Nita Whitaker News

Broadway star Eden Espinosa, recording legend Freda Payne, and Newsies star Dillon Klena have joined the cast of Rockin' in Paradise, a concert to support the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation, it was announced today by Ronn Goswick Entertainment.

To date, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA has enjoyed record-breaking attendance during its 2019 Winter, Spring and Summer seasons, thus the coming of Fall sets high expectations and comparable goals for Executive Producer Michael Sterling.    

To date, Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA has enjoyed record-breaking attendance during its 2019 Winter, Spring and Summer seasons, thus the coming of Fall sets high expectations and comparable goals for Executive Producer Michael Sterling.

Ronn Goswick Entertainent has announced Rockin' in Paradise, a concert to support the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation, on Friday, November 8, and Saturday, November 9, at 8pm.  Under the direction of 3-D Theatricals Ovation Award-winner T.J. Dawson with musical direction by Ovation Award-winner Gerald Sternbach, the show will feature some of the best entertainers Broadway and Hollywood have to offer. Executive producers are Norman Hames, Dr. Daniel Kantarovich, Dr. Howard Knohl, and Robert Sciortino.

Anticipating a Broadway bow this season, Born For This: A New Musical took home five awards at the 28th annual NAACP Theatre Awards held last night, June 17, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.  

An Evening of Classic Broadway returned to Upstairs at Vitello's for Mother's Day, where it launched 5 years ago. Headed by Brad Ellis and Dianne Fraser, this was a family show entitled A Classic Broadway Mother's Day, with performers appearing and performing with sons or daughters On tap were Nita Whitaker with her lovely daughter Skye LaFontaine, Tami Tappan Damiano with her son Dante Damiano, Karen Benjamin and her daughter Molly Chapman, Bill A. Jones, the only father, with his daughter Samantha A. Jones, and of course, individually and together, hosts Fraser and Ellis.

Light Up the Night, a fundraising event to benefit the Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation, will take place on Sunday, April 28, at the City National Grove of Anaheim. The curtain will rise at 8pm with a special VIP reception and dinner starting at 5:30pm. The event is being produced for APACF by Ronn Goswick Entertainment and Chris Isaacson Presents.

Once again, the NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch's Theatre Viewing Committee has spoken, and the nominations are in for the 28th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. This year's pedigreed list of nominees collectively represents a rich, extensive dossier of legacies and accolades for both stage and screen. These nominees include members of a legendary 'gospel royal family' as well as a Legend whose part of an elite group of artists in the EGOT winners circle. These, along with all their fellow nominees, will be honored for their excellence on the small and large stages during our annual awards dinner, slated to be held on Monday, June 17, 2019, 6:00 p.m.at the prestigious Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

The Anaheim Performing Arts Center Foundation has set the date for its 2019 fundraising event, it was announced today by APACF board chair Dr. Howard Knohl. Light Up the Night will take place on Sunday, April 28, at the City National Grove of Anaheim. The curtain will rise at 8pm with a special VIP reception and dinner starting at 5:30pm. The event is being produced for APACF by Ronn Goswick Entertainment and Chris Isaacson Presents.

Thousands of music dealers, industry officials and media representatives gathered on Friday evening to experience the second-annual 'Yamaha All-Star Concert on the Grand,' the marquis music event held this week during the 2019 NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) today announced the nominees for the 23rd Annual IRNE Awards, which honor the best of the previous year's actors, directors, choreographers, designers and companies across the full spectrum of large, mid-size and fringe theater companies. Moulin Rouge!, a new musical produced by Global Creatures, and An American in Paris, produced by the Ogunquit Playhouse, led with 12 and 11 nominations, respectively, in the Large Stage Musical Category. The Huntington Theatre led all companies with 31 nominations across seven productions, including 11 for Man in the Ring, the story of six-time world champion prizefighter Emile Griffith.

Michael Childers' star-studded musical production of One Night Only Broadway Showstoppers will be presented on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 @ 6:30pm, at the McCallum Theatre. This year's show benefits Barbara Sinatra Children's Center. In SHOWSTOPPERS, twenty celebrated performers will come together for an evening of all your favorite songs from the greatest musicals. One Night Only will be directed by famed Broadway choreographer and director Larry Fuller, with music direction by Christopher Marlowe.

Television and Broadway Musical Theatre performer TONOCCUS MCCLAIN debuts his first ever cabaret concert LIVING A WHY NOT LIFE with Musical Director Rob Woyshner on Sunday, January 20th at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA. McClain has hosted television such TV shows as FOX Family's California Summer Countdown, reporting and anchoring Channel One News; and performed in Beauty and the Beast live at the Hollywood Bowl, Game of Thrones live at the LA Forum, numerous shows at the Disneyland Resort, and multiple performances at the Academy Awards. He also traveled North America touring in over 400 performances of The Lion King (Banzai u/s) for six years. He's crossed the globe singing in countries like South Korea, Spain, Germany, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Canada, Australia, and across the Caribbean and back.

Celebrated Producer Michael Childers will bring his latest edition of One Night Only to The McCallum Theatre on April 24, 2019 with a star-studded cast including Christine Andreas, John Barrowman, Liz Calloway and more. This season's ONO is a tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber and proceeds will benefit The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center. I had the chance to catch up with Michael as he was crafting this season's sell-out event. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: Everybody's Talking About Jamie will begin screenings in cinemas nationwide today, and more!

BeBe Winans just presented the Broadway-bound musical BORN FOR THIS as a one-night-only concert at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54 St). Sharing the stage with Winans was director Charles Randolph-Wright (Motown), legendary Grammy and American Music Award winning recording artist Stephanie Mills, and members of the cast from last summer's pre-Broadway tryout in Boston including Maddie Shea Baldwin (Bright Star), Liisi LaFontaine(Dreamgirls), Loren Lott (Once on this Island), Donald Webber Jr. (Hamilton), Kirsten Wyatt (Annie), and Nita Whitaker (Ragtime). The evening introduced the BORN FOR THIS story and some of the original songs from the Broadway aimed musical, which also played regional engagements in Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Legendary Grammy and American Music Award winning recording artist and beloved Broadway actress, Stephanie Mills will join BeBe Winans and the cast of the Broadway-bound musical BORN FOR THIS for a one-night-only concert previewing the music from his original musical BORN FOR THIS on Monday, November 5 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54 St).

The producers of the Broadway-bound musical BORN FOR THIS, today announced that Gospel and R&B music legend BEBE WINANS will host a one-night-only concert previewing the music from his original musical BORN FOR THIS on Monday, November 5 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Feinstein's/54 Below (254 W. 54 St). For tickets please visit https://54below.com/events/born-for-this/

The Actors Fund and Fraser Entertainment are very proud to announce the 5th annual presentation of CABARET IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN LOS ANGELES.  Conceived by renowned director David Galligan, this fifth celebration of Cabaret in L.A. will take place as a series of 3 concerts over 3 evenings at 3 different Los Angeles venues, Friday, October 12, Saturday, October 13, and Sunday, October 14.  Proceeds from all 3 shows will benefit The Actors Fund.

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts,  which brings audiences world-class theater, dance and music performed by many of the most sought-after artists,presents Chris Walden Big Band with a program that pays tribute to the "Rat Pack" era on Saturday, October 27, 2018, 7:30 pm,in the Bram Goldsmith Theater at The Wallis. Walden, a seven-time Grammy-nominated composer/arranger/conductor, has scored more than 40 feature and TV films and written more than 1,500 orchestral and big band arrangements for artists ranging from Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand to Diana Krall and Rihanna, among many others.