Peter Welkin News

On Monday, February 8 LA's Next Great Stage Star 2016 Presented by Princess Cruises came to an exciting conclusion on the mainstage of the NoHo Arts Center. After an amazing 90-minute program in which the 20 contestants gave 150% to their uptempo songs from Broadway shows, fifteen contestants were eliminated and the top five finalists selected during the first intermision. It was decided, like last year from the consensus of the judges, to add a sixth contestant. But when judges' votes were tabulated, there emerged a three-way tie between contestants James Padilla, Bethany Baderdeen and Edward Anderson. Each of these three presented a song and Edward Anderson was announced as the sixth finalist. Then each of the six proceeded to perform a second number after which the distinguished panel of 15 judges made the final decision during the second intermission. Musical director par excellence James Lent accompanied at the piano throughout the three hour show.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include OLIVER! at Cape Cod, DANGEROUS DREAMS TOUR in DC, and highlights of LA's NEXT GREAT STAGE STAR 2016, just to name a few.

Loosely patterned after 'an audition process', this 10th annual fully produced event is geared to discovering new talent between the ages of 18 and 32 for the musical theatre stage. This year the contest is generously sponsored/presented by Princess Cruises.

A LITTLE NEW MUSIC brought the house down on December 8th at Rockwell Table and Stage in LA with a landmark 10th showcase of fresh and exciting musical theater material. Special guest host John Tartaglia (Broadway's AVENUE Q and SHREK THE MUSICAL), brought his sparkling humor to this dynamic evening celebrating the next generation of musical theater artists. Scroll down for photos from the concert!

Executive Producers Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling Publicity and Production (www.msapr.net). and Barbara Van Orden (www.barbaravanorden.com) have announced that vocal auditions for the 10 year Anniversary of LA's Next Great Stage Star® will be held Sunday, December 13, 2015.  'Our annual auditions in search of 10 men and 10 women between 18 and 32 years of age, is highly anticipated by the hierarchy of those associated with the business of presenting Broadway musical theatre in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California said Sterling.  'We couldn't be more grateful to our professional colleagues and select corporate entities for their consistent support of Stage Star since its inception,' added Van Orden 

Continuing its mission of showcasing the best new and unheard musical theater songwriting, A LITTLE NEW MUSIC returned to Rockwell: Table & Stage in Los Feliz on Tuesday, September 15. Scroll down for photos from the exciting performance, hosted by Jordan Kai Burnett with music director Bryan Blaskie!

A 25th Anniversary landmark deserves a special celebration. The newly christened Northern Sky Theater with a permanent home in Door County's Peninsula State Park presented the World Premiere of When Butter Churns to Gold  to introduce their 2015 summe season.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. It's our annual Regional Summer Musical Theater Guide! All you need to know about musicals on the boards this summer at 17 theaters within a one-day drive.

On Wednesday, June 3, A LITTLE NEW MUSIC returned to Rockwell: Table & Stage in Los Feliz for its 8th edition, showcasing the best of new musical theatre writing with an incredible cast of Broadway and local talent. Tony Award-winner Daisy Eagan co-hosted with her partner-in-comedy Jordan Kai Burnett. Bryan Blaskie returned to ALNM for his 7th time as music director. Scroll down for photos of the engaging, exciting, and unpredictable night that was A LITTLE NEW MUSIC 8!

A LITTLE NEW MUSIC 7 was held on Tuesday, March 10th at Rockwell: Table and Stage in Los Angeles, with Jordan Kai Burnett as host/emcee and Bryan Blaskie as music director.

On Sunday, February 8 LA's Next Great Stage Star 2015 came to an exciting conclusion at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. After an amazing 90-minute program in which the 20 contestants gave 150% to their uptempo songs from Broadway shows, fourteen contestants were eliminated and the top six* finalists selected. After a brief intermission, the announcement was made and each of the six then proceeded to perform a second number after which the distinguished panel of 15 judges made the final decision. Musical director par excellence James Lent accompanied at the piano throughout the three hour show.

Loosely patterned after 'an audition process', this 9th annual fully produced event is geared to discovering new talent between the ages of 18 and 32 for the musical theatre stage.

Michael Sterling (Creator/Executive Producer) and Barbara Van Orden (Sponsor/Co-Executive Producer) proudly presented the critically acclaimed and highly anticipated LA's Next Great Stage Star competitions. The 2015 season began this weekend with its launch last Sunday, January 5th, in North Hollywood, CA. at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal. Scroll down for photos!

Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area, has set Sunday, December 14, 2014 as auditions for its 9th consecutive year of LA's Next Great Stage Star, it was announced today by Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling Publicity and Production in Los Angeles, CA.

A new musical theatre composer -- '21 years old'? No, it's not a typo: in fact there are three of them in the got musical program for May 6 at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, an evening of highlights of this year's season of development at the New Musicals Initiative and the Academy For New Musical Theatre. Actually, they're 21, 22 and 23 years old and they're the winners of the New Voices Project at ANMT, sponsored in part by Walt Disney Imagineering.

A new musical theatre composer -- '21 years old'? No, it's not a typo: in fact there are three of them in the got musical program for May 6 at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, an evening of highlights of this year's season of development at the New Musicals Initiative and the Academy For New Musical Theatre. Actually, they're 21, 22 and 23 years old and they're the winners of the New Voices Project at ANMT, sponsored in part by Walt Disney Imagineering.

Jennifer Kranz, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles majoring in Theatre and minoring in Musical Theatre, emerged victorious Sunday, February 16th as LA's Next Great Stage Star® 2014 produced and presented by Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed concert supper club in the greater Los Angeles area.

Jennifer Kranz, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles majoring in Theatre and minoring in Musical Theatre, emerged victorious Sunday, February 16th as LA's Next Great Stage Star® 2014 produced and presented by Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed concert supper club in the greater Los Angeles area.

And the winner of the 8th annual LA'S NEXT GREAT STAGE STAR talent competition is Jennifer Kranz, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles majoring in Theatre and minoring in Musical Theatre. On Sunday, Feb 16th, Ms. Kranz and 19 other talented young professionals sang their hearts out for the coveted prize. As winner, Ms. Kranz awarded a cash prize of $1000; an upcoming paid headlining concert engagement at Sterling's Upstairs; a vocal demo recording session from Tom Griep's Audition Trax; a photo session with Isaac James Creative; and is already in the process of scheduling meetings to be signed and represented by one of the lucrative competition's Equity Agent/Judges as the first step toward a professional career in musical theatre, television and film. Scroll down for photos from the competition!

Contestants in LA's Next Great Stage Star competition had an exciting second week on Sunday, January 12th. The theme for this round was Breaking New Ground - A Little New Music, and featured songs from some of today's most up and coming musical theatre writers.