McDonald News

Two of the three remaining Certified Guitar Players (an honor bestowed by Chet Atkins)--TOMMY EMMANUEL and JOHN KNOWLES--will release their collaborative instrumental album HEART SONGS on Friday, January 11 via CGP Sounds/Thirty Tigers. The twosome also just launched their tour this past Tuesday night (January 8) in San Francisco, a coast-to-coast swing with multiple two-night engagements set for New York, Boston, Alexandria (VA), Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Franklin (TN). The tour wraps February 26 in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. Click here for more details.

Celebrating more than 20 years of creating Shakespeare for everyone, Frog and Peach Theatre Company follows up their acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with another classic comedy, TWELFTH NIGHT which begins performances Friday, February 22nd and opens Monday, February 25th.

The critically acclaimed conversation series Speakeasy has returned for a fourth season on Public Television and public television's WORLD channel.  The season opens with Grammy Award winners Sting and Shaggy in a lively and hilarious conversation that covers the making of their Grammy nominated album 44/876, their Jamaican connection, James Bond, Miles Davis, laundry, and more.  Air dates and times are available at www.speakeasytalks.com.

We are pleased to announce the winners for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Las Vegas Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Nominations were reader-submitted and voted on by you - the local theatergoers!

The Kleban Foundation has announced the recipients of the 29th Annual Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre. The judges declared a tie in the most promising musical theatre lyricist category between Sarah Hammond and Shaina Taub. The Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre librettist has been awarded to Charlie Sohne. The 2019 prizes will be presented on Monday, February 4, 2018, in a private ceremony (by invitation only) hosted by ASCAP and BMI at ASCAP.

The Whyte & Mackay Glasgow International Comedy Festival (GICF) reveals its full programme, as this hugely popular event in the comedy calendar returns for its 17th year from Thursday 14 - Sunday 31 March 2019.

Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth have today announced the full cast for YOU STUPID DARKNESS!, a World Premiere from Sam Steiner (Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons; Kanye the First), directed by Paines Plough Joint Artistic Director James Grieve. The new play, set in a call centre for Brightline helpline, looks at the struggle for optimism and community amid the chaos of a collapsing world. The cast includes David Carlyle, Andrew Finnigan, Becci Gemmell and Lydia Larson. The production marks the continuation of a long-standing relationship between Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Plymouth and follows the success of Love, Love, Love and The Angry Brigade.

ZACH Theatre kicks off 2019 with two show openings, one show closing, and a new "Pay-What-You-Will" program for all Mainstage productions. Hedwig returns to Texas in the Austin debut of the 2014 Tony Award-winning incarnation of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's Hedwig and the Angry Inch playing The Topfer at ZACH running January 23-March 3, 2019 with a new "Pay-What-You-Will" program to begin with this production. In collaboration with University of Texas at Austin's Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities (DTYC) MFA Program, This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing will now join the season lineup running January 13, 19, 20, and 26, 2019 in The Whisenhunt at ZACH, performed and devised by the ensemble. Allen Robertson's smash-hit musical for all ages, Tortoise and Hare will close in The Kleberg at ZACH on January 27.

ZACH Theatre kicks off 2019 with two show openings, one show closing, and a new "Pay-What-You-Will" program for all Mainstage productions. Hedwig returns to Texas in the Austin debut of the 2014 Tony Award-winning incarnation of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask's Hedwig and the Angry Inch playing The Topfer at ZACH running January 23-March 3, 2019 with a new "Pay-What-You-Will" program to begin with this production. In collaboration with University of Texas at Austin's Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities (DTYC) MFA Program, This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing will now join the season lineup running January 13, 19, 20, and 26, 2019 in The Whisenhunt at ZACH, performed and devised by the ensemble. Allen Robertson's smash-hit musical for all ages, Tortoise and Hare will close in The Kleberg at ZACH on January 27.

The weekend started with Marilyn Maye and The Kravis Center Pops Orchestra Big Band conducted by Tedd Firth in a memorable concert by one of the most beloved singers of our generation. Marilyn Maye, arguably one of the finest vocalists ever to sing in a night club, concert hall, TV Studio or on a Broadway stage gave The Kravis Center Audience an evening of her artistry that will stay in their musical memory forever.

15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor's dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he precisely records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world. Outcry Youth Theatre is honored to introduce you to Christopher, his teachers, his family, his neighbors and a number of other characters whose lives challenge us to see the world from a different point of view.

The San Diego Performing Arts League is pleased to announce that 41 volunteers from 31 local performing arts organizations have been selected to be honored this year at the 25th Star Awards on Saturday, February 2, 2019. The Star Awards honors volunteers of San Diego County performing arts organizations, and recognizes the indispensable role that volunteers play in the arts community. Each organization selects its own special volunteer to be recognized. These honored volunteers have donated countless hours to music, theater, dance and other cultural institutions in San Diego County.

Hammer Theatre Center presents Jessica Lang Dance, the lauded New York City-based dance company dedicated to enriching and inspiring global audiences with its artfully crafted and emotionally engaging works

Disney Theatrical Productions President & Producer Thomas Schumacher, Frozen songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, Caissie Levy (Frozen on Broadway), legendary Broadway and West End producer (and Chairman of Music Theatre International) Sir Cameron Mackintosh, songwriting team Pasek & Paul, Taylor Iman Jones (Head Over Heels), Ryan McCarten (Heathers The Musical), Billy Jenkins ('The Crown,' 'Holmes & Watson'), Luca Padovan (School of Rock), and Isabella Russo (School of Rock) are some of the stars confirmed for the 2019 iTheatrics Junior Theater Festival Atlanta (#JTF), happening January 18-20, 2019 at The Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

Producer Mark Cortale has announced that Beth Malone, Broadway star of Angels in America and Tony Award nominee for 2016's smash hit Fun Home, will make her Broadway @ NOCCA series debut on January 31 at 7:30 PM for one show only.

"Lights. Camera. Cure." is a special theatrical event to be held Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6 pm) - a musical fundraiser featuring classic film hits as sung by local performers at The Village Theater at Cherry Hill.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre announced today that William Trice has been named the theatre's new executive artistic director. Trice, a Little Rock native, has served as Broadway producer in New York since 2010, producing work that has earned him three Tony Awards and five nominations.

Well, it's that time of the year again--time for a look-back on what was worth making note of during the calendar year that's about to come to an end. It's from a totally personal, subjective point of view, of course, but frankly that's the way opera-lovers always seem to like it, n'est-ce pas? The productions worth noting come from places big, small and in-between, from composers old as the hills to freshly minted or somewhere in between (likewise the performers), from traditional or boldly modern to simply stand up and sing.

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld New Jersey Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Louisville Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.