McDonald News

The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company will host its annual Weston Gala fundraiser on July 27, 2019, starting at 6:00 pm. This not-to-be-missed event will be in the company's new theatre at Walker Farm and themed around the company's summer production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA!

Husband-and-wife duo John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey make their annual fall pilgrimage to Cafe Carlyle with an all-new show, November 5-16.

In this workshop, Kevin McDonald will teach the Kids in the Hall method of writing sketch comedy through improv. July 27th & 28th

Eight outstanding educators from schools and performing arts centers around the U.S. will work one-on-one with Broadway greats at the 10th Annual FREDDIE G FELLOWSHIP July 10th - 13th.  The event is underwritten by Freddie ('G') Gershon, Co-Chairman of the global theatrical licensor Music Theatre International (MTI), his wife Myrna and MTI. The four days of classes and activities honor instructors and teachers who are working to make a difference for their students and communities through the process of staging musical theatre productions in their schools and educational theatre groups. In addition to the all-expense paid visit to New York, each of the teachers' schools receives $5,000 from Freddie and Myrna. The teachers are empowered to identify and select how their respective school's theatre program can best utilize the funds.

On Site Opera (OSO) will present Benjamin Britten's operatic ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, at Wave Hill, a public garden and former estate in the Bronx, October 25-27, 2019. The immersive production will unfold in several locations around the estate, both indoors and outdoors, with audience members following the characters from place to place.

Kevin McDonald, of the legendary comedy troupe 'The Kids in the Hall,' is set to mount his first-ever one-man show, Kevin McDonald ALIVE on 42nd Street. The show will run for only eight performances, from August 25th through August 31st at Theatre Row NYC's Studio Theatre. Full ticket and event info is available here.

Producers Hunter Arnold, Debbie Bisno and Tom Kirdahy announce today that Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune will play its final performance on Sunday, July 28, 2019 at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street) on Broadway.

BELIEF: Lives and Stories of Montana's Salish Women, a one-woman show featuring Salish tribal member, cultural historian and actress Julie Cajune, has been selected for a one-week run at the historic Gene Frankel Theatre in New York City, from September 18-22. The theater is located at 24 Bond Street in Manhattan. Tickets are available at genefrankeltheatre.com.

West Jefferson, NC Country music songwriter and performing artist, Taylon Hope, has checked off another of her dreams since relocating to Nashville to pursue her career in Country music. Hope announced earlier this month via social media she would be playing at the world-famous Wildhorse Saloon on historic 2nd Ave North in Nashville, TN and has secured ongoing dates. 

Mark Morris Dance Group & Music Ensemble returns to Jacob's Pillow's Ted Shawn Theatre, July 17-21, restaging both new and beloved repertory. 'A tour de force of artistic storytelling' (The Los Angeles Times), this audience favorite is renowned for deeply witty and poetic dance and has amassed one of the most extensive Pillow performance records of any artist. Mark Morris Dance Group & Music Ensemble performs Prelude and Prelude-a work that has not been performed anywhere since 1992-the new work Sport, excerpts from Words, and the company classic Grand Duo.

There is a definite relationship between rap and jazz. Musicians improvise with notes. Rappers improvise with words. Many of the great hip-hop recordings featured samples from some of the greatest jazz albums. So it should be no surprise that there are rappers who are not only comfortable in post-bop sonic settings, but can also deliver some swinging verses themselves. The result of this fusion of styles, motifs, and genres is a corps of instrumentalists who are influenced by rappers, who in turn, are influenced by musicians. 

It's a double bill Happy Birthday on this day for Broadway legends Audra McDonald and Betty Buckley!

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) is pleased to announce full casting for of the world premiere of the new musical Scotland, PA, featuring a book by Michael Mitnick, music & lyrics by Adam Gwon, directed by Lonny Price and choreographed by Josh Rhodes.

Scripps Ranch Theatre, located on the campus of Alliant International University, presents the 8th annual Out on a Limb. This play festival is comprised of six 10-minute new plays by coast-to-coast playwrights - featuring some of San Diego's top talent.

On Monday, July 8 (6pm) Green Room 42 will present An Evening With Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, 'Submissions Only'). The special event will feature performances by: Taylor Iman Jones (Head Over Heels), Dave Thomas Brown (American Psycho), Arielle Jacobs (Aladdin), Jessica Vosk (Wicked), Bonnie Milligan (Head Over Heels), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Deborah S. Craig (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Raymond J. Lee (Groundhog Day), Sarah Lynn Marion (Ordinary Days), Destinee Rea (Book of Mormon), Sevan Greene (Aftermath), and a special preview of songs from Adam Gwon's new musical SCOTLAND, PA. Click here for tickets.

Producer Mark Cortale has announced that Beth Leavel, Tony Award winner & star of the current smash hit Broadway musical The Prom, will join the Broadway @ The Art House series hosted and music directed by Seth Rudetsky in Provincetown for two shows on August 18th & 19th to launch Carnival Week. For tickets and information, please visit http:ptownarthouse.com or call 800-838-3006.

The Watermill Theatre has announced the casting for the autumn tour of its highly acclaimed productions of Shakespeare's Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Slightly Stoopid have put out an emotionally charged video for their song “One More Night”, off their latest album Everyday Life, Everyday People, which was released in 2018.

Refugees and asylum seekers have been held captive under inhumane conditions on Manus Island in PNG for almost 6 years. The system is designed to be so brutal that asylum seekers are forced into despair and agree to go back home to whatever they have fled. Through his documentary Manus, Angus McDonald uses the first hand testimonials of many of the island's refugee residents, who share their harrowing stories. Manus has just won the Best Documentary Award at St Kilda Film Festival.

Stages Theatre Company is invitinsg audiences to enter a world of pure imagination with Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka. Based on the Book 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory' by Roald Dahl, the scrumptious musical follows the adventures of Charlie Bucket and the other Golden Ticket holders through Willy Wonka's whimsical and mysterious Chocolate Factory filled with Oompa-Loompa, fun, candy and magic around every corner. Featuring the enchanting songs from the 1971 film, and new songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, the sweet musical adaption of Roald Dahl's timeless story comes to life on our mainstage June 28 through August 4.