Marsha Norman News

Lake Forest Theatre presents its inaugural season opener, THE SECRET GARDEN, opening June 10 and running through July 2, with a press opening on Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 8:00 p.m. Managing Artistic Director Steve Malone will direct the season opener at the newly renovated John & Nancy Hughes Theatre, 400 East Illinois Rd. in downtown Lake Forest. The production will be accompanied by a 15-piece live orchestra.

The 7th Annual Lilly Awards Ceremony, which celebrates women of distinction in the American Theater, have added honorees to the special awards ceremony, including Tony Award-winner and 2016 Tony Award nominee Jessie Mueller, Kathy Najimy, Genne Murphy, Candis Jones, Rehana Lew Mirza, and the women of Waking the Feminists. They join previously announced honorees include Danai Gurira, Martha Plimpton, Kate Whoriskey, and Mia Katigbak. The Lilly Awards will be presented Monday, May 23, at the Signature Theatre (480 West 42nd St).

Dramatists Guild Fund Board President Andrew Lippa and Executive Director Rachel Routh announce that the organization's annual Gala, Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars, will be held Monday, November 7 (cocktails begin at 6:30 followed by dinner and a show) at Gotham Hall (1356 Broadway).

Managing Artistic Director Steve Malone announces the opening of Lake Forest Theatre with its Inaugural Season. Starting in June 2016, the season will include three musicals with 10 Tony awards combined: THE SECRET GARDEN (Previewing June 10 and opening June 11 at 8pm) and, YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, and A CHORUS LINE. The shows will be held at the newly renovated John & Nancy Hughes Theatre in downtown Lake Forest. The long-term vision for Lake Forest Theatre is to build a brand new venue. Lake Forest Theatre will also host two special events this season.

International City Theatre presents a send-up of Chekhov's plays that is so completely hilarious, it doesn't even matter if you think Chekhov is just the name of that Russian guy on Star Trek. Mary Jo DuPrey helms a new production of the deliciously wacky, Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang for a June 10 opening, with two low-priced previews taking place on June 8 and June 9.

ROOM 4, a new play by Marina & Nicco (runtime 1 hour), comes to The PIT, (123 East 24th Street, by Lexington Avenue) Sunday, May 22nd - 7:00pm; Thursday, May 26th - 9:30pm; and Friday, May 27th, 2016.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Grammy and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson will take her final bow as Shug Avery in the acclaimed revival of THE COLOR PURPLE today, May 8th, 2016. This performance marked Hudson's Broadway debut.

New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway in Long Branch, presents the World Premiere of VILLAINOUS COMPANY by Victor L. Cahn.

BroadwayWorld is thrilled to announce that THE COLOR PURPLE's Carrie Compere is taking over our Twitter account @BroadwayWorld tomorrow (May 7th) to give our readers a behind the scenes look at a two show day on Broadway! Live from inside The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Compere will be tweeting photos, videos, and fun facts all about the show!

?The Kennedy Center has announced the full casting for the Washington area premiere of The Bridges of Madison County starring Elizabeth Stanley (On the Town, Million Dollar Quartet) as Francesca and Andrew Samonsky (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, South Pacific) as Robert.

New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway in Long Branch, has announced the cast of the World Premiere of VILLAINOUS COMPANY by Victor L. Cahn.

Cast members from THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, now playing through Sunday, May 8 at Blumenthal Performing Arts in Charlotte, will be volunteering their time to mentor young members of the LGBT community tomorrow, May 5, 2016 at Time Out Youth NC.

On this morning's TODAY, actress Cynthia Erivo and the cast of Broadway show THE COLOR PURPLE are in the studio just in time to celebrate the news that Erivo and the show itself have just received Tony nominations!

The Tony award-winning musical The Secret Garden, based on the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett with script and lyrics by Pulitzer prize and Tony award-winner Marsha Norman and music by Grammy award-winner Lucy Simon, is coming back to the West End for a summer season.

Romance is destined to bloom on stage at Wharton Center when THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY graces the Cobb Great Hall.

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

The Old Globe today shared its 2016-2017 Season, including world and West Coast premieres, second looks, comic favorites, plays with music, classics-and, of course, Shakespeare and the Mean Old Grinch return again too!

The 7th Annual Lilly Awards Ceremony, which celebrates women of distinction in the American Theater, will this year honor playwright Danai Gurira, actor Martha Plimpton, director Kate Whoriskey, actor Mia Katigbak, and more to be announced. The Lilly Awards will be presented Monday, May 23, at the Signature Theatre (480 West 42nd St).

The Broadway star graciously explains how maintaining her health must take priority over signing autographs.