Stephen Byrd News

BroadwayWorld is excited to announce that tickets go on sale today to the general public for the Broadway bound acclaimed new American play ECLIPSED by Danai Gurira, directed by Liesl Tommy.

Lupita Nyong'o is heading to Broadway in ECLIPSED. The Academy Award winner will reprise the role she now plays in an Off Broadway production of the show at the Public Theater

The company just celebrated the first performance at an exclusive after party at the Public's Library Bar, hosted by TodayTix. Check out photos from the festivities, as featured on the offical TodayTix Instagram account, below!

The Riant Theatre's 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival will kick-off with nine eclectic plays covering a gamut of themes ranging from American slavery, Nazi Germany and Muslim women to friendly ghosts, dead artists and an interracial lesbian couple on Wednesday, August 5 at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd Street, between Second and Third Avenues. These plays will also be performed on August 9. The tickets for the Strawberry One-Act Festival, from August 5 - 23 at the Tato Laviera, are $25.00 - $35.00  

The Riant Theatre's launch party for the 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival featured a special Pioneer of the Arts Award presentation to South African born, Obie Award winning director Liesl Tommy (Appropriate), who was recently tapped to direct Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o in her first New York play Eclipsed by playwright-actress Danai Guira (The Walking Dead.) Scroll down for photos from the party!

A book event for Stewart F. Lane's Black Broadway was held as a fundraiser for the new City College Center For the Arts on Tuesday, March 10th. Scroll down for photos from the event!

The Organizing Committee for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro just announced its official mascots will be 'Vinicius' and 'Tom' -- named after legendary Bossa Nova artists Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Carlos 'Tom' Jobim. These two vital voices in Brazilian culture were responsible, along with collaborator Luiz Bonfa, for the now iconic music at the heart of the Academy Award and Cannes Palme d'Or winning film Black Orpheus.

Today, the family of Vinicius de Moraes issued the following statement regarding the Broadway bound musical adaptation

Producers Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey, and Paula Marie Black announced today that the new musical stage adaptation of Black Orpheus will feature a book by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and will be directed by multi Tony Award winner George C. Wolfe.

Charles Moeller and Claudio Botelho, who are in charge of the book and concept of BLACK ORPHEUS to be seen this year on Broadway, produced by Stephen Byrd, open in Rio 'All Chico Buarque's Musicals in 90 minutes', a theatrical love letter to one of Brazilian most gifted stage, movie and popular composers ('Dona Flor and her two Husbands' movie theme for instance).

The Drama League (Executive Director, Gabriel Shanks) has announced the 2013 Drama League Awards Nominees for Distinguished Play, Distinguished Revival of a Play, Distinguished Musical, Distinguished Revival of a Musical, and Distinguished Performance Award. The nominations were announced at a ceremony hosted by Patina Miller and Michael Urie this morning at Sardi's Restaurant which were streamed live online at www.BroadwayWorld.com.

Entertainment Executive Kevin Liles will join the Broadway production of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, Horton Foote's classic play hitting Broadway in April.

Producers NELLE NUGENT and KENNETH TEATON welcome STEPHEN BYRD and ALIA JONES as producing partners on the Broadway production of THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, starring Academy Award nominee and three-time Emmy Award winner CICELY TYSON, Academy Award winner CUBA GOODING, JR, (Jerry Maguire, Red Tails), Emmy Award nominee and recording star VANESSA WILLIAMS (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives), and Tony Award nominee CONDOLA RASHAD (Lifetime's Steel Magnolias, Broadway's Stick Fly). Directed by MICHAEL WILSON, this 14-week limited engagement will begin previews on Easter Sunday, March 31st at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre (124 W 43rd St). Opening night is scheduled for Tuesday, April 23rd.

The NAACP Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch announced the complete list of honorees for the 22(nd) Annual NAACP Theatre Awards. The show will be held on Monday, November 5, 2012 at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood and will feature performances by Tichina Arnold (Everyone Hates Chris) and Shoshana Bean (Wicked).

The acclaimed Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Emily Man, takes its final Broadway bows on its original closing date, today, July 22, 2012. The show is aiming to open on London's West End this fall.

The Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire was awarded the Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award for the 2011-2012 Season from Actors' Equity Association (AEA) on Tuesday. The show, produced by Front Row Productions (Stephen Byrd, Alia Jones-Harvey), received the honor at a presentation at Equity headquarters. Christine Toy Johnson and Julia Breanetta Simpson (AEA Co-chairs Eastern Regional Equal Employment Opportunity Committee) presented the award, which turns the spotlight onto those doing exemplary work to promote the goals of diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity in theatre. Check out photos from the big event below!

On Saturday, July 14, several members of the Congressional Black Caucus came out to see A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway and caught the stars and producers backstage at the Broadhurst Theater. The show is headed into its final performances; it is set to close on Sunday, July 22. Check out the photos below!

Celebrities Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Eriq La Salle, Sinbad and Boris Kodjoe together with Robert Greenblatt, President of NBC, caught Streetcar Named Desire stars and producer Stephen Byrd backstage last night at the Broadhurst Theater. The show is headed into its final performances; it is set to close on Sunday, July 22.

Actors' Equity Association (Equity) announced today that the Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE has been selected as the recipient of its Extraordinary Excellence in Diversity on Broadway Award for the 2011-2012 Season. The Diversity Award will be presented at a reception prior to Equity's National Council Meeting at the Equity headquarters in New York City on Tuesday, July 17, 2012 at 12:30PM EST.

The acclaimed Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Emily Man has cancelled its previously announced summer extension, and will now take its final Broadway bow on its original closing date- July 22. BroadwayWorld has learned that the show might be moving to London, aiming for a Fall 2012 opening.