Thomas Schumacher News

The Broadway League released the 22nd annual demographics report, The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2018-2019, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the theatregoers who attended Broadway shows in New York City last season. It also compares current Broadway theatregoing habits in New York City to previous seasons and aids in predicting trends for the future.

We're heading to the Pridelands to get to know Jürgen Hooper, who is the newest Zazu in the North American tour of the smash hit musical The Lion King. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney classic with the video!

We're heading to the Pridelands to get to know Kayla Cyphers, who is currently playing Nala in the North American tour of the legendary smash-hit musical The Lion King. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney classic with the video!

President & Producer of Disney Theatrical Productions Thomas Schumacher; Caissie Levy (Frozen on Broadway); Nicholas Christopher (Hamilton on Broadway); Jennifer Locke (Hamilton national tour); creator/Executive Producer Tim Federle, Olivia Rodrigo, and Joshua Bassett (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney +); Luca Padovan and Isabella Russo (School of Rock); Jeff Calhoun (Newsies, Between The Lines); Rob Rokicki (The Lighting Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical); and Lotte Wakeham (Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical) are some of the stars and creatives confirmed for the 2020 iTheatrics Junior Theater Festival Atlanta (#JTF).

Yesterday, BroadwayWorld was saddened to report the loss of composer and lyricist Jerry Herman, who passed away on December 26, 2019 at age 88. To commemorate his life and work, the Committee of Theatre Owners will dim the lights of Broadway theatres in New York for one minute on Tuesday, January 7th at exactly 6:45pm.  

South African Lion King performer Nhlanhla Ndlovu surprised the entire cast of Disney's The Lion King and his girlfriend, fellow cast member Daniela Cobb, by proposing on stage last night at the Auditorium Theatre in Rochester, NY.

Disney's The Lion King is celebrating a record breaking engagement which ended on Sunday, December 15.  The triumphant two-week premiere engagement grossed more than $2.4 million at the box office and entertained more than 32,000 theatergoers.  The production, which played 16 performances at North Charleston Performing Arts Center from December 4 through December 15, broke the box office record for the highest gross and most attended show ever in North Charleston Performing Arts Center's history.

The international tour of Disney's THE LION KING will tonight make its Hong Kong premiere at AsiaWorld-Expo, promoted locally by iMe Global Limited.

Caroline Bowman (Elsa), Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), and members of the company of the Frozen North American tour will perform on a?oeThe Talka?? tomorrow, Friday, December 20.

We're heading to the Pridelands to get a behind-the-scenes look at the three hyenas of Disney's smash hit musical The Lion King: James Brown-Orleans (Banzai), Enrique Segura (Ed), and Bonita Hamilton (Shenzi) as the trio celebrates 5000 performances together on Broadway. Check it out with this video!

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen recently attended a performance of Frozen at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles.

Disney's The Lion King will leap onto RBTL's Auditorium Theatre stage on Thursday, December 19 for a three-week engagement through Sunday, January 5.

We're heading to the Pridelands to get to know Brandon A. McCall, who is currently playing Simba in the North American tour of the smash hit musical The Lion King. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Disney classic with the video!

Disney Theatrical Productions President Thomas Schumacher stops by Live with Kelly and Ryan to talk about the Disney's Broadway productions and his book a?oeHow Does The Show Go On?a??

The Drama League (Artistic Director Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Director Bevin Ross) announced today the acting company for the 36th annual DirectorFest, the only festival in the United States dedicated to the art of contemporary stage directing. Directorfest will take place January 10 - February 4, 2020 at various locations around NYC: The New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street), The Drama League Theater Center (32 Avenue of the Americas), LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (31-10 Thomson Avenue), and Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street). For festival details and tickets, visit directorfest.org or call (212) 244-9494 x102.

Nationally syndicated morning talk show “Live with Kelly and Ryan” announces the lineup of guests appearing on the show the week of Dec. 16-20.

We're heading to the Pridelands to get a behind-the-scenes look at how Disney's smash hit musical The Lion King brings one of its animals, the elephant, to life eight times a week with the help of four of the show's cast members. Check it out with this video!

Something magical is flying into the Straz Center. Disney's Aladdin is landing its magic carpet at Morsani Hall on December 19, 2019 a?' January 5, 2020. Based on the on the Academy Award-winning 1992 animated film, Aladdin combines adventure, comedy and romance, featuring a full score, with familiar songs and more written specifically for the stage adaption. Aladdin ensemble actress Carissa Fiorillo is especially excited to be returning to Tampa. Aladdin at the Straz means Christmas with the family that she hasn't seen since the beginning of the year.

Tickets to Disney's Frozen will go on sale Thursday, February 20, 2020. From the producer of The Lion King and Aladdin, Frozen, the Tony-nominated Best Musical, will play an exclusive 5-week premiere engagement at The KeyBank State Theatre as part of the 2019-2020 KeyBank Broadway Series beginning Wednesday, July 15, 2020, with performances playing through Sunday, August 16, 2020. Press opening night is set for Thursday, July 16 at 7:30PM.  Tickets will be available at the Playhouse Square Ticket Office (1519 Euclid Ave in downtown Cleveland), online at playhousesquare.org, or by calling 216-241-6000. Group orders of 15 or more may be placed by calling 216-640-8600.

As the Frozen North American tour begins its nine-week engagement at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in LA, BroadwayWorld has a first look at the production, featuring stars Caroline Bowman (Elsa) and Caroline Innerbichler (Anna), along with the rest of the Frozen company.