New Group News

One show closes, another starts rehearsals, and a few fireworks in between! Here is guest blogger Casey Hebbel to fill you in with the latest during our 2016 season of Broadway Under the Stars...

Red Bull Theater today announced that their Twelfth Season will conclude with Red Bull Theater's annual festival of 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes features two brand new commissions from Lisa D'Amour and Amy Freed alongside 6 brand new plays chosen from hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country. The 2016 Short New Play Festival will be Monday July 25th (7:30pm) at Lucille Lortel Theatre. This year's plays will be Motley Fool by Kate Abbruzzese, Swan Song by Emily Taplin Boyd, Malaprop by Lisa D'amour, The Ghoul Of Amherst by Amy Freed, Warp And Weft by Anchuli Felicia King, Her Father's Daughter by Dakin Matthews, The Eighth Circle by Bridgette Dutta Portman, and The Opulent Complex by Lynn Rosen. Tickets may be purchased online at www.redbulltheater.com or by phone at (212) 352-3101.

Charitybuzz's new auction offers an opening night photo-op with Sutton Foster and the cast of SWEET CHARITY.

Continuing Adirondack Theatre Festival's (ATF) 22nd summer season of professional theatre is A COMEDY OF MANORS. Performances will be held at the Charles R. Wood Theater (207 Glen Street in downtown Glens Falls) July 12th - July 22nd at 7:30pm with a special matinee performance on July 20th at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $32-$45 and are available at the Wood Theater Box Office, online at ATFestival.org, or by calling (518) 480-4878. Discount season flex passes are available for the full seven show line-up.

Tony Award winner Sutton Foster opened the 2016 A CAPITOL FOURTH on PBS with a rousing patriotic medley last night.

Chopped is heading outdoors to beautiful Beringer Vineyards, located in Napa Valley, California, as sixteen grilling experts compete in CHOPPED GRILL MASTERS NAPA, premiering tonight, July 5th at 10pm ET/PT on Food Network.

"I feel like I'm interviewing the President," I say. "I know, right!?" Sutton Foster responds as we laugh, leaving the U.S. Capitol in a black SUV. There the two-time Tony winner and TV star has just finished rehearsing for the Capitol 4th concert that will air live tomorrow on PBS.

The Summer of teenage angsty themed musicals continues with BARE: A POP OPERA. It is one of those shows that never quite made it to Broadway, the closest being an off-Broadway run in 2004, but still has a cultish fan base. It is also a regional favorite with productions as far as the Philippines and Argentina. What makes this story different is that it is a pop opera, fully told through song. Young Artists Theatre took on this production challenge with limited resources, choosing to focus on storytelling.

Cabaret patroness Madame Mathieu has tapped Broadway's Elena Wang (Allegiance, The King and I (West End)) and drag personality Chelsea Piers as guests of honor at the fourth installment of the Bistro Awards Critics' Pick Madame Mathieu's Soiree. The show will be held at Duplex on July 14th at 9:30.  Described as "an Ed Sullivan Show for a new generation" (Gerry Geddes), this variety show with an avant garde twist is as unpredictable as the patroness herself. The eclectic evening will feature an all new group of rising stars in stand-up, poetry, dance, songwriting, and performance art while Wang and Piers will accept creative dares that arise from Mme. M's insane imagination.

Raue Center For The Arts is pleased to announce an entirely new Group Sales program. The new Group Sales program is scheduled for release to the public on July 1, 2016.

AVENUE Q celebrated NYC pride weekend on Sunday when puppet stars Rod and Lucy took to the streets of New York City on board the Impulse Group NYC Pride Parade Float. Just 3 days after he renewed his vows with Ricky, Rod took Lucy to enjoy a fun filled day away from the New World Stages, where Avenue Q performs 8 times a week. Check out photos below!

Opera Saratoga's Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson announced today the three exciting new productions that will comprise the company's 2017 Summer Festival, which will build on the company's commitment to producing masterpieces from the operatic cannon, important American works, and works in which dance plays an integral role.

A frequent performer on and off Broadway, Connell was married to actress Jane Connell.

Joel Grey officiated the ceremony where the happy puppet couple celebrated their fifth anniversary.

AVENUE Q celebrateed NYC pride weekend last night when Rod and Ricky renewed their vows onstage after the performance, with stage legend Joel Grey serving as officiant. Check out photos below!

59E59 Theaters is thrilled to welcome Throughline Artists with SUMMER SHORTS 2016, the annual festival of six short plays tailor-made for summer viewing, now celebrating its 10th season.

AVENUE Q will celebrate NYC pride weekend later tonight when Rod and Ricky renew their vows onstage after the performance. And guess what? You're invited too! Following the show, BroadwayWorld will bring you live video straight from New World Stages. Just visit our Facebook page around 10pm to tune in!

MEN ON BOATS, the critically-acclaimed comedy which premiered at Clubbed Thumb's 2015 Summerworks Festival, announced today casting for its return this summer in a co-production by Clubbed Thumb and Playwrights Horizons.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced today the Nominating Committee for the 2016-17 Broadway season. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.