Douglas J. Cohen News

Playwright Frank D. Gilroy, whose 1964 Broadway debut, THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES was the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony and a Drama Critics' Circle Award, passed away on Saturday

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the lineup for the SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE and the SONGWRITERS CABARET at the 27th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS on Thursday, October 15 and Friday, October 16. Both events take place at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Registration for Industry members is free and now open at www.namt.org/festival. (Please note the admission process for each event in the individual descriptions.)

This August, The Human Race Theatre Company begins a new chapter in its commitment to the development of new theatre with its first-ever Festival of New Works. This new festival combines the efforts of The Race's Musical Theatre Workshops and its Marsha Hanna New Plays Workshops into a unified program. 'It allows us to showcase what we do-musicals and plays-at one time of year,' says Human Race President and Artistic Director Kevin Moore. 'It's a better use of our resources and personnel. Plus, it creates a greater, more diverse experience for our audiences.' The 2015 Festival of New Works presents a collection of readings of five scripts-three plays and two musicals-by local, national and international writers. Readings will be held in the 60-seat Caryl D. Philips Creativity Center of The Human Race and The 212-seat Loft Theatre in downtown Dayton.

Berkeley Playhouse at the Julia Morgan Theater proudly announces their eighth season. The ambitious season will see an increase of productions from four to six, their first "R-rated" show, a world premiere commission, the first non-musical in the company's history, and a Bay Area premiere.

Midtown Direct Rep (MDR), the ensemble-based theater company based in South Orange/Maplewood, NJ, announces A CONVERSATION WITH BILLY PORTER, on Monday, June 15, 2015 at 7:30 PM at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) in a one-night-only benefit appearance hosted by NY1's Budd Mishkin.

MANN... AND WIFE, a new musical by Douglas J. Cohen and Dan Elish based on Elish's novel Nine Wives, will receive its world premiere at Lyric's Plaza Theatre in February of 2016. This musical will continue the new works initiative started in 2014 with TRIANGLE by Tom Mizer, Curtis Moore, and Joshua Scher and continuing in October 2015 with BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR by Adam Gwon and Julia Jordan.

A serial killer being hunted by the police sounds like ripe fodder for a musical comedy, right? No? Well then you need to expand your perception and get out to Village Theatre to catch their current production of "No Way to Treat a Lady" which not only manages to amuse while it horrifies but also boasts a killer ensemble each of whom slays their roles.

Fox Valley Repertory opens their 2015 theater series with Douglas J. Cohen's musical game of cat and mouse, No Way To Treat a Lady. Based on the novel and movie by William Goldman (The Princess Bride, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), the award-winning musical is directed by John Gawlik with music direction by Jeffrey Poindexter and choreography by Christie Kerr. Performances will take place at the Pheasant Run Resort Mainstage January 15 - March 8, 2015.

?Fox Valley Rep, in residence at Pheasant Run Resort, announces their calendar-year 2015 season of nostalgic toe-tapping Off-Broadway musicals and modern award-winning comedies, including the Off-Broadway musical thriller, No Way To Treat a Lady, the award-winning farce, Unnecessary Farce, followed by the fun 1960's music revue, The Bikinis, then to the romantic comedy, Maybe Baby It's You, to a holiday music revue, A Christmas Survival Guide.

Mainstreet Musicals' 2015 guest artistic director, Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer, recently announced the winners of the 2015 Mainstreet Awards: A GOOD MAN (Ray Leslee and Philip S. Goodman),THE GIG (Douglas J. Cohen), and HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (Roger Ames and Elizabeth Bassine).

South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC, 1 SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ) has announced its upcoming events for January 2015. Details below!

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) has announced that its 2014 donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will total $1.65 million dollars, marking the largest single contribution in BC/EFA history and bringing the foundation's total contribution to BC/EFA to $10 million since it began ten years ago.

t may not be like getting a gift on each of the 12 Days of Christmas, but for cabaret and musical theater lovers, the 6th Annual Urban Stages Winter Rhythms series--presented over a dozen nights at the not-for-profit Off-Broadway theatre on 259 West 30th Street--could be the closest thing to opening a daily present by the tree. From December 2-14 (no shows on Dec. 9), more than 100 singers, musicians, and songwriters will perform in an eclectic mix of 20 shows including one-night-only group shows, excerpts from new musicals, solo shows, open mics, late night spotlights, and family matinees, with all the proceeds from ticket sales dedicated to the Urban Stages On Tour Outreach Program that brings more than 200 free multicultural theater and music programs to elementary and middle school age children and their families in libraries and schools throughout NYC five boroughs.

Big band vocalist Lynn Henderson will return to The Metropolitan Room with her cabaret act tonight, November 20th to celebrate the release of her new CD, If We Only Have Love. The album traces milestones in life and is available on her website www.lynnhendersonsinger.com and on iTunes .

MIDTOWN DIRECT REP (MDR), the company that brought New Jersey the award-winning Rated P for Parenthood and Listen to Your Mother: North Jersey, returns to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) with a Theatre in the Loft reading of a new musical based on The Iliad by Homer.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) just honored choreographer Christopher Gattelli, and theatre producer and manager Beth Williams and Allan Williams at its 2014 Gala last night, November 9th at the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from inside the special night below!

Big band vocalist Lynn Henderson will return to The Metropolitan Room with her cabaret act on Thursday, November 20th to celebrate the release of her new CD, If We Only Have Love. The album traces milestones in life and is available on her website www.lynnhendersonsinger.com and on iTunes .

?Fox Valley Rep, in residence at Pheasant Run Resort, announces their calendar-year 2015 season of nostalgic toe-tapping Off-Broadway musicals and modern award-winning comedies, including the Off-Broadway musical thriller, No Way To Treat a Lady, the award-winning farce, Unnecessary Farce, followed by the fun 1960's music revue, The Bikinis, then to the romantic comedy, Maybe Baby It's You, to a holiday music revue, A Christmas Survival Guide.

TriArts Sharon Playhouse, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Simpkins and Managing Director Justin Ball, presented a developmental production of the new musical Nine Wives from July 24-27 at their Stage 2 space in the Bok Gallery.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the winners of the NYMF 2014 Awards for Excellence. Awards are voted on by the NYMF jury and the awards were presented at the closing night celebration on July 27th at Arena Events Space.