Andrew Jackson News

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre,' announces the release of artistic director Scott Miller's sixth book on musical theatre, SEX, DRUGS, ROCK & ROLL, AND MUSICALS, exploring these three powerful cultural forces and the musicals that tackle them - The Rocky Horror Show, Bat Boy, Grease, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and many others - discovering what these works reveal about American culture and politics.

Off-Broadway's The New Group presents Burning, written by Thomas Bradshaw and directed by Scott Elliott, kicking off the company's 2011-12 Season. The production officially opens on Monday, November 14 at 7:00 PM. Burning plays a limited engagement through December 17 at The New Group @ Theatre Row (The Acorn Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street).

LAByrinth Theater Company (Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vázquez, and Managing Director Danny Feldman) has announced the creative team for The Atmosphere of Memory by David Bar Katz.

Joey Parnes, the veteran Broadway producer and general manager who will end his stint as Interim Executive Director of the Public Theater this month, announced today the formation of Joey Parnes Productions.

Shaina Taub presents her last concert of the year at the Public Theater's newly renovated Joe's Pub on Tuesday November 15th at 7:30 PM, featuring a fifteen-piece band of musicians and vocalists in an evening of all original music.

The Public Theater announced today that Patrick Willingham, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Blue Man Productions, has been appointed the new Executive Director of The Public Theater, beginning November 28, 2011. After a thorough nationwide search, led by Chairman of the Board Warren Spector, Board Member Andi Bernstein, and Albert Hall and Associates, Willingham will join Artistic Director Oskar Eustis in running the award-winning Public Theater. The new partnership will focus on continuing the mission and extensive programming of The Public Theater while strengthening the organization for sustainability and future growth.

Bailiwick Chicago announces that it has assumed sponsorship of The Casting Auction, an annual fundraising event previously produced by the Victory Gardens Theatre for nearly 30 years.

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson star Benjamin Walker played a special engagement of FIND THE FUNNY at Joe's Pub this week, November 1. Special guests included Nick Vatterott, Michael Lawrence, Carmen Lynch, The Gregory Brothers and musical guests, Pepper and Sam and the Dead Poets' Society and a special performance by Chappo.

Santa Fe University of Art and Design alumna Melissa van der Schyff will play Blanche Barrow in the new Broadway musical Bonnie & Clyde, which begins previews on Nov. 4 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York.

When you live in a city ringed by suburbs like Old Hickory and Hermitage, when one of the most popular tourist attractions is The Hermitage and we all think of Andy Jackson as someone we know (his visage is found on countless public buildings throughout the city), it just makes sense that Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson would be of interest - not just to me, but to my readers in general and theater lovers in particular. Nashville, you see, is inextricably linked to any version of the Andrew Jackson story you may happen upon, whether it's a Broadway musical (which probably was best-suited to an off-Broadway climate than it was on the main stem) or any of the best sellers that have stocked bookstore shelves in the past decade.

Colt Coeur's Play Hotel reading series will present a staged reading of Max Posner's The Thing About Air Travel on Monday, November 21st at 7pm at the CoCo Studio in NYC.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) announced complete casting today for William Shakespeare's TITUS ANDRONICUS, the third Public Lab production of the fall season. Directed by Michael Sexton, TITUS ANDRONICUS runs Tuesday, November 29 through Sunday, December 18 at The Public Theater, with an official press opening on Tuesday, December 13. Tickets for TITUS ANDRONICUS are on sale now; all tickets for Public Lab productions are $15.

JOE'S PUB at The Public Theater, reopened October 4th, 2011 from a top to bottom renovation, debuted in October 1998 and quickly became one of New York City's most celebrated and in-demand showcase venues for live music and performance. With its genre-blind booking and vast diversity of interests, the stage at Joe's Pub gives voice to a world of varied and stellar artists. Check out the full November schedule below!

LAByrinth Theater Company (Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vázquez, and Managing Director Danny Feldman) has announced the creative team for The Atmosphere of Memory by David Bar Katz.

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, and Friends of the Jenin Freedom Theatre announced today an evening of song, video and performance on October 30th, 2011 at 7:00pm to benefit the Freedom Theatre. Tickets are $100 and the event is hosted by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner and featuring Academy Award-winner David Byrne, Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks, Grammy-winners Aimee Mann and Angelique Kidjo, Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald, Palestinian hip-hop group DAM, as well as a special performance by the acting company of The Freedom Theatre. The entire evening is directed by Jo Bonney.

Go Comedy! Improv Theater has got a case of Stage Fright this month with its latest original comedy, Stage Fright playing at 10pm Thursday evenings with special performances October 28 & 29.

With wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez has written Finding Nemo The Musical and songs for Winnie the Pooh (Disney feature animation, 2011). Today BroadwayWorld has confirmed that the pair are continuing work on another collaboration - UP HERE, an original musical.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) announced today that the Ford Foundation has generously awarded The Public Theater a $2 million grant to support The Public's GOING PUBLIC capital campaign. The largest campaign gift to date after the City's substantial commitment of $28 million, the Ford Foundation will be recognized for this significant grant with the renovated Public Theater lobby being renamed the 'Ford Foundation Lobby.' The $40 million renovation of The Public's long-time home on Lafayette Street is expected to be completed by summer 2012 with a grand reopening in fall 2012.

Broadway stars including cast members from Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Ben Walker, Kate Roberts, and Erin Felgar), American Idiot (John Gallagher Jr., Theo Stockman, Rebecca Jones and Libby Winters) and 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Celia Keenan-Bolger and Sarah Saltzberg) gathered and sang Monday night at Colt Coeur's 2nd Annual Karaoke Classic Benefit in Brooklyn. Rightor Doyle, Mamie Gummer and Celia Keenan-Bolger chaired the event which raised funds for Play Hotel (Colt Coeur's ongoing reading series, and their principal arena for developing new work) as well as their next production.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Interim Executive Director Joey Parnes) announced today that the Ford Foundation has generously awarded The Public Theater a $2 million grant to support The Public's GOING PUBLIC capital campaign. The largest campaign gift to date after the City's substantial commitment of $28 million, the Ford Foundation will be recognized for this significant grant with the renovated Public Theater lobby being renamed the 'Ford Foundation Lobby.' The $40 million renovation of The Public's long-time home on Lafayette Street is expected to be completed by summer 2012 with a grand reopening in fall 2012.