T.J. Anderson News

Underscore Theatre and The Den Theatre are pleased to present an all-new staging of the Jeff Award-nominated Best New Musical HAYMARKET (formerly Haymarket: The Anarchist's Songbook) the true story of Chicago's infamous Haymarket massacre. With book, music and lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser and David Kornfeld, the actors accompany themselves to the stirring folk-infused score. Having spent the last two years workshopping the show, the authors alongside director Nick Thornton and musical director Robert Ollis have crafted an all-new theatrical experience - creating new songs, overhauling the book, and like the union workers from the show, building anew.

Following their Jeff Recommended run of They're Playing Our Song and the Chicago Reader Recommended Speech & Debate, Brown Paper Box Co. is proud to announce its 2018/2019 season. With an exciting regional premiere fresh out of New York - cast by lottery each night live on stage, a Chicago storefront chamber musical premiere, a new cabaret at Mary's Attic in Andersonville, and a Spring 2019 Special Event to be announced soon, BPBCo.'s upcoming season has a little bit of something for everyone & everybody.

Just in time for Halloween, Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to launch its 2017-18 Season with the world premiere of with CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody), an irreverent, rock-infused send-up of Stephen King's iconic horror film Carrie and its subsequent spin-off The Rage: Carrie 2, featuring a book, music and lyrics by Preston Max Allen.

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to announce casting for its world premiere of CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody), an irreverent, rock-infused send-up of Stephen King's iconic horror film Carrie and its subsequent spin-off The Rage: Carrie 2, featuring a book, music and lyrics by Preston M. Allen.

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to announce its full 2017-18 Season, kicking off this fall with CARRIE 2: THE RAGE (An Unauthorized Musical Parody).

Black Button Eyes Productions presents the Chicago storefront premiere of SHOCKHEADED PETER, the silly and sinister musical based on Heinrich Hoffmann's popular German children's book The Struwwelpeter. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford with music direction by T.J. Anderson and choreography by Derek Van Barham, SHOCKHEADED PETER was created for the stage by Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott with original music and lyrics by The Tiger Lillies. SHOCKHEADED PETER plays now through September 16, 2017 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a new selection of production photos from the show below!

Black Button Eyes Productions presents the Chicago storefront premiere of SHOCKHEADED PETER, the silly and sinister musical based on Heinrich Hoffmann's popular German children's book The Struwwelpeter. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford with music direction by T.J. Anderson and choreography by Derek Van Barham, SHOCKHEADED PETER was created for the stage by Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott with original music and lyrics by The Tiger Lillies. SHOCKHEADED PETER runs now through September 16, 2017 at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., in Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

American Composers Orchestra (ACO) announces its complete 2017-2018 season, Dreamscapes, under the leadership of Artistic Director Derek Bermel, Music Director George Manahan, and President Edward Yim, featuring ten world, U.S., and New York premieres by a diverse set of composers. ACO continues its concerts at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall (December 8, 2017 and April 6, 2018) while expanding its presence in New York to include performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center (November 7, 2017) and as part of the 2018 PROTOTYPE Festival (January 12-14, 2018). ACO continues to take its commitment to fostering new work beyond the stage in its annual Underwood New Music Readings (June 21 and 22, 2018) for emerging composers, now in its 27th year, and through EarShot, the National Orchestra Composition Discovery Network, which brings the Readings experience to orchestras across the country.

Black Button Eyes Productions is pleased to present the Chicago storefront premiere of SHOCKHEADED PETER, the silly and sinister musical based on Heinrich Hoffmann's popular German children's book The Struwwelpeter. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Ed Rutherford with music direction by T.J. Anderson, SHOCKHEADED PETER was created for the stage by Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott with original music and lyrics by The Tiger Lillies.

Black Button Eyes Productions is pleased to announce casting for the Chicago storefront premiere of SHOCKHEADED PETER, the silly and sinister musical based on Heinrich Hoffmann's popular German children's book The Struwwelpeter.

The Nora Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Alan Brody's The Midvale High School Fiftieth Reunion from June 1 - July 2, 2017. The Midvale High School Fiftieth Reunion is directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner. The press performance is Monday, June 5 at 7:30PM.

 It is with great excitement Brown Paper Box Co. announces a change-up and addition to their Executive Team as they continue their 2017/2018 season. Co-founding members Anna Schutz and M. William Panek are making the move to Executive Director and Marketing Director, respectively. They are joined by Kristi Szczepanek in the company's newest Executive role, Director of Community Outreach & Development. Kristi has gone above and beyond as Company Admin and has proven herself as a driven, organized, and forward-thinking leader in her short time as Artistic Associate.

The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) has released three new albums over the past six months on its in-house recording label, TUNDRA, an imprint of New Focus Recordings, including George Lewis: The Will to Adorn, released in January 2017; Aesopica: Music of Marcos Balter, released in October 2016; and ism, released in September 2016.

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center has announced a week of community conversation while teaming up with Spectrum Dance Theater.

Psmith - one of the most popular characters created by British humorist P.G. Wodehouse - will come to life on the City Lit stage this fall in an original stage adaptation by Artistic Director Terry McCabe, who will also stage the comedy. Richard Eisloeffel will star as Psmith. Also in the cast are T. J. Anderson, John Blick, Nicholas Roy Caesar, Joe Ciresi, Patrick Delaney, George Ellison, Jay Hobson, Robert Kaercher, Charles Schoenherr and Lee Wichman, McCabe, who will direct the production, announced casting today.

Psmith - one of the most popular characters created by British humorist P.G. Wodehouse - will come to life on the City Lit stage this fall in an original stage adaptation by Artistic Director Terry McCabe, who will also stage the comedy. Richard Eisloeffel will star as Psmith. Also in the cast are T. J. Anderson, John Blick, Nicholas Roy Caesar, Joe Ciresi, Patrick Delaney, George Ellison, Jay Hobson, Robert Kaercher, Charles Schoenherr and Lee Wichman, McCabe, who will direct the production, announced casting today.

Underscore Theatre Company is pleased to present its third annual CHICAGO MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL, featuring 14 new musical productions. Created to showcase and support Chicago's burgeoning field of musical theatre creators, this year's festival will be held August 9 - 28, 2016 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. Each production will receive four performances during the Festival. The full schedule (Tuesdays - Sundays) and can be found at www.cmtf.org, with tickets currently on sale ($20 per show, $200 all-festival rush passes). The press "sneak preview," featuring a sampling of songs from the 2016 Festival, is Monday, August 8 at 7:30 pm.

The cast and staff of Brown Paper Box Co.'s summer production of Now. Here. This. was surprised on Friday, August 5 by the show's original creative team, collaborators, and stars. Jeff Bowen (music and lyrics), Tony Award nominee Hunter Bell (book), and original director and choreographer Michael Berresse caught the Chicago premiere of their work and met with Brown Paper Box Co.'s team and audience members following the performance. The cast, band, and staff took to social media to share the excitement - check out photos below!

Aimee Mann is working on a musical with playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly)... Edie Brickell has just collaborated with Steve Martin (Bright Star)... and now the popular Texas-by-way-of-Nashville Americana artist Kevin Welch is collaborating with a Chicago playwright (L.C. Bernadine) on a new musical called WILL THE CIRCLE, which debuts August 20th as part of this year's Chicago Music Theatre Festival at Victory Gardens Theatre.