Mary Ann News

The Music Institute of Chicago Chorale, the MIC Musical Theater and Vocal departments, and special guests present 'Music Institute Goes to Broadway' Sunday, March 20 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston.

Old-fashioned and sweetly sentimental, The Silver Whistle is a gentle theatrical comedy about a group of downtrodden senior citizens during the Great Depression who are yearning to find something to lift them out of their own collective doldrums and allow them to once again be vital, productive human beings. Luckily, for this particular group of seniors - all of whom live in the 'old people's home' of the Church of John in some unnamed American city - their ho-hum existence is upended by the unexpected arrival of Oliver T. Erwenter, a fast-talking, silver-tongued huckster, who may have discovered the Fountain of Youth.

Two Brooklyn opera companies, AMERICAN OPERA PROJECTS (AOP) and OPERA ON TAP (OOT), will present Opera Grows in Brooklyn: Ladies' Night in honor of Women's History Month and as the latest installment of their Opera Grows in Brooklyn series.

In a first-time collaboration, The Orion Ensemble, Chicago's nationally recognized and critically acclaimed chamber music ensemble, joins Ballet Chicago dancers for the world premiere of 'Instruments of Revelation' by Victoria Bond, on a program that also includes works by Rezsö Kókai and Franz Schubert. Performances take place March 6 at Fox Valley Presbyterian Church in Geneva and March 9 at Roosevelt University's Ganz Hall in Chicago.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is excited to announce the cast selected to lead the TUTS and Houston debut of the Broadway smash hit, Curtains, scheduled to play March 29 - April 10 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Surflight Producer Roy Miller announced today the theatre's 2011 season, which will feature stars from film, television and Broadway.

Award-winning blues rock star, guitar hero and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa and his ace touring band will undertake a UK tour in October 2011 to promote his 9th studio album Dust Bowl.

In a first-time collaboration, The Orion Ensemble, Chicago's nationally recognized and critically acclaimed chamber music ensemble, joins Ballet Chicago dancers for the world premiere of 'Instruments of Revelation' by Victoria Bond, on a program that also includes works by Rezsö Kókai and Franz Schubert. Performances take place February 27 at Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston, March 6 at Fox Valley Presbyterian Church in Geneva and March 9 at Roosevelt University's Ganz Hall in Chicago.

Concern Worldwide will hold its annual Women of Concern Brigid Awards luncheon on Friday, February 25, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, 1 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL. The 2011 Women of Concern Brigid Awards luncheon honors three outstanding Chicagoland women for their exceptional achievements. A silent auction featuring national and local celebrities' new and gently used handbags and wallets will also be a highlight. The funds raised from this event will support Concern Worldwide's Maternal and Child Health programs in Haiti, Rwanda and Malawi.

Victory Gardens continues its 2010/11 Season with the world premiere of The Boys Room by Ensemble Playwright Joel Drake Johnson, directed by Associate Artistic Director Sandy Shinner. The Boys Room marks Shinner and Johnson's sixth collaboration-A Guide For The Perplexed, Four Places, The End of the Tour, Before My Eyes, all at Victory Gardens, and Tranquillity Woods for Steppenwolf's First Look series. The production runs January 21 - February 20, 2011 at the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park. The Press Opening is Monday, January 31, 2011, at 7:30 pm.

It's opening night for a gala fundraiser and the famour tenor Tito Merelli is missing. How can the show go on? Better yet, can anyone save the company from ruin? Winner of 3 Tony Awards and 4 Drama Desk Awards, Ken Ludwig's brilliant script wrings every laugh out of that situation in Lend Me a Tenor opening Friday, March 11, 2011 at Lakewood Theatre Company.

Jane Stuart "DON'T LOOK BACK" Street Date: March 8, 2011

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Artistic Director Carey Perloff announced Bruce Norris's critically-acclaimed Clybourne Park as the final play of the company's 44th subscription season. Home is where the heart-and history-is in Clybourne Park, a 'spiky and damningly insightful new comedy' (The New York Times).

Prescott Fine Arts presents A VALENTINE GIFT: A JOHNNY MERCER CELEBRATION on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets are $12.00.

The Carrollwood Cultural Center is pleased to announce that Sebastian Hagelstein, a member of the Center's Broadway Kids youth theatre group, has been cast in a national touring production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man.

Concern Worldwide will hold its annual Women of Concern Brigid Awards luncheon on Friday, February 25, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, 1 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL.

The Philhallmonic Society will perform at Reach the World's 2011 Benefit Dinner at The Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, February 9, 2011.

Jerry Seinfeld and comedian Tom Papa (host of 'The Marriage Ref') will be joined by some of the biggest names in stand-up for a comedy show to benefit the family of the late Greg Giraldo.

Jerry Seinfeld and comedian Tom Papa (host of "The Marriage Ref") will be joined by some of the biggest names in stand-up for a comedy show to benefit the family of the late Greg Giraldo.

American Conservatory Theater's (A.C.T.) highly anticipated production of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City is already taking off at the box office. Due to high demand, A.C.T. has added two weeks of performances to the run of the world premiere musical, which will now play through July 3, including a new special 7 p.m. performance on June 26, the evening of the San Francisco Pride Parade. A new preview performance has also been added on Wednesday, May 18, at 8 p.m.