Diversity News

California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes) today announced the launch of the New Classics Initiative (NCI), and the support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation with a $300,000 three-year grant. NCI has also garnered support from the Walter & Elise Haas Fund and the MCJ Amelior Foundation.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre in residence at Kean University, is now accepting submissions for the 2019/2020 Liberty Live Commission, a biennial commissioning program for New Jersey playwrights in partnership with Kean's Liberty Hall Museum. Now in its fourth incarnation, Liberty Live culminates with a professional Equity production of a new play that celebrates New Jersey history. Past winners include Talking to Westfield by E.M. Lewis (2012), At Liberty Hall by James Christy (2013/2014), My Lord, What a Night by Deborah Brevoort (2015/2016) and Black Tom Island by Martin Casella (2017/2018), which will be fully produced this October.

Austin's four premier nonprofit performing arts organizations-Austin Opera, Ballet Austin, The Paramount Theatre, and ZACH Theatre-have partnered to create the ATX Arts Pass. The 2018-19 ATX Arts Pass gives a taste of Austin's performing arts organizations at one low price with four hand-picked performances: Shinyribs (The Paramount Theatre), The Nutcracker (Ballet Austin), Hedwig and the Angry Inch (ZACH Theatre), and La boheme (Austin Opera). ATX Arts Pass holders are encouraged to have their passport stamped at all four events, allowing them the opportunity to attend a special Passport Holder Season End Celebration.

VALLETO presents an evening celebrating women today, June 16, 2018 at 7:30pm at CPR-Center for Performance Research, 361 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn. Doors open at 7pm with an exhibition before the performance. Tickets are $18 in advance ($15 for students in advance, $20 at the door cash only), and are available at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3448149.

The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, artistic director) proudly announced the cast and creative team for the theater's summer musical, West Side Story. Directed by Haj, this major revival of a timeless classic will play June 16 - August 26, 2018, on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single tickets for West Side Story start at $15 for preview performances (June 16-21) and are on sale now through the Box Office at 612.377.2224, 877.44.STAGE (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group sales) and online at guthrietheater.org.

Following the release in 2016 of their highly acclaimed album Come Together - Barb Jungr and John McDaniel Perform The Beatles, the ferociously talented, award-winning duo have two collaborations arriving imminently on both sides of the pond.

City Parks Foundation is thrilled to announce the 2018 season of SummerStage, New York City's largest free outdoor performing arts festival, bringing more than 100 performances to Central Park and 17 neighborhood parks throughout the five boroughs. This year's festival, presented by Capital One, will showcase over 200 unique artists hailing from New York City and around the globe, performing shows across a diversity of genres and disciplines, including indie-rock, hip-hop, Latin, jazz, R&B, salsa, opera, contemporary dance, and spoken word.

On June 15 at their annual convention in Denver, Americans for the Arts honored 49 outstanding, exemplary and innovative public art works created or debuted in 2017, including three Denver Arts & Venues projects. The honors are part of the Public Art Network Year in Review program, the only national program that specifically recognizes the most compelling public art as chosen by a panel of public art experts. This is the 17th year that Americans for the Arts has recognized public art works.

Unicorn Theatre, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Cynthia Levin, announces the 45th season of magnetic and provocative plays that delve into social issues, including Pulitzer Prize winners, a Tony Award winner, and World Premieres! The new season will open September 5th, 2018. Unicorn Theatre will announce the highly anticipated seventh production this fall.

The Moody Fund for the Arts (MFA) today announced that, in its first year, the fund is awarding $150,000 in grants to 36 small Dallas arts organizations. The fund also announced that the total award amount is a 50% increase over the previously announced $100,000, allowing the MFA to provide more grants to cultural groups.

Christina Holmes Celebrates Diversity in New Music Video

Presented by THECHO!R with Artistic Director Dr Jonathon Welch AM at Collingwood Town Hall, on Sunday 1st July at 3pm. Come and sing along to all your favourite hits from Cyndi Lauper, Bon Jovi, U2, Madonna, Tears for Fears and more!

This month's London Pride Festival celebrates the equality and diversity within the LGBTQ+ community, showcasing them in talks, events and performances, and culminating with the iconic Pride parade. But as much as London Pride is about empowering the community and accepting who you are in all forms, it will always be rooted in the political activism that started it.

St Peter's College has gained a reputation for putting on a spectacular Musical and this year's offering is shaping up to be no exception.

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival, now in its 40th season, presents Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal: Leonard Cohen's Dance Me, a sweeping homage to Leonard Cohen's songs. Originally commissioned before Leonard Cohen's death and with his blessing, Dance Me 'is a grandly executed hodgepodge of performance art that pushes the entertainment value of contemporary dance closer to the level of a rock concert or big-budget musical' (Ottawa Citizen). Choreographed by Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Ihsan Rustem, the work debuted in Canada to great acclaim last year and the full piece will have its American premiere in this free performance at the Prospect Park Bandshell (Prospect Park West & 9th Street).

Exeter Northcott Theatre is delighted to announce a remarkable 2018 new season with tickets now on sale for more than 30 shows.

INDIGENOUS is a compilation of stories, poems, songs, and narratives that discuss the Indigenous Experience. Following suit of previous shows like BLACKOUT and In Lak' Ech, the show sets out to invoke a hard discussion by confronting issues through the vein of genuine experience. From blood quantum, stereotypes, and identity, to rituals, songs, and poems, INDIGENOUS implores the audience to absorb some of the most authentic, beautiful, uncomfortable, ugly truths about who and what 'America' really is.

Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park is pleased to announce additions to the 3rd Annual Suwannee Roots Revival which takes place Thursday, October 11 - Sunday, October 14 at the magical Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park (SOSMP) in Live Oak, Florida. Additions include Oteil & Friends, Leftover Salmon, Bruce Cockburn, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades, Shinyribs, Dustbowl Revival, Jon Stickley Trio, The Grass Is Dead, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, David Gans as Artist-at-Large, and more! These superb additions join in on an already stellar lineup that includes Keller Williams' PettyGrass Featuring The HillBenders, Donna the Buffalo, The Seldom Scene, Samantha Fish, Peter Rowan Free Mexican Airforce, Jim Lauderdale, Verlon Thompson, Rev. Jeff Mosier, and Joe Craven & The Sometimers.

On Friday June 22, 2018, Culture Creators presents its third annual "Innovators & Leaders" Awards Brunch at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills sponsored by Remy Martin, The Mane Choice, Morgan Stanley, and Beats by Dre.