McDonald News

The American Pianists Association has updated its 2021 classical award plans. The five finalists, Dominic Cheli, Kenny Broberg, Mackenzie Melemed, Michael Davidman and Sahun Sam Hong, have each recorded a private adjudicated recital with WFYI TV in Indianapolis.

Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley announced today that they will reunite the casts of some of theater-goers favorite Broadway shows, including “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” “Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella,” and “Anastasia,” all in support of The Actors Fund. 

The series is created and showrun by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky.

Broadway Inspirational Voices announced today that Founder and Artistic Director Michael McElroy will step down from leading the organization after 27 years, effective June 30, 2021. McElroy will pass the baton to composer/lyricist, producer Allen René Louis, currently the Associate Artistic Director and a talented member of the BIV music team and choir.

Broadway Barks will once again stream its annual animal adoption event on Sunday, May 23rd at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The streamed event, hosted by co-founder Bernadette Peters will feature adoptable animals from shelters and presented by celebrities Across America.

Lime Arts Productions presents Twenty-By-Twenty Fringe (TBTF), a new pilot program that was conceived in an effort to provide a platform for artistic directors, theatre practitioners, and theatre-goers across the country to watch bold, innovative, and intimate new works created by the most refreshing and current voices - artists in their 20s.

Today's top stories: Sondheim's Bunuel is no longer in development, first look at Lin-Manuel Miranda's VIVO, Patrick Dempsey reveals he will sing and dance in upcoming Enchanted sequel, and more!

The Park Theatre is adding live-streaming concerts from well-known musical artists to its virtual offerings. These concerts come from all parts of the USA. Virtual Park Theatre initial national artists include Joan Osborne (May 1), Keb’ Mo’ (May 5 & 6), Los Lobos (May 6), Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers (May 7) and more.

Producer Mark Cortale has announced that eleven stars of the stage and screen will now join the full May through June line-up of The Seth Concert Series, the live weekly series based on Seth Rudetsky’s international Broadway series that began at The Art House in Provincetown ten years ago.

The “Spotlight on Plays” series announces the full company for Lillian Hellman's Watch on the Rhine starring Academy award winner Ellen Burstyn, Alan Cox, Sasha Diamond, Alfred Enoch, Carla Gugino, Luca Padovan, Tony Award nominee Mary Beth Peil, Gabriella Pizzolo, Neel Sethi & Tony Award nominee Jeremy Shamos, directed by Sarna Lapine. 

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announces plans to  welcome audiences back with its first set of concerts for summer. Re-emerging from a one-year pandemic closure of the Filene Center and Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, Wolf Trap will celebrate the 50th anniversary season at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts with its first live music performances since December 2019.

This spring, Bay Area kids aged 5 and up will learn tools for identifying and combatting racism with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's virtual school tour of A Kid's Play About Racism, based on the book by Jelani Memory.

Make Mother's Day weekend extra special when you invite Michael McDonald into your living room!

Today's episode features Jeremy Wein- a producer and director based in New York City. Jeremy is the founder and artistic director of the virtual theatre initiative Play-PerView.

Stories have an amazing way of bringing to life experiences and concepts that otherwise might be too complex, too unfamiliar, or too uninteresting. And, while some might write off storytelling as something reserved only for childhood, it is, in fact, one of the most common ways we humans have passed along the oral histories of our lives for generations. So, if given the ability to tell the stories of your own life – would you be the hero? What about when others hear and interpret it? This is the case for Edward Bloom, the larger than life “hero” of the story of BIG FISH – now onstage (and streaming) at the Titusville Playhouse in Titusville, Florida.

SB 805, entitled, “Save The Performing Arts Act of 2021,” is the first bill in the nation that will create a critical funding infrastructure to help assist Small Nonprofit Performing Arts Companies (SNPAC) with average adjusted gross revenues equal to, or less than $1.4 million, to be adjusted every five years based on the California Consumer Price Index.

Big Fish is set to begin performances at Titusville Playhouse tonight, April 23 2021 and run through May 15! Based on the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, BIG FISH tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest…and then some!

MetroStage is starting to wind down its lockdown era with a second streamed work of Terrence McNally, the esteemed American playwright who himself died of COVID complications a year ago.

Today's top stories: check out the first trailer for new online series The Bite, starring Audra McDonald, Phillipa Soo, Beth Leavel, and more! Plus, the producers of the UK tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert respond to casting controversy, and more!

Broadway stars Audra McDonald, Phillipa Soo, Steven Pasquale, Will Swenson, Leslie Uggams, Jackie Hoffman and Beth Leavel, join Orange is the New Black star Taylor Schilling on the new Spectrum Originals series, The Bite.