Michael Barker News

Westport Country Playhouse invites local nonprofit organizations to attend a celebration in advance of #GivingTuesday, on Monday, November 28, at 1 p.m., at the entrance to the Playhouse lobby.

?Westport Country Playhouse's board of trustees announced today that Michael Barker will be the Connecticut theater's new managing director. 

Marin Theatre Company's artistic director Jasson Minadakis and managing director Michael Barker are thrilled to announce the 50th anniversary season for the North Bay's leading non-profit professional theatre.

Richard Linklater - DREAM IS DESTINY will make its World Premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival today, January 26 in the documentaries category.

According to the Sunday Times, THE BLOODY IRISH, a new musical about the 1916 Easter Rising, is Broadway-bound. The show will reportedly open at the Neil Simon Theatre in April before launching a North American tour. An official announcement has not yet been made.

Richard Linklater - DREAM IS DESTINY will make its World Premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday, January 26 in the documentaries category.

Today, Marin Theatre Company's artistic director Jasson Minadakis and managing director Michael Barker announced the 49-year-old professional nonprofit theater's 2015-16 season.

Marin Theatre Company artistic director Jasson Minadakis, managing director Michael Barker and director of new play development Margot Melcon announced today the winners of MTC's two new American play prizes, a program now in its seventh year. Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau won the 2014 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize and Martyna Majok won the 2014 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize for her play Ironbound. The winners were selected from over 900 eligible submissions.

Michael Barker, Co-President and Co-Founder of Sony Pictures Classics, will become Co-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the Moving Image. Herbert S. Schlosser, who was Chairman from 1985 to 2013, and Co-Chairman from 2013 to present, will retire after 30 years of service, it was announced today by Mr. Schlosser and Ivan L. Lustig, Co-Chairman. Michael Barker, one of the most respected and honored leaders in the film industry, will officially begin his new position on February 1, 2015. His election took place at a Board of Trustees meeting in late October. Mr. Schlosser had informed the board one year ago that he intended to retire, and a search was started to find a successor.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Jaeger-LeCoultre announced the selection of award-winning Argentine filmmaker Lisandro Alonso as their 2014 Filmmaker in Residence

Last week, Mill Valley resident Noralee Monestere McKersie became the development director of Marin Theatre Company. Formerly, the associate director of major and special gifts of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and executive director of the Marin Symphony, McKersie assumed her full-time duties at MTC on February 18, 2014.

Just back from opening for super group Big Time Rush on the band's South American tour, Olivia Somerlyn is honored to have been asked to perform at Sony Pictures Classics' Annual Oscar® Pre-Awards dinner party hosted by STK, Moet & Chandon and Fiji Water.

Last night at Opening Night of Carson Kreitzer's Lasso of Truth, Marin Theatre Company's artistic director Jasson Minadakis and managing director Michael Barker announced the company's 2014-15 season programming today. Featuring six new plays by living contemporary playwrights in MTC's intimate 231-seat mainstage Boyer Theatre, the season includes:

Marin Theatre Company artistic director Jasson Minadakis, managing director Michael Barker and director of new play development Margot Melcon announced today the winners of MTC's two national new American play prizes, a program now in its sixth year. The Way West by Mona Mansour won the 2013 Sky Cooper New American Play Prize and Eric Dufault won the 2013 David Calicchio Emerging American Playwright Prize for his play The Year of the Rooster. The winners were selected from nearly 700 eligible submissions.

Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, today announced its official program selections for the 40th anniversary edition of Telluride Film Festival.

Sony Pictures Classics announced today it will be releasing Alex Gibney's Lance Armstrong documentary, THE ARMSTRONG LIE worldwide.

Sundance Institute today announced the participants for its annual Creative Producing Labs and Creative Producing Summit, both held the week of July 29 at the Sundance Resort in Sundance, Utah. These activities are part of the Institute's year-round Creative Producing Initiative, which encompasses a series of Labs, Fellowships and other events that support independent producers.

Marin Theatre Company's artistic director Jasson Minadakis, managing director Michael Barker and Board of Directors' Development Committee chair Fred Taylor announced today that the company received a two-year $350,000 challenge grant from an anonymous Marin couple. The grant will match dollar-for-dollar all donations from supporters who have not previously contributed to MTC. The grant will also match each dollar given above the amount a returning donor gave in 2012. Gifts doubled by 2012 donors will be matched in full, doubling the impact of their contributions.

Marin Theatre Company's artistic director Jasson Minadakis and managing director Michael Barker announced today that the company is launching its first theater series for young audiences during its upcoming 2013/14 season. Featuring five productions in MTC's 99-seat Lieberman Theatre and 231-seat Boyer Theatre, the season includes four Bay Area Children's Theatre productions - The Cat in the Hat, A Year with Frog and Toad, Mercy Watson to the Rescue and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy, the Musical - and an MTC production of Rapunzel. Based in Mill Valley, MTC is a 47-year old professional nonprofit theater that is a destination for exhilarating performances, inspired new American plays and powerful theatrical experiences.

Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced the North American Premiere of Pedro Almodovar's I'm So Excited! as the opening night film, which will take place Thursday, June 13. The film's release is set for June 28 from Sony Pictures Classics.