Mary Ellen News

Former stars of the Stepinac High School Drama Club from 1959 thru 2014 have returned for a reunion of their own to perform this show. When most people tend to leave their high school days behind, Stepinac's alumni/ae and family/friends will return to perform as they once did on Stepinac's stage.

The House of Nunzio was named a semi-finalist in both the 2003 Mill Mountain Theatre New Play Competition and the Twenty-Sixth Annual Mildred and Albert Panowski Playwriting Award. It was given a Workshop Production at ManhattanTheatreSource and was under production consideration by three regional theaters in the past decade. It now has interest from several Broadway Producers and investors and Producer Barbara Bemelmans in association with On PAR Productions, LLC will present an AEA 29 Hour Staged Reading at one of Ken Davenport's theaters this November.

Playwright A. R. ("Pete") Gurney, who has had 14 of his plays staged at Westport Country Playhouse, will be celebrated at the Playhouse's annual fundraiser, "A Perfect Party: A Gala Evening Honoring A. R. Gurney," on the evening of Monday, September 22. Westport's Arthur Levitt, a valued trustee and longtime supporter of the Playhouse, will also be honored with the Playhouse Leadership Award.

Raleigh, North Carolina

LES MISERABLES plays Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre now through August 23, 2014. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Continuing Way Off Broadway's 20th Anniversary Season, the dinner theatre is preparing to bring the global blockbuster LES MISERABLES to the stage this summer.

In celebration of the Army's 239th birthday, the Army announced today the release of a children's electronic book titled, "Happy Birthday U.S. Army!" which is now available online. Child, Youth and School Services, a division of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, first developed the book in 2008 as a result of a directive from the Secretary of the Army to involve children in the Child Development Centers with the Army's Birthday. Edward Griffin, acting Division Chief, Marketing, IMCOM, believes the new design will resonate with children and leveraging technology by creating the eBook will make a greater impact. "We're excited about the new design and taking the Army birthday book to a digital platform," said Griffin. "We serve Army Families around the world, our intent was to find a cost-effective way to provide our geographically-dispersed Families access. We accomplished this through the development of the eBook." Griffin added that, "Army children are some of the most tech-savvy children in the world. It's our vision to be able to connect with them in new and exciting ways in the future, as well." The "Happy Birthday U.S. Army!" book is the fourth children's book written by Mary Ellen Pratt and co-written by Donna M. McGrath, both employees of Army Child, Youth and School Services. Pratt explains that their intent was to develop a book to help children better understand the importance of what their parents do in the Army and what it means to be a part of the Army Family. The newly designed book includes all new bright, colorful illustrations that bring the characters to life and tells the Army history through the eyes of a child. "We're really excited that we can now reach more children, especially those located outside of a garrison. They'll be able to access the eBook and learn about the Army's rich history," said Pratt. "We live in a visual society. We knew that if we wanted children to pick up the book and keep their attention, then we'd have to create pictures that children can connect with." Cara Embry, the illustrator of the eBook said that her goal was to make the illustrations fun, contemporary and fresh, similar to what you might see in a television show for kids. "The idea was to create a children's book that made the characters appear to be stickers, because children love that they are bright and whimsical," she explained. During the week leading up to the Army's 239th birthday, and throughout the month of June, Child Development Centers will host readings where Army leaders and community public figures will read the "Happy Birthday U.S. Army!" book to children across the Army. While the books are aimed primarily for children, the intent is for the entire family to get involved and use the book as an opportunity to learn and talk about their parent's role in the Army community. Both Pratt and McGrath believe that it is important to recognize that our Soldiers are moms and dads, and hope that Army Families will take advantage of the online version to read it to their children. The "Happy Birthday U.S. Army!" book is free and available now online for download at the Army MWR website, http://www.armymwr.com/birthday-book. To participate in Army Birthday events at a garrison near you, contact your local ArmyMWR - http://www.armymwr.com/armybirthday-events.aspx.

Tonight, June 3rd, at Aria in Minneapolis, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music series, along with Schubert Club Mix and American Composers Forum, presents adventurous string quartet ETHEL performing Documerica, a multimedia presentation featuring new music from a wide range of composing talents.

Continuing Way Off Broadway's 20th Anniversary Season, the dinner theatre is preparing to bring the global blockbuster LES MISERABLES to the stage this summer.

In January 2014, Mine is Yours Theatre Company produced Twelfth Night, or What You, guerilla-style, in a local wedding chapel; a decision producer Hannah Pell says seemed especially appropriate. 'More than any other Shakespeare comedy, this one seemed to specifically look at how life and death exist side by side, and the chapel was perfect for that.'

On Tuesday, June 3rd, at Aria in Minneapolis, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's Liquid Music series, along with Schubert Club Mix and American Composers Forum, presents adventurous string quartet ETHEL performing Documerica, a multimedia presentation featuring new music from a wide range of composing talents.

Feminist fantasy about three time-traveling Victorian-era women who set out to explore 'Terra Incognita' is playwright Eric Overmyer's paean to language and the art of the spoken word. His craftsmanship as a writer is on display in ON THE VERGE, but the quartet of accomplished, committed actors aren't enough to keep everyone onboard until the end of the ride.

The winners of the first-ever Central Texas Excellence In Theatre Awards have been announced! Scroll down for the full list, and learn more at Austin Entertainment Weekly.

If you saw Georgetown Palace's recent production of Lend Me a Tenor (or if you didn't, for that matter), you have good reason to see Moon Over Buffalo, now in its final week of performances. The similarities between the two shows are easy to pinpoint. They're both by Ken Ludwig. They're both backstage farces. They both involve mistaken identities. They both easily qualify as 'door-slamming comedies.' (Their sets even have the same number of doors). And they're booth hysterical. The Palace's gift for zany, over the top comedy is back on display with Moon Over Buffalo, and once again, the audience is left in stitches.

They say that spring showers bring May flowers. At The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, spring showers have brought the musical Singin' in the Rain to the stage. Based on the classic MGM film, Singin' in the Rain is part of the theatre's 20th Anniversary Season. Last seen in Frederick nearly twenty years ago, Singin' in the Rain continues its run at Way Off Broadway through May 31st.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at photos from the new Children's Theatre production of Disney's PETER PAN Jr. making its regional premiere at Way Off Broadway, now through July 27th.

Joe's Pub at The Public has announced its upcoming performances, running tomorrow, April 23 through May 4, 2014. Details below!

After months of thought, debate and conversation, the staff and writers of Austin Entertainment Weekly with much assistance from Broadway World Austin's Editor Jeff Davis, have announced a new award system for the Central Texas Theatre Community.

Joe's Pub at the Public has announced an exciting lineup of performances now through April 27. Check out the full schedule and details below!