John F Kennedy News

Considered by critics, fans and fellow comedians as one of the best stand-ups in the country, comedian Brian Regan announces spring 2019 tour dates for his non-stop theater tour including his debut performance at the National Cultural Center, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

In celebration of the fall returns of hit music dramas EMPIRE and STAR, Fox Broadcasting Company and parent company 21st Century Fox have teamed up with Turnaround Arts, a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, for a new social campaign. As one of the marquee national education initiatives of the Kennedy Center, Turnaround Arts empowers struggling schools with innovative arts programs and arts-based learning across subject areas as a strategy to help address broader school challenges and close the opportunity gap.

NYU Skirball will present two marathon performances of Bill. T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company's acclaimed Analogy Trilogy, on September 22 and 23 at 3:00 pm.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has announced the complete cast and creative team for the Broadway Center Stage production of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's Little Shop of Horrors

Dixon Place proudly presents the world premiere of YouthandDeath, the debut evening-long work by chrisbelldances (choreographer, Chris Bell,) a semi-autobiographical piece of dance-theater investigating themes of mortality and the cyclical nature of life. The piece will be presented at Dixon Place's main stage

Winner of 5 Emmy® Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, the critically-acclaimed THE CROWN: SEASON TWO debuts on Blu-ray and DVD November 13 courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. THE CROWN: SEASON TWO sees an end of the age of deference, and ushers in the revolutionary era of the 1960s, following Queen Elizabeth II from 1956 to 1964 as she continues to navigate her changing role on the global stage. From the Suez Canal crisis to the resignation of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan under scandal, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, audiences are given an inside look into the challenges and triumphs of her reign.

Achingly human, and surprisingly funny! TheFountain Theatre presents the West Coast premiere ofCost of Living, the 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Martyna Majok. John Vreeke directs for an Oct. 20 opening, with performances continuing through Dec.16.

And now for something completely different!

Theater J's production of The Pianist of Willesden Lane, adapted and directed by Hershey Felder, is a timeless piece of storytelling.

Theater J presents the Washington, DC debut of the  Hershey Felder production of  The Pianist of Willesden Lane, starring internationally-acclaimed storyteller and concert pianist Mona Golabek in a limited engagement at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the Family Theater. The production is adapted and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival by Golabek and Lee Cohen.  Performances are September 12 - 30.

The Second City announces the cast for The Second City's 107th Mainstage Revue. Under the direction of ten-time resident stage director and Jeff Award winner Matt Hovde and with returning music direction by Vinnie Pillarella, The Second City's 107th Mainstage Revue will feature current Mainstage ensemble members Ryan Asher, Tyler Davis, Jeffrey Murdoch, and Nate Varrone, who will be joined by Gaslight District cast member Emily Fightmaster and She the People cast member Kimberly Michelle Vaughn. The stage manager is Craig Taylor. The official press opening is Thursday, December 6 at 8pm.

NYU Skirball will present the New York City premiere of Tere O'Connor's Long Run, playing for two performances on Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13 at 7:30 pm. The work features dancers: Simon Courchel, Marc Crousillat, Eleanor Hullihan, Emma Judkins, Joey Loto, Silas Riener, Lee Serle and Jin Ju Song-Begin. Costume design is by Strauss Bourque-LaFrance; lighting design by Michael O'Connor and a musical score created by O'Connor himself.

Taking these words to heart, NYU Skirball will present On Your Marx a *pay-what-you-think-it's-worth, two-week commemoration of the great philosopher Karl Marx's 200th birthday, featuring theater, dance and choral performances. Admission to all performances is free: however, audiences will receive an invoice detailing the cost of every element of the production (supply). They are then free to determine the worth of the production and donate accordingly (demand) thus enabling the artists to "earn money in order to live and write."

The Acting Company (Ian Belknap, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Executive Director) will honor director and artistic leader Bill Rauch and the married civic leaders Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel and Ambassador Carl Spielvogel- individuals whose exemplary work aligns with the artistic and educational ideals of the storied repertory company that produces nationally recognized theater productions and arts education programs-at the Company's 2018 Fall Gala, on November 12. Held at the historic Metropolitan Club (One East 60th Street), the event will bring together awards, live entertainment, silent and live auctions, dinner, and cocktails in celebration of theater and its contribution to American society.

Just in time for Halloween, Strawdog Theatre Company launches its 31st season with the world premiere of MASQUE MACABRE, a dark and bloody thrill ride inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe - think Carrie meets Eyes Wide Shut. The handlers of a 'bad boy' entrepreneur go to extremes to give him one last big bash before his past catches up to him. An explorative immersive theatre experience a la Sleep No More, guests travel from room to room throughout the space and follow stories of revenge and murder as they play out in real time.

DIRECT CURRENT, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts's two-week celebration of contemporary culture, returns for a second season. Training its focus on new works, interdisciplinary creations in which artistic worlds collide, and creative responses to topical concerns, the 2019 spring immersion showcases some of the most provocative, original, and pioneering voices in the arts today. DIRECT CURRENT takes place on March 25-April 7 at the Kennedy Center and beyond, extending throughout the District of Columbia through collaborations with a number of alternative venues, to expand the growing audience for contemporary culture in the nation's capital.

NSO Music Director Gianandrea Noseda leads the Orchestra on a journey exploring the link between image and sound. Three performances-Thursday, September 27,  at 7 p.m.; Friday, September 28, at 8 p.m.; and Saturday, September 29, at 8 p.m.-at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall include Sergei Rachmaninoff's The Isle of the Dead; Ottorino Respighi's Trittico Botticelliano; and Maurice Ravel's orchestration of Modest Musorgsky's Pictures from an Exhibition, originally composed for piano.

The Lawrence Arts Center and NYC-based theater company Rebel Playhouse are pleased to present the workshop production of a new musical, THE FANTASTICAL DANGEROUS JOURNEY OF Q, written by Ric Averill with music by Dax Dupuy, directed and choreographed by Sarah Sutliff, and with music direction by Christina Bottley. The show features the talents of local actors as well as that of Clara Kundin, a Lawrence native who is returning to the city from NYC to perform in the show.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has just announced casting for its next Broadway Center Stage production of Little Shop of Horrors, running October 24-28, 2018 in the Eisenhower Theater.

Bronx Charter School for the Arts' students, staff, families and supporters have a lot to be excited about heading back-to-school. On Thursday, Aug. 30, educators, national leaders from the Arts community, elected officials, families and students will join the ribbon-cutting celebration as Bronx Arts opens a middle school for 6th-8th grade students. The middle school is located in the Soundview section of the Bronx, less than half a mile from the Bronx Arts Elementary School, the leading elementary school in the community. School administrators say the lottery selection process for the middle school attracted more than 280 interested rising 6th grade students and families and filled 75 available seats. The school will add additional 6th grade classes annually, reaching capacity in the 2020-2021 school year.