Mark Twain News

Palm Canyon Theatre is taking an exuberant romp on the Mississippi in their current musical, Big River. The 1985 Broadway hit, with songs by Roger ("King of the Road") Miller, is a stage adaptation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the capable hands of director Se Layne, it shows energy, style, and a fair bit of heart.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present the 22nd annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Dave Chappelle on Sunday, October 27, 2019 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The Prize, which is named to honor one of the world's greatest humorists, will be given at a gala performance featuring some of the biggest names in comedy. The program will be broadcast on PBS stations on January 6, 2020. On-sale and ticketing information for this event will be available at a later date, and sponsorship packages for the Mark Twain Prize gala performance are on sale now.

To celebrate the official kick-off of Summer, Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, EXECUTIVE Artistic Director) will host the 24th Annual LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS, a FREE Summer Arts Festivals HOSTED BY Theater for the New City (155 First Ave. at 10th St.). The festival will take place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 24 - 26, 2019 from 6pm - MIDNIGHT and will feature theater, music, art, dance, video, film, aerial arts, poetry, magic and comedy with over 270 performances, OVER 70 GROUPS, over the course of the weekend.  For the full list of performers and schedule please, visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net or call 212-254-1109.

Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie has set the 2019 - 2020 seasons at both the Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Together, the seasons offer a deep sampling of the best in modern American theatre including the continuation of Block Party, which celebrates the rich array of theatre produced every year in intimate theatres throughout Los Angeles.

Spend an evening with comedy royalty when Carol Burnett: An Evening Of Laughter And Reflection Where The Audience Asks Questions comes to The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 17 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale now to members and go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 3 at 10 am.

The nationally regarded Fulton Theatre has announced the most exciting season in the theatre's 166-year history! The Fulton "Engages Life Through Art" through three distinct series serving over 160,000 patrons through diverse programing reflecting the broad make-up of the Lancaster community and greater region of eastern Pennsylvania. The 2019-2020 season, with three regional premieres, begins September 17 and continues through July 26.

Steve Martin and Martin Short will bring their critically acclaimed comedy tour Now You See Them, Soon You Won't for the first time to Australian and New Zealand audiences in November. This celebrated comedy show redefines the form in unexpected and profound ways, from two of the funniest, most influential and acclaimed talents of the past century. The duo will be joined on stage by Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band The Steep Canyon Rangers. Tickets for Now You See Them, Soon You Won't go on sale Tuesday, 7 May. To purchase, please visit ticketek.com.au. The Sydney show will be part of the Just For Laughs Sydney Comedy Festival.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Last night, Beetlejuice officially opened on Broadway! We brought you all of the coverage, including photos, videos, and of course, the reviews! Check it all out below!

Geffen Playhouse will honor legendary singer, songwriter, actor and activist Harry Belafonte and groundbreaking performer, comedienne and activist Lily Tomlin during its 17th annual Backstage at the Geffen fundraiser, it was announced today.

Entering its tenth year of producing quality performances and educational theater programs for children and teens in Connecticut, No Boundaries Youth Theater is proud to announce that longtime NBYT artistic staff member Nicki LaPorte will become the company's new Artistic Director.

Hale Centre Theatre's production of BIG RIVER, running through May 11th in Gilbert, AZ, is confirmation that BIG RIVER is among the Great American Musicals.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 120 outstanding theater students from colleges and universities across the nation as part of the 50th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which runs April 16-20, 2019 in multiple locations throughout the Center. The Center also announced the national awardees for the KCACTF. Selected awardees and representatives will be brought to Washington, D.C. for an expense-paid trip to participate in the National Festival. These student artists from across the United States have been recognized for their outstanding work from the eight regional festivals that were held January 8 through February 28, 2019.

The Watermill Theatre today announces its new season for Autumn/Winter 2019.

A glorious group of ghosts are converging on Theater for the New City - and it has nothing to do with the theater's annual Halloween ball slated for later in the year.

Starting Sunday, April 14th, lost episodes of the groundbreaking The Carol Burnett Show will return to broadcast television only on MeTV, America's #1 classic television network. Airing Sunday nights at 10:30pm ET/PT and Monday-Friday at 11pm ET/PT, these rarely seen episodes will showcase sketches from the first five seasons of the longstanding series, including the premiere episode with Jim Nabors, who became Burnett's “good luck charm” and first appearances of iconic characters, like pitiful Eunice and air-headed Mrs. Wiggins, who fans continue to adore. Many of these milestone episodes have never aired beyond their original debut – until now on MeTV.

PlayPenn, the new play development organization which assisted in the development of the Tony Award-winning international hit OSLO by J.T. Rogers, has announced their 2019 New Play Development Conferenceplays and writers, which will constitute the inaugural class of Haas Fellows.

Today, Tim Bluhm releases his new full-length solo album Sorta Surviving via Blue Rose Music. Known as the frontman for praised rock outfit The Mother Hips, Sorta Surviving is a testament to Bluhm's versatility as an artist and honed skill as a songwriter. Recorded while coping with a recent divorce and during recovery from a nearly-fatal paragliding crash, the album finds Bluhm at a unique place – grateful, appreciative for his life, and more determined than ever. Produced by Widespread Panic's Dave Schools, Sorta Surviving features an all-star lineup of musicians including Elizabeth Cook (vocals), Jesse Aycock (guitar, vocals) and Jason Crosby (piano, violin, organ), as well as Nashville legends, David Roe (bass) and Gene Chrisman (drums).

The new comedy musical, Tootsie begins performances on Broadway tonight, March 29th, with an opening night of Tuesday, April 23rd. Get to know the cast below as they begin Broadway performances!

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announces its 2019-2020 season of Performances for Young Audiences designed to inspire and engage audiences both young and young at heart. The upcoming season includes three Kennedy Center-produced world premiere stage productions, five productions hailing from The Netherlands, a Family Look-In performance of the Washington National Opera's The Magic Flute, and original Music for Young Audiences programs showcasing various musical genres, with some programs featuring musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra.

Jules Poetry Playhouse and Teatro Paraguas are pleased to present Albuquerque poet Rich Boucher reading from his new book All of This Candy Belongs to Me, published by Jules Poetry Playhouse Publications this year.