In New York, awards season rolls on: Schmigadoon! and Ragtime led the 70th Annual Drama Desk Awards, Dorian Award nominations have been announced, and John Lithgow is slated for a lifetime achievement honor. Chicago’s Jeff Awards have halted non-Equity adjudication to overhaul policies following community backlash, while the UK’s National Theatre is launching a 12-venue partnership to rescue a collapsing regional touring network. We round out the news with a wave of key executive appointments in Massachusetts, Dallas, and London, a breakdown of Australia’s complex new $1.1 billion arts budget, and the return of BroadwayWorld's My Show’s Curtain Call for the 2025-2026 season.
Dennis Watkins announced a new block of tickets for THE MAGIC PARLOUR through year's end, plus a limited three-week residency from Eric Jones, a semi-finalist on NBC's America's Got Talent.
Porchlight Music Theatre announced Klaus Peter Schuller as its new executive director and Michael Weber as The Elaine Cohen and Arlen Rubin Artistic Director, with Schuller set to join the Chicago company later this year.
The Jeff Awards has paused Non-Equity awards consideration starting June 1, 2026, citing the need for more time to review policies after community backlash.
American Blues Theater announced Nia Akilah Robinson as the 2026 Blue Ink Award recipient for her play OVERNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, earning a $3,000 prize and a staged reading at the upcoming Blue Ink Playwriting Festival.
Black Ensemble Theater has promoted Daryl D. Brooks to Artistic Director, and revealed and the opening of a new 150-seat Studio Theater, rehearsal room and dressing room as the second phase of the Free to BE Village.
On Broadway, the Justice Department's resolution of its investigation into Broadway Across America signals growing scrutiny of market power in the touring industry, while the Tony Awards season heats up with eligibility decisions, a surprise celebrity host announcement in P!NK, and a $100 million facelift planned for Studio 54.
Rise and shine, BroadwayWorld! It is April 10, 2026 and it's time to catch up on all of the theatrical happenings you may have missed in the last 24 hours.
At least 15 Chicago theater companies have publicly cut ties with the Joseph Jefferson Awards after the organization named Invictus Theatre Artistic Director Charles Askenaizer 'Best Director' at its Non-Equity ceremony on March 23, 2026.
This week's theater news spans continents and crosses languages — quite literally. In New York, Rattlestick Theater announces a meaningful tribute to one of Off-Broadway's greatest champions, renaming its West Village home in honor of the late playwright Terrence McNally, while Broadway Cares celebrates the generosity of the theater community with a record-breaking fundraising run on Governors Island. Across the Atlantic, the beloved West End hit Paddington the Musical prepares to bring its score to audiences worldwide with an eagerly anticipated cast recording release. And speaking of reaching audiences worldwide, BroadwayWorld announces a major expansion of its multilingual platform, now available in 20 languages ahead of a landmark year for international visitors to the U.S. Meanwhile, in Chicago, the theater community is grappling with hard questions about legacy, accountability, and who gets to define excellence, as the city's storied Jeff Awards face growing calls for reform.
Tyler Anthony Smith, 2025 Joseph Jefferson Award winner for their performance as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Haven Theatre Company, is presenting a new production of their solo show OUT, DARN SPOT! at Chopin Theatre. See the photos here!
Ford’s Theatre Society will celebrate the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln at its annual gala performance on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at Ford’s Theatre, honoring Leonard Slatkin and Gary Sinise.
At the 52nd Anniversary Joseph Jefferson Awards for Non-Equity Theater, more than 150 recognized artists and new emerging faces and voices will be honored in a program under the artistic direction of Adrian Abel Azevedo.
Tyler Anthony Smith stars in the solo show OUT, DARN SPOT! at the Chopin Theatre from March 27 to April 12. The production offers a mix of humor, drama, and a touch of Shakespeare, promising a unique theatrical experience.
Lyric Opera of Chicago is presenting the world premiere of safronia, a landmark musical composition commissioned from Chicago’s first Poet Laureate, the interdisciplinary artist avery r. young.
Gary Schweikhart, board president of the Carbonell Awards, South Florida’s Theatre & Arts Honors, announced that the 49th annual awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 16 at 7:30 pm, at the University Theatre on the Boca Raton Campus of Florida Atlantic University.
Telos Ensemble will present 'CASTLES', a relationship drama exploring the intricacies of commitment, on February 26-27, 2025 at PIK Vasastan, Stockholm.
The rock opera sensation The Who’s TOMMY will launch its North American tour in Cleveland, OH at Playhouse Square in the fall of 2026 in an all-new production.
Dennis Watkins has extended THE MAGIC PARLOUR in Chicago through summer, adding new tickets and guest performances by Derek Hughes. The intimate magic show continues in the Loop adjacent to Goodman Theatre.
