Shannon Stoeke

On Thursday, January 20, I had the pleasure of seeing a phenomenal show that I have been waiting to see for about two years!   It was well worth the wait!  The ACT of Connecticut has struck gold with NICKEL MINES, an emotionally intense musical based on the true story of an Amish school shooting, perpetrated by an outsider, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on October 2, 2006.  The use of song, interpretive dance, and dialogue are all combined to tell the story.  It is not presented in a strict linear time sequence, yet it somehow brilliantly flows together in an ideal way, parts of the story taking place in 2011.   With book by Shannon Stoeke and Andrew Palermo, and music & lyrics by Dan Dyer, this show which is also directed and choreographed by Andrew Palermo stars an extremely talented ensemble cast, backed by an amazing live band.  The depth, power, messages, and entertainment value of this production are all so strong that it is difficult to put them into words.  Not only was I highly entertained, but by God’s grace, I feel like I left the show a better person than who I was when I entered, more focused on my own need to forgive others.

NICKEL MINES is a new musical centered around the 2006 Lancaster, PA Amish schoolhouse shooting in which a lone gunman shot ten girls (five fatally) before taking his own life. This breathtaking piece of theater explores multiple perspectives from that fateful morning, is a living memorial to the young girls who tragically lost their lives, and is a powerful exploration of community, perseverance, and hope.  

ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) of Connecticut is thrilled to announce the world premiere of the new musical NICKEL MINES. Through a combination of spoken dialogue, dance, and a powerful original score, NICKEL MINES explores the 2006 Amish schoolhouse shooting that happened in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. ACT of CT is the first professional equity theatre to premiere this fascinating, elegant and moving new musical.

ACT (A Contemporary Theatre) of Connecticut is thrilled to announce its upcoming 2019-2020 Season. Featuring a mix of theatre favorites and new and innovative productions, there's something for everyone to enjoy. 

Syracuse Stage announced the shows that will make up the 2019/2020 season: six plays and musicals on subscription plus a special world premiere directed by TV, stage and film actor Taye Diggs. 

New York Theatre Workshop, in association with producer Brian Moreland, will present a private reading of Thoughts of a Colored Man, a new play written by Keenan Scott II, directed by Taye Diggs (Rent, Chicago, TV's 'All American'), and choreographed by Jenny Parsinen (Allegiance), on Friday, November 30 at 3 PM at NYTW's Fourth Street Theatre.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater and producer Brian A. Moreland have partnered on a two-week intensive workshop of playwright Keenan Scott II's Thoughts of a Colored Man. Directed by Taye Diggs, with choreographer Jenny Parsinen, associate director Shannon Stoeke, and music and vocals by Madison McFerrin, the piece takes a raw and honest look at the limitations, stereotypes and obstacles that the world attempts to place on men of color through their discussions of love, race, education, family, and history.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater and producer Brian A. Moreland have partnered on a two-week intensive workshop of playwright Keenan Scott II's Thoughts of a Colored Man. Directed by Taye Diggs, with choreographer Jenny Parsinen, associate director Shannon Stoeke, and music and vocals by Madison McFerrin, the piece takes a raw and honest look at the limitations, stereotypes and obstacles that the world attempts to place on men of color through their discussions of love, race, education, family, and history.

Armed with a grand, sweeping songbook from Rodgers and Hammerstein, and a romantic, progressive-for-its-time book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan, it is difficult not to be continually enchanted by SOUTH PACIFIC, the groundbreaking 1949 stage musical based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Even better… sandwiched between memorable songs, romantic interludes, and cheeky, comedic banter is the show's surprisingly candid exploration of race relations---a topic that is, of course, still very much top-of-mind in today's seemingly more divided world. With such important ideological stakes in mind, when a production of this musical presents its material well and in the best possible light, you're almost always guaranteed a show that can still pack an emotional wallop while entertaining you at the same time. Such is the case with McCoy Rigby Entertainment's irresistibly appealing new production of SOUTH PACIFIC, now currently on stage at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts through May 13, 2018.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT present the fourth show of its 2017-2018 season (and the 40th anniversary of the iconic theatre) with SOUTH PACIFIC, book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan (adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel "Tales of the South Pacific" by James A. Michener), music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with musical direction by Brent Crayon, choreography by Peggy Hickey and directed by Glenn Casale.  SOUTH PACIFIC will preview on Friday, April 20, 2018 (with a press opening on Saturday, April 21 at 8pm) and run through Sunday, May 13, 2018 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT present the fourth show of its 2017-2018 season (and the 40th anniversary of the iconic theatre) with

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT present the fourth show of its 2017-2018 season (and the 40th anniversary of the iconic theatre) with SOUTH PACIFIC, book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan (adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel 'Tales of the South Pacific' by James A. Michener), music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, with musical direction by Brent Crayon, choreography by Peggy Hickey and directed by Glenn Casale. SOUTH PACIFIC will preview on Friday, April 20, 2018 (with a press opening on Saturday, April 21 at 8pm) and run through Sunday, May 13, 2018 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.

Stage and screen star Taye Diggs will make his directorial debut with a private industry reading of Thoughts of a Colored Man on a Day When the Sun Set Too Early, today and tomorrow, November 16 & 17, 2017 at Ripley-Grier in New York City. Written and conceived by Keenan Scott II, Thoughts of a Colored Man is a powerful and moving play featuring music by Madison McFerrin and choreography by Jenny Parsinen. BroadwayWorld has photos, shot on film, of the company in rehearsal below!

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT present the fifth show of its 2016-2017 season, Davis Gaines starring in his Ovation award-winning role as Don Quixote in MAN OF LA MANCHA, with book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, music by Mitch Leigh, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo, choreography by Patti Colombo and directed by Glenn Casale. MAN OF LA MANCHA will preview on Friday, June 2, 2017 (with a press opening on Saturday, June 3) and run through Sunday, June 25, 2017 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

As many times as I see Man of La Mancha, I relish the music and high dramatic moments of this classic piece of theatre. Such is the case when the production is top notch, with the perfect actors and highly skilled direction. La Mirada's current revival is top of the line with director Glenn Casale leaving his usual stamp of excellence. The beauty of Man of La Mancha as a musical is that the story is never dated; it lives and breathes in the moment. When it premiered on Broadway in the 1960s it was a winner and now, almost 60 years later, it is just as engrossing. Madness is always fun to play with. What is madness? And...what is normality? There's a fine line between Quijote's crazy behavior and the deceptive politician, say, who defines himself as a seeker of equality. When we see things as they really are, it is too painful, intolerab

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT present the fifth show of its 2016-2017 season, Davis Gaines starring in his Ovation award-winning role as Don Quixote in MAN OF LA MANCHA, with book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, music by Mitch Leigh, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo, choreography by Patti Colombo and directed by Glenn Casale. MAN OF LA MANCHA will preview on Friday, June 2, 2017 (with a press opening on Saturday, June 3) and run through Sunday, June 25, 2017 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.

La Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts & Mccoy Rigby Entertainment present the fifth show of its 2016-2017 season, Davis Gaines starring in his Ovation award-winning role as Don Quixote in MAN OF LA MANCHA, with book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, music by Mitch Leigh, musical direction by Jeff Rizzo, choreography by Patti Colombo and directed by Glenn Casale.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT opened the first show of its 2016-2017 season, the Los Angeles premiere production of THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Peter Parnell, musical direction by Dennis Castellano, choreography by Dana Solimando and directed by Glenn Casale.  THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME is running through Sunday, October 9, 2016 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.   BroadwayWorld brings you a first look at the opening night celebration below!

Victor Hugo's monumental romantic/gothic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, published in 1831, centers in, around and on top of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. So does the new musical of the same name written by Peter Parnell, Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, which received its U.S. premiere at La Jolla Playhouse in 2014 and is currently receiving its Los Angeles premiere at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts. Stephen Gifford's set replete with stained glass windows, balcony and overhanging bells is scaled down from the original but still impressive and pulls you in effectively to another world, the ethereal realm of a higher power. Catholic boy that I am, every kyrie eleison exuded by the resounding chorus moved me to tears.