Christopher West News

Check out the top stories from Dallas you might have missed this week and more!

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature THE NETHER in Rhode Island, THE LAST FIVE YEARS in Orlando, and STOREFRONT CHURCH in Phoenix, just to name a few. Check out our top features below!

Check out the top stories from Dallas you might have missed this week and more!

Directed by Aimee Todoroff and Tonya Pinkins and now in performances at the Gloria Maddox Theatre, Visionary Voices begins with Susan Glaspell's Trifles, followed by Marita Bonner's Exit: An Illusion and ending with Glaspell's The People - three wonderful plays that are more engaging and poignant in their single acts than many full length shows ever have the opportunity of being. All three plays take place at or near the start of the twentieth century, craftily combining themes as relevant today as they were then - collaborating with suspenseful plots, troubled characters and questionable motives that, when put together, show just how clever Todoroff and Pinkins are. In both the structure of this show as a whole and the effect it has on the audience, the truth here is that Visionary Voices is more than a statement - it is definitely a production worth your time.

Most actors receive a standard show contract for around 12 months, but that doesn't mean every actor hangs up their shoes and immediately walks into another show. In fact, not only do some actors extend their contracts, but some make an entire career out of an individual credit. Rob Ouellette, who is currently playing pianist Oscar and a member of the tap-dancing ensemble of the 42nd STREET national tour is about to shuffle into his 1,000th performance with the show on February 16th, 2017, so we caught up with him about his experience. Not only has Rob danced his way through six different companies of the musical, but he's performed several variations of the show's choreography, has worked three times with original book writer and director Mark Bramble, as well as with choreography icons Randy Skinner, Kelli Barclay, and Rick Conant, among others.

American Bard Theater Company presents Visionary Voices, three poignant, tantalizing plays by two pioneering women playwrights, exploring gender roles, race, and death in America's early twentieth century.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature THE WHO'S TOMMY in Connecticut, HAND TO GOD in Columbus, THE BOOK OF MORMON in Melbourne and more. Check out our top features below!

American Bard Theater Company presents Visionary Voices, three poignant, tantalizing plays by two pioneering women playwrights, exploring gender roles, race, and death in America's early twentieth century. Aimee Todoroff and Tonya Pinkins direct. The evening of one-act works include Trifles by Susan Glaspell (1916), Exit: An Illusion by Marita Bonner (1929), and The People by Susan Glaspell (1918). Performances will be staged at the Gloria Maddox Theatre, 151 West 26th Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10001 from February 15-March 5, 2017.

Twenty-six-year-old dancer Ryan Steele might have the kind of credits most performers spend a lifetime creating, but if his constant laugh and honest vulnerability are any indication, this one-of-a-kind performer is as down to earth as they come. With four Broadway credits, a handful of television appearances, and a leading film role under his belt, Ryan is currently touring the US with the recent Broadway musical, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS. Before his evening performance at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri (the tour arrives in Texas on January 31st), I caught up with Ryan about his impressive resume, and how he's juggling multiple roles in the physically challenging musical.

American Bard Theater Company presents Visionary Voices, three poignant, tantalizing plays by two pioneering women playwrights, exploring gender roles, race, and death in America's early twentieth century.

By all accounts, 2016 has been quite the rollercoaster ride. Fortunately for DFW audiences, the local theatre community and many of the touring productions delivered nothing short of a stellar year, setting quite a high bar for upcoming performances. As we say goodbye to another December, we'd like to look back on a handful of memories that stood out among the long list of Playbills we've gathered. And like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these live theatre moments will be remembered as a few of our favorite things. We present this list in no particular order, and without awards or titles bestowed upon those listed. To everyone who contributed to the DFW theatre community in 2016, we thank you for sharing your time and talents with us.

Last week, I caught up with Daxton Bloomquist, who is not only a leading player among the cast of THE BOOK OF MORMON tour, but a long-time member of the musical's family. While walking his dog through Louisville, Kentucky ('a surprisingly nice city'), Daxton shared his experience of being on Broadway and on the road with the hit musical. This will be the first time he's part of the company that comes to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and he is very excited for that opportunity. Reuniting with his Dallasite sister, niece and nephew over the holidays, he exclaimed that this visit is '...like my dream.'

Obie Award winning Metropolitan Playhouse revives END OF SUMMER, S.N. Behrman's 1936 comedy of opportunists in an age of unequal incomes, to be directed by prolific author/director Alexander Harrington, at The Playhouse (220 E 4th Street, New York City), running tonight, October 7, through November 6, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a look at the cast in action below!

Obie Award winning Metropolitan Playhouse revives END OF SUMMER, S.N. Behrman's 1936 comedy of opportunists in an age of unequal incomes, to be directed by prolific author/director Alexander Harrington, at the Playhouse (220 E 4th Street, New York City), running October 7 - November 6, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Join the cast of Our Production's I LOVE YOU BECAUSE as they begin their two-week long rehearsal process before jumping into tech week as their first performance venue. Check out this exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of dance and vocal rehearsals and a glimpse of the I LOVE YOU BECAUSE promotion photo shoot, featuring Monique Abry (Diana), Joey Donoian (NYC Man), Kyle Montgomery (Jeff) , Kathryn Taylor Rose (NYC Woman), Rashaun Sibley (Austin) and Juliette Talley (Marcy), Kyle Christopher West (Choreographer), Kristin Martinez (Stage Manager) and Alex Altshuluer (Intern/Dance Stand In).

The national tour of BEAUTIFUL, the musical based on the life and legacy of Carole King, just arrived in Houston, where they'll perform for one week before landing at Dallas' Winspear Opera House. On Tuesday night, I was lucky enough to catch this former DFW local Josh Dawson on his way to the theatre. It's been four years since he has performed in The Big D, but he's eager to briefly return to our thriving arts district. Check out our conversation below:

On Monday, I had the pleasure of speaking with actor Randy Harrison, who's currently on tour as the Master of Ceremonies in CABARET. Randy talked candidly about working in the entertainment industry as an out member of the LGBT community, crazy touring audience interactions, and why he's happy to bounce around the country in various regional theatre gigs. Check out our conversation below:

This week, I sat down with Janelle Lutz backstage at The Firehouse Theatre, moments before she took the stage for her second (and final) dress rehearsal for THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, which runs February 18th through March 6th. Lutz (pronounced 'loots,' although she doesn't correct those that rhyme her name with klutz) shared her affection for Julie Andrews' portrayal of the role in the 1967 movie, and admitted some intimidation in following in Sutton Foster's Broadway shoes. As we talked about her exciting stage opportunities around DFW, I couldn't help but observe how one of DFW's largest stage personalities is also one of the most sincere, humble performers I've had the chance to speak with. Upon the end of our conversation, when I gave Ms. Lutz the opportunity to add anything I may have overlooked, she thought for a moment and responded: 'I'd just like to say thank you to the Dallas theatre community. This is my family; they've taken huge chances on me.'

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Penton's Aviation Week Network (http://www.aviationweek.com), in partnership with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), announced today the winners of its awards program, 'Tomorrow's Engineering Leaders: The 20 Twenties.' The awards recognize top engineering, math, science and technology students. The program connects the next generation of aerospace and defense talent with established leaders who have created many of the 'firsts' driving innovation in the 21st century.