Haven Theatre, in association with About Face Theatre, presents the Midwest premiere of THE TOTAL BENT, a dynamic new rock show about fathers, sons, social upheaval and the choice between salvation and selling out.
Building on 40 years of producing powerful contemporary theatre, Studio Theatre is pleased to announce a new class of commissioned playwrights and directors to Studio R&D, its incubator to support the creation of new work from inception to first production. Incoming Studio R&D artists are playwrights James Fritz, James Ijames, Steph Del Rosso, and Emily Schwend, as well as directors Carl Cofield, Lila Neugebauer, and Eric Ruffin. These exciting talents from the US and UK will have Studio's full support in creating aesthetically diverse new work to be presented in future seasons and introduced into the international repertoire. As they create Studio-specific works, commissioned artists will visit Studio to get to know its theatres, programming, and audiences in person.
Haven Theatre, in association with About Face Theatre, presents the Midwest premiere of THE TOTAL BENT, a dynamic new rock show about fathers, sons, social upheaval and the choice between salvation and selling out.
Haven Theatre, in association with About Face Theatre, is pleased to announce casting for its Midwest premiere of THE TOTAL BENT, featuring text by Stew and music and lyrics by Stew and Heidi Rodewald (Passing Strange) and directed by Jeff Award-winning director Lili-Anne Brown.
The saying, 'Good things come to those who wait,' could certainly be applied to the world premiere of The Good Swimmer playing at BAM's Fishman Space as part of the Next Wave festival from November 28th-December 1st. Defined as a pop requiem for the youth of the Vietnam War, this collaboration between Heidi Rodewald (music) and Donna Di Novelli (lyrics) directed by Kevin Newbury has been the better part of a decade in the making since the two women began working on the piece at a Eugene O'Neill Theater Center residency and left with three songs based on text from out-of-print lifesaving manuals that would become the foundation of The Good Swimmer -- the title song, 'Red Cross' and 'Double Drowning'.
The Bessie-award nominated Darrah Carr Dance returns to Irish Arts Center with the premiere of Dancing the Great Arc, a groundbreaking collaboration with trad music duo Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna. Performances run from Fri, Oct 26 - Sat, Oct 27 at 8pm, with a matinee on Sat, Oct 27 at 2pm. Tickets are $30 General; $24 for IAC members; and $15 for children 14 and under for the matinee. To purchase, call 866-811-4111 or visit www.irishartscenter.org
Composer Heidi Rodewald, known for her collaborations with Stew on Passing Strange and The Total Bent, strikes out on her own in The Good Swimmer, a "pop requiem" that addresses issues of war, heroism, sacrifice, loss, and idealism. The moody, multi-layered song-cycle for guitar, bass, piano, trumpet, woodwinds, strings, drums, and vocals is performed by a nine-piece band led by singer David Driver. Set in the early days of the Vietnam War among a group of lifeguards, Donna Di Novelli's lyrics are a radical recontextualization of found texts, including a defunct lifesaving manual. A cast of young singers in their teens and early 20s at the start of their professional careers-Jeremy Weiss, Sophia Byrd, Naseer Sleets, Joey LaPlante, Luke Bob Robinson, Papa Holt, and Kennedy Kanagawa-vividly conveys the sense of young people being thrust into a historical moment they have no control of. Their shattering experience brings the audience to a galvanizing realization: we truly honor our fallen soldiers only when we defy the political drumbeat of a senseless war.
Julian Rozzell Jr, who portrayed the role of Harlan in seasons one and two of the Martin Scorsese produced HBO series Boardwalk Empire, has joined the cast of the staged reading of Christian Elder's provocative adult drama Insex, to be held at The Billie Holiday Theatre on Monday October 15 at 7pm.
The Bessie-award nominated Darrah Carr Dance returns to Irish Arts Center with the premiere of Dancing the Great Arc, a groundbreaking collaboration with trad music duo Dana Lyn & Kyle Sanna. Performances run from Fri, Oct 26 - Sat, Oct 27 at 8pm, with a matinee on Sat, Oct 27 at 2pm. Tickets are $30 General; $24 for IAC members; and $15 for children 14 and under for the matinee. To purchase, call 866-811-4111 or visit www.irishartscenter.org
STEW & THE NEGRO PROBLEM - the powerhouse indie rock band fronted by longtime collaborators Stew and Heidi Rodewald - will perform a one-night-only concert at THE TOTAL BENT/NATIVE SONG DOUBLE RECORD RELEASE PARTY, featuring selections from the duo's two most recent recordings, on Monday, June 18 at Le Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St.) in Manhattan. Doors open at 7 pm for the concert beginning at 8 pm.
Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 19 writers of 9 new musicals in this summer's Rhinebeck Writers Retreat. This year's writers include 2018 Jonathan Larson winners Andrew Farmer and Andrew Butler, 2018 Kleban winner Amanda Yasnowitz, Tony-winner Ken Davenport, 2018 Lucille Lortel winner for Outstanding Musical (KPOP) Max Vernon, Emmy winner Doug Katsaros, Obie winner Erin Courtney, and the writers of the podcast musical 36 questions who are developing their next musical, Chris Littler and Ellen Winter.
Mark Stewart, better known as 'Stew,' is noted for being a member of the band, The Negro Problem. He is also the author of the book and lyrics for 'Passing Strange,' a semi-autobiographical musical, co-written with Heidi Rodewald in collaboration with Annie Dorsen. The script is presently rocking Karamu.
Karamu House, the oldest multicultural performing arts center in the country, closes it's 102nd consecutive season with the Tony Award-winning musical Passing Strange. Karamu House President and CEO, Tony F. Sias notes, 'this is a piece that is important and relevant, and speaks to and engages our millennial and 'genZ' generations.' With book and lyrics written by Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter Stew, and music composed by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the production opened on May 10 and will run through June 3, 2018 in Karamu's Arena Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ars Nova is pleased to announce the line-up for its 11th Annual ANT Fest (June 4-28), four non-stop, throw-down weeks of live entertainment mayhem, featuring fresh material from the next wave of dynamic, indie-theater makers. Tickets go on sale today for this festival of new indie theater/music/comedy featuring all new talent, all the time.
Rhinebeck Writers Retreat is presenting a private reading of the new musical, THE PROXY MARRIAGE, book and lyrics by Michele Lowe and music and lyrics by Adam Gwon, on May 7 in New York City, which includes actors Jason Tam (Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC, Broadway: A Chorus Line, If/Then), Whitney Bashor (The Bridges of Madison County), Anika Larsen (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Avenue Q), and Daniel Jenkins (Mary Poppins, Billy Elliot, Big River). The reading is directed by Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close) and music directed by Vadim Feichtner (Falsettos Broadway revival).
Haven Theatre is pleased to announce its 2018-19 Season, kicking off this fall with its fourth consecutive DIRECTOR'S HAVEN, three short plays showcasing the talents of early career directors. Helming this year's productions are Charlotte Drover, Anna Sung-En Medill and Dani Wieder.
Karamu House, the oldest African American theatre in the country, presents the American premiere of The Adventures of The Black Girl in Her Search for God from March 22 through April 15, 2018. Performances of this sidesplitting comedy written by celebrated Canadian playwright Lisa Codrington, and based on the short story by George Bernard Shaw will be held in Karamu's intimate Arena Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. Directed by Nina Domingue, the cast is led by India Pierre-Ingram in the title role and includes Kaila Benford, Robert Branch, Samantha Cocco, Michael Head, Mary-Francis R. Miller, Prophet D. Seay, and Karl Toth.
Joe's Pub at The Public announces the new class of Joe's Pub Working Group (JPWG), the venue's artist development program dedicated to enhancing the career sustainability and growth of performing artists. Entering its fourth year, JPWG welcomes five artists - playwright and songwriter Dan Fishback, classically trained bandleader Juliette Jones, violinist and composer Dana Lyn, jazz composer and pianist Samora Abayomi Pinderhughes and cabaret darling Tori Scott - as the core group that represents the diversity and scope of the nightly programming at Joe's Pub.