Leslie Lee News

Wynn Handman, the famed New York acting teacher and Artistic Director of The American Place Theatre, died at home April 11, 2020 of Covid-19 related pneumonia. He was 97.

Here's the second installment of responses from various Los Angeles Theatre heads on how their individual theatre families are holding up in these crazy, safe-distancing times. As with the first batch of responses, these are just as amazing in their uniform positivity.

WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks has unveiled its new-look Southeast Asia leadership team based in Singapore. The organisation, which was first revealed in August, unites Turner Asia Pacific and HBO Asia to form one of the most powerful portfolios of entertainment brands in the media industry.

Abhishek Dutta has been named Senior Director and Network Head – Kids, overseeing Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia.

White Horse Theater Company will present the World Premiere of Broken Story written and directed by Cyndy A. Marion at The Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street, New York, NY 10012), November 8-16. Performances will be on Friday, November 8 at 8pm, Saturday, November 9 at 8pm, Sunday, November 10 at 3pm, Tuesday, November 12 at 8pm, Wednesday, November 13 at 8pm, Thursday, November 14 at 8pm, Friday, November 15 at 8pm, Saturday, November 16 at 2pm, and Saturday, November 16 at 8pm. Tickets ($25) are available for purchase in advance at https://whtc.ticketleap.com/BrokenStory/. The performance will run approximately 80 minutes, with no intermission.

 Lamput, the hilarious animated chase comedy, has been picked up for a third season by Cartoon Network and will run internationally on the channel in Asia Pacific and Latin America, and on Boomerang in EMEA.

Leslie Lee has been named Vice President of Kids Content, overseeing Cartoon Network, Boomerang and POGO networks in Asia Pacific, and assumes the role today.

The African-American Shakespeare Company closes their production of Leslie Lee's Black Eagles this weekend on March 31st. The show is directed by the company's Artistic Director, L. Peter Callender. This marks a return of the company to the Marine's Memorial where it presents the extraordinary drama about the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black fighter pilots. The play opens onstage during a reception honoring the airmen. As the now-elderly WWII pilots reminisce, their younger selves join them, which serves as the basis for the story of this brave company to be retold.

The African American Shakespeare Company will present Leslie Lee's Black Eagles under the direction of the company's Artistic Director, L. Peter Callender. This marks a return of the company to the Marine's Memorial where it will present the extraordinary drama about the Tuskegee airmen, America's first black fighter pilots. The play opens onstage during a reception honoring the airmen and Gen. Colin Powell. As the now-elderly WWII pilots reminisce, their younger selves join them, which serves as the basis for the story of this brave company to be retold.

The African American Shakespeare Company will present Leslie Lee's Black Eagles under the direction of the company's Artistic Director, L. Peter Callender.  This marks a return of the company to the Marine's Memorial where it will present the extraordinary drama about the Tuskegee airmen, America's first black fighter pilots. The play opens onstage during a reception honoring the airmen and Gen. Colin Powell. As the now-elderly WWII pilots reminisce, their younger selves join them, which serves as the basis for the story of this brave company to be retold.

A frequent creative fixture of Los Angeles Theatre, as well as, in theatre communities nationwide; Gilbert Glenn Brown will next be sharing his acting acumen and gravitas on the Garry Marshall Theatre stage reprising his role of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Katori Hall's Olivier Award-winning THE MOUNTAINTOP, beginning February 6, 2019. I managed to catch Gilbert for a few moments between juggling his many acting commitments to answer a few of my queries.

Soul to Soul, the electrifying and emotionally-captivating theatrical concert that explores the parallels of African American and Jewish history takes the stage this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Presented by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF), this annual concert will play on Sunday, January 20, 2pm, Off Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place, NYC.

Actor/Director Charles Weldon, who was Artistic Director of The Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) since 2005, died December 7 at Mt. Sinai Hospital, NYC. He was 78.

The Fall Festival of Shakespeare celebrates its 30th season, bringing together over 500 local students to explore Shakespeare, creativity, and teamwork. The nationally recognized program begins with an integral series of four Common Classes where hundreds of teenagers come together for workshops in Stage Combat, Dance and Movement, Technical Theatre and Performance Preparation. Ten different schools are represented in this year's Festival, coming from the Berkshires, Pioneer Valley, and eastern New York State.

From May 16 to 27, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. will present the world premiere production of 'Hercules Didn't Wade in the Water' by Michael A Jones.  The play is winner of the troupe's 2017 Emerging Playwrights Competition.  Called a 'drama with comedy,' it is a story of displacement of Black families and the forces that lead to it in modern America.  Performances are at Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place.

HEDY! The Life & Inventions of Hedy Lamarr explores the life, inventions and person of Hedy Lamarr, Viennese-born Hollywood film star of the 1930s-1950s. Known as The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, Hedy Lamarr stored away knowledge of munitions while married to Austrian arms dealer, Fritz Mandl. She employed this knowledge to support the US Navy's war effort during WWII by inventing The Secret Communication System with composer George Antheil, to make torpedoes more accurate. Also referred to as Frequency Hopping or Spread Spectrum Technology, her invention is used today in cell phones, WiFi, CDMA, GPS, Bluetooth and a myriad of other wireless systems.

From May 16 to 27, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. will present the world premiere production of 'Hercules Didn't Wade in the Water' by Michael A Jones. The play is winner of the troupe's 2017 Emerging Playwrights Competition. Called a 'drama with comedy,' it is a story of displacement of Black families and the forces that lead to it in modern America. Performances are at Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place.

From May 16 to 27, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. will present the world premiere production of 'Hercules Didn't Wade in the Water' by Michael A Jones.  The play is winner of the troupe's 2017 Emerging Playwrights Competition.  Called a 'drama with comedy,' it is a story of displacement of Black families and the forces that lead to it in modern America.  Performances are at Theatre 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place.

To reach an expanded audience, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) will re-mount its 2017 revival of 'A Soldier's Play' by Charles Fuller, directed by Charles Weldon, from February 14 to March 4, 2018 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street. The piece is historically NEC's most famous and successful play. It was produced last fall at Theatre 80 St. Marks as the culminating event of NEC's landmark 50th season, playing to full houses and glowing notices. The cast of that revival will return intact for the Gene Frankel Theatre run.

To reach an expanded audience, The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) will re-mount its 2017 revival of 'A Soldier's Play' by Charles Fuller, directed by Charles Weldon, from February 14 to March 4, 2018 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street. The piece is historically NEC's most famous and successful play. It was produced last fall at Theatre 80 St. Marks as the culminating event of NEC's landmark 50th season, playing to full houses and glowing notices. The cast of that revival will return intact for the Gene Frankel Theatre run.