John Simon News

UCSB's Department of Theater and Dance presents the third annual New Works Lab May 9 19 in the Performing Arts Theater. New Works Lab showcases bare bones developmental productions of half-hour scripted and devised plays. The program provides a basic 'fringe festival' level of technical and design support so that each work may evolve in content and structure through the final performance. The platform has most notably given Malique Guinn, a fourth-year undergraduate at the time, the opportunity to realize his play Gang Sines which would go onto to win him the 2018 Kennedy Center Hip Hop Theater Creator Award.

The New York Drama Critics' Circle today named The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth best play of the 2018-19 season. The award for best musical went to Tootsie. What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck was named best American play. The selections were made at the organization's 84th annual voting meeting.

Country music artist, songwriter Kristen Kae has signed with Nashville-based Heart Songs Records for management and brand representation. Kae joins Heart Songs Records existing client roster which includes Justin Kemp Band, The Highway Women and Steven John Simon.

Hudson Hall celebrates the Merce Cunningham Centennial with a 6-week program of dance, music, film, and photography to showcase the work of an iconic artist and the enduring power of his living legacy.

RudduR Dance announces that its founder, artistic director, and choreographer, Jamaican-born Christopher Rudd, has been named a 2019 Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.  Formerly of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, Cirque du Soleil, and Carolina Ballet, Christopher blends contemporary ballet with theatricality and aerial artistry to create provocative experiences that address social and political landscapes.

Showtunes Theatre Company will continue its new partnership this season with The Cornish Playhouse as they feature a concert production of The Spitfire Grill, with music by James Valcq, lyrics by Fred Alley, and a book by both artists. The Spitfire Grill continues Showtunes' theme for its 19th season, "Underestimated - Stories about Redefining the Rules," and will feature some of Seattle's amazing actresses in this powerful, intimate story of healing and hope. Directed by Jessica Spencer and with music direction by RJ Tancioco, the show will have four performances only: Saturday, May 4 at 8pm, Sunday, May 5 at 2pm, Saturday, May 11 at 8pm, and Sunday, May 12 at 2pm.

The winners of the 2019 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards will be announced Monday, May 6, 2019 at approximately 5:30pm. The selections will be made at the organization's 84th annual voting meeting.

The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble's (LCCE) 2018-2019 season culminates with Dorothea and Artemisia, a program featuring the world premieres of two original chamber operas, each inspired by the contributions of an extraordinary woman artist. The concert includes From the Field, a micro-opera by Christopher Stark illuminating the work of Depression-era photographer Dorothea Lange, and Artemisia, a dramatic operatic work by Laura Schwendinger based on the life of 17th century Italian painter Artemisia Gentileschi. The performances will be presented at Z Space, located at 450 Florida Street, San Francisco, on Saturday, June 1 at 7:30pm, and Sunday June 2, at 2pm.

The Strand Theater Company concludes its 11th consecutive season as the only women-centric company in Baltimore with the regional premiere of And Baby Makes Seven by Pulitzer Prize Winner and a native Marylander, Paula Vogel, directed by Emily Hall. Anna, Ruth and Peter await the arrival of their newborn child, but first they must rid the crowded apartment of their three imaginary children.

The Strand Theater Company concludes its 11th consecutive season as the only women-centric company in Baltimore with the regional premiere of And Baby Makes Seven by Pulitzer Prize Winner and a native Marylander, Paula Vogel, directed by Emily Hall. Anna, Ruth and Peter await the arrival of their newborn child, but first they must rid the crowded apartment of their three imaginary children.

Partners for Sacred Places and Philadelphia Contemporary, in partnership with Danspace Project (NYC), are pleased to announce Grounds that Shout! (and others merely shaking), a series of performances and talks exploring connections between faith, movement, race, and the body, with a focus on the African American religious experience. Curated by the award-winning choreographer Reggie Wilson and featuring Wilson's Fist and Heel Performance Group and a collection of local Philadelphia artists, Grounds that Shout! will take audiences to four historic churches, exploring these themes within the specific context of Philadelphia's sacred spaces.

Veteran Marine and Louisiana singer and songwriter, Steven John Simon, has released a visual and moving lyric video for his second single, “Eyes Closed.” The video is available on his Facebook page and can be watched on his artist YouTube page here.

The second single, “Eyes Closed,” by veteran Marine and Louisiana singer and songwriter, Steven John Simon was announced exclusively on The Country Note on Friday March 15. The evocative single is available on all digital music platforms here.

The Strand Theater Company concludes its 11th consecutive season as the only women-centric company in Baltimore with the regional premiere of And Baby Makes Seven by Paula Vogel, directed by Emily Hall. Anna, Ruth and Peter await the arrival of their newborn child, but first they must rid the crowded apartment of their three imaginary children.

Veteran Marine and Louisiana singer and songwriter, Steven John Simon (pronounced' SEE MAAH,) has announced a pre-order for his second single “Eyes Closed” written by Casey Carpenter, (Kane Brown), Bryce Mauldin and Josh Johnson (Kane Brown). Pre-order the single here.

Doug Varone and Dancers presents the World Premiere of everything is fine December 12-16, 2018 at The New Ohio Theatre

Doug Varone and Dancers presents the World Premiere of everything is fine December 12-16, 2018 at The New Ohio Theatre

James Greene, a character actor with an illustrious stage career, but perhaps best known for his four-year stint on TV's 'The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd' with writer and director Jay Tarses, died on November 9, 2018, at his home in Los Angeles. He was 91.

Ten independent filmmakers working at the vanguard of inventive artistic practice in story, craft and form will receive distinctive opportunities from Sundance Institute's Art of Nonfiction Fellowship and Fund. 

Ten independent filmmakers working at the vanguard of inventive artistic practice in story, craft and form will receive distinctive opportunities from Sundance Institute's Art of Nonfiction Fellowship and Fund.