Robert Redford News

Sundance Institute announces the six projects selected for the annual New Frontier Story Lab, which supports independent artists working at the cutting-edge convergence of film, art, media, live performance and technology.

The Redford Center, a 501(c)3 dedicated to engaging people through inspiring stories that galvanize environmental action, today announced the launch of its second Redford Center Grants cycle for independent media makers who understand the power of a well-told, well-timed story to impact positive environmental change in the world.

Now on stage at Canton Village Theatre is Spotlight Players' production of the musical ANNIE. Directed by John Sartor, this version adds wonderful scenes that improve the storyline even better than before. During the awkward moments when the curtain was down and set changes were being made, Sartor had little boys walk about the stage, selling apples - it was a brilliant use of time. Sartor also added interesting scenes, such as FDR reading a fireside speech from one of the side satellites, opening the show with Annie's parents dropping her off at Hudson Street home for girls as an infant, an amazing subway set where pedestrians rose to the stage from the pit as if exiting the subway line, and a climax with jetted streamers and pyrotechnics.

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts today announced the cast and creative team for Athol Fugard's A Lesson from Aloes. Ariyon Bakare, Randall Newsome and Andrus Nichols will appear in the revered Fugard drama. The play will perform Thursday, May 17, through Sunday, June 10 - closing out Hartford Stage's 2017-18 season. Tresnjak will direct.

In an era where seemingly everything from "Roseanne" to "Will and Grace" has received a reboot, God also has decided to take a fresh look at one of his greatest cultural achievements, The Ten Commandments, in the hilarious Broadway comedy, "An Act of God." Directed by Tracy Brigden, the comedy runs at Bucks County Playhouse May 18 - June 16. The official opening night performance is Saturday, May 19 at 7:30 pm. The 2018 Bucks County Playhouse Season is sponsored by Bank of America.

The comic genius of Charlie Chaplin will be on full display as Philadelphia-based "Not So Silent Cinema" provides live accompaniment to three Chaplin shorts in a special one-performance only event at Bucks County Playhouse, Sunday, April 29 at 2 p.m. The presentation is part of the Playhouse's Visiting Artist Series.

Lou Volpe, the retired theatre education pioneer was recently inducted into the prestigious Bucks County Playhouse Hall of Fame, following such honorees as Angela Lansbury, Oscar Hammerstein and Shirley Jones. A formal ceremony was held on April 14 at the historic playhouse. Volpe, whose career is the inspiration behind "Rise," the new TV series on NBC, was heralded for his life's work as a high school drama teacher at Harry S. Truman High School in Levittown, PA. During his tenure there, he transformed this Bucks County community with the magic of theater.

Following his critically-acclaimed shows, BAD TIMING and POLICE AND QUIET, YouTuber Andy Goldenberg aka 'Goldentusk' will be developing a new comedy through the Sundance Institute and YouTube's New Voices Lab.

In a season where Disney's "Frozen" is heating up the box office on Broadway and an American commoner is preparing to marry an English prince, one of Broadway's most charming princesses, two-time Tony nominee Laura Osnes ("Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella" on Broadway) is bringing her own Princess Party to Bucks County Playhouse. The concert is being presented in New Hope as part of the Bucks County Playhouse Visiting Artist Series.

FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Cristina Fontanelli www.cristinafontanelli.com in "Love Italian Style".  Award-winning Singer/PBS-TV host Cristina Fontanelli carries the Italian torch in her debut at Feinsteins/54 Below.  This Feinsteins at the Regency regular (appearances included  singing Happy Birthday to Mickey Rooney for his 90th Birthday Party documented in the "Life and Times of Mickey Rooney", Simon & Schuster (2015) Excerpt from the 'Life and Times of Mickey Rooney')  Boston Pops soloist, and PBS-TV host for Andrea Bocelli and Il Volo, explores the theme of love with a passionate, Italian flavor in her new show Love Italian Style. 

Sundance Institute announces the slate of theatremakers from the U.S. and Middle East / North Africa who will convene at the Theatre Program's second annual Theatre Lab in Morocco next month. The Lab, which will take place from May 6 - 27 at the Fellah Hotel outside Marrakech, comprises three uninterrupted weeks of consultation, mentorship and workshop performance of new work for the stage. The Theatre Lab alternates locations each season, moving between the Sundance Resort in Utah, and a venue in the Middle East/North African region, as part of a multi-year commitment to international work and a means of facilitating cultural exchange between artists. Led by Sundance Institute Theatre Program Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, teams of creative advisors, actors and dramaturgs will collaborate with writers and directors, independent from commercial or public pressures, as they develop their projects.

Lou Volpe, the retired theatre education pioneer, is being given the prestigious Bucks County Playhouse Hall of Fame Award, following such honorees as Angela Lansbury, Oscar Hammerstein and Shirley Jones.

Sundance Institute announces the slate of theatremakers from the U.S. and Middle East / North Africa who will convene at the Theatre Program's second annual Theatre Lab in Morocco next month. The Lab, which will take place from May 6 - 27 at the Fellah Hotel outside Marrakech, comprises three uninterrupted weeks of consultation, mentorship and workshop performance of new work for the stage. The Theatre Lab alternates locations each season, moving between the Sundance Resort in Utah, and a venue in the Middle East/North African region, as part of a multi-year commitment to international work and a means of facilitating cultural exchange between artists. Led by Sundance Institute Theatre Program Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, teams of creative advisors, actors and dramaturgs will collaborate with writers and directors, independent from commercial or public pressures, as they develop their projects.  

Paper Mill Playhouse is diving into the world of high stakes cons with the world premiere production of the new musical The Sting, which opened its Broadway-bound engagement at Paper Mill Playhouse last night, April 8. The show will play a limited engagement through April 29.

Trinity Repertory Company announced today that actress Mary McDonnell will be honored with the 2018 Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts at the theater's 22nd annual Pell Awards Gala on Monday, May 21, 2018. A two-time Oscar nominee for Dances with Wolves and Passion Fish, McDonnell's theater, film and television career has spanned more than four decades with dynamic character portrayals in period and present-day roles, including TNT's The Closer and Major Crimes, Syfy's Battlestar Galactica, Donnie Darko, and Sneakers.

Paper Mill Playhouse is now presenting 'The Sting,' an exhilarating world premiere musical. Directed by John Rando with choreography by Warren Carlyle and musical direction by Fred Lassen, the show is Broadway bound and it's easy to see why. This wonderfully staged production has a great plot, a fabulous variety of musical numbers, and features a stellar cast.

A classic tap-happy musical and a new production of a legendary Broadway comedy are highlights of Bucks County Playhouse's 2018 Season. Executive Producer Robyn Goodman, Producing Director Alexander Fraser and Producers Stephen Kocis and Josh Fiedler announced details of the season, which will kick off at the historic Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania on May 19.

Look & See: Wendell Berry's Kentucky is a cinematic portrait of the changing landscapes and shifting values of rural America in an era of industrial agriculture, as seen through the mind's eye of writer, farmer, and activist Wendell Berry. Through his poetic and prescient words and the testimonies of his family and neighbors — all deeply affected by the industrial and economic changes to their agrarian way of life — we see the changing landscapes of rural America and the redemptive beauty in taking the unworn path. Often called “a prophet for rural America,” Berry has long been a voice for communities frequently overlooked by the media. Directed by Laura Dunn and executive produced by Terrence Malick and Robert Redford, Look & See: Wendell Berry's Kentucky premieres on Independent Lens Monday, April 23, 2018, 10:00-11:00 PM ET (check local listings) on PBS.

Writer/performer Kirya Yvonne Traber presents a theatrical mixtape at JACK, sharing songs of necessity and stories of longing. For this mix of concert and theater piece, Traber is backed by a four-piece band, with musical arrangements by Emma Alabaster. Featured musicians include Kala Brame (percussion), Alex Marcelo (piano), Emma Alabaster (bass), and Gwen Laster (viola), with a scenic installation by Jacqui Martinez and lighting design by Marika Kent. What We Needed features original music and text by Traber, and was created, in part, through the Lincoln Center Education Community Artist in Residence Program.

WAITRESS, the Tony Award-nominated musical making its Washington, D.C. premiere at the National Theatre from May 15 thru June 3, 2018, is looking for two young girls to perform the role of Lulu during the national tour's D.C. engagement.