David Green - Page 5

Like an oasis springing up in the Desert after a year of theatrical drought, the award-winning Dezart Performs of Palm Springs (www.dezartperforms.org) returns with a full four-play schedule that brings music, mayhem, mirth and an exploration of mental health to the fore in their 14thSeason. First up is the critically-acclaimed Todd Almond / Matthew Sweet musical GIRLFRIEND (October 27 – 30) taking place outside at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater.  Kicking off the new year, the company returns to its traditional home at thePearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club / 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs) with Katori Hall’s THE MOUNTAINTOP  (January 14 – 23), a bold reimagining of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s final night. Next is Heidi Schreck’sdramatic exploration of compassion and forgiveness as seen through the eyes of a nun in a Bronx soup kitchen, GRAND CONCOURSE (March 4 – 13). Rounding out the calendar is the one-person comedy/drama EVERY BRILLIANT THING (April 1 – 10) by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe and directed by Deborah Harmon. EVERY BRILLIANT THING was originally the final production of the 2020 Season, delayed by COVID. 

Scott Clinkscales, an award-winning Performer, Choreographer, Musical and Artistic Director with many of the pre-eminent theatres in both the Morongo Basin and greater Coachella Valley proudly announces his one man show: MY LIFE SO FAR THROUGH SONG – A COMING OF AGE CABARET, is coming to Theatre 29 for one weekend only, August 6 & 7 at 7:00PM. Clinkscales said, “My Life So Far Through Song, it’s a coming-of-age cabaret talking about my life and what I have gone through to get to where I am now.

The Executive Committee and Board of Trustees of the McCallum Theatre have voted unanimously at a special meeting to enact a requirement that all persons attending performances for the 2021-2022 Grand Reopening Season will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to gain admittance to the Theatre.   

The Palm Springs Young Playwrights Festival (PSYPF), which promotes and encourages creative writing - in the theatrical form - open to all elementary, middle and high school students within Riverside County, has announced the Festival’s 2021 winners. The plays submitted were reviewed by a selection committee and winners were chosen. Each winner will receive a mentorship to enhance their play, a free to the public staged reading by professional actors in June 2022, and a $500 scholarship to help further their career in the arts.

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Michael Holmes finished another sold-out performance of the signature “The Judy Show!” at Palm Springs’ Purple Room Supper Club — according to legend the first place “The Rat Pack” of Sinatra fame first performed. Little did Holmes realize his makeup jar would stay closed for 18 COVID enforced months. Now, assisted by a successful GoFundMe campaign fueled by fans from around the world, Holmes and a full season of internationally renowned performers will relaunch the famous and acclaimed venue beginning August 31 including two performances by the incredible Sam Harris  on September 3 and 4.

After 16 months shuttered by the pandemic, the nonprofit Palm Canyon Theatre is running its first live stage production - You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Players will portray Charlie Brown and the Peanuts Gang based on the popular comic strip by Charles M. Schultz. The beloved Peanuts Gang characters jump off the page in this colorful and comforting musical. Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Sally, Schroeder, and Snoopy – the dog – experience the joys and perils of childhood in an often thoughtful and enlightened way.

After more than 15 months of a darkened stage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Coachella Valley Repertory is welcoming back live audiences. “Welcoming patrons back to the Playhouse is an incredible feeling. Live arts are so important to the community, and the entire board, staff and volunteers are so excited to return,” said Ron Celona, Artistic Director.

Michael Childers’ star-studded musical production of One Night Only “Back to the ’70s” will be presented on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 6:00 p.m., at the McCallum Theatre for the Performing Arts. This year’s show benefits Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary. One Night Only is now in its 15th successful year as one of the Desert’s most thrilling theatrical evening.

With new state reopening guidance, members of the Alliance of Desert Theatres (AODT) are committed to restarting the arts, which will help our communities recover, reflect and rebuild. Most companies are planning full seasons starting this fall. Several are also offering live performances this summer, in-person summer youth programs and other workshops. AODT is a cooperative of producing theatre companies and live entertainment organizations in the Coachella Valley and Morongo Basin that network and take action in order to advocate for and nurture a vibrant performing arts community.

Coyote StageWorks, the Coachella Valley-based award-winning Actors’ Equity professional theatre company, announced that its founder and board of directors have decided to close the venerated theatre company after 13 years. Along with other theatre companies around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Coyote to cancel its 2019-2020 season, and that closure has continued due to the uncertainty thus far in 2021. This period of forced introspection led Coyote’s leadership to conclude that this was the right time to permanently close the company while celebrating its many accomplishments and accolades.

The McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California announced today the appointment of Yvonne Bell as its new Vice President of Development and Tony Jilek-Guidry as Vice President of Marketing, Sales & Guest Services.  Both executives have begun their work with the McCallum Senior Management team.

The Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus (PSGMC) is proud to continue its 22nd Season with 'Easter Parade Drive-In Edition,' Saturday, April 10 at 7:00p.m. Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 East Baristo Road. In a creative departure from the Chorus’ usual spring performance, Ethylina Canne will be the Mistress of Ceremonies for a combination LIVE and VIRTUAL Easter spectacular featuring Irving Berlin’s “Easter Parade” starring Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. Purchase your tickets for this incredible production, which is sure to be a sell out, call 760-219-2077.

The beloved “Forever Marilyn” statue is expected to return to Palm Springs next month, P.S. Resorts confirms. A tentative installation date is set for March 28, 2021. Twenty-six feet high and weighing in at 34,300 pounds, the statue first made a splash in Palm Springs when it was installed at the corner of Tahquitz Canyon Way and Palm Canyon Drive from 2012 to 2014. 

 Palm Canyon Theatre will present a Valentine-themed concert fundraiser, From Broadway with Love… Backwards, with about 21 performers including many favorite company members and special guests. Although the concert is an annual fundraiser for the 24-year-old theatre, this year – with so many things a little different – PCT decided to “flip the script.” During the concert, men will sing songs originally written for women, and women will sing songs originally written for men.

There is no question Christmas is going to look different for many of us this year, but there is no reason you cannot celebrate at home with the talented performers of Theatre 29. Get into the festive spirit with the Theatre 29 online Holiday concert “Home for the Holidays”. 

Palm Canyon Theatre will present a special holiday concert fundraiser, Sounds of the Season: At Home Edition, with about 30 performers including many favorite company members, talented youth and some special guests. Among the headliners performing holiday favorites from their homes are Mark Almy, Se Layne, Paul Grant, Ryan Holmes, Brent Schindele and Anthony Nannini. All performers are donating their talents to benefit Palm Canyon Theatre, which is the oldest live stage production company in the Coachella Valley. 

Coyote StageWorks, the Coachella Valley-based award winning Actors Equity professional theater company, announced that it won a total of nine  awards from the Desert Theatre Leaguea's annual awards announcement on October 4th, the most awards presented to a professional theater company. Coyote StageWorks had been nominated for 28 awards, many for the production of a A Doll's House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath, which ran from February 7 though 16 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, and their popular Barbara Keller Playdate Series of staged readings. Coyote StageWorks has now received an impressive 89 Desert Theatre League Awards since it was founded. 

The Board of Trustees of the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California announced today the appointment of Jamie Grant as its new President and CEO effective September 14, 2020. Grant has, for the past four years, served as President and CEO of The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota which hosts a 1,900-seat Music Theater and an 1,100-seat Concert Hall. 

a?oeTogether We Can: A Celebration Of Arts Educationa??, a commercial-free, hour-long televised variety special on Saturday, June 27 at 7:00 pm. The production is produced, staged and directed by David Green, founder and Director of Musical Theatre University, which is one of the school district's most treasured arts programs. a?oeTogether We Cana??  is co-hosted by Emmy Winning Comedian and Actor Bruce Vilanch and local CBS Personality Patrick Evans and will showcase the PSUSD's vibrant performing and visual arts programs and make the case for the critical need for arts education in our schools, as the district faces probable budget cuts due to the Covid-19 crisis. This special event is the kick-off to a year-long fundraising campaign by The Foundation For The Palm Springs Unified School District called a?oeTogether We Will; Protect The Artsa??. 

With concerns about how the coronavirus pandemic will affect the performing arts community in the Coachella Valley and beyond, a new group has formed for a common good. Six local, producing theatre companies have created the Alliance of Desert Theatres. Its mission statement reads:  The Alliance of Desert Theatres is a cooperative of producing theatre companies that network and take action in order to advocate for and nurture a vibrant performing arts community.