Northwestern University News

Between graduating from Syracuse University in 2005, and getting her Broadway break opposite Harry Connick, Jr., in 2011, Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller was a Chicago-based actress, following in the steps of her Evanston-based parents, Roger Mueller and Jill Shellabarger. And what a career she had in the Windy City!

Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will release a new live recording of the first-ever concert performances of Leonard Bernstein's complete score for the musical West Side Story featuring a stellar Broadway cast including Cheyenne Jackson and Alexandra Silber, and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, today, June 10, 2014.

Producing Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and American Blues Theater, Chicago's second oldest Equity ensemble, are proud to announce the Chicago premiere of Grounded, by George Brant and directed by Lisa Portes, today, June 6 - July 13 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

James W. Grau, a pioneer in the business of producing for network television, has joined Bravo Bear(TM) as Business Consultant. Mr. Grau will assist with the growth and development of this new company. 'As the company grows, I will be looking at creating children's programs for television and feature technologies for the characters Bravo Bear, Penny and Rascal,' said Mr. Grau. Bravo Bear, www.iLoveBravoBear.com, the leading innovator of children's positive value and character building children's books, is thrilled announced that Jim Grau will be joining the team as a business development consultant. The Bravo Bear adventure book series consists of 14 real to life adventure books specifically designed to illustrate to children positive character traits and build a strong sense of self worth and esteem. Children who read Bravo Bear are provided a strong positive influence that builds a foundation for a lifetime of significant benefits. The stakes are high; character building at the early ages of development will have a lifelong effect on a child's personality and behavior. Research shows that people develop the majority of their lifelong behavior patterns by the time they reach the age of seven years. ?Mr. Grau, president of Charisma Productions, producer of many documentaries and sports programs, has produced industrials, live events and concerts for major networks, cable and the industry. He created programs earning the highest awards and accolades and has eleven productions in The Museum of Television and Radio. He served as the Entertainment Director of Donald Trump's world-renowned Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach, FL, and as Executive Producer of contemporary concerts for the Trump Organization. Grau is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University; he is married to Elizabeth Trump-Grau and the couple lives in New York and Palm Beach, Fla. 'I applaud the Bravo Bear Company for the creation of this wonderful work. So many positive tools are needed to educate children these days. I'm looking forward to the possibility of seeing this book series become a children's project for television,' stated Mr. Grau. ? For more information on this book series, please visit the Company's website at www.ilovebravobear.com or email at contact@ilovebravobear.com

To close its 47th Season, Marin Theatre Company will produce the West Coast premiere of Failure: A Love Story by the 'hugely talented Chicago writer' (Chicago Tribune) Philip Dawkins. Directed by MTC's artistic director Jasson Minadakis, this 'enchanted and enchanting' play about love and loss will feature five actors playing multiple characters, using puppets and playing live music both original (by MTC's frequent collaborator Chris Houston, a Berkeley-based composer and musician) and from the era of the play - 1920s Chicago.

Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation (LSCRF) has announced Academy Award, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress, director and producer Sally Field as Guest Speaker at its Annual Fall Benefit Luncheon on Tuesday, October 14 at the Hilton Chicago, 720 South Michigan Ave. Proceeds will support innovative contributions to breast cancer research and educational programs, as well as fellowships, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

Strep throat as a life-threatening illness? No more surgeries due to high risk of infections? As the 86 th anniversary of the discovery of penicillin approaches, a new film explores how antibiotics, medicine's miracle drug, may soon be rendered useless and presents solutions to averting the antibiotic-resistance 'cliff.'

The Theatre @ Boston Court and Circle X Theatre Co. present Stupid f**king Bird, by Aaron Posner, directed by Michael Michetti. Opening night is Saturday, June 28, 2014 on the Main Stage at Boston Court Performing Arts Center, 70 North Mentor Avenue.

Programming executive Beth Miyares will return to FOX as Senior Vice President, Drama Development & Programming

New performance art group Cataclysm Collaborations presents world premiere performance piece 'Quit While You're Ahead.' Performances are Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 7:30 pm.

A vacant building on Howard Street, Evanston's first craft brewery and an 18-hole public golf course are sites for the three off-campus productions in the S.I.T.E. Festival, co-presented by Northwestern University's Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts -- formerly known as the Theatre and Interpretation Center. The plays will run through June 7.

Kathleen Tolan ('Memory House') has granted the side project the world premiere rights to her exploration of memory, history and music, What to Listen For, opening June 3, 2014. The company will also present the Midwest premiere of Washington State-based playwright/performer Kristen Kosmas' Hello Failure, commencing June 15, as it continues its 2013-14 season of repertory plays. Overall, the June Rep, featuring two of America's most fascinating female playwrights, will explore themes of loss and the search for lasting connections.

Riccardo Muti, Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), returns to Chicago in June for his final two programs of the 2013/14 season with concerts on June 12, 13, 14 and 17 (Schubert and Mozart) and 19, 20 and 21 (Schubert and Mahler). On June 20, Maestro Muti will receive an honorary degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and will deliver the main commencement address to its graduates.

District Stage Company will present Broadway Unplugged: World Jam on Friday, May 30 at 8:30 PM and Saturday, May 31 at 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM at South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211 Street in Cutler Bay, FL. Broadway Unplugged: World Jam is an intimate evening packed with songs from electrifying shows to hit the Great White Way in recent decades with Broadway stars Adam Kantor, Kevin Mambo, Janet Dacal and Andy Señor, Jr., under the musical direction of Greg Brown, with special guests Jeremy Charvet, Carlos Jose Alvarez, Jeanfranco Cardenty and Isabel Signoret.

California Shakespeare Theater continues its 2014 season with Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, directed by Aaron Posner. The Comedy of Errors plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from June 25 through July 20.

The Palace Theatre in downtown Manchester will present Seth Meyers on June 7, 2014 at 8:00 pm. A limited number of seats have been released to the general public and are available now.

The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and the Richmond Symphony have announced the creation of a new joint position of Director of Choral Activities at Virginia Commonwealth University and Director of the Richmond Symphony Chorus.

Actors Alliance of San Diego is proud to announce A Professional Scene Study with Esteban Andres Cruz: The plays of Stephen Adly Guirgis at the Academy of Performing Arts: 5120-C Baltimore Dr, La Mesa, CA 91942. The workshop will take place on Tuesdays, today, May 27-June 24 from 7:00pm-10:00pm.

THE LAST SHIP, 16-time Grammy winner Sting's first foray into theater, is no jukebox musical.