Irene Sankoff News

September 11th marks one of the most somber occasions in American history, when 2,753 lives were taken by terrorist actions committed on American soil.  Every one of us can recount where we were that morning and how the events of the day and the days that followed impacted our lives and forever changed our world.

Sheridan College's Canadian Music Theatre Project (the 'CMTP') has enjoyed tremendous success, launching new musicals that are being produced and further developed by leading theatres around the world.

 Jewish Plays Project (JPP), a development organization committed to putting bold, progressive Jewish conversations on world stages, continues its annual Open: Festival of play readings and workshops at the 14th Street Y including four new full-length plays and one new musical by Margot Connolly, Sarah Gancher, Gary Jaffe, David Hein & Irene Sankoff, and Sam Lahne.

La Jolla Playhouse's season opener, COME FROM AWAY, is a world-premiere musical featuring book, music and lyrics by award-winning husband-and-wife team David Hein andIrene Sankoff, directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. The production runs now through July 12 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. Let's see what the critics had to say...

La Jolla Playhouse recently announced a second week-long extension for its season opener, Come from Away, a world-premiere musical featuring book, music and lyrics by award-winning husband-and-wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff, and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. The production runs now through July 12 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Due to popular demand, La Jolla Playhouse recently announced a second week-long extension for its season opener, Come from Away, a world-premiere musical featuring book, music and lyrics by award-winning husband-and-wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff, and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. The production show will now run tonight, May 29, through July 12 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre.

Due to popular demand, La Jolla Playhouse announces a second week-long extension for its season opener, Come from Away, a world-premiere musical featuring book, music and lyrics by award-winning husband-and-wife team David Hein and Irene Sankoff, and directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. The production show will now run May 29 - July 12 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre.

Kathy Evans, Founding Executive Director of Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, announced the 17 writers and 8 new musicals selected for the fifth summer of weeklong retreats. For eight consecutive weeks beginning July 5th, each writing team will have a residency in Rhinebeck, New York. Writers are provided a private home, transportation, food, and a $400 stipend. This year's writers include Obie winner Kirsten Childs, Tony nominee Elizabeth Davis, and 2015 Jonathan Larson award-winners Charlie Sohne, Tim Rosser, and Sam Willmott, who also just won the Kleban Prize. 

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Rhode Island, Milwaukee, Italy, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include BIG FISH at First Stage in Milwaukee, KISS ME KATE in Memphis, and THE WHO'S TOMMY in LA, just to name a few.

Could there be a better way for The New Jewish Theatre to end their "Chai" season than with a sparkling production of MY MOTHER'S LESBIAN JEWISH WICCAN WEDDING, which celebrates the choices we make as individuals in the way we choose to lead our lives? I think not. This is well crafted show that speaks to its audience on many levels (book, music and lyrics by David Hein and Irene Sankoff), covering such touchy subjects as faith, politics, and the genuine love two individuals can have for one another, with heartfelt sentiment and catchy tunes. It's often laugh out loud funny, but it also produced a tear or two, at least for me, all while tackling topics that are front and center in the country we live in, and globally as well. This is a fast-paced delight that should not be missed, with a wonderful cast, terrific direction, and some fine musicianship all on display for your viewing pleasure.

Hottest Articles on BroadwayWorld.com from this weekend Sunday, April 19, 2015 - Sunday, April 19, 2015.

This just in! La Jolla Playhouse has announced the cast and creative team for its season opener, the world-premiere musical Come from Away, featuring book, music and lyrics by the Canadian husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein (My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding), directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley. A co-production with Seattle Repertory Theatre, Come from Away will run May 29 - July 5 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre (press opening Thursday, June 11).

Seattle Repertory Theatre's 2015-2016 season was announced today by Acting Artistic Director Braden Abraham. The season is headlined by the new musical Come from Away, Ayad Akhtar's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced and the world premiere of R. Hamilton Wright's Sherlock Holmes and the American Problem.

Due to the incredible demand for subscriptions to the 2015/2016 season, La Jolla Playhouse announces a week-long extension for its first two season productions: Come from Away, a world-premiere musical written and composed by David Hein and Irene Sankoff, directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley, as well as for Up Here, a world-premiere musical comedy directed by Alex Timbers (Playhouse's Peter and the Starcatchers), featuring book, music and lyrics by the husband-and-wife team of Robert Lopez (The Book of Mormon, Avenue Q) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who took home the Academy and Grammy Awards for Best Song with their mega-hit "Let It Go" from the Disney animated film Frozen. Come from Away will now run May 29 - July 5 in the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, and Up Here will now run July 28 - September 6 in the Mandell Weiss Theatre.

La Jolla Playhouse announces five shows for its 2015/2016 season, featuring all new works, including the world-premiere musical Come from Away, featuring book, music and lyrics by acclaimed Canadian husband-and-wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein, directed by Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley; the world premiere of Indecent, co-created by director Rebecca Taichman (Playhouse's Sleeping Beauty Wakes, Milk Like Sugar), and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive), co-produced with Yale Repertory Theatre; and Blueprints to Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin, by Michael Benjamin Washington (Memphis, The Wiz), directed by The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad, which had its first workshop during the Playhouse's 2014 DNA New Work Series.

Final casting has been announced for BLAME CANADA!, an evening featuring the best in Canadian musical theatre happening at 54 BELOW on Monday, March 17 at 9:30pm. Cliff Saunders, who currently stars as Thenardier in the revival of Les Miserables on Broadway, hosts the evening that celebrates the launch of the newly formed Canadian Musical Theatre Writers Collective (CMTWC).

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre's (NAMT) 25th Annual Festival of New Musicals takes place tomorrow, Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Below, meet the writers of the 25th Annual Festival of New Musicals shows!

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) has announced final casting for the 25th Annual Festival of New Musicals on Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) announced additional casting and creatives for the 25th Annual Festival of New Musicals on Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) announced initial casting for the 25th Annual Festival of New Musicals on Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).