The American Musical and Dramatic Academy News

Just in time for the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio, the hilarious & heartwarming solo show Naked Brazilian, which tells the story of a young man's journey from Rio de Janeiro to New York City (and Harvard University) in pursuit of his dream, will run at FringeNYC August 12-21 at 64E4 Mainstage.

As one of the pianists for the original Broadway production of Annie, many of my voice teacher colleagues were horrified at the thought of little girls being asked to belt out songs such as 'Tomorrow' and 'Hard Knock Life.' And yet, many of these teachers refused to accept those young girls as students! At that time, many voice teachers would not agree to teach students who had unchanged, prepubescent voices. They were under the impression that voice lessons could permanently damage a child's voice, which remained a widely accepted belief for many years. 

Last night at The Town Hall, in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Broadway Rising Stars Concert Series (which features the brightest talent selected from some of the nation's finest theatrical institutions), for the very first time, previous Rising Stars from the last nine years returned to join the show.

On Monday, July 11 at 8pm at The Town Hall, in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Broadway Rising Stars Concert Series (which features the brightest talent selected from some of the nation's finest theatrical institutions), for the very first time, previous Rising Stars from the last nine years will be returning to join the show -- all of whom have gone on from being launched on the Town Hall stage in this concert to have their dreams fulfilled, making it to Broadway! Here are just some of the former Rising Stars that will be returning to perform on July 11th:

As one of the pianists for the original Broadway production of Annie, many of my voice teacher colleagues were horrified at the thought of little girls being asked to belt out songs such as "Tomorrow" and "Hard Knock Life." And yet, many of these teachers refused to accept those young girls as students! At that time, many voice teachers would not agree to teach students who had unchanged, prepubescent voices. They were under the impression that voice lessons could permanently damage a child's voice, which remained a widely accepted belief for many years. 

Dreamland, a new musical conceived, written, composed by 14-time Emmy Award winner John Francis Smith with daughter Asia Ray Smith, will have its first ever "off-book" staged performances at the NoHo Arts Center Friday, June 17 at 8:00 pm; and Saturday, June 18 at 2:00 and 8:00 pm.  The production is also produced by Smith.  Robert Arnold directs, with musical direction by Christian Regul and Jake Anthony (who also serves as vocal director).

If you have ever attended a classical voice recital, you probably saw an elegantly dressed performer situated near the crook of a grand piano for the duration of the performance.  Traditionally, recitalists remain standing with "noble" posture throughout their program, and only gesture with their hands and body for extreme emphasis. 

Actors' Summit Akron's Professional theater is pleased to announce the opening of the TINTYPES. The show will have a preview performance today May 19th, at 8:00 PM. The opening night show is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2016, also at 8:00 PM.

Meg Fofonoff and Stacey Stephens, Producing Artistic Directors of Fiddlehead Theatre Company, announced today the cast of Show Boat, the company's first production in partnership with the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston. Show Boat will run for twelve performances from June 22-July 3, 2016. Co-Directed by Fofonoff and Stephens, Show Boat will feature a cast of 50 starring seasoned international and off-Broadway performers including Kim Corbett (West Side Story, Les Miserables) as Magnolia Hawks, Jeremiah James (The Fantasticks) as Gaylord Ravenal, Lindsay Roberts (The Gershwins' Porgy And Bess) as Queenie, and Brian Kinnard (Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story) as Joe. Show Boat is Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's epic of life on the Mississippi River with some of the most beautiful and influential music ever written for the stage including 'Ol'Man River,' 'Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man' and 'Bill.' Show Boat will be choreographed by Wendy Hall, with a 27-piece live orchestra under the direction of Charles Peltz.

If you want to see a group of voice teachers and voice scientists turn from a generally gregarious and collegial group into an angry mob, ask them to strictly define vocal registers, or the "gears" of the voice that are responsible for different types of sounds.  

Actors' Summit Akron's Professional theater is pleased to announce the opening of the TINTYPES. The show will have a preview performance on Thursday May 19th, at 8:00 PM. The opening night show is scheduled for Friday, May 20, 2016, also at 8:00 PM.

Our Productions Theatre Co. continues it's 2016 Season - A Season with HeART, with a regional premier of the award winning musical, I Love You Because this summer for an extended five week run in both Lewisville and Addison.

On June 9, National Sawdust, 80 N. Sixth Street, Brooklyn, will present 'Kaze (The Wind) / Harmonic Constellations,' an evening of two premieres starring Mari Kimura, the renowned violinist/composer who is best known for her use of subharmonics and interactive motion sensor technologies. The evening will offer debut performances of 'Kaze (The Wind),' an audio/visual chamber piece composed by Kimura, and 'Harmonic Constellations,' an entrancing work of microtonal harmonies composed for her by Michael Harrison. It will also unveil µgic, a new digital music controller, and launch two CDs.

Downstairs Cabaret Theatre is pleased to announce its next production, THE BOOK OF LOVE, on stage at 3450 Winton Place April 28-June 12, 2016.

WAITRESS is officially serving it up on Broadway! Earlier this week, the company of the new musical took their first bows at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the whole evening, starting with the sacred Gypsy Robe ceremony. Below, check out photos of gypsy robe recipient Charity Angel Dawson with the company!

'OMOTENASHI Journey' is a brand new musical-in-progress, presenting featured songs at the New York's Got Talent competition at The Elektra Theater tonight on Tuesday, April 26th.

Broadway's WAITRESS began performances on Friday, March 25 with a bang, setting a house record for a single performance the Brooks Atkinson Theatre and announcing a new block of tickets on sale through January 1, 2017. WAITRESS opens today, April 24, 2016. Get ready for tonight's opening bows by scrolling down to learn more about the company, plus watching highlights from the show!

Downstairs Cabaret Theatre is pleased to announce its next production, THE BOOK OF LOVE, on stage at 3450 Winton Place April 28-June 12, 2016.

When you consider how many hundreds of small muscular contractions are involved, the fact that most people can instinctively use their breathing muscles, vocal folds, and filters for speaking is pretty remarkable. This is in large part thanks to our brain, which takes care of a lot of bodily functions so we don't need to be consciously aware of them. Unfortunately, our voices' ability to run on autopilot may leave us thinking that our voice is operated by some sort of magical element, leaving us unaware of harmful habits. Because most people never get a chance to see how their voice operates in an MRI or through a stroboscopy, it is very easy for us to accept misinformation about how the voice works. This is understandable - if you'd never seen under the hood of a car, you'd probably have difficulty picturing how that works, too!

The Riverside Opera Company Turns 20 and celebrates with a performance that features music from iconic operas as well as some tunes from favorite artists and a special Orchestra arrangement. ROC Turns 20 is under the direction of its founder Maestro Alan Aurelia on Saturday,  April  30, 8 p.m.  at The Music Hall at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, New York. For information contact:  http://rocturningtwenty.brownpapertickets.com/ or call Riverside Opera Company at 718-876-7945.  For tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2534774   $15 general admission(at the door); $15 advance tickets (brown paper tix);$15 Seniors and Veterans; Children and students free.