Frances News

According to reports, Oscar-nominated actor, Ian McKellen, has backed out of a book deal with UK publisher Hodder & Stoughton, which was worth approximately $1.4 million.  

When the world's biggest movie star suddenly goes missing, it's up to a studio fixer to rescue him in Hail Caesar!, a star-studded comedy featuring George Clooney, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Alden Ehrenreich, and Frances McDormand set in Hollywood's Golden Age.

The Dramatists Guild Fund presented their Madge Evans and Sidney Kingsley Award to actress Audra McDonald and playwright Craig Lucas just last night. McDonalad was unable to attend the event due to her SHUFFLE ALONG schedule, but the show went on and BroadwayWorld was also there for the festivities. Check out photos below!

Lyric Opera of Chicago announced today an all-Chicagoland children's ensemble for its grand-scale production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I, featuring Broadway stars Kate Baldwin and Paolo Montalban as Anna Leonowens and the King of Siam.

The Belgrade Theatre is thrilled to announce that Dirty Dancing - The Classic Story On Stage will visit Coventry in 2017 following two blockbuster West End runs and two hit UK tours.

The American Composers Forum (ACF) Board of Directors has voted to present its 2016 “Champion of New Music” award to four outstanding recipients: Pianist and Contemporary Chamber Ensemble founding member Gilbert Kalish; Opera Parallèle's artistic director, conductor, and founder Nicole Paiement; new music writer, blogger and New Yorker magazine columnist Alex Ross; and conductor, pianist, composer and pedagogue Robert Spano at public ceremonies this year. The “Champion of New Music” award was established by ACF in 2005 as a national mark of recognition to honor individuals or ensembles that have made a significant contribution to the work and livelihoods of contemporary composers. ACF President and CEO John Nuechterlein will present the awards at three events in the coming months:

The Company Theatre Group, Inc. is pleased to present FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS, written by the Oscar, Emmy, & Golden Globe winning writer Alan Ball.

VOTES by Jacqueline S. Salit and Fred Newman, composed by leading pop/country tunesmith Annie Roboff, is an 'outsider' musical with a canny view of the Clintons as a political couple. Castillo Theatre, 543 West 42nd Street, will present the work's world premiere tonight, April 1, to May 8, directed by Gabrielle L. Kurlander.

All roads lead to Tucson for the 2016 High Chaparral Reunion, which took  place March 17-20, 2016 at Casino del Sol Resort and Old Tucson Studios.

Berkshire Theatre Group presents the staged reading, Through The Looking Glass: Musings from the Pens of Berkshire Women Writers at The Unicorn Theatre, Sunday, April 17 at 3pm. Special guest performers include Amber Chand, Hilary Somers Deely, Kate Maguire, Corinna May, Mary Mott and Barbara Sims.

Olathe Civic Theatre Association (OCTA) continues its 2015-16 season with the door-slamming British farce No Sex Please, We're British, by Anthony Marriott and Alistair Foot. The show runs April 15-May 1 and is directed by Bob Stewart.

Wendy Osserman spoke to BWW on the phone from New York. Osserman is a bright, youthful 74-year-old, reflecting on a life that exemplifies her peerless character as a fixture of downtown New York dance since the late '60s. Her light-hearted, joyful voice touched on themes ranging from her first memories dancing as a child in front of the mirror, to producing a dance festival on the Greek island of Paros while considering the current crisis of human movement in Greece. The Wendy Osserman Dance Company will perform two world premieres at the Theater for the New City from April 20-23, featuring her new solo work, 'Timed' alongside her classic, 'Udjat' inspired by ancient Egyptian motifs. With a comfortable modesty, she speaks to overcoming the challenges of being a woman in the dance world and of the irresistibility of her continuing aspirations as the leader of a company signature that she has fostered for the last four decades.

SAG-AFTRA mourns the passing of former Screen Actors Guild President Anna Patty Duke Pearce, better known as Patty Duke. Duke was elected president in 1985, becoming the second female president of the union. Duke was an Oscar and Emmy-winning actor, labor activist, and pioneering advocate for mental health issues. She was 69.

Sprout, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment's 24-hour preschool network, has announced the upcoming launch of KODY KAPOW, the newest addition to its increasing portfolio of original series.

Elements Theatre Company honors the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare's death with Labyrinth: A Legacy of Language, Friday & Saturday, April 22 & 23. 

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

One of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting prizes, the Yale Drama Series Prize, will be given to Emily Schwend for her play Utility.  The 2016 award recipient was chosen by playwright Nicholas Wright, who has served as judge for the 2015 and 2016 competitions.

There's something to be said about Ms. Ruffelle embracing her own originality and zest for life, and selecting songs that emphasize she's very much her own person and does things her own way. Her cabaret was unlike any other you'd experience from most of the women who have graced the Broadway or West End stages. Uniqueness can be a good thing.

The official trailer for THE CONJURING 2 has been officially released. The movie will hit theatres later this year on June 10th. Check out the trailer below!

Shake & Stir Theatre Company has bought Emily Bronte's dark and twisted story of love and revenge into the 21st Century with its interpretation of WUTHERING HEIGHTS.