Frances News

Spicy Witch Productions announces its 2018 season. SWP 2018 Writer-in-Residence Iris Dauterman's world premiere play, Merrily, Merrily, will run in repertory with Life Is But a Dream, Shawn Morgenlander's fresh translation of Pedro Calderon de la Barca's La vida es sueño. Spicy Witch's sixth repertory season explores family dynamics, forgiveness, and the gray area between dreams and reality.

Talented dynamic people always seem to find each other. I don't know who found who first, but the uber talented Jennifer Diamond and the dynamic creative Richard Jay-Alexander combined forces a while back and Jennifer's debut performance at Green Room 42 last night was something extra special.

In last night's Celebrity Family Feud sketch on Saturday Night Live, Oscar winners went up against Oscar losers. Watch Frances McDormand (Kate McKinnon), Guillermo Del Toro (Beck Bennett), Allison Janney (Heidi Gardner) and Jordan Peele (Chris Redd) take on Common (Sterling K. Brown), Sally Hawkins (Melissa Villaseñor), Willem Dafoe (Alex Moffat) and Timothée Chalamet (Pete Davidson) in the clip below!

Celebrate the world-premiere of Lily Thorne's play Peace for Mary Frances directed by Lila Neugebauer featuring Lois Smith! You and a guest will be invited to the Opening Night performance and party to raise a glass and take a photo with the cast.

Casting has been announced for the Barn Theatre Cirencester's inaugural professional production of  The Secret Garden, which will run from March 16 to April 15. The cast will include: David Haydn (Archibald Craven), Jaimie Pruden (Lily Craven), Minal Patel (Neville Craven), Celeste De Veazey (Colin Craven), Daniella Piper (Mary), Jenny O'Leary (Martha), Alex James Ellison (Dickon), Sue Appleby (Musical Director, Ensemble), Steffan Rizzi (Ensemble), Jamie Ross (Ensemble), Celia Cruwys Finnigan (Ensemble), Ben Boskovic (Ensemble).

Producers Darlene Kaplan, Laura Janik Cronin and Scott Newsome, in association with Alec Seymour, present the Off-Broadway premiere of The Stone Witch, a play by Shem Bitterman (A Death in Colombia, Influence).  Performances begin Monday, March 12, 2018 for an open-ended engagement atThe Westside Theatre - Upstairs (407 West 43rd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).  Opening Night is Sunday evening, March 25, 2018 at 6:30PM.

Q. Smith, featured cast member of Broadway's Come From Away, hosted the 10th annual New York City August Wilson Monologue Competition, sponsored by LEAP (Learning through an Expanded Arts Program, Inc.). Two winning students, first place Teslyne Junior of Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn, and second place Victoria Lino, of Repertory Company High School for Theater Arts in Manhattan, will move on to the National August Wilson Monologue Competition on Broadway in May. Anthony Perez, also from Repertory Company High School, took third place and is the alternate. The presentation was held March 5 on Stage 2 of New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St., New York, N.Y.

Scott Alan is an internationally acclaimed songwriter who has worked with some of the brightest stars of theatre, TV, film and recording. He recently released his new album 'Lifeline' and has now shared one of the tracks, 'Once Upon a Time,' on YouTube. Listen below!

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the full cast and creative team for the world-premiere musical Snow Child, based on Eowyn Ivey's Pulitzer Prize-nominated novel. Infused with a score that combines Alaskan string band-traditions with contemporary musical theater, Snow Child follows a couple rebuilding their lives in the Alaskan wilderness when they meet a magical and mysterious snow child who transforms them.

The Cincinnati Arts Association has announced the winners of its Overture Awards Competition, held on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater, and the winner of its Arts Educator Award for Excellence in Arts Instruction. The competition awarded $4,000 to six area students for education and training, with 18 runners-up each winning $1,000, while the Arts Educator Award winner received $2,500 and two finalists were awarded $500 each.

Spicy Witch Productions is proud to announce our 2018 season. SWP 2018 Writer-in-Residence Iris Dauterman's world premiere play, Merrily, Merrily, will run in repertory with Life Is But a Dream, Shawn Morgenlander's fresh translation of Pedro Calderon de la Barca's La vida es sueño. Spicy Witch's sixth repertory season explores family dynamics, forgiveness, and the gray area between dreams and reality.

THE GREEN ROOM 42 - Broadway's newest intimate concert venue - has announced the return of Tony Award winner Frances Ruffelle and the monthly residency of her solo theater piece "Frances Ruffelle LIVEs in New York" on Saturday, March 24. An acclaimed sold-out hit since its debut in the fall of 2017, the show encompasses Broadway, Piaf, French 60s pop, and American chart hits. It features an updated version of "On My Own," Ruffelle's signature number from the original Les Miserables, a song cut from the original French production of the show. The evening also includes selections from Michael LaChiusa's The Wild Party, in which she starred as Qeenie in the show's recent acclaimed U.K. Premiere.

Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage is an unprecedented live experience, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensational dancing. Seen by millions across the globe, this timeless love story features the hit songs "Hungry Eyes," "Hey Baby," "Do You Love Me?" and the heart-stopping "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." This dazzling adaptation of the worldwide smash-hit film, currently celebrating its 30th Anniversary, will make its Delaware debut at The Playhouse on Rodney Square for eight performances, April 3-8.

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director), will close its 34th season with the New York Premiere of Sean Christopher Lewis's DOGS OF RWANDA, directed by Frances Hill and Peter Napolitano. This limited engagement at Urban Stages (259 West 30th Street), begins performances on Friday, March 9, opens on Monday, March 12 and will run through Saturday, March 31, 2018.

First Look images from the rehearsal rooms of Sting's The Last Ship have been released. Rehearsals for the production, which has a TONY-nominated original score and lyrics composed by Sting, are underway. It will play a 4-week season in Newcastle before embarking on a major UK & Ireland Tour.

Classic Spring has announced that Sally Bretton and Nathaniel Parker will join Edward Fox, Freddie Fox and Frances Barber in Jonathan Church's forthcoming production of An Ideal Husband.

Tony winner Frances McDormand won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. The actress recently won a Golden Globe Award and SAG Award for the role.

For the second consecutive year, late-night talk show favorite Jimmy Kimmel returned to host Hollywood's most celebrated night. The 90th Academy Awards®, produced by Oscar®-nominated Michael De Luca and Emmy®-nominated Jennifer Todd, was broadcast live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Watch Frances McDormand's Oscar 2018 acceptance speech for Best Actress in THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI at the 90th Academy Awards. She delivered a powerful speech asking all female nominees to stand with her in solidarity. 

From Kathak to contemporary, ballet to Bhangra and beyond, experience a world of dance at your fingertips this March at Birmingham Hippodrome.