Marc Blitzstein News

A perfect example is Chantal Nchako, a native of Douala, Cameroon, and a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C. On her burgeoning resume, you will find such projects as The Vagina Monologues at New World Stages; All American Girls at the Actor's Temple; and Henry V at the Classical Theatre of Harlem. In addition, she starred as Agent Cooper in the feature film Raltat, which was nominated in the Pan African Film Festival.

The American Academy of Arts and Letters announces that librettist/lyricist Michael Korie will receive the Marc Blitzstein Award for Musical Theater of $10,000. Established in 1965 by friends of the late Academician Marc Blitzstein in his memory, the award is given to a composer, lyricist, or librettist to encourage the creation of works of merit for musical theater and opera. The jurors were John Harbison (chairman), J. D. McClatchy, Shulamit Ran, Augusta Read Thomas, and Yehudi Wyner.

Ashley Eskew – a native of Irvine, California, who did her undergraduate work at Northwestern University, where she earned a BS in Theater, with a certificate in Music Theater – is one such member of the rather rarefied group of aspiring actors earning advanced degrees from USC this year.

Chae Chaput - a native of Manchester, New Hampshire, who did her undergraduate work at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey, where she earned her BA in Theater Arts with a double concentration in Acting and Technical Theater with a minor in film - is one such member of the group.

Chris Ramirez is an excellent example of the talented, driven and committed individuals honing their craft at USC. A native of Kansas City, Kansas - "aka Wyandotte County, aka The Dotte!" - he earned his B.A. in theatre performance at the University of Kansas before heading westward to USC.

Here is your opportunity to get to know USC's Salome Mergia in this week's edition of Collegiate Theatrics. Miraculously, it would seem, she found time to sit down and consider our questions - and to offer some elucidating answers - about her time at USC and how her experiences there have prepared her for the future…

Theater's next generation of actors will come from all over the globe, to be certain, but one might find an impressive concentration of artists on the campus of the University of Southern California, where the list of candidates for the Master of Fine Arts in acting rivals any group to be found anywhere. Take Adam Lebowitz-Lockard, for example. A native of Philadelphia, he was an English major at Boston University and he boasts a noteworthy resume of onstage assignments all over the country that other young actors might envy.

Due to overwhelming demand, Court Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, announces an extension to its critically-acclaimed production of Terry Teachout's Satchmo at the Waldorf, directed by Charles Newell and featuring Barry Shabaka Henley. Satchmo at the Waldorf now runs through February 14, 2016 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Avenue. Tickets can be purchased online at www.courttheatre.org or by calling the box office at (773) 753-4472.

The Broadway legend was first seen by New York audiences in a political operetta by Marc Blitzstein.

Court's production of Satchmo will be part of a community-wide Louis Armstrong Festival, happening in partnership with The Beverly Arts Center, The Logan Center at the University of Chicago, The Promontory, South Shore Jazz Coalition, The Louis Armstrong House Museum and the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College New York. This community-wide festival will help audiences deepen their understanding of Armstrong's life through musical performances, historical exhibits, symposium, talk-backs and film.

Sometimes a flop Broadway show is better appreciated after closing, and may even return as a hit!

Court Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Stephen J. Albert, announces casting for the Midwest Premier of Terry Teachout's Satchmo at the Waldorf, directed by Charles Newell.

They were the brand name on every woman's lips. Goodman Theatre announces it will produce the world premiere of War Paint, a new musical that charts the ascent and arch-rivalry of cosmetics entrepreneurs Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden. Patti LuPone, who 'generates more raw excitement than any other performer on Broadway' (The New York Times), and Christine Ebersole, a 'first-class, revitalizing master of period style' (The New York Times), respectively star as Rubinstein and Arden, the brilliant innovators with humble roots who shrewdly navigated the 1930s male-dominated business world to forever change the business of beauty. Directed by Michael Greif (Rent, Next to Normal, If/Then, Grey Gardens), War Paint reunites Scott Frankel and Michael Korie-the acclaimed composer and lyricist team of Grey Gardens and Far From Heaven-with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright (Grey Gardens, I Am My Own Wife, The Little Mermaid). The musical is inspired by the book, War Paint, by Lindy Woodhead and the documentary film, The Powder & the Glory, by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman.  

The University of Washington School of Drama, under the leadership of Executive Director Todd London, is proud to announce its 75th Anniversary Season. This historic season will celebrate, honor, and build upon the School of Drama's deep connections to Seattle's theatre community and serve as a bridge between the School's rich history and its future.

Women's Project Theater, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty and Managing Director Maureen Moynihan, has announced the rotating casts for the New York premiere of DEAR ELIZABETH, the inaugural production at the WP's new theatrical home the McGinn/Cazale Theatre, 2162 Broadway (at 76th Street).

 Celebrated mezzo-soprano Julia Migenes (Diva on the Verge) returns to the Odyssey Theatre with her newest show, once again directed by Academy Award-nominated director Peter Medak. Julia Migenes Sings Kurt Weill opens at the Odyssey tonight, October 9.

The University of Washington School of Drama launches their 75th Anniversary Season with Marc Blitzstein's infamous musical The Cradle Will Rock. Directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton, this all-school production features the talents of the school's students, alumni, and faculty, as well as members of the larger theatre community.

Actors Co-op (Ovation Award-Winner 2015 Best Intimate Theatre Musical for 110 in the Shade) is thrilled to announce the first show in its 2015-2016 season (and 24th year of producing theatrical excellence in Los Angeles!) with THE BAKER'S WIFE, book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof, Zorba), music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell), musical direction by Jake Anthony, choreography by Julie Hall, produced by Kimi Walker and directed by Ovation Award-winner Richard Israel (110 in the Shade, Floyd Collins). THE BAKER'S WIFE opens tonight, September 18 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 25 at the Actors Co-op David Schall Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music is now accepting applications for its 2016 Grant Program.

 Celebrated mezzo-soprano Julia Migenes (Diva on the Verge) returns to the Odyssey Theatre with her newest show, once again directed by Academy Award-nominated director Peter Medak. Julia Migenes Sings Kurt Weill opens at the Odyssey on October 9.