Joshua Schmidt News

The 16th Annual Merritt Award for Excellence in Design and Collaboration program, honoring world class scenic designer Todd Rosenthal (August: Osage County), will take place on Monday, April 27, at the Steppenwolf Merle Reskin Garage Theatre. The doors open at 5:30 p.m. with a viewing of the third annual ?Theater Design Expo' showcasing the works of over 20 Chicago-area emerging theatrical designers and a student portfolio review. Martha Lavey, Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, will moderate an inclusive discussion, 'Moving Chicago Productions to New York and Beyond' with the awardees, Director Anna Shapiro and Joshua Schmidt, composer and librettist, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Writers' Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce the company's 18th season, which includes Tom Stoppard's comedic masterpiece Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, directed by Michael Halberstam; Noel Coward's musical revue, Oh Coward! to be performed in Writers' most intimate venue; The Old Settler by John Henry Redwood, directed by Ron OJ Parson; and Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by David Cromer.

Writers' Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce the World Premiere of A Minister's Wife, a new musical adapted from Candida by George Bernard Shaw, with music by Joshua Schmidt and lyrics by Jan Tranen. A Minister's Wife was adapted by Austin Pendleton and will be directed by Michael Halberstam. The production runs May 19-July 19, 2009, at Writers' Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe.

Eric Schaeffer, Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, today announced casting for the world premiere production of the musical Giant by composer Michael John LaChiusa and playwright Sybille Pearson.

Producers Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian and Tom Wirtshafter present the acclaimed David Cromer production of' Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Performances will began on February 17th with an official opening night set for tonight, Thursday, February 26th, 7:30 p.m., at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street), whose space was completely redesigned for this production.

Producers Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian and Tom Wirtshafter have announced complete casting for the acclaimed David Cromer production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Performances will begin on February 17th with an official opening night set for Thursday, February 26th, 7:30 p.m., at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street), whose space will be completely redesigned for this production.

Jean Doumanian Productions and Barrow Street Theatre(Scott Morfee and Tom Wirtshafter) today announced that they will produce director David Cromer's acclaimed staging of Thornton Wilder's Our Town at Off Broadway's Barrow Street Theatre. Performances will begin on February 17, with anofficial opening night set for Thursday, February 26. The production will require acomplete redesign of the theater space.

Producers Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian and Tom Wirtshafter present the acclaimed David Cromer production of' Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Performances begin Tuesday, February 17th with an official opening night set for Thursday, February 26th, 7:30 p.m., at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street), whose space was completely redesigned for this production.

Producers Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian and Tom Wirtshafter have announced complete casting for the acclaimed David Cromer production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Performances will begin on February 17th with an official opening night set for Thursday, February 26th, 7:30 p.m., at the Barrow Street Theatre (27 Barrow Street), whose space will be completely redesigned for this production.

Jean Doumanian Productions and Barrow Street Theatre(Scott Morfee and Tom Wirtshafter) today announced that they will produce director David Cromer's acclaimed staging of Thornton Wilder's Our Town at Off Broadway's Barrow Street Theatre. Performances will begin on February 17, with anofficial opening night set for Thursday, February 26. The production will require acomplete redesign of the theater space.

After seeing 210 live productions in 2008, Michael Dale picks ten memorable moments some readers may have missed.

This Award-Winning play, with music by Joshua Schmidt and a libretto by Jason Loewith and Joshua Schmidt, is adapted from The Adding Machine, written in 1923 by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Elmer Rice. Generally considered to be the first American Expressionist play, it is the story of a man who, after 25 years of service to his company, is replaced by a mechanical adding machine.

Southeastern Premiere NOVEMBER by David Mamet. Set in the Oval Office just days before a presidential election, this funny new play by Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet, which just closed on Broadway, involves civil marriages, gambling casinos, lesbians, American Indians, presidential libraries, questionable pardons and campaign contributions.

The critically acclaimed Off Broadway hit 'Adding Machine' will play its final performance on Sunday, July 20 at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

This Thursday, July 17, Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle (1972 Broadway at 66th Street, 3rd Floor) will host an afternoon with the critically acclaimed Off Broadway musical Adding Machine. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a special 30 minute suite from the show, featuring the entire cast and band, followed by a cast CD signing. The performance will be hosted by special guest Austin Pendleton. Customers will have the opportunity to purchase the World Premiere PS Classics recording onsite. In addition, the recording is available wherever CD's are sold, and online at www.psclassics.com. Adding Machine will play its final performance this Sunday, July 20 at the Minetta Lane Theatre (18 Minetta Lane). After having received some of the best reviews of any musical this season (on or Off Broadway), Adding Machine was awarded 2 Outer Critics Circle Awards (Outstanding New Off Broadway Musical, Outstanding New Score), 4 Lucille Lortel Awards (including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Lighting Design), 4 Obie Awards (plus 10 total nominations from the Drama Desk Awards and Drama League Awards, including Best Musical). Adding Machine also presented to New York to the extraordinary debut of Joshua Schmidt whose award-winning score will soon be heard in European productions, regional theaters and in opera houses around the world. Direct from a smash World Premiere at Chicago's Next Theatre Company (winning the Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Musical), Adding Machine features a score by Joshua Schmidt and a libretto by Jason Loewith and Mr. Schmidt. Under the direction of David Cromer, Adding Machine stars Cyrilla Baer as 'Mrs. Zero,' Joel Hatch as 'Mr. Zero' and Amy Warren as 'Daisy.' The featured cast includes Joe Farrell as 'Shrdlu,' Jeff Still as the 'Boss,' Adinah Alexander as 'Mrs. Two,' Niffer Clarke as 'Mrs. One,' Roger E. DeWitt as 'Mr. Two' and Daniel Marcus as 'Mr. One.' Darkly comic and heartbreakingly beautiful, Adding Machine, a musical adaptation of Elmer Rice's incendiary 1923 play, tells the story of Mr. Zero, who after 25 years of service to his company is replaced by a mechanical adding machine. In a vengeful rage, he murders his boss. An eclectic score gives passionate and memorable voice to this stylish and stylized production, which follows Zero's journey to the afterlife in the Elysian Fields where he is met with one last chance for romance and redemption. Adding Machine is produced Off Broadway by Scott Morfee, Tom Wirtshafter and Margaret Cotter, and features scenic design by Takeshi Kata, lighting design by Keith Parham, costume design by Kristine Knanishu, sound design by Tony Smolenski, projection design by Peter Flaherty, properties design by Michele Spadaro and musical direction by J. Oconer Navarro. The album is produced by Tommy Krasker, co-founder of PS Classics. Founded in 2000 by Krasker and Philip Chaffin, and a four-time Grammy nominee (for its cast albums of Assassins, Nine: The Musical, Grey Gardens and Company), PS Classics has made significant contributions to the heritage of American popular song through its critically acclaimed cast recordings (including the current Broadway productions of Xanadu, Sunday in the Park With George and A Catered Affair); solo albums by such Broadway luminaries as Christine Andreas, Rebecca Luker, Victoria Clark, Jason Danieley and Marin Mazzie, and Jessica Molaskey; and recordings drawn from rare sound archives, including Sondheim Sings. PS Classics is distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment. For more information, visit www.psclassics.com. Situated one block south of West 3rd Street and East of 6th Avenue, the Minetta Lane Theatre is located at 18 Minetta Lane in Greenwich Village just steps away from the West 4th subway station (A, C, E, B, D, F and V lines). The performance schedule for Adding Machine is Tuesday - Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 & 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $45 - $69.50 and are available by calling the Minetta Lane Theatre box office at 212-420-8000 or through Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. A limited number of $25 student rush tickets are available in person at the box office on the day of the performance, subject to availability. For more information, visit www.addingmachineamusical.com.

Today, Wednesday, July 9th, at 6 PM, acclaimed poet and author Nikki Giovanni will join vocalist Capathia Jenkins and songwriter Louis Rosen in a performance and signing celebrating the release of their acclaimed new CD, ONE OUNCE OF TRUTH: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI SONGS.

This Thursday, July 17, Barnes & Noble Lincoln Triangle (1972 Broadway at 66th Street, 3rd Floor) will host an afternoon with the critically acclaimed Off Broadway musical Adding Machine. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a special 30 minute suite from the show, featuring the entire cast and band, followed by a cast CD signing.

Today, Wednesday, July 9th, at 6 PM, acclaimed poet and author Nikki Giovanni will join vocalist Capathia Jenkins and songwriter Louis Rosen in a performance and signing celebrating the release of their acclaimed new CD, ONE OUNCE OF TRUTH: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI SONGS.

The critically acclaimed Off Broadway hit 'Adding Machine' will play its final performance on Sunday, July 20 at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

It's finally here! The jam-packed end-of-season roundup of CDs from our very own Naomi Plume (so big, it had to be put into two parts)...The good, the bad, the ugly...or to quote from the ad for the upcoming musical A TALE OF A TWO CITIES... 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' We're so glad that we got to use that line first! So enjoy this very special two-parter - happy reading, happy listening, happy buying (or not) and good luck to everyone at the TONY Awards on Sunday night from all of us at BroadwayWorld.com.