The Public Theater News

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not?for?profit foundation affiliated with Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, has announced the honorees of this year's Zelda Fichandler Award, Joe A. Callaway Awards, and Breakout Award. The awards will be presented at an invitation? only event on Sunday, November 11, 2018 in Manhattan.

ANDREA MARCOVCCI - the singer and actress hailed as "torch singer, spellbinder, heart-breaker" by People - will celebrate her 70th Birthday at Feinstein's/ 54 Below on Saturday, November 17 at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM. As a triumphant coda to thirty record-breaking years of New York appearances, this will be her farewell New York solo concert. After creating over forty cabaret shows exploring the glories and personalities of the Great American Songbook, Andrea will present the New York debut of  Crossing Time for two shows only. 

From creating hand-drawn war maps and hand-carved colonial candlesticks to producing a live flame on stage as Eliza Hamilton burns her husband's letters, Props Master Jay Duckworth is the man behind the magic of Broadway's smash hit Hamilton: An American Musical.

This November, the family-friendly Bay Area holiday favorite The Jewelry Box returns to The Marsh San Francisco. Performed by Brian Copeland, who has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "among the Bay Area's most honest, thoughtful and eloquent storytellers," and directed by David Ford, this hilariously heartwarming story follows a young Brian as he heads to the "mean streets" of Oakland to buy his mom a Christmas present. When he finds the perfect gift - a jewelry box in the White Front Department store - six-year-old Brian sets out to earn the required $11.97 by Christmas. Rife with references to 1970s Oakland,

Composer Heidi Rodewald, known for her collaborations with Stew on Passing Strange and The Total Bent, strikes out on her own in The Good Swimmer, a "pop requiem" that addresses issues of war, heroism, sacrifice, loss, and idealism. The moody, multi-layered song-cycle for guitar, bass, piano, trumpet, woodwinds, strings, drums, and vocals is performed by a nine-piece band led by singer David Driver. Set in the early days of the Vietnam War among a group of lifeguards, Donna Di Novelli's lyrics are a radical recontextualization of found texts, including a defunct lifesaving manual. A cast of young singers in their teens and early 20s at the start of their professional careers-Jeremy Weiss, Sophia Byrd, Naseer Sleets, Joey LaPlante, Luke Bob Robinson, Papa Holt, and Kennedy Kanagawa-vividly conveys the sense of young people being thrust into a historical moment they have no control of. Their shattering experience brings the audience to a galvanizing realization: we truly honor our fallen soldiers only when we defy the political drumbeat of a senseless war.  

The Drama Desk award-winning TADA! Youth Theater will present Sleepover, a hilariously modern musical, from November 16 to December 2, 2018. Sleepover tackles all the hilarious and hairy situations in the glorious stage of tween-hood. While Simone frets about not fitting in because she's new to NYC and doesn't know anyone at the party, Mia worries about whom to invite. As for the boys? They're plotting a way to crash the party.

This Halloween, the Brick Theater presents The Testament of a Josh: A Flesh and Blood Musical, an original rock musical by humor writer Brian Boone (books and lyrics) and composer Julian Mesri, and featuring Maybe Burke (fresh off the acclaimed Red Emma and the Mad Monk), John Amir (Theater for a New Audience's Skin of Our Teeth) and Matt Butterfield (600 Highwaymen).

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts announces the actors selected for The Wallis Studio Ensemble's 2018-2019 company. This marks the third season of this groundbreaking company for early-career actors producing theater for social change. The San Diego Tribune describes the emerging ensemble as 'hauntingly beautiful' - and by ArtNowLAas 'Mesmerizing ... harrowing and provocative, this is avant-garde theater that sticks with you long after the curtain comes down." The Ensemble also received the Los Angeles Times theater pick of the week in June 2018 and was featured on NPR's KPCC in a piece by Priska Neely in 2016, in its first season.

Cleveland Play House (CPH) brings to life Lynn Nottage's complex story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rust Belt drama Sweat. Set in Reading, PA, this relevant story offers audience members suspense through its intricate portrayal of characters battling to survive in a city crippled by economic stagnation. CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley will direct. Previews begin on October 13th, with press opening on October 19th at the Outcalt Theatre in Playhouse Square. This production is sponsored by Great Lakes Brewing Company.

The Nurturing New Voices panel was a discussion on how arts institutions can nurture new voices. Moderated by Ailey Artistic Director Robert Battle with participants including Thelma Golden (Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem), Rennie Harris (Founder of Rennie Harris Puremovement and Ailey's 2018–19 Artist-in-Residence), Tarell Alvin McCraney (playwright), Shanta Thake (Senior Director of Artistic Programs at the Public Theater), and Darren Walker (President of The Ford Foundation).

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

The Strand Theater Company continues its 11th Season with Detroit '67 by Dominique Morisseau. In 1967 Detroit, Motown music is getting the party started, and Chelle and her brother Lank are making ends meet by turning their basement into an after-hours joint. But when a mysterious woman finds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than the family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and they find themselves caught in the middle of the '67 riots.

The Public Theater will begin previews for the New York premiere of WILD GOOSE DREAMS, written by Hansol Jung, on Tuesday, October 30 with a Free First Preview performance. Directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman, this fascinating and unforgettable new play with music has been extended through Sunday, December 16, with an official press opening on Wednesday, November 14.

Ms. Sarah Dash will premiere her new show, A Tribute To Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul, in three cities this November. This special concert celebration will feature Sarah Dash singing All The Great Aretha Franklin Classics (including Respect, Chain Of Fools, Freeway Of Love, Ain't No Way, Jump To It), and telling inside stories of her friendship with The Queen. Bernard Purdy, who played in Ms. Franklin's band through the years, will be the musical director for Ms. Dash for these performances.

After a sold-out run this April, Theaterlab is delighted to bring back EMPATH, a one-man show about emotional superpowers by David Sauvage. The show follows its creator's winding path from self-proclaimed "typical Jewish cynic" through the discovery of his gift for experiencing the emotions of others, to genre-defying performance-artist-intuitive.

John Leguizamo's Road to Broadway follows the always provocative Leguizamo as he prepares for his most challenging theatrical quest yet - cramming 3,000 years of Latino history into 90 minutes of stage time for his one man show. With extraordinary access to his creative process, the film traces the evolution of his latest success, Tony-nominated play Latin History for Morons, from its challenging premise through its triumphant debut. A special co-presentation of Great Performances and Latino Public Broadcasting's VOCES, John Leguizamo's Road to Broadway, directed by Ben DeJesus, premieres nationwide Friday, November 16 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The film will be available for streaming on November 17 at pbs.org/gperf and on PBS apps.

Ars Nova, "one of the most adventurous Off-Broadway companies" (New York Times), under the leadership of Founding Artistic Director Jason Eagan and Managing Director Renee Blinkwolt, will host Over/Under Unplugged, a free concert series following select Friday evening performances of Andrew R. Butler's Rags Parkland Sings the Songs of The Future. Concerts will feature performers from The Future and special guests performing unplugged and up close. They'll #playforchange with any donations dropped in their bucket going to select charities including the National Network of Abortion Funds, The Trevor Project, and The National Eating Disorders Association.

The Donmar Warehouse today announces the extension due to exceptional demand of Measure for Measure, now booking performances until Saturday 1 December 2018. Friday 30 November will be a performance dedicated solely to YOUNG+FREE audiences aged 25 and under, enabling even more young audiences the opportunity to experience Shakespeare's exploration of sex and power. YOUNG+FREE is funded through the generosity of audiences via the Donmar's PAY IT FORWARD scheme. These donations have allowed the Donmar to allocate more than 12,000 free tickets to those aged 25 and under since the scheme began. Tickets to the YOUNG+FREE Friday performance will be allocated by ballot at the end of October. The ballot is now open for entries by signing up to the YOUNG+FREE mailing list at donmarwarehouse.com.

Kate Baldwin returns to Feinstein's/54 Below this month, direct from the hit Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! Kate was nominated for the 2017 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic's Circle awards for her performance as Irene Molloy. Kate previewed the show recently and BroadwayWorld was there! Check out the photos below!

Ms. Sarah Dash will premiere her new show, A Tribute To Aretha Franklin: The Queen Of Soul, in three cities this November. This special concert celebration will feature Sarah Dash singing All The Great Aretha Franklin Classics (including Respect, Chain Of Fools, Freeway Of Love, Ain't No Way, Jump To It), and telling inside stories of her friendship with The Queen. Bernard Purdy, who played in Ms. Franklin's band through the years, will be the musical director for Ms. Dash for these performances.