New York Musical Theatre Festival News

Theatre Tuscaloosa will present its summer musical, Grease, July 12-21 in the Bean-Brown Theatre on the Martin Campus of Shelton State Community College.

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) and Flying Elephant Productions present TILL, the emotional and moving true story of Emmett and Mamie Till, with music and lyrics by Leo Schwartz and book by Leo Schwartz and DC Cathro. NJ Agwuna directs a cast of six, including Taylor A. Blackman (Regional: Fun Home, Mamma Mia, Hello Dolly, Ragtime), Tyla Collier (Off-Broadway: Sistas the Musical), Dwelvan David (1st national tours: Finding Neverland; The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess), Judith Franklin (Broadway: Summer: The Donna Summer Musical), Denielle Marie Gray (NationalIntl. Touring: background singer for Patti Labelle & others) and Devin L. Roberts (Broadway: The Lion King, Cabin In The Sky). Five performances will be staged at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York City from July 23-28, 2019.

The Cape Playhouse at the Cape Cod Center for The Arts, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Rader and Executive Producer Joe Grandy, opened its 93rd season last night with Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest directed by Matt Lenz.

The Gift Theatre continues its 2019 Season with the Chicago premiere of Hansol Jung's WOLF PLAY, a messy, funny and disturbing theatrical experience grappling with a wolf, a puppet, and a very prickly problem: What is a family? What do we need from them, today? Is it very different from the things humans have needed from families before?

Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman are expanding the leadership team at Milwaukee Repertory Theater with three exceptional female leaders.

The League of Professional Theatre Women (Kelli Lynn Harrison and Catherine Porter, Co-Presidents), an organization which has been leading the gender parity conversation and championing women in the professional theatre for over 35 years, is pleased to announce that 2019 Tony Award-winner Andre De Shields (Hadestown) will host their inaugural Rachel Crothers Leadership Award Luncheon to honor Donna Walker-Kuhne, on Thursday, June 27 from 12-3pm at Sardi's Restaurant (234 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036). The event will also feature a special performance by LaChanze (2006 Tony Award winner for The Color Purple; Summer: The Donna Summer Musical). Tickets: Members $95; Non-Members $125.00; VIP tickets $175 (includes journal ad); VIP table $1,700 (with a journal ad). For more information and to purchase tickets please visit www.theatrewomen.org.

The Cape Playhouse at the Cape Cod Center for The Arts, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Rader and Executive Producer Joe Grandy, announces the opening of the 2019 summer season with The Importance of Being Earnest written by Oscar Wilde and directed by Matt Lenz, from June 12 through June 22.

A Red Orchid Theatre announces the addition of eight new members to the Artistic Ensemble: Karen Aldridge, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Levi Holloway, Travis A. Knight, Jess McLeod, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, and Steve Schine. A Red Orchid also welcomes two Resident Stage Managers Stephanie Heller and Christa van Baale.

11th Hour Theatre Company heats up the city with a three-show concert performance of City of Angels. This TONY Award winning musical will feature a cast of musical theatre stars and the 17-piece Big Band from The Summer Club. City of Angels has a book by Larry Gelbart, Music by Cy Coleman, and Lyrics by David Zippel. It is directed by 11th Hour Resident Director Megan Nicole O'Brien with Music Direction by Dan Kazemi. Larry Lees is conducting the Big Band.  The concert will be Friday, June 7(8 p.m.) and Saturday, June 8 (2 p.m. and 8 p.m.) at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street. Tickets cost $19-$39. They are available online at www.11thhourtheatrecompany.org or by phone at 267-987-9865.

Christopher T. Magician Introduces the World to his Mind Reading Rat for Five Performances at Hollywood Fringe June 21-30

The Gift Theatre announces casting for its Chicago premiere of Hansol Jung's WOLF PLAY, a messy, funny, and disturbing theatrical experience grappling with a wolf, a puppet, and a very prickly problem: What is a family? What do we need from them, today? Is it very different from the things humans have needed from families before?

LOOK OUT! Hook & Eye Theater is landing at The Flea with three outrageous new ideas to share. From a They/Them Generation riff on 1920s drag culture set against a Mae West play, to a tale of the MTA's wayward past and perhaps glorious future in the form of a subway ride, and an original play about a narcissistic soldier from the Gulf War in a play about identity, responsibility, and community. Hook and Eye Invades The Flea offers three unique visions for your pleasure. Each night a staged reading of our newest original work Echo & Narcissus and in-progress material from our inaugural Spoolers' Eliza Bent and Roger Q. Mason.

This is a war story. But there are no guns and ammo, just angry words and hurt pride. It's a story about blowing up your life and starting again. About divorce, love, loss and discovering a strength you never knew you had. This is Amity at her most raw and heartfelt and if you loved her smash hit '39 Forever' it is not to be missed!

Darius de Haas (Shuffle Along, Rent, Children of Eden) is looking very animated lately, especially as presented in a new cartoonified recording session video of "Real Thing," released today, Friday, March 29, as a single from the album "All the Possibilities: Broadway Sings Wartofsky" on Yellow Sound Label.

Back after a sold out performance in January… "Shallow," "Born This Way," "Edge of Glory," "You & I," "Million Reasons" - the music newly minted Oscar award-winning singer/songwriter and pop culture icon, Lady Gaga, comes back to Feinstein's/54 Below for one night only! Join over a dozen Broadway performers and rising starts as we celebrate the decade long careers of one of this generation's most trailblazing artists: Lady Gaga.

Notch Theatre Company, Playwright Jessica Kahkoska and the community of Colorado's North Fork Valley will kick off Wild Home: An American Odyssey with a free, public performance on April 27th, 2019.

Flying Elephant Productions is pleased to present the world premiere performanceof TILL - A New Musical, Book by Leo Schwartz and DC Cathro, Music & Lyrics by Leo Schwartz.

Steele Spring Stage Rights, the licensing company that represents The Marvelous Wonderettes, has just acquired the licensing and theatrical performance rights to the hit Off-Broadway parody musical mash-up about a pair of Mormon missionaries and their attempt to convert their unsuspecting target, musical theatre legend Ethel Merman!

Madison's Andrew Abrams, Capital City Theatre's Artistic Director, travels to London to workshop BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER: THE MUSICAL, for which he wrote the music. BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER: THE MUSICAL has been selected by the MTFestUK for it's inaugural showcase of new musicals.

Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) has added three performances to its highly anticipated upcoming production of Birdy, adapted by Naomi Wallace from the novel by William Wharton, and directed by Steven Maler. The production now runs February 27 through March 17 at the Carling-Sorenson Theater at Babson College in Wellesley.