Janet Hayes News

For over forty years, Jim Morgan has been one of the most recognizable names in the New York theatre. For twenty years, Jim has served as the artistic director of the acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company, The York Theatre.

The Children's Crusade: kids walk out of their jobs or schools to take to the streets and stand up for what they believe in, for a fairer and safer world. Does this describe recent current events, a historical event, or the plot of a Disney musical? Trick question - the answer is all of the above! At the same time that the children of Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of latest tragic school shooting, are leading children across the country in making their voices heard, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is presenting the regional premiere of NEWSIES, a new musical adaptation of the 1992 Disney movie based on the historical newsboy strike of 1899. As is happening today in real life, the kids involved the historical strike and the characters in the musical demand that the people in power listen to them in their call for justice. But the latter group does it with music and fabulous dancing. Children truly are our hope for the future, and NEWSIES celebrates that idea while providing a fun, entertaining, and inspirational show.

Hennepin Theatre Trust and University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) School of Fine Arts have announced additional casting for the second annual performance of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS on Monday, March 26 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis).

Just last night, the York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, honored legendary musical theatre writing team Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, I Do! I Do!, 110 in the Shade, Celebration) with the 2017 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 26th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala.

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, will honor legendary musical theatre writing team Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, I Do! I Do!, 110 in the Shade, Celebration) with the 2017 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 26th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala on Monday evening, December 4, 2017 at The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, has added Samantha Bruce (The Fantasticks), Ava Della Pietra (School of Rock), Julian Fleisher (February House), Randy Harrison (Cabaret), Samantha Massell (Fiddler on the Roof), Randy Rainbow (Viral Video Sensation), Lee Roy Reams (42nd Street), Ben Rimalower (Bad with Money), the HOT singing string quartet Well-Strung, and The Manhattan School of Music Musical Theatre Ensemble (Judith Clurman, Director) to the line-up of Broadway performers who will honor legendary musical theatre writing team Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, I Do! I Do!, 110 in the Shade, Celebration) with the 2017 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 26th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala on Monday evening, December 4, 2017 at The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, has announced a line-up of Broadway performers who will honor legendary musical theatre writing team Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, I Do, I Do!, 110 in the Shade, Celebration) with the 2017 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 26th Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala set for Monday evening, December 4, 2017 at The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Executive Director), dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, will honor legendary musical theatre writing team Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones.

Situated in the heart of America's wine and food playground, BottleRock Napa Valley, presented by JaM Cellars, has announced that Martha Stewart, Jose Andres and Masaharu Morimoto will headline the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage, leading a star-studded lineup of celebrated personalities that will deliver memorable mash-up moments during the three-day festival, May 26-28, 2017, in historic downtown Napa.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Evans Haile, Interim Executive Director; David McCoy, Chairman of the Board), dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, has announced Robert Creighton (Cagney), and Christine Ebersole (Grey Gardens) will join some of Broadway's best - Carolee Carmello (Finding Neverland), Sutton Foster (Anything Goes), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago), Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon), and Bernadette Peters (George M) (all subject to change) - scheduled to appear as guest performers to honor legendary Oscar® and Tony® Award-winner Joel Grey with the 25th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 2016 Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala on Monday, December 5, 2016 at The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, has announced that several of Broadway's best - Carolee Carmello (Finding Neverland), Sutton Foster (Anything Goes), Bebe Neuwirth (Chicago), Rory O'Malley (The Book of Mormon), and Bernadette Peters (George M) (all subject to change) - are scheduled to appear as guest performers to honor legendary Oscar- and Tony Award-winner Joel Grey with the 25th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 2016 Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala on Monday, December 5, 2016 at The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

The York Theatre Company, dedicated to the development of new musicals and preserving musical gems from the past, will honor legendary Oscar and Tony Award winner Joel Grey with the 25th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at 2016 Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala to be held on Monday, December 5, 2016 at The Asia Society (725 Park Avenue).

The History Theatre in St. Paul is committed to bringing new plays and musicals to the stage, usually inspired by true events in Minnesota history. Their yearly Raw Stages festival, a series of workshops and readings of new works, often results in full productions in the following season or two. But I often wonder, what happens next? After a new play or musical is developed, produced, and well-received, where does it go? In the case of 2001's WATERMELON HILL, it comes back again 15 years later. As much as I love seeing new works of theater on History Theatre's stage, I'm thrilled that they brought this wonderful old new work back to the stage, giving it a fresh new production. Inspired by historical events, WATERMELON HILL tells the stories of three young women in the mid '60s, pregnant and unmarried, sent in shame to St. Paul's Catholic Infant Home to wait out their pregnancies, deliver their babies, give them up for adoption, and then leave and never look back. Surprisingly light and funny for such a somber topic, the play brings light to the all too familiar tale of the challenges and lack of education and choices facing women in the past, and perhaps to a lesser extant, even today. Along with THE HOW AND THE WHY and NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN, it's another fantastic choice of theater to present during Women's History Month.

A museum honoring Charles E. "Chuck" Williamsthe man who reshaped the way America cooks and the visionary behind Williams-Sonomawill be the centerpiece of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia. Made possible by a generous gift from the Williams Estate, the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum at the CIA at Copia will become a new attraction in the City of Napa for culinarians worldwide. The founder of Williams-Sonoma passed away on December 5, 2015 following his 100 th birthday earlier in the year. The extensive display of kitchen items collected within his lifetime will honor his legacy and ensure that culinary enthusiasts will always learn from and remember the history and traditions of our culinary heritage.

This holiday season, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to present Rodgers & Hammerstein's The Sound of Music, Dec. 10-Jan. 2. Tickets for the Ordway produced family classic start at $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in-person at the Ordway ticket office.

Williams-Sonoma hosts Ina Garten in Beverly Hills today at the final stop of a five-city tour for Garten's new cookbook, Make It Ahead.

The York Theatre Company will honor legendary Broadway and film composer Alan Menken with the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre at the 22nd Oscar Hammerstein Award Gala to be held Monday, December 9, 2013 at The Hudson Theatre (145 West 44thStreet).

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres (CDT) has announced it will be producing the Midwest Premiere of Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID. Based on the beloved, best-selling Disney animated feature Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID will make its Main Stage premiere in 2014. The production will enjoy previews from February 28th through March 6th, 2014 with its grand opening taking place Friday, March 7th 2014.

The York Theatre Company (James Morgan, Producing Artistic Director; Andrew Levine, Executive Director) launches its 2013-14 season with a special concert presentation of the musical Six Wives, with Book and Lyrics by Joe Masteroff and Music by Edward Thomas. Directed by David Green, and with Music Direction by Dennis Buck, the five member cast will feature Nick Wyman and Liam Forde, who replaces the previously announced Claybourne Elder, with Judy Kaye and Alexander Silber as the six wives, and Alexander Gemignani playing Henry VIII. The one-night only concert event will be held tonight, October 28, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at The York Theatre Company at Saint Peter's (Citicorp Building, entrance on East 54th Street, just east of Lexington Avenue).