Mike Ockrent News

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce Tony Award winners Roger Bart and Shuler Hensley will reprise the roles of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein and The Monster in the first national tour of The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein. The Chicago engagement will play the Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited six week engagement November 3 - December 13, 2009.

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce Tony Award winners Roger Bart and Shuler Hensley will reprise the roles of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein and The Monster in the first national tour of The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein. The Chicago engagement will play the Cadillac Palace Theatre for a limited six week engagement November 3 - December 13, 2009.

West Coast Ensemble is thrilled to announce that their critically-acclaimed, smash-hit production of BIG, The Musical, with book by John Weidman, music by David Shire, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., based on the motion picture 'BIG' written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg and directed by Richard Israel (Floyd Collins, Assassins) is EXTENDING THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 26 at West Coast Ensemble's new home - The El Centro Theatre, 800 N. El Centro Ave. in Hollywood.

West Coast Ensemble is thrilled to announce that their critically-acclaimed, smash-hit production of BIG, The Musical, with book by John Weidman, music by David Shire, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., based on the motion picture 'BIG' written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg and directed by Richard Israel (Floyd Collins, Assassins) is EXTENDING THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 26 at West Coast Ensemble's new home - The El Centro Theatre, 800 N. El Centro Ave. in Hollywood.

Several short plays by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Inge, never before publicly performed, will premiere April 22 at the annual William Inge Theatre Festival in his Kansas hometown. The 28th annual William Inge Theatre Festival celebrates the legacy of great American playwrights and honors Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt April 22-25. They will receive the coveted Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award, joining the list of previous Inge Festival honorees such as Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, and Stephen Sondheim.

Several short plays by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer William Inge, never before publicly performed, will premiere April 22 at the annual William Inge Theatre Festival in his Kansas hometown. The 28th annual William Inge Theatre Festival celebrates the legacy of great American playwrights and honors Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt April 22-25. They will receive the coveted Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award, joining the list of previous Inge Festival honorees such as Arthur Miller, August Wilson, Wendy Wasserstein, Neil Simon, and Stephen Sondheim.

Karen Carpenter, former associate artistic director at the Old Globe Theater of San Diego, director at the Yale Cabaret, and former production manager of more than a dozen Broadway musicals, will be guest director of the world premiere of One-Act Inge plays at the William Inge Theatre Festival this April in Independence, Kansas. Ms. Carpenter is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) and Actors' Equity Association. Karen Carpenter was one of seven nominees nationwide for the coveted Mike Ockrent Fellowship this year.

I Love a Piano, an enchanting revue of the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin, spans over seven decades of American history and includes 64 of Berlin's most enduring and popular favorites. Under the direction and choreography of Ray Roderick (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang national tour), who co-created the show with Michael Berkeley, these show-stopping song and dance numbers performed by a cast of talented young actors bring fresh energy to Berlin's material. I Love a Piano runs January 29-February 15, 2009 at Arena at the Lincoln Theatre.

I Love a Piano, an enchanting revue of the music and lyrics of Irving Berlin, spans over seven decades of American history and includes 64 of Berlin's most enduring and popular favorites. Under the direction and choreography of Ray Roderick (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang national tour), who co-created the show with Michael Berkeley, these show-stopping song and dance numbers performed by a cast of talented young actors bring fresh energy to Berlin's material. I Love a Piano runs January 29-February 15, 2009 at Arena at the Lincoln Theatre.

Using 64 of Berlin's enduring and popular favorites, I Love A Piano captures the spirit of America from the ragtime era of the early 20th century through the swinging elegance of the 1920's and 30's. From the songs that inspired a nation through the Great Depression to the innocent optimism of the 1950's, I Love A Piano embarks on an enduring journey through musical heaven. Timeless classics, such as 'Puttin' On The Ritz,' 'There's No Business Like Show Business,' 'Change Partners,' 'How Deep Is The Ocean,'God Bless America,' and 'White Christmas,' do more than identify the music of a generation, they define the music of our country. The show will be presented by Eva Price of Maximum Entertainment, Off-Broadway Booking, and Lawrence Toppall.

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) is pleased to announce full casting for its upcoming production of Itamar Moses' BACK BACK BACK, the stirring new drama set in baseball's steroid era.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation is proud to announce the recipient of the 2008 Denham Fellowship. The Denham Committee, comprised of board members Edie Cowan, Tisa Chang, Paul Lazarus, Sharon Ott and Mary Robinson, decided to name director Jessi D. Hill as the second Denham Fellow and award her $3,000 in support of her production of Angel Eaters at Flux Theatre Ensemble in New York, New York.

The Play Company hosts its fifth annual Cabaret Gourmet gala on Monday, April 28 at The Metropolitan Pavilion. This year honoring the renowned editor and author Judith Jones, Cabaret Gourmet is a theatrical celebration of food, glorious food and a tribute to the shared spirit of the culinary and theater arts.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) is proud to announce Michole Biancosino as the recipient of the 2007-08 Sir John Gielgud Fellowship.

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation is proud to announce the recipient of the inaugural Denham Fellowship to director May Adrales as the first Denham Fellow and award her $3,000 in support of her production of Faith, Hope, and Charity at PURE Theatre in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Play Company kicks off its 2007-2008 season with the American premiere of Bad Jazz by Robert Farquhar. Directed by Trip Cullman, Bad Jazz will play a limited Off-Broadway run from Sunday, November 4 - Sunday, November 25 at the Ohio Theatre (66 Wooster Street). Official opening is set for Sunday, November 11 at 7PM.

The Play Company presents a special evening with Board Member Susan Stroman and a benefit performance of Broadway's Young Frankenstein on Tuesday, October 23.

The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, a new musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smash The Producers, will open on Broadway November 8th 2007 at the Hilton Theatre (213 W 42nd St). Previews begin October 11th 2007. The production stars Roger Bart (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein), Megan Mullally (Elizabeth), Sutton Foster (Inga), Shuler Hensley (The Monster), Fred Applegate (Kemp) and Christopher Fitzgerald (Igor).

The on/off production could be on again for the end of 2007!

Comic playwright Christopher Durang talks with BWW about musicals, politics, maturity, and the hits & misses of his career.