Michael Orland News

NBC's "Smash" actors Christian Borle, Brian d'Arcy James and Jaime Cepero; "Smash" executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron; A Chorus Line's Baayork Lee, Bonnie and Clyde's Jeff Calhoun and Annie creators Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin were some of the celebrities who traveled to Atlanta to applaud the 3,000+ students and teachers representing 65 schools in 19 states staging musical theater productions in their communities at the 2012 Junior Theater Festival, January 13 - 15, 2012 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. Presented by New York's iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and sponsored by leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Musicals and NBC, the Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary, middle and high school students.

A thundering chorus of 3,000+ Broadway stars, students and teachers will lock step and raise their voices and hearts in song during the 2012 Junior Theater Festival, a monumental celebration of on-stage and backstage excellence happening January 13 - 15, 2012 in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Presented by New York's iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and sponsored by leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Musicals and NBC, the Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary school, middle school and high school aged students.

A thundering chorus of 3,000+ Broadway stars, students and teachers will lock step and raise their voices and hearts in song during the 2012 Junior Theater Festival, a monumental celebration of on-stage and backstage excellence happening January 13 - 15, 2012 in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Presented by New York's iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and sponsored by leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Musicals and NBC, the Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary school, middle school and high school aged students.

Lythgoe Family Productions and Magic Pictures International announce the second run of "A Cinderella Christmas," the second show in the 2011 holiday season of traditional British family Panto.

In the tradition of the British Panto, brought so successfully to the Los Angeles stage in 2010 via Cinderella, the Lythgoe family return this year with A Snow White Christmas. British Panto, short for Pantomime, is an interactive show with music for the entire family and based on a fairytale. The music incorporated is the latest craze, and the jokes used are always relevant to current cultural trends. The main goal is to bring the family unit together for entertainment.

Erich Bergen, best known from the cast of Jersey Boys and television's Gossip Girl, pre-rang in the season with A Holiday Party, a swinging, upbeat kick-off to the end of the year festivities, at The Coterie at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, on Monday, December 5 at 8pm.

Lythgoe Family Productions and Magic Pictures International announce the second run of "A Cinderella Christmas," the second show in the 2011 holiday season of traditional British family Panto.

In the tradition of the British Panto, brought so successfully to the Los Angeles stage in 2010 via Cinderella, the Lythgoe family return this year with A Snow White Christmas. British Panto, short for Pantomime, is an interactive show with music for the entire family and based on a fairytale. The music incorporated is the latest craze, and the jokes used are always relevant to current cultural trends. The main goal is to bring the family unit together for entertainment.

In December, The Coterie, Hollywood's newest supper club, will showcase the best and brightest talent from Broadway this holiday season.

Parenting magazine presented a Lythgoe Family Production of the holiday Panto 'A Snow White Christmas,' running November 30-December 18 at the El Portal Theatre. Last night, November 30 makred the opening night gala benefiting LA's BEST.

Parenting magazine presents a Lythgoe Family Production of the holiday Panto 'A Snow White Christmas,' running November 30-December 18 at the El Portal Theatre, with opening night gala benefiting LA's BEST.

In December, The Coterie, Hollywood's newest supper club, will showcase the best and brightest talent from Broadway this holiday season.

Erich Bergen, best known from the cast of Jersey Boys and television's Gossip Girl, rings in the season with A Holiday Party, a swinging, upbeat kick-off to the end of the year festivities, at The Coterie at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, on Monday, December 5 at 8pm.

Parenting magazine presents a Lythgoe Family Production of the holiday Panto 'A Snow White Christmas,' running November 30-December 18 at the El Portal Theatre, with opening night gala benefiting LA's BEST.

Lythgoe Family Productions holds open auditions for child actors for their production of 'A Snow White Christmas,' starring Neil Patrick Harris and The Glee Project's Lindsay Pearce, at Westfield Culver City today.

Lythgoe Family Productions will hold open auditions for child actors for their production of 'A Snow White Christmas,' starring Neil Patrick Harris and The Glee Project's Lindsay Pearce, at Westfield Culver City on Friday September 30 and Saturday October 1.

Lythgoe Family Productions and Magic Pictures International announce the 2011 holiday season of traditional British family Panto - the premiere of 'A Snow White Christmas,' and the second run of 'A Cinderella Christmas.'

Lythgoe Family Productions and Magic Pictures International announce the 2011 holiday season of traditional British family Panto - the premiere of 'A Snow White Christmas,' and the second run of 'A Cinderella Christmas.'

ollowing its most lucrative successful January/February ever, Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's in Studio City, CA says 'We are blessed to have enjoyed the most lucrative beginning of any year since our 2006 opening. This success is largely due to the unprecedented advance sales of our annual 6-week musical theatre talent competition LA's Next Great Stage Star 2011, and a series of spectacular debuts by such outstanding Broadway/Nightclub headliners as Nita Whitaker, Jason Graae, Maxine Lapiduss, and Suzanne Petrela. Notable Southland Musical Directors such as James Lent, Nelson Kole, John Boswell, and Michael Orland (of American Idol) also contributed to our 2011 kickoff.'

This past Wednesday and Thursday, host Jim Caruso and musical director Billy Stritch oversaw another Hollywood edition of Cast Party, the wildly successful open mic night, which tours the country celebrating local talent. The event, made up of impromptu musical performances, has been running every Monday at Birdland in New York City for the past eight years.