Kirsten Delohr Helland News

Balagan Theatre and New York City producer Katie Tomlinson Diamond presented a season preview party in June of Nirvanov, featuring television and stage star C.S. Lee (Dexter) and Van Hughes (American Idiot: The Musical, national tour) as rock legend Kurt Cobain/Nirvanov. Kirsten Delohr Helland and Williams A. Williams perform 'Faded and Jaded' from the show. Check out the video below!

Balagan Theatre continued its Summer New Works program the other night with their reading of the Anton Chekov and Kurt Cobain inspired, 'Nirvanov'. And Broadway World was given exclusive access to bring you photos from the reading of this fascinating look into one of Seattle's biggest and most tragic citizens.

The 5th Avenue Theatre presents Hairspray in Concert, featuring some of Seattle's favorite musical theatre stars and the powerful voices of the 250-member Seattle Men's Chorus. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hairspray's 2002 Broadway debut, this unique concert event will play for six very special performances of glorious and irreverent John Waters-inspired wackiness (Friday-Sunday, June 20-23). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production photos below!

The 5th Avenue Theatre presents Hairspray in Concert, featuring some of Seattle's favorite musical theatre stars and the powerful voices of the 250-member Seattle Men's Chorus.

High school students from across Washington state packed The 5th Avenue Theatre tonight for The 11th Annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater, a high school version of the Tony Awards proudly presented by Wells Fargo. The house was packed with 2,200 teenagers, dressed in costume representing their schools' musical theater productions, who cheered for their peers as they performed musical excerpts and accepted awards honoring top student achievements in musical theater. The acclaimed event, directed this year by Kat Rambsurg, handed out awards in 21 categories ranging from Outstanding Overall Musical Production to Outstanding Lobby Display.

Balagan Theatre made three major announcements during a packed Season Preview Party at the Moore Theatre on Monday, June 10: 'Nirvanov' as the fifth show in the 2013-2014 mainstage season, a star-studded trio of leading ladies in Carrie: The Musical, and a newly created New Works Program, whose Summer Series debuts July 6.

Balagan Theatre will introduce the 2013-2014 mainstage season with a free community celebration, tonight, June 10, 7:30pm at the Moore Theatre, featuring America's Next Drag Superstar, Jinkx Monsoon (also known in Seattle as musical actor Jerick Hoffer), and Broadway star and Tony Award winner Alice Ripley, best known for creating the role of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal.

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced complete casting for Hairspray in Concert, featuring some of Seattle's favorite musical theatre stars and the powerful voices of the 250-member Seattle Men's Chorus. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of Hairspray's 2002 Broadway debut, this unique concert event will play for six very special performances of glorious and irreverent John Waters-inspired wackiness (Friday-Sunday, June 20-23). In 2002, Hairspray was The 5th Avenue Theatre's first world premiere musical to head for Broadway where it won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Musical and launched The 5th's unprecedented track record for sending new works to New York. Now the smash hit musical comes home, as audiences have never seen it before.

Balagan Theatre will introduce the 2013-2014 mainstage season with a free community celebration, Monday, June 10, 7:30pm at the Moore Theatre, featuring America's Next Drag Superstar, Jinkx Monsoon (also known in Seattle as musical actor Jerick Hoffer), and Broadway star and Tony Award winner Alice Ripley, best known for creating the role of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal.

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced the nominees for its eleventh annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater. A version of the Tony Awards for high school theater programs, The 5th Avenue Awards allow musical theater students from across Washington state to meet, celebrate, and honor the exceptional musical theater productions presented during the 2012/13 school year. These awards are designed to shine the spotlight on high school musical theater programs, offering performing arts students the kind of support and recognition that accomplished high school athletes have received for decades. The 5th Avenue Awards will be held at 7:00 PM, Tuesday, June 11, at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

In 2002, Hairspray was the first world premiere musical to leave The 5th Avenue Theatre and head for Broadway. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical and launched the Theatre's unprecedented track record for sending new works to New York. Now 10 seasons later, The 5th collaborates with one of the world's largest and most respected choruses, the Seattle Men's Chorus. Together they will bring this special concert presentation of Hairspray, with all its glorious, irreverent, John Waters-inspired wackiness, back to the 5th Avenue stage for six very special performances.

On April 1st, 'Miles Of Time' from the musical TRAILS was featured on New Day Northwest Seattle. Kirsten DeLohr Helland, who plays the lead role of Amy in Village Theatre's new musical TRAILS, performed, accompanied on piano by Music Director R.J. Tancioco. The two then joined host Margaret Larson to talk about the musical, which runs through April 21 at Village Theatre in Issaquah and April 26 - May 19 at Village Theatre in Everett. Click below to watch the segment!

A new musical about two old friends hiking the Appalachian Trail doesn't sound like a dead lock winner does it? I mean, how much can we sing about hiking? And while it does take a bit to really hook into you and at times isn't so sure of its footing, the new musical 'Trails' currently playing at Village Theatre manages to walk off with your heart through some very fine performances.

Village Theatre's commitment to nurturing new musicals continues with the world premiere of TRAILS, opening tonight, March 14, 2013 at the Issaquah theatre. This musical expedition had its first reading in 2011 as part of Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals; now, Village Theatre is preparing for a full scale production. The three TRAILS creators, Christy Hall (book), Jordan Mann (lyrics), Jeff Thomson (music), are all in town to work with local director Eric Ankrim and the talented NW-based cast and crew.

Village Theatre's commitment to nurturing new musicals continues with the world premiere of TRAILS, opening March 14, 2013 at the Issaquah theatre. This musical expedition had its first reading in 2011 as part of Village Theatre's Festival of New Musicals; now, Village Theatre is preparing for a full scale production. The three TRAILS creators, Christy Hall (book), Jordan Mann (lyrics), Jeff Thomson (music), are all in town to work with local director Eric Ankrim and the talented NW-based cast and crew.

It's been a helluva year for theater in the Seattle area. From the triumphant return of the Intiman with their summer festival to the hugely popular run of "Spring Awakening" from Balagan Theatre Seattle audiences were treated with some amazing shows and performances this past year. And so, allow me to shine the spotlight on some of my favorite outstanding moments from the past year with my 2012 BWW Seattle Critic's Choice Awards.

There's a certain amount of pressure when a theater company becomes the first in the area to produce a big name show locally. Yes, it's a coup to be the first to get the rights (and Balagan seems to be cornering the market on that this season) but they also need to do the show justice or else, why bother? This is why what Balagan is pulling off with their current production of "Avenue Q" is all the more spectacular. Not only have they put up one of the new hot shows but they've done it in a way that rivals any tour of the show and created an outstandingly fun time that will leave you grinning all the way home.

High school students from across Washington State packed The 5th Avenue Theatre last night (June 4) for The 10th Annual 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theater, a high school version of the Tony Awards sponsored by Wells Fargo. The house was packed with 2,100 teenagers in costume representing their schools' musical theater productions, who cheered for their peers as they performed musical excerpts and accepted awards honoring top student achievements in musical theater. The acclaimed program brought previous recipients from the last decade back to the stage (many of whom have gone on to successful arts careers locally and nationally) to hand out awards in 21 categories ranging from Outstanding Overall Musical Production to Outstanding Lobby Display. BroadwayWorld hosts the full awards list below.

The 5th Avenue Awards Honoring High School Musical Theatre celebrates its tenth anniversary by bringing previous recipients back to the stage to present the next generation of musical theater stars with awards and accolades. The acclaimed program, sponsored by Wells Fargo, is a high school version of the Tony Awards, and allows theater students from across Washington to meet, celebrate, and honor the exceptional musical Theater Productions presented during the 2011-12 school year. The 5th Avenue Awards will be held at 7:00 PM, tonight, June 4, at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

It's a brand new season of love this summer when The 5th Avenue Theatre brings a bold and innovative production of RENT to the stage. Fresh from his smash success with First Date, Bill Berry directs this electrifying new staging of Jonathan Larson's modern rock-opera classic. A cast of Seattle's young rising theater stars, featuring Daniel Berryman, Aaron C. Finley, Naomi Morgan, Jerick Hoffer, Ryah Nixon, and Andi Alhadeff will take center stage, belting hits including "La Vie Boheme," "Take Me or Leave Me," "One Song Glory," and "Rent." Based on the Puccini opera La boheme, the hit musical premiered in 1996 to instant acclaim, and swept a host of theater awards - the Tony, the Obie, and the Pulitzer.