Paul Green News

A struggle between a family's enduring legacy and its chance for a brighter future takes center stage in The Piano Lesson: one of the most critically-acclaimed productions in August Wilson's landmark ten-play American Century Cycle. 

The National Theatre Conference (NTC), an organization founded in 1925 that meets annually in New York to discuss relevant issues in today's theatre community and to celebrate outstanding achievement in the American theatre, has named the recipients of its 2015 awards. HowlRound Director Polly Carl has been named Person of the Year; the Illusion Theater in Minneapolis, under its co-producing directors Michael Robins and Bonnie Morris, is the recipient of the Outstanding Theatre Award; and playwright Jessica Dickey has been selected as the winner of the Barrie and Bernice Stavis Playwright Award. All three will be honored and presented with their awards and hold discussions with the membership at The Players club during NTC's annual meeting in New York, December 4-6, 2015.

BroadwayWorld is ecstatic to report that the June 2015 broadcast of the 69th Annual Tony Awards and writer Dave Boone were honored with a Writers Guild Award nomination this afternoon in the Comedy/Variety - Music, Awards, Tributes - Specials category.

Ruth Carlin has been a full-time mom, ushering her two children through childhood. Now, she's ushering in a new cabaret career, entertaining audiences in some of the best venues in NYC, including the likes of The Laurie Beechman Theater, The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama, and Metropolitan Room.  Singing is not a new concept for Carlin as she returns to the stage after a long hiatus raising a family away from the brilliant lights and stage of the theater, which she grew to love when she was in her 20s.  

This holiday season, PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will fly audiences to Neverland in "Peter and the Starcatcher," a Peter Pan prequel for the entire family. The show will run Nov. 18-Dec. 12, with special events associated with the production beginning Nov. 9.

Creative writing faculty will participate in a free discussion following the 2 p.m. Oct. 25 performance of PlayMakers Repertory Company's current production of SEMINAR.

PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, continues its Mainstage Season with the scathingly funny comedy 'Seminar' by Theresa Rebeck, tonight, Oct. 14-Nov. 1.

The Broadway at Birdland concert series was proud to present the return of actress/singer Anita Gillette to her musical home on Monday, September 28 with her show, "So, As I Was Saying…" 

Ninety percent of the way into her ebullient show last night at Birdland, So, As I Was Saying, Anita Gillette quotes a 1977 review of her performance in Neil Simon's Chapter Two that stated the warmth she exudes could melt glaciers. (The artist wasn't bragging, but was referring to her then difficulty in finding any glaciers, i.e., men to melt.) The description applies today. A packed audience comprised both of devoted civilian fans and theatrical luminaries cheered on the latest iteration of Gillette's dramatized life. Once again directed by Barry Kleinbort with musically directed by Paul Greenwood (who also appealingly sings duets), with Ritt Henn on bass and John Redsecker on drums, the show is as sincere and bubbly as the lady herself.

PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, continues its Mainstage Season with the scathingly funny comedy "Seminar" by Theresa Rebeck, Oct. 14-Nov. 1. Special events associated with the show begin Sept. 28.

PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, kicks off its new Mainstage Season tonight, Sept. 16-Oct. 4 with the award-winning comedy-drama DISGRACED by Ayad Akhtar. PlayMakers will host special events associated with the show beginning Sept. 9.

PlayMakers Repertory Company, the professional theater in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, kicks off its new Mainstage Season Sept. 16-Oct. 4 with the award-winning comedy-drama DISGRACED by Ayad Akhtar. PlayMakers will host special events associated with the show beginning Sept. 9.

Back in January, BroadwayWorld's lead cabaret reviewer Stephen Hanks announced he was giving up critiquing shows to start his own company, Cabaret Life Productions, through which he would publicize, promote, and help book cabaret performers, and also produce cabaret shows. Hanks' first major production out of the box is a monthly series at the Metropolitan Room called New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits, that features talented artists recreating award-winning or highly-praised shows we wish we'd seen--a really good idea. Hanks' series launched Wednesday night with Mark Nadler's award-winning 2003 show Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians). The Metropolitan Room was filled to the gills and abuzz with anticipation, as most of the audience was only familiar with the show's second-hand praise and/or the CD version of Nadler's performance.

For diehard cabaret fans and lovers of live music, there's nothing like experiencing a classic show once again or seeing an award winning 'blast from the past' for the first time. That's how cabaret show producer and publicist Stephen Hanks felt and so through his new company, Cabaret Life Productions, he's launching a new monthly series at New York's Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) titled New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits. Hanks wanted the cream of the New York cabaret crop to open the series and tapped veteran cabaret star Mark Nadler, who the New York Times critic Stephen Holden has called 'Mr. Show Business' and 'an immensely talented latter-day Al Jolson.' On August 26 (7-8:30 pm), Nadler will perform his critically acclaimed show Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians), which won a 2003 Bistro Award for 'Raising Standards of Cabaret Performance,' and received MAC and Nightlife Award Nominations for 'Outstanding Performance in a Major Engagement.'

For the first time in 15 years, cabaret star Julie Reyburn brings back her award-winning show, Fate Is Kind, to a New York nightclub stage when she performs the classic at the Metropolitan Room on Monday, September 14 at 7 pm as part of the new monthly series, New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits, produced by Stephen Hanks' Cabaret Life Productions with cabaret supporter Fr. Jeffrey Hamblin, MD as Associate Producer. [Reyburn's show will follow the Series launch on August 26 at 7 pm with Mark Nadler's critically acclaimed Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians), which won a 2003 Bistro Award.] Reyburn and her celebrated Musical Director Mark Janas (Producer of the Award-Winning Open-Mic show Salon) introduced Fate Is Kind in February 2000 at The Singer's Forum as a benefit cabaret for their scholarship program. It then moved to Judy's Chelsea in March 2000 for its official cabaret debut, and the show ran off and on there for most of the year. Fate Is Kind world earn Reyburn MAC and Bistro Awards in 2001 for "Outstanding Female Cabaret Debut."

The sin twisters are back at 54 Below!

A cast of student actors from 14 Triangle-area schools will perform the Tony Award-winning musical 'Guys & Dolls' today, July 15, through July 25 for the PlayMakers Summer Youth Conservatory (SYC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. High school actors and technicians began work on the production June 15.

For diehard cabaret fans and lovers of live music, there's nothing like experiencing a classic show once again or seeing an award winning 'blast from the past' for the first time. That's how cabaret show producer and publicist Stephen Hanks felt and so through his new company, Cabaret Life Productions, he's launching a new monthly series at New York's Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) titled New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits. Hanks wanted the cream of the New York cabaret crop to open the series and tapped veteran cabaret star Mark Nadler, who the New York Times critic Stephen Holden has called 'Mr. Show Business' and 'an immensely talented latter-day Al Jolson.' On August 26 (7-8:30 pm), Nadler will perform his critically acclaimed show Tschaikowsky (And Other Russians), which won a 2003 Bistro Award for 'Raising Standards of Cabaret Performance,' and received MAC and Nightlife Award Nominations for 'Outstanding Performance in a Major Engagement.'

A cast of student actors from 14 Triangle-area schools will perform the Tony Award-winning musical 'Guys & Dolls' July 15-25 for the PlayMakers Summer Youth Conservatory (SYC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. High school actors and technicians began work on the production June 15.

?PlayMakers Repertory Company will hold a special event to celebrate its upcoming 40th anniversary season. The theater company will host a 2015/16 Season Preview with producing artistic director Joseph Haj tonight, June 11 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Center for Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.