George Mason News

The Riverside Opera Company (ROC), under the direction of Maestro Alan Aurelia, presents: 'A Musical Feast' Daniel Rodriguez and the Sopranos

IMG Artists, today's leading global performing arts management agency, announces a 36-city North American tour with multi-genre recording artist Damien Sneed. The Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient will bring his brand of classical, jazz, and gospel music to 'We Shall Overcome: A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., featuring Damien Sneed.' The tour will kick off on Friday, January 11, 2019, at the Empire Center at The Egg in Albany, NY, and will make stops at concert halls and universities in the U.S. and Canada. The tour will conclude on March 3 at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA.

On Saturday night, Washington, D.C. had a visit from one of the most popular American presidents and, while thoughts of a certain musical about a founding father hung over the evening, George Washington delivered a charming concert in the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. To clarify, Mr. Washington himself was unavailable for the evening since he's been dead for two centuries. Christopher Jackson, however, who received a Tony nomination for his portrayal of our first president, served as a great alternative.

Updated this week! Check out upcoming Non-Equity Auditions from Sunday, September 30, 2018 for productions in your area and around the country.

Producing Artistic Director Carolyn Griffin is pleased to announce that the musical ROOMS a rock romance with book by Paul Scott Goodman and Miriam Gordon, music and lyrics by Paul Scott Goodman, and directed by MetroStage Artistic Associate Thomas W. Jones II will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a new production at MetroStage, running Oct 11-Nov 11.

Writing about gun violence is difficult. There's no 'how-to' guide when it comes to preventing these attacks which have become more and more commonplace. The more we try to understand the inner machinations of the monsters who carry out such senseless assaults, the more we begin to spiral into someone we hardly recognize. Such is the thesis of David Greig's The Events, which opened last week at Theater Alliance at the Anacostia Playhouse. While the work is incredibly poignant, some artistic decisions muddle the plot and make the 80-minute performance drag during the middle of the production.

Atlantic for Kids presents the world premiere production of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach, featuring words and music by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and a book by Timothy Allen McDonald to kick off their season.

Even if you haven't seen the original film, the musical is still a fun ride. Despite some missteps, NextStop Theatre Company's new production is an undeniably good time, thanks in large part to some winning lead performances.

"I don't like works which require an explanation," begins Timothy Nelson, the new Artistic Director for the In Series, at Sunday's performance of Viva VERDI. Even after Mr. Nelson describes the performance with great detail, he encourages the audience to embrace their inevitable confusion. Instead, Mr. Nelson explains, this is a work that should be felt rather than understood. Keeping true to Mr. Nelson's suggestion, Viva VERDI is a work that only a genius could fully understand. Nevertheless, it is one of the most emotionally stirring performances I have seen in recent memory.

Erblin Nushi's heart wrenching story Bini shares the story of a young boy whose family is sent to a refugee camp during the 1999 Kosovar War, this film is based on the true story of the director, who lived this nightmare himself as a child. This gripping tale is one out of only eight finalists at the Student Academy Awards and Erblin is the only undergraduate amongst all the finalists.

Kodo -- the world's most celebrated professional taiko company -- will present their program Evolution in North America for the first time, visiting 27 cities in the U.S. and Canada between January and March 2019.  Evolution invites audiences to step into the world of Kodo, created by their past, their present, and their dedication to the future of taiko performing arts. This production showcases Kodo's perpetual creative evolution under the artistic direction of the legendary Tamasaburo Bando.  2019 tour highlights include stops at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Chicago's Symphony Center and National Arts Center in Canada.  Complete schedule below.

Since his formidable emergence on the music scene in the 1990s, renowned pianist and composer Jason Moran has challenged the status quo, which has earned him a reputation as the future of jazz.

Siegmund Fuchs's new play In the Closet, produced by Rainbow Theatre Project, manifests this space in vivid detail. Unlike similar coming out stories, Fuchs emphasizes the continual process of coming out over the course of one's life. Even when the script stumbles, the themes presented in this show are worth listening to intently.

Arena Stage will continue to host Arena Civil Dialogues to engage the D.C.-area community

Pointless Theatre's production of Don Cristobal is an inventive send-up to Punch and Judy shows that is unfortunately bogged down by a clunky script which spends too much time trying to set up profundities it doesn't successfully execute.

One of the brightest stars to come out of the DC metro area kids' music scene is Parents' Choice Award-winning Rainbow Rock Band, which performs more than 120 live shows each year. Kids and families around the country await the appearance of the band's second album, Total Eclipse of the Rainbow, which is set for release on October 5, 2018.

Erblin Nushi's heart wrenching story Bini shares the story of a young boy whose family is sent to a refugee camp during the 1999 Kosovar War, this film is based on the true story of the director, who lived this nightmare as child. This gripping tale is one out of only eight finalists at the Student Academy Awards and Erblin is the only undergraduate amongst all the finalists.

Tackling Macbeth is no minor feat. Few shows inspire as much dread both onstage and off as Shakespeare's "Scottish Play." Daringly dark in both plot and theme, Macbeth relies heavily on the performances of the eponymous Scot and his wife to propel the plot along compellingly and with varying intensity. 4615 Theatre Company's production, unfortunately, falls victim to most of the pitfalls which riddle this complicated work. The final result is a revival which is bogged down by a slow-paced first act and lead performances which are unable to reveal anything new about this work.

Whatever happened to the theatrical thriller? There's something so incredibly fulfilling about a play that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Too often, there are elements that can pull you out of a thrilling production. It can be the smallest thing: from a flickering stage light to a fumbling actor. Thankfully for 4615 Theatre Company, their production of Dinner by Moira Buffini is devoid of any of these downfalls. Instead, the play comes together to create a sumptuous treat that will leave you wanting more.

'One of my questions after reading the play was, 'Do you have to feel guilty in order to go to heaven, so you won't ever have to feel guilt again?' I think Del Shores grapples with that theme, so there is a lot of gut-wrenching guilt presented here.  Within the self-loathing there are opportunities for seeing irony, folly and some bits of joy.'