Ken Howard News

The Atlanta Opera opens its 2013-2014 season with a production of Giacomo Puccini's dramatic tour de force, Tosca. Tosca will be presented on October 5, 8, 11 and 13 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and will be directed by new General and Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun, who joined the Opera on June 1. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The Met: Live in HD, the Metropolitan Opera's award-winning series of live transmissions to movie theaters, will feature 10 productions in the 2013-14 season, offering a significant portion of the Met season to opera lovers around the world.

Delegates to the inaugural SAG-AFTRA National Convention on Saturday unanimously approved an historic resolution recognizing and supporting the union's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members.

The inaugural SAG-AFTRA National Convention concluded today with inspiring speeches from the union's top officers, which focused on the convention's theme: United for Our Future. The day capped a four-day convention bringing together member delegates from across the country to celebrate union solidarity and conduct business.

Day three of the SAG-AFTRA National Convention featured a keynote speech by Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez., who thanked the leadership for their work during an exciting time for the union.

On Friday, the second day of SAG-AFTRA's National Convention mixed business with educational opportunities for delegates.

Soprano Susanna Phillips, a star of New York's Metropolitan and Chicago's Lyric Opera stages, will headline a concert at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, in Anderson Chapel at North Park University, 5149 N. Spaulding Ave., Chicago, to benefit the spring 2014 Bach Week Festival in Evanston and Chicago.

Screen Gems and Miramax are in production in Los Angeles on The Comedy 'The Wedding Ringer' starring Kevin Hart, Josh Gad and Kaley Cuoco.

SAG-AFTRA today announced the results of elections for its top two elected positions. Members have re-elected Ken Howard and Amy Aquino to lead the union. Howard will serve as the first elected national president of SAG-AFTRA and Aquino as its first elected secretary-treasurer. Both previously served the Screen Actors Guild for two consecutive terms prior to merger, and each served respectively as co-president and co-secretary-treasurer of SAG-AFTRA following the merger in 2012. Their two-year terms begin today.

Variety reports that Esai Morales, Loretta Devine and Salli Richardson will be starring in Gary Wheeler's indie High School drama TEACHERS, written by Rhonda Baraka. The film follows a community that comes together to save a high school.

Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in a new production of Wagner's final masterpiece Parsifal, staged by acclaimed French Canadian director François Girard in his Met debut, on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, July 28 at 12 noon on PBS (check local listings). (In New York, THIRTEEN will air the opera in two parts: Friday, August 16 at 9 p.m. and Friday, August 23 at 9 p.m.). We have a first look below!

Groundbreaking actor, singer, dancer, author and educator Rita Moreno has been named the 50th recipient of SAG-AFTRA's highest tribute - the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.

San Jose Rep presents its sassy and sentimental summer hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore. The cast features Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island), Zuzanna Szadkowski ('Gossip Girl'), Tony-nominated Dee Hoty (Mamma Mia and TV's 'Smash'), Sandra Tsing Loh (off-Broadway Aliens in America and NPR's 'The Loh Down on Science') and Ashley Austin Morris ('Ugly Betty' and 'The Electric Company').

National president and national secretary-treasurer positions are up for election, both of which carry two-year terms. All national board seats are up for election this year, along with all local officer, local board, and convention delegate positions.

THE MET: LIVE IN HD's Summer Encores series will broadcast Rossini's ARMIDA today, July 10 at 7 p.m. (find local theaters here). The production features Renée Fleming as the mystical sorceress in a spectacular production by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman. Hosted by Deborah Voigt. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the production!

San Jose Rep announced today the cast for its sassy and sentimental summer hit Love, Loss, and What I Wore: Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island), Zuzanna Szadkowski ('Gossip Girl'), Tony-nominated Dee Hoty (Mamma Mia and TV's 'Smash'), Sandra Tsing Loh (off-Broadway Aliens in America and NPR's 'The Loh Down on Science') and Ashley Austin Morris ('Ugly Betty' and 'The Electric Company'). The off-Broadway hit makes its Bay Area premiere July 19 - July 28, 2013.

THE MET: LIVE IN HD's Summer Encores series will broadcast Rossini's ARMIDA on Wednesday, July 10 at 7 p.m. (find local theaters here). The production features Renée Fleming as the mystical sorceress in a spectacular production by Tony Award winner Mary Zimmerman. Hosted by Deborah Voigt. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the production!

Sony Movie Channel (SMC) is filling the screen with outlaws, horse thieves and cowboys as the channel brands July with some of the best Western films ever made.

(90210)After a sold-out premiere in November 2012 at Dixon Place, Figaro! (90210) returns for a limited run beginning today, June 11th. Morningside Opera presents the show in concert performances through Sunday, June 16th at The NSD Theater (151 Bank Street, west of Hudson) in the West Village.