Please mark your calendars for the next Steps Beyond's Artists Talk: "Hear It From The Pros," a discussion on working in the business of Broadway with three stars who have enjoyed successful and long-term careers. DONNA McKECHNIE, GROVER DALE, and RANDY SKINNER will share fascinating stories and information about their years on Broadway, TV, film, and cabaret, discussing how to thrive, survive, and stay relevant in a competitive and ever-changing business. The artists will also take questions, and a reception will follow.
It all takes place tonight, January 24 at 7 PM, at Steps on Broadway, 2121 Broadway. Tickets: $10 (includes reception following the presentation). Reservations: 212.874.2410 x127.
DONNA McKECHNIE went down in musical theater history in 1976 when she received a Tony Award for the role of Cassie, a character based in great part on herself, in A Chorus Line. McKechnie has sung for
Stephen Sondheim, acted for
Hal Prince, hoofed for
Bob Fosse, even appeared in a regular role on the Gothic TV soap opera Dark Shadows. Her rich and extensive bio includes appearing on Broadway and London's West End in Promises-Promises, Company, Can-Can, On the Town, How to Succeed...., A Funny Thing...,and Follies, to name just a few. She has appeared on
the concert stage, with symphony orchestras, and in supper clubs with her award-winning one-woman musical My Musical Comedy Life. Her memoir, Time Steps - My Musical Comedy Life, was published by Simon and Schuster. Most recently, Donna created the staging for a production of Six Lessons in Six Weeks, starring
Leslie Caron, and co-starring in 4 Girls 4, with
Andrea McArdle,
Maureen McGovern, and
Faith Prince.
GROVER DALE came to NY on a bus from McKeesport, Pa. with $130 in his pocket and a passion to dance. He made his Broadway debut in the 1956 musical Li'l Abner, appeared as one of the Jets in the original cast of West Side Story, understudied
Anthony Perkins in Greenwillow, had the juvenile lead in Noel Coward's Sail Away, and was featured in Half A Sixpence, all on Broadway. His film credits include a featured role in The Unsinkable
Molly Brown, Half A Sixpence, and The Landlord. Dale was nominated for the Tony Award twice, for his choreography of Billy, and his direction of The Magic Show. He was nominated for an Emmy for his choreography of
Barry Manilow's 1985 TV musical Copacabana, and he shared Best Director Tony Award with
Jerome Robbins as co-director of
Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Ever supportive of young talent, Dale founded the website Answers4Dancers.com in 1999 in order to "empower dancers and choreographers to think, to grow, and to create satisfying careers for themselves..."
RANDY SKINNER is a director/choreographer/performer whose work has been seen on Broadway, National and International tours, and Regional theaters. As a Broadway performer, he appeared in A Chorus Line, Gypsy, Dames at Sea, Hello Dolly, Pal Joey, High Spirits, Once More with Feeling, Walking Happy, and Babes in Arms, directed by
Ginger Rogers. Skinner's choreography for one of Broadway's greatest hits, 42nd Street, was rewarded with nominations from the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Astaire committees. Other choreographic credits include Do Re Mi, Of Thee I Sing, Face the Music, and No No Nanette (all presented by
City Center Encores!), Lucky in the Rain, George M, and Babes at Arms (all at
Goodspeed Opera House), Ain't Broadway Grand (on Broadway), Stormy Weather (with
Leslie Uggams/
Pasadena Playhouse), Puttin' On the Ritz (Kennedy Center), and the current touring production of White Christmas. His awards include the LA. Drama Critics Award, the L.A. Dramalogue Award, the Connecticut Critics Award, and the Cleveland Times Theatre Award.
STEPS BEYOND FOUNDATION is a nonprofit dedicated to sustaining and developing dance artists and to the cultivation of the dance community. Specifically, the Foundation is committed to providing collaborative opportunities among emerging and established artists through education and scholarships, mentorships, seminars and workshops, and performances. For more information, visit
www.stepsnyc.com.
