Alan Henry - Page 25

Julie Taymor is no stranger to being innovative in the theater. In 1997 she became the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for her production of 'The Lion King.' That same night she also walked away with the prize for costume design. No one had ever seen a production on Broadway that was even remotely similar to 'The Lion King.' Taymor used to great effect techniques she had learned while studying masked dance-drama and puppetry in Indonesia (she had also studied these techniques at the American Society for Eastern Arts in Seattle.) Her combination of stunning visuals and expanded story telling led to an immediate hit - which is still running today and is one of the highest grossing musicals of all time.

Marlene Smith's production of BUDDY! THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY may be on hold until further notice. Tickets for the production, which was scheduled to play the Elgin Theatre, were set to go on sale on August 27th - but are not currently available according to Ticketmaster.

BroadwayWorld has an exclusive first look at Cirque du Soleil's brand new show, KURIOS - now playing in Toronto through October 26th. Take a look at the exclusive shots below! What if you could alter reality at will? Delve into a world of curiosity where seeing is disbelieving: the world of KURIOS - Cabinet of Curiosities from Cirque du Soleil®. The show immerses you in a mysterious and fascinating realm that disorients your senses and challenges your perceptions, leaving you to wonder: 'Is it real, or just a figment of my imagination?'

A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of orchestra seats will be held for WICKED, which is returning to the Ed Mirvish Theatre for a nine-week engagement September 3 through November 2. Two and one-half hours prior to each performance, people who present themselves at the Ed Mirvish Theatre box office, 244 Victoria Street will have their names placed in a lottery drum; thirty minutes later, names will be drawn for a limited number of orchestra seats at $25 each, cash only. This lottery is available only in-person at the box office, with a limit of two tickets per person. Lottery participants must have a valid photo ID when submitting their entry form and, if chosen, when purchasing tickets.

Stratford Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino has announced a season of Discovery for 2015 with 13 plays exploring eureka moments, whether they be scientific discoveries, creative accomplishments, the dawning of a deeper understanding of human nature or the epiphanies of self-knowledge. These themes, as they are reflected in art, science and our personal lives, will be further explored through more than 150 events at the Stratford Festival Forum. The 2015 season will also see a number of creative artists pursuing new work through the Stratford Festival Laboratory, Mr. Cimolino's centre for creative research and development, including adaptations of an early Urdu novel and a children's story, as well as a new approach to four of Shakespeare's history plays.

After enrapturing theatre goers during it's 2013 New York stage run, legendary theatre and film director Julie Taymor (The Lion King, Frida, Across The Universe, Titus, The Tempest) brings her sumptuous production of William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM to the screen in a unique cinematic theatrical experience.

Before The Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix or Cobain, there was Buddy! Nu Musical Productions (NuMu) is proud to present BUDDY! THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY with a Canadian company of established and emerging musical theatre artists including: Troy Adams (Angels in America, Part 1 & 2/Soulpepper, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown/Stratford Theatre Festival); Danny Balkwill (We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia National Tours); Susan Dunstan (The Lion King US/National Tour, Lord of the Rings/Mirvish Productions); Zachary Knowles (A Midsummer Nights Dream/Saint Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Judy Kovacs (CATS/NuMu, The Little Mermaid and Snow White/Ross Petty Productions;Oscar Moreno (West Side Story/Grand Theatre, Urinetown/Stageworks Toronto); Dana Jean Phoenix (The Musical of Musicals, The Musical!/Mirvish Productions, The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen/Summerworks); Jay T. Schramek (CATS/NuMu, Mamma Mia/Mirvish Productions); Kent Sheridan (Dirty Dancing, Mamma Mia/Mirvish Productions); David Silvestri: (42nd Street/Stratford Festival, Guys and Dolls/Drayton Festival); Jeremy Walmsley (Harvey, Jane Eyre/ Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre).

BroadwayWorld has learned that the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company will present BELLA: THE COLOUR OF LOVE starting October 15 through November 2nd at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts.

BroadwayWorld has exclusive photo coverage from a publicity shoot for the cast of Cinderella below. Danielle Wade will make her panto debut in CINDERELLA - THE GAGS TO RICHES at the Elgin Theatre (part of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, the last active double decker performance venue in the world) from November 21 2014 to January 4, 2015.

One of the standout, new scripted television series of last year was SLEEPY HOLLOW - which airs Mondays on Fox. The show, which premiered to 10.10 million viewers maintained steady ratings throughout the entire first season - and an expanded second season was commissioned by Fox to air starting fall 2014.

The Shaw Festival today announced the 2015 season playbill. The Shaw's 54th season features 11 productions including the re-envisioning of two enduring Shaw comedies and two newly commissioned Canadian works. The 2015 season will feature Sweet Charity, Pygmalion, Light Up the Sky, Peter and the Starcatcher, You Never Can Tell, The Divine, The Lady from the Sea, Top Girls, The Twelve- Pound Look, The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Socialism and Capitalism with a Key to the Scriptures (IHO) and The Next Whisky Bar - A Kurt Weill Cabaret.

The graduating students of Toronto's Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, Canada's premiere Triple Threat post- secondary training program, appearing in the academy's production of Stephen Sondheim's 'Into the Woods' received quite a surprise Friday night . Among backstage visitors congratulating them was David Krane, the music arranger of Disney's forthcoming musical adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp.

Today it was announced that the film version of Jason Robert Brown's musical THE LAST FIVE YEARS will premier at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this fall. The movie will be shown as part of the 'Special Presentations' series. No further details about the TIFF screening have been released.

Open call auditions for ensemble roles in the upcoming new sit-down Canadian production of ONCE will take place on Saturday July 26 at 9:30am at the Randolph Academy. ONCE is a show performed by actor/musicians who can tell stories, create nuanced characters and make music and movement together as an ensemble. Each performer must be proficient at playing a musical instrument, or, put another way, each musician must be a skilled actor who can disappear under the skin of another character.

BroadwayWorld has just confirmed that Toronto's favorite Dorothy will be trading in her ruby slippers for a pair made of glass instead! Danielle Wade will make her panto debut in CINDERELLA - FROM GAGS TO RICHES at the Elgin Theatre (part of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, the last active double decker performance venue in the world) from November 21 2014 to January 4, 2015.

I am a huge fan of the Toronto Fringe Festival! It's a great platform for new shows to be presented to audiences. Some get picked up for the Mirvish Season - or by other theatre companies, and one has even made it all the way to Broadway (The Drowsy Chaperone.)

Nu Musical Productions (NuMu) announced today they will move their operations into the century-old Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre complex, and launch a new series of musical theatre presentations.

The Toronto Fringe Festival has announced the lineup for the Best of Fringe, selected and presented at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. Eight fringe productions will be presented in the Studio Theatre between July 16, 2014 and July 30, 2014.

I am pleased to announce that BroadwayWorld is expanding it's extensive audition listings to include the Greater Toronto Area, as well as listings for other Canadian Cities. The audition listings database has been a staple of BroadwayWorld's offerings for a number of years now, and we are very pleased to be able to bring this resource to our Canadian readers as well. Now, you'll be able to get the most up-to-date audition information from the same resource where you already get the most up to date and in-depth theatre coverage available.

Open call auditions for ensemble roles in the upcoming new sit-down Canadian production of ONCE will take place on Saturday July 26 at 9:30am at the Randolph Academy. ONCE is a show performed by actor/musicians who can tell stories, create nuanced characters and make music and movement together as an ensemble. Each performer must be proficient at playing a musical instrument, or, put another way, each musician must be a skilled actor who can disappear under the skin of another character.