Playbill News

The Stratford Festival held its annual general meeting on Saturday, celebrating the successes of its landmark 60th season, under the joint leadership of Artistic Director Des McAnuff and General Director Antoni Cimolino. This was Mr. McAnuff's final season as Artistic Director. Mr. Cimolino has now assumed that role, with Anita Gaffney becoming Executive Director.

Adam Perkes, a gifted young stage actor best known for his comic swagger on stage and his deep sensitivity off it, has died at age 27, the Garfield County coroner confirmed today.

Last night, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas spent a perfect night out on Broadway at the hit musical Newsies. During intermission, they were reading through their Playbill, discussing the cast and noting the work of Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Gattelli. At the end of the show, they joined in the immediate standing ovation and went backstage following the performance to meet the cast, taking photos with leads Corey Cott and Kara Lindsay.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh will play Marin Theatre Company, directed by Mark Jackson and featuring Joy Carlin,* Rod Gnapp,* Joseph Salazar and Beth Wilmurt (* member, Actor's Equity Association), from May 23 to June 16, 2013. Opening night is Tuesday, May 28, with previews Thursday, May 23 - Sunday, May 26.

Broadway's own Seth Rudetsky makes a second appearance by popular demand at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Friday, March 22 @ 6:00 PM to reveal the Van Wezel's fabulous 2013-2014 Broadway Season.

Marin Theatre Company, in a co-production with Virginia Stage Company, will stage the regional premiere of Matthew Lopez's Civil War drama The Whipping Man in Mill Valley from March 28 to April 21, 2013. MTC's artistic director Jasson Minadakis directs the production. Featuring popular Bay Area actors L. Peter Callender, Nicholas Pelczar and Tobie Windham, as well as the design team from MTC's 2011 San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award nominated production of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie, this co-production will rehearse and run at VSC in Norfolk, Virginia, from February 26 to March 17, 2013, before moving to MTC. Opening night at MTC is on Tuesday, April 2.

Canadian Stage presents Haptic, Holistic Strata, Sayonara and I, Worker in a one-week festival of Japanese theatre and dance as part of Spotlight Japan. This series is part of a city-wide celebration of classic and contemporary Japanese culture taking place from January through April 2013, programmed by five of Toronto's leading cultural institutions: TIFF, Canadian Stage, Soundstreams, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and the Japan Foundation.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC) continues its 2012-2013 Season with The Freddy Cole Quartet on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 8pm. Tickets are $36 and can be purchased by phone at 718-951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm), or online at www.BrooklynCenterOnline.org.

Davenport Theatrical Enterprises has launched a new Broadway industry initiative geared toward fostering the next generation of Broadway producers.

Award winning choreographers Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos are teaming again to co-choreograph A Light in the Dark, the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, their second full-length contemporary story ballet, this time telling an intimate family story about the extraordinary woman who was deaf and blind yet went on to become a world-famous writer, political activist and inspiration to all.

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC) continues its 2012-2013 Season with The Freddy Cole Quartet on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 8pm. Tickets are $36 and can be purchased by phone at 718-951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm), or online at www.BrooklynCenterOnline.org.

Sirius XM Radio announced that internationally renowned, multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban will sit down for a Q&A session with a select group of SiriusXM listeners at the SiriusXM studios in New York City.

SEASON OF SAVINGS, the unofficial "New York Theatregoers Guide to Times Square' has partnered with Trivia, AD to create the first ever 'Broadway Trivia Night'!

I'm writing these words fully aware that there is no opinion I can express in the ensuing paragraphs that will ever have any effect on anyone's decision whether or not to buy tickets for Manilow On Broadway.  I don't mean that in a self-effacing manner.  I'm also sure that no one ever looked at an ad for Barry Manilow's current concert engagement at the St. James and thought, 'Hmm, this looks interesting but I want to see what Ben Brantley says about it before buying tickets.'

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC) continues its 2012-2013 Season with The Freddy Cole Quartet on Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 8pm. Tickets are $36 and can be purchased by phone at 718-951-4500 (Tues-Sat, 1pm-6pm), or online at www.BrooklynCenterOnline.org.

Sirius XM Radio announced today that internationally renowned, multi-platinum recording artist Josh Groban will sit down for a Q&A session with a select group of SiriusXM listeners at the SiriusXM studios in New York City.

Artistic Director Bill Rauch announced the Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2014 playbill today.

The Beautiful Soup Theater Collective's production of the first ever revival of Arthur Bicknell's Moose Murders, the most notorious flop in the history of modern theater, celebrated its opening last night, January 30, 2013 at The Connelly Theater. BroadwayWorld was there for the festivities and you can check out full coverage from the theatre arrivals below!

Award winning choreographers Ann Reinking and Melissa Thodos are teaming again to co-choreograph A Light in the Dark, the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, their second full-length contemporary story ballet, this time telling an intimate family story about the extraordinary woman who was deaf and blind yet went on to become a world-famous writer, political activist and inspiration to all.

Canadian Stage presents Haptic, Holistic Strata, Sayonara and I, Worker in a one-week festival of Japanese theatre and dance as part of Spotlight Japan. This series is part of a city-wide celebration of classic and contemporary Japanese culture taking place from January through April 2013, programmed by five of Toronto's leading cultural institutions: TIFF, Canadian Stage, Soundstreams, the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and the Japan Foundation.