Kenny Leon News

Now in it's seventh season, the Obie Award winning The Fire This Time Festival has commissioned seven playwrights to write new 10-minute plays for the 2016 festival, which will run January 18-February 6 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery). The 2016 playwrights will include Tanya Everett (Without Scars with Breast Friends), Keelay Gipson (The Lost at Planet Connections Theater Festivity; N/F at Downtown Urban Theater Festival), Jireh Breon Holder (2012-13 Kenny Leon Fellow, Alliance Theatre), Roger Q. Mason (Onion Creek with Son of Semele Ensemble, Los Angeles), Stacey Rose (2015-16 Dramatists Guild Fellow), Korde Arrington Tuttle (Beautiful Mess in Around the Block: a 5D Project), and Nia Ostrow Witherspoon (Global Arts Fund Grant for The Messiah Complex). 

Single tickets are now on sale to the general public for Second Stage Theatre's world premiere production of INVISIBLE THREAD, a new musical by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, in association with American Repertory Theater, directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland, Pippin).  INVISIBLE THREAD will begin previews on Saturday, October 31st at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rd street).  Opening night is scheduled for Wednesday, December 2nd.   

NBC's THE WIZ LIVE!, its highly anticipated holiday production, will air on Thursday, December 3 -- and winter can't come soon enough! ACCESS HOLLYWOOD just unveiled a new interview with star Shanice Williams. Click below to hear her talk about 'her first job' playing 'Dorothy' in the iconic musical!

NBC's THE WIZ LIVE! has just released a second promo for the highly anticipated holiday production featuring David Alan Grier.

Broadwayworld.com interviewed Jason Dirden who will be playing the role of Canewell in the Two River Theater production of 'Seven Guitars.' Written by August Wilson and directed by Brandon Dirden, the show will be on the Red Bank stage from September 12th to October 4th.

BroadwayWorld has just confirmed complete casting for Secong Stage's upcoming world premiere production of INVISIBLE THREAD, a new musical by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, in association with American Repertory Theater, directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland, Pippin). 

BWW Interview: Melvin Abston Talks Television, Theatre, And THE LITTLE MERMAID

Tonight, the Suzi Bass Awards, Inc. revealed nominations for the 2014-2015 Atlanta professional theatrical season to theatre patrons and industry artists. The Suzi Nomination Party, which rotates venues, was hosted this year by Horizon Theatre. Guest announcers included the ladies of The Weird Sisters Theatre Project: Kelly Criss, Veronika Duerr, Jaclyn Hofmann, Tiffany Porter, and Megan Rose. Among the notable nominees are Broadway-bound TUCK EVERLASTING and stage vet Will Swenson, who starred in BULL DURHAM at the Alliance. Scroll down for the full list of nominees!

Best known for her Emmy-winning portrayal of Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren on the hit Netflix series 'Orange Is the New Black,' actress Uzo Aduba (Broadway's GODSPELL) stopped by this morning's TODAY to share that she couldn't believe it when she got the call to play Glinda the Good

NBC's THE WIZ LIVE! just released a brand-new promo for the highly anticipated holiday production, featuring David Alan Grier talking about his daughter's reaction to him playing 'The Lion' - hear what he had to say below!

R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER: THE HISTORY (AND MYSTERY) OF THE UNIVERSE will run October 1-25, 2015 at The Balzer Theater at Herren's (downtown Atlanta), starring Tom Key as R. Buckminster Fuller. Written by D.W. Jacobs with direction by David de Vries, the play is based on the life, work, and writings of R. Buckminster Fuller.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Ben Thompson in his solo show debut for a one-night-only performance, Tuesday, August 25th, at 9:30 PM.  Thompson will take the audience on a genre-bending sonic journey through some of his favorite songs - spanning rock, rap and punk, to Broadway, jazz and even some original tunes. 

Grammy and Golden Globe-winner Queen Latifah will soon return to musical theatre as the title character in NBC's highly-anticipated THE WIZ LIVE! (airing December 3)- a part that is usually played by a man. In a recent Variety article, it is revealed that director Kenny Leon first came up the idea for the gender-bending casting.

Second Stage Theatre 2015 Uptown Series' acclaimed production of King Liz closes today, August 15.

BroadwayWorld has just learned that Ne-Yo and Common have joined the cast, of NBC's highly-anticipated THE WIZ LIVE!. Ne-Yo will take on the role of the Tin Man, while Common portrays the gatekeeper of Oz, a non-sining role

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Tours of 'Persuasion,' 'Pippin' and '42nd Street,' dueling productions of 'American Idiot,' Michael Kingston and Jane Lynch solo out, 'Bette' adds a date, Theo Ubique announced 'Blood Brothers,' Porchlight sets the season, and 'The Wiz Live!' gets movin' down the road!

Tony Award nominee and multi-talented actor and singer David Alan Grier is joining NBC's highly anticipated holiday production of 'The Wiz Live!,' set for Thursday, Dec. 3.

NBC's The Wiz Live has found it's Dorothy! BroadwayWorld has just learned that Shanice Williams has joined the cast

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron are two of the most renowned producers working in the industry today. They are best known for their work on the past three Academy Awards ceremonies, The Sound of Music Live!, Peter Pan Live! and Smash. Their Broadway credits include Promises, Promises and How to Succeed in Buisness Without Really Trying. Film credits include Hairspray, Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun and Footloose. Upcoming projects include The Wiz Live!, the movie adaptation of Pippin and much more.

Earlier this month, BroadwayWorld.com sat down with the very busy dynamic duo of Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to discuss... well, everything.