Michael Smith News

Internet cooking sensation Laura Vitale celebrates food with simple, seasonal meals on Simply Laura, premiering today, September 27th at 1:30pm ET/10:30am PT on Cooking Channel.

A total of 25 music teachers from 25 cities across 17 states have been announced as semifinalists for the Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy® and the GRAMMY Foundation®.

CHICAGO (September 25, 2014) – Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Executive Director Greg Cameron announced today that Erica Lynette Edwards, a dancer with the Joffrey since 2000 who took on such roles as The Chosen One in Nijinsky's The Rite of Spring, fourth song soloist in Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies and the Fairy Godmother in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, will retire following the engagement of Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker (set to run at the Auditorium Theatre, December 5-28) to become the company's new Director of Community Engagement.

Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Executive Director Greg Cameron announced today that Erica Lynette Edwards, a dancer with the Joffrey since 2000 who took on such roles as The Chosen One in Nijinsky's The Rite of Spring, fourth song soloist in Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies and the Fairy Godmother in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, will retire following the engagement of Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker (set to run at the Auditorium Theatre, December 5-28) to become the company's new Director of Community Engagement.

GOTHAM promises to be a “modern gothic fairy tale” set in the DC Comic universe fans know and love as the home of Batman. But GOTHAM will not be a “Batman” show in the traditional sense. This series looks at the new police detective James Gordon years before he becomes Commissioner Gordon. And it gives viewers glimpses of the origins of the rogues gallery of super-villains who will later terrorize Gotham and prove formidable foes to Batman.

In the new Fox series GOTHAM, the early years of the virtuous police detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) is coupled with the origins of the infamous super-villains Catwoman, Penguin, Riddler and many more. Before Batman, there was a troubled city and many secrets. BWW-TV visits GOTHAM for a behind-the-scenes look at the new show.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host its first-ever Fall Puppet Performance Series on four Saturdays from September to December 2014, featuring outstanding works for puppet theater by professional puppeteers from the Northeast. There will be two showings of each production, at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., in the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center. Productions and dates include:

Chef Jim Stacy is known for doing things his way, whether it is his clever takes on traditional foods or his famous corndogs - the Fryinstein Monster and The Bananas Foster Corndog.

Ching-He Huang returns to help rescue struggling Asian restaurants across the county in desperate need of her expertise on the second season of Restaurant Redemption premiering Tuesday, October 14th

A raucous, playful new production of Leo Lionni's Frederick, a world premiere musical based on beloved children's author Leo Lionni's Caldecott Award-winning book about Frederick the mouse, is the big kick off to Chicago Children's Theatre's 10th birthday season. Scroll down for a look at the star of the show!

A raucous, playful new production of Leo Lionni's Frederick, a world premiere musical based on beloved children's author Leo Lionni's Caldecott Award-winning book about Frederick the mouse, is the big kick off to Chicago Children's Theatre's 10th birthday season.

Organizers of the inaugural Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival announced today the line-up of top contemporary puppets acts and artists from around the world, the U.S. and Chicago to be presented at venues large and small throughout the city January 14-25, 2015.

Creative writing students ages 12 to 16 from Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the acclaimed summer arts day camp whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, Jane Monheit and Broadway playwright Michele Lowe, joined for the second season with students of the same age from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Summer Youth Program in a unique two-week joint workshop from July 21 to August 1.

It is always exciting to say 'I saw the world premiere'. You will have such an opportunity if you catch the hilarious new musical My Life Is A Musical by Adam Overett running through August 31st at Sag Harbor's Bay Street Theatre. It is still in its early stages, but the enthusiastic reception seems to indicate that tickets may be in short supply as the production continues its run.

Mo Rocca is back for a third season of My Grandmother's Ravioli this summer, with more food traditions and brand-new heartwarming and hilarious visits with grandparents from around the country. In the Emmy-nominated® series, inspired by his own grandmother's Sunday family dinners, Mo is welcomed into the kitchens of grandparents from different locales and backgrounds who lovingly and patiently teach him how to make their favorite family dishes and share the stories behind them. The thirteen-episode season premieres tonight, Wednesday, August 6th at 8pm ET/5pm PT on Cooking Channel.

Bay Street Theater's World Premiere of MY LIFE IS A MUSICAL opened last night and runs through August 31. This musical comedy with book, music and lyrics by Adam Overett, is directed and choreographed by Marlo Hunter. Presented in association with Martin Platt, David Elliott, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Joan Raffe& Jhett Tolentino, and Patrick Blake, with additional support from the Joseph Stein Fund for new musicals and Adriane and Jerry Cohen. Check out the opening night photos below!