Mary Rodgers News

The Dramatists Guild of America will welcome two new members to its Council, Ty Defoe and Rona Siddiqui. The Guild is governed by a board of directors (Council) elected from its membership. These writers, in various stages of their theatrical careers, meet monthly to decide policy for the Guild. 

FREAKY FRIDAY, presented by the SCERA’s nationally award-winning high school performing team, Acting Up!, is a cut above the average high school performance. It is a vivacious, thoroughly enjoyable production on any level.

The Alliance Theatre today announced updates to its 2020/21 season, including a new “Under The Tent” series to provide more socially-distanced performance options.  The “Under the Tent” series will include a concert staging of the Broadway hit WORKING: A MUSICAL, as well as concert-style performances of BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD LIVE and more.

Ars Nova, has announced its second slate of 2021 programming including six new events curated by composer Rona Siddiqui as part of the new Ars Nova Vision Residency program. All events will take place on Ars Nova Supra, a new streaming platform from Ars Nova that showcases some of New York City’s most promising emerging artists.

SCERA Center for the Arts is mounting Disney’s “Freaky Friday: The Musical” which will begin – of course – on a Friday. Playing February 5-20, the hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt show highlights a musical score by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, a duo that shares a Pulitzer Prize for their musical talents.

THE SPOTLIGHT SERIES, a bi-monthly live streamed concert series created by A LITTLE NEW MUSIC will “spotlight” the music of composer/lyricist, Rona Siddiqui on December 15th. 

92Y has announced Lyrics & Lyricists Preludes: THE THEME FROM…: SONGS WRITTEN FOR FILM, hosted by Tony- nominated actor Beth Malone, and featuring appearances from Nikki Renée Daniels, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kara Lindsay, Julia Murney, and more!

Tickets for each of the online events are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. Links are available for viewing 72 hours after purchase.  Porchlight also announces the return of the popular series celebrating the 90th birthday of Stephen Sondheim, Sondheim@90 Roundtable with Michael Weber. The series returns Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CST with a discussion on Road Show with guests Deanna Dunagan, Chris Jones and Michael Mahler.

It is said that Jule Styne published over 1,500 songs in his lifetime, a staggering number that spans decades and includes some of the biggest hits in the history of popular song. His lyricists were such names as Frank Loesser ('I Don't Want To Walk Without You'), Sammy Cahn ('It's Magic'), Betty Comden & Adolph Green ('Just in Time'), and more.

In a loose song cycle format, this program will weave his work with the charming and witty creations of daughter Mary Rodgers (Once Upon a Mattress) and the complex and extraordinary palette of grandson Adam Guettel (The Light in the Piazza, Floyd Collins ), as we look toward the progression of musicals over the decades and into the future.

Recently, Laura Benanti released her delightful self-titled debut album on Sony Masterworks. The record springs to life with light jazz covers of cherished classic and contemporary pop hits.

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) has announced the 2020 winners of the Dottie Burman and John Wallowitch songwriting awards. Each recipient receives $500.

92Y has announced Nikki Renée Daniels and Jeff Kready have joined the ensemble for Lyrics & Lyricistsa?? Preludes and Beth Malone narrates the new online autumn season for the American Songbook series, with five concerts filmed on the stage of 92Y's historic Kaufmann Concert Hall.

This fall brings new life toa??92Y's Lyrics & Lyricistsa?? with Preludes, a new autumn series to be available online. Five short-form programs will serve as a prologue to the upcoming 50th Anniversary Season in Spring 2021 in this special series led by Artistic Director Paul Masse.

Chaining Zero's popular 'Chaining Zero Sessions' continues this week with another release from the new musical performed by top Broadway, West End and Nashville talent. This week the team has re-released 'Like' a fun, upbeat pop song that follows a top social media influencer's constant battle for more followers, as interpreted by Rachel Potter.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced its schedule for fall 2020, offering a variety of free and pay-to-view options for virtual experiences.

Stagecrafters presents the outdoor performance of Workinga?"A Musical, brought to you in a joint venture by Stagecrafters and Ridgedale Players at Ridgedale Players in Troy.

As part of the Flying Free: Wicked Inspired Songs series (presented with ASCAP), watch an all new video of 'Token Goat Song', written by Rona Siddiqui, filmed last year and performed by Broadway's Mykal Kilgore with WICKED alums Gizel Jiménez and Kathryn Allison.

Today WICKED announced their next Flying Free songwriter: Rona Siddiqui. After working alongside composer Stephen Schwartz, Flying Free artists have their songs were professionally orchestrated, engineered, and imagined into never-before-seen music videos.

Chaining Zero's 'Chaining Zero Sessions' concludes this week with a final release from the new musical performed by top Broadway, West End and Nashville talent. This week the team releases 'Who You Love' a rousing power ballad that explores the pain and beauty of the emotion that hits when you're least likely to be looking for it.