Sarah Hammond News

Samuel French has assembled a distinguished judging panel including playwrights Jiehae Park, James Hindman, Lauren Yee and Rachel Bonds; Artistic Directors Andrew Leynse (Primary Stages), Jonathan Silverstein (Keen Company), Susan Westfall (City Theatre, Miami), Emily Morse (New Dramatists) and Ciera Iverson (National Alliance of Musical Theatres); and industry professionals John Clinton Eisner (The Lark), Michael Walkup (Page 73), Abigail Katz (Atlantic Theater Company).

Samuel French has assembled a distinguished judging panel including playwrights Jiehae Park, James Hindman, Lauren Yee and Rachel Bonds; Artistic Directors Andrew Leynse (Primary Stages), Jonathan Silverstein (Keen Company), Susan Westfall (City Theatre, Miami), Emily Morse (New Dramatists) and Ciera Iverson (National Alliance of Musical Theatres); and industry professionals John Clinton Eisner (The Lark), Michael Walkup (Page 73), Abigail Katz (Atlantic Theater Company).

This summer, Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of the new musical PETE THE CAT. It will begin performances tonight, July 19, and run through August 18, with its benefit opening on July 25 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

In keeping with their mission of raising visibility for women's issues, The Neo-Political Cowgirls (NPC) dance theatre collective will present ANDROMEDA'S SISTERS: Illuminating Women's Voices on Sunday, July 30th at East Hampton's Guild Hall.

After an extensive search, Artistic Director Barbara Pasternack and the Board of Theatreworks USA have announced that Michael Harrington has been tapped to be the new Managing Director of the award-winning 55-year-old organization.

This summer, Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of the new musical PETE THE CAT. It will begin performances on July 19 and run through August 18, with its benefit opening on July 25 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

This summer, Theatreworks USA, the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, will present the Off-Broadway Premiere of the new musical PETE THE CAT. It will begin performances on July 19 and run through August 18, with its benefit opening on July 25 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).

String takes the stage as the final production in the 2016-2017 season of Village Theatre's brand new program, The Beta Series, which is a one-of-a-kind expansion to the theatre's renowned Village Originals program that supports the development of new works.

Village Theatre is excited to announce its 2017-2018 Season with a diverse collection of shows that will combine to create an incredible year of theatre. The lineup includes: Into the Woods, a fairytale collision featuring the music of Sondheim; Disney's Newsies, a high-spirited explosion of song and dance; The Gin Game, a battle of quick wits and sharp tongues; String, a World Premiere musical fable about fate and the fragile fabric of the universe; and Hairpsray, the Tony Award-Winning smash hit.

The fall 2016 season of /A•STIR/ which included development of five new musicals, wrapped this week. The mission of the /A•STIR/ is to introduce movement as a narrative tool to writers, composers, directors, and producers of projects in the early writing and development stages. Scroll down for photos! 

This holiday season, Hillbarn Theatre - the Peninsula's premier community theatre company - will present Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins, the magical high-flying musical that has swept the hearts and imaginations of families around the globe. Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Mary Poppins follows the story of young Jane and Michael who have sent many nannies packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of common sense - and a little bit of magic - she teaches the family members how to value each other again. This delightful musical features favorite Mary Poppins tunes including 'A Spoonful of Sugar,' 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,' 'Jolly Holiday,' 'Let's Go Fly a Kite,' 'Step in Time,' and 'Chim Chiminey.'

Well it may have been hotter than blazes this past weekend but I managed to spend the weekend inside at one of my favorite events of the year, The Village Theatre Village Originals Festival of New Musicals. They presented concert stagings of five musicals still in the works. It's a great opportunity for the authors to get to see their shows in front of an audience and for us to get a sneak peak at amazing musical theater to come. Now as they are still being workshopped I can't really review any of them but I can tell you what I saw.

This past weekend, Village Theatre's 16th Annual Festival of New Musicals was held in Issaquah, WA, with actors, creative teams, and writers gathered from around the country for readings of five new musicals — Costs of Living (by Timothy Huang), How to Break (book and lyrics by Aaron Jafferis, songs by Rebecca Hart, beatbox score by Yako 44), We Foxes (by Ryan Scott Oliver), String (book by Sarah Hammond, music and lyrics by Adam Gwon), and Writing Kevin Taylor (music and lyrics by Will Van Dyke, book and lyrics by Josh Halloway).

Village Theatre is excited to announce an unprecedented expansion to its Village Originals program of readings and workshops. The new Beta Series, headed by Associate Artistic Director Brandon Ivie, is a testing ground for musicals in the middle stages of development, consisting of a three-show series of performances throughout the year. 

Village Theatre is proud to announce the line-up for its 16th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place in Issaquah on August 12-14, 2016.

Village Theatre is proud to announce the line-up for its 16th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place in Issaquah on August 12-14, 2016.

Founding Executive Director Kathy Evans announced the 19 writers and 9 new musicals selected for this summer's Rhinebeck Writers Retreat residencies.  For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 26, each writing team will have a weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their new musical. This year's writers include New York Drama Critics award winner Brian Crawley, Tony nominee Hunter Foster, 2016 Kleban award winner Daniel Goldstein, Susan Smith Blackburn finalist Michele Lowe, Arlen award winner Georgia Stitt, Fred Ebb award winner Adam Gwon, and New Dramatists Loewe Award winner Sarah Hammond. The 9 musicals were selected from among 95 applicants by a distinguished panel: Kent Nicholson of Playwrights Horizons, Donna Lynn Hilton of Goodspeed Musicals, Barbara Pasternack of Theatreworks USA, Steve Stettler of Weston Playhouse, Mara Isaacs of Octopus Theatricals, Drama Desk nominated composer Neil Bartram, and Robert Zukerman, former Director of Theatre at the New York State Council on the Arts. 

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE (EST) (William Carden, Artistic Director, Paul A. Slee, Executive Director) and ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION (Doron Weber, Vice-President, Programs) are proud to announce that due to popular demand, the limited engagement of PLEASE CONTINUE, written by Frank Basloe and directed by William Carden, will extend at EST's Curt Dempster Theatre (549 W. 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019). Presented in association with The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, tickets for this production are now on sale at OvationTix.com for performances through Sunday, March 6, 2016.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. Scroll down for details! 

String is a modern-day twist on the story of the Three Fates, who spin, measure, and snip the string of our lives and find themselves stranded on Earth. Stuck in an office building, they're not so different from the workaholic mortals around them -- except that for the Fates, juggling their jobs and an unexpected office romance might literally mean the end of the world.