Out From Under 1940 - Articles Page 6

In the theatre world, your first time seeing Rodgers & Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA! is essentially a rite of passage. You either love it or you don't-and the pendulum can swing either direction depending on the actors, designers, and director's choices. Ever since I sat in my Survey of Musical Theatre class freshman year, watching the 1999 film of Oklahoma! , I've been waiting to see a live production. Whether you are an Oklahoma addict or have never heard of the show before, do your soul a favor and experience this joyful, unreplicable production.

The Kennedy Center today unveiled an all-star lineup and new producers for the 21st annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which this year will celebrate Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Under the direction of the creative team from Done + Dusted, the Kennedy Center's new producing partner for the Mark Twain Prize, the cast will feature many of Louis-Dreyfus's admirers, friends, and collaborators, including Stephen Colbert, Bryan Cranston, Tina Fey, Ilana Glazer, Tony Hale, Abbi Jacobson, Keegan-Michael Key, Kumail Nanjiani, and Jerry Seinfeld. The live Gala Performance will take place on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 8:00 p.m. ET in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, and will be taped by WETA Washington, D.C.

Lisa B. Thompson burst onto the Austin theatre scene in a big way last season with her play UNDERGROUND, which was not only nominated for most of the awards given in Austin, but also managed to walk away with a few. She capped off the season by winning the New Play award from Austin Playhouse's annual playwrighting contest. The contest winning play, MONROE, is opening at Austin Playhouse on September 7th in a World Premiere production. Thompson, besides these two plays, is also the author of the book Beyond The Black Lady: Sexuality And The New African American Middle Class (University of Illinois Press, 2009) which received Honorable Mention in competition for the Gloria E. Anzaldua Book Prize from the National Women's Studies Association. Her work has appeared in Theatre Journal, Theatre Survey, Finding A Way Home: A Critical Assessment Of Walter Mosley's Fiction (University Press of Mississippi, 2008), and From Bourgeois to Boojie: Black Middle-Class Performances (Wayne State University Press, 2011). Her plays include Single Black Female (Samuel French, Inc., 2012) which has been produced throughout the U.S. and Canada. BroadwayWorld recently had the opportunity to sit down with Thompson to talk, in depth, about her new play MONROE, right before it makes its World Premiere at Austin Playhouse to open their season.

Blues Hall of Fame member, Tom "the Suit" Forst will share his story "From the Boardroom to the Bandstand" in words and music accompanied by his band, when the Palace Theater's new 2ND ACT series debuts Monday September 17 at 6:00pm Tickets for 2ND ACT, the new monthly speaker's series featuring stories presented by ordinary people doing extraordinary things after mid-life, include a light meal.

Two short one-acts, "Wild Orchids" and "Rosary Hill" by Heather J. Violanti, will debut September 10 to 16 in a double bill presented by Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival. "Wild Orchids" is a film noir-esque, feminist, and fictionalized take on 1940's Hollywood, where a secretary has a chance encounter with William Faulkner that may change both their lives. In "Rosary Hill,' two gentle nuns tend to their garden in upstate New York but a closer look at the harsh Mother Superior reveals they may not be all that they seem. Both plays feature canny, nuanced female characters who have much more going on under the surface than meets the eye. Jennifer Sandella directs.

Bergen County Players (BCP), one of America's longest-running little theater companies, is proud to open its 86th season with the Tony Award-winning musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.   With Book, Music and Lyrics written by Rupert Holmes, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is based on an unfinished novel by Charles Dickens. Under the direction of Steve Bell, The Mystery of Edwin Droodwill be performed at the Little Firehouse Theatre in Oradell from September 8th through October 6th, 2018.  Shows will be on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.bcplayers.org, by calling 201-261-4200 or by visiting the box office at 298 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell during regular box office hours. 

The Lark Theater is pleased to present Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense as part of their Rockin' at the Lark On The Big Screen series. Over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983, filmmaker Jonathan Demme joined creative forces with cinematographer Jordan Cronenweth and Talking Heads... and miracles occurred. Following a staging concept by singer-guitarist David Byrne, this euphoric concert film transcends that all-too-limited genre to become the greatest film of its kind. A guaranteed cure for anyone's blues, it's a celebration of music that never grows old, fueled by the polyrhythmic pop-funk precision that was a Talking Heads trademark, and lit from within by the geeky supernova that is David Byrne.

On Monday, August 13th, The Flat Rock Playhouse and the Supporting Players Guild will transform the Rock in celebration of a longstanding tradition, The Annual Dark Night Fundraiser. Beginning at 6 PM, the evening will feature Flat Rock Playhouse favorite, Nat Zegree, as the headlining performer alongside the 2018 Apprentice Company and special guests. This rousing fundraiser will celebrate both the best of The Flat Rock Playhouse and the creation of Broadway quality theater as well as the dynamic craftsmanship within the local community. Attendees can expect a delightful evening full of top-notch food, drink, and entertainment at the historic Flat Rock Playhouse Mainstage where innovation meets tradition for Dark NAT Revue: Cultivating the Craft of the Arts!

Tanglewood's season-long Bernstein centennial celebration will culminate in a gala concert on Bernstein's actual 100th birthday, August 25, to be recorded by Great Performances for an exclusive U.S. broadcast premiere December 28 at 9 p.m. on PBS

One person who we have to thank for the influencing the tradition of summer stock theatre is none other than John Kenley, whose legacy lives on today. From the 1940s - 1990s, John Kenley championed summer theatre and brought shows to small towns across America.

First look images from the rehearsal rooms of Hope Mill Theatre's forthcoming production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love have been released.

Tanglewood's season-long Bernstein centennial celebration-one of the most comprehensive looks at Bernstein's amazing impact on the worlds of music and theater taking place in the anniversary year-will culminate in a gala concert on Bernstein's actual 100th birthday, August 25. Reflecting the season-long theme, The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood concert will spotlight Bernstein's wide-ranging talents as a composer, his many gifts as a great interpreter and champion of other composers, his role as an inspirer of a new generation of musicians and music lovers across the country and around the globe, and his presence as a driving musical force at Tanglewood, 1940-1990.

The latest production to open at the Stratford Festival, is the Eugene O'Neill classic LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT. Directed by Miles Potter, this emotional and honest production will rip your heart out and leave you thinking about the family it is based on for days. It is an absolute must-see this season at the Festival.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will pay homage to the glittering world of Hollywood musicals with Mad About Musicals!, a special month of programming celebrating timeless movie musicals such as The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain and Cabaret. TCM is once again partnering with Ball State University and Canvas to offer a free online multimedia course tied to this programming special about the history of the musical genre and its evolution with cultural and technological shifts. Enrollment is open until June 17 and fans can sign up for the course at musicals.tcm.com.

 In the context of ongoing national debates over immigration, the timely new two-hour documentary The Chinese Exclusion Act, from Emmy® Award winning documentary filmmakers Ric Burns and Li-Shin Yu, will debut as a special presentation of the award-winning PBS television series American Experience on Tuesday, May 29 2018 at 8:00-10:00 PM ET. The film is narrated by actor Hoon Lee (Banshee).

Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer,  will serve as Utah State University's commencement speaker for its 131st graduation ceremony tomorrow. Maestro Fischer will also receive an honorary doctorate during the ceremony.

Austin Playhouse recently produced staged readings of the three winning plays from their Festival of New Texas Plays. EIDOPHUSIKON by Reina Hardy kicked off the festival on Friday, April 27, NUTSHELL by C. Denby Swanson was on Saturday, April 28, and MONROE by Lisa B. Thompson concluded the lineup on Sunday, April 29. Along with the professional staged reading, which featured Austin Playhouse directors and company members, each of the winning playwrights received a $500 prize.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra (LO) under the direction of Music Director Christopher Wilkins, and Executive Director Jo Frances Meyer,  announces its 2018 season of free concerts at the DCR's Hatch Memorial Shell on the Esplanade. Concerts will be held every Wednesday evening (7 p.m.) from July 11 through August 29, 2018. For more information visit landmarksorchestra.org.

The Vaults today announces its new experience Sounds and Sorcery celebrating Disney Fantasia, a brand new immersive experience which will open this summer, in the year Mickey Mouse celebrates his 90th anniversary. Inspired by the classic 1940 Disney film, a series of unique installations will bring some of the world's most iconic classical music to life in a multi-sensory experience. The production will open 3 July, with opening night for press on 11 July.

The Tennessee Williams Company's latest production may raise an eyebrow after seeing playwright Moises Kaufman's name attached, but rest assured, ONE ARM is most ardently Tennessee Williams' work. It is the latest production in keeping with the company's mission to bring the rare gems of Williams canon to broader audiences.

Edward Gardner will make his New York Philharmonic debut conducting Debussy's Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra, featuring The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence Leif Ove Andsnes in his final appearances with the Orchestra in that role. The program will also include Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Sibelius's Pohjola's Daughter. The performances will take place on Thursday, April 26, 2018, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, April 28 at 8:00 p.m.; they will perform the same program at Long Island University's Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, April 27 at 8:00 p.m.

Rubicon Theatre presents a timely and trenchant production of Shakespeare's tragedy KING LEAR as the centerpiece of the company's 20th Anniversary Season. Directed by Co-Founder James O'Neil, the production features a 20-member cast led by acclaimed actor and company memberGeorge Ball, who has starred in previous Rubicon productions of All My Sons, Man of La Mancha, and Jacques Brel… (New York, L.A., and international companies of the latter).

Today Wolverhampton Grand Theatre announced that Gill Jordan will join the cast of A GRAND MUSIC HALL for three performances on Monday 4 - Tuesday 5 June 2018.

Following a sell-out season at the Abbey Theatre as part of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the 1916 Easter Rising, as well as a successful Irish and US tour, The Plough and the Stars comes to the Lyric Hammersmith as a co-production with the Abbey Theatre.

St phane Den ve will conduct the New York Philharmonic in an all-Prokofiev program featuring the Violin Concerto No. 1, with James Ehnes as soloist; selections from Romeo and Juliet; and The Love for Three Oranges Suite, Today, January 25, 2018, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m.; and Saturday, January 27 at 8:00 p.m.