Jonathan Larson News

The American Theatre Wing has entered into a partnership with the Village Voice to co-present The OBIE Awards, Off Broadway's Highest Honor, it was announced today. The Wing will take overall responsibility for running the OBIES, effective immediately, under the oversight of a newly formed OBIES Administration Committee (comprised of both American Theatre Wing and Village Voice representatives). The selection process will be overseen by this Administration Commitee, but will continue under the chairmanship of Michael Feingold. Judges will be appointed and approved by Feingold and the Administrative Committee. As part of the partnership, the Village Voice has licensed the OBIE trademark to the American Theatre Wing for an initial period of ten years. The upcoming Obie Award Ceremony - the first presentation under this new partnership - will take place in May 2015 and will mark the Award's 60th anniversary.

Moments in Time,” an exhibition of infrared photographs and Raku fired ceramics by Susanne Brandt, will be on view at Studio Vendome Projects September 9-30, 2014. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, September 18, 2014 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., and a closing reception on Saturday, September 27 from 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. A percentage of the sales of the photographs and ceramics will benefit The American Theatre Wing. Studio Vendome Projects is located at 30-32 Grand St, New York, NY and is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., and Saturdays from noon – 5:00 p.m.

Dare to Defy Productions is thrilled to present the full stage version of Jonathan Larson's hit musical, RENT. The production hits the stage at 8 pm tonight, September 5 and at 2 pm and 8 pm on September 6, 2014 at the beautiful Victoria Theatre 126 N Main St Dayton, OH 45402.Tickets range from $50 to $25.

Actors' Playhouse has announced full casting for the upcoming Florida premiere of Murder Ballad, the new musical by Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash that will play a limited four-week engagement at the Miracle Theatre from October 8 - November 2, 2014.

Pioneer Theatre Company presents the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, September 12 through 27, 2014.

triangle productions! is pleased to announce the Oregon Premiere of tick, tick...BOOM! by Jonathan Larson (RENT), starring Drew Harper*, Danielle Purdy, and James Sharinghousen.

Due to popular demand, American Opera Projects and LivelyWorks have added a second performance of Two Premieres and a Reunion, a special evening of music by composer Conrad Cummings Wednesday September 10th, 2014. The second performance will take place at 9:00 p.m., immediately after the initial 7:30 p.m. performance. Both performances will be held at The National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan.

Hands on a Hardbody is a new rock musical about 10 Texans whose new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end and armed with nothing but hope and ambition, they'll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. In this hard-fought contest, only one winner can drive away with the American dream.

Award-winning composer Dave Malloy presents a new song cycle about love, death, and whiskey in GHOST QUARTET, running at The Bushwick Starr, October 8 through November 1, 2014.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents "The Songs of Miller and Tysen" on Monday, September 15th, 2014. Shows at 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Described as equal parts James Taylor and Stephen Sondheim, Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen's songs have been performed everywhere from East Village folk clubs, to Off-Broadway theaters, to Sesame Street. The concert will feature some of Broadway's best performers singing never-before-heard material from Tuck Everlasting, which premieres at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta this winter. The concert will also include favorite tunes from The Burnt Part Boys, and The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. www.MILLERandTYSEN.com

MURDER BALLAD, the new immersive rock musical that enjoyed an acclaimed, sold-out run in New York City will play OBERON (2 Arrow Street, Cambridge MA) this August for a strictly limited engagement.

Jamie Hendry Productions is delighted to announce the West End transfer of Chichester Festival Theatre's critically-acclaimed production of Neville's Island which will run at the Duke of York's Theatre from 10th October with opening night for press on 21st October 2014.

triangle productions! is pleased to announce the Oregon Premiere of tick, tick...BOOM! by Jonathan Larson (RENT), starring Drew Harper*, Danielle Purdy, and James Sharinghousen.

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

Craving a show after the show? 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, is expanding its popular late-night series with fresh faces and hot new performances to keep the party buzzing into the wee hours. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551. 54 BELOW welcomes you to loosen your tie and embrace the night at its upcoming events:

Straight from New York is bringing Adam Pascal to a city near you for a Master's Class this fall. As of now, master's classes are booked in Charlotte, NC (Sept. 16 - 17), Oklahoma City, OK (Sept. 18-19) and Austin, TX (Sept. 20). Straight from New York provides educational opportunities for performing arts students to work with top Broadway artists in cities around the country. www.straightfromnewyork.com Adam Pascal is an actor, singer, and musician known for his portrayal of Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical RENT as well as the movie version. He is also known for originating the role of Radames in the Elton John/Tim Rice Aida. He was also in the revival of Cabaret as well as Huey Calhoun in the Broadway Company of Memphis. When you work with students, what is your approach to teaching? A: I approach students from an existential place. I don't have any formal training. My training is practical from all my experience. I listen to what students are doing and offer them practical instructions on how to make it better. Tyce Green, the artistic director of Straight from New York, brings the technical experience. Together it is a great combination. Where did you go to school? What did you study? Where I grew up, everyone went to college. In my family, you just did it. I attended the University of South Florida for my freshman year. I then transferred to the NY Institute of Technology and got a degree in communications. I didn't necessarily want to go into that field but I knew I needed a degree. What is your favorite role you've played? Emcee in Cabaret Have you ever done any classical Musical Theatre roles and are there any roles in classical Musical Theatre you'd like to tackle? I would love to play roles from classical musical theatre but have not had the opportunity. I find many of the roles to be outside the box what people are used to seeing me play. These roles are out of my comfort zone but I look forward to the challenge. I think I'd like to play the role of Curly in Oklahoma! How did you feel taking over the role in Memphis and how was it taking over from the man who originated the role (Chad Kimball) They always allowed me to play the character and develop him on my own. I was never asked to play it like anyone else. They wanted me to bring my own personality to the role. What is your favorite musical you've never done? Les Miserables, Hedwig and the Angry Itch, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeny Todd For the young performer who wants to pursue musical theatre as a career, what advice would you give them? 1. There is no other reason to do musical theatre other than the love of it. Don't do this to be a star! Pursue this because you love it. 2. Have something else in your life that brings you happiness. The majority of this business is not getting the job. If you are only happy getting the role, then you will live perpetually unhappy. As a teacher, it's frustrating to hear kids say, 'my life is RENT.' As well all know there could not be anything further from the truth. When you teach your seminars, how do you convey there is more to Musical Theatre than RENT and Les Miserables? I tell kids to have a career in theatre, you have to be as versatile as you can be. If you sell yourself as only one thing, you will be handicapped in this business. To have a long career you need to be able to sing and do anything. It goes for people who are classically trained as well. You must know all aspects of this business and learn to do as many as you can. What is the focus of your seminars? We focus on the audition process. We want our students to learn to be comfortable performing under pressure in any situation. There is no other situation with as much pressure as an audition. We focus on technique, relaxation methods, choices in an audition, what to wear, and what to expect in any audition situation. We are extremely honest with addressing the pros and cons of choices made by students who attend our seminar. We try to bring each student as much practical information as we can. Why should someone take your seminar? Only take this seminar if you interested in learning honest information on the world of performing. This seminar will be full of information and advice you can't get anywhere else. To sign up for Adam Pascal's master class in your city, visit: www.straightfromnewyork.com

Award-winning songwriter Hyeyoung Kim (SUNFISH, CAFE-IN) will present a one-night only concert of original material Thursday, August 21st, 2014, 8pm at the Indian Road Cafe, 600 W. 218th Street, New York, NY. There is no cover or food/drink minimum.

Hands on a Hardbody is a new rock musical about 10 Texans whose new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end and armed with nothing but hope and ambition, they'll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck in order to win it. In this hard-fought contest, only one winner can drive away with the American dream.

Dogfight, Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Book by Peter Duchan, based on the Warner Bros film and screenplay by Bob Comfort, is produced by Danielle Tarento, the award-winning producer of Titanic, Parade and Mack & Mabel, and directed by Matt Ryan, in The Large at Southwark Playhouse for a six-week season through Saturday 13 September.

American Opera Projects and LivelyWorks present Two Premieres and a Reunion, a special evening of music by composer Conrad Cummings Wednesday September 10th, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. at The National Opera Center, 330 Seventh Avenue, Manhattan.