Henry Hodges News

NBC's "Smash" actors Christian Borle, Brian d'Arcy James and Jaime Cepero; "Smash" executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron; A Chorus Line's Baayork Lee, Bonnie and Clyde's Jeff Calhoun and Annie creators Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin were some of the celebrities who traveled to Atlanta to applaud the 3,000+ students and teachers representing 65 schools in 19 states staging musical theater productions in their communities at the 2012 Junior Theater Festival, January 13 - 15, 2012 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. Presented by New York's iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and sponsored by leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Musicals and NBC, the Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary, middle and high school students.

A thundering chorus of 3,000+ Broadway stars, students and teachers will lock step and raise their voices and hearts in song during the 2012 Junior Theater Festival, a monumental celebration of on-stage and backstage excellence happening January 13 - 15, 2012 in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Presented by New York's iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and sponsored by leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Musicals and NBC, the Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary school, middle school and high school aged students.

A thundering chorus of 3,000+ Broadway stars, students and teachers will lock step and raise their voices and hearts in song during the 2012 Junior Theater Festival, a monumental celebration of on-stage and backstage excellence happening January 13 - 15, 2012 in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Presented by New York's iTheatrics and Atlanta's Theater of the Stars and sponsored by leading theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), Disney Musicals and NBC, the Junior Theater Festival is the world's largest musical theater festival dedicated to groups working with elementary school, middle school and high school aged students.

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Michael Wilson feted in star-studded farewell performance June 20th.

Imagination and teamwork will be center stage when a diverse cast of over 2,000 students and teachers representing 50+ schools and educational theatre groups from 15 states and Canada join Broadway creatives in a monumental celebration of the arts at the 2011 Junior Theater Festival happening January 14 - 16, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president, Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Four-time Tony nominated composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek the Musical) will receive the Junior Theater Festival Award for Advancement of Musical Theatre for Young People, while Broadway producer and Disney Theatrical Group president Thomas Schumacher will be the festival's keynote speaker and Grammy award-winning musician, producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox will participate in a Q&A session with all attendees. For the first time, in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the festival will also feature 'Dream Boxes' where students will record 30 second messages with their dreams for the future to be uploaded on the Internet.

Imagination and teamwork will be center stage when a diverse cast of over 2,000 students and teachers representing 50+ schools and educational theatre groups from 15 states and Canada join Broadway creatives in a monumental celebration of the arts at the 2011 Junior Theater Festival happening January 14 - 16, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president, Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Four-time Tony nominated composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek the Musical) will receive the Junior Theater Festival Award for Advancement of Musical Theatre for Young People, while Broadway producer and Disney Theatrical Group president Thomas Schumacher will be the festival's keynote speaker and Grammy award-winning musician, producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox will participate in a Q&A session with all attendees. For the first time, in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the festival will also feature 'Dream Boxes' where students will record 30 second messages with their dreams for the future to be uploaded on the Internet.

The New York Times has confirmed that THE ORPHAN'S HOME CYCLE will aim for a fall 2010 Broadway opening, as opposed to rushing the show in this spring, as we previously speculated. While the show had the opportunity to transfer from its current home Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre into the Neil Simon Theatre on Broadway for a spring opening, the producers and director Michael Wilson have opted to take the extra time to better prepare the show for the move.

BroadwayWorld previously reported that Horton Foote's THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE would aim for a Fall 2010 Broadway opening, rather than rush the show into Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre following its acclaimed Signature Theatre run. The Hartford Courant is now reporting that Foote's play is no longer being considered for a Fall 2010 opening: 'all the talk is about the spring.'

Last night, May 23, the Drama Desk Association hosted the 55th Annual Drama Desk Awards ceremony at the F.H. LaGuardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center. Former Drama Desk Award winner Patti LuPone hosted the ceremony, which honored the best of Broadway and off in the 2009-2010 season. BroadwayWorld.com provided live coverage on the site throughout the ceremony and was on hand at the event to capture the starry arrivals.

Yesterday evening, May 10, the Algonquin Hotel hosted the 75th Annual New York Drama Critics' Circle Award ceremony honoring the best of the 2009-2010 theatre season. This year's honorees included casts and creative teams of The Orphans' Home Cycle, Fences, Circle Mirror Transformation, The Aliens; Viola Davis, Annie Baker, and Hallie Foote. Presenters included Denzel Washington, who presented the Award for Sustained Achievement to his Fence's co-star Viola Davis, Tony Kushner and Marian Seldes.

Drama Desk nominees received their official Nomination Certificates at a cocktail reception on Thursday, May 6 at Churrascaria Plataforma, New York's authentic Brazilian Steak House, 346 West 49th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). BroadwayWorld.com was there to share the event with you!

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, the world premiere of a three part theatrical event by the late Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Horton Foote, is now in its final two weeks at Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre Company. Following two extensions, the production's critically acclaimed run ends Saturday, May 8.

In a recent New York Times article, numerous Broadway producers discuss the demand for theatres and the impact on their upcoming productions.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, the world premiere of a three part theatrical event by the late Academy Award and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Horton Foote, is now in its final two weeks at Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre Company. Following two extensions, the production's critically acclaimed run ends Saturday, May 8.

Frank Rizzo, theatre critic for Courant.com, recently discussed whether or not the production of THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE was snubbed by the Lucille Lortel Awards.

Tbe portrait party for Corbin Bleu took place on March 16th at Tony's diNapoli Restaurant, 147 West 43rd Street, between 6th Avenue and Broadway.

The critically acclaimed THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE plays its 200th performance tonight since the run began in September, 2009 at Hartford Stage. THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE has been extended by popular demand through Saturday, May 8th at Signature Theatre Company.

Signature Theatre Company (James Houghton, Founding Artistic Director; Erika Mallin, Executive Director) celebrated the construction of the theatre's future home, The Signature Center, at its 2010 annual gala on Monday, March 1 at Espace (635 West 42nd Street). Guest of honor was Frank Gehry, architect of the Signature Center. The evening alsod include the presentation of Signature's Playwrights' Award to actress Hallie Foote, daughter of the late playwright Horton Foote, who is currently starring at Signature in her father's critically acclaimed world premiere trilogy, The Orphans' Home Cycle.

KIDS' NIGHT ON BROADWAY 2010 National Ambassador, Meredith Vieira, kicked off this year's event where kids ages 6 to 18 can attend a Broadway show for free on February 2nd, 3rd, and 7th when accompanied by a full-paying adult. Vieira, journalist, television personality, game show hostess - and mother - currently co-hosts NBC's Today and often contributes to Dateline NBC. She is the current hostess for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

THE ORPHANS' HOME CYCLE, PART 3: THE STORY OF A FAMILY, the final part of the world premiere three part theatrical event by the Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning playwright Horton Foote, opened last night at Signature Theatre Company at the Peter Norton Space, 555 West 42nd Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues - and the critics are cheering.