Nova Y. Payton News

“You Can’t Stop the Music” as the Village People say and this might have been the mission of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) as they sang their hearts out in esteemed composer Andrew Lippa’s original work entitled Unbreakable.  This East coast premiere by Mr. Lippa (composer of the musicals The Wild Party, Big Fish, and the oratorio I am Harvey Milk) was originally planned for 2020 but thanks to the “unbreakable” GMCW spirit, this fascinating work by Mr. Lippa was finally presented at the Lincoln Theatre.

Olney Theatre Center unveiled its schedule of over 25 summer programs to be held in its open-air Omi Pavillion on the Root Family Stage for the second edition of Olney Outdoors. Learn more about all of the events here!

On May 16, 2022, Virginia’s Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre will honor Carol Burnett with the company’s eleventh Stephen Sondheim Award. Paying tribute to Ms. Burnett with live performances are stars of stage and screen Bernadette Peters and Santino Fontana.

Signature Theatre and Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announced today the cast for the second annual musical theater collaboration, Broadway In The Park (Friday, June 24 at 8PM). The show will star Tony Award-winners Kelli O’Hara and Adrienne Warren and will feature an ensemble of local talent.

The Olney Performance Series launches later this month with a wide variety of performances ranging from jazz to theatre for young audiences and kicking off on April 22 & 23 with a two-night competitive poetry slam hosted by Simply Sherri.

Ford's Theatre Society is presenting the world-premiere musical Grace, with Music and Lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.; Book by Nolan Williams, Jr., and Nikkole Salter; and Directed and Choreographed by Robert Barry Fleming.

Billed as the “New Musical”, the musical Grace is a soulful and heart-filled affirmation of a family hanging on to hope and love as their community changes and as the future propels them onwards. This new musical now playing at Ford’s Theatre is also about letting go of the past yet still honoring it while hanging in with grit and endurance. Grace is shot through with musical numbers that grab you by the gut (gloriously eclectic music and lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.) and a superb cast of talent that knocks this out of the park vocally and with finely-honed acting chops.

Packed with an eclectic mix of styles including Jazz, R&B, rousing up-tempos and raise-the-roof ballads, Grace is a new musical examining the little-told history of African-American culinary tradition and the challenges faced by Black-owned businesses.

Ford’s Theatre Society today announced full casting and the design team for the world-premiere musical Grace, with Music and Lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.; Book by Nolan Williams, Jr., and Nikkole Salter; and Directed and Choreographed by Robert Barry Fleming.

Signature Theatre has announced that special arrangements have been made to stream Everybody Rise: Signature Remembers Stephen Sondheim for free for a limited 72-hour period.

While Labor Day weekend marked the unofficial end of summer it also marked Signature Theatre’s return to presenting LIVE entertainment. In this case, it was not in the cozy confines of their home in Shirlington but at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap. The concert entitled Broadway in the Park marked the first of what we hope to be many collaborations between these two giants of the arts organizations.

The pair will join a cast of Signature favorites in a program of Broadway's greatest hits including “Don't Rain on My Parade,” “I Am What I Am,” “The Schuyler Sisters,” “You'll Never Walk Alone,” and so much more.

The 2021/2022 Signature Theatre season kicks off early November 2021 with a reimagined new production of Jonathan Larson’s musical RENT and continues with the DC premiere of Daphne’s Dive by Quiara Alegría Hudes; a new production of She Loves Me by Joe Masteroff, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick and more.

Signature Theatre is now streaming its production of After Midnight, beginning today, June 13 and running through August 4, 2021. This exhilarating song and dance extravaganza is set to the swinging sounds of Duke Ellington, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen and more and framed by the poems of Langston Hughes.

After Midnight at Signature Theatre is a revue featuring the music of Harold Arlen, Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh, and DC’s own Duke Ellington, and is set around the poems of Langston Hughes. The show features some of DC’s finest talent including Nova Y. Payton (a Signature regular) and Hamilton star Christopher Jackson as well as a stacked and extremely enthralling ensemble. With direction by Jared Grimes and music direction by Mark G. Meadows, the show proved to be a roaring success with over-the-top performances, fabulous design, and swinging music.

Tickets are available now for Olney Theatre Center’s massive program of live summer events on the open-air Root Family Stage: “Olney Outdoors'. Curated by Kevin McAllister, the series highlights cabaret, jazz, spoken word, drag, dance, faith-centered performances, and theatre for young audiences.

Signature Theatre will present After Midnight, running June 13 – August 4, 2021. This exhilarating song and dance extravaganza is set to the swinging sounds of Duke Ellington, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen and more and framed by the poems of Langston Hughes.

Milwaukee Rep will present several options to enjoy unique theater experiences and live entertainment safely outdoors including three Summer Concerts and SoundStage MKE, an audio play walking tour.

The American Pops Orchestra presents WE ARE FAMILY: SONGS OF HOPE AND UNITY, which will be broadcast on Friday, May 14, 2021 (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App. 

The program is part of #PBSForTheArts and features performances by Broadway star and recording artist Morgan James; star of Season 14 of The Voice Rayshun LaMarr; Broadway and Tony Award-nominated star Laura Osnes; celebrated recording artist Nova Y. Payton; and Broadway and television star Gabrielle Ruiz.