J. King News

More than 60 million people in 40 countries on six different continents have reveled in Mamma Mia!, the iconic musical about love and friendship, of lost dreams and that last chance to make it right, all set to the music of ABBA, one of the most popular bands in the world. 

ESPN released the final rankings for the class of 2016 with Duke commit Harry Giles remaining No.1 overall in the ESPN 100, while Kansas commit Josh Jackson jumps to the No. 2 spot.

The Huntington Theatre Company's 2016 Breaking Ground festival of new plays will be held April 14 - 17 at the Huntington's home for new work, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

Boston Playwrights' Theatre (BPT) presents the 18th annual Boston Theater Marathon and the eighth year of The Warm-Up Laps. This year's Boston Theater Marathon features 50 ten-minute plays, by 52 New England playwrights, produced by 50 New England theatres in ten hours.

The Huntington Theatre Company's 2016 Breaking Ground festival of new plays will be held April 14 - 17 at the Huntington's home for new work, the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA.

Carnegie Hall today announced the names of the 109 outstanding young musicians selected from across the country for the fourth annual National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). The members of the 2016 orchestra-ages 16-19, hailing from 32 US states-have been recognized by Carnegie Hall as being among the finest players in the country following a comprehensive and highly competitive audition process. This summer's NYO-USA will feature 38 returning musicians. The program is free for all participants.

The Weathervane Playhouse in Newark has taken a shotgun approach to the musicals it is presenting this summer. The theater company opened its summer season with RENT, the edgy rock musical by Jonathan Larson. Then it staged with THE PAJAMA GAME, a light-hearted musical by Richard Alder and Jerry Ross, as its second musical of the season.

How do you write a song when the chords sound wrong Though they once sounded right and rare? When the notes are sour Where is the power you once had to ignite the air?

CARMICHAEL, Calif.

Huntington Theatre Company announces its 2014-2016 cohort of Huntington Playwriting Fellows: Mia Chung, John J King, Sam Marks, and Nina Louise Morrison. This artistically diverse group of writers begin their two-year residency in September. Past Huntington Playwriting Fellows include Ronan Noone (The Atheist, Brendan, and the upcoming The Second Girl), Lydia R. Diamond (Smart People, Stick Fly), Melinda Lopez (Becoming Cuba, Sonia Flew), Kirsten Greenidge (Luck of the Irish), Ryan Landry (Ryan Landry's "M"), and Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro (Before I Leave You) to name a few.

Brill, the international scholarly publisher, has signed an agreement to publish a book series in cooperation with the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and the Department of Anthropology, both of which are in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. The book series is entitled Harvard Egyptological Studies.

Heart & Dagger Productions has announced the arrival of SEX FEST II. This year along with the new short plays focusing on sexual desire and fantasy, we'll be offering a second helping with Charles Mee's JESUS, a performance art piece directed by Joey C. Pelletier.

Heart & Dagger Productions has announced the arrival of SEX FEST II. This year along with the new short plays focusing on sexual desire and fantasy, we'll be offering a second helping with Charles Mee's JESUS, a performance art piece directed by Joey C. Pelletier.

Marianela, A Play with Songs, adapted to the stage by Mark-Brian Sonna with music by various composers, will run with MBS Productions now throgh April 26, 2014.

There are few things that speak to the resilience and hopefulness of mankind more than the history of Brundibar, currently being performed at the Central Square Theatre. It is an opera for children (which is ambitious in itself), but it was created by Jewish artists and performed in the Terezin concentration camps, in spite of all of the horror and pain being inflicted.

The Nominating Committee of the Independent Reviewers of New England has just announced nominees for the 2014 IRNE Awards. The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards, founded by Beverly Creasey of the Journal Newspapers and Larry Stark of TheaterMirror in 1997, recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community.

Liars & Believers, Artists in residence at the American Repertory Theater, kicks off its 2013/14 season on February 12, 2014 with Interference, a one-night only show in collaboration with director Steven Bogart and over a dozen local performers across the arts.

The newly released book, Passport to the Corner Office, teaches graduates and young professionals the secrets for rising to the top in the business world and earning the coveted corner office.

Today, June 29th, at the A.R.T.'s Loeb Drama Center StageSource will host its 5th bi-annual theater conference for the greater New England Area.

June 29th at the A.R.T.'s Loeb Drama Center StageSource will host its 5th bi-annual theater conference for the greater New England Area. The Conference brings together hundreds of working theater professionals and organizations to discuss the issues that face the theater making sector. The 2013 focus is Reframing Success where we as a community will confront the idea of success in the 21stcentury and how redefining success on our own terms is a can benefit both individual artists and area producers and lead to a more fulfilling career. Among this year's guest is Tony winning director of A.R.T. and Broadway's PIPPIN, Diane Paulus!