Stew News

LA MAMA CANTATA, the newest composition by Elizabeth Swados, taped its original cast recording on Wednesday, December 28 at Avatar Studios.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will open the 25th-anniversary season of Sunday A'Fair on Jan. 15 with free outdoor concerts by The Samba Project and Walt Richardson & The Peaceful Warriors from noon to 4 p.m.

The New York Times reports today that a FINDING NEVERLAND musical has been greenlighted by The Weinstein Company for further development following successful readings in London last week. The project was last workshopped in New York this past spring and was scheduled to premiere at the La Jolla playhouse this fall. The Weinstein's pulled the project at the last minute (which was replaced at La Jolla by the Startford Festival's Jesus Christ Superstar, currently running) to develop further. Tony Award winner Rob Ashford helms the project, which has Broadway apsirations. The project marks the first musical on which the Weinstein company is lead producer.

Lincoln Center will celebrate the 25th birthday of New York's tirelessly inventive new music institution Bang on a Can with musical fireworks in an extraordinary three-part program that will include a U.S. and a New York premiere on Saturday, April 28, at 7 PM in Alice Tully Hall.

Joe's Pub has announced the following upcoming events.

Lincoln Center's American Songbook Week Two runs January 18-21, 2012 at The Allen Room, at Frederick P. Rose Hall, located at Broadway at 60th Street.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) will present the world premiere of THE TOTAL BENT, with book and lyrics by Stew and music by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, beginning on Tuesday, February 14.

Long Wharf Theatre is partnering with the Connecticut Food Bank during the run of It's A Wonderful Life: A Radio Play, now playing through Dec. 31, to collect non-perishable food for the needy in the area.

Joe's Pub has announced the following upcoming events.

Hosted by Pamela Anderson, A Swingin' Affair! gala benefiting the Alzheimer's Association California Southland Chapter, which takes place Sunday, December 11, 2011 at the Riviera Palm Springs, celebrates Frank Sinatra's birthday in grand style.

Music for the American Wing- a weekend of events- marks the completed renovation of the New American Wing Galleries for Paintings, Sculpture.

It was supposed to be a relaxing weekend at the family home on Martha's Vineyard... until the baggage got unpacked. Set at the elegant summer home of the well-to-do LeVay family, STICK FLY begins when two adult sons bring their significant others (one a fiancée, the other a new girlfriend) home to meet their parents for the first time. Soon, secrets are revealed, civilities are dropped and identities are explored in a harsh new light. Race and rivalry, class and family, all come together for an explosive comedy of manners about today's complex world.

Kevin Jonas, Josh Groban and Taye Diggs will be sharing the the co-hosting duties with talk show host Kelly Ripa on the ABC morning show LIVE WITH KELLY.

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns to the elegant Allen Room in January for its fourteenth season celebrating the diversity of American popular song. For 16 nights the series will explore the best of the golden age of musical standards through to today's most dynamic songwriting. Week One of the 2012 season will start off with a relatively new composer on the scene, multiple Tony-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights) who will be bringing his new rap composition about American historical figure Alexander Hamilton called The Hamilton Mixtape. Next up is the just-nominated-for-a-Grammy Award duo Chris Thile and Michael Daves, who play a dazzling, modern form of bluegrass that nonetheless references legendary bluegrass artists from the past. From the rock canon will be J.D. Souther, performing songs he wrote for Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles as well as newer compositions. To close out Week One, composer William Finn (Falsettos, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), along with guest vocalists, will be performing a song cycle inspired by the poetry of William Blake.

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) will present post-show discussions following select performances of the Public Lab production, TITUS ANDRONICUS, directed by Michael Sexton. The Public Lab Thursday Night Speaker Series for TITUS ANDRONICUS will be held following the Thursday, December 8 and Thursday, December 15 performances and consist of engaging conversations with notable panelists. Tickets are $15 for all performances and include free admission to the post-show discussions. TITUS ANDRONICUS runs through Sunday, December 18. Check out production shots below!

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Patrick Willingham) will present post-show discussions following select performances of the Public Lab production, TITUS ANDRONICUS, directed by Michael Sexton. The Public Lab Thursday Night Speaker Series for TITUS ANDRONICUS will be held following the Thursday, December 8 and Thursday, December 15 performances and consist of engaging conversations with notable panelists. Tickets are $15 for all performances and include free admission to the post-show discussions. TITUS ANDRONICUS begins previews on Tuesday, November 29 and runs through Sunday, December 18.

Writer and director Jim Findlay examines our complicated relationship to plant life in the creepy, futuristic black comedy Botanica.

The final performance of Ping Chong's ANGELS OF SWEDENBORG -- his 1985 dance theatre piece being performed by La MaMa's Great Jones Repertory Company-- will be live-streamed on Sunday, November 13 starting at 2:30 p.m., it has been announced by La MaMa's Artistic Director Mia Yoo.

The Sundance Institute Theatre Program today announced the creative advisors and acting company for the three projects being developed at its 2012 Theatre Lab at White Oak in Yulee, Florida.

The final performance of Ping Chong's ANGELS OF SWEDENBORG -- his 1985 dance theatre piece being performed by La MaMa's Great Jones Repertory Company-- will be live-streamed on Sunday, November 13 starting at 2:30 p.m., it has been announced by La MaMa's Artistic Director Mia Yoo.