Mara Isaacs News

Today's top stories: Read the reviews for Girl From the North Country, and more!

Today, producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy announced the launch of the Hadestown Education Initiative, a program that provides access to the Tony Award-winning Best New Musical for New York City public school students at a small cost per student. This industry-leading initiative is being announced just before the show's first anniversary on Broadway.

Broadway came out to celebrate in LA last weekend as the Grammy Awards brought some of New York City's biggest talents to the west coast. Producer Jordan Roth and Rick Miramontez hosted their First Annual Musical Theater Grammy Award Party at Tramp Stamp Granny's- a bar owned by Broadway veteran Darren Criss.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) (Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker) announced today performers, presenters and the host for the NYTW 2020 Gala, honoring NYTW Usual Suspect & Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Three Pianos at NYTW) and Tony Award-winning producer Jordan Roth (Producer of Hadestown; President of Jujamcyn Theaters). The Gala will be held on Monday, February 3 at Capitale (130 Bowery, New York, NY 10013).

Recording Academy® President/CEO Deborah Dugan alongside Academy Chair of the Board of Trustees and renowned record producer Harvey Mason Jr., as well as GRAMMY Awards® host Alicia Keys and past two-time GRAMMY® nominee Bebe Rexha, today revealed nominees for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in select categories. This year's nominees reflect a melting pot of artistic innovation that defined the year in music, showcasing the unparalleled craftsmanship of established artists and the industry-shifting impact of rising music creators. Leading nominees Lizzo (8), Billie Eilish (6) and Lil Nas X (6) not only topped the charts but ignited a cultural conversation around their genre-bending hits. As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by the Recoding Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers and engineers.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation affiliated with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, presented the third annual SDCF Awards including the Gordon Davidson Award, Zelda Fichandler Award, Joe A. Callaway Awards, and Breakout Award. The event took place on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation affiliated with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, presents the third annual SDCF Awards including the Gordon Davidson Award, Zelda Fichandler Award, Joe A. Callaway Awards, and Breakout Award.

Hadestown, the Tony Award-winning Best New Musical has become the first musical of the 2018-2019 Broadway season to recoup its initial investment of $11.5M.

Some of Broadway's leading women producers lunched at the Friars Club today followed by a panel discussion moderated by Friar and Broadway producer Jamie deRoy.  Ms. deRoy who happens to be the 8th woman inducted into the Friars (back in the day), guided the discussion of the distinguished Tony Award Winning group which included Susan Gallin (Other People's Money, Angels in America), Robyn Goodman (Avenue Q, Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella), Mara Isaacs (Hadestown, McCarter Theater), Nelle Nugent (Latin History for Morons, For Colored Girls), and Daryl Roth (Kinky Boots, Indecent).

Bid to win this Hadestown original Broadway cast album on vinyl signed by Tony-Winning Director, Rachel Chavkin!

On Monday, September 16, 2019, The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation announced the 2019 recipients at the annual Off-Off-Broadway IT Awards. For the past 15 years, the It Awards have celebrated the vibrant and creative indie theatre community under the dedicated leadership of Executive Directors Shay Gines and Nick Micozzi who are stepping down and at the ceremony introduced new leadership for the organization: Cat Parker, Artistic Director of Articulate Theatre Company; Ariel Estrada, Producing Artistic Director of Leviathan Lab Projects; and Jazmyn Arroyo, Co-Founding Artistic Director of Step 1 Theatre Project will join Akia Squiteri, Artistic Director of Rising Sun Performance Company as Directors of the organization.

Today, Sing It Again Records announced that the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, will be available on CD starting Friday, November 1 and vinyl Black Friday, November 29.

Celebrate 15 years of the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation and their dedication to Off-Off Broadway by joining them when they present the 2019 New York Innovative Theatre Awards on Monday, September 16, 2019 at 7:00 pm. The ceremony will take place at the Centennial Memorial Theatre at 120 West 14th Street, NYC. Tickets to the ceremony are $29 each and can be purchased at www.nyitawards.com/shop.  

Hadestown announced today on ABC's “Good Morning America” that the show will launch a National Tour beginning in the Fall of 2020. In its first year, the tour will visit more than 30 cities coast to coast, including (alphabetically) Denver; Houston; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New Orleans; Philadelphia; Tempe; and Washington, DC; with more to be announced shortly.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, welcomes six new members to its board of directors: May Adrales, associate artistic director, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee, WI; John Fontillas, planner, architect, partner, H3, New York, NY; Angela Gieras, executive director, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Kansas City, MO; Mara Isaacs, founder and executivecreative producer, Octopus Theatricals, New York, NY; Anthony Rodriguez, producing artistic director and co-founder, Aurora Theatre, Lawrenceville, GA; and Hana S. Sharif, artistic director, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO. 

Sundance Institute's 2019 Theatre Lab convenes Monday, July 8; the Institute announced this year's participating acting company and creative advisors today.

Newly anointed Tony winner Andre De Shields capped off the theater award season by receiving the 2019 Richard Seff Award at Equity's Eastern Regional Board meeting on June 11th at Equity's office in New York.

Mara Isaacs, Director of Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals, today announced the recipients of the third annual residency awards: A Nation Grooves: A People's History of Hip-Hop, led by Kambi Gathesha (creator, director, choreographer), and Sinan Zafar (sound design, sonic dramaturgy); and The Quiet World, led by Charles Sutton (director, choreographer), Will Van Dyke (composer), and Matthew Greene (book). Both projects will be in residence June 10-28, 2019 in New York City.

The big day is finally here! The stars are shining on the Tony Awards red carpet, and BroadwayWorld's got a first look - check out the first batch of arrivals below, including Camille A. Brown, Robert Horn, and more!

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown will have a unique and unconventional release schedule.