Common News

The protracted COVID-19 pandemic has made quarantine-weary Filipinos realize what are truly essential - food for the body as well as food for the soul.

As audiences start to return, what was once a subtle trend in the industry - towards ticket buying closer to the date of performance - has dramatically shifted since theatres have reopened. Where the advance ticket sale window was previously 6-8 weeks, that has now become within two weeks of performance, which for marketers means that the promotional cycle has also shifted - bigger pushes for longer.

Have you ever wanted to dress like your favorite theater character? Now you can! Read this student blog post to see how you can have some great and easy Halloween costumes of different theater characters.

The World University of Design is prepped to organize a series of workshops for its faculty on building Design Research, Writing & Publishing capabilities, starting Tuesday, October 26th, 2021. 

On Saturday, October 9, Mandala South Asian Performing Arts brought its annual celebration of Diwali, The Story of Ram, to the historic Naper Settlement, 523 South Webster Street, Naperville, for three family-friendly, outdoor immersive performances, welcoming nearly 500 people, including elected officials, representatives from several consulates and community VIPs.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center celebrates the 10th annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival showcasing an all-star lineup of the country's best musicians, held Nov 5-21, including the award-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra, the New Jersey premiere of Christian McBride's The Movement Revisited, the Tony Award-winning Lillias White (currently on Broadway in Chicago), a special tribute concert to George Wein.

VEVO has released two new musical performances from Common, 'Imagine' and 'When We Move,' which are both tracks from the album A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2. Common's performances follow sessions from Rick Ross, Common, Rapsody, Fat Joe, Jeezy, Jadakiss, Fabolous, A$AP Ferg and more. Watch the performances now!

Opera Phila streams La Traviata with Lisette Oropesa in her role debut as Violetta for $20.00. This 2015 production from director Paul Curran also stars Alek Shrader and Stephen Powell. Corrado Rovaris conducts, Gary McCann is the set and costume designer, Paul Hackenmueller is the lighting designer.

The Shark is Broken is now running at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End. Co-written by Robert Shaw's son Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, this brilliantly funny play, directed by Guy Masterson, reveals the hilarious and moving behind-the-scenes drama on Steven Spielberg's blockbuster movie JAWS.

Azuka Theatre presents the World Premiere of Young Money by Philadelphia playwright Erlina Ortiz, directed by Briana Gause.

Join Angelica Gorga on Thursday, November 11th for an intimate cabaret presenting the songbook of Frank Sinatra at Don't Tell Mama. 'A Night of Sinatra' is inspired by Angelica's family with a deep connection to his music built from her relationships and own experiences growing up and today.

Ashland New Plays Festival's 29th annual flagship Fall Festival features four new plays by Thomas Brandon, TyLie Shider, Meghan Brown, and Andrew Lee Creech. This year the festival takes place virtually with livestream readings and talkbacks October 21 through 24 at 6 pm PT each day, with an encore week of on-demand presentations available from October 26 through 31.

Play_Ground is an eclectic musical unit, founded by versatile New York City based multi instrumentalists, Slovenian born Jan Kus and Puerto Rican born Dan Martínez. This new collaborative project will make its live debut at Rockwood Music Hall on October 29th, 2021.

Pepper and Honey was the UK's first 'European' theatre piece touring the UK as it prepared to leave the European Union.

The reggae-rock infused South Florida based band Artikal Sound System has announced their newest single 'Dissolve' out today on Controlled Substance Sound Labs. The new single addresses the 'Friends with Benefits' heartbreak layered over 808's and Logan Rex's sultry soulful vocals.

The Public Theatre’s production of Dan Clancy’s MIDDLETOWN proves a clever way to maneuver the company back into production after the pandemic pause. The four-character comedy-drama, designed to be performed without scenery or costumes by actors who read from scripts at podiums, requires a minimalist production and asks the audience to concentrate only on the characters’ journey from kindergarten to old age. That story, as directed by Janet Mitchko, is sweetly funny and warmly heartfelt.

Premiering on Sunday, November 14th at 4pm is Music as the Message: FALL IN ❤️ WITH LOVE!, the season opener of a new, imaginative hybrid performance including both virtual and in-person experiences created and hosted by Emmy Award-winning soprano Adrienne Danrich, and presented by The American Opera Project and Opera on Tap, in partnership with Broadway Presbyterian Church.

A Noise Within, California's acclaimed classic repertory theatre company, announces its second entry in August Wilson's American Century Cycle, Seven Guitars, directed by Gregg T. Daniel

Six-time Grammy nominee Maria Muldaur, who's been dubbed 'The First Lady of Roots Music' for previous albums touching on her wide-ranging influences from blues, country, folk, jazz and even jug band music, releases her new single 'I'm Vaccinated and Ready for Love!,' on Stony Plain Records.

I’m happy to admit that while I am indeed euphoric, I remain clear-eyed in the knowledge that this particular cultural offering is unique in its storytelling and in the characters who will live for years to come until the very last person who remembers experiencing the exhilaration of the return of live Broadway theater to Nashville speaks their names for the last time.