New York Musical Theatre Festival News

New York University's program in vocal performance will present a workshop production of the show Fantasy Football: The Musical? at the Provincetown Playhouse, 133 MacDougal Street, March 24-27.

Starting in April on the Hubbard stage is the Alley Theatre's production of the thrilling and wickedly sharp Amadeus.

Prospect Theater Company (Cara Reichel, Producing Artistic Director / Melissa Huber, Managing Director) celebrates April Fool's Day with a one-night-only concert presentation of founding member Peter Mills' comic song cycle Lonely Rhymes, on Friday, April 1st at 9:30pm.

On April 11, 2011, Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre will honor esteemed stage and screen actress Bernadette Peters with the company's second Stephen Sondheim Award. The award, established in 2009 in honor of America's most influential contemporary musical theater writer and composer, will be presented at a black-tie Gala Benefit at the Embassy of Italy. The 2011 Sondheim Award Gala is chaired by Ted and Mary Jo Shen; Honorary Hosts include Stephen Sondheim, Helen Henderson, His Excellency Gary Doer and Ms. Ginny Devine, The Honorable James Moran, His Excellency Giulio Terzi and Ms. Antonella Cinque, and The Honorable Jim Webb and Mrs. Webb. The Sondheim Award Gala will help to benefit Signature Theatre's numerous artistic, education, and community programs. Last year's recipient was stage, screen, and television icon Angela Lansbury.

The Gallery Players is proud to announce casting and creative team for August Wilson's Jitney.

The Gallery Players (Heather Curran, Artistic Director; Neal Freeman, Executive Director) announced today that Broadway veteran Gregory Simmons will direct August Wilson's Jitney, running March 19 - April 3, 2011 at the organization's Brooklyn home (199 14th Street, Park Slope).

Asolo Repertory Theatre is thrilled to introduce Florida audiences to Las Meninas, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage.

Just one year ago, Aurora was the first regional theatre in America to produce the post-Broadway production of A Catered Affair, a performance that won high praise from its creators the legendary Harvey Fierstein and composer John Bucchino.

Virginia's Tony Award®-winning Signature Theatre has announced the artistic team behind the upcoming world premiere of the musical comedy And the Curtain Rises (formerly known as Wheatley's Folly), which begins performances on Thursday, March 17, 2011. And the Curtain Rises marks the third production presented as part of Signature's groundbreaking American Musical Voices Project, the largest commissioning program for new musicals in the country, following Michael John LaChiusa's Giant in 2009 and Ricky Ian Gordon's Sycamore Trees last year.

Alina Gutiérrez and Ashley Mas are pleased to announce Composers Sing Composers featuring Gaby Alter, Joey Contreras, Drew Gasparini, Jonathan Reid Gealt, Adam Gwon, Brian Lowdermilk, Ryan Scott Oliver and Zoe Sarnak, a one-night-only concert event taking place Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 7pm.

Broadway is being dominated by Rock Musicals. Both singers trained in legit musical theatre styles and Pop & Rock singers who are venturing into musical theatre now have a definitive guide on how to approach auditioning musicals that specifically ask for Pop, Rock, Motown, Disco, R&B, Folk and Gospel styles.

New Edgecliff Theatre (NET) is thrilled to present the Cincinnati premiere of [title of show], April 14. Winner of three Obie awards in 2006 and Tony-nominated in 2009 for Best Book, [title of show] follows the real-life journey of two nonentities, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen. Determined to enter the New York Musical Theatre Festival, these two witty, struggling writers attempt to create a new show in a mere three weeks. With the help of their friends,Susan and Heidi, they write a show about...writing a show. With songs like 'Secondary Characters' and 'Two Nobodies in New York', [title of show] is a hilarious love letter to Musical Theatre - a uniquely American art form - and to the joy of collaboration.

PINKALICIOUS, THE MUSICAL will move to the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center Saturday, April 2nd, 2011. Performances are Saturdays and Sundays at 11am for the opened run.

Songwriting duo Sam Carner and Derek Gregor-the team behind the award-winning NYMF hit Unlock'd-will showcase their songs on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 8pm in a concert titled Carner & Gregor's Barely Legal Showtune Extravaganza. Hosted by Hair's Andrew Kober and Avenue Q's Sarah Stiles, the event will bring together nine of the most-talented musical theatre students currently studying at schools across the U.S. The concert will take place at the new East Village venue DROM (85 Avenue A between 5th & 6th Streets).

Following a successful launch at the New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF) in 2010, Artists WithOut Limits (AWOL) Theatre Project, Inc. announces the second annual presentation of 8Minute Musicals, a program that challenges emerging musical theatre writers and composers to create 8 original 8-minute musicals in just two weeks. An impressive collection of theatrical talents are strategically placed into teams and given a common theme as inspiration for their work. The freshly-inked pieces are fully staged, briefly rehearsed, then presented to the public on Monday, March 14 at the TBG Theatre.

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre (Scott Alan Evans, Cynthia Harris and Simon Jones, Co-Artistic Directors) has announced its 2010/2011 Season. The critically-acclaimed company dedicated to presenting neglected or rarely produced plays of literary merit will offer Mainstage productions of The Memorandum by Vaclav Havel, and Three Men on a Horse by George Abbott and John Cecil Holm at The Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street) on Theatre Row.

Following a successful launch at the New York Musical Theater Festival (NYMF) in 2010, Artists WithOut Limits (AWOL) Theatre Project, Inc. announces the second annual presentation of 8Minute Musicals, a program that challenges emerging musical theatre writers and composers to create 8 original 8-minute musicals in just two weeks.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the highly anticipated Midwest Premiere of the new musical MEET JOHN DOE, based on the film of the same name by Frank Capra, opening Tuesday, March 8th at 7:30 p.m. and running through April 17, 2011 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, Chicago. The production is Directed and Choreographed by James Beaudry, Artistic Director at Timber Lake Playhouse.

Porchlight Music Theatre will present the highly anticipated Midwest Premiere of the new musical MEET JOHN DOE, based on the film of the same name by Frank Capra, opening Tuesday, March 8th at 7:30 p.m. and running through April 17, 2011 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, Chicago. The production is Directed and Choreographed by James Beaudry, Artistic Director at Timber Lake Playhouse.

The American Theatre Wing announced today that the recipients of the 2011 Jonathan Larson® Grants are Danny Larsen (Composer/Co-Lyricist) & Michelle Elliott (Bookwriter/Co-Lyricist), Cloaked; Marisa Michelson (Composer) & Joshua H. Cohen (Bookwriter/Lyricist), Tamar and the River; and Andy Monroe (Composer), Jack Lechner (Lyricist) & Michael Zam (Bookwriter), The Kid. The prestigious grants, totaling $10,000, will be presented on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at a private event in New York City. The event will feature special performances of the recipients' work.