The Fourth Bi-Annual conference for musical theatre writers and composers is coming to Los Angeles, July 20-22 at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood, CA. Confirmed panelists include: Cheri Steinkellner (the Tony Award-nominated writer of Sister Act), Paul Gordon (Tony Award-nominated lyricist/composer of Jane Eyre); Michael Jung (Disney Theatricals); Michael Shapiro (Kensington Entertainment), Michael Kerker (ASCAP Director of Musical Theatre); David Elzer (award-winning producer of The Marvelous Wonderettes); Tim Dang (Producing Artistic Director of East West Players, the nation's premiere Asian American theatre company); Gordon Firemark (CEO of Fierce Theatricals) and more!
Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy-winning actress-singer Jennifer Hudson ('Dreamgirls') will appear in a multi-episode arc on NBC's 'Smash' beginning with the second-season premiere when the musical drama returns to the NBC schedule.
This summer, original 'Effie,' Jennifer Holliday will return to DREAMGIRLS, playing the role at the Muny in St. Louis. According the the MUNY's official website, she will be joined by Demetria McKinney as Deena, Jenelle Lynn Randall as Lorrell, Muny veteran Ken Page as Marty, Christopher Jackson as Curtis, Karla Mosely as Michelle, and Tommar Wilson as C.C.
This summer, audiences across North America will experience the magic of fire-breathing dragons that soar through arena skies in DREAMWORKS' HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON LIVE SPECTACULAR.
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. today announced that Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jim Parsons (Harvey, The Normal Heart on Broadway and The Big Bang Theory) and international superstar Rihanna (Battleship) will star in the leading roles in HAPPY SMEKDAY! a feature film based on the critically acclaimed book 'The True Meaning of Smekday' by Adam Rex.
According to the New York Times, Diane Paulus' upcoming production of Pippin might be heading to Broadway after it plays Cambridge's American Repertory Theater in December. Patrick Healy writes that producers Barry and Fran Weissler are looking into backing the show for a Broadway run. A spokesman told NYT: "It's a project that Barry and Fran are very interested in. They're huge fans of Diane. Right now they're just supporting the project."
Debra Messing begins filming soon for the second season of NBC's SMASH, and according to a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, her love of Broadway existed long before she was cast as Julia. Check out what she had to say about how she came to love theatre by clicking below!
Lakeshore Records releases the People Like Us - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack digitally and in stores today June 19, 2012. The recording features original score by Academy Award winning composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 HOURS) and the new song 'Dotted Line,' a collaboration between Rahman and Liz Phair.
Feinstein's at Loews Regency will continue its Spring 2012 season with the return engagement of pop music legend Peter Asher and his multimedia show "A Musical Memoir of the 60s and Beyond" from tonight, June 19 through June 23. When the program made its New York debut at Feinstein's last year, it played to packed houses and critical acclaim. The two-time Grammy Award winner for "Producer of the Year" first rose to international acclaim through the global smash 'World Without Love' as one half of the British Invasion duo Peter & Gordon, Peter moved effortlessly to Music Executive with The Beatles' Apple Records, then famously to producer and manager, handling the careers of James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and a host of others. Among his more recent projects is the upcoming Dreamworks movie Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. In addition to producing the soundtrack, he performs the film's only original song "Love Always Comes As A Surprise," co-written with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, which he will also perform at Feinstein's.
TNT's epic drama series Falling Skies, basic cable's #1 new series last year, launched its second season Sunday night with strong numbers. The two-hour season premiere drew 4,461,000 viewers in Live + Same Day delivery. Falling Skies, which comes to TNT from DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg and stars Noah Wyle, helped TNT rank as basic cable's #1 network for the night with a 2.3 household rating according to early metered-market data.
Mandy Patinkin will narrate PBS's AMERICAN MASTERS JOFFREY BALLET on Friday December 28th at 9pm. The special will cover the story of the first quintessentially American dance company founded by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, who pioneered a new dance philosophy.
MAC Award nominated songwriters Sam Carner & Derek Gregor (Unlock'd) and Drew Fornarola (COLLEGE The Musical) team up for AWKWARD THREESOME: Carner & Gregor and also Fornarola at The Duplex Thursday, June 28 at 9:30pm. They will be joined by some of Broadway's top young performers. The songwriters will present selections from their shows, as well as debuting a new song co-written by all three of them. The evening will be directed by Marlo Hunter with music direction by Gregor and Emily Whitaker.
Scheduled to perform are Claybourne Elder (Bonnie and Clyde); Ali Ewoldt (Les Miserables); Alyssa Fox (Wicked - SF); Julie Reiber (Wicked); A.J. Shively (La Cage Aux Folles); Brian Sills (The Lion King Tour); Sarah Stiles (Avenue Q); and Dashaun Young (The Lion King).
Rover Dramawerks announces auditions for THE GIRLS IN 509 by Howard Teichmann, directed by Mark-Brian Sonna. Auditions will be held today, June 17 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. and Monday, June 18 from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Callbacks, if needed, will be announced.
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS is coming to theaters this November from DreamWorks Animation. The Action adventure is directed by Peter Ramsey and includes the voices of Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law. Get a first look at the trailer below!
As BroadwayWorld first reported in March, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will produce, in association with La Jolla Playhouse, a re-imagining of Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show.
TRIASSIC PARQ The Musical, presented by Amas Musical Theatre, is set to begin performances tomorrow, June 12th for a limited Off-Broadway engagement through August 5th at the SoHo Playhouse. Opening night is Wednesday, June 27th. Winner of 2010's Best Musical Award at FringeNYC, TRIASSIC PARQ is written by Marshall Pailet, Bryce Norbitz and Steve Wargo, with direction by Mr. Pailet, choreography by Kyle Mullins and musical direction by Zak Sandler. The cast of TRIASSIC PARQ features Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Brandon Espinoza, Wade McCollum, Claire Neumann, Lee Seymour, Shelley Thomas, and Alex Wyse.
At last night's Tony Awards, Hugh Jackman was awarded a Special Tony for his contributions to the Broadway community, both as a performer and humanitarian; his tireless dedication to charitable works of many types; and his personal generosity of spirit. BroadwayWorld salutes his achievement with photos and video from last night below!
According to TonyAwards.com 'Broadway superstar Hugh Jackman, who is receiving a Special Tony Award this year, will be returning to New York City from filming the Les Misérables movie in time to attend Sunday night's Tony Awards ceremony. The Tonys will air on CBS at 8/7c on Sunday June 10, hosted for the third year by Neil Patrick Harris.'
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