Northwestern University News

The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) opens its 2014-15 Mainstage Series with William Shakespeare's dark and twisted tragedy Macbeth. Under the direction of Brant Russell, Assistant Professor of Drama, Macbeth will make its CCM debut Oct. 2 through 5 in CCM's Patricia Corbett Theater, with a preview performance at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

This season, a new group of eighteen musicians -- some of the finest professional players in the world -- will join Ensemble ACJW, a two-year fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. Ensemble ACJW is designed to prepare young professional musicians for careers that combine musical excellence with teaching, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership. It offers performance opportunities, year-long partnerships within New York City public schools, and intensive professional development.

92Y presents Sandra Tsing Loh: A Work-In-Progress Staged Reading of The Madwoman in the Volvo, a co-production of 92Y and Sundance Institute Theatre Program, with Leslie Kritzer and Mary Beth Peil, directed by Lisa Peterson on Friday, October 10, 8:15 pm.

Transport Group, the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and OBIE Award-winning theatre company, has announced its annual gala Gimme a Break!, will honor Tony Award-winning producer Barbara Whitman on December 8, 2014 at 6pm at the Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue at 70 Street.

Tony winner Jessie Mueller and her sister, Abby Mueller, headed back to their hometown of Chicago on September 22 to help launch FWD Theatre Project. Mounted as an incubator for theatre projects currently in development, FWD's concert at City Winery featured a slew of performers bringing five new works to life, including the Muellers' take on the musical-in-progress EXPOSURE. Check out a brief look, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune, below!

To meet author James D. Loy, you'd think he was a mild-manner guy, simply a retired anthropologist who spent a quarter of a century studying the social behavior of monkeys.

Continuing its 27th Season, Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the return of signature Lookingglass production Lookingglass Alice, adapted and directed by Ensemble Member David Catlin from the works of Lewis Carroll, produced in association with The Actors Gymnasium. Lookingglass Alice runs November 12, 2014 - February 15, 2015 at Lookingglass Theatre Company, located inside Chicago's historic Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave. at Pearson. The Press Opening is Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public today, September 24, 2014 and can be purchased through the box office at (312) 337-0665 or www.lookingglasstheatre.org.

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) announces the appointment of Oliver Ionita (41) as the company's new Director of Development following a national search conducted by Arts Consulting Group. Ionita officially assumed his new role on September 4, 2014 just a few days following the close of the company's third consecutive fiscal year without a deficit and coinciding with the opening of its highly innovative and groundbreaking production of Ernest Bloch's 'Macbeth,' which marked the end of COT's 2014 Season.

Writing under the pen name E. Marie, first time author Emerald Betts announces the October 15, 2014 release of her book, 'Avoiding the Dodgeballs...At Work, A Young Woman's Guide to Succeeding at a First Job' (ISBN: 9781484033951).

Inspired by the ground-breaking work of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at the Northwestern University School of Law, The Agency Theater Collective presents the world premiere of At the Center, adapted from hundreds of hours of interviews with exonerees, innocence lawyers and crime victims.

Eight veteran actors, directors, writers, choreographers and producers have created FWD Theatre Project ('Festival of Works in Development'), a grass-roots initiative for the discovery, development and delivery of original musical theater to the Chicago community. Artistic Director Amber Mak along with Collective Artistic Associates Justin Brill, Wade Elkins, Michael Gillis, Karen Multer, Steve Multer, Missy Greenburg and Scott Sowinski, have announced LaunchingFWD!, a one-night-only concert event at City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph Street, tonight, September 22 at 8 pm (doors open at 6 pmfor food and cocktails).

Music Director Alan Gilbert will conduct the New York Philharmonic in Barto?k's Piano Concerto No. 3, with Yefim Bronfman as soloist, and Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 (Ed. Nowak, 1890), Thursday, October 23, 2014, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 24 at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m.

'Grounded,' a one-woman play about a fearless American fighter pilot suddenly reassigned to operate military drones in the pursuit of terrorists half a world away, will run from tonight, Sept. 19 to Oct. 12 at Northwestern University.

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the Kansas City premiere of Ayad Akhtar's The Who & The What, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre's Artistic Director Eric Rosen. From the 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning writer of Disgraced, Ayad Akhtar's play, The Who & The What takes a passionate and searing look at a family divided by faith, bonded by love and searching for truth in contemporary America. A brilliant young Pakistani writer is focused on finishing a controversial novel that bridges the gulf between her modern life and her traditional heritage. But when her conservative father and sister discover her manuscript, they are all forced to confront the beliefs that define then. This production, at KC Rep's downtown Copaken Stage in the Power & Light District, will run October 17 through November 16. High resolution photos can be found here .

"The Laramie Project," a documentary-style drama set in Wyoming that recounts the brutal murder of an openly gay college student and named by Time magazine as 'one of the 10 best plays of the year" will launch Northwestern University's 2014-15 Mainstage season Oct. 24-Nov. 2. Directed by Rives Collins, single tickets are $5 to $25.

Raven Theatre Co-Artistic Directors Michael Menendian and JoAnn Montemurro have announced the appointment of Cody Estle as Associate Artistic Director. Estle, a Raven ensemble member, has directed five of the theatre company's productions over the past three seasons, including Dating Walter Dante, Boy Gets Girl, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Good Boys and True and Vieux Carre'. He is set to direct the company's Chicago premiere of Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate in January.

Sheinelle Jones was named News Anchor of the weekend editions of TODAY. Jones, who joins NBC News from FOX in Philadelphia, will begin her new role Saturday, October 4.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, presents the second-ever production of The Commons of Pensacola by Amanda Peet, directed by Robin Witt. The production will run at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie, from tonight, September 12 - October 19, 2014. The press performance is Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 2:30 pm.

This fall, the Lyric Opera Chorus will give two special concerts that will feature the world-class ensemble performing operatic excerpts from Lyric's 60th-anniversary season. Led by Chorus Master Michael Black, the Chorus will perform at Chicago's Fourth Presbyterian Church (North Michigan Avenue and Delaware Place) tonight, September 12 at 7 pm and at Evanston's Alice Millar Chapel (1870 N. Sheridan Rd.) on Saturday, November 22 at 3 pm.