Rufus Bonds News

On Monday, February 20th, The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, The Lion King, and Garth Fagan Dance celebrated the show's Tony, Olivier, and Helpmann Award-winning choreographer and founder of Garth Fagan Dance, Garth Fagan, the longest-running Black choreographer in Broadway history. 

This is the last chance to vote for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Central New York Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

Time is running out to vote for for the 2021 BroadwayWorld Central New York Awards! The 2021 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

 All plays were once new plays. That’s the idea behind Syracuse Stage’s Cold Read Festival of New Plays. Now in its fourth season, the Cold Read Festival has seven different events featuring some of the freshest voices writing for theater today, nationally and locally, scheduled for Tuesday, March 23, through Sunday, March 28.

Syracuse Stage celebrates the joy and comfort of home this holiday season with the fully digital production “Home for the Holidays,” a heartwarming show filled with favorite songs and instrumental music, dancing and fond memories, available as video on demand starting Dec. 15.

In June of 2020 the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance (MTEA), an international organization of teachers and professionals, created a much-needed committee for Representation, Equity, and Inclusion (REI), led by MTEA's newly appointed Lead Diversity Officer, Tim Espinosa of Fullerton College.

"Lysistrata" tells the story of the legendary Athenian, Lysistrata, who calls upon the women of Greece to help put an end to the Peloponnesian War. In order to do so, all women must refuse to have sex with their husbands until they agree to peace in Greece. Inspired by Aristophanes and adapted by Ellen McLaughlin, "Lysistrata" is directed by award-winning actor/director Rufus Bonds Jr., and runs from April 12-May 5, 2019 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus.

'Lysistrata' tells the story of the legendary Athenian, Lysistrata, who calls upon the women of Greece to help put an end to the Peloponnesian War. In order to do so, all women must refuse to have sex with their husbands until they agree to peace in Greece. Inspired by Aristophanes and adapted by Ellen McLaughlin, 'Lysistrata' is directed by award-winning actor/director Rufus Bonds Jr., and runs from April 12-May 5, 2019 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus.

Cal State Fullerton's Spring semester begins with "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov, translated by Paul Schmidt and directed by Maria Cominis. The play runs from March 8-24, 2019 in the Young Theatre on campus. "The Cherry Orchard" follows a destitute Russian aristocrat who returns home to find her family in a financial crisis, forcing them to sell their home to pay off their debt. The family must decide on their prospects for happiness and how to rebuild their lives and fortunes.

Cal State Fullerton's Spring semester begins with "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov, translated by Paul Schmidt and directed by Maria Cominis. The play runs from March 8-24, 2019 in the Young Theatre on campus. "The Cherry Orchard" follows a destitute Russian aristocrat who returns home to find her family in a financial crisis, forcing them to sell their home to pay off their debt. The family must decide on their prospects for happiness and how to rebuild their lives and fortunes.

California State University, Fullerton's Spring 2019 season includes "The Cherry Orchard,"  "Lysistrata," "Heathers The Musical," and "Spring Dance Theatre" all on the CSUF campus, running March through May.

Four internationally renowned dancer/choreographers are joining student choreographers to create timely, often politically inspired dance pieces as part of the California State University, Fullerton,  Fall Dance Theatre, running November 29-December 9, 2018 in the Little Theatre on campus.

Four internationally renowned dancer/choreographers are joining student choreographers to create timely, often politically inspired dance pieces as part of the California State University, Fullerton, Fall Dance Theatre, running November 29-December 9, 2018 in the Little Theatre on campus.

Cal State Fullerton's Fall musical is the warm-hearted family play "Children of Eden" featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, (creator of the Tony-Award winning "Wicked," "Pippin" and "Godspell") with a book by John Caird. The production is directed by professional director and actor Rufus Bonds, Jr. with musical direction by David Lamoureaux and choreography by William F. Lett, running October 26-November 11 in the Little Theatre on campus. "Children of Eden" is a musical telling of the inspirational stories of "Adam and Eve," "Noah and the Ark" and other stories from the "Book of Genesis."

Cal State Fullerton's Fall musical is the warm-hearted family play "Children of Eden" featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, (creator of the Tony-Award winning "Wicked," "Pippin" and "Godspell") with a book by John Caird. The production is directed by professional director and actor Rufus Bonds, Jr. with musical direction by David Lamoureaux and choreography by William F. Lett, running October 26-November 11 in the Little Theatre on campus. "Children of Eden" is a musical telling of the inspirational stories of "Adam and Eve," "Noah and the Ark" and other stories from the "Book of Genesis."

Cal State Fullerton's 2018-2019 theatre season opens with the powerful "Bee-luther-hatchee" by Thomas Gibbons. The production is directed by guest professional director Saundra McClain and runs October 5-28, 2018 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus. The play follows Shelita Burns, an African-American editor, who publishes "Bee-luther-hatchee," the award-winning biography of a reclusive 72-year-old black woman named Libby Price. Having never met, Shelita decides to deliver a copy to Libby. The meeting between the two stirs a complex confrontation and challenges preconceptions.

Cal State Fullerton's 2018-2019 theatre season opens with the powerful "Bee-luther-hatchee" by Thomas Gibbons. The production is directed by guest professional director Saundra McClain and runs October 5-28, 2018 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus. The play follows Shelita Burns, an African-American editor, who publishes "Bee-luther-hatchee," the award-winning biography of a reclusive 72-year-old black woman named Libby Price. Having never met, Shelita decides to deliver a copy to Libby. The meeting between the two stirs a complex confrontation and challenges preconceptions.

Cal State Fullerton's 2018-2019 theatre season opens with the powerful "Bee-luther-hatchee" by Thomas Gibbons. The production is directed by guest professional director Saundra McClain and runs October 5­-28, 2018 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus. The play follows Shelita Burns, an African-American editor, who publishes "Bee-luther-hatchee," the award-winning biography of a reclusive 72-year-old black woman named Libby Price. Having never met, Shelita decides to deliver a copy to Libby. The meeting between the two stirs a complex confrontation and challenges preconceptions.

The long awaited revival of Jason Robert Brownand Alfred Uhry's gripping Tony Award-winning murder mystery musical PARADE as presented in 2013 at Fullerton's Plummer Auditorium by 3-D Theatricals (3DT) of Los Angeles and Orange County, once again takes a bow at two Southern California main stage theatres. It began June 1 - 10 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and now continues June 15 - 24, 2018 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center.

n 1998 when Jason Robert Brown won a Tony Award for the score of this unusually provocative musical Parade, the opulent Broadway production closed to critical acclaim, but due to excessive costs, the show remained inaccessible until the Donmar Warehouse resurrected it and produced a tight - minus the frills - mounting at the Mark Taper Forum in 2009. 3-D Theatricals, who are becoming increasingly known for their superlative skill with producing big musicals, have decided to put back many of the frills of the original and double the cast to its original size - 36, in order to enhance and give the musical the big, full-voiced chorus sound it deserves. And, in my mind, this bigger hybrid version surpasses the Taper's for its grande musical elegance and the presence of a perfectly cast lead actor in the role of Leo Frank, Jeff Skowron.