Lynne Shankel News

Theatre Aspen announced today that after a successful first year, the organization's developmental one-person show festival, Solo Flights, will return for year two, September 16 a?" 19, 2020 at the Hurst Theatre in Aspen, Colorado.

The NYYS Musical Theater Composition program offers songwriting training from all facets of the theater industry to young composers and lyricists ages 12 - 22.

Solo Flights is an annual week-long festival of one-person shows presented in the beginning stages of their development. In addition to the performances, Solo Flights will feature signature events including talkbacks, creative discussions, and special receptions. This year's Solo Flights festival will be held September 18 - 21, 2019 at Theatre Aspen's Hurst Theatre.

Theatre Aspen announced today the addition of a special panel series to the organization's inaugural one-person show festival Solo Flights which takes off this week in Aspen, CO, September 18 through 21.

Random Acts presents SCARY STORIES: ARE YOU AFRAID?, featuring ten world premiere tales by some of the country's most exciting playwrights. Performances take place at Otherworld Theatre (3914 N. Clark).

Theatre Aspen announced today additional casting and creative team members for the organization's inaugural one-person show festival Solo Flights in Aspen, Colorado.

New York Youth Symphony (NYYS), is proud to continue its mission of educating and inspiring young musicians through its Orchestra, Jazz, Chamber Music, Composition, Musical Theater Composition, Apprenticeship Conducting, and First Music commissioning programs. This season includes seven world premieres of new works commissioned through the First Music program, composed for the Orchestra, Jazz, and Chamber Music ensembles. The season also features renowned and up-and-coming soloists including prodigy pianist Harmony Zhu, 2019 Sphinx Competition winner cellist Sterling Elliott, and leading young pianist Michelle Cann in the Carnegie Hall premiere of Florence Price's recently re-discovered Piano Concerto in One Movement with NYYS Orchestra, as well as in-demand drummer Matt Wilson, celebrated saxophonist Steve Wilson, and trombone virtuoso Wycliffe Gordon with NYYS Jazz. The complete NYYS 2019-2020 concert calendar follows at the end of this press release.

The unique musical LMNOP, in which citizens lose their freedoms one letter at a time, is available for license through Samuel French, a Concord Theatricals company, giving theaters and educational institutions the chance to bring this passionate and timely story to audiences across the country.

A spectacular romp around the world with 192 of NYC's sexiest dancers and two wild and worldly standing-room-only audiences led to a sensational evening of record-breaking modern-day burlesque at Broadway Bares: Take Off.

Broadway Dreams kicks off Unplugged, the 2019 Summer Intensive Tour in Atlanta, GA, followed by five U.S. cities, Calgary, Canada and Europa Park in Rust, Germany. In each location, Broadway Dreams will present an incredible roster of top Broadway directors, performers, and industry insiders who will offer highly personalized musical theater training through week-long intensive workshops for students of all ages, skill levels, and socio-economic backgrounds. At week's end, students will perform alongside their Broadway idols in a Broadway style revue open to the public.

Broadway Dreams kicks off Unplugged, the 2019 Summer Intensive Tour in Atlanta, GA, followed by five U.S. cities, Calgary, Canada and Europa Park in Rust, Germany.

The Kennedy Center presented the Broadway Center Stage production of The Who's Tommy, with direction and choreography by Josh Rhodes April 24-April 29, 2019. Check out highlights from the production below!

Bonnie Comley, Founder of BroadwayHD, was the guest speaker at MAESTRA's May seminar at SongSpace. Composer/lyricist and music director Georgia Stitt founded the MAESTRA organization in 2017 to give support, visibility, and community to the women who make the music in the musical theater industry. The MAESTRA membership is made up of female-identifying, non-binary, and gender non-conforming composers, music directors, orchestrators, arrangers, copyists, rehearsal pianists and other musicians who are underrepresented minorities in musical theater. Songwriter and composer, Kathy Sommer, moderated the seminar.

The Who's Tommy is now playing at Kennedy Center!

Broadway favorites Christian Borle and Mandy Gonzalez command the stage and give the best acting and vocal performances of the night as Captain Walker and Mrs. Walker, but Casey Cott disappoints as Tommy.

From the beginning strumming of the electric guitars (Manny Moreira, Jim Roberts and Paul Henry) from the fabulous Kennedy Center Orchestra's 8-piece orchestra (Joe Mowart on Drums, Geoffrey Pilkington on Horn, and on Keyboards Michael Gacetta, Anthony Nalker, and Alex Tang) I was hooked. I had a perpetual smile on my face watching this spectacular production under the Direction of Josh Rhodes who also did the superb Choreography.

The full cast for the Kennedy Center production of The Who's Tommy, with direction and choreography by Josh Rhodes (Encores! Grand Hotel, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella, Bright Star) has been announced!

The Old Globe presents the U.S. premiere of Life After, a rapturously beautiful and stirring new musical withbook, music, and lyrics by Britta Johnson, directed by the Globe's own Barry Edelstein, opening Friday, March 29 at 8:00 p.m. Withchoreography by Ann Yee and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Lynne Shankel, Life After will run March 22 - April 28, 2019 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run March 22-28. Life After is produced by special arrangement with Yonge Street Theatricals, Linda Barnett, and Natalie Bartello. Single tickets start at $32.00 and are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

The Old Globe presents the U.S. premiere of Life After, a rapturously beautiful and stirring new musical withbook, music, and lyrics by Britta Johnson, directed by the Globe's own Barry Edelstein, opening Friday, March 29 at 8:00 p.m. Withchoreography by Ann Yee and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Lynne Shankel, Life After will run March 22 - April 28, 2019 on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run March 22-28. Life After is produced by special arrangement with Yonge Street Theatricals, Linda Barnett, and Natalie Bartello. Single tickets start at $32.00 and are now on sale. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE, or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

The Old Globe today released a first look at "Poetry" from the U.S. premiere of Life After, with vocals by Sophie Hearn and written and played by Britta Johnson. Performances begin this Friday, March 22 at 8:00 p.m.! Please feel free to share it with all!