Second Stage News

MARY POPPINS opens at Artisan Center Theater on Friday, June 16, 2017 and runs through Saturday, July 22, 2017.  The 196 seat theater-in-the-round is located at 444 East Pipeline Road in Hurst.  Performances are at 7:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with 3:00pm matinees on Saturdays beginning June 24. No performance July 4. Reserved seating tickets are $24.00 for adults, $22.00 for students and seniors, and $12.00 for children 12 and under.  Monday through Thursday tickets are $22.00 for adults and $10.00 for children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at ArtisanCT.com, or by calling the box office at 817-284-1200.

An emotionally harrowing journey, DEAR EVAN HANSEN is a story that's hits home for a lot of its audience members. At the helm of this production is Michael Greif, who earned a Tony nomination for Best Director of a Musical for his part in bringing this story to life. Below, watch as he tries to remember when he first realized he wanted to be a director, and explain what it's like to constantly live in the world of DEAR EVAN HANSEN! 

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's highly anticipated production of Evita will open with record-breaking ticket sales at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts at DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa.

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).

We're so excited to kick off our Tony week by getting Broadwaysted with Johanna Day, the Tony-nominated star of SWEAT! We're all pouring out...water (pace yourselves for Tony week, kids!) while Johanna gushes about her experience in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play...and why she's a Pulitzer Prize Good Luck Charm! We discuss seeing plays adapted into films, Johanna's incredible career (Tony nominee for PROOF, the all-star cast of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, the game-changing AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY...I mean, come on!), and how the acting process evolves over time.

On Tuesday, August 1 at 5 pm, the Williamstown Theatre Festival will host a WAM Theatre Fresh Takes Play Reading of Smart People by Lydia R. Diamond at the Clark Art Institute.  The reading will be directed by WAM's Artistic Director, Kristen van Ginhoven. Tickets are free but reservations are recommended.

American Blues Theater opens its 2017-2018 Season with the Chicago Premiere of Beauty's Daughter by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Ron OJ Parson, and Artistic Affiliate Wandachristine. Beauty's Daughter runs July 7 - August 5, 2017 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago.  The official press opening is Thursday, July 13, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Today's big news: ANIMAL, starring Rebecca Hall, opens tonight Off-Broadway!

THE TUMBLEWEED ROUNDUP opens at Artisan Center Theater on Saturday, June 10, 2017 and runs through Saturday, August 26, 2017.

Interrobang Theatre Project, dedicated to producing rarely seen shows with relevant themes and raw emotions, has announced its eighth season, featuring three plays that examine the fine line between reality and perception. This season, Interrobang invites audiences to ponder the particularly urgent question: What is Truth?

There is not a dry in in the Music Box Theatre after Rachel Bay Jones performs Heidi Hansen's heartbreaking 'So Big, So Small' in Dear Evan Hansen. Her emotionally raw performance has earned Jones her first Tony nomination and she tells Richard Ridge why it and the show mean so much to her below!

The 62nd Annual Drama Desk Awards, hosted by Michael Urie, were held at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street) tonight, June 4th.

AFTER HOURS THETRE COMPANY (who most recently produced I Love You Because) present, from the Academy Award-winning musical team responsible for "La La Land" and the smash Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen, DOGFIGHT, music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Peter Duchan, musical direction by Elmo Zapp, choreography and co-direction by Jennifer Oundjian and co-directed by Jennifer Strattan. DOGFIGHT will open on Friday, June 2 and perform through Sunday, June 25 at the Hudson Backstage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Repertory Theater presents the inaugural Professional Training Institute's production of So Thrive My Soul, in the Stiemke Studio July 13 - 16, 2017. The Professional Training Institute (PTI) is a free yearlong advance actor training program for students in 8th-12th grade who may have an interest in pursuing a career as a professional theater artist.

Route 66 Theatre company will conclude its ninth season with the Chicago premiere of Halley Feiffer's dark comedy A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY UNIT AT SLOAN-KETTERING MEMORIAL CANCER CENTER OF NEW YORK CITY, directed by Keira Fromm, playing August 24 - September 23, 2017 at The Den Theatre's new Bookspan Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.

Zeiders American Dream Theater (ZADT) in Town Center, under the leadership of Artistic Director Bart Kuebler and Executive Director Terry Flint, is pleased to present the world premiere new musical, Second To Nun, written by Broadway songwriter Michael Cooper and award-winning librettist Anton Dudley.

Here we go again! Universal has announced that it is officially moving forward on a sequel to the film version of the Broadway mega-hit Mamma Mia. The film, titled, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is expected to hit theaters everywhere, July 20, 2018. 

BroadwayWorld is celebrating GROUNDHOG DAY on Broadway with 5 Fun Facts about Andy Karl! Groundhog Day tells the story of Phil Connors (Andy Karl), a disgruntled big-city weatherman mysteriously stuck in small-town America reliving the same day over and over and over again. The musical made its world premiere try-out at The Old Vic in London in summer 2016 and opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway on 17 April 2017.

Gingold Theatrical Group (David Staller, Artistic Director), best known for its PROJECT SHAW series at Symphony Space  - now in its 12th Season, continues to develop new works with its PRESS CUTTINGS: New Work Program.

Ben, PennyMaria, and Lindsay discuss what we're looking forward to at the theater beyond Broadway this month. We revisit annual summer favorites like ANT Fest at Ars Nova and Second Stage Uptown plus world premieres, immersive theater, a couple of wacky originals, and new shows on urgent social topics.