Melissa Beck News

SARTA, The Sacremento Area Regional Theatre Alliance, announces both general and show-specific auditions for the Sacremento Area.

Several of Detroit's funniest comedians, including Skeeter Murray, will perform a live comedy tribute for fellow comedian and impressionist Alturo Shelton aka 'Mr. Motown' at the City Theatre Saturday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m and 10:30 p.m. The concert will be filmed for national DVD release with a percentage of the proceeds going to develop the Alturo Shelton Foundation for the Performing Arts.

Acorn Productions announces that the company will kick off their 2009/2010 season of dramatic readings of new scripts by Maine playwrights with AN ARMY OF ONE, by Laura Emack. This full-length play follows the story of booksmart high school senior Joan, who poses as a potential enlistee to expose hardball recruiting, but ends up responding to her country's call by a committed emissary she cannot dismiss. The script will be brought to life by actors from Acorn's 'Naked Shakespeare' Ensemble as well as students studying their craft in the Acorn Academy Academy. This reading is the first of a series of five events that will take place over the next few months to assist Acorn's staff in choosing the one play that will be given a full production at the St. Lawrence Arts Center next spring as part of the Maine Playwrights Festival.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA will host the Princess Grace Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City and present Awards to emerging artists in theater, dance, and film, as well as two Princess Grace Statue Awards to Brian Kulick and Gillian Murphy, artists who have previously won Awards and have shown achievement and growth in their respective fields. Every year, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) proudly awards these grants at its annual Awards Gala to support its mission of providing crucial support to emerging artists in America.

Houston's Main Street Theatre presents THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO and THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. BALLYHOO will run from November 12th through December 13th at the Main Street Theatre - Rice Village, while THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER will be performed on select dates in late November/early December at the Main Street Theatre - Chelsea Market.

For the first time in the history of the Burke Museum, seven different First Nations will gather for a contemporary music and performance event. On November 20th at 7:30 pm, the Burke will showcase 'Tribute to the Spirit: Little Big Band' at Meany Hall. 'Tribute' is a gathering of Native American performers, coming together to commemorate the end of the 100th Anniversary year of the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition (A-Y-P).

The Windham Theatre Guild is once again offering chocolate, wines, entertainment, and bargains galore. The 9th annual chocolate gala and goods and services auction will be held on Saturday October 17th, starting at 7:00pm at the Burton Leavitt Theatre.

Broadway star Cady Huffman will perform at San Francisco's Alcazar Theatre on Tuesday, October 13 in a one night only engagement. The performance will begin at 7pm.

'Little House on the Prairie,' a new musical based on the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder series of classic American books, will arrive on October 13, 2009 at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minn. Melissa Gilbert, who rose to fame as a child playing 'Laura' in the hugely successful NBC television series 'Little House on the Prairie' during the 1970's, now continues her legacy 'on the prairie' by taking on the role of Ma. 'Little House on the Prairie' will also star Steve Blanchard as Pa and Kara Lindsay as Laura. Tickets for the Saint Paul, Minn. engagement of 'Little House on the Prairie' are on sale now.

As previously announced, on October 12, nearly 150 theaters nationwide will stage readings of the epilogue piece to 2000's The Laramie Project, entitled The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, in honor of the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard's death. Two regional companies that have announced productions include Washington DC's Arena Stage and Who Wants Cake in Michigan.

Who Wants Cake? is thrilled to present its next late night venture, Harry Gibson?s stage adaptation of Irvine Welsh?s Trainspotting. Trainspotting will play for an exclusive four-week run at Ferndale?s The Ringwald Theatre from May 29th through June 22nd. Performances will be Friday and Saturdays nights at 10:00 PM with two 8:00PM Monday performances on June 15th and June 22nd.