Jonathan Larson News

Trout Lake, Washington. Running Deer Musical Theater Lab is hosting a series of week long new musical development labs this summer. Participating writers include Brian Yorkey, Nick Blaemire, Matthew Gardiner, Michael Kooman, Christopher Dimond, Tim Symons, Melanie Burgess, Bobby Cronin and Wade Dooley.

Bay Street Theatre is pleased to announce that Scott Schwartz, a leading voice of the next generation of American theater, has joined Bay Street as its new Artistic Director. His tenure at Bay Street will inaugurate a new vision for the theater beginning with the 2014 season, to ensure an exciting and sustainable future for our cultural community. Schwartz is an internationally acclaimed artist whose work has been seen on and off Broadway, across the United States, in Great Britain, and Asia. Over the past twenty years, he has built a reputation for pursuing and embracing a wide range of works for the stage, from new plays to classics to musicals and opera.

It's one of my favorite weekends of the year. The weekend I get to spend three days listening to exciting new works as presented by some of the best performers Seattle has to offer. And this year Village Theatre did not disappoint as they invited members, performers, staff and press to partake of their Village Originals 13th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Some good, some maybe not so, some needing a little more work than others but all showing a deep love for the art and presented by some of the best voices in town. Now, I can't review them as they're still works in progress but I can tell you about the shows presented over the weekend and let you know about the one show that while still in development is still running one more weekend and can have tickets purchased to by non-members (that would be you, Dear Readers).

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and TriStan Wilson Managing Director, presents William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Julianne Boyd, running through August 25 at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Check out phtoos from the opening night party below!

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd Artistic Director and Tristan Wilson Managing Director, presents William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Julianne Boyd, running through August 25 at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield. Check out phtoos from inside the big opening below!

When Jonathan Larson's RENT moved from the New York Theatre Workshop, its Off-Broadway home, to the long dark Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996, a swarm of hype surrounded it. The rock musical had already won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and would become the biggest surprise of the 1995-96 Broadway theatre season. Its Broadway run gained glowing reviews from the press and prestigious awards, such as the Tony Award for Best Musical. RENT quickly became the musical to see. It appealed to the MTV generation as well, bringing in scores of youths who had never fallen for the art form before. The show was the OKLAHOMA, SOUTH PACIFIC, and CAROUSEL for a whole new generation of theatergoers. RENT found more success in multiple National Tours and international productions. The material was adapted into a mildly successful musical film in 2005, which starred many members of the original Broadway cast. Eventually, it became harder and harder for the show to fill the 1,173 seats at the Nederlander Theater. RENT closed on September 7, 2008 after a 12-year run of 5,123 performances.

Tickets have now been released for individual sale for Tick, tick... BOOM! The rock musical is an autobiographical tale of a young composer on the brink of turning 30 and falling into oblivion. Three actors portray ten characters through fourteen songs to take the audience on the playwright/composer's journey that ignited an interest in Jonathan Larson's work and ultimately led to Broadway sensation, RENT. Larson originally began performing the piece as a solo work in 1990. Following his death in 1996, playwright David Auburn revised the work and adapted it for three actors. It opened Off-Broadway in 2001.

The Palace Theatre announces its 2013 - 2014 Citizens Bank Performing Arts Series with a season packed with Broadway favorites, an encore of an original Palace Theatre Production, Christmas favorites, and a debut original musical production. The season kicks off September 12th with a special preview performance of RENT and runs through June 21, 2014.

Last March, the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, caused a big stir among its nearly 20,000 subscribers by revealing a blockbuster line-up for its 2013-14 Broadway Subscription Series: IN THE HEIGHTS (September 11-October 6, 2013); MISS SAIGON (October 30-November 24, 2013); 42ND STREET (January 15-February 9, 2014); and RENT (March 12-April 6, 2014).

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Alice Bemand Executive Director and John Simpkins Artistic Director, is proud to present the new musical Next Thing You Know, in TriArts newly converted 99-seat Stage 2 performance space in the Bok Gallery (49 Amenia Road, Sharon) from August 8 through 11.

City Circle Acting Company will present the musical sensation RENT this weekend, August 2-4 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.

Could this cast get any more exciting??? Anthony Rapp has just been announced as joining the cast of If/Then, the new musical by the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creative team behind Next To Normal, Tom Kitt (music), Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics), and Michael Greif (director). Mr. Rapp joins the previously announced Tony Award-Winners Idina Menzel and LaChanze in the world premiere musical. If/Then will play Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street) in spring 2014, beginning preview performances on Tuesday, March 4, and officially opening on Thursday, March 27, 2014.

RENT opens Friday, August 2 at 7:30 pm at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Presented by City Circle Acting Company of Coralville, RENT will be performed August 2 and 3 at 7:30 pm and August 4 at 2 pm.

Primary Stages, in association with Ted Snowdon, launches their 29th season with the New York premiere of Harbor at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters. Written by Tony-nominated Chad Beguelin (Elf, The Wedding Singer) and directed by Tony-nominated director Mark Lamos (Seascape, The Rivals, The Deep Blue Sea), the production features Erin Cummings (Starz's 'Spartacus: Blood and Sand', ABC's 'Pan Am,' CBS' 'Made In Jersey'), Randy Harrison (Showtime's 'Queer As Folk', Broadway's Wicked), Alexis Molnar (world premiere of Harbor at Westport Playhouse), and Paul Anthony Stewart (Broadway's Fiddler on the Roof, The People in the Picture). The show is currently in previews, and opening night is August 6. Harbor runs through September 8. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and TriStan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the BSC Musical Theatre Lab (William Finn Artistic Producer) world premiere production of Southern Comfort, a new musical with book and lyrics by Dan Collins and music by Julianne Wick Davis, directed by Thomas Caruso (Associate Director of Broadway's Matilda). Check out a first look at the cast in action below!

Goodspeed Musicals prsents LMNOP, an edgy new musical about an island whose citizens begin to lose their freedoms one letter at a time. The musical will run from tonight, July 25 to August 18 at The Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, Conn. ­- Goodspeed's home for developing fresh, innovative, and original new musicals.

The award-winning Vital Theatre Company is pleased to announce FANCY NANCY THE MUSICAL, book and lyrics by Susan DiLallo, music and lyrics by Danny Abosch, and Direction/Choreography by Sam Viverito, based on the book series by Jane O'Conner and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, returns to the McGinn/Cazale Theatre on Saturday, September 14th.