Lear deBessonet News

See what the critics thought about the City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods which ran in May of 2021. Read reviews from The New York Times, & more.

Watch video highlights from the New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods, which opened May 4.

The stage directors receiving the fellowships, assistantships and residencies of the 2022 Drama League Directors Project: NJ Agwuna, Jean Carlo Yunén Aróstegui, Jennifer Chang, Andrew Coopman, Justin Emeka, Nadia Guevara, Emily Hartford, Susanna Jaramillo, Ibi Owolabi, Logan Gabrielle Schulman, Noam Shapiro, Jessica Natalie Smith, and Kendra Ware.

Tune in to our Instagram story today, as Brooke Ishibashi takes over to take you behind the scenes of her day at New York City Center's Encores! production of Into the Woods.

We've got a first look at video from the New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods. Check out video of Neil Patrick Harris, Heather Headley, Sara Bareilles, Denée Benton, Gavin Creel, Jordan Donica, Annie Golden, Albert Guerzon, Ann Harada, Tiffany Denise Hobbs, Brooke Ishibashi, Kennedy Kanagawa, David Patrick Kelly, Julia Lester, Lauren Mitchell, Shereen Pimentel, Cole Thompson, and David Turner.

Performances began last night for New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods. BroadwayWorld was on hand at the opening night gala performance, and you can check out photos of the company below!

The National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (IYEF) has competitively selected nine sites to participate in a pilot peer learning cohort for its newly-launched initiative, Improving Community Health and Resilience through the Arts.

Off-Broadway is back and better than ever, with countless new shows soon opening across Manhattan and beyond. BroadwayWorld is helping you pick what to see next by rounding up our top recommended theatre each month. Coming up this May is a Sondheim classic, a world premiere, and so much more!

Tony Award-nominated and five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced complete casting for the rescheduled 25th SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays. 

Rehearsals are underway for New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods and we've got footage of the cast in rehearsals. Watch the full cast perform, Heather Headley sing 'Stay with Me' and watch interviews as well.

Get a first look at photos of the cast as rehearsals are underway for New York City Center Encores! production of Into the Woods. 

New York City Center today announced that Emmy and Tony Award‐ winning actor Neil Patrick Harris will join the cast of Encores! Into the Woods as the Baker.

Learn about Paper Mill Playhouse's 2022-2023 season, including a gripping murder mystery, a Disney hero of mythic proportions, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved final musical, the Tony-nominated story of two Latin music icons, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that defined a generation.

New York City Center President & CEO Arlene Shuler announced today that Encores! Music Director Rob Berman will step down following the 2022 Encores! season at New  York City Center. 

Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley is an extraordinary recreation of A 1965 televised debate, Glass Town is a fun rock concert with a Bronte band, The Life gets reworked for Encores! and an O'Neill drama involving Andrew Jackson may be seen differently today.

Tony Award-nominated and five-time Obie Award-winning theater company Clubbed Thumb has announced the complete line-up for the rescheduled 25th SUMMERWORKS festival of new plays. SUMMERWORKS will run May 20 – July 2, 2022 at The Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street) and will feature productions of three new plays.

NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Dean Allyson Green today announced that Justin Townsend will be leading the Department of Design for Stage and Film as Chair starting in August 2022 and will join the faculty immediately.

Bristol Riverside Theatre kicks off the year with the local premiere of Lauren Gunderson's mind-blowing I and You. The show runs January 25-February 13.

New York City Center today announced additional casting for the 2022 Encores! Season as part of the full calendar of events for City Center’s 2021 – 2022 Season. The productions launch Lear deBessonet’s first season as Encores! Artistic Director, alongside Encores! Music Director Rob Berman and Encores! Producing Creative Director Clint Ramos.

Available everywhere now, the soundtrack features vocals by Harry Connick, Jr., Nicole Scherzinger, Tituss Burgess and Megan Hilty, with newcomer Celina Smith in the titular role of Annie and Taraji P. Henson. The album will also be released in CD format beginning January 21, 2022. Pre-order the CD and stream the new soundtrack now!