Rita Moreno News

Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor's professional theatre with an exclusive focus on new plays and playwrights, presents their semi-annual Michigan Playwrights Festival, now in its third year. Five new plays by Michigan playwrights will be given readings July 25-29, 2018.

Song Week is every day this week at 4/3c on Nina's World! Be sure to catch Lin-Manuel Miranda on an special on Friday, July 13th! Check out a sneak peek of animated Lin below on the brand-new episode!

Good morning BroadwayWorld! Today's top stories: Kara Lindsay will return to Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tonight, and more!

TODAY's Al Roker sat down with award-winning actress Rita Moreno to talk about her iconic roles, including her breakout in "West Side Story." Moreno opened up about the good times she's had in Hollywood over the years as well as the rough times she's faced, including harassment because of her ethnicity and some difficult personal relationships.

From stage to screen, Broadway will be represented on TV for the week of July 9, 2018!

With the celebration of America's birthday just around the corner, BWW brings you a guide to this year's Fourth of July television specials, featuring performances by Broadway Icon Chita Rivera, Opera Legend and CAROUSEL on Broadway star Renee Fleming, and more! As always, we will be bringing you video of the appearances as soon as they become available. Check out what's in store for the 4th below!

The 2018 Jimmy® Awards took place on Monday, June 25, 2018 at 7:30pm at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway. Laura Benanti hosted.

Long Island's newest theatrical venue The Argyle Theatre (Evan Pappas, Artistic Director) presents the Tony Award winning hit Broadway musical Hairspray with book by Marc O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman at The Argyle Theatre (34 West Main Street, Babylon, Long Island).  Performances are set to begin Thursday, July 12, 2018 for a limited run through Sunday, August 26, 2018. 

King of Cuba, a new comedy by award-winning writer Cristina Garcia, opens with a press night on Saturday, July 21, and runs through August 19 (previews July 19 & 20) at the historic Berkeley City Club. The summer adventure of the Central Works 2018 season King of Cuba, is developed by Ms. Garcia in the Central Works Writers Workshop featuring the lesbian-gender-bending comedian Marga Gomez, and the Grammy-winning "bongocero" Carlos Caro. All are Cubanx celebrities living in the Bay Area. Directed by Gary Graves, the full cast includes Marco Aponte, Leticia Duarte, Elena Garrity, Marga Gomez, Ben Ortega and Steve Ortiz.

Netflix announced Monday that the Grammy Award-winning performer will guest-star in an episode of One Day at a Time's much-anticipated third season. Estefan -- who is also the voice behind the series' theme song, a Cuban-tinged cover of the original comedy's opener -- will play Mirtha, Lydia's (Rita Moreno) baby sister and arch-nemesis.

From stage to screen, Broadway will be represented on TV for the week of June 25, 2018!

King of Cuba, a new comedy by award-winning writer Cristina Garcia, opens with a press night on Saturday, July 21, and runs through August 19 (previews July 19 & 20) at the historic Berkeley City Club. The summer adventure of the Central Works 2018 season King of Cuba, is developed by Ms. Garcia in the Central Works Writers Workshop featuring the lesbian-gender-bending comedian Marga Gomez, and the Grammy-winning "bongocero" Carlos Caro. All are Cubanx celebrities living in the Bay Area. Directed by Gary Graves, the full cast includes Marco Aponte, Leticia Duarte, Elena Garrity, Marga Gomez, Ben Ortega and Steve Ortiz.

The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills announced two selections for its PaleyLive Summer 2018 season and one selection for its Fall 2018 season. The summer programs include: CNN's The 2000s: A Look Back at the Dawn of TV's New Golden Age which will feature a look at the most groundbreaking television shows of the decade, and A Special Evening with Dionne Warwick: Then Came You, celebrating the career of the legendary entertainer. The fall selection, Words on Dance: Jerome Robbins and West Side Story, is part of a worldwide celebration of the legendary director-choreographer's centennial which will include an exclusive conversation with original cast members.

On Saturday evening, June 9, nearly 400 of the Bay Area's finest arts supporters gathered at The Ritz-Carlton San Francisco to celebrate Berkeley Rep, the Tony Award-winning theatre company known for its groundbreaking and challenging productions. Ovation: 50 Years and Glowing raised over $800,000 to support the Theatre's artistic and innovative efforts, including its educational programming and new play development.

On Today, June 9 Berkeley Repertory Theatre invites guests to OVATION: 50 Years and Glowing, an evening to celebrate the organization's 50th anniversary by honoring the Theatre's past and toasting its future. The event will take place at 6PM at The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco.

HAMILTON author Lin-Manuel Miranda and Producer Jeffrey Seller announce that the production will hold auditions in Puerto Rico in June for singers and dancers ahead of  the January 2019 opening of HAMILTON in San Juan. The casting call is for consideration for all companies of HAMILTON including the new company in Puerto Rico, Broadway, Chicago and touring productions.

The Actors Fund announced today an exciting line-up of presenters and performers for The Actors Fund's 22nd Annual Tony Awards Viewing Party.

The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) handed out the 43rd Annual Gracie Awards at the Four Seasons Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. Host Lisa Joyner led the evening which included the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Rita Moreno by Norman Lear and a special performance by Grammy-nominated country music singer Kelsea Ballerini.

A panel of nationally recognized judges-including casting director Michael Donovan, producer, director and choreographer Andy Ferrara, and actress Wendy Rosoff-announced the 2018 winners of The Rita Moreno California High School Musical Honors held last night at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts. Sponsored by Children's Musical Theater San Jose (CMT) and Broadway San Jose, a Nederlander Presentation, this yearly regional awards competition is coordinated by CMT's Rita Moreno Awards Program Director Deanna Knudsen and recognizes outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre in the greater California region. The evening's showcase of leading actors and actresses was staged by CMT's Artistic Director Kevin Hauge.

Last night's star-studded event, Backstage at the Geffen, at the Geffen Playhouse grossed more than $1 million for the theater's education, outreach and artistic initiatives. The fundraiser, which recognizes leaders in the artistic community, supports the theater's mission to produce original, quality work and raises funds for its education and community engagement programs, honored legendary stage and screen performer Dick Van Dyke and award-winning composer, lyricist and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Comedian Jim Carrey presented the Distinction in Theater Award to Van Dyke and EGOT award-winning actress Rita Moreno presented the Education Impact Award to Miranda.