Chris Williams News

What a week it has been for the city of Indianola. Des Moines Metro Opera closed their 2019 season, RAGBRAI has been through town, the county fair has started, and we are preparing for the National Balloon Classic. Yet there is another event in town that people will soon be talking about. Carousel Theatre of Indianola is opening the final production of their 2019 season with a big and grand production of a?oeThe Hunchback of Notre Dame.a?? Their production opens on July 26, but I was fortunate to be able to catch a preview of the show, and this theatre is giving Indianola another gem to add to the treasures the town has to offer.

Returning to Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC's) Concert Hall for the second time this year, following their sell-out performance of Lunar New Year in February, the Southern Cross Soloists (SXS) are delighted to announce ABC Classic's Lucas Burns will join them onstage as they navigate by land, sea and sky through music with Maps and Journeys on Sunday 21 July.

Now in its third year, the pioneering free mini-festival A Bit Of A Do from Drunken Chorus returns championing the work of artists with and without disabilities. Working with some amazing partners including BSL consultants, a visually impaired theatre company, local apprentices with learning disabilities, disability charities, artists and audiences, their aim is to empower artists to create and access theatre and dance.

On June 14 Chris Gale will release his new album A Cloud (pre-order). Chris Gale shared the official video for the album's first single 'Last Time I Heard Rock and Roll' with We All Want Someone To Shout For. The video which was directed by Minneapolis filmmaker James Christenson can also be shared at YouTube. On the making of the video Gale says, 'James and I tried to echo the chaos of my record-making process with how we made this video, allowing inspiration to lead us by the nose. We ended up filming in Miami because of a documentary from 1968 about bible salesmen called Salesman. And cheap round trip tickets in the middle of a Minnesota winter.'

Eastern Music Festival (EMF), a nationally recognized music festival and summer educational program based in the heart of North Carolina, returns June 22 through July 27, 2019, for its 58th season of performances. The 2019 season includes 65+ performances by three symphonies, multiple chamber ensembles, and signature guest artists performances at its home location at Guilford College and other locations in Greensboro, the Triad, and also Boone, North Carolina.

Sprinkles Productions and the Theatre Authority will present a benefit concert of My Princess Diana to raise money for Broadway Cares / Equity Fight AIDS.

The St. George Theatre announces its first-ever classic movie series for 2019 entitled "Better on the Big Screen".  Sponsored by Williams Eye Works and Borough Five Pictures, the series will present twelve iconic films on the theatre's "big screen" over the course of the year to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the historic former movie palace which opened in 1929. 

VH1's 'IN SESSION LIVE WITH DR. JESS' will premiere Monday, November 12th at 10PM ET/PT with New York Times Best-Selling author and influential radio host Charlamagne Tha God and licensed M.D. and psychiatry resident Dr. Jessica Clemons, aka 'Dr. Jess.' This groundbreaking, hour-long event from Big Fish Entertainment will feature Charlamagne in the first live session on mental health in television history.

Nearly 60% of Netflix members on a global basis enjoy kids and family content every month, so the company today unveiled a robust slate of animated event programming - both feature films and original series - to give kids and families around the world more of what they love.

Netflix today announced that it is producing Jacob And The Sea Beast, a CG animated feature film written and directed by Academy Award® winning filmmaker Chris Williams (Moana, Big Hero 6, Bolt). Jacob and the Sea Beast - Williams' script that will also serve as his solo directorial debut - tells the epic story of a charming seafarer who sails into uncharted waters and discovers an unlikely ally in a sea monster.

Eastern Music Festival announces the receipt of a landmark gift in the amount of $500,000 from Festival patron Alan G. Benaroya of San Diego, CA. In acknowledgement and with gratitude, the EMF music director's chair will be recognized as The Alan G. Benaroya Music Director's Chair.

Marta Dusseldorp (Janet King), Deidre Rubenstein (Ladies in Black), Greg Stone (The Weir) and Zoe Terakes (Janet King) star in the Australian premiere of Tony Award-nominated drama A Doll's House, Part 2, directed by 2018 Helpmann Award nominee and MTC Associate Director Sarah Goodes.

Marta Dusseldorp (Janet King), Deidre Rubenstein (Ladies in Black), Greg Stone (The Weir) and Zoe Terakes (Janet King) star in the Australian premiere of Tony Award-nominated drama A Doll's House, Part 2, directed by 2018 Helpmann Award nominee and MTC Associate Director Sarah Goodes.

Disney's animated 'Big Hero 6 The Series' will launch with a premiere weekend event, featuring two back-to-back episodes on both SATURDAY, JUNE 9 and SUNDAY, JUNE 10 (9:00-10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT), on Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD platforms. Following the premiere weekend, episodes will debut every Saturday through September.

Disney's animated 'Big Hero 6 The Series' will launch with a premiere weekend event, featuring two back-to-back episodes on both SATURDAY, JUNE 9 and SUNDAY, JUNE 10 (9:00-10:00 a.m. EDT/PDT), on Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel VOD platforms. Following the premiere weekend, episodes will debut every Saturday through September.

Nominations were announced today for the Sydney Theatre Awards for 2017, which will be presented at a gala ceremony on Monday 22 January 2018 at 6pm at the Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre.

Frozen fans can now sing along with one of the newest songs from Arendelle. Olaf's Frozen Adventure, a new 21-minute featurette, features four original songs written by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. A lyric version of the featurette's culminating song, When We're Together, is now available on DisneyMusicVevo:

Canadian Composer Joel Levine speaks a unique voice with the recorder with his debut release The Whistleblower on the Iyouwe label. The 13 song disc, Levine's first as a solo artist, finds the Toronto based recorder player joined by singers and instrumentalists including legendary drummer and multi-Grammy award winner Lenny White.

Disney XD's animated BIG HERO 6 THE SERIES is set to launch MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EST), with a one-hour primetime television movie, 'Baymax Returns,' simultaneously on Disney XD and Disney Channel,

Rehearsals commence today for Cloud Nine, Caryl Churchill's witty exploration of the complex politics of human relationships, directed by Sydney Theatre Company's (STC's) Artistic Director Kip Williams following the success of his production of another of the playwright's beguiling works, Love and Information in 2015. Set and costumes are by STC's Resident Designer Elizabeth Gadsby, with lighting by Alexander Berlage, composition by Chris Williams and sound design by Nate Edmondson.