TheatreWorks News

Grab the umbrellas! Audiences will be delighted by Pittsburgh CLO's production of Singin' in the Rain, May 30-June 8 at the Benedum Center. A talented cast of Broadway's best and Pittsburgh CLO veterans will take this feel-good movie-musical off the silver screen and on to the Benedum Center stage.

Tony Award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike will feature Resident Actor Jeffrey Bean as Vanya, Sharon Lockwood returning to the Alley as Sonia, Alley Artist Josie de Guzman returning as Masha, and Resident Actor Jay Sullivan as Spike. Rounding out the cast and making their Alley debuts are Rachael Holmes as Cassandra and Sarah Nealis as Nina. Jonathan Moscone, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater, helms the production and returns after having directed the Alley's 2011 production of Amadeus.

Lincoln Center Theater's Platform Series, a forum for public discussion between Lincoln Center Theater artists and interested theatergoers, continues its 16th season on Thursday, May 29 at 6 pm with KRISTEN BUSH, JAN MAXWELL and MICHAEL SIMPSON, cast members of THE CITY OF CONVERSATION, new play by Anthony Giardina, directed by Doug Hughes, currently playing at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

Roundabout Theatre Company has announced the next Roundabout Underground production Little Children Dream of God, a new play by Jeff Augustin, directed by Giovanna Sardelli. The cast and creative team will be announced shortly. Jeff Augustin is Roundabout's Playwright-in-Residence, generously supported by The Tow Foundation.

Penn State Centre Stage will present the regional premiere of Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's powerful rock musical Next to Normal from June 4 - 14, 2014 in the Penn State Pavilion Theatre. Directed by Cary Libkin and starring Ariela Morgenstern, Asa Somers, Raymond Sage, Tommy Hart, Christina Kidd, and Gregory LaMontagne, Next To Normal tells the story of a mother struggling with worsening Bipolar Disorder and the dramatic effect that her illness has on her family. Previews at 7:30 p.m.: June 4 and 5; Evenings at 7:30 p.m.: June 10, 11, 12; Evenings at 8:00 p.m.: June 6, 7, 13, 14; Matinee at 2 p.m.: June 7. Evenings: $30; Preview/Matinee: $20; Opening Night Reception/Show: $60 (Includes pre-show hors d'ouevres, show, and post-show desserts) Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; show begins at 8:00 p.m. For additional show information, visit www.theatre.psu.edu. Tickets are available at Penn State Tickets Downtown, Eisenhower Box Office, Bryce Jordan Center, or by calling (814) 863-0255 or 1 (800) ARTS-TIX.

As barbecue fests, music venues, and baseball elbow their way into spring and summer in Memphis, there is still reason for theatregoers to be excited about the arrival of several stagings either taking place or about to take place in the area.

Talie Melnyk presents Maison des Reves at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Maison des Reves is written and performed by Talie Melnyk and directed by Gretchen Cryer. Performances are tonight, May 21 at 7:00pm, Friday, May 23 at 7:00pm, and Saturday, May 24 at 4:00pm at the Paradise Factory in NYC.

Word for Word presents '36 Stories by Sam Shepard' arranged for the stage and directed by Amy Kossow opening with a press night on Saturday May 24 8pm, running through June 22 (previews May 21-23) at Z Space's second venue, Z Below, at 470 Florida Street. Last year the Magic Theatre spearheaded a multi-theater celebration of Shepard's 70th birthday when they opened their season with Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Buried Child.' Other companies participating in the celebration have been Crowded Fire, American Conservatory Theater in collaboration with Intersection for the Arts/Campo Santo and Word for Word.

Building on the success of five years of sold out shows and an incredible list of alumni, writing team Sam Carner and Derek Gregor will once again host their annual "Barely Legal Show-Tune Extravaganza" concert on August 21st at 7pm and 9:30pm at 54 Below, New York's premier cabaret venue.

The Teacher From the Black Lagoon & Other Story Books, a musical revue based on favorite contemporary children's literature, will be performed at Maine State Music Theatre on June 11th at 11:00am, 1:00pm, and 3:00pm at Pickard Theater on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick. Ticket prices range from $10 to $14 and are available at www.msmt.org or by calling 207-725-8769.

Below are BroadwayWorld.com's upcoming listings of Non-Equity Auditions, as of Sunday, May 18, 2014 onwards. Catch up below on anything that you might have missed from today on BroadwayWorld.com

Theatre and technology worlds will come together when TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, once again stages its annual TheatreWorks Honors gala June 21, this year paying tribute to Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family, Big Fish) and Ray Rothrock, Partner Emeritus of pioneering venture capital firm Venrock, both of whom have dedicated their lives to bringing forth vision, innovation, and creativity to arts and business communities in Silicon Valley and around the nation. Master of Ceremonies Tim Molak, Headmaster of Woodside Priory, will preside over the evening while guests enjoy cocktails, an exquisite dinner with wine pairings, live and silent auctions, and a one-night-only musical presentation created expressly for the honorees. TheatreWorks Honors will be held at 6:00pm on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. A limited number of tables at levels $7,500 and above, and individual tickets at $1,000, are available. For more information, the public may call (650) 463-7135, email Jodye Friedman at jfriedman@theatreworks.org, or visit www.theatreworks.org.

Central City Opera and Curious Theatre Company present Rated “R” on Stage: Community Panel on Sex, Violence and Nudity in the Performing Arts. The free event will be presented June 3, 2014 from 6-8 pm at Curious Theatre located at 1080 Acoma Street, Denver. Cocktails, snacks and a video presentation featuring the play Venus in Fur and the opera Dead Man Walking will be offered from 5:30 to 6 p.m.

Westport Country Playhouse's world premiere musical revue, "Sing for Your Shakespeare," playing June 3 - 22, will feature a six-member cast of Broadway talents: Karen Akers, Britney Coleman, Darius de Haas, Stephen DeRosa, Constantine Germanacos, and Laurie Wells. With selections from Cole Porter's "Kiss Me, Kate," Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's "West Side Story," and Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse," as well as numbers by Duke Ellington, Frank Loesser, and others, the production explores how the American Songbook has been inspired for decades by Shakespeare's works.

The Eisemann Center and the City of Richardson announced the 2014-2015 Season of Eisemann Center Presents (ECP) at the Annual Season Preview Party on Thursday, May 8, 2014. The season will include the popular Theatre Comedy Series with four productions and 23 performances; the Methodist Richardson Family Theatre Series with five productions and Jeffrey Siegel's Keyboard Conversations with a total of four concerts. In addition, there are eight MainStage Shows featuring a diverse mix of programming and artistic disciplines. Some of the more popular productions and artists from the past twelve years are returning to join the season - Mandy Patinkin, Steve Solomon, the Paul Taylor Dance Company and The Church Basement Ladies. They will be joined by some outstanding new artists and shows for the Eisemann Center, including Ben Vereen, Darlene Love, Dennis DeYoung, Arlo Guthrie, Taylor Mac, Andrea McArdle, Faith Prince, Donna McKechnie, and Maureen McGovern.

The Off Broadway Alliance, the organization of Off Broadway producers, theaters, general managers, press agents, and marketing professionals, has announced the nominees for the 4th Annual Off Broadway Alliance Awards, honoring commercial and not-for-profit productions that opened Off Broadway during the 2013-2014 season.

TheatreWorks Kids (TW Kids) registration is now open for a three week-long program beginning Monday, July 21, 2014. Led by instructor Amy Emke and musical director Joanne F. Archibald, students ages 7 to 18 will rehearse and perform a newly adapted production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Classes begin with a two hour introduction on Saturday July 19 and continue from Monday July 21 to Friday August 8 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm each day.

To close its 47th Season, Marin Theatre Company will produce the West Coast premiere of Failure: A Love Story by the 'hugely talented Chicago writer' (Chicago Tribune) Philip Dawkins. Directed by MTC's artistic director Jasson Minadakis, this 'enchanted and enchanting' play about love and loss will feature five actors playing multiple characters, using puppets and playing live music both original (by MTC's frequent collaborator Chris Houston, a Berkeley-based composer and musician) and from the era of the play - 1920s Chicago.

TheatreWorks was the fourth largest recipient of funds out of 674 participating nonprofit organizations during yesterday's 'Silicon Valley Gives' event. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of community foundations, Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) hosted the first-ever day of giving to benefit local nonprofits in the region. The effort provided over 14,000 unique donors the opportunity to connect with hundreds of local causes, encouraging them to take action in helping the community. Aimed to inspire and unite locals to support philanthropic causes, the 24-hour event collected an astounding $7.9 million in donations through a single online platform. TheatreWorks, the nationally acclaimed theatre of Silicon Valley, received $100,801 from a total of 125 donors, making it among the top recipients in funds raised. In addition, the theatre received two $5,000 matching grants, from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, raising its total to $110,801.

The Group Rep presents the world premiere musical 'The Ghost of Gershwin,' with music by Wayland Pickard, book by Doug Haverty, lyrics by Laura Manning, directed by Jules Aaron, choreographed by Michele Bernath, and produced by Richard Alan Woody. The play runs today, May 9 through June 22, 2014, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm at the Lonny Chapman Theatre at the edge of the NoHo Arts District.