Amanda Ma News

Romeoville - Winner of three Tony Awards, three Outer Critic's Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and two Obie Awards, URINETOWN THE MUSICAL is a hilarious satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, municipal politics and musical theatre itself!

Following its sell-out production of Byhalia, Mississippi, The New Colony is pleased to continue its 2016 Season with the world premiere of the heartfelt drama EVEN LONGER AND FARTHER AWAY by Chelsea Marcantel, directed by Thrisa Hodits, playing April 15 - May 15, 2016 at its resident home, The Den Theatre's Upstairs Main Stage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

The Metropolitan Opera's 2016-17 season, the 50th anniversary of its home at Lincoln Center, will feature 225 opera performances of 26 operas in a varied repertory that ranges from 18th century masterpieces to one of the most acclaimed operas in recent years. Repertoire for the company's 132nd season will include the Met premiere of Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho's 2000 opera L'Amour de Loin, as well as new stagings of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Rossini's Guillaume Tell, Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, Dvo?ak's Rusalka, and Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. A gala concert on May 7, 2017 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company's Lincoln Center location with performances by opera's leading stars honoring the Met's past and future. Ticket prices will not increase, remaining the same as in the current season, and audience development programs instituted by the company in recent years will continue.  

The Kegler Brothers present a development premiere of Champagne and Licorice, a new play by Scott Stephen Kegler and directed by Shane William Kegler, March 4th, 5th, 11th & 12th at 7:30 PM and a matinee Sunday March 6th at 2:30 PM, hosted by the Chestnut Street Playhouse, 24 Chestnut Street in Norwich, CT. Tickets are $20 and available at the door or in advance atchestnutstreetplayhouse.tix.com or call (860) 886-2378 for more information.

The iconic Apollo Chorus, Chicago's oldest musical organization and premier volunteer chorus, announces its 2015-2016 season, celebrating the power of live musical performance through choral masterworks performed in legendary Chicago settings. The Apollo Chorus' 144th year includes signature renditions of the masterpiece Handel's Messiah and classic Mendelssohn's Elijah and concludes with, for the first time ever, Apollo on Broadway.

Following its hit production of Byhalia, Mississippi, The New Colony is pleased to continue its 2016 Season with the world premiere of the heartfelt drama EVEN LONGER AND FARTHER AWAY by Chelsea Marcantel, directed by Thrisa Hodits, playing April 15 - May 15, 2016 at its resident home, The Den Theatre's Upstairs Main Stage, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.  Tickets go on sale Monday, February 1, 2016 at www.thenewcolony.org. The press opening is Monday, April 18 at 7:30 pm.

After 30 years away from her first professional theater home, Tennessee theater icon Martha Wilkinson proves that you can go home again as she directs Cumberland County Playhouse's first show of the 2016 season: Church Basement Ladies, which opened at the Crossville theater last Saturday, January 16.

Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang, TYA-a lively new child-friendly stage version of the popular book, movie and Broadway show about the adventures of the Potts family and their flying car-opens today, November 14, at the Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley 94703, at 11 a.m.

The iconic Apollo Chorus, Chicago's oldest musical organization and premier volunteer chorus, announces its 2015-2016 season, celebrating the power of live musical performance through choral masterworks performed in legendary Chicago settings. The Apollo Chorus' 144th year includes signature renditions of the masterpiece Handel's Messiah and classic Mendelssohn's Elijah and concludes with, for the first time ever, Apollo on Broadway.

Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang, TYA-a lively new child-friendly stage version of the popular book, movie and Broadway show about the adventures of the Potts family and their flying car-opens Saturday, November 14, at the Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley 94703, at 11 a.m.

Following the success of its first series at City Winery in the 2014-15 season, cp2 (Chicago Philharmonic Chamber Players) returns to the venue for a fall series pairing unique mixed instrumental groups with vocalists. Three one-hour programs at noon on October 25, November 22, and December 20 each feature a different singer showcasing styles including classical, soul, and jazz. Brunch will be available for purchase before and during the performances, and patrons are encouraged to dress casually.

Liars & Believers (LAB), Boston's innovative experimental theatre company since 2010, presents the world premiere of their original production Who Would Be King, on select nights from November 5 through 22, 7:30 pm at OBERON, American Repertory Theater's second destination stage for nightlife on the fringe of Harvard Square, 2 Arrow Street, Cambridge. The production is conceived and directed by Jason Slavick, written by the LAB ensemble, with music and lyrics by Jay Mobley. Each performance is made accessible for the hearing impaired through super-title captioning. A pilot audio description program also provides accessibility to vision impaired and blind audiences at one select performance.

The Henegar Center for the Arts is proud to present the Brevard Premiere of the musical MEMPHIS. MEMPHIS is the winner of four Tony Awards® in 2010, including Best Musical! Inspired by true events from the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, MEMPHIS follows the fame and forbidden love of a radio DJ who wants to change the world and a club singer who is ready for her big break. Join them on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves - filled with laughter, soul and rock 'n' roll!

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University's Auxiliary Board brings 'Old Chicago' back to the National Historic Landmark Theatre with the fifth annual The Devil's Ball, tonight, Oct. 2 from 7:30 - 11 p.m. The lobby of the iconic Auditorium Theatre is the backdrop for this unique gathering for its 300 expected guests. Revelers are treated to fabulous food, entertainment, theatre tours and more, as they raise funds and generate awareness for the preservation of the Auditorium Theatre as well as the Auditorium's diverse educational programming.  This year's new addition is a surprise live performance. Tickets are $65 through Today, Sept. 18 at midnight; $75 through Thursday, Oct. 1 at midnight and are available online at  AuditoriumTheatre.org. Tickets are also available at the door for $85 (cash only.) Contact Amanda Martinez-Byrne at (312) 341-2364 or abyrne@auditoriumtheatre.org for more information on the event or sponsorship opportunities.

?To open its 61st season, Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Mozart's joyous comedy The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Henrik Nanasi in a glamorous new production from renowned director Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Following the success of its first series at City Winery in the 2014-15 season, cp2 (Chicago Philharmonic Chamber Players) returns to the venue for a fall series pairing unique mixed instrumental groups with vocalists. Three one-hour programs at noon on October 25, November 22, and December 20 each feature a different singer showcasing styles including classical, soul, and jazz. Brunch will be available for purchase before and during the performances, and patrons are encouraged to dress casually.

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University's Auxiliary Board brings "Old Chicago" back to the National Historic Landmark Theatre with the fifth annual The Devil's Ball, Friday, Oct. 2 from 7:30 - 11 p.m. The lobby of the iconic Auditorium Theatre is the backdrop for this unique gathering for its 300 expected guests. Revelers are treated to fabulous food, entertainment, theatre tours and more, as they raise funds and generate awareness for the preservation of the Auditorium Theatre as well as the Auditorium's diverse educational programming.  This year's new addition is a surprise live performance. Tickets are $65 through Friday, Sept. 18 at midnight; $75 through Thursday, Oct. 1 at midnight and are available online at  AuditoriumTheatre.org. Tickets are also available at the door for $85 (cash only.) Contact Amanda Martinez-Byrne at (312) 341-2364 or abyrne@auditoriumtheatre.org for more information on the event or sponsorship opportunities.

Now in its fifth year, Communal Spaces: a garden play festival will premiere eight new short plays inspired by and performed in four community gardens in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The festival will take place in the last three weekends on September.

Master playwrights Neil LaBute, Rajiv Joseph, Stephen Belber are offering one-one-one master advice contest for writers!

Certainly most of us have wanted to follow a band around and be a part of their backstage antics when we were young enough to have the energy to do so. In The Load In at 3 Clubs during the Hollywood Fringe Festival, it is quite a thrill to be in on the action of watching The Wax Robots load in for a performance when everything that can go wrong does, yet it all works out in the end.