Ben Strothmann News

Tony Award winners Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons return to Broadway to star together in the world premiere of Impressionism, a new American play by Michael Jacobs. The production, which will be directed by Tony Award-winner Jack O'Brien, will play the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, reports The New York Times.

Artist Take Action! is a not-for-profit organization created by artists, for artists, to benefit arts education in inner-city public schools. Their mission: to support, encourage and enrich positive thinking in the arts and its future. The Artists Take Action! Benefit Concert will feature an extraordinary night of diverse musical performances by some of New York's best. Artists scheduled to perform include accomplished New York based rockers, Ryness; pop-mod-rock band, The Academics; singer/songwriter, Alex Brumel; spoken word and hip-hop artist, Matt Sax; singer/songwriter, Maddy Wyatt and the electronic sounds of DJ Kyle Sullivan, amongst others. The concert will kick off Monday, November 10th at 8 p.m. at New York City's Sullivan Hall (Sullivan St. between West 3rd and Bleecker St.). All proceeds will go to The Striking Viking Story Pirates for their work in furthering arts education in New York's inner-city public school system. Artists Take Action! Founder and Co-Producer, Eli Zoller, along with Co-Producer, Michael Kohn, say of their motivation for launching the benefit, 'Good art with good intentions is getting ignored, as are the children in our public schools who are lacking a decent arts education. Forming Artists Take Action! is the ideal way to begin solving these problems. It is in the interest of everyone that children be given arts education opportunities to create open-minded, free-thinking, fully educated adults.' Tickets for the Artists Take Action! Benefit Concert are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and also includes limited table options currently up for auction. Tickets can be purchased by calling CEG Music on 212-634-0427 or online at www.cegmusic.com. For more information on Artists Take Action!, or to make a contribution, please e-mail artiststakeaction@yahoo.com. For more information on The Striking Viking Story Pirates, please visit www.storypirates.org. About Founder/ Co-Producer, Eli Zoller: Eli Zoller is a professional actor/musician and a proud member of AEA. He received a B.F.A. from The University of Michigan for Musical Theatre and attended Interlochen Fine Arts Camp. He is also an accomplished orchestrator and music director. About Co-Producer, Michael Kohn: Michael Kohn is a New York based actor and proud member of Actors Equity. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University Theatre Dept. and an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, where the seeds of Artists Take Action! were planted.

Conor McPherson's Rum and Vodka, as presented by The Faux Real Theater Company, runs November 7-16, Friday-Sunday, with an additional performance on Monday, November 10.

LAByrinth Theater Company (John Ortiz, Artistic Director; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Co-Artistic Director; John Gould Rubin, Co-Artistic & Executive Director) announces complete casting for its development production of Philip Roth in Khartoum by David Bar Katz, which kicks off the second season of Public LAB at The Public Theater.

Conor McPherson's Rum and Vodka, as presented by The Faux Real Theater Company, runs November 7-16, Friday-Sunday, with an additional performance on Monday, November 10.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presents The Language of Trees, a new play by Steven Levenson, directed by Alex Timbers, featuring Maggie Burke as 'Kay Danley,' Natalie Gold as 'Loretta Trumble-Pinkerstone,' Michael Hayden as 'Denton Pinkerstone,' Gio Perez as 'Eben Trumble-Pinkerstone' and Michael Warner as 'Bill Clinton.' The Language of Trees will officially open tonight Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

'Ah, Paris!' is a witty, often overlooked Cole Porter parody by Stephen Sondheim from the show 'Follies' is just one of the brilliant songs performed by the supremely talented singer and pianist Steve Ross in his upcoming cabaret show, GOOD THING GOING, a 'Stephen Sondheim Sampler, Styled for Tuxedo' at Morgans Cabaret at the Prince in Philadelphia, running from October 29 through November 9, 2008.

Performance Space 122 will present CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT, written by Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, on November 22nd through December 7th, 2008.

Artist Take Action! is a not-for-profit organization created by artists, for artists, to benefit arts education in inner-city public schools. Their mission: to support, encourage and enrich positive thinking in the arts and its future. The Artists Take Action! Benefit Concert will feature an extraordinary night of diverse musical performances by some of New York's best. Artists scheduled to perform include accomplished New York based rockers, Ryness; pop-mod-rock band, The Academics; singer/songwriter, Alex Brumel; spoken word and hip-hop artist, Matt Sax; singer/songwriter, Maddy Wyatt and the electronic sounds of DJ Kyle Sullivan, amongst others. The concert will kick off Monday, November 10th at 8 p.m. at New York City's Sullivan Hall (Sullivan St. between West 3rd and Bleecker St.). All proceeds will go to The Striking Viking Story Pirates for their work in furthering arts education in New York's inner-city public school system. Artists Take Action! Founder and Co-Producer, Eli Zoller, along with Co-Producer, Michael Kohn, say of their motivation for launching the benefit, 'Good art with good intentions is getting ignored, as are the children in our public schools who are lacking a decent arts education. Forming Artists Take Action! is the ideal way to begin solving these problems. It is in the interest of everyone that children be given arts education opportunities to create open-minded, free-thinking, fully educated adults.' Tickets for the Artists Take Action! Benefit Concert are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and also includes limited table options currently up for auction. Tickets can be purchased by calling CEG Music on 212-634-0427 or online at www.cegmusic.com. For more information on Artists Take Action!, or to make a contribution, please e-mail artiststakeaction@yahoo.com. For more information on The Striking Viking Story Pirates, please visit www.storypirates.org. About Founder/ Co-Producer, Eli Zoller: Eli Zoller is a professional actor/musician and a proud member of AEA. He received a B.F.A. from The University of Michigan for Musical Theatre and attended Interlochen Fine Arts Camp. He is also an accomplished orchestrator and music director. About Co-Producer, Michael Kohn: Michael Kohn is a New York based actor and proud member of Actors Equity. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University Theatre Dept. and an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, where the seeds of Artists Take Action! were planted.

Steppenwolf Traffic is pleased to present with two hauntingly hilarious performances of A Sandra Bernard Halloween on Monday, October 27, 2008 in the Steppenwolf Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, will continue their 10th Anniversary season with the return of award-winning star of Broadway's Rent and Aida, ADAM PASCAL. After two sold-out shows in the spring, Pascal will reprise his show 'Broadway State of Mind' on October 26 and 27 at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

Linny Fowler, Beth Falcone and Karla Mosley to present BROADWAY FOR OBAMA, over twenty Broadway performers will join local High School 'rising stars' in a concert that will send Barack straight to the White House. This amazing one-night event will take place on Monday, October 20, 2998 at the State Theatre in Easton (53 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 18042.)

Four time Grammy nominee, singer/pianist Michael Feinstein and his partner of 11 years, Terrence Flannery, are to be married today, October 17th, 2008 in Los Angeles, CA.

The Stage News is reporting that National Theatre Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner, actress Maria Friedman and Blood Brothers writer Willy Russell for the next round of the Shaw Theatre's SPOTLIGHT ON SERIES

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed 'Best of New York' by New York Magazine and 'an invaluable New York institution' by The New York Post, will continue their 10th Anniversary season with the return of award-winning star of Broadway's Rent and Aida, ADAM PASCAL. After two sold-out shows in the spring, Pascal will reprise his show 'Broadway State of Mind' on October 26 and 27 at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

William Wolf, the noted critic, author, educator and lecturer, will launch the fall season of William Wolf Movie Previews, his popular course offering pre-release private screenings and critical discussions of new feature films, on Saturday, October 18, 2008, under the auspices of New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Department of Design, Digital Arts and Film.

'Ah, Paris!' is a witty, often overlooked Cole Porter parody by Stephen Sondheim from the show 'Follies' is just one of the brilliant songs performed by the supremely talented singer and pianist Steve Ross in his upcoming cabaret show, GOOD THING GOING, a 'Stephen Sondheim Sampler, Styled for Tuxedo' at Morgans Cabaret at the Prince in Philadelphia, running from October 29 through November 9, 2008.

Emmy Award winner Sarah Jessica Parker & Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick will host a one night only Broadway concert event, Broadway Voices For Change starring Tony Award winners Audra McDonald and Barbara Cook, to benefit America Votes on Sunday, October 19, at 8pm at Broadway's Al Hirschfeld Theatre (302 West 45th Street

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) have announced that Academy Awardâ and Tony Awardâ winner Mercedes Ruehl and Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominee Lily Rabe will appear in the upcoming Broadway premiere of THE AMERICAN PLAN by Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out).

Details are coming out fast and furious about 'Rosie's Variety Show' as production ramps up. On Rosie's blog, she notes that John McDaniel will be coming aboard as Music Director along with a full orchestra.