Carnival and Black womanhood have always been synonymous to me. Black women's roles as the innovators, entrepreneurs and performers is at the forefront of my cultural relationship with Carnival. Writing my debut play J'Ouvert was my way of reconciling with the way that Black women are often mistreated in the spaces that they pioneer.
It could be Grover's Corner, New Hampshire, or it could be Westport, Connecticut. Whether you've never seen Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic or you've seen it many times, Staples Players will take you on a new stroll through Any Town, USA, and right into the heart of what it means to be human. David Roth (SHS '84) and Kerry Long (SHS '97) co-direct Our Town, which will run in the Black Box Theatre at Staples High School from May 23 to May 26.
GRAMMY-nominated Country singer/songwriter Cam, has released the video for her acoustic rendition of 'So Long,' today. First released on April 24th, 'So Long' is the debut track from Diplo's new country project, Thomas Wesley. This marks the first collaboration between the two artists.
The Ringwald is absolutely thrilled to present the first production of Head Over Heels, running May 13th through June 10th, after its hot Broadway debut that features the songs of 80s music icons, The Go-Go's. The show was named one of Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 Stage Picks of 2018 and recently closed this January to the heartache of beloved fans. 'Head Over Heels combines The Go-Go's music with a gender-queer sensibility that everyone from 16-60+ will fall in love with,' said Joe Bailey, the director. 'It's energetic, funny, breezy and the perfect spring musical!' The hilarious and inclusive musical celebrates love in its infinite varieties and includes iconic Go-Go's hits like 'We Got the Beat,' 'Our Lips Are Sealed,' and 'Vacation,' plus Belinda Carlisle's 'Heaven is a Place on Earth' and 'Mad About You,' and many more! The show is based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney and Head Over Heels was conceived by Jeff Whitty and adapted by James Magruder. A modern musical fairytale where once-upon-a-time is right now, Head Over Heels follows the escapades of a royal family who set out on a journey to save their beloved kingdom from extinction only to find love and comedic complications along the way! BroadwayWorld Detroit spoke with Joe about directing Head Over Heels and why The Ringwald is so excited to be the first theatre to present the show since it closed on Broadway. Read our fun interview below!
That crazy cacophony of choreographic chaos that careens across the City Center stage shortly after the commencement of Act II is the main reason for Encores! to bring back the smash hit 1947 musical comedy High Button Shoes.
Arthur, Guenevere, Lancelot, Merlin-these names spark the imagination and bring to mind images of knights, swords, castles, and magic. The tales of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the legendary Camelot are the subject of myriad novels, movies, TV shows, songs, plays, and musicals. From the 1938 tale The Sword the Stone (which was made into the animated film by Disney in 1963) to the 2008 TV series Merlin to the 2005 Broadway show Monty Python's Spamalot (based on the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail), for generations these stories have taken us on magical adventures. The 1960 musical Camelot, by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe is based on the T.H. White novel The Once and Future King. Camelot comes to life at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre May 9-June 22. Check out our interview with Matthew Blake Johnson, who can be seen on stage at Dutch Apple as Mordred in Camelot.
Henry VIII, Shakespeare's thrilling drama about a pivotal moment in history, is now in previews at the Studio Theatre. The production officially opens on Wednesday, May 29, and early demand for tickets has led to an extended run until October 20.
The Grammy Museum will be hosting NOTES ON LIVING: ALL-STAR JAZZ WITH TALES BY BRIAN DOYLE May 14, 2019 as a joint benefit for WordTheatre in the Schools (WITS) and the Grammy Museum. WordTheatre's artistic director Cedering Fox will be producing and directing this evening of selected stories by award-winning author Brian Doyle, read by a star-studded cast, and accompanied by an all-star jazz band led by Starr Parodi. Cedering opened up some of her early evening time to speak to me.
Graveyard Club is excited to announce the upcoming release of Goodnight Paradise, out June 28th (Pre-Order). The Twin Cities band's new album is brimming with haunting melodies, poetic lyric narratives, and enveloping synths. A combination that fans of Stars, Magnetic Fields, and M83 will surely gravitate towards. Sonically the band bridge the gap between 80's goth and synth pop and 50's crooners, creating a distinctly nostalgic feel for a place and time you feel you know intimately, but never really existed. It's Twin Peaks in St. Paul's Cathedral Hill and Boris Karloff at the Under-The-Sea prom of your dreams. Today, Graveyard Club shares their new single “It Hurts”, debuted via Minnesota Public Radio's The Current as their “Song of the Day”, and streaming everywhere. This summer, the band will tour North America, with midwest and west coast dates announced so far. All upcoming tour dates are below.
Check our delightful interview below with the leading lady, Floating Woman portrayed by Lauren Herley and the artistic director Jennifer Luceyer!
Barnum will be closing out Southgate Community Players Main Stage productions for the 2018-2019 season. Opening this weekend on Friday, May 3rd, this spectacular spectacle brings to life the story of P. T. Barnum the stage at the Davidson Auditorium inside Davidson Middle School in Southgate. Beloved characters based on the real-life performers that Barnum worked with during his career are woven throughout this high-energy musical. SCP's production of Barnum is packed with skills and tricks that will awe audiences of all ages! BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak with Tamara Laflin, the show's triple threat: director, music director, and choreographer, and she said, 'audiences should come see Barnum because it's a fresh take on a musical theatre classic.' Check out what she had to say below about why audiences will enjoy this spectacular spectacle that SCP has created with Barnum!
This musical revue is a unique ensemble piece with Cole Porter himself at the center of the group of society friends and counterparts from literature and musical theatre of the 1920-40s. Director Mary Cutler and cast take on this revue, and Cutler's insights are shared here.
To celebrate the longstanding relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States, BritWeek launched its annual event in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on Wed, 4-24-19 with the World Premiere of the new 60th anniversary documentary film 'THE CAVERN CLUB: The Beat Goes On' which shares the story of a Club whose fortunes have ebbed and flowed in tandem with that of the city of Liverpool itself. Not just the launch pad for The Beatles, The Cavern is landmark place that has embraced the ever-changing music scene, enduring the highs and lows, the dramas, the battles, the heartache, but above all… the music.
CASA, London's festival of Latin American arts, is delighted to announce the appointment of Cordelia Grierson as the new Artistic Director of ahead of this year's festival which will run from Tuesday 16th July to Sunday 28th July. Cordelia replaces outgoing Artistic Director and founder Daniel Goldman.
The Village Players of Birmingham closes its 96th season with the classic musical comedy Guys and Dolls. Running three weekends May 3-19, 2019 at the Village Players of Birmingham.
Villanova Theatre presents Chrysalis, a new play by Kathryn Petersen in development with Director Edward Sobel. Chrysalisexplores the metamorphosis of Maria Sybilla Merian, 17th century illustrator and naturalist, and her teenage daughter, Dorothea as they redraw the lines of their personal and professional relationship.
Houston-based, genre-bending rockers Folk Family Revival announce the release of their upcoming album “Electric Darlin” out on Friday, June 7. The band of brothers, comprised of Mason, Barrett and Lincoln Lankford and family friend and adopted brother Caleb Pace, have been making music together for years, redefining their sound and flowing through various genres with each record release. With “Electric Darlin,” the guys are throwing their fans another curveball with a new, experimental sound. The album was produced by John Evans and recorded by Patrick Herzfeld at Signal Hill Recording Studio in Dripping Springs, Texas. There will be an official Austin album release show on Friday, June 7 at Sam's Town Point, located at 2115 Allred Dr., Austin, Texas 78748. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, and can be purchased here. Doors are at 8 p.m., music at 9 p.m. with opening act John Evans. For more information on Folk Family Revival, please see www.folkfamilyrevival.com. The band was recently signed to Houston-based, independent record label Splice Records. For more on Splice Records, please see www.splicerecordstx.com.
On March 29th The Creative Collab had their world premiere of FOR COLORED BOYZ ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN/ when freedom ain't enuff, a choreopoem by Bryan-Keyth Wilson (Hood Boy Chronicles, Pamlet, The Subway Series) inspired by Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. FOR COLORED BOYZ first hit the Houston Theatre scene 4 years ago during the workshop phase. ! On February 21, 2015 a workshop was presented in Galveston at Old Central sponsored by The Nia Cultural Center then following the next year Kevin Anderson and the T.R.U.T.H. produced the 2nd phase of the script workshop. After two script workshops and staged readings Wilson and his creative team are ready to release this theatrical gem to the theatre community.
Spring has sprung here in DC. The cherry blossoms are in bloom, Lawmakers are doing whatever they do and my favorite area art education institution The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts is gearing up for their spring musical production. This year as part of the Creating a Musical Role class The Theatre Lab will be presenting the Bill Russell/Henry Krieger cult musical Side Show with performances starting on May 2nd and running through May 11th.
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