Rita Pietropinto News

The Broadway Dreams Foundation, the premier immersive musical theatre training program, held its 12th annual Holiday Gala at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City on the evening of Monday, December 9th, to raise critical funds for arts education. Presented by Broadway Dreams Foundation Board Member, Gala Event Chair, and CEO and founder of the award-winning RWS Entertainment Group Ryan Stana, the evening was hosted by Broadway Dreams faculty member and Broadway veteran Christopher J. Hanke, featuring performances by Frozen and Bring It On's Ryann Redmond, Mean Girls' Renée Rapp, Something Rotten! and Freaky Friday's Heidi Blickenstaff, Spongebob Squarepants' Jai'len Josey, Once on This Island's Quentin Earl Darrington, NBC's The Village's Ben Ahlers, actor and dancer Addalie Burns, Newsies and Cats' Evan Kasprzak, and Jagged Little Pill's Antonio Cipriano. The programming was directed by Broadway Dreams Artistic Advisor, Theater Calgary Artistic Director, and Olivier Award nominee Stafford Arima. 

The Old Globe's world premiere musical Almost Famous, with book and lyrics by Academy Award winner and San Diego native Cameron Crowe (films Jerry Maguire, Say Anything..., Fast Times at Ridgemont High), opened just last week on September 27. BroadwayWorld is taking you inside the big night below!

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! opened last night, April 7, at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre. It will play a limited engagement through Sunday, September 1, 2019.

The world premiere of the new musical Superhero officially opened last night at Second Stage! Before we can save the world, we have to save each other. From the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of Next to Normal and the Tony Award-winning writer of Red comes a deeply human new musical about a fractured family, the mysterious stranger in apartment 4-B, and the unexpected hero who just might save the day.

Last night, New York City Center presented the 75th Anniversary gala presentation of A Chorus Line. BroadwayWorld was at last night's performance, and you can check out photos from the after party below!

Winners for the 63rd Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced just last night at The Town Hall. In keeping with Drama Desk's mission, nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off-Off Broadway during the 2017-2018 New York theater season in the same competitive categories.

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center has awarded multi-discipline creative artist Lin-Manuel Miranda the 18th Monte Cristo Award. An alumnus of the O'Neill, Miranda's first professional production was at the O'Neill's National Music Theater Conference with In The Heights in 2005. A gala dinner featuring a conversation with the honoree was held last night, Monday, April 30, 2018. Check out photos from the event below!

Quintessence of Dust Theatre Company/Rachel Kunstadt presented a one-night-only benefit staged reading of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical NEXT TO NORMAL on Thursday, February 1, 2018 at JCC Manhattan, (366 Amsterdam Avenue).

SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway officially opened just last night, December 4th, at The Palace Theatre. SpongeBob SquarePants is a new musical with a book by Kyle Jarrow, music supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Tom Kitt, choreography by Christopher Gattelli, and conceived and directed by Tina Landau.

The stage adaption of the animated classic, ANASTASIA opened on Broadway just last night at the Broadhurst Theatre. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the big night and we're taking you to the red carpet below!

Starring two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole, War Paint tells the remarkable story of cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein (LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Ebersole), who defined beauty standards for the first half of the 20th Century. Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both women were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country's first major female entrepreneurs. They were also fierce competitors, whose 50-year tug-of-war would give birth to an industry that would forever change the face of America. From Fifth Avenue society to the halls of Congress, their intense rivalry was ruthless, relentless and legendary-pushing both women to build international empires in a world dominated by men.

Present Laughter, starring Academy Award® and two-time Tony Award® winner Kevin Kline in his triumphant return to Broadway, plays at the St. James Theatre (246 West 44th Street). Directed by Tony Award® nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Present Laughter will play through Sunday, July 2nd. BroadwayWorld was there at opening night and we're taking you to the star-studded red carpet below!

The Mischief Theatre production of The Play That Goes Wrong, the Olivier Award winning West End comedy, which officially began performances Thursday, March 9, opened on Broadway last night, April 2, at the Lyceum Theatre (149 West 45th Street).

The new American play Eclipsed by Danai Gurira, starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o, officially opened last night, March 6th, 2016 on Broadway at the Golden Theatre (252 W. 45th Street). The play also stars Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jah and Saycon Sengbloh and is directed by Liesl Tommy. BroadwayWorld was there for the special night and you can check out photos from the red carpet arrivals below!

BroadwayWorld was there to capture the opening night red carpet arrivals. 

Acclaimed Director James Lapine was honored with the 2015 "Mr. Abbott" Award for the outstanding artistry and creativity of his forty-year (and counting) career on Monday October 19th.

Just last night, New York Stage and Film 2014 Gala honored Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and veteran theatrical press agent Rick Miramontez at The Plaza Hotel. They were joined by celebrities and theater VIPs including Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka, Jon Hamm & Jennifer Westfeldt, John Slattery & Talia Balsam, Josh Radnor, Bill Pullman, Harvey Fierstein, Joel Grey, Ken Olin & Patricia Wettig, Carol Kane, Mark Linn-Baker, John Benjamin Hickey, Hunter Parrish, Billy Porter, Jessie Mueller, Sherie Rene Scott, Tommy Tune, Lena Hall, Stephen Trask, Matt Doyle, Bryce Pinkham, Steven Lutvak, Matt Doyle, Isabel & Ruben Toledo, Jon Tenney, Sakina Jaffrey and many more! BroadwayWorld brings you photos from inside the special evening below!

The Pulitzer Prize winning play Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar had its Broadway premiere last night, October 23, 2014, starring Hari Dhillon (star of the acclaimed London's Bush Theatre production), Gretchen Mol ('Boardwalk Empire'),Karen Pittman (Domesticated) and Josh Radnor ('How I Met Your Mother'). BroadwayWorld was there for the whole night of festivities and we take on the star-studded red carpet below!

Second Stage Theatre's 35th Anniversary Gala celebration just honored Carole Rothman, Artistic Director of Second StageTheatre, for her 35 years of supporting new works and artistic development in New York City theatre. This year's rock n' roll themed gala was attended by over 250 Second Stage Alumni who have worked at Second Stage Theatre during the past 35 years, from Brooke Adams and Polly Draper who appeared in the very first season, to cast members from the currently running The Substance of Fire and the upcoming American Hero which will make its New York premiere this summer at Second Stage Uptown. Special guests participating in the evening's festivities include Lynn Nottage, Cynthia Nixon, Tony Goldwyn, and more. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the special evening below!