Chris Jones News

Happy Thanksgiving week to our readers in the United States! With continued news about the development of an effective vaccine and the conversation turning to how the vaccine will be deployed globally, the light continues to grow brighter at the end of the tunnel for this intermission. This week, however, we have some stories that demonstrate the extensive amount of damage that has occurred to companies across the globe, and how even if the industry is starting to see a path forward in the future, for some individual companies there are dark days ahead. There are also stories of bright spots: summer arts festivals in Australia have been planning (and re-planning, and planning again) for how to get themselves up and running in a safe fashion, Las Vegas continues to bet big on live entertainment, and AEA and SAG-AFTRA have finally reached an agreement on streaming theatre. All this, plus a new digital service from BroadwayWorld, below!

NIGHT will take you back to the bingo halls of your Catholic youth! Or, if you're not of the RC variety (that's Roman Catholic), you'll still love this smash-hit, streaming online for five weeks only, throughout the holiday season.

Encouraging news out last Monday about a potentially effective COVID-19 vaccine that could be widely available by April of next year. For many organizations, that is bittersweet news - it might guarantee over a year of closure, but there is at least starting to be an end in sight to the uncertainty, if nothing else. Outside of the United States, we also saw plenty of encouraging news out of Australia that is seeing more and more of its stages re-open at 50% capacity. As they push to return to 100%, they may be able to provide a roadmap for the rest of us as to how we ramp back to normal as quickly, and safely, as possible.

The archives of acclaimed playwright August Wilson are heading to the University of Pittsburgh.

Chicago Children’s Theatre has added one more week to its current fall run of The Beatrix Potter Drive-In Theatre Experience, the company’s all-new, outdoor, socially distanced production that has been playing since October 1 to sold out parking lots.

Actor Bradley Mott, a bright star in the Chicago theatre scene, has passed away at age 64 of pancreatic cancer.

Like many of you, I spent a lot of time over the past week reading remembrance articles about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Without venturing into the political, I was deeply struck by how important the arts - particularly the performing arts - were to her throughout her life and time on the Supreme Court.

On Friday, October 23, 2020 at 7:00 PM MDT, a video benefit concert will launch to raise awareness, funds and support for SUBLIMELIGHT Studios, a new Arts and Wellness structure and community set to open in Denver in 2021.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced its schedule for fall 2020, offering a variety of free and pay-to-view options for virtual experiences.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum plans to carry on the tradition of outdoor summer repertory theater by returning to the stage in 2021.

Manual Cinema will create a new online production of A Christmas Carol, to stream online in December.

Though last week wasn't all good news as more theatres announced delays in their reopening plan, or in the case of the Rockettes the official cancellation of the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, there were some bright spots in the industry this week - Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theatre Group returned to the stage with Equity approved productions, and we learned that a third may be on its way to the West Coast.

Strawdog Theatre Company has announced its upcoming all-digital 2020-21 season. The company's 33rd season will be comprised of four virtual offerings.

Read reviews for the third installment of Richard Nelson's Pandemic Trilogy, The Apple Family: Life on Zoom.

A lot of what we have this week falls more on the 'bad news' side of the equation, so be sure and check out the fun video involving the cast of the Frozen films that we link to at the end.

Musical theater and cabaret maestro Joe Kinosian has been busily creating new musicals - this time for the under-18 set.

Hershey Felder, the popular pianist, is set to perform virtually from Italy on September 13, reports The Chicago Tribune.

The Harris Theater in Chicago is getting a new president and CEO. Lori Dimun will step up from her position as chief operating officer and general manager, a position she'd held since 2017.

Grammy and Emmy Award winner and and a Tony nominee Christopher Jackson is hitting the web this week for his Live from the West Side concert event.

William Spatz, the co-owner of the Greenhouse Theater Center, will no longer produce theater at the multi-space Lincoln Park venue located at 2257 N. Lincoln Ave