Michael Hoffman News

Vassar & New York Stage and Film has announced casting highlights for the 28th annual Powerhouse Theater season (June 22-July 29, 2012) and the schedule for Readings Festival 1 (June 22-24).

Sundance Institute has announced the 13 projects selected for its annual June Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Resort in Utah from today, May 28 through June 28. Under the leadership of Michelle Satter, Founding Director of the Institute's Feature Film Program, and the artistic direction of Gyula Gazdag, the projects selected for this year's program include emerging filmmakers and projects from the United States, Italy, Romania, Australia, Algeria, France, Chile and the UK.

Academy Award® nominee and Emmy® Award winner David Strathairn (Dr. Austin Sloper) will join Academy Award® nominee Jessica Chastain (Catherine Sloper) in the Tony Award®-winning play The Heiress. Written by Ruth Goetz & Augustus Goetz, The Heiress will be directed by Tony Award® nominated playwright and director Moisés Kaufman and will open in the Fall of 2012 at a theatre to be announced.

After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2011, the acclaimed film BARRYMORE starring Academy Award® winner Christopher Plummer, directed & adapted by Érik Canuel, will be shown at select cinemas in Canada beginning in May 2012 and throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries in October 2012.

Pioneer Theatre Company will be giving shelter dogs from the Humane Society of Utah their big break in show business during an upcoming run of the musical 'Annie' (Opens Friday, December 2nd, through December 23rd).

Pioneer Theatre Company presents the holiday family musical Annie from December 2 through December 23, 2011.

Pioneer Theatre Company will be giving shelter dogs from the Humane Society of Utah their big break in show business during an upcoming run of the musical 'Annie' (Opens Friday, December 2nd, through December 23rd).

Pioneer Theatre Company presents the holiday family musical Annie from December 2 through December 23, 2011.

The 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment, are pleased to announce honorees that will be recognized for their achievements at the festival's Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 24, 2011.

I usually choose not to review workshop productions, but, in regard to Deborah Johnson's Tsarina, breaking the rule proved worthwhile. The show has such great potential. It's incredible to think that other composers have not seized the opportunity to write a musical play about this most vibrant time frame of Russian history culminating in the Bolshevik revolution and in 1917 the downfall of Nicholas (Patrick Dillon Curry) and Alexandra (Kelly Derouin), the last czars in Russia.

The 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment, are pleased to announce honorees that will be recognized for their achievements at the festival's Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 24, 2011.

Maine State Music Theatre (MSMT) is presenting the New England premiere of XANADU, playing July 20 - August 6 at the Pickard Theater in Brunswick.

Stanley Tucci and Cloris Leachman have joined Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz in the upcoming film ‘Gambit,' the remake of the 1966 Michael Caine-Shirley MacLaine movie, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

There's this old showbiz cliche that says one should never work with kids and/or animals. Well, either species probably never really scared producers from creating ANNIE, the much-beloved musical classic now in production for Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, California through November 14. Here, the kids steal every scene, and the dog... well, how can you not love a musical with a lovable (trained) dog? With famous populist origins and quite a hummable, familiar score, this long-standing musical's saccharine sweet portrayal of pre-Depression era New York City amps up the long-lost American idea of optimism. And, in a bit of inspired stunt casting, Andrea McArdle--who made her Tony-nominated debut in the original 1977 Broadway production as the title role--steps into the role of the wicked Ms. Hannigan for this production.

Musical Theatre West is proud to announce the complete cast for its upcoming production of ANNIE at the beautiful 1070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Musical Theatre West is proud to announce the complete cast for its upcoming production of ANNIE at the beautiful 1070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.

Westport Public Library is pleased to announce that The Malloy Lecture in the Arts will be held on Thursday, September 16, at 7:00 pm. The event will take place at Westport Country Playhouse (25 Powers Court, Westport). Entitled 'The Malloy Lecture in the Arts: Remembering Archie (Archibald MacLeish-The Poet and the Man), as told by Christopher Plummer,' the evening will feature Emmy and Tony award-winning actor Christopher Plummer, who will combine MacLeish's poetry with his personal reminiscences of the poet. In addition, Plummer will be interviewed by Westport Country Playhouse Artistic Advisor Anne Keefe about his own career and memoir, 'In Spite of Myself.'

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale, Sutton Foster, and Ari Graynor will co-star in the world premiere comedy TRUST, written by Paul Weitz, directed by Peter DuBois. Mr. Weitz returns to Second Stage Theatre, where his plays Privilege and Show People premiered in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Directed by Peter DuBois, who staged Second Stage's acclaimed production of Becky Shaw, TRUST will begin previews on Friday, July 23 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street) and officially open on Thursday, August 12. The production runs through September 5.