Marsha Norman News

Strange Sun Theater - which will premiere the new play HOT SEASON by Evan Mueller at The Black Box at The Sheen Center (18 Bleecker Street) beginning June 13th - is pleased to announce a new two year play development program THE GREENHOUSE PROJECT. Each two year GREENHOUSE PROJECT will be focus driven; the inaugural project - which will begin with plays being accepted to strangesuntheater@gmail.com from June 1st through September 15th, 2014 - is for female theatre artists. The selected scripts for this inaugural GREENHOUSE PROJECT will be announced around November 1st, 2014.

Virginia Repertory Theatre announces the opening of The Color Purple at the Sara Belle and Neil November Theatre, 114 West Broad Street on Friday, June 20, 2014 with a Preview on Thursday, June 19. The show runs through August 3, 2014. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, this joyful musical and epic story follows the life and personal awakening of Celie, a downtrodden young African American woman. With a book by Marsha Norman and music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, the uplifting score features jazz, ragtime, gospel, African music and blues. The Broadway production earned eleven Tony nominations.

Just last night, Drama Desk and Tony Award winner Laura Benanti ('The Sound of Music Live!', Gypsy, Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) hosted the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street). Big winners for the night included Audra McDonald, Bryan Cranston, Jessie Mueller, and Neil Patrick Harris and Jefferson Mays- who tied for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

Bay Street Theater is pleased to announce its Honoree Presenters for its 23rd Bay Street Annual Summer Gala which will take place in Sag Harbor at the Long Wharf on July 12, 2014 to benefit Bay Street's educational and theatrical programs.

Drama Desk and Tony Award winner Laura Benanti ('The Sound of Music Live!', Gypsy, Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) will host the 59th Annual Drama Desk Awards tonight, June 1, 2014 at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street). BroadwayWorld will be updating you with winners throughout the night. Check back later for the full list!

Broadway's BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY has reclaimed the top spot on the Cast Albums chart.

This year the Lilly Awards will celebrate women of distinction in musical theater in a special cabaret at West Bank Cafe (407 W 42nd Street, NYC), following the awards ceremony, which is set for Monday, June 2, at Playwrights Horizons. The cabaret will feature Kelli O'Hara, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Rebecca Luker, Kate Baldwin, Kenita Miller, The Broadway Boys, Graham Rowat, Katie Thompson, Lauren Pritchard, Taylor Noble, Jay Armstrong Jonson, The Skivvies (Lauren Molina & Nick Cearley) and Jason Robert Brown.

Voting opened on April 30 and runs through May 30, 2014 for the 12th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/29 with just 0 days to go in voting!

Voting opened on April 30 and runs through May 30, 2014 for the 12th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/24 with just 5 days to go in voting!

Voting opened on April 30 and runs through May 30, 2014 for the 12th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/23 with just 6 days to go in voting!

THE SECRET GARDEN needs a good dose of Miracle-Gro to overcome a lack of vitality. A beautiful, lush score is weighed down by the sluggishness of the tale and static direction. The company has the vocals to do justice to the music and several performers shine, but this garden has a dearth of color.

Barnes & Noble will celebrate the newGhostlight Records cast recording of The Bridges of Madison County, the new romantic musical currently running at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street), with a special in-store performance and CD signing today, May 23 at 5:00 PM.

Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will feature Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

When it comes to breathtaking, dazzling musical scores Jason Robert Brown is no stranger; therefore, his fans and theatergoers in general hotly anticipated his latest musical THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY. Ghostlight Records released a beautiful recording of the Tony nominated score on May 19, ensuring that this score can be enjoyed for generations to come.

Voting opened on April 30 and runs through May 30, 2014 for the 12th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/22 with just 7 days to go in voting!

New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, this summer celebrating the 30th year of their Powerhouse Theater collaboration, are thrilled to reveal the first round of casting for the upcoming Powerhouse Theater Season, running from June 20 to July 27 at Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York).

Voting opened on April 30 and runs through May 30, 2014 for the 12th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards! Here are the current standings as of 5/21 with just 8 days to go in voting!

The romantic and moving score for the new Broadway musical THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY by Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman is now available to hear in full on the new cast recording, featuring show stars Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale.

The 2014 winners of the Lilly Awards, honoring women of distinction in American theater, were announced today by the Lilly Awards Foundation. The winners will be celebrated at the 5th Annual Lilly Awards Ceremony set for Monday, June 2, 2014 beginning at 5 p.m. at Playwrights Horizons (416 W 42nd Street, NYC).