Rafael Casal News

Inspired by true events, BAD EDUCATION, debuting SATURDAY, APRIL 25 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), follows Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) who reign over a popular Long Island school district on the verge of the nation's top spot, spurring record college admissions and soaring property values. But when an embezzlement scheme surfaces that threatens to destroy all they've built, Frank is forced to maintain order and secrecy — by whatever means necessary.

Virginia Stage Company has been approved for a $20,000 Art Works grant to support a world premiere theater production by Ronve O'Daniel and Jevaris Myrick, co-creators of contemporary hip-hop musical Once Upon A Rhyme: A Musical Tale.  Mr. O'Daniel and Mr. Myrick will write a hip-hop musical that will serve as both education and a celebration of the unique history of the Hampton Roads community.  This theater production is created through the Public Works Virginia (PWVA) program, which leverages the artistic process for individual and community transformation. Overall, the National Endowment for the Arts has approved 1,187 grants totaling $27.3 million in the first round of fiscal year 2020 funding to support arts projects in every state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Variety reports that 'Blindspotting' will get a TV spinoff, starring Broadway star Jasmine Cephas Jones. She will reprise the role she played in the movie.

Beyond Fest, the highest-attended genre film festival in the US, is excited to announce the premiere event of Nickelodeon's Are You Afraid of the Dark? The three-part limited series event sees the return of the Midnight Society, with Beyond Fest bowing the first two episodes on Monday, Oct. 7. Courtesy of Nickelodeon, the special screening is an all-ages, family-friendly event built specifically for fans young and old and free to all guests with tickets obtained via RSVP (seating is subject to availability on a first-come, first-serve basis, details below). 

Nickelodeon is preparing for the return of The Midnight Society with the all-new Are You Afraid of the Dark? three-part limited series event. Based on the '90s kids' cult classic, and reimagined for a new generation, part one of Are You Afraid of the Dark? will debut on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT), with parts two and three to follow Oct. 18, and Oct. 25, respectively.

Nickelodeon is reimagining its chillingly beloved anthology Are You Afraid of the Dark? as a brand-new limited series premiering this October. Through three hour-long episodes, the series introduces an entirely new Midnight Society group of kids who tell a terrifying tale about the Carnival of Doom, only to have the events of the story come to life. Production on the new Are You Afraid of the Dark? will commence this month in Vancouver, Canada.

Public Theater announced the line-up today for The Public's 2019-20 Season 

Broadway favorite Catherine Ricafort recently made her debut as a director and choreographer with the release of a new hip-hop video from her brother Juan Drigo Ricafort, also known as 'Super Smack.'

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full company for Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author Ayad Akhtar's (Arena's Disgraced) timely tale Junk. Inspired by the real junk bond giants of the 1980s, Akhtar explores how the riveting, hostile takeover of a family-owned manufacturing company paved the way to expose the rise of greed, power, race and wealth that led to reshaping the rules of Wall Street and the world. Directed by Jackie Maxwell, Junk runs April 5 - May 5, 2019 in the Fichandler Stage.

Award-winning storyteller, playwright, and Bay Area local Brenda Wong Aoki is pleased to announce that she has been selected as a recipient of a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission, a program of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to commission new works by world-class artists. Wong Aoki, in collaboration with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), is among a stellar group of 10 Bay Area based non-profit organizations that will receive $150,000 to create important and unique work that facilitates discussions around the most pressing local issues happening in our country.

Utkarsh Ambudkar drops his newest single 'Kane,' produced by long time friend and collaborator Chuck Wild aka Captain Planet, today via Hip Hop DX. Of the track, Utkarsh describes itas a “most exuberant frolic into the nether-regions of dope.” Utkarsh's electrifying lyrics flow effortlessly through the throbbing beats, surrounding you with energy. He perfectly marries Old-School toasting, with a more contemporary and modern sound to create a rhythmic masterpiece that encourages dancing. This single is merely an introduction to a much larger project: his upcoming album Vanity, which is set to be released on January 18, 2019. Vanity will share his brand of raw and melodic hip-hop that addresses race, the first generation immigrant experience, politics, Hollywood and more from a fresh and infectious perspective.

The BARS program at the Public Theater has just finished it's second year of their Alumni program, where selected BARS members spend the summer developing their first full length works, under the mentorshop of Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs and the NEW WORKS department.

Once Upon a Rhyme: A Musical Tale (formerly iLLA! A Hip Hop Musical), with book, music, and lyrics by Ronve O'Daniel and music, orchestrations, and arrangements by Jevares C. Myrick will be presented as part of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's 2018 New Works Festival.

Tony winner Daveed Diggs visits The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss his upcoming film Blindspotting, now in theaters. Check out the appearance below!

Rooftop Films is proud to announce our feature film slate for the 2018 Rooftop Films Summer Series, presented by SundanceTV. This year's series will take place May 19th to August 25th featuring more than 45 outdoor screenings in more than a dozen spectacular outdoor venues, with live music, filmmaker appearances, and special enhanced screenings of the best, new, independent films from around the world. The open-air festivities will kick off on Saturday, May 19th, with “This is What We Mean by Short Films,” a collection of some of the most innovative short films of the past year. That screening will take place in the newest Rooftop Films venue, Green-Wood Cemetery. 

Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs stars alongside Rafael Casal in Snoot Entertainment's upcoming film Blindspotting,

The 49th Annual Nashville Film Festival continues its expansion of film screenings with an international roster of twenty-eight Special Presentations, Animated Feature, Spectrum and Spectrum Q films including the world premiere of BENCHED, produced by Robert Deaton and George Flanigen, ON CHESIL BEACH, starring Saoirse Ronan, fresh off her award winning role in Lady Bird, HOT SUMMER NIGHTS, starring Timothée Chalamet, whose role in Call Me By Your Name was critically acclaimed, BRAMPTON'S OWN, starring Rose McIver, Spencer Grammer and Jean Smart, as well as the 50th anniversary screening of ROSEMARY'S BABY, starring Mia Farrow, and a special screening of JURASSIC PARK, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, BD Wong and Samuel L. Jackson. Other leading talent include Daveed Diggs, Alexander McQueen, John C. McGinley and many more.

The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President & CEO) announced today that the 2018 Jonathan Larson® Grants recipients areJay Adana (music and lyrics), Andrew R. Butler & Andrew Farmer (music, lyrics, and book), Emily Kaczmarek & Zoe Sarnak (music, lyrics, and book), and Mark Sonnenblick(music and lyrics). Four prestigious, unrestricted grants of $10,000 each, as well as additional support in the form of residencies, concerts, and recording grants, totaling over $48,000, will be presented on Monday, March 19, 2018 at a private event at the WNYC Greene Space. The event will feature special performances of the recipients' work.

Dolby is welcoming a new, permanent 500 seat-theater to Sundance which will include a Dolby Atmos sound system donated by Dolby. The Ray Theatre joins the existing Eccles Theatre in bringing completely immersive, moving audio to film lovers in Park City.

Kate Dawson (A CHRISTMAS CAROL) and Juan Drigo (JD) Ricafort (IN THE HEIGHTS) star in Vanguard Theater Company's The Music Man in Concert as Marian Paroo and Harold Hill.