Heather Hitchens News

The American Theatre Wing (Heather Hitchens, President & CEO) and The Village Voice (Peter Barbey, CEO) have just announced that the 65th Annual Obie Awards, New York's preeminent celebration of Off- and Off-Off Broadway theater, will premiere on YouTube.com/AmericanTheatreWing on Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 8:00 PM EDT.  The prerecorded ceremony will be hosted by comedian, actor and writer Cole Escola (Hulu's Difficult People, FXX's Man Seeking Woman, Amazon Prime's Mozart in the Jungle), who will also perform with surprise special guests.

The first live session of the American Theatre Wing's Master Class Series - featuring a conversation with Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo, moderated by the Wing's President & CEO Heather Hitchens - will take place next Tuesday, May 26 at 4:00pm ET.

Celebrate the Broadway community, the Tony Awards, and the global impact of Broadway on Sunday, June 7. The one-hour event will bring the entire theatrical community together on what is still the industry's biggest night.

The American Theatre Wing has outlined the first phase of its National COVID-19 Response Effort, which includes brand new, rapid funding mechanisms to help support and sustain the theater community at both the local and national level, as well as a series of new, online educational offerings to continue its mission of enriching and empowering students and emerging leaders. Details of these initiatives follow. Those wishing to support the Wing's efforts to uphold the national theater community during this time of unprecedented need can make a donation by visiting AmericanTheatreWing.org/Support-Us.

1812 Productions is pleased to present its annual political comedy, and a Philadelphia favorite, This Is The Week That Is. A staple of the Philadelphia theatre season for the past 14 years, This Is The Week That Is delivers sharp satire and content that changes with the headlines. This Is The Week That Is will play from November 29th through January 5th. Opening Night will be Wednesday, December 4th at 7pm at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, in Center City.

Last night was the American Theatre Wing's 2019 Gala, celebrating Jonathan Larson! Stars in attendance included Krysta Rodriguez, Andy Mientus, Joe Iconis, Brandon Victor Dixon, Christopher Jackson, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Karen Olivo, Jenn Colella, and many more!

In the Field; Conceiving Satire: The Making of This Is The Week That Is, a special documentary commissioned by American Theatre Wing to document the creative process behind 1812 Productions' hit political satire This Is The Week That Is has been nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award for Arts Program/Special. Filmed over the course of three months in 2018, In the Field; Conceiving Satire: The Making of This Is The Week That Is followed the cast and creative team of This Is The Week That Is from their initial roundtable conversations through a fully realized production, exploring the show's history and  the role of theatre and comedy in American politics.

As BroadwayWorld sadly reported last week, legendary Broadway director and producer Hal Prince passed away at 91 years of age after a brief illness, in Reykjavik, Iceland.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the legendary theatrical producer and director Hal Prince has passed away at the age of 91. Prince, whose career spanned over seven decades, impacted the Broadway musical as we know it today, and members of the theatre community took to social media to mourn the loss and speak on the impact of the legend. Check out posts from Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Kristin Chenoweth, Joe Iconis, and more!

The American Theatre Wing announces new appointments to its Board of Trustees and Advisory Committee

The American Theatre Wing announces that it will celebrate the legacy of Jonathan Larson and the Larson family at its annual gala, dubbed 'Say YES to Artists Gala,' which will be held on Monday, September 16, 2019 at Cipriani 42nd Street (110 East 42nd Street).

The Actors Fund, the national human services organization with a mission of fostering stability and resiliency and providing a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan, announced today the election of six new members to its Board of Trustees.

The big day is finally here! The stars are shining on the Tony Awards red carpet, and BroadwayWorld's got a first look - check out the first batch of arrivals below, including Camille A. Brown, Robert Horn, and more!

GalaPro, developer of automated accessibility and translation technology for live shows, announced today that they will return as the official accessibility provider for the 73rd Annual Tony Awards Ceremony to be held in Radio City Music Hall in New York City on June 9, 2019. GalaPro will be providing closed-captioning for the event.

The Tony Awards announced today that Theater Director Madeline Michel from Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, will receive the 2019 Excellence in Theatre Education Award.

Winners of the 64th Annual Obie Awards were announced just last night, May 20, in a ceremony held at New York City's Terminal 5. Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me, produced by New York Theatre Workshop, received the Obie Award for Best New American Play, which is accompanied by a $1,000 prize. Artistic Director of New York Theatre Workshop, James C. Nicola, and Artistic Director and founder of Theatre For A New Audience, Jeffrey Horowitz received special Obie Awards for Lifetime Achievement. Golden Globe® winning 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' creator and star Rachel Bloom hosted this year's ceremony, which was held at Terminal 5 (610 West 56th Street). 

On Day 30 of 30 Days of Tony, we're celebrating two time Tony Award winner for Other Desert Cities and The Assembled Parties, the great Judith Light who will receive this year's Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award.

This year's Tony Awards nominations were announced this morning by Bebe Neuwirth and Brandon Victor Dixon.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that Sonny Tilders and Creature Technology Company the creators of the character/puppet 'Kong' for King Kong; musical director and arranger Jason Michael Webb and the late actress and advocate Marin Mazzie; will be each be presented with a Special Tony Award for their outstanding contributions to the theatre and community.

The Tony Awards Administration Committee has announced that they will present the 2019 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre to four outstanding contributors to the Broadway industry Broadway Inspirational Voices founded by Michael McElroy; Peter Entin, retired Vice President of Theatre Operations for the Shubert Organization; Joseph Blakely Forbes, Founder and President, Scenic Art Studios, Inc. and FDNY Engine 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9.