Susan Blackwell News

BroadwayWorld Book Club is officially off and running! Or should we say, reading! The first BroadwayWorld Book Club selection is Jennifer Ashley Tepper's The Untold Stories of Broadway Volume 1. Tepper has just released the first volume of the book for free on Kindle!

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern announced today, on what would have been The Vineyard's Annual Gala, the Roth-Vogel New Play Commission launched in partnership with 12-time Tony Award-winning producer Daryl Roth and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, whose collaborations with The Vineyard have spanned over two decades.

Tony Award-winning Broadway Producer, Ken Davenport, announced new guests to appear on The Producer's Perspective Live, the daily livestream on his Facebook page inspired by the community of TheaterMakers and his popular podcast, The Producer's Perspective Podcast.

The Actors Fund has teamed with SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley, to produce a daily mini-online show, entitled Stars in The House, featuring stars of stage and screen singing and performing live (from home!) on social media to promote support for The Fund's services.

The Producers Perspective LIVE! begins tonight! Every night at 8 PM EDT, Tony Award-winning Broadway Producer Ken Davenport will have a theater maker join The Producers Perspective for a chat about how they are doing, what they are doing, and what tips they are for you on getting through, and eventually, getting back to making theater.

[title of show], by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowden, plays at the Caine Lyric Theatre from March 10-14 at 7:30 p.m. There is an additional matinee March 14 at 2 p.m.

The United Palace - one of five famed 'Loews Wonder Theatres' - is approaching their 90 year mark and there's no better time to officially introduce New Yorkers to the newly renovated and reimagined theater in the culturally rich neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York.

As a self-proclaimed nerd and likely (albeit undeclared) drama major in college, one of my favorite pastimes is keeping up with current events in the theater world. I aspire to work in the theater industry someday, and staying engaged and informed is an essential part of working towards that goal. I've compiled a list of the 9 podcasts, publications, and media outlets (in no particular order) that inspire me and keep me feeling up to date.

The MacDowell Colony has awarded Fellowships to 87 artists from 21 states and seven countries. The incoming Fellows reflect seven artistic disciplines and will arrive from locales as far apart as Poland, Mexico, Belgium, and Israel, as well as Tennesee, Washington, and Minnesota. The Fellowships are for upcoming winter and spring residencies at one of the nation's leading contemporary arts organizations.

On Saturday, November 2nd, Broadway's longest running Elphaba, Jackie Burns, worked with a group of students at Broadway Artists Alliance, workshopping audition material and sharing stories about her experiences in the industry. Burns garnered critical acclaim for her long running portrayal of Elphaba in the musical Wicked. She holds the distinction of most performances as the green-skinned witch on Broadway.

On Sunday, October 13th, Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes spent the day with a group of students at Broadway Artists Alliance, workshopping audition material and sharing stories about her experience on Broadway. Osnes was most recently seen on Broadway in the critically acclaimed production Bandstand, in which she originated the role of Julia Trojan and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Osnes is also well known for her starring turns in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (Ella, Tony Award Nomination), Bonnie and Clyde (Bonnie, Tony Award Nomination), Anything Goes (Hope Harcourt), South Pacific (Nellie Forbush) and Grease (Sandy). Osnes took time out of her busy schedule to connect with the students and share her advice for navigating the theater industry.

Tony Award-winning producer, Ken Davenport (Once On This Island) launches his new season of The Producer's Perspective Podcast today

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) delivers on its mission to provide an unparalleled arts and academic education to a diverse student body passionate about the arts through its 2019-2020 Master Artist Series and Creators & Innovators Series. In addition to the school's 16 arts conservatories, these unique programs provide students the opportunity to learn from real-world experts in a variety of industries. Acclaimed artists, educators and industry leaders visit OCSA's campus in Santa Ana to share their expertise and provide students with exclusive advice through demonstrations, residencies, panel discussions, master classes and more. This season's Master Artist Series kicked off with a culinary arts master class with internationally celebrated chef, Jet Tila, who is a best-selling author and host on a?oeIron Chef America.a??

On Thursday, July 25th, Tony® Award winner Beth Leavel stopped by Broadway Artists Alliance to share some words of wisdom before the students' highly anticipated industry showcase. Leavel has been starring as Dee Dee McAllen in the Broadway hit The Prom for the last year, a role for which she received a Tony® Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. She is also well known for her Tony® Award win for The Drowsy Chaperone, and her other Broadway credits include Bandstand (June Adams), Elf (Emily), Baby It's You! (Florence Greenberg, Tony® Award nomination), Mamma Mia (Donna), 42nd Street (Annie, Dorothy Brock), Showboat (Ellie), and The Civil War (Mabel, Mrs. Bixby).  Leavel took time out of her busy show schedule to connect with the students and share her advice for navigating the theater industry. 

Two guys write a musical about two guys writing a musical. That's the plot of Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell's 2004 project [title of show]. Written as an entry to the first edition of the New York Musical Festival, it went on to conquer audiences first Off-Broadway, then on Broadway, and then all around the US and the world.

On Thursday, July 18th, Tony® Award winner Santino Fontana surprised the students of Broadway Artists Alliance during their exciting week of master classes and rehearsals in the heart of New York City. It's been a little over a month since Fontana took home the 2019 Tony® award for playing Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie, but he is also well known for his roles in Cinderella, Hello, Dolly!, Billy Elliot, The Importance of Being Earnest, and for his various roles on screen in shows and movies like Frozen, Crazy-Ex Girlfriend and Fosse/Verdon. Fontana took time out of his busy show schedule to share some encouraging words with the young performers.

This week, [title of show] celebrates eleven years since this original musical became part of it all on Broadway! In honor of the occasion, we're looking back at the show's opening night featuring Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, Heidi Blickenstaff, and Susan Blackwell! Check out the video to see why the show is definitely more than nine people's favorite thing!

Get an inside look at the star-studded Broadway concert event of the summer, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods. Produced by and benefitting Cleveland Musical Theatre, the one-night-only event played the historic The Town Hall on Monday, July 8 at 7:30pm. 

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The star-studded Broadway concert event of the summer, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, is coming to the historic The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd St., between Broadway and 6th Ave.) tonight, July 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets, starting at $50, are available online at www.TheTownHall.org. Ahead of the big night, check out photos of the cast in rehearsals!