Dean Pitchford News

Mainstage subscription packages are now available for purchase for the 2014 season at the historic Woodlawn Theatre in conjunction with the announcement of its 2014 season. Coming up on the main stage are three Texas premieres, two shows currently playing on and off Broadway, three popular movie adaptations and a fairytale.

American screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, best known for his screenplay for Stephen King's classic horror story 'Carrie,' will attend the opening night of Atlantis Productions' staging of the revamped 'Carrie'--the musical--at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in Manila, Philippines on Friday, September 20.

Mikkie Bradshaw ('The Sound of Music'), Markki Stroem ('Next to Normal,' 'Camp Rock'), and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo ('Next to Normal,' 'The King and I') star in Atlantis Productions' local staging of the cult musical 'Carrie,' which runs at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium from Friday, September 20 to Sunday, October 6.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Bailiwick's 'Carrie,' Munster's 'Women On The Verge' and 'Godspell,' Aurora's 'Heights,' the 'Evita' and 'Once' tours, lots of Porchlight, 'Merrily' on the big screen and more!

The season includes Hello Dolly, The Sunshine Boys, Footloose and The Will Rogers Follies.

Bailiwick Chicago Theater has just announced its 2013-14 Season, featuring two stunning musicals in their Chicago premieres. In March 2014, Artistic Director Lili-Anne Brown directs an intimate production of the stirring musical drama DESSA ROSE by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the Tony Award-winning team behind Ragtime, Once on This Island and Seussical!, with music direction by Collective Member James Morehead. Immediately following in May 2014 comes a unique resurrection of the 1988 musical CARRIE with book by original screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, lyrics by Academy Award-winner Dean Pitchford, music by Academy Award-winner Michael Gore, directed by Collective Member Christopher Pazdernik with music direction by Collective Member Aaron Benham. The 2013-14 Season also marks Bailiwick Chicago's participation in Victory Gardens Theater's inaugural Resident Theater Program. Tickets for the 2013-14 Season will go on sale at a later date.

A strictly limited Australian Premiere Season of arguably the most infamous Broadway musical of all-time, CARRIE THE MUSICAL, will play the Seymour Centre from November 13 - 30 as the final production in their 2013 Reginald season of independent works. CARRIE THE MUSICAL is also the final production of Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre's first annual season, following hugely popular runs of Forbidden Broadway and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.

Complete casting has been announced for the Hampton Roads premiere of "CARRIE The Musical", which will begin performances at The Generic Theater in downtown Norfolk, VA starting October 18.

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) has announced details for its 2013-14 Studio Series of opera, musical theatre, drama and dance productions.

Screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen outlines his process in adaptating Stephen King's celebrated horror tome CARRIE from novel to screenplay to full-fledged Broadway musical in a new book titled WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? CARRIE, FROM BOOK TO MOVIE TO MUSICAL.

The Ojai Playwrights Conference (OPC), one of the most acclaimed new play developmental programs in the country, announces its 16th season with an extraordinary program of playwrights, new play workshops and special performance events from today, August 7 through 11, in Ojai, California.

FOOTLOOSE, with stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford, with music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman, will run at PCA, beginning tonight, July 18, 2013. The show is directed by Jon Meyer with musical director Chris Tenney and choreography by Amanda Woolsey.

A predictable plot and disjointed musical elements might have brought FOOTLOOSE down, but deeper messages, good character development and -- at least in the production running over at Ivoryton Playhouse -- a strong vocal ensemble, turn the show around into an enjoyable romp through rebellious youth and overprotective parents.

This July, Spotlight Theater Company is bringing FOOTLOOSE to the Utah Cultural Celebration Center's amphitheater from today, July 8 - 13, at 8:00 PM.

One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory burst onto the Ivoryton Playhouse stage on July 3rd and will be rockin' the house till July 28th. Scroll down for a first look at the cast!

One of the most explosive movie musicals in recent memory bursts onto the Ivoryton Playhouse stage tonight, July 3rd. The movie was released in 1984 and the soundtrack reached #1 on the Billboard charts and sold over 17 million copies worldwide. Its journey to Broadway began in 1996 when director Walter Bobbie collaborated on a stage adaptation with Dean Pitchford and Tom Snow. FOOTLOOSE finally previewed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1998, and opened on Broadway on October 22nd. The next day, the show broke the box office record for the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it continued to thrill audiences into July, 2000.

The Ojai Playwrights Conference (OPC), one of the most acclaimed new play developmental programs in the country, announces its 16th season with an extraordinary program of playwrights, new play workshops and special performance events from August 7 through 11, in Ojai, California. The OPC Summer New Works Festival will feature eleven events over five days with established and up-and-coming playwrights. Participating in this year's conference with new works are Luis Alfaro, Lucy Alibar, Richard Cabral, Samuel D. Hunter, Sean Lewis, Jiehae Park, Laura Schellhardt and David Wiener.

FOOTLOOSE, with stage adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie based on the original screenplay by Dean Pitchford, with music by Tom Snow, lyrics by Dean Pitchford, and additional music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman, will run at PCA, beginning July 18, 2013. The show is directed by Jon Meyer with musical director Chris Tenney and choreography by Amanda Woolsey.

FOOTLOOSE opens in Ivoryton on July 3rd and runs through July 28th . Performance times are Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Evening performances are Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $40 for adults, $35 for seniors, $20 for students and $15 for children and are available by calling the Playhouse box office at 860-767-7318 or by visiting our website at www.ivorytonplayhouse.org (Group rates are available by calling the box office for information.) The Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton.

Balagan Theatre recently announced that a trio of Broadway powerhouse artists will star in 'Carrie: The Musical' this fall: Alice Ripley, Kendra Kassebaum, and Keaton Whittaker as Carrie. Ripley is best known for her Tony Award-winning turn as Diana Goodman in 'Next to Normal'; Kassebaum originated the role of Glinda in 'Wicked' on the first national tour; and young local actor Keaton Whittaker starred alongside Angela Lansbury and Catherine Zeta-Jones in 'A Little Night Music'. Check out Ripley perform 'When There's No One' at the recent season preview event below!