Northwestern University News

With the mantra 'Retro never sounded so now,' Under the Streetlamp harmoniously blends the diverse talents of Michael Cunio, Michael Ingersoll, Christopher Kale Jones, and Shonn Wiley to perform classic hits of the '50s, '60s and '70s with the perfect balance of tender ballads and uptempo classics, all done with the same signature harmonies and slick dance moves that have made them irresistible.

Light Opera Works will present COLE PORTER'S GREATEST HITS today, October 3 through 12 at the Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's longest-standing, most distinguished ensemble theater, announced today new leadership and unveiled plans for a future campus expansion. Steppenwolf ensemble member and Tony Award-winning director Anna D. Shapiro will succeed Martha Lavey as artistic director at the conclusion of the current season in fall 2015.

Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) will open their 2014-15 season with Olives and Blood at the Nafe Katter Theatre today, October 2nd - 12th. Written by Michael Bradford, this new play stars Martin Sola as Juan Luis Trescante Medina, the aging fascist who claims responsibility for the murder of poet-playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, played by Nicholas Urda.

Zach Braff, who recently made his Broadway debut in 'Bullets Over Broadway' will helm a pilot for a new MTV dark comedy titled SELF PROMOTION.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Martha Lavey engages in conversation with John Lahr about his latest book, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh in a special one-night-only event, Monday, October 13 at 7pm in the Downstairs Theatre. Lahr, who served as senior drama critic for The New Yorker for more than two decades, recently released his twentieth book, an authoritative, extraordinary biography on Tennessee Williams that invites intimate access into the mind of a playwright whose work reshaped the American theater. The conversation will include a Q&A, followed by a book signing in the lobby. Tickets are $10 and are available through Audience Services (1650 N Halsted), at 312-335-1650 or at steppenwolf.org.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) opens its 2014-15 Mainstage Series with William Shakespeare's dark and twisted tragedy Macbeth. Under the direction of Brant Russell, Assistant Professor of Drama, Macbeth will make its CCM debut Oct. 2 through 5 in CCM's Patricia Corbett Theater, with a preview performance at 8 p.m. tonight, Oct. 1.

Quintessence Theatre Group launches its fifth season of progressive classic theatre with an all-male Shakespeare repertory: AS YOU LIKE IT presented in rotating repertory with RICHARD II. Bringing together the best professional actors and designers from Philadelphia and across the country, Artistic Director Alexander Burns leads this collective of artists on a mission to ignite the classics through visceral, actor-focused and text-driven productions. AS YOU LIKE IT will begin previews today, October 1 at 7pm and open on Saturday, October 4 at 8pm. RICHARD II will begin previews on Thursday, October 9 at 7pm and open on Saturday, October 18 at 8pm. All performances are at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Ave in Mt Airy, Philadelphia, PA.

'Mad Men' star Vincent Kartheiser and Broadway's Larry Pine (CASA VALENTINA) will play Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler, respectively, in BILLY & RAY, Mike Bencivenga's new play -- directed by the legendary director/writer/producer Garry Marshall -- being given its NY premiere this fall at the Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.), with previews scheduled to begin tonight, October 1 prior to an official opening on October 20, it has been announced by Vineyard's Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) opens its 2014-15 Mainstage Series with William Shakespeare's dark and twisted tragedy Macbeth. Under the direction of Brant Russell, Assistant Professor of Drama, Macbeth will make its CCM debut Oct. 2 through 5 in CCM's Patricia Corbett Theater, with a preview performance at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

This season, a new group of eighteen musicians -- some of the finest professional players in the world -- will join Ensemble ACJW, a two-year fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. Ensemble ACJW is designed to prepare young professional musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership. It offers performance opportunities, year-long partnerships within New York City public schools, and intensive professional development.

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, the hilarious whodonit opening Bristol Riverside Theatre's season tonight, September 30-October 26. Directed by Gus Kaikkonen, the ensemble cast features Dan Hodge, Matt Leisy, Karen Peakes, and Adam Sowers.

92Y presents Sandra Tsing Loh: A Work-In-Progress Staged Reading of The Madwoman in the Volvo, a co-production of 92Y and Sundance Institute Theatre Program, with Leslie Kritzer and Mary Beth Peil, directed by Lisa Peterson on Friday, October 10, 8:15 pm.

Transport Group, the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and OBIE Award-winning theatre company, has announced its annual gala Gimme a Break!, will honor Tony Award-winning producer Barbara Whitman on December 8, 2014 at 6pm at the Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue at 70 Street.

Tony winner Jessie Mueller and her sister, Abby Mueller, headed back to their hometown of Chicago on September 22 to help launch FWD Theatre Project. Mounted as an incubator for theatre projects currently in development, FWD's concert at City Winery featured a slew of performers bringing five new works to life, including the Muellers' take on the musical-in-progress EXPOSURE. Check out a brief look, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, below!

To meet author James D. Loy, you'd think he was a mild-manner guy, simply a retired anthropologist who spent a quarter of a century studying the social behavior of monkeys.

Continuing its 27th Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the return of signature Lookingglass production Lookingglass Alice, adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin from the works of Lewis Carroll, produced in association with The Actors Gymnasium. Lookingglass Alice runs November 12, 2014 - February 15, 2015 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public today, September 24, 2014 and can be purchased through the box office at (312) 337-0665 or www.lookingglasstheatre.org.

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) announces the appointment of Oliver Ionita (41) as the company's new Director of Development following a national search conducted by Arts Consulting Group. Ionita officially assumed his new role on September 4, 2014 just a few days following the close of the company's third consecutive fiscal year without a deficit and coinciding with the opening of its highly innovative and groundbreaking production of Ernest Bloch's 'Macbeth,' which marked the end of COT's 2014 Season.