McDonald News

Just last night, Roundabout Theatre Company honored ​​​​​​​ Alan Cumming with The Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre, and Michael Kors & Lance Le Pere with The Ovation Award for Excellence in Philanthropy. This year's gala 'The Life of the Party' featured a unique concert from Tony, Grammy & Emmy Award winner Cyndi Lauper, created exclusively for the special occasion.

BroadwayHD's CEO Bonnie Comley has announced a new initiative to put the spotlight on underrepresented voices in the theater community, with a special Trailblazers Category.

Spring at St Helens Theatre Royal has announced a month of entertainment for audiences of all ages.

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn performs at Pepperdine University at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts.

Playhouse Stage Co presents the world premiere of Jerry Lee Lewis Versus Jerry Lee Lewis by Jefferson McDonald

Today, the Iowa-born, Nashville-based singer and songwriter Hailey Whitters released her new album The Dream on her label Pigasus Records. The album is now available to stream and purchase at all major retailers.

Firestone Theatre presents the school edition of the seminal musical A Chorus Line. Evening performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on April 3, 4, 9, 10, and 11, 2020. A single matinee performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 5, 2020. General admission tickets are $10.00 in advance, and $12.00 at the door. A reserved seat is available online for $14.00 and a premium VIP seat is $17.00. Tickets are available online now at FirestoneTheatre.com. Hard tickets will be available at the school between 11 and 1:00 p.m. starting Monday, March 23, 2020. Tickets for A Chorus Line will also be available at the door on the evening of performance.

Casting has been announced for Pittsburgh CLO's World Premiere of the award-winning musical comedy UNTITLED: A New Musical Comedy About Serious Drama at the Greer Cabaret Theater April 3 - May 3, 2020. Originally developed during Pittsburgh CLO's SPARK Festival, UNTITLED has since gained wide acclaim, including earning writer Matt Schatz the ASCAP Foundation Harold Arlen Award. Don't miss this edgy new musical satire about showbiz, stardom and self-reflection.

Wheeling into Melbourne after a world-touring two years away, the multi award winning Trash Test Dummies return with their riotous trash-can antics to surprise and delight audiences of all ages at Melbourne International Comedy Festival from 28 March - 12 April.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the Los Angeles International Dance Festival (LAIDF) will present Ailey II - The Next Generation of Dance on April 11, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as part of the festival's inaugural year. Ailey II, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's junior company that serves as a bridge between The Ailey School and the professional dance world, is universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most promising emerging choreographers. The acclaimed 12-member ensemble makes its first appearance at the Center performing three works from the company's rich repertory including Road to One (2017) by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Where There Are Tongues (2018) by Ailey School alum and former Ailey II dancer Bradley Shelver as well as Breaking Point (2017) by Renee McDonald.

The Book Thief is being adapted for the stage as part of the Octagon Theatre's autumn season!

Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard, a six-time Grammy Award winner and longtime collaborator with film director Spike Lee, will be the special guest artist for the Grand Rapids Symphony's 19th annual Symphony with Soul at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020, in DeVos Performance Hall.

Adding to an already star-studded lineup, a?oeThe Music of Carly Simona?? at Carnegie Hall today announced that Deborah Cox, Jimmy Webb, Julie Simon, Natasha Bedingfield, Susanna Hoffs, Tony Shalhoub, and the Romulus Hunt Quintet have signed on to honor the Grammy, Oscar, and Golden Globe winning singer/songwriter, Carly Simon at Carnegie Hall on Thursday, March 19. Also announced today was the all-star house band, led by Teese Gohl and accompanied by Mick Rossi, David Saw, Peter Calo, Rick Marotta and Will Lee. Previously announced artists include: Indigo Girls, Livingston Taylor, Michael McDonald, Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive, Ben Taylor and Sally Taylor, John Forte, Resistance Revival Chorus, Darlene Love, and Linda Perry. Tickets are on sale now at musicof.org

Next week, the brand-new stage production of Helen Forrester's By The Waters Of Liverpool embarks on a 17-venue tour across the UK.

Bullying and gender stereotypes are issues youngsters deal with every day. Now, K-5 students around the Bay Area can explore these important issues in an engaging and creative way as TheatreWorks Silicon Valley brings its award-winning Oskar tour to Bay Area Elementary Schools. Developed in an effort to help today's youngest students develop the resiliency and strategies needed to cope with bullying at school, and to increase sensitivity and empathy, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's Education program will present the West Coast Premiere of Oskar and the Big Bully Battle, Part 2 as well as Oskar and the Countless Costume Changes, written by award-winning playwrights Prince Gomolvilas and Matt Ackels. The Oskar tour runs March 2 - April 10, 2020, and will travel to schools in the South Bay, Peninsula, East Bay, and San Francisco (see list for specific schools). To contact TheatreWorks Education about scheduling an assembly, schools may email education@theatreworks.org or call 650-463-7146.

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Michael Stotts- Managing Director) has announced an expansion of the theater's award-winning Theater School with the lease of a storefront building in Downtown Millburn. The new space, totaling 2,500 square feet, is at 20 Main Street. This is the first property extension of the theater since 1996 and the first expansion of the theater's footprint into Downtown Millburn. This expansion is a result of a board-approved strategic plan to move Paper Mill Playhouse forward, reimagining the Millburn theater as the center for musical theater in America.

BBC Drama has announced the adaptation of Sally Rooney's critically-acclaimed novel Conversations With Friends, continuing the BBC's relationship between Sally Rooney and award-winning producers, Element Pictures.

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced an expansion of the theater's award-winning Theater School with the lease of a storefront building in Downtown Millburn.

DANE BAPTISTE: THE CHOCOLATE CHIP comes to Pleasance Courtyard: Above, 5tha?"30th August (not 17th) at 9:20pm.

Today's top stories: The Minutes officially begins previews tonight on Broadway, and more!