Ako News

This year, for the very first time, 43 Helpmann Awards are being presented across two nights and two events in Melbourne, at the Victorian home of the performing arts, Arts Centre Melbourne.

Based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel and successive film in 1985, The Color Purple has enjoyed award-winning success, both for its original Broadway production in 2005 and then its revival in 2015. The show's first international production opened for a limited season in London in 2013 and in a co-production between Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome, The Color Purple is currently delighting Leicester audiences.

Currently in previews at MCC Theater is the New York premiere of Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow by Halley Feiffer. The cast features Lucille Lortel Award nominee Ako (God Said This), Tony Award nominee Steven Boyer(MCC's Hand to God), Tavi Gevinson (This Is Our Youth), Sas Goldberg (Significant Other), Drama Desk Award winner Rebecca Henderson ('Russian Doll'), Lucille Lortel Award nominee Greg Hildreth (Frozen), Matthew Jeffers (Light Shining in Buckinghamshire), Gene Jones, Alfredo Narciso ('Manifest'), Theatre World Award winner Chris Perfetti (Sons of the Prophet), Ryan Spahn (Summer and Smoke), and Ray Anthony Thomas (Jitney).

Leicester's Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's production of Tony Award-winning Broadway production The Color Purple opened last night at Curve. The show will play there until 13 July, and then at Birmingham Hippodrome 16-30 July. See opening night party photographs!

Birmingham Hippodrome and Leicester's Curve have released the first production images from The Color Purple, which has its official opening night at Curve tonight. Made in the Midlands, this brand new production comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from 16th - 20th July 2019.

MCC Theater will soon present the New York premiere of Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow by Halley Feiffer. The cast features Lucille Lortel Award nominee Ako (God Said This), Tony Award nominee Steven Boyer(MCC's Hand to God), Tavi Gevinson (This Is Our Youth), Sas Goldberg (Significant Other), Drama Desk Award winner Rebecca Henderson ('Russian Doll'), Lucille Lortel Award nominee Greg Hildreth (Frozen), Matthew Jeffers (Light Shining in Buckinghamshire), Gene Jones, Alfredo Narciso ('Manifest'), Theatre World Award winner Chris Perfetti (Sons of the Prophet), Ryan Spahn (Summer and Smoke), and Ray Anthony Thomas (Jitney).

Live Performance Australia (LPA) today announced a very special addition to the 2019 Helpmann Awards at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Get a peek inside the rehearsal room of Leicester's Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome's upcoming co-production of The Color Purple.

Meet the cast for the New York premiere of Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow by Halley Feiffer at MCC Theater!

MCC Theater announced today casting and creative team for the New York premiere of Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow

It was recently announced that T'Shan Williams will play the role of Celie at the upcoming Curve, Leicester and Birmingham Hippodrome production of The Color Purple.

The first images of Birmingham Hippodrome and Leicester Curve's production of Tony Award-winning Broadway production The Color Purple have been released, with T'Shan Williams set to take the role of Celie. This brand new production comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from 16th - 20th July 2019.

Back in Manila from his two-year stint as Thuy in the UK/Ireland and International tour of 'Miss Saigon,' Gerald Santos is now a certified crossover artist. In his homecoming concert last Saturday, May 4, at the Theatre at Solaire, Santos filled his repertoire with songs from musical theater and from movie musicals that have also crossed over to the pop charts.

The 2019 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway were handed out last night to recipients in 19 categories, with one special award and three honorary awards also bestowed. The Lortel Awards were distributed in a ceremony at NYU Skirball Center hosted by Drama Desk Award-nominated writer and performer of The New One, Mike Birbiglia. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation. Additional support is provided by TDF.

The Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 19 categories - and bestowed one special award - for the 34th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts, beginning at 7:00pm EST. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation. Additional support is provided by TDF. Beloved and celebrated entertainer, Wayne Brady, will emcee the ceremony.

Balladeer-musical theater actor Gerald Santos discloses, 'I'm silly. I'm crazy as well. I'm human,' although his fans who have been following his career--from his first appearance on GMA's 'Pinoy Pop Superstar' Season Two (2006) to his final bow as one of the principal actors in the recent 'Miss Saigon' UK-Ireland-International tour (2017-2019)--perceive him otherwise.

The 9th Annual Shakespeare's Birthday Sonnet Slam will be held Friday, April 26th from 1pm-4pm at the 9th floor Lounge at the Riverside Church Campus in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. The Sonnet Slam features 154 readers of all ages and abilities performing all 154 of Shakespeare's Sonnets in numerical order. The event is free to the public and is approximately 3 hours long.

The Off-Broadway League today announced nominations in 19 categories - and bestowed one special award - for the 34th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 5, 2019 at NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts, beginning at 7:00pm EST. The Lucille Lortel Awards are produced by the Off-Broadway League by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation. Additional support is provided by TDF. Beloved and celebrated entertainer, Wayne Brady, will emcee the ceremony.

The Kennedy Center announces the June calendar of events for Millennium Stage, its free daily performance series featuring art and artists representing countless artistic styles. Highlights of the June calendar include many performances dedicated to the United States's original art form-jazz. Participants of the Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead program-the international jazz residency, performance, and composition project that discovers and presents the next generation of jazz greats on  Millennium Stage (June 6-8). Additionally, the Kennedy Center will host eight performances in collaboration with the DC Jazz Festival (June 9-16). Since 2004, the DC Jazz Festival (DCJF) organization has provided enriching and entertaining jazz performances and programs that introduce students and adults from all walks of life to jazz.

Leicester's Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome today announce the full casting for their co-production of Oprah Winfrey's hit Broadway musical, The Color Purple, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker. The production, the first to be created outside of London in the UK, will play at Curve, Leicester from 28th June 13th July, followed by 16th 20th July at Birmingham Hippodrome, with a national press night at Curve on Wednesday 3rd July at 7pm.