Simmons News

More than 1.5 million people have experienced A Christmas Carol, now returning for the 41st year at Goodman Theatre, November 17 - December 30.

Bright Star is a bluegrass musical with a big heart. Written by banjo-playing renaissance man Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the show is set in the hills of North Carolina in the 1940s with flashbacks in the 1920s. It is at times playful and at others steeped in nostalgia. There's a large ensemble cast with a full bluegrass band onstage providing live music. The set is simple, with movable pieces on wheels and straightforward staging. The result is an absolutely delightful show.

The Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away had its official launch today at London's Canada House - where the full cast was unveiled! The show will have its European premiere at The Abbey Theatre this December, before transferring to The Phoenix Theatre in the West End.

Eastender's Rita Simmons is to join the previously announced Joe McFadden in the world premiere production of Peter James' spine-chilling The House on Cold Hill which is to run at Theatre Royal, Glasgow next spring.

Casting has been announced for COME FROM AWAY the Tony Award-winning musical which will land in Dublin for its long-awaited European premiere at the Abbey Theatre from 6 December 2018 to 19 January 2019 before transferring to London's West End next year for performances at the Phoenix Theatre from 30 January 2019.

The Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away had its official launch today at London's Canada House - where the full cast was unveiled! The show will have its European premiere at the Abbey Theatre this December, before transferring to the Phoenix Theatre in the West End.

The Moore Theatre in Seattle, WA presents the legendary Paul Reiser on Saturday, November 17th. Comedian, actor, television writer, author, and musician Paul Reiser has spent the last 30+ years acting in Oscar and Emmy award-winning movies and TV shows. He was voted one of Comedy Central's "Top 100 Comedians of All Time."

Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO of The Shed, today announced that 52 emerging artists and collectives living or working in New York City have been commissioned to create new work as part of The Shed's inaugural Open Call program. Developed specifically for New York City artists who have not yet had opportunities to create new work with full support from a large cultural institution, Open Call is integral to The Shed's vision: to develop and present the full spectrum of performing arts, visual arts, and pop culture, under one roof, for all audiences. Open Call debuts in The Shed's 2019 season, with works continuing to be presented into 2020.

Playhouse Theatre Academy is a theatre school created by Playhouse on Park offering recreational classes and pre-professional training for both children & adults. All programs, classes and workshops are held at The 224 EcoSpace, which is conveniently located for anyone in Greater Hartford area or beyond. As a supplement to the Young Actors Training Program, The Playhouse Theatre Academy is offering five-week intensive workshops.

Today the Global Down Syndrome Foundation (Global) announced academy-award nominee and Marvel's “Hawkeye” Jeremy Renner, Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, award-winning actor and Global board member John C. McGinley and supermodel and actress Amanda Booth will join its celebrity lineup for this year's 10th Anniversary of the Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show. The 10th Anniversary will underscore and celebrate a decade of beauty and achievement. The marquee event is the largest Down syndrome fundraiser in the world and will be held during Down Syndrome Awareness Month on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, 1550 Court Place in Denver.

Casting has been announced for the Las Vegas engagement of Disney's THE LION KING, which will leap onto The Smith Center stage on Nov. 7 for a limited three-week engagement through Nov. 25.

The Boston College Theatre Department will host award-winning playwright Marcus Gardley, who will present a lecture as part of the University's Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV Perspectives on Theatre Series. The free, public event-on Thursday, October 11 at 7 p.m.-will be held in the Robsham Theater Art Center, located on BC's Chestnut Hill Campus. 

This fall, the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera opens with Norma on Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.  The company presents Vincenzo Bellini's tragedia lirica opera set in ancient Rome at the Bergen Performing Arts Center, located at 30 North Van Brunt Street, in Englewood, New Jersey.

Chapin and Town close their season openers, while Trustus and Theatre SC kick off their seasons!

Playhouse on Park's Tenth Anniversary Season presents opportunities for students of all ages (pre-K through 12) to take a trip to the theater as a way to supplement their education and cultivate a love for the arts. We are now booking field trips for you and your group of students with our Literature Alive! program.

The Waukesha Civic Theatre presents disABILITY: The Evolution, running October 4 - 7, 2018. While the Broadway hit 'Hamilton' explored the founding fathers of American Experience, this show explores the history of the human experience of disability from the dawn of recorded history is set to music with a whimsical cast of characters.

Pioneer Theatre Company begins the sixth season of Play-by-Play's New Play Reading Series with Art & Class by Utah playwright, Matthew Ivan Bennett. The staged readings will take place at the Babcock Theatre on Friday, October 5 and Saturday, October 6, 2018.

"I wanted to write a story about a black woman who was searching for her place in the world." - Madison Jade Jones, Playwright

Epic Theatre Ensemble returns off-Broadway with the world premiere of The Winning Side, a new play by James Wallert

Up next at Epic Theatre Ensemble is the world premiere of The Winning Side, a new play by James Wallert. Based on the true story of Wernher von Braun, Chief Rocket Engineer for the Third Reich and one of the fathers of the United States space program, The Winning Side explores the hidden history behind America's 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.