Natalie Portman News

Like the role she will be playing in a new production of 'Ruthless!,' the cult-hit musical, Sophia Anne Caruso is a young actress who will do anything to get the part. The triple threat tween will follow in the tap shoes of Laura Bell Bundy('Hairspray,' 'Legally Blonde') Britney Spears and Natalie Portman. Before they became stars, all three young actors were cast as the diabolically talented Tina Denmark. Of Caruso, Author/Director, Joel Paley says, 'We didn't find her, she found us!' Sophia tracked down the creators while they were trying out rewrites for a new Connecticut production, writing to tell them that after having been cast as Tina in regional theatre, one of the principle actors suffered a fatal heart attack during the dress rehearsal. The show never opened. Although heartbroken and terribly shaken ('It was the worst thing that ever happened in my life') she assured us she knew the role backwards and forwards and was more determined than ever to play Tina. 'We had to meet her. She was Tina Denmark.' An audition was arranged and the rest is going to be history!

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced additional casting for The Real Thing, starring Ewan McGregor as 'Henry,' Maggie Gyllenhaal as 'Annie,' Cynthia Nixon as 'Charlotte' and Josh Hamilton as 'Max.' Tom Stoppard's Tony Award-winning play The Real Thing, directed by Sam Gold begins preview performances on Thursday, October 2, 2014 and opens officially on Thursday, October 30, 2014 at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway (227 West 42ndStreet). This is a limited engagement. The cast also includes Alex Breaux as 'Brodie' and Madeline Weinstein as 'Debbie.' Final casting to be announced.

Like the role she will be playing in a new production of 'Ruthless!,' the cult-hit musical, Sophia Anne Caruso is a young actress who will do anything to get the part. The triple threat tween will follow in the tap shoes of Laura Bell Bundy('Hairspray,' 'Legally Blonde') Britney Spears and Natalie Portman. Before they became stars, all three young actors were cast as the diabolically talented Tina Denmark. Of Caruso, Author/Director, Joel Paley says, 'We didn't find her, she found us!' Sophia tracked down the creators while they were trying out rewrites for a new Connecticut production, writing to tell them that after having been cast as Tina in regional theatre, one of the principle actors suffered a fatal heart attack during the dress rehearsal. The show never opened. Although heartbroken and terribly shaken ('It was the worst thing that ever happened in my life') she assured us she knew the role backwards and forwards and was more determined than ever to play Tina. 'We had to meet her. She was Tina Denmark.' An audition was arranged and the rest is going to be history!

Five Long Island musicians have received the opportunity to both study and perform at the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, as part a program that was developed by the Usdan Center.

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Todd Schmidt-Managing Director) is proud to open its 2014-2015 season with a Broadway-bound, world-class revival of Can-Can starring Kate Baldwin as Pistache and Jason Danieley as Aristide.

Creative writing students ages 12 to 16 from Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the acclaimed summer arts day camp whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, Jane Monheit and Broadway playwright Michele Lowe, joined for the second season with students of the same age from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Summer Youth Program in a unique two-week joint workshop from July 21 to August 1.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, more than 1,000 prominent philanthropists, business and entertainment community leaders, local dignitaries and other hospital supporters will gather at The Event Deck at L.A. LIVE for the 2014 Children's Hospital Los Angeles Gala

Best-selling author Billie Letts has died in Oklahoma at the age of 76. She died on Saturday in Tulsa of acute myeloid leukemia. Arlene Johnson, her publicist, confirmed her death.

Sharon Tate in Heaven, presented by This American Blonde Actress and Mississippi Mud Productions, returns for a limited special New York City run today, August 8th-11th, followed by two special dates in Lido Beach, New York August 16th and 17th.

Sharon Tate in Heaven has a new home in New York City for the August 8-11 run. The White Box Studio C at The Alchemical Theatre Laboratory. Sharon Tate in Heaven, presented by This American Blonde Actress and Mississippi Mud Productions, returns for a limited special New York City run this August 8th-11th, followed by two special dates in Lido Beach, New York August 16th and 17th at Theresa Academy for Performing Arts.

Best-selling author Billie Letts has died at an Oklahoma hospital following a brief illness. She was 76.

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation's premier member organization of independent filmmakers, announced today that Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer, will be presented with the 24th annual Industry Tribute

Tina Denmark, the diabolically talented tyke in the award-winning musical Ruthless! returns to New York for nine performances only to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on September 5-6; 8; 12-13; 15; 19-20 and 22, 2014 at 7:00pm. Performances will be held at Stage 72 at The Triad (158 W 72nd St, NYC).

Ok, after our Celebrity Guest-Recapper Natalie Weiss was absolutely on fire last week, I figured I had to step up my game tonight. So, as I did last year, I will be live updating tonight's Top-16 Episode of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. So, after every routine hit refresh, and I will have details and my Mini-Review for each.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) invites writers to meet more than eleven real producers face-to-face at the Writer-Producer Speed Date: The Art of the Pitch on Sunday, July 27, 2014 at 5:30pm and 6:30pm at The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street, 3rd Floor NYC. The deadline to apply is Saturday, July 19, 2014. If accepted, the cost to participate is $75 ($65 for TRU members). For more information and an application, visit http://www.truonline.org/WriterSpeedDateJuly14.htm.

Tony Award-winner Nikki M. James, currently in the new Les Miserables, joined three other Broadway performers - Benjamin Howes of Scandalous and Mary Poppins, Brian Gonzales of Aladdin and Natalie Joy Johnson of Kinky Boots, accompanied by musical director Nate Buccieri - in a special musical revue, titled 'Putting It Together,' featuring Stephen Sondheim songs, at Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. Scroll down for photos!

Ophelia Lovibond is set to recur on ELEMENTARY in the series' upcoming third season as famed detective Sherlock Holmes' new protégé, Kitty Winter.

Sharon Tate in Heaven, presented by This American Blonde Actress and Mississippi Mud Productions, returns for a limited special New York City run this August 8th-11th, followed by two special dates in Lido Beach, New York August 16th and 17th. As covered in The New York Times' Fashion & Style section in an article on Sharon's enduring style, the TV smash Mad Men, the new book 'Sharon Tate: Recollection' by her sister, Debra, celebrating Sharon, the 'new generation crushing on Sharon Tate' as evident with high school students on Twitter, virtual fan sites on Facebook and Tumblr, and this Sharon Tate in Heaven show are evidence of Sharon Tate's mythos and enduring appeal as style icon.

It was a rushed audition and callback process, but finally, we are getting into the meat and potatoes of the SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE season; the live shows. This week's installment is the 200th live show in SYTYCD history, and we finally got to see the Top-20 do their thing.

There are still some spaces available in Usdan Center's special three-week season, which runs July 28 to August 15. Introduced last year, the program was so successful that it returns. Usdan, America pre-eminent summer arts day camp, has just begun its 47th season at its 200-acre woodland campus in the Huntington area of Long Island.