Arlington News

This Is My Brave, Inc. (TIMB), the national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the stigma surrounding mental illness and substance abuse issues through storytelling, bring its final College Edition performance to Tufts University, Tuesday, November 5. This pilot program features Boston-area students and recent graduates sharing their struggles and triumphs with mental illness, live on stage. This free performance is open to the university community as well as the public; previous shows have taken place at at Lesley University, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.

Black Button Eyes Productions is pleased to announce casting for its Chicago premiere of WHISPER HOUSE, featuring music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), book and additional lyrics by Kyle Jarrow (Spongebob Squarepants Musical), with direction by Artistic Director Ed Rutherford, music direction by Micky York and choreography by Derek Van Barham.

Theater J's 2019 Annual Benefit Performance is an unforgettable evening of musical theater at the newly renovated Edlavitch DCJCC on November 18 at 6:30 PM. The centerpiece of the event, which also includes food, drink, and socializing, is a special musical performance of After Anatevka: a Novel Based on a?oeFiddler on the Roofa?? written and performed by Grammy-nominated artist and author Alexandra Silber. Silber, who has appeared in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway (directed by Bartlett Sher) and the West End, imagines what happens to Sholem Alecheim's beloved characters of Fiddler on the Roof after they step off stage. The performance features new songs composed by some of the top rising talent in musical theater today and sung by the gifted Silber, who recently played Sally Bowles in Cabaret at Olney Theatre Center.

Broadway luminaries and local talent will join forces for a Gala concert production of the quintessential American musical, RAGTIME, a sweeping musical portrait of early-twentieth-century America that tells the story of three families in pursuit of the American Dream.

Featuring Tchaikovsky's timeless score and celebrated dance maker Yuri Possokhov's fresh choreography, Atlanta Ballet makes its Kennedy Center debut with its reimagined production of The Nutcracker, November 27-December 1 in the Opera House.

Legendary voice actor Rob Paulsen, who has delighted generations of animation fanatics with his signature roles in a?oePinky and the Brain,a?? a?oeTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,a?? and other film and television projects, will be joined by a?oeAnimaniacsa?? composer Randy Rogel in a?oeAnimaniacs in Concert!a?? at the Hawaii Theatre Center in Honolulu on Saturday, October 26th.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today the first wave of recipients to receive the Virtuosos Award presented by UGG®, an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in film have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue. Awkwafina (The Farewell), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Florence Pugh (Midsommar), and Taylor Russell (Waves) will receive the award on Saturday, January 18th, which will be moderated for the tenth year by Turner Classic Movies host and IMDb special correspondent host Dave Karger. The tribute will take place at the historic Arlington Theatre during the 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Chicken Ranch has shut down and is making the way for the Hundred Acre Wood in downtown Arlington, as Theatre Arlington turns their attention to children and families, with the musical, Winnie the Pooh, written by Steven D. Morris with music by Don Powers. This adaptation of A.A. Milne's classic story brings Winnie, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin and all their friends to life and was originally written and staged by Steven D. Morris and Don Powers in 1986. At that time, Morris was the theater's first Children's Theatre Director and was frustrated by the lack of entertaining scripts for children, so a few years earlier he set out to create his own with his talented friend, Don Powers, who composed all the new music.

Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore's new musical comedy revue a?oeThe Boomer Boysa?? will play two performances at McCoole's Arts and Events Place in Quakertown, PA on November 9 as part of its Northeast Tour. Other dates include McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park, NJ on November 10 and the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA on November 23.

Loretta Greco, Artistic Director of Magic Theatre, has announced that she will depart the organization after twelve years as its artistic leader. Greco will leave at the end of the 2019-2020 season. a?oeIt has been a spectacular honor to lead the storied Magic Theatre,a?? said Greco. a?oeI am proud of the extraordinary array of groundbreaking writers Magic has launched and supported over time, who have bravely led our cultural conversation forwarda?"and the way those voices and the work we have premiered have elevated the field as a whole.

The Boston International Kids Film Festival (BIKFF)  is back with more than 80 films -- both professionally and student-made -- ALL for kids. This year's selections feature a number of award-winning films including a documentary about Syrian and Iraqi refugees experiencing summer camp for the first time, a call to action from a group of school children in Brooklyn trying to eliminate microplastics polluting our environment, and a look back at the Merrimack Valley Gas Explosion and how families and small businesses are still trying to recover. The festival will take place at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington, the Somerville Theatre, and Lesley University College of Art and Design on November 15th - 17th. All screenings are open to the public and tickets can be purchased at bikff.org.

Broadway's award-winning Karen Mason (and Arlington Heights native), star of the smash hit musicals LOVE NEVER DIES, MAMMA MIA!, HAIRSPRAY!, WONDERLAND and SUNSET BOULEVARD will make a special return concert appearance in her hometown after nearly a decade. Recipient of the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award, Karen Mason shares her love of the music of songwriters, John Kander & Fed Ebb, in her new show: KANDER & EBB & ALL THAT JAZZ! A homage to one of Broadway's and motion picture's most prolific songwriting teams, John Kander and Fred Ebb, the duo is noted for such landmark musicals as Cabaret, Chicago, Funny Lady and New York, New York.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Renée Zellweger is set to receive the illustrious American Riviera Award in January 2020. Zellweger will be recognized for her many attributes to the art of film over the years, and most recently, her work as Judy Garland in LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions' JUDY. The tribute will take place at the historic Arlington Theatre during the 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Signature Theatre's Escaped Alone, directed by Holly Twyford, is a surreal Golden Girls episode with British humor.

Step Afrika!, the world's first professional dance company dedicated to the art of stepping, continues its 25th season with a newly commissioned work, international and national touring and performances throughout their hometown of Washington, D.C. 

Actress/singer Pamela Clay has been performing a show she wrote about Edith Piaf entitled Forever Piaf for quite some time to great acclaim! She will perform it locally at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's on October 16. In our conversation she talks about growing up in a musical family and how Piaf's outlook became the cornerstone of her life. Tell us about your background. As a child, how did you become interested in music? When did you know that it would be your career? PC: One of the first things I remember was hearing classical music. Both my parents were blessed with beautiful voices, played piano, and my father also played trumpet. Daddy was a child prodigy who played classical piano live on the radio at age five,

Segerstrom Center for the Arts proudly presents internationally renowned flamenco dancer Juan Manuel Fernandez Montoya “Farruquito” for one night only on November 6, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Heir to one of the most revered Gypsy flamenco dynasties in Spain, Farruquito returns to the Center with his brand new show Farruquito Flamenco as part of its North American Tour. In this new production, Farruquito has blended his own original music and choreography and expanded his company with additional musicians and dancers to honor the historic lineage of flamenco. Said The New York Times of this distinguished performer, “He is one of today's superlative dance artists.”

Signature Theatre announced today the full cast and creative team for A Chorus Line with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and book by James Kirkwood Jr. & Nicholas Dante. A Chorus Line will run from October 29, 2019 - January 5, 2020 in Signature Theatre's intimate MAX Theatre and will be directed by Signature Theatre Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner (Signature's Passion, Billy Elliot) and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Denis Jones (Broadway's Tootsie, Signature's Crazy for You).

Synetic's The Tempest keeps the drama and comedy of Shakespeare's original work through the use of movement and emotional expression.

With college theatre program auditions just around the corner, we're highlighting some of the most prestigious theatre programs from all across the United States to give you insight into what to expect from their programs, from audition advice to real world experience and more. Today we're chatting with faculty from University of Texas at Arlington's Department of Theatre Arts about its audition and portfolio preparation, masterclasses, and more.