Sherman Howard News

On Twitter Watch, Ira Glass wrote '@JohnLithgow as Lear tonight: amazing. Shakespeare: not good. No stakes, not relatable. I think I'm realizing: Shakespeare sucks. Same thing with the great Mark Rylance shows this yr: fantastic acting, surprisingly funny, but Shakespeare is not relatable, unemotional.'

Premium entertainment network EPIX announced today that Forgotten Four: The Integration of Pro Football, an EPIX Original Documentary, will make its World Premiere on Tuesday, September 23, 2014, at 8PM ET.

A few weeks ago, we learned that South Williamsport, a high school in Lycoming County, PA, had been forced to cancel their spring production of Monty Python's Spamalot due to 'controversial content,' which includes a homosexual marriage. According to WNEP, the administrators thought that the musical's subject matter was too inappropriate for students. After attracting considerable coverage in the media, this issue is still under review by the South Williamsport district and the state of Pennsylvania. But despite the fact that no new information has been released, Hesherman reporter Howard Sherman has been taking the matter into his own hands.

Samuel French, the 184-year-old publishing and licensing company, has announced a collaboration with HowlRound, an online community for theatre artists, this summer on a four-day event (July 14-17) that will focus on intellectual property and the rights of artists in the theatre.

Women's Project Theater is going through some major changes. A recent blog by Howard Sherman indicates that Artistic Director Julie Crosby is now missing from the masthead and staff list on the theater's official website. According to Sherman, Crosby was not fired, but 'did not depart voluntarily.' Additionally, some other advisory board members have also resigned.

TUTS Undergound, an exciting new venture from Theatre Under the Stars, is currently presenting Houston audiences with the Texas Premiere of HANDS ON A HARDBODY. According to a recent blog by Howard Sherman, the production varies greatly from the show that ran on Broadway just last year, as director Bruce Lumpkin made significant changes to the show without first consulting the authors.

TUTS Undergound, an exciting new venture from Theatre Under the Stars, is currently presenting Houston audiences with the Texas Premiere of HANDS ON A HARDBODY. According to a recent blog by Howard Sherman, the production varies greatly from the show that ran on Broadway just last year, as director Bruce Lumpkin made significant changes to the show without first consulting the authors.

TUTS Undergound, an exciting new venture from Theatre Under the Stars, is currently presenting Houston audiences with the Texas Premiere of HANDS ON A HARDBODY. According to a recent blog by Howard Sherman, the production varies greatly from the show that ran on Broadway just last year, as director Bruce Lumpkin made significant changes to the show without first consulting the authors.

59E59 Theaters presents the second show in the inaugural 5A Season with the New York premiere of BAUER, written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Bill English. Produced by the San Francisco Playhouse, BAUER begins performances on Tuesday, September 2 for a limited engagement through Sunday, October 12. Opening Night is Tuesday, September 9 at 7 PM.

As previously reported, the Tony Awards Administration Committee determined that Best Sound Design of a Play and Best Sound Design of a Musical Categories would be eliminated from the established list of competitive categories, beginning with the 2014-2015 season.

With so much interest in the ruling, BroadwayWorld wants to give you a full rundown on the history of the award. The first Tony Award for 'Best Sound Design of a Play' and 'Best Sound Design of a Musical' was given in the 2007-2008 season.

William Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' is extraordinary at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Directed by Bonnie Monte and starring Sherman Howard, see this captivating play through June 22nd on the Madison stage.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 52nd Season opens with The Tempest, Shakespeare's final great work. Performances continue through June 22nd at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (at Lancaster Road) in Madison. Individual tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Individual tickets range from $15 to $75.

Last month, Britain's most prolific playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn celebrated his 75th birthday. With 78 major plays to his credit, the busy play maker seems more popular than ever - even on this side of the Atlantic. In fact, over the next few months, fans can see a wealth of Ayckbourn productions - all located in and around the New York area. Let's take a look at what the master playwright has in store for metro area theater-goers this summer!

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's 52nd Season opens with The Tempest, Shakespeare's final great work. Performances begin May 28th and continue through June 22nd at the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre, 36 Madison Ave. (at Lancaster Road) in Madison. Individual tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 973-408-5600 or by visiting www.ShakespeareNJ.org. Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Individual tickets range from $15 to $75.

Is network news appointment television for you? I didn't think so. Are you constantly angered that ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT only talks about theatre when a Hollywood star joins a cast or someone falls 30 feet to the stage floor? Me too. Well, I have an alternative that just might satisfy your news and theatre cravings; podcasting. Isn't that just what hipsters do between their shift at Starbucks and another trip to the thrift shop? Well, yes and no. I'm sure there is a barista in Portland who is currently recording a missive bemoaning mass media's attempt to co-opt the indie subculture, but most people who do podcasts well are incredibly informed and passionate about their specific topics.

Timberlane Regional High School planned to present a PG version of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd next spring. However, administrators fear that it is not family friendly; and so, they want to cancel the production. Hundreds of supporters for Sweeney Todd gathered at a meeting yesterday, April 2, to fight for it.

On the heels of its critically acclaimed 2013 Season, for which The Washington Post applauded The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey as one of the few "companies with classical traditions that are not towing a conventional line," the Theatre has announced its remarkable 2014 Season. The ambitious lineup demonstrates the Theatre's unwavering dedication to all classic literature, from the familiar to the forgotten, the recognizable to the rediscovered, with works by Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Ben Jonson, Moliere, and contemporary playwright David Davalos. The Shakespeare Theatre's varied and inspired selections demonstrate once again that "presenting great art isn't about safety-it's about commitment," as The Princeton Packet described the Theatre's dedication to both popular and lesser-known classics.

Dominating the nominations in the musical category is the current Broadway sensation 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder,' which made its world premiere in February 2013 at San Diego's The Old Globe (a co-production with Hartford Stage). The musical racked up 11 nominations, including nods for New Musical, its versatile star Jefferson Mays (a UC San Diego alumnus) and its director Darko Tresnjak (former co-artistic director and Shakespeare Festival director at The Old Globe).

UPDATE: Howard Sherman told BroadwayWorld: 'A group of students met with Principal Guarino to offer him a range of suggestions of programs that could be implemented quickly to address his possible concerns, although since he has not been specific in his reservations about RENT, their efforts involve a good amount of guesswork. Mr. Guarino has said he is still considering the request to move the show back to its original date, but as it has already lost preparatory time, one cannot help wonder whether Mr. Guarino is simply running down the clock so that his promulgated dates become inevitable, despite their many conflicts. A group of parents will be meeting with Mr. Guarino on Monday.'