Jonathan Larson News

Infinity Theatre Company brings professional singers and musicians to perform an evening of the greatest songs of the twentieth century, in the Annapolis premiere of 'My Way, A Musical Tribute to FRANK SINATRA', which is a favorite of the biggest regional theatres across the country.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents the world premiere family musical The Adventures of Pinocchio from July 13 to August 28, 2011. Based on Carlo Collodi's classic tale of a wooden puppet who yearns to be a real boy, this original CST Family commission will turn CST's Courtyard Theater stage into a larger-than-life, European-style marionette theater. Created by multiple Drama Desk Award-nominated team Neil Bartram (music/lyrics) and Brian Hill (book), The Adventures of Pinocchio is directed by Rachel Rockwell, who returns to CST after staging last summer's world premiere CST Family musical The Emperor's New Clothes. Tickets for The Adventures of Pinocchio from July 13 to August 28, 2011, in CST's Courtyard Theater are $18-$25 with special discuonts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount at Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

CAP21 Theatre Company presents NEXT THING YOU KNOW, a new musical by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham, creators of the hit Off-Broadway musical I LOVE YOU BECAUSE, with previews to begin June 7, prior to its official press opening June 9, at the new CAP21 Black Box Theater (18 West 18th Street) in Manhattan. Terry Berliner directs with musical direction by Kurt Crowley.

Upcoming MTI Shows - 5/15 for Seoul

Upcoming MTI Shows - 5/15 for Montreal

Bay Area Cabaret's season finale will star one of Broadway's greatest vocal talents, Lillias White. Returning this spring from Nigeria, where she will reprise her Tony-nominated role in FELA!, White is the winner of Broadway's 'Triple Crown' (a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and an Outer Critics Circle Award) for her role in Cy Coleman's The Life.

A liberal young woman goes undercover as a right-wing shock-jock pundit. Can she hold on to who she was, or will she buy into her own hype?

Celebrating its 62nd Season of Broadway at the Beach, Surflight Theatre, under the leadership of Producer and Surflight alum Roy Miller, proudly presents RENT, Jonathan Larson's landmark rock musical from May 28 through June 19. Opening Night is scheduled for Saturday, May 28 at 8:00pm.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees) today announced that Heather Hitchens has been appointed as the organization's next Executive Director. The decision was made at a meeting of the American Theatre Wing's Board of Trustees on Wednesday, May 4. Hitchens is an energetic and nationally recognized arts executive, with nearly 20 years of experience in performing arts administration, policy, and program development. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the oldest and largest state arts agency in the country, with a budget of $40 million. Hitchens will begin her tenure as Executive Director on July 5, succeeding Howard Sherman, who has been the Wing's Executive Director for 8 years and concludes his tenure on June 30. During her four year tenure at NYSCA, Hitchens oversaw the distribution of over $123 million in grants to more than 2,000 New York State organizations in every artistic discipline. She also fostered closer collaboration and partnerships between the arts and other sectors including tourism, economic development, and parks, and in collaboration with a number of public and private funding sources, launched the Cultural Data Project, which is developing more comprehensive and reliable data about the impact of the arts in New York State. Prior to working with the NYSCA, Hitchens served as the CEO of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and the renowned national arts organization Meet The Composer, where she established a multi-million dollar endowment fund and fostered a thirty-fold increase in individual giving. She holds an M.S. in Arts Administration from Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA and a B.M. in Percussion/Music Business from DePauw, Greencastle, IN. "The Wing is a uniquely collaborative organization," said Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman 0f the Board of Trustees. "Our fruitful and long-term partnership with the Broadway League in bestowing the Tony Awards is a key element of the Wing, as are our various media, educational, and grant-giving programs. Howard Sherman brought the Wing into modern times, expanding, creating and widening the scope of the activities with intelligence and skill, and his contributions have made the Wing a more important place. Building on what Howard achieved, our extraordinary search committee did yeoman service, and their choice of Heather Hitchens speaks well for us all. From my vantage point as Chairman, I feel Heather is the perfect person to guide us into the next phase of collaborations, mining new opportunities and strengthening old ones." "I am absolutely thrilled to become the American Theatre Wing's next Executive Director," enthused Heather Hitchens. "It is a tremendous opportunity to continue my life's work in advancing exceptional artists and their craft, and to return to the place that my career began and a place that I love - the theatre. I look forward to working with the Wing's board and staff to continue showcasing and supporting artistic excellence and innovation in the national theatre community." Search Committee-member and Tony Award®-winning playwright David Henry Hwang added, "From an impressive pool of final candidates, Heather Hitchens emerged as the Search Committee's unanimous choice. Her knowledge of the cultural sector is second to none, she has elevated every organization with which she has been associated, and she possesses a clear and practical vision to advance the Wing's mission. With Heather as our new Executive Director, the American Theatre Wing is poised to take a major step forward to support artistic excellence in the theatre." The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) is a not-for-profit organization best known as the creator of the Antoinette Perry "Tony" Awards®, which it presents annually with The Broadway League. In addition to "Downstage Center," "In The Wings," "Working in the Theatre," and a host of other online resources, The Wing operates many activities, all dedicated to recognizing excellence and supporting education in theatre, including SpringboardNYC, the Theatre Intern Group, the National Theatre Company Grants and the Jonathan Larson Grants. Visitors to americantheatrewing.org can listen to, watch or download from ATW's extensive media collection, and learn more about all of its programming for students, aspiring and working professionals, and audiences who want to learn more about the making of theatre. Follow ATW on Facebook.com/TheAmericanTheatreWing, youtube.com/americantheatrewing and Twitter.com/TheWing.

The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees) today announced that Heather Hitchens has been appointed as the organization's next Executive Director.

The Kleban Foundation is pleased to announce that the 21st Annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist has gone to Adam Gwon and the award for the most promising musical theatre librettist has gone to Michelle Elliott. The 2011 awards will be presented on June 27, 2011, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) at ASCAP.

A liberal young woman goes undercover as a right-wing shock-jock pundit. Can she hold on to who she was, or will she buy into her own hype?

VITAL THEATRE COMPANY, the award-winning theatre company and producer of the long running family show PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL, and HIT Entertainment, a leading provider of quality children's entertainment, are pleased to announce the return of ANGELINA BALLERINA™ THE MUSICAL, with book and lyrics by Susan DiLallo, music by Ben Morss and directed and choreographed by Sam Viverito, based on the famous dancing mouseling and her friends created by Katharine Holabird and illustrated by Helen Craig. Performances will resume June 18th, 2011 at the DICAPO OPERA THEATRE Saturdays and Sundays at 1 pm.

Cabaret star, international singing sensation and post-modern showgirl, Meow Meow, acclaimed for her current performance in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, returns to the stage with her solo West End debut, Meow Meow In Concert for three nights only on 23, 24 and 25 June

As we come to the middle of May, I hope you are making plans to attend a couple of the many theatre and live performance productions that are currently or will soon be playing here on the beautiful California Central Coast!

Laurel Mill Playhouse, located at 508 Main Street in historic Laurel, MD., presents RENT.

Upcoming MTI Shows - 5/08 for Seoul

Upcoming MTI Shows - 5/08 for Montreal

As part of the run up to the 2011 Tony Awards, The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) used the opportunity of the yearly Tony Nominees Press Reception - held just 24 hours after Tony nominations are announced - to solicit some key thoughts from newly minted nominees on their lives and careers so that emerging artists everywhere might benefit.

As part of the run up to the 2011 Tony Awards, The American Theatre Wing (Theodore S. Chapin, Chairman, Board of Trustees; Howard Sherman, Executive Director) used the opportunity of the yearly Tony Nominees Press Reception - held just 24 hours after Tony nominations are announced - to solicit some key thoughts from newly minted nominees on their lives and careers so that emerging artists everywhere might benefit. Over 35 nominees were interviewed, including Judith Light, John Larroquette, Victoria Clark, Forrest McClendon, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mark Rylance, Casey Nicholaw, George C. Wolfe, and Rory O'Malley. The 'Cues' videos will be rolled out individually on the ATW website at http://americantheatrewing.org/springboardnyc/cues2011.php between now and awards night on June 12, 2011. These moments mirror the experience of the American Theatre Wing's SpringboardNYC program, where 36 selected students starting their careers hear directly from working artists. Past SpringboardNYC mentors have included Allison Janney, Neil Patrick Harris, Anika Noni Rose, Paul Rudd, and Kathleen Marshall. For more information on SpringboardNYC, visit http://americantheatrewing.org/springboardnyc/.