Tazewell Thompson News

Celebrating 50 years, and the first full season under the artistic leadership of Gary L. Wasserman Artistic Director Yuval Sharon, Michigan Opera Theatre is poised to mount its first fully staged opera in nearly two years.

The first full production in its 2021-2022 season, the opera company will present Tazewell Thompson’s powerful opera, BLUE for two performances, September 11 & 12 both at 7PM at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre.

BLUE features a richly evocative libretto by playwright Tazewell Thompson (MOT's A View from the Bridge) and masterful score by lauded theatrical composer Jeanine Tesori (Broadway's Fun Home and Caroline, or Change). 

This new initiative allows Professional Company Members to receive up to $10,000 to subsidize as much as 50 percent of the fee of a woman stage director or conductor who is contracted for the first time by the company.

Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie have announced the 2021/22 lineup for the company’s 72nd Season. Arena is excited to welcome back audiences into our spaces and roar back with an ambitious, thrilling season packed with drama, humor, high-energy music and stories that bring us together.

Opera Saratoga announced today that AMERICA SINGS, the company's free concert series that was created to amplify the voices of artists from racial groups historically underrepresented on the concert stage, will return to Caffè Lena this month on Friday, May 21st, welcoming baritone Justin Austin and pianist/composer Damien Sneed to its historic venue for A Tribute to Langston Hughes.

Washington National Opera today announced its 2021–2022 season featuring a triumphant return to the Opera House stage, four world premiere commissions celebrating the Kennedy Center’s 50th Anniversary, debuts from acclaimed and rising opera stars, the return to the pit for Principal Conductor Evan Rogister and the WNO Orchestra & Chorus, and more.

After more than a year without live, in-person performances due to COVID-19, Seattle Opera will officially return to the theater this fall with its 2021/22 Season. Offerings include immortal favorites (La bohème, The Marriage of Figaro), historic works with a modern twist (Orpheus and Eurydice), plus an award-winning piece speaking to racial injustice in America (Blue).

Renowned international music conservatory Manhattan School of Music (MSM) announced today that esteemed educator, director, and arts ambassador Dr. Carleen Graham will join the Vocal Arts division as the School's inaugural Associate Dean and Director of Vocal Arts beginning on July 1, 2021.

The Glimmerglass Festival, the summer opera and musical theater festival in Cooperstown, New York, has announced plans for the summer of 2021 in the wake of its 2020 season cancelation due to COVID-19. The 2021 season will run July 15 through August 17.

Indie Opera Productions announces the tenth anniversary of Indie Opera Podcast. In March, the company celebrates ten years of informative, humorous, and insightful episodes which have highlighted the boldest and most innovative opera artists and companies of the twenty-first century.

Seattle Opera announces the inaugural cohort of the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab, which aims to support a new generation of storytellers in opera. The initiative is open to Washington artists ages 18–30 of all backgrounds—including those without opera experience. The 15 people selected will create short works, which will be performed in Tagney Jones Hall at the Opera Center in 2021.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces today that it will cancel all previously scheduled programs through April 25, 2021, due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Washington National Opera's spring productions and much of the late spring and early summer touring theater programs have been canceled.

On Thursday, November 19th, in partnership with Caffè Lena, Opera Saratoga will launch AMERICA SINGS, a monthly concert series featuring an array of diverse, internationally acclaimed artists.

A $1 million gift to the Seattle Opera will help usher in a more diverse generation of storytellers in opera, with a focus on composers and librettists ages 18–30.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society announces the digital publication of the Fall 2020 issue of its magazine, SDC Journal. The special issue, running 80 pages, is focused on the devastating impact of COVID-19 on theatre and theatre artists, and the long-overdue racial reckoning and call for equity in all facets of society, including the theatre.

Syracuse Stage has announced plans for adjustments to the 2020/2021 season in order to address the continuing impact of the Covid-19 virus. Three previously announced plays will be replaced in the six show season. The Cold Read Festival of New Plays returns with additional enhanced experiences. A series of community focused performances and conversations will be added and subscribers will be given access to a series of special interviews and behind the scenes looks guided by Syracuse Stage artistic leadership.

Syracuse Stage announced today plans for adjustments to the 2020/2021 season in order to address the continuing impact of the Covid-19 virus.

While Broadway remains shut down, BroadwayWorld is keeping up with your favorite stars and giving you a peek at what they have been up to! Check out yesterday's highlights from some of your favorites, including Sierra Boggess, stars of Freestyle Love Supreme, and more!

With the support of The Glimmerglass Festival, the a?oeBluea?? casts of The Glimmerglass Festival and Washington National Opera joined for a poignant musical offering from the Music Critics Association of North Americaa??s Best New Opera of 2020.