Lauren Ward News

From August 31 through Sept 10, you don't want to miss the pre-season opener, Arthur Miller's famous work, The Crucible. Produced in partnership with Two Chairs Theatre Co., this is the first installment in a trilogy to present three works of Miller's. In the past, Two Chairs, has presented three masterpieces by Tennessee Williams (The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire). Winner of the 1953 Tony Award for Best Play, this exciting drama about the Puritan purge of witchcraft in old Salem is both a gripping historical play and a timely parable of our contemporary society.

???????Further casting has been announced for the opening productions of Chichester Festival Theatre's 2017 season, FORTY YEARS ON and CAROLINE, OR CHANGE.

As BroadwayWorld prepares to say goodbye to MATILDA we look back at some of our favorite photos from their run!

Anyone who's ever been involved in theatre can probably give you a mile-long list of stressful events and situations they've encountered on the stage and behind the scenes. Of course, you rarely ever notice these times when you're watching us perform. That's part of our job; we have to be able to work around the kinks for the sake of the audience. However, some of these matters are slightly more pressing than the usual 'kinks.' As it should happen, my school has just started work on its production of the classic musical Oliver! The set show dates are May 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th. We started working with little more than a month to put the whole thing together. This isn't the first time that a lot of us have dealt with such circumstances, and for anyone else who can relate to them, I've developed a short list of pros and cons, playfully entitled 'The Good News' and 'The Bad News.'

NOW That's What I Call Music!, the world's best-selling multi-artist album series, has announced that they are set to release their first ever NOW That's What I Call Broadway! on Friday, April 29, 2016. The album will feature 18 music tracks from the original cast recordings of some of the Great White Way's most legendary shows. The album features liner notes by David Cote, theater editor for Time Out New York as well as a playwright and librettist/lyricist.

Last weekend, during a slight break from preparations for Oliver!, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Georgia Thespian Conference (affectionately referred to as Thescon, or THESCAAAHHHN by my friends in troupe 5362). I can genuinely say it was one of the most fun times I've had to date. Kindred theatre-loving spirits from far and wide (AKA, the state of Georgia) came together to do workshops, to sign up for college auditions, compete in individual events, and to watch shows put on by their peers. It was incredible to me that even though most of us had never seen each other before, everyone was treated like a friend to everyone else; I found myself having a five minute conversation with a complete stranger about a common show we had done and (coincidentally) both worn t-shirts for. Attending this convention was not only an extremely educational experience, but also rather humbling, and it was quite special to be able to get a larger-scale representation of what the art form is all about.

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in Long Island, Pittsburgh, South Bend, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include GOD OF CARNAGE at The Engeman, ASSASSINS in Pittsburgh, and THE MUSIC MAN in South Bend, just to name a few.

Everybody knows the old saying: "There are no small parts, only small actors." Back in December, my theatre troupe at school was in the midst of filming auditions for our production of Ghost the Musical when our director announced that there would be a separate round of auditions for those specifically interested in ensemble positions. This came as a nice surprise seeing as the majority, including myself, tend to go for the leads or supporting roles when audition time rolls around. Similarly, it's happened many times where I've been disappointed when I've gotten "stuck" in the ensemble when I was expecting something a little "bigger." I got to thinking about why the ensemble gets overlooked or underappreciated so much, and whether or not I should have been disappointed. After all, I never seemed to have less fun doing a show because I wasn't a lead role. I think people tend to consider the ensemble as a comparatively small or insignificant role in the span of the entire production, and from this I began to make conclusions about whether or not the old saying reigns true: Is there really no such thing as a small part?

This week, we go around our Broadway World to feature stories in New Jersey, Wichita, Miami, and more. Check out our top 10 stories around our Broadway World below, which include a 'must-see' THE PIANO LESSON in New Jersey, PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE in Wichita, and THE NETHER in Miami, just to name a few.

On last night's CONAN on TBS, composer Tim Minchin and the cast of MATILDA THE MUSICAL performed the number 'When I Grow Up'.

The Southwark Playhouse isn't exactly the physical kind of venue you'd expect a Tony winner to be working at. In terms of programming and production quality, however, it's no wonder that Lauren Ward is about to begin her run there in the cult hit Bat Boy.

Ten years after the last known sighting, Bat Boy will return to sink his fangs into the London stage in a brand new production in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from tonight 9 January to Saturday 31 January 2015. On sale now.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL will launch its national tour from Los Angeles' Ahmanson Theatre in 2015, and BroadwayWorld has the scoop on the upcoming production. Below, watch as BroadwayWorld's Michael Sterling chats with Tim Minchin about the upcoming engagement!

Ten years after the last known sighting, Bat Boy will return to sink his fangs into the London stage in a brand new production in The Large at Southwark Playhouse from Friday 9 January to Saturday 31 January 2015. On sale now.

The Spinning Tree Theatre production of the musical Violet opens at the Off Broadway Theatre November 6. Michael Grayman and Andy Parkhurst co-direct the Kansas City premiere, which is one of the first regional theatres to secure the rights to the musical. Angie Benson provides the musical direction and leads a five-piece orchestra.

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. With several weeks until the craziness begins, there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's MATILDA below!

Spinning Tree Theatre in Kansas City announced their selections for the 2014-2015 season. The new season sees Spinning Tree grow from three shows per season to a fourth show. Two plays and two musicals highlight the season, with three of the productions being Kansas City premieres. The new season marks the first time the theatrical company has produced a local playwright.

Alley Theatre presents the world premiere of a new comedy by Theresa Rebeck, Fool. In Rebeck's new comedy, two kings get together and place a wager on their fools - a jester competition, and the funniest one gets to keep his head. Two evil minions have a lot to say about this, but not as much as the kitchen wench. And what's the queen been up to all night? A dramatical comical farcical tragical play about power, love and laughter, set in a medieval kitchen. Adult Language, Adult Situations, Beheadings.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for the world premiere of a new comedy by Theresa Rebeck, Fool. In Rebeck's new comedy, two kings get together and place a wager on their fools - a jester competition, and the funniest one gets to keep his head. Two evil minions have a lot to say about this, but not as much as the kitchen wench. And what's the queen been up to all night? A dramatical comical farcical tragical play about power, love and laughter, set in a medieval kitchen. Adult Language, Adult Situations, Beheadings.