Stephen Schwartz News

Two Brooklyn opera companies, AMERICAN OPERA PROJECTS (AOP) and OPERA ON TAP (OOT), will present the fifth installment of its Opera Grows in Brooklyn series, an evening of three 30-minute opera scenes and songs.

The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center opens its first summer season with the Los Angeles premiere of the musical Daddy Long Legs. From John Caird, the Tony and Olivier Award-Winning director of Les Misérables and Nicholas Nickleby, and the creators of Jane Eyre.

Grosse Pointe Theatre will hold auditions for the first show in its 2010-2011 season, Godspell, on Saturday, June 26 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 27 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Grosse Pointe Theatre rehearsal studio, 315 Fisher Road, Grosse Pointe, MI 48236.

The 2010 Summer Music Theatre Festival at the Theatre and Interpretation Center at Northwestern University kicks off in June with an overview.

Grosse Pointe Theatre will hold auditions for the first show in its 2010-2011 season, Godspell, on Saturday, June 26 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 27 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Grosse Pointe Theatre rehearsal studio, 315 Fisher Road, Grosse Pointe, MI 48236.

The show, which is not built on a traditional plot, utilizes clowning, pantomime, charades, acrobatics, and vaudeville to tell the story of Christ. A pageant that moves from moment to moment, GODSPELL features ten performers who are dressed as clowns. Jesus is played by local talent, Patrick Watkins; Judas is Josh Oliveras. The ensemble includes: Karen Reid, Rheanna Salazar, Ashlee Madhukar, Darnell Blake, Claudette Farquharson, Jonathan Yepez, Colin Healy and Dominuque Farquharson.

Broadway In Chicago, in partnership with the City of Chicago, is pleased to present the annual BROADWAY IN CHICAGO CONCERT AT TASTE OF CHICAGO, a fantastic, FREE event on Monday, June 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park (235 S. Columbus Drive).

New works and old favorites performed by Broadway stars and Northwestern music theatre students are part of the 2010 Summer Music Theatre Festival (June 25 to Aug. 7) presented by the Theatre and Interpretation Center (TIC) at Northwestern University.

The Academy has a community of about 100 composers and lyricists writing musicals for producers all around the country, but now they're becoming producers. Their first full production with live band and scenery opens next month (July 16) for a six week run at the NoHo Arts Center.

Composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz will appear at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on June 23 at 6:30pm, the Festival announced on its official site. Singers will perform numbers written by Schwartz. Tickets will range from $31.95 to $49.95. While in Australia, Schwartz will also perform in Sydney and Tasmania. Visit http://www.festivalofbroadway.com.au/ for more details.

American Opera Projects and Sing for Hope team up next week to present a scene from the new opera Paul's Case in three locations around the city to the surprise of bystanders and passersby.

American Opera Projects and Sing for Hope team up next week to present a scene from the new opera Paul's Case in three locations around the city to the surprise of bystanders and passersby. Utilizing the pianos placed around the city for the 'Play Me, I'm Yours' program, the scene from Paul's Case, by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Kathryn Walat, will feature tenors Thomas Wazelle and Dorian Balis as two turn-of-the-twentieth dandies on the loose in New York City for the first time in their lives.

A homely songbird seeks success as a superstar swan. Imagine American Idol with a zany animal characters and song contests and it's Lucky Duck, a new musical at the Coterie Theatre in Crown Center June 22 to August 8.

Broadway/L.A. has announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda, the Tony Award®-winning creator, composer-lyricist and original star of Broadway's 2008's Best Musical IN THE HEIGHTS will reprise the lead role of ‘Usnavi' when the show has its Southern California premiere engagement at the historic Pantages Theater in Los Angeles from June 22nd through July 11th. The gala opening night is Wednesday, June 23rd, following one lower-priced preview on Tuesday, June 22nd.

The production of WICKED that's currently playing the Fox Theatre delivers an enchanting experience to its audiences that dazzles and delights, filling the stage with jaw-dropping scenery and incredible special effects, as well as a host of wonderful performers. The plot based on Gregory Maguire's novel gives a back story to L. Frank's Baum's beloved Wizard of Oz, that is unexpectedly infused with a strong, positive message about accepting people for who they are inside And, while most musicals are guilty of utilizing a threadbare plot to hang a multitude of songs upon, this is not the case with Wicked, where the reverse is nearly true, with Winnie Holzman's clever adaptation providing a more than sturdy framework for Stephen Schwartz's catchy score.

FIRE ISLAND - THE ICE PALACE, located within the Grove Hotel in Cherry Grove, is pleased to announce the fifth season of BRANDON & RAY'S BROADWAY AT THE BEACH, an open-mic musical theatre party on Fire Island featuring Broadway's best! On Monday, June 21st, from 9pm till 11pm, join host BRANDON CUTRELL (Bistro, three-time MAC, and Nightlife Award winner) with RAY FELLMAN (Bistro Award winner) at the piano for opening night of this weekly party on Fire Island. There is no cover charge and no minimum.

AMERICAN OPERA PROJECTS (AOP), 'known for bringing cutting-edge vocal production to the masses,' (New York) will present The Voice of Brooklyn: Opera and Song from the People's Republic, a free outdoor concert of new songs and beloved classics on the eve of the longest night of the year.

Vista 360° in association with American Opera Projects presents the premier concert performance of the new chamber opera, Marymere, composed by Matt Schickele, based on the haunting true story of John D. Sargent and his wife, Edith, who lived as pioneer settlers on the shores of Jackson Lake, Wyoming, under the peaks of the Teton Range.

The Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival (June Lindenmayer, Executive Director; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director), with sponsorship from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, has announced the line-up for the 2010 summer season of theatre and dance at the venerable performing arts camp and school in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Landmark on Main Street's 2009-10 Season concludes on Saturday, June 19th with 'Hello, Jerry!' - The Songs of Jerry Herman. Landmark thanks the sponsors of our Main Stage Series Susan Isaacs and Elkan Abramowitz, Jane & Martin Schwartz and Dot & Ed Slade as well as program sponsors Cecile & Jerry Shore.