Benjamin Velez News

The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company will present the eighteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Julia Riew.

The Berkshire Theatre Critics Association has announced the nominees for the 6th Berkshire Theatre Awards, known colloquially as The Berkies. This year’s awards recognize shows that opened in the greater Berkshire region between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer and Director of the Ground Floor Madeleine Oldham announced the Residency Lab participants and the return to full capacity of the Residency Lab portion of The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work.

Today's top stories include Emma Pittman extending her run in Chicago on Broadway, Cynthia Erivo stops by Wicked, and more! Plus, Between the Lines cancels off-Broadway performances due to COVID-19, and more.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at the East Coast Premiere of the hilarious Kiss My Aztec! An upbeat musical comedy, Kiss My Aztec! features a book by comedy legend John Leguizamo and acclaimed director Tony Taccone; music by Benjamin Velez; lyrics by David Kamp, Leguizamo and Velez; and choreography by Mayte Natalio.

Kiss My Aztec! Is a hilarious musical based on Latin American history “…. Very loosely!” This upbeat show is a real party with entirely original music, bold and bright-colored sets and costuming, as well as an exceptionally multitalented cast that keeps the energy up from start to finish.

Read an interview with John Leguizamo in which he takes about Kiss My Aztec! an irreverent new musical loosely based on Latin American history. Travel back to the 1500's as a group of Aztecs lead the resistance against Spanish invaders. With a fierce female warrior at the helm and a not-so-fierce clown in tow, they mount a scrappy attack - and get entangled with royalty, colonizers, pop stars, and puppets

Stacey Tookey’s dream was to be in a ballet company. After achieving that dream, Stacey realized that she wasn’t  fulfilled and that dreams can change. After five years dancing with Celine at Ceasars Palace and due to an incredible support system, her choreography career started as an 'accidental happening.'

Rhinebeck Writers Retreat will host 16 award-winning musical theatre writers of eight new musicals for eight consecutive weeklong residencies between July 3 and August 28.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center has announced its 2022 summer season, which features the return of some beloved in-person public events put on pause during the virtual and hybrid seasons of 2020 and 2021. 

View photos from the gala and learn about their rebrand!

The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company presented the seventeenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to the team of Isabella Dawis & Tidtaya Sinutoke.

Hartford Stage announced today the cast and creatives for its upcoming production of the East Coast Premiere of the hilarious Kiss My Aztec!

Delaware Theatre Company announces its 2022/23 Season. DTC will be returning for a full, five-show season—its 43rd—on September 14, with live performances inside the theatre, including world premiere Broadway-bound musicals, farcical satires and searing dramas.

The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented to the team of Isabella Dawis & Tidtaya Sinutoke by Heidi Blickenstaff and Julia Murney on Monday May 2nd from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony at Bond 45. T

 The Fred Ebb Foundation has announced that their Fred Ebb Award ceremony, previously set for January 3rd, 2022 at Birdland Jazz Club, has been postponed. 

BroadwayWorld has just learned that the new musical Borderline will get an industry reading later this week under the direction of Sarna Lapine, musical supervision of David Gardos, and choreography of Joann M. Hunter. The project features a book by Aryanna Garber and music/lyrics by Benjamin Velez.

The Fred Ebb Foundation will present the seventeenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to the team of Isabella Dawis & Tidtaya Sinutoke. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented on Monday January 3rd, 2022, at a by-invitation-only ceremony at Birdland Jazz Club

On Thursday, October 28, Situation, in collaboration with The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, invites the next generation of changemakers to peek behind the curtain of Broadway’s vast job market in this special, virtual “open house” for college students, recent grads, and aspiring young professionals.

Hartford Stage announced today that the musical Kiss My Aztec! will be the final production of the Tony Award-winning regional theatre's 2021-2022 season, running June 2 through 26, 2022. This hilarious and irreverent new musical features a book by Tony and Emmy Award-winner John Leguizamo and Tony Taccone, music by Benjamin Velez, and lyrics by David Kamp, Velez, and Leguizamo.