For the past several seasons, Stratford's Festival Theatre stage has been home to classic musical theatre productions with catchy tunes that audiences might find themselves humming long after the company had taken its final bow. This season, the musical living on that stage is a little different. It is not a classic from the golden age of broadway, the music, while moving, is likely not that familiar ear worm that you will wake up singing, and the story is as gritty and high stakes as many of the Shakespearean productions we have seen on that stage in recent years. BILLY ELLIOT officially opened to a raucous standing ovation on Tuesday evening, making it clear that Stratford audiences are more than happy to branch out to something a little different.
Multiple Tony Award-nominated Broadway producer Tom Kirdahy was presented The Commercial Theater Institute's Robert Whitehead Award for 'Outstanding Achievement In Commercial Theater Producing' at a reception at Sardi's on Wednesday, May 22, 2019.
The Drama League (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Artistic Director) today announced the 2019 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award. The nominations were announced this morning by the current stars of Waitress, Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan, at the official announcement event at Sardi's Restaurant, which was streamed live online here at BroadwayWorld.
After captivating audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area, THE JUNGLE must close on Sunday, May 19, 2019. Presented by Sonia Friedman Productions with Tom Kirdahy, the Good Chance Theatre, National Theatre and Young Vic production of THE JUNGLE at San Francisco's Curran (445 Geary Street) "surpasses the hype" (48 Hills) and has been hailed as "one of the most visceral and haunting plays in recent memory" (The Mercury News). Written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson and under the direction of Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, the West Coast limited engagement of THE JUNGLE has been hailed as "A knockout: vibrantly theatrical and pointedly contemporary" (San Francisco Examiner). Tickets for THE JUNGLE are $25-$165 and are available at SFCURRAN.com/jungle. Curran has partnered with TodayTix to offer a limited number of $25 day-of rush tickets through a digital lottery.
In the past few weeks, we've watched the nominations roll in. Today the final crop of nominees have been revealed, all leading to next week's ultimate announcement- the 2019 Tony nominations.
Eric Woodall has a long history with North Carolina Theatre; as an actor, teacher, and director. As a high school student, he performed in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and GEORGE M! at NC Theatre. After successful years on stage and television, Eric returned to NC Theatre in the late 90's to direct and help cultivate the existing Summer Theatre Arts School program into the NC Theatre Conservatory. For the past 16 years, Eric worked as one of New York's top casting directors in the office of Tara Rubin Casting. Through casting and developing new musicals, Eric has been lucky enough to work alongside Stephen Sondheim, Cameron Mackintosh, William Finn, Sir Richard Eyre, Stephen Daldry, Susan Stroman, Stephen Schwartz, Casey Nicholaw, James Lapine, Phyllida Lloyd, and Hal Prince. A few of his Broadway casting credits include SUNSET BOULEVARD, ALADDIN, FALSETTOS, LES MISERABLES, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, BILLY ELLIOT, MARY POPPINS, THE LITTLE MERMAID, and MAMMA MIA! (Broadway, National tour). Past NC Theatre directorial credits include MAMMA MIA!, GYPSY, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, MARY POPPINS, BILLY ELLIOT, DRIVING MISS DAISY, and STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Other directing credits include NEXT TO NORMAL, WEST SIDE STORY, BIG RIVER, ON GOLDEN POND (Casa Manana); BIG FISH, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA, PARADE, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, and VIOLET (Theatre Raleigh); AMADEUS (Memphis' Playhouse on the Square), and HAY FEVER (Playmakers Repertory). As a guest lecturer, Eric has taught at universities and training programs around the country including NYU, Baldwin Wallace, and Elon. Internationally, Eric was invited to lead workshops in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia through Actors Equity of Australia. Last year, American Theatre named Eric one of the 'People You Should Watch' in its 'Role Call: Six Theatre Workers You Should Know' series. Eric is a drama graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of SDC and CSA.
Birmingham Repertory Theatre's outgoing Artistic Director, Roxana Silbert, today announces the theatre's Autumn and Winter 2019 season, launching a programme of familiar favourites side-by-side with new and inspiring theatre.
The Drama League (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Artistic Director) today announced the 2019 Drama League Awards Nominees for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award. The nominations were announced this morning by the current stars of Waitress, Shoshana Bean and Jeremy Jordan, at the official announcement event at Sardi's Restaurant, which was streamed live online here at BroadwayWorld.
The Victoria and Albert Museum will host an exhibition of portraits by Francis Hamel celebrating the visiting professors of the Cameron Mackintosh Chair of Contemporary Theatre at St Catherine's College, Oxford.
Commemorate the 10th anniversary of National Theatre Live program, with the exclusive cinematic re-release of, 'The Audience' and 'Hamlet,' both captured live from the London stage.
Billy Elliot o Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around Billy, a motherless British boy who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes. The story of his personal struggle and fulfillment are balanced against a counter-story of family and community strife caused by the 1984-85 UK miners' strike in County Durham, in North Eastern England. Hall's screenplay was inspired in part by A. J. Cronin's 1935 novel about a miners' strike, The Stars Look Down, to which the musical's opening song pays homage.
The U.S. tour of the National Theatre's multiple award-winning production of J.B. Priestley's classic thriller, AN INSPECTOR CALLS, presented by ArtsEmerson at Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, features masterful direction by Stephen Daldry (who also directed the 1992 West End revival), Ian MacNeil's grand-scale set, spectacular design elements (lighting, sound, and music), as well as a sterling cast of British actors in the principal roles, making you feel as if you have crossed the pond and are in attendance at the venerable National Theatre. Written in 1945 at the end of World War II, Priestley set the action in the fictional town of Brumley, England, in 1912, when the winds of the Great War were in the offing, and these bookends provide a sociopolitical arc to the plot. Pitting the attitudes of the wealthy proponents of industrial capitalism against the socialist view of the needs of the working class, the play strikingly resonates with the current climate of privilege, income inequality, and #MeToo.
Today (Tuesday 5 March), actors Sheila Atim and Giles Terera announced the nominations for the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard, which takes place on Sunday 7 April at the Royal Albert Hall, hosted by Jason Manford.
At a ceremony tonight at the Prince of Wales Theatre hosted by Vicky Vox and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, the winners of the 19th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards were announced - the only major theatre awards decided entirely by the theatregoers themselves.
