Ricco Machado-Torres

Today's top stories: Girl From The North Country begins previews tonight, and more!

The Broadway-aimed musical Americano!, inspired by the life of DREAMer and community organizer Tony Valdovinos will run from January 29 - February 23 at Phoenix, Arizona's The Phoenix Theatre Company.

The Broadway-aimed musical Americano!, inspired by the life of DREAMer and community organizer Tony Valdovinos, is now running through February 23 at Phoenix, Arizona's The Phoenix Theatre Company.

As the eagerly awaited premiere of Americano! draws near, the production gives fans the opportunity to preview the score as well as make a contribution to a scholarship fund that benefits the sons and daughters of U.S. Marines.

The Broadway-aimed musical Americano!, inspired by the life of DREAMer and community organizer Tony Valdovinos, has announced its complete cast. The world-premiere production, running January 29 - February 23 at Phoenix, Arizona's The Phoenix Theatre Company, will feature Sean Ewing (Broadway's West Side Story, Amazing Grace) as Tony Valdovinos, leading a company including Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda, Maria Amorocho, Edgar Lopez, Alyssa Gomez, Joseph Cannon, Justin Figueroa, Michael Scott, Sonia Rodriguez Wood, Anson Romney, Chris Eriksen, Joseph Cavasos, Matravius Avent, Jessie Jo Pauley, Shani Barrett, Nicholas Flores, Ricco Machado-Torres, Lucas Coatney, Anne-Lise Koyabe, Tarnim Bybee, Cole Newburg, Elyssa Blonder and Aidan Lutton.

Hale Centre Theatre's current production of SISTER ACT, running through August 18th, features Cambrian James' imaginative direction and choreography, with standout turns by Ashley Jackson and Kathleen Richards.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's… a squirrel?! An unlikely superhero is coming to town as Childsplay Theatre brings Kate DiCamillo's Newberry Award-winning book to life on the Tempe Center for the Arts stage, weekends April 22 through May 20, 2018.

Jack Taylor, who plays the part of Fector in Brelby Theatre Company's upcoming Arizona premiere of Dogfight, said he is very excited to be in the show, which he came to love very quickly.

It's November 21, 1963. On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys' night of debauchery, partying and maybe a little trouble. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of love and compassion.

'We are so excited to announce our 10th Season,' said Brelby Artistic Director, Shelby Maticic. 'It's hard to believe that we're already at this point in our company's journey. We have an exciting lineup of 10 shows for our MainStage Season to unveil at the Season Reveal. Ten is the magic number in 2018. There are some really wonderful surprises, and some big changes to our season format to announce. It'll be extra special for those who are in attendance that evening.'

Brelby Theatre Company's Shelby Maticic has directed her company in a breakneck paced, enticing production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. With a book by Rachel Sheinkin and music and lyrics by William Finn, it's a show that could be breathtakingly dreadful, but instead is wildly entertaining.

Shelby Elise Maticic is the Artistic Director of the Brelby Theatre Company. She has BS in Theatre Performance from Northern Arizona University and an MFA in Arts Entrepreneurship & Management from Arizona State University.