Ben Roseberry News

Casting has been announced for the San Diego engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. San Diego's most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Civic Theatre stage from Tuesday, October 13 to Sunday, November 8.

The Anchorage premiere engagement of Disney's THE LION KING opens tonight, Friday, September 4 at 8pm at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts for a limited engagement of 6 weeks through October 11, 2009.

Casting has been announced for the Calgary engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. Calgary's most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium stage from Tuesday August 4 to Sunday, August 30. The press opening night is Thursday, August 6 at 8 pm. This Calgary engagement is currently one of eight productions running worldwide along with New York, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Paris, Fukuoka and Las Vegas.

Casting has been announced for the Calgary engagement of Disney's THE LION KING. Calgary's most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium stage from Tuesday August 4 to Sunday, August 30. The press opening night is Thursday, August 6 at 8 pm. This Calgary engagement is currently one of eight productions running worldwide along with New York, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Paris, Fukuoka and Las Vegas.

The Zipper Factory Theater (336 West 37th Street) is pleased to present MONUMENTAL EVENING WITH MILLER & TYSEN, featuring the songs of Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen performed by a 'newly appointed cabinet of musical theatre bad asses' on Monday, January 19 at 8:00 p.m. Chris (music) and Nathan (lyrics) will debut new material from their upcoming commissions at Lincoln Center and Playwrights Horizons, plus songs from The Burnt Part Boys (opening this season in the Vineyard Theatre's lab series). Accompanied by a 5-piece string band, the performers will include Norm Lewis, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Caplan, Allison Case, Charlie Brady, and a reunion of the Drama Desk nominated cast of Fugitive Songs (Halle Petro, Todd Pettiford, Ben Roseberry and Lucia Spina).

The Zipper Factory Theater (336 West 37th Street) is pleased to present MONUMENTAL EVENING WITH MILLER & TYSEN, featuring the songs of Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen performed by a 'newly appointed cabinet of musical theatre bad asses' on Monday, January 19 at 8:00 p.m. Chris (music) and Nathan (lyrics) will debut new material from their upcoming commissions at Lincoln Center and Playwrights Horizons, plus songs from The Burnt Part Boys (opening this season in the Vineyard Theatre's lab series). Accompanied by a 5-piece string band, the performers will include Norm Lewis, Leslie Kritzer, Matt Caplan, Allison Case, Charlie Brady, and a reunion of the Drama Desk nominated cast of Fugitive Songs (Halle Petro, Todd Pettiford, Ben Roseberry and Lucia Spina).

THE ZIPPER FACTORY THEATER (336 West 37th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) will present the following entertainment events in January 2009. For advance tickets to all Zipper events call OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or buy online at www.thezipperfactory.com (For IN-PERSON purchases, The Zipper Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain for all events).

THE ZIPPER FACTORY THEATER (336 West 37th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues) will present the following entertainment events in January 2009. For advance tickets to all Zipper events call OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or buy online at www.thezipperfactory.com (For IN-PERSON purchases, The Zipper Box Office opens one hour prior to curtain for all events).

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, has announced a series of talkbacks and special events for its production of the first major New York revival of Irwin Shaw's Bury the Dead, directed by Joe Calarco.

This week at the O'Neill the performances of national playwrights and national music theater conferences continue. There will be a freee Theatermakers performances on Tuesday, July 8th. PERFORMANCES OF NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS, NATIONAL MUSIC THEATER CONFERENCES CONTINUE! FREE THEATERMAKERS PERFORMANCE ON TUESDAY, JULY 8 The National Playwrights Conference continues with two new projects, SMUDGE and MAGNOLIA. National Music Theater Conference presents performances of MAX UNDERSTOOD and begins performances of IRON CURTAIN. SMUDGE by Rachel Axler Directed by Daniel Aukin Performances: Thurs., July 10 at 8:15 pm; Sat., July 12 at 8:15 pm When a young couple's first child doesn't turn out as expected, they're forced to revise their notions about what constitutes a life, and figure out -- in their own, specific ways -- how to be parents. A very, very, very dark comedy. CAST: Maria Dizzia* Mike Doyle* Jonathan Walker* MAX UNDERSTOOD Book by Nancy Carlin; Lyrics by Nancy Carlin and Michael Rasbury; Music by Michael Rasbury Directed by Jack Cumming Performances: Fri., July 11 at 8:00 pm; Sun., July 13 at 3:00 pm The transformative journey of a 7-year old autistic boy and those who love him, and how the need to communicate overcomes an unintelligible chasm. This sound-scaped musical may leave you feeling autistic yourself…and that's OK. CAST: Matthew Gumley* Jonathan Hammond* Hannah Laird* Lauren Marcus* Kerry O'Malley* Ben Roseberry* Paul Oakley Stovall* MAGNOLIA* by Regina Taylor Directed by Regina Taylor Performances: Fri., July 11 at 8:15 pm; Sunday, July 13 at 5:15 pm Magnolia is set in winter, 1963, as the schools, stores and real estate markets of Atlanta, Georgia are beginning to desegregate-much to the resentment of the white community. Lily, a white landowner, returns from Paris to find the Forest Estate, her family's land, on the brink of ruin. Thomas, a successful businessman and the descendent of former slaves to the estate, has a plan to save the land: turn it into subdivisions and sell it to the white families fleeing the city. Tensions build as members of the estranged family reunite to try and save their beloved land-magnolia trees and all. *MAGNOLIA is a collaboration with Chicago's The Goodman Theatre, Robert Falls, Artistic Director CAST: Tyla Abercrumbie* Tory Davis* Ted Dasy* Harriett Foy* Mattie Hawkinson* Stephen Henderson* Brandon Miller* Caitlin O'Connell* Tim Rhoze* David Ross* Stephen Schnetzer* Makela Spielman* IRON CURTAIN*** Book by Susan DeLallo, Lyrics by Peter Mills, Music by Stephen Weiner Directed by Cara Reichel Performances: Sat., July 12 at 8:00 pm; Weds., July 16 at 8:00 pm; Fri., July 18 at 8:00 pm; Sat., July 19 at 3:00 pm New York, 1956: two down-on-their luck songwriters are kidnapped by the KGB and brought to Moscow, where they are forced to write Communist Propaganda musicals. A madcap farce about fame vs. freedom, filled with divas and dominatrixes, stooges and spies, mishaps and misdirects as our heroes try desperately to get back home. ***IRON CURTAIN is funded in part through The ASCAP Residency. CAST: David Abeles* Alison Briner* Stephen Bogardus* Monique French* David Gregory Daniel Levine* Anne Torsiglieri* Dan Sharkey* Robby Sharpe* Lucy Sorenson* Gordon Stanley* Jessica Snow Wilson* *member of Actors' Equity Association THE PUB is open to the public before and after all performances. Come enjoy your favorite beverage and spend some time with our artists! COMING UP NEXT WEEK will be performances of THUNDER ABOVE, DEEPS BELOW and MISTAKES WERE MADE at the National Playwrights Conference, and IRON CURTAIN continues the National Music Theater Conference! Also Coming Soon: The Summer Gala Musicals Under the Star:, Celebrating 31 years of the National Music Theater Conference and NMTC co-founder and Artistic Director Paulette Haupt! July 19th at 6:30pm. For tickets and more information see www.theoneill.org or contact Suzanne Hendrix at 860-443-5378 x 217. All schedules and artists subject to change. Please call the O'Neill Box Office at 860-443-1238 for times, prices and reservations. Outdoor performances will be moved indoors in the event of rain. The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964, is the pre-eminent center for the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. It has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full productions at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, off-Broadway and major regional theaters. The O'Neill has received a special Tony Award, the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theater Excellence and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. The O'Neill's programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, Puppetry Conference, Cabaret & Performance Conference, National Critics Institute, and the National Theater Institute, which includes semester-long, fully accredited intensive theater-training programs and a six-week accredited summer program, Theatermakers. In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, a National Historic Landmark and the childhood home of Nobel Prize-winning and four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill. For more information regarding the Center, please visit the O'Neill website at www.TheONeill.org or call 860-443-5378.

This week at the O'Neill the performances of national playwrights and national music theater conferences continue. There will be a freee Theatermakers performances on Tuesday, July 8th. PERFORMANCES OF NATIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS, NATIONAL MUSIC THEATER CONFERENCES CONTINUE! FREE THEATERMAKERS PERFORMANCE ON TUESDAY, JULY 8 The National Playwrights Conference continues with two new projects, SMUDGE and MAGNOLIA. National Music Theater Conference presents performances of MAX UNDERSTOOD and begins performances of IRON CURTAIN. SMUDGE by Rachel Axler Directed by Daniel Aukin Performances: Thurs., July 10 at 8:15 pm; Sat., July 12 at 8:15 pm When a young couple's first child doesn't turn out as expected, they're forced to revise their notions about what constitutes a life, and figure out -- in their own, specific ways -- how to be parents. A very, very, very dark comedy. CAST: Maria Dizzia* Mike Doyle* Jonathan Walker* MAX UNDERSTOOD Book by Nancy Carlin; Lyrics by Nancy Carlin and Michael Rasbury; Music by Michael Rasbury Directed by Jack Cumming Performances: Fri., July 11 at 8:00 pm; Sun., July 13 at 3:00 pm The transformative journey of a 7-year old autistic boy and those who love him, and how the need to communicate overcomes an unintelligible chasm. This sound-scaped musical may leave you feeling autistic yourself…and that's OK. CAST: Matthew Gumley* Jonathan Hammond* Hannah Laird* Lauren Marcus* Kerry O'Malley* Ben Roseberry* Paul Oakley Stovall* MAGNOLIA* by Regina Taylor Directed by Regina Taylor Performances: Fri., July 11 at 8:15 pm; Sunday, July 13 at 5:15 pm Magnolia is set in winter, 1963, as the schools, stores and real estate markets of Atlanta, Georgia are beginning to desegregate-much to the resentment of the white community. Lily, a white landowner, returns from Paris to find the Forest Estate, her family's land, on the brink of ruin. Thomas, a successful businessman and the descendent of former slaves to the estate, has a plan to save the land: turn it into subdivisions and sell it to the white families fleeing the city. Tensions build as members of the estranged family reunite to try and save their beloved land-magnolia trees and all. *MAGNOLIA is a collaboration with Chicago's The Goodman Theatre, Robert Falls, Artistic Director CAST: Tyla Abercrumbie* Tory Davis* Ted Dasy* Harriett Foy* Mattie Hawkinson* Stephen Henderson* Brandon Miller* Caitlin O'Connell* Tim Rhoze* David Ross* Stephen Schnetzer* Makela Spielman* IRON CURTAIN*** Book by Susan DeLallo, Lyrics by Peter Mills, Music by Stephen Weiner Directed by Cara Reichel Performances: Sat., July 12 at 8:00 pm; Weds., July 16 at 8:00 pm; Fri., July 18 at 8:00 pm; Sat., July 19 at 3:00 pm New York, 1956: two down-on-their luck songwriters are kidnapped by the KGB and brought to Moscow, where they are forced to write Communist Propaganda musicals. A madcap farce about fame vs. freedom, filled with divas and dominatrixes, stooges and spies, mishaps and misdirects as our heroes try desperately to get back home. ***IRON CURTAIN is funded in part through The ASCAP Residency. CAST: David Abeles* Alison Briner* Stephen Bogardus* Monique French* David Gregory Daniel Levine* Anne Torsiglieri* Dan Sharkey* Robby Sharpe* Lucy Sorenson* Gordon Stanley* Jessica Snow Wilson* *member of Actors' Equity Association THE PUB is open to the public before and after all performances. Come enjoy your favorite beverage and spend some time with our artists! COMING UP NEXT WEEK will be performances of THUNDER ABOVE, DEEPS BELOW and MISTAKES WERE MADE at the National Playwrights Conference, and IRON CURTAIN continues the National Music Theater Conference! Also Coming Soon: The Summer Gala Musicals Under the Star:, Celebrating 31 years of the National Music Theater Conference and NMTC co-founder and Artistic Director Paulette Haupt! July 19th at 6:30pm. For tickets and more information see www.theoneill.org or contact Suzanne Hendrix at 860-443-5378 x 217. All schedules and artists subject to change. Please call the O'Neill Box Office at 860-443-1238 for times, prices and reservations. Outdoor performances will be moved indoors in the event of rain. The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, founded in 1964, is the pre-eminent center for the development of new works and new voices for the American theater. It has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full productions at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, off-Broadway and major regional theaters. The O'Neill has received a special Tony Award, the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theater Excellence and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. The O'Neill's programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, Puppetry Conference, Cabaret & Performance Conference, National Critics Institute, and the National Theater Institute, which includes semester-long, fully accredited intensive theater-training programs and a six-week accredited summer program, Theatermakers. In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage, a National Historic Landmark and the childhood home of Nobel Prize-winning and four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill. For more information regarding the Center, please visit the O'Neill website at www.TheONeill.org or call 860-443-5378.

Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference (NPC) and Paulette Haupt, Artistic Director of the National Music Theater Conference (NMTC), announced the actors cast in their 2008 projects. The actors include a mix of award-winning actors from stage and screen, seasoned O'Neill performers, and new talent.

The world premiere of 'The Mysteries of Harris Burdick', a new musical by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's (Jumanji and The Polar Express) illustrative book, opens the third season of Barrington Stage Company's acclaimed Musical Theatre Lab, under the mentorship of William Finn.

The premiere of Fugitive Songs, a new musical by the emerging team of composer Chris Miller and lyricist Nathan Tysen, will be presented by Off-Broadway's Dreamlight Theatre Company, from March 8 - 30 at the 45th Street Theatre

On Monday July 23, ASTEP (Artists Striving To End Poverty) will present 'Christmas in July: Misfit Kids' Letters to Old St. Nick'

Scott Barbarino and Barry Levitt will present XL Star Winner Alysha Umphress in an upcoming concert at Iridium Jazz Club on Wednesday, February 28th for a set at 11pm.

Ellen's Stardust Diner announced the release of Seasoned Greetings, a CD of all original Holiday Season songs, which was written, produced & performed by the Singing Waitstaff at Ellen's Stardust Diner in New York City.