Northwestern University News

The Morrison Center announces a Celebration of Velma V. Morrison's life on Sunday, September 22, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Boise State University (2201 Cesar Chavez Lane). The event will honor Velma for her support of our community and contribution to the arts. The program will include guest speakers and a free concert by Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell ('Kiss Me Kate', 'Man of La Mancha') accompanied by the Boise Philharmonic under the musical direction of Robert Franz. Outside of select seating held for the family and speakers, seating will be open to the public and on a first-come, first-served basis. No ticket is required. Parking is free. The community is encouraged to attend.

Summer in Chicago wraps up in August with the final weeks of the Grant Park Music Festival, led by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and the Grammy Award-nominated Grant Park Orchestra, along with Chorus Director Christopher Bell and the Grant Park Chorus in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago's Millennium Park. In August, the Festival's dynamic programming features the Grant Park Chorus, saxophone virtuoso James Carter, pianist and YouTube sensation Valentina Lisitsa,a collaboration with the Lyric Opera's Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center and two performances honoring the hundredth anniversary of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

Abingdon Theatre Company-which has produced 81 new American plays since 1993 - celebrates its 21st season with the second annual ABINGDON BAY RIDGE ONE-ACT FESTIVAL, an evening of three world-premiere short plays, commissioned by Abingdon Theatre Company, by Allston James, Stephen Kaplan and Katalina Mustatea, on Saturday, August 17 at 7:00pm at Christ Church Bay Ridge (7301 Ridge Boulevard) in Brooklyn.

Lyricist Jordan Beck brings an evening of his work to NYC for one night only tonight, July 22m at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre. The concert will feature his work with composers Jonathan May (with whom Beck recently released an album entitled 'Cousins: The Songs of Beck & May'), Jason & Nolan Livesay, and Taylor Peckham.

'The Lyrics of Jordan Beck' to play The Duplex on July 22nd featuring Dan Domenech, Hannah Elless, Aleks Pevec, and more.

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Bruce Norris' new play "A Parallelogram," directed by the Tony Award-winning Anna D. Shapiro, opens Sunday, July 21 at 7 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. The darkly comic new play continues through August 18, 2013. (Preview performances started July 10.) Click below to go behind the scenes with the cast and creative team!

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) Board President, Gregory O'Leary, announces the appointment of Henry Fogel as the company's new President of the Board of Directors, effective July 16, 2013. As COT enters its 40th season, Mr. Fogel succeeds Gregory O'Leary who has held the position since July 2010. O'Leary will remain a member of COT's Executive Committee.

Full casting has been announced for the national tour of I LOVE LUCY LIVE ON STAGE, the hit stage show adapted from the most beloved program in television history, which will come to the Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts from Wednesday, Aug. 7 through Sunday, Aug. 18. The press opening night is Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Thodos Dance Chicago will celebrate 13 years of dance creation with its annual New Dances performance series, today, July 19-21, 2013 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago. Performances are tonight and Saturday, July 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, July 21 at 5 pm.

Rati Gupta is set to bring her Hollywood Fringe hit NOT ANOTHER TEEN SOLO SHOW to FringeNYC for a series of performances beginning on August 10 at The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre.

Aux Dog Theatre Nob Hill presents The Bicycle Men for one weekend only! The show runs tonight, July 18-20, today, Friday & Saturday at 7.30pm, with a special late night show on Saturday at 10pm.

The Chicago Humanities Festival (CHF) announced today several of its performing arts presentations for the 2013 Fall Festival, which will explore the theme of Animal: What Makes Us Human, Oct. 13, 20, and Nov. 1-10 at venues across Chicago. CHF will present more performing arts offerings than ever before, spotlighting music, theater, performance art, and dance. Offerings include: a performance of Voice of the Whale featuring flutist and founder of International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) Claire Chase; Chicago-based Jazz band The Fat Babies; pianist Anthony Molinaro; two theater productions:Rainpan 43's homage to magic Elephant Room and Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour's White Rabbit, Red Rabbit; a double feature event with performance artists Holly Hughes and Deke Weaver; and an exploration of South Asian myths by Chicago's Kalapriya Dance.

Sideshow Theatre Company concludes its 2012/13 season with the world premiere of THE BURDEN OF NOT HAVING A TAIL, by Carrie Barrett, directed by ensemble member Megan A. Smith, playing now through August 4, 2013 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago. This darkly comical, one-woman tour-de-force features ensemble member Karie Miller in an interactive experience with the audience. Scroll down for new production photos!

Prospect Theater Company will present the world premiere production of TAMAR OF THE RIVER, a new music theater work with music and book by Marisa Michelson and book and lyrics by Joshua H. Cohen. Directed by Daniel Goldstein (Godspell) and choreographed by Yin Mei, TAMAR OF THE RIVER will be the first production available through Prospect's new Membership Program.

Juilliard's Drama Division announces the 2013-2014 season of fully-staged productions featuring Juilliard's 43rd group of acting students in their fourth and final year in the drama program at Juilliard. This season's plays include Jeffrey Hatcher's Smash, directed by Victor Pappas; Amy Herzog's The Great God Pan, directed by Maria Mileaf; and Sam Shepard's Buried Child, directed by Daniel Fish. All performances take place in the Stephanie P. McClelland Drama Theater at Juilliard.

Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Bruce Norris' new play 'A Parallelogram,' directed by the Tony Award-winning Anna D. Shapiro, opens Sunday, July 21 at 7 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum. The darkly comic new play continues through August 18, 2013. (Preview performances started July 10.) Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!