Mark Stein News

For its 2016-17 season, the 33-year-old Raven Theatre Company will again bring new plays and playwrights to Chicago audiences along with revivals of classic and lesser-known works by masters of modern drama. Michael Menendian, producing artistic director, today announced a lineup that includes the early Tennessee Williams play Not About Nightingales and Pinter'sBetrayal as well as the Midwest premieres of Richard Greenberg's recent Broadway hit The Assembled Parties and Red Velvet by Lolita Chakrabarti, one of the U.K.'s most acclaimed new playwrights, and the world premiere of Sycamore - a drama of contemporary family life set in the Midwest by New York-based playwright Sarah Sander.

Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow), which earned rave reviews, was Jeff-recommended, won the BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards for Best Revival, Best Director and Best Actor (Andrew Malone) and became one of the largest selling hits in Raven Theatre Company's 32-year history, will return for a limited engagement in July and August of 2016. Michael Menendian, Producing Artistic Director of the company and director of this production, announced the remount today. The entire all-African-American cast of the production will return for the run from July 21 through August 21, 2016.

The Rock and Roll for Children Foundation today announced the lineup for their annual fundraising event, taking place on Saturday, March 12 at 7:00pm at the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club, featuring rock and roll legends from across the globe, uniting to benefit The Children's Inn at NIH.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. It's the 2015 BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards Celebration, Sunday, January 10, 2016. Join us at The Call nightclub! Plus the top ten shows running right now. Holiday plus Celebration!

During the month of December, Little Steven's 'Underground Garage' syndicated radio show will be featuring the new VANILLA FUDGE single 'I'm A Believer'

It's the 2015 BroadwayWorld Chicago Award Nominations! [TITLE OF SHOW] and DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW... Lead the Field of 180 Nominees. 86 productions from 55 theaters receive nominations in 36 categories. Voting open through New Year's Eve!

Raven Theatre will welcome Elizabeth Clarke, founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative and one of its board members, Khadine Bennett, staff attorney and Legislative Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois, when they visit the theater to lead a discussion of its critically acclaimed DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS following the November 7th performance of the play.

Raven Theatre will welcome Elizabeth Clarke, founder and President of the Juvenile Justice Initiative and one of its board members, Khadine Bennett, staff attorney and Legislative Counsel with the ACLU of Illinois, when they visit the theater to lead a discussion of its critically acclaimed DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS following the November 7th performance of the play.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Excitement grows for 'La Revolution Francaise!' Also, Black Ensemble Theater and Raven Theatre take on more recent history, and 'Spamalot' opens northwest and southeast. 'Triassic Parq' and 'Goblin Market' play the city, 'Shrek' and 'Avenue Q' play the 'burbs, and 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' and 'My Little Red/Green Coat' sing from small screens!

Raven Theatre's cast and creative team for Direct from Death Row The Scottsboro Boys (An Evening of Vaudeville and Sorrow) has been announced by Michael Menendian, Co Founding Artistic Director. Playwright Mark Stein's play with music and dance, a satirical retelling of the true story of nine African-American teenagers falsely accused in 1931 of raping two white women on a train in Alabama, will be performed by an all-African-American cast of nine actors. Menendian will direct, with Frederick Harris providing musical direction for the score by Harley White Jr. Kathleen Dennis will be choreographer. Previews will be Wednesday, September 16 - Monday, September 21, 2015 with the press opening Tuesday, September 22. The regular run will be September 25 - November 14, 2015. Tickets are on sale now at www.raventheatre.com or by calling 773-338-2177.

Home & Family lifestyle expert Paige Hemmis and musician Jason Short, of the Australian pop/opera music group ARIA, will be married on a very special Home & Family primetime event, tonight, June 22 (8pm ET/PT, 7C).

Following its artistic and popular successes of the past 12 months, which included multiple Jeff nominations for The Playboy of the Western World, praise for the rarely produced Vieux Carre by Tennessee Williams, universal acclaim for All My Sons and the Chicago premiere of Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate, Raven Theatre will produce a five-show subscription season for the first time in the company's 33-year history. Three of the subscription-season plays will be performed on the company's 140-seat East Stage and two will be played in its intimate 60-seat studio, the West Stage.

Home & Family lifestyle expert Paige Hemmis and musician Jason Short, of the Australian pop/opera music group ARIA, will be married on a very special Home & Family primetime event, Monday, June 22 (8pm ET/PT, 7C).

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts ("The Wallis") presents Brentano String Quartet for a program of chamber music on Saturday, May 9 at 8:00 pm in the Bram Goldsmith Theatre. The Brentano members are Mark Steinberg, violin; Serena Canin, violin; Misha Amory, viola; and Nina Lee, cello. The program will feature Haydn's String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 50, No. 1; Bartok's String Quartet No. 3 (1927); and Debussy's String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10.

The Center Theatre Group engagement of 'Dame Edna's Glorious Goodbye -- The Farewell Tour' opened last night, January 28 at the Ahmanson Theatre. The production continues through March 15, 2015. BroadwayWorld has photos from the opening night festivities below!

Lightyear Entertainment and Specialty Studios, in association with Rockin' the Wall Studios announce the Consumer release of 'Rockin' the Wall' on November 4th, 2014. And a US Fall 2014 Theatrical Tour in commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. The feature length documentary offers an entertaining exploration of the power of rock music as a force for social change & liberation.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces its theater, music, dance, lectures and Theater for Young Audiences programming for the 2014-2015 Season, which begins today, October 7-19 with the Edinburgh-based Puppet State Theatre Company production of The Man Who Planted Trees in the Lovelace Studio Theater; and in the Bram Goldsmith Theater a new lecture series in partnership with Writers Bloc, presenting a conversation with Leon Panetta on October 15 and Marsalis Well Tempered: An Evening with Branford Marsalis featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia on October 16.

Below are all the events at Carnegie Hall in February 2015.

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces its theater, music, dance, lectures and Theater for Young Audiences programming for the 2014-2015 Season, which begins October 7-19 with the Edinburgh-based Puppet State Theatre Company production of The Man Who Planted Trees in the Lovelace Studio Theater; and in the Bram Goldsmith Theater a new lecture series in partnership with Writers Bloc, presenting a conversation with Leon Panetta on October 15 and Marsalis Well Tempered: An Evening with Branford Marsalis featuring the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia on October 16.

Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey presents Rock 'N' Blues FEST 2014 Friday, August 8th at 8PM. Be sure to reserve tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or Box Office at 201.227.1030.