Michael Gruber News

There's just one month left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis 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.

Theater Latte Da hosts the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT)'s New Work Roundtable from Thursday, July 19 - Friday, July 20 as part of this year's NEXT Festival.

Theater Latte Da (TLD) announces the slate of artists and projects for this year's NEXT Festival. Four dynamic new works from Angelica Cheri and Ross Baum, Jelloslave cellists Michelle Kinney and Jacqueline Ultar, Michael Gruber, Harrison David Rivers, Nikki Swoboda, Ryan Underbakke and Matt Spring, and Max Wojtanowicz will each receive workshops and public readings beginning Sunday, July 15. The NEXT Festival is part of TLD's NEXT 20/20, a robust new work initiative aimed at developing 20 new musicals or plays-with-music by 2020, shepherding many of them to full production. Past NEXT Festivals have offered audiences a first look at new musicals that have gone on to full production including C. (2015) and Five Points (2018).

Dueling dancers played by Lamar Jefferson and Ben Bakken did the first-ever duel 6 Questions & a Plug to dish on being part of Theater Latte Da's world premiere musical in Northeast Minneapolis.

Hennepin Theatre Trust and University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) School of Fine Arts have announced casting for the second annual performance of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 26 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis).

'Fire," a painting by Sarasota artist Jana Millstone, has taken first prize at Art Center Sarasota's "Florida's Finest," an annual exhibition of works by Florida artists. The second prize winner is Raymond Lawler for "The Band Played On." Third prize went to Nathan Beard for 'Exit Music #58 (The Effects of Passing through One Another"). Merit awards were given to Lynn Foskett for 'Stacked' and Mike Hanlon for ' Michael Gruber."

Stages Theatre Company (STC) presents Stone Soup, directed by Melanie Salmon-Peterson. This original musical adaptation based on the classic folktale, is written by Jeannine Coulombe, with music composed by Broadway's Michael Gruber.

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced that celebrated actors Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield have joined the cast of the Minnesota premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis). This one-night-only event brings together the extraordinary talent of local and nationally-known artists to create six new theatrical plays within 24 hours.

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that celebrated actors MELISSA GILBERT and TIMOTHY BUSFIELD are joining the cast of the Minnesota premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis). This one-night-only event brings together the extraordinary talent of local and nationally-known artists to create six new theatrical plays within 24 hours.

In celebration of the historic Pantages Theatre's 100th anniversary, Hennepin Theatre Trust and the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) School of Fine Arts are partnering to support emerging musical theatre talent in Minnesota by presenting the premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS.

???????Twin Cities actor and playwright Max Wojtanowicz will tour his highly-acclaimed original musical Ball: A Musical Tribute To My Lost Testicle to the Underground Theatre in Duluth, MN.

When Rice, MN, native Max Wojtanowicz was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer in January 2016, a friend told him to 'conquer it, and then sing about it.' He accepted that challenge. Through storytelling and original songs about chemotherapy, community, and courage, Ball is a show about laughing (and singing) in the face of darkness when life throws you a curve… ball. Wojtanowicz's first solo performance effort is his fourth original musical with director Nikki Swoboda, in collaboration with composers Michael Gruber, Jason Hansen, and Andrew Cooke. Jerry Rubino will join Wojtanowicz at the piano.

???????Twin Cities actor and playwright Max Wojtanowicz will tour his highly-acclaimed original musical Ball: A Musical Tribute To My Lost Testicle to the Underground Theatre in Duluth, MN.

Stages Theatre Company (STC) had a special visitor on Wednesday, May 11th. Popular children's book author Lisa McCourt attended the 10am performance of her very first page-to-stage adaptation: STC's world premiere of I LOVE YOU, STINKY FACE. This heart-warming new musical, on stage thru Sunday May 15th, was adapted for the stage by Jeannine Coulombe who also wrote the lyrics and features music by twin cities favorite Michael Gruber. 

Stages Theatre Company (STC) presents the world premiere musical I LOVE YOU, STINKY FACE, directed by Nikki Swoboda. This heart-warming new musical is based on the children's book by Lisa McCourt, adapted and lyrics by Jeannine Coulombe, with music by Michael Gruber.

Stages Theatre Company (STC) presents the world premiere musical I LOVE YOU, STINKY FACE, directed by Nikki Swoboda. This heart-warming new musical is based on the children's book by Lisa McCourt, adapted and lyrics by Jeannine Coulombe, with music by Michael Gruber.

Helly my Broadway World Minneapolis friends. I know it's been a while since I've shared anything with you, but that's because I've been all-consumed by the 174-show 11-day festival that is the Minnesota Fringe. If you have not yet sampled from this glorious smorgasbord, don't worry, the fest continues through August 9 with 4-7 shows offered each day at 15 venues in Minneapolis, plus 9 site-specific shows. Believe me, I understand that this can be overwhelming, but I'm here to help. Read on to see a list of my 10 favorite shows of the Fringe so far. Now get out there, open your eyes and your heart and your mind, and see some of the beautiful, challenging, hilarious, disturbing, silly, profound, amazing theater that this festival has to offer.

Have you ever imagined your life as a musical? Lifelong BFFs Max and Sheena have done more than imagine it - they've written it! And since in addition to being best friends, Max Wojtanowicz and Sheena Janson are both super talented music-theater artists* (you may know Max from the Children's Theatre and Sheena from numerous production with Mu Performing Arts), the result is a musical that's not only fun and entertaining, but also brutally honest and from the heart. FRUIT FLY: THE MUSICAL began as a hit Fringe show in 2012 and has had several workshops and readings since, and is now a full-fledged show at Illusion Theater. Each time I see it, it has a bit more depth, but always retains the beautiful, poignant, hilarious, endearing heart that is this real life friendship.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, the second longest-running Broadway musical (only surpassed by Lloyd Webber's own 'The Phantom of the Opera'), and fourth longest-running West End musical, returns in high definition and digital sound to GREAT PERFORMANCES where it had its 1998 world television premiere. The special encore presentation will air tonight, November 21 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) as part of the PBS Arts Fall Festival.

Drai's Nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip and global musical sensation Iggy Azalea are teaming up to create the Strip's biggest New Year's Eve party and live concert event on Dec. 31, 2014.