Peter Dean News

Pittsburgh Opera has released production photos for La Traviata at the Benedum Center, running through Sunday, March 24, 2024. Check out the photos here!

Florida Grand Opera (FGO)’s 82nd season opens with La traviata. Learn more about the opera here!

Florida Grand Opera announces an exciting mix of internationally acclaimed artists, South Florida favorites, and rising stars for its 82nd consecutive season featuring three of the lyric stage's most popular titles.

It has been reported that the Hayes Theater, where Take Me Out is currently running, has installed a new infrared camera to more closely monitor audience members after video of a nude scene featuring Jesse Williams was shared online. 

With theatre coming back, one of the most exciting parts is seeing new shows hit the stage that were developed entirely or in part during the pandemic. Seeing a new play even more exciting is when a local playwright writes it. So when Iowa Stage announced they would be doing the world premiere of 'Girls Weekend 2: The Bachelorette Party' by Iowa playwright Karen Scheffer, I knew Des Moines audiences would be in for something special. I didn't realize that this show would provide the laughter audiences have been needing.

In college while studying theatre, I was introduced to a new world, the world of children's theatre. While many shows in that world are based on well-known stories, once and a while you would see a play that tackled a topic that might be difficult to talk about, and present it on stage in a kid friendly way. When I heard 'Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical' was going to be performed at Des Moines Playhouse, I was very intrigued. From what I could see, this show wasn't based on a well-known book like many of the Kate Goldman Children's Theatre's shows. So I was intrigued as to what topic might be presented in this play.

Sometimes, one of the hardest things we can do take the time to reflect. Taking that time to reminisce can sometimes lead to a fresh perspective for us. A few nights ago, one of my theatre friends Mariah Kerns took the time to reflect on the last year. She shared on Facebook, regarding her and her husband, 'The last 'normal' thing we did before voluntarily going into quarantine on March 15, 2020, was see a live show. Last night, nearly a year later, we went to see another.' The show she referred to was Des Moines Playhouse's preview of 'Leaving Iowa,' which I streamed on opening night, February 19. Since this viewing, the show's performances have been suspended for two weeks due to Covid 19.

The Des Moines Playhouse follows its successful fall and holiday performances with two shows this winter, Leaving Iowa, Feb. 19-Mar. 21, 2021, and, for families, Stuart Little, Feb. 26-Mar. 14, 2021.

The Des Moines Playhouse is keeping theatre LIVE in Des Moines with a unique new initiative: Live Theatre Drive-in.

The Des Moines Playhouse is keeping theatre LIVE in Des Moines with a unique new initiative: Live Theatre Drive-in.

Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth today announced the programming and creative teams for Utah Opera's 2020-21 season, sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation.

Come experience Verdi's heartbreaking masterpiece, a?oeLa traviata,a?? the opera that moved Julia Roberts' character to tears in a?oePretty Woman.a?? Utah Opera's newly refurbished and ever-popular production features scenic elements designed by Peter Dean Beck and costumes by Susan Memmott Allred. Garnett Bruce will direct the production, and Steven White will conduct the cast, Utah Opera Chorus, and Utah Symphony. Utah Opera's performances of a?oeLa traviataa?? will take place in the newly renovated Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre on October 12 at 7:30 PM, October 14 and 16 at 7 PM, October 18 at 7:30 PM and October 20 at 2 PM. This production will be sung in Italian with English supertitles. Tickets priced $29-106 are available for purchase through utahopera.org or by calling (801) 533-6683. Students are eligible to receive a 50 percent discount off the standard ticket price during Monday and Wednesday performances.

Peak Performances begins its 2019-2020 season with the joining of two revolutionaries of avant-garde performance, influential theater and opera director Anne Bogart and the pioneering choreographer Elizabeth Streb, in their first-ever collaboration, FALLING & LOVING (September 24-29).

Victor DeRenzi, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, and Richard Russell, Executive Director, are pleased to announce the casting for the 2019-20 season at Sarasota Opera, welcoming back returning Sarasota audience favorites as well as introducing new artists for their company debuts.

Mezzo soprano Frederica von Stade starred in the San Diego Opera's staging of Three Decembers. One of several works written with her in mind by her close friend Jake Heggie, it' s a chamber opera for three singers and 11 musicians. In a recent Interview Von Stade said, 'I've done three productions, the original in Houston, a new production in Chicago, and this one, which is my favorite.' The libretto by Gene Scheer is based on a play by Terrence McNally. Von Stade portrays Madeline Mitchell, a self-centered Broadway star who has devoted so much time to her career that her children have come to resent her. She owns the role she premiered in 2008 with acting that makes the character believable, and a voice that remains attractive and compelling, if no longer as versatile as it was earlier in her career.

Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth has announced the programming, initial casting, and creative teams for the company's 2019-20 season, which comprises four opera productions at the newly renovated Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre. Featuring improved seating and sightlines on the orchestra level, the theatre reopens after a six-month closure for the company's season-opening production of Verdi's La traviata in October 2019. The season continues with composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell's Silent Night in January 2020, Rossini's The Barber of Seville in March 2020, and Massenet's Tha s in May 2020. Silent Night is presented as part of Utah Opera's American Opera Initiative, through which the company champions and commissions American contributions to the art form. Both Silent Night and Tha s are Utah Opera premieres.

Artistic Director Christopher McBeth today announced the programming, initial casting, and creative teams for Utah Opera's 2019-20 season, sponsored by the George S. and Dolores Dor Eccles Foundation. In its upcoming season, Utah Opera produces four operas at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre: Verdi's La traviata in October 2019, Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Silent Night in January 2020, Rossini's The Barber of Seville in March 2020, and Massenet's Tha s in May 2020. Both Silent Night and Tha s are company premieres. Season subscriptions are on sale now by calling (801) 533-6683 or visiting utahopera.org. Single-opera tickets go on sale to the general public on June 14, 2019 through Utah Opera and ArtTix outlets.

It's the last week to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Milwaukee, WI Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.

Act One Pantomimes are bringing an all star cast to Kings Langley this December, with their production of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Rudolf Steiner School's theatre!

There's just two weeks left to vote for the 2018 BroadwayWorld Milwaukee, WI Awards, brought to you by BroadwayHD! Readers are already setting records as they vote for their favorites. Regional productions, touring shows, and more are all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018. Our local editors set the categories, our readers submitted their nominees, and now you get to vote for your favorites! Voting will continue through December 31st, 2018.