our tangled, beast-ridden planet. The performance artist and storyteller David Cale will be her special guest on September 18.