Bill Berry News

The 5th Avenue Theatre is pleased to announce the nominees for its 13th annual 5th Avenue Awards: Honoring High School Musical Theater.

The American musical sensation, Grease, will send audiences cruisin' through the days of pajama parties, sock hops, and drive-ins with an exuberant cast of Seattle's freshest faces and favorite performers at The 5th Avenue Theatre this summer.

One of New York City's hottest young stars, Matt Doyle will make the journey from the Big Apple to the Emerald City to star in Jasper in Deadland, a role he originated Off-Off-Broadway in 2014.

The 5th Avenue Theatre New Works Program is seeking Seattle-based musical theater writers and composers for the 2015-2017 cycle of its Seattle Writers Group. The Seattle Writers Group is a selective experience for professional musical theatre writers looking to practice & deepen their craft with the guidance, support, and infrastructure that The 5th Avenue Theatre offers.

The 5th Avenue Theatre New Works Program will bring a new kind of festival to Seattle's vibrant arts community this summer with its inaugural NextFest: A Festival of New Musicals. Taking place in the historic theater's rehearsal halls and studios July 20-August 15, 2015, NextFest is a celebration of new musicals at various stages of development ranging from a first read-through of new text and music all the way to a fully staged studio presentation of a work.

Multi-talented actress and singer Jenifer Lewis returns to The 5th Avenue Theatre to headline the festivities at Cirque du 5th, the company's 12th Annual A Night at the 5th Gala, set for Friday, May 29th. Ms. Lewis was last seen at The 5th in 2009 in the starring role of Dolly Levi in the popular production of Hello, Dolly!, directed and choreographed by 5th Avenue Executive Producer and Artistic Director, David Armstrong.

Seattle Musical Theatre's 2015/2016 season roars to life with the high-voltage rock opera JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Seattle superstar Billie Wildrick makes her SMT directorial debut as director and will be joined by SMT veterans SMT Associate Music Consultant Brandon Peck as music director and BroadwayWorld Award-winning Troy Wageman as choreographer.

One of New York City's hottest young stars, Matt Doyle will make the journey from the Big Apple to the Emerald City to star in Jasper in Deadland, a role he originated Off-Off-Broadway in 2014.

One of New York City's hottest young stars, Matt Doyle will make the journey from the Big Apple to the Emerald City to star in Jasper in Deadland, a role he originated Off-Off-Broadway in 2014.

If you read my previous review, Dear Readers, of SMT's production of 'Sweet Charity' you'll know that I already had the occasion this weekend of a show where the leading lady just didn't connect for me. Well, that seems to be a trend as the 5th Avenue Theatre's current production of 'Carousel' also had a leading lady who was lacking. There's plenty of good things happening in the show but their Julie Jordan (Laura Griffith) came across as emotionless and stone faced making me wonder why or even if she was falling in love.

Under the direction of Producing Artistic Director Bill Berry, The 5th Avenue Theatre presents a fresh and exciting new take on the tempestuous romance, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Carousel. In its fourth major collaboration with Spectrum Dance Theater, The 5th is thrilled to welcome Tony Award-nominated choreographer Donald Byrd to the creative table, and a host of Seattle's theatrical royalty to its stage.

With nearly 2000 subscribers in attendance, The 5th Avenue Theatre Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong revealed the season line-up for this celebrated theater's 8-show 2015/16 season.

Seattle media have honored ACT's ambitious 2014-15 season with a number of awards. Details below!

Joshua Carter, currently working the national musical tour of Once, wins Performance in a Musical as a Lead Actor (Male) for his work in Little Shop of Horrors, along with his co-lead, Jessica Skerritt. Bill Berry wins as well as director of the co-production of ACT Theatre and The 5th Avenue Theater (housed at ACT).

This exciting new staging will star the radiant Laura Griffith as Julie and 5th Avenue favorite Brandon O'Neill as Billy in his first Seattle production following his Broadway debut in Disney's Aladdin. The cast also includes local luminaries Anne Allgood, Eric Ankrim, Allen Fitzpatrick, Sean G. Griffin, Cynthia Jones, and Billie Wildrick, and marks The 5th Avenue debut of rising talent Joshua Downs.

Seattle Theater Writers critics' circle just announced the nomination slate of the fourth annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards,theater awards devoted to recognizing excellence across the economic spectrum of professional Seattle theaters in the prior calendar year.

Broadway producers announced today that Something Rotten!, an original new musical, will forego its previously scheduled world premiere production at The 5th Avenue Theatre, and open directly at the St. James Theater on Broadway this spring. Another exciting new musical will be announced shortly to take its place in The 5th Avenue Theatre's 2014/15 season.

The worldwide smash hit 'rock theatrical', Queen and Ben Elton's We Will Rock You, built around 24 of Queen's biggest hits will rock The 5th Avenue Theatre July 8-13. We Will Rock You is produced by Queen Theatrical Productions, Tribeca Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and NETworks Presentations.

High school students from across Washington State packed Benaroya Hall tonight for The 12th Annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater, a high school version of the Tony Awards, proudly sponsored for the tenth year by Wells Fargo with additional support from Alaska Airlines. The house was packed with 2,000 teenagers, dressed in costume representing their schools' musical theater productions, who cheered for their peers as they performed musical excerpts and accepted awards honoring top student achievements in musical theater. The acclaimed event, directed this year by Mathew Wright, handed out awards in 21 categories ranging from Outstanding Overall Musical Production to Outstanding Lobby Display.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is pleased to announce the nominees for the 12th annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater. This Tony Awards-style ceremony allows for high school students from across Washington State to gather to celebrate and honor their exceptional musical theater productions presented during the 2013/14 school year. These awards are designed to shine the spotlight on the often overlooked high school musical theater programs, offering performing arts students the kind of recognition that accomplished athletes have received for decades. The 5th Avenue Awards will be held at 7:00 PM, Monday, June 9, at Benaroya Hall.