Melis Aker News

This month, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. See Linda Eder, Hugh Panaro, a celebration of the Jennas of Waitress and more. See the full month's programming here!

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, New York Theatre Barn will present The Musicals de Mañana, a concert featuring songs from some of the most thrilling and influential Latiné musical theatre writers on the rise. The live and in-person concert will be presented at 54 Below (254 W. 54th St., NYC) on Thursday, October 6th, 2022 at 9:30PM. The concert will also be streamed live. 

Signature Theatre has announced its first-ever LaunchPad Resident—playwright, actor, and musician Melis Aker—inaugurating the new program that supports diverse early-career playwrights and expands the organization’s singular mission of producing a body of work by each resident writer.

Ars Nova and PlayCo will present the world premiere of HOUND DOG by 2019 Ars Nova resident artist Melis Aker. Directed by Machel Ross with music by Aker and the Lazours, this cross-cultural jam-session-meets-play explores the winding path towards forgiveness and belonging.

The Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, a new organization that develops and advocates for new Latiné-written works of musical theatre in order to radically change who gets to tell musical stories on stages across the country, is presenting its first ever Benefit Concert. 

PlayCo has announced its programming through 2023—three plays that, in radically disparate styles, offer generous and probing explorations of human connection across the complexities of geopolitics, cultural identity, and elaborate workplace lunches.

Ars Nova has announced details for its 20th Anniversary Season, which introduces the What’s Ars Is Yours: Name Your Price ticket initiative.

Following its virtual development as a part of the 2020 Summer Season, the new musical Azul will receive an in-person developmental process on the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center campus this September.

New York Theatre Workshop has announced the playwrights and directors selected for the 2022/23 Season 2050 Artistic Fellowship. The 2022/23 Artistic Fellows are Miranda Cornell, Thaddeus McCants, Aileen Wen McGroddy, Attilio Rigotti, Andrew Rodriguez and Minghao Tu.

The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center has announced its 2022 summer season, which features the return of some beloved in-person public events put on pause during the virtual and hybrid seasons of 2020 and 2021. 

The Broadway Women's Fund has just released its third annual list of Women to Watch on Broadway.

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues will return for 'Season 3' tonight on IGTV @24hourplays and at https://24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/. A bold group of top actors and writers have been paired to create a set of all-new pieces. From 6 PM onward, the new monologues will be published, one every 15 minutes.

Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove at Goodspeed Musicals will return to the Goodspeed campus January 31 - February 27, 2022 after being virtual in 2021.

 Ars Nova has announced 17 new artists and groups selected in 2022 for residencies and commissions at Ars Nova. The Company’s dynamic slate of artist residencies and commissions supports outside-the-box thinking and encourages innovative, genre-bending work.

Page 73 has announced 10 semifinalists for the 2022 Page 73 Playwriting Fellowship. From a pool of over 300 applicants, Page 73 has selected Melis Aker, Syreeta Briggs, Vichet Chum, Kate Douglas, Ryan Drake, Marvin González De León, Majkin Holmquist, Deepa Purohit, Gab Reisman, and Haygen-Brice Walker.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced this year’s casting for the performances of Little Duende, Māyā, Private Gomer Jones, and TL;DR featured in the 33rd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS. This year’s festival will be held on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22, 2021 and will be presented as a digital and in-person hybrid.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced this year’s casting for the performances of AZUL, Fanny & Stella, Missing Peace and Senior Class featured in the 33rd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS (remaining casting to be announced).

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced this year’s directors and music directors for the 33rd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which will be held on Thursday, October 21 and Friday, October 22, 2021.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced the line-up of new musicals for their 33rd Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS on Thursday October 20 and Friday, October 21, 2021. This year, NAMT ‘s Festival of New Musicals will be presented as a unique digital and in-person hybrid, allowing wider accessibility for attendees.

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues will premiere on Tuesday, June 29th, with an all new series of unforgettable performances.