Michael Kerker News

America's blacklisted writers are back in lights again and this time they're singing.

The ASCAP Foundation just honored Tony Award-winning lyricist and director of Annie Martin Charnin with the first-ever ASCAP Foundation George M. Cohan Award at their 18th annual Awards Ceremony last night, December 11th. The invitation-only event, hosted by ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams, was held at the Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City.

ASCAP is now seeking new musicals for the annual ASCAP/DreamWorks Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles. Serving once more as artistic director for the workshop is Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose credits include hit Broadway shows Wicked, Godspell and Pippin, the Walt Disney films Enchanted, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt. The workshop will take place February 11th-13th, 2014 at 7:00pm sharp.

The Kennedy Center, under the auspices of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), presented a free, five-night ASCAP Centennial Celebration on the Millennium Stage, November 16 through the 18th and 20-21, 2013. Click HERE to watch Corey Cott and Kara Lindsay perform!

The Kennedy Center, under the auspices of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), presents a free, five-night ASCAP Centennial Celebration on the Millennium Stage today, November 16 through the 18th and 20-21, 2013.

ASCAP is now seeking new musicals for the annual ASCAP/DreamWorks Musical Theatre Workshop in Los Angeles. Serving once more as artistic director for the workshop is Academy and Grammy Award-winning composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, whose credits include hit Broadway shows Wicked, Godspell and Pippin, the Walt Disney films Enchanted, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt. The workshop will take place February 11th-13th, 2014 at 7:00pm sharp.

The Kennedy Center, under the auspices of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), presents a free, five-night ASCAP Centennial Celebration on the Millennium Stage November 16-18 and 20-21, 2013. This live showcase of musical theater works from the past 100 years features songs by some of the theater world's most talented composers and lyricists and concerts from a lineup of acclaimed musical theater performers. The celebration is part of the Center's daily, free Millennium Stage performance series streamed live on the Kennedy Center website and archived for future viewings. It is the first in a series of events across the country that will celebrate ASCAP's upcoming 100th birthday, on February 13, 2014.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has chosen Abrams Artists Agent Beth Blickers, OBIE and Drama Desk Award-winning actress Donna Lynne Champlin, Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-nominated actor Hunter Foster, Tony Award and Drama Desk Award-nominated composer and lyricist Amanda Green, Tony Award-nominated director Thomas Kail, Associate Producer of the Old Globe Eric Louie, Outer Critics Circle-nominated director and choreographer Josh Prince, Tony Award and Drama Desk nominated actor and writer Tony Sheldon, Tony Award-nominated and Grammy-winning composer Lucy Simon, and two-time Tony Award-winning actor Michael Cerveris to serve as the Grand Jury of this year's Next Link project.

Eight finalists have been chosen to compete in the Grand Finale of the 8th Annual NYMF Next Broadway Sensation competition this Friday, October 11th at 11pm at New World Stages. Over 200 talented hopefuls auditioned for a spot in this year's competition.

The 2013 NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation Competition returns for its eighth year, continuing at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street) through October 11. NYMF held open auditions for Season 8 of the annual talent contest. Nearly 200 hopefuls turned out to compete for the title of NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation, and the field was narrowed down to 20 semifinalists, who competed in two heats at New World Stages.

For the first the ASCAP New Musical Theatre Workshop was held outside of New York and Los Angles. The Lied Center in Lincoln, Ne and on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln held the workshop in September.

The 2013 NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation Competition returns for its eighth year and will take place at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street) beginning tonight, September 27th.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced details for its 2013 NYMF's Next Broadway Sensation Competition (NNBS). The singing competition returns for its eighth year and will take place at New World Stages (340 W. 50th Street).

The Lied Center for Performing Arts is thrilled to announce the Lincoln premiere of the ASCAP New Musical Theatre Workshop. This exciting event, held annually in New York and Los Angeles, hits Lincoln today, September 10 - 12, 2013 and offers artists the opportunity to 'Grow A Show' with the help of renowned industry experts. The workshop will center on staged readings of selected new works from across the United States. The Lied Center has developed a musical theatre festival to accompany this prestigious workshop, which includes master classes and a concert which will incorporate local talent and visiting Broadway guest artists.

Last weekend, August 22-25, 2013, the Dramatists Guild of America held its second ever national conference in Chicago, at the Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Avenue. The Dramatists Guild is the professional association of playwrights, librettists, lyricists and composers writing for the stage. And with almost 7,000 members, that's a lot of creative energy!

Dramatists Guild of America presented the 2nd Annual National Conference in Chicago 'Having Our Say: Our History, Our Future' livestreaming on HowlRound TV channel on Thursday, August 22 and Friday, August 23. On Thursday, Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz spoke about w?riting WICKED with host Michael Kerker. Watch the interview below!

The Lied Center for Performing Arts is thrilled to announce the Lincoln premiere of the ASCAP New Musical Theatre Workshop. This exciting event, held annually in New York and Los Angeles, hits Lincoln September 10 - 12, 2013 and offers artists the opportunity to 'Grow A Show' with the help of renowned industry experts

For The Society of Composers & Lyricists first SongArts event, the SCL and ASCAP will present an evening with illustrious songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman. As their songs have been enriching the Great American Songbook for more than five decades, they are recipients of three Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, the Grammy Trustees Award, and have been nominated for 16 Academy Awards.

Yesterday, the Kleban Foundation presented the 23rd annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre lyricist to Daniel Mate and the 23rd annual Kleban Prize for the most promising musical theatre librettist to Alan Gordon. Check out photos from the special ceremony below!

Billed as Barbara Cook's Special 85th Birthday Concert, the Tony Award-winning soprano's one-woman concert of musical theatre songs, rare selections, and jazz standards at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa was met with well-earned---and well-deserved---adoring cheers throughout the evening. And if the concert was Cook's master class in musical performance, her latter interview with ASCAP's Michael Kerker was a symposium on how to be the best entertainer one can be.