Theodore S. Chapin News

The Lotte Lenya Competition, celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2012, seeks exceptionally talented young singer/actors who are dramatically and musically convincing in a wide range of musical theater styles for the 2012 competition. Contestants will compete for top prizes of $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500; additional special prizes will be awarded.

The American Theatre Wing today announced that applications are now being accepted for the 2012 Jonathan Larson® Grants. The grants, given annually to honor emerging composers, lyricists and book writers, help to continue Tony® Award-winning composer Jonathan Larson's dream of infusing musical theatre with a contemporary, joyful, urban vitality.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Heather Hitchens, Executive Director) has announced that its annual Gala will be held on Monday, September 26 at 6:30 PM at The Plaza Hotel (Fifth Avenue at Central Park South) and will honor Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Sony Corporation and longtime American Theatre Wing Board Member.

Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, announced that the American Theatre Wing has been recommended for a grant of $40,000 to support the Wing's SpringboardNYC and Theatre Intern Group programs for emerging artists and professionals. The American Theatre Wing is one of 1,145 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency's second round of fiscal year 2011 grants. In total, the Arts Endowment will distribute more than $88 million to support projects nationwide.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee announced today the Nominating Committee for the 2011-2012 Broadway season. The Tony Awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

Variety is reporting that due to a logistical decision to move the Tony Awards red carpet across the street from the Beacon theatre, and the hiring of a non-union crew to do so, the Local One union (who will work on the rest of the Awards) is threatening to protest and picket the red carpet. It's being speculated on by the trade paper that a Local One picket could result in Actors Equity members not walking the red carpet for the awards show.

The 65th Annual Tony Awards will be simulcast live to Times Square on Sunday, June 12th. The Tony Awards, in partnership with the Times Square Alliance and Clear Channel Spectacolor, in addition to simulcast co-sponsors, Daktronics Inc., Cohen & Perfetto LLP and the Broadway Association, will air the Tony Awards Red Carpet courtesy of NY1 and the entirety of the Tony Awards show, including the Creative Arts Awards, on Clear Channel's SpectacolorHD screen in Times Square on Sunday, June 12th, from 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) will welcome 35 students from 30 states for this year's SpringboardNYC summer program, being held June 6 - 17 in New York City for its seventh consecutive year.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) is now accepting applications for the 2011 SpringboardNYC summer program, being held June 6 - 17 in New York City.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) will welcome 35 students from 30 states for this year's SpringboardNYC summer program, being held June 6 - 17 in New York City for its seventh consecutive year.

VideoGenie, the expert in customer-generated video, today announced that it has partnered with the Tony Awards to launch an innovative fan generated social video campaign. Leading up to the 65th Annual Tony Awards, theater fans will have the unique opportunity to express 'What Broadway Means to Them' by recording and contributing personal video responses on The Tony Awards' Facebook page. The Tony Awards, which are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, will air live on CBS on Sunday, June 12th.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees) today announced that Heather Hitchens has been appointed as the organization's next Executive Director. The decision was made at a meeting of the American Theatre Wing's Board of Trustees on Wednesday, May 4. Hitchens is an energetic and nationally recognized arts executive, with nearly 20 years of experience in performing arts administration, policy, and program development. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the oldest and largest state arts agency in the country, with a budget of $40 million. Hitchens will begin her tenure as Executive Director on July 5, succeeding Howard Sherman, who has been the Wing's Executive Director for 8 years and concludes his tenure on June 30. During her four year tenure at NYSCA, Hitchens oversaw the distribution of over $123 million in grants to more than 2,000 New York State organizations in every artistic discipline. She also fostered closer collaboration and partnerships between the arts and other sectors including tourism, economic development, and parks, and in collaboration with a number of public and private funding sources, launched the Cultural Data Project, which is developing more comprehensive and reliable data about the impact of the arts in New York State. Prior to working with the NYSCA, Hitchens served as the CEO of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and the renowned national arts organization Meet The Composer, where she established a multi-million dollar endowment fund and fostered a thirty-fold increase in individual giving. She holds an M.S. in Arts Administration from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA and a B.M. in Percussion/Music Business from DePauw, Greencastle, IN. "The Wing is a uniquely collaborative organization," said Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman 0f the Board of Trustees. "Our fruitful and long-term partnership with the Broadway League in bestowing the Tony Awards is a key element of the Wing, as are our various media, educational, and grant-giving programs. Howard Sherman brought the Wing into modern times, expanding, creating and widening the scope of the activities with intelligence and skill, and his contributions have made the Wing a more important place. Building on what Howard achieved, our extraordinary search committee did yeoman service, and their choice of Heather Hitchens speaks well for us all. From my vantage point as Chairman, I feel Heather is the perfect person to guide us into the next phase of collaborations, mining new opportunities and strengthening old ones." "I am absolutely thrilled to become the American Theatre Wing's next Executive Director," enthused Heather Hitchens. "It is a tremendous opportunity to continue my life's work in advancing exceptional artists and their craft, and to return to the place that my career began and a place that I love - the theatre. I look forward to working with the Wing's board and staff to continue showcasing and supporting artistic excellence and innovation in the national theatre community." Search Committee-member and Tony Award®-winning playwright David Henry Hwang added, "From an impressive pool of final candidates, Heather Hitchens emerged as the Search Committee's unanimous choice. Her knowledge of the cultural sector is second to none, she has elevated every organization with which she has been associated, and she possesses a clear and practical vision to advance the Wing's mission. With Heather as our new Executive Director, the American Theatre Wing is poised to take a major step forward to support artistic excellence in the theatre." The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) is a not-for-profit organization best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League. In addition to "Downstage Center," "In The Wings," "Working in the Theatre," and a host of other online resources, The Wing operates many activities, all dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, including SpringboardNYC, the Theatre Intern Group, the National Theatre Company Grants and the Jonathan Larson Grants. Visitors to americantheatrewing.org can listen to, watch or download from ATW's extensive media collection, and learn more about all of its programming for students, aspiring and working professionals, and audiences who want to learn more about the making of theatre. Follow ATW on Facebook.com/TheAmericanTheatreWing, youtube.com/americantheatrewing and Twitter.com/TheWing.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees) today announced that Heather Hitchens has been appointed as the organization's next Executive Director.

As part of the run up to the 2011 Tony Awards, The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) used the opportunity of the yearly Tony Nominees Press Reception - held just 24 hours after Tony nominations are announced - to solicit some key thoughts from newly minted nominees on their lives and careers so that emerging artists everywhere might benefit.

As part of the run up to the 2011 Tony Awards, The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) used the opportunity of the yearly Tony Nominees Press Reception - held just 24 hours after Tony nominations are announced - to solicit some key thoughts from newly minted nominees on their lives and careers so that emerging artists everywhere might benefit. Over 35 nominees were interviewed, including Judith Light, John Larroquette, Victoria Clark, Forrest McClendon, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mark Rylance, Casey Nicholaw, George C. Wolfe, and Rory O'Malley. The 'Cues' videos will be rolled out individually on the ATW website at http://americantheatrewing.org/springboardnyc/cues2011.php between now and awards night on June 12, 2011. These moments mirror the experience of the American Theatre Wing's SpringboardNYC program, where 36 selected students starting their careers hear directly from working artists. Past SpringboardNYC mentors have included Allison Janney, Neil Patrick Harris, Anika Noni Rose, Paul Rudd, and Kathleen Marshall. For more information on SpringboardNYC, visit http://americantheatrewing.org/springboardnyc/.

Tune into BroadwayWorld.com at 8am on May 3 to watch past Tony winners Anika Noni Rose and Matthew Broderick announce the 2011 Tony Awards nominees! The video webcast will air live from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in New York City.

According to TonyAwards.com, 'The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards Ceremony has been relocated to the Beacon Theatre in 2011. While we have been able to offer limited public sale to the Tony Awards in the past, the reduced capacity of our new venue has required us to allocate seating very differently this year, and unfortunately there will be no tickets available for sale to the public. The best way to watch the Tony Awards is live on CBS, Sunday, June 12th at 8:00p.m./7c.'

This year's Tony nominations will be announced on May 3. The 65th annual Tony Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, June 12, 2011, broadcast on CBS. EW.com has revealed this morning that the announcers will be former Tony recipients Matthew Broderick (The Producers, The Odd Couple, The Philanthropist, Brighton Beach Memiors, How To Succeed in Business...) and Anika Noni Rose (Caroline or Change). The nominations will be announced at Lincoln Center's Public Library for Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center beginning at 8:30am.