Thompson News

A brand new world-class family friendly music festival celebrating the very best of Britain has been officially unveiled and will take place in Cheshire during Summer 2024. 

After a whirlwind tour around the UK, the Cambridge Footlights conclude the UK leg of their annual international tour with a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! Before the troupe takes their latest material to the other side of the Atlantic, catch their fresh material at Edinburgh's iconic Pleasance KingDome from 2nd-28th August at 6:30pm.

The Magic Theatre will premiere the first live production by Playwright In Residence Star Finch and announce the cast and creative team for the World Premiere of her new play JOSEPHINE’S FEAST. This profound and potent new play is directed by legendary theatre artist Ellen Sebastian Chang.  JOSEPHINE’S FEAST will perform from August 02– August 20, 2023 at the Magic Theatre’s Fort Mason location

The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas (ASC) is gearing up for a big rock 'n' roll party with its summer musical, 'Rock of Ages.' Performances are July 28-30, 2023, and tickets are available now. The production is sponsored by Simmons Bank.

Sunday Stages Theatre Company, an up-and-coming theatre company based in Rochester, NY, has announced 35mm: A Musical Exhibition as their debut production. Performances will be held at the School of the Arts Black Box Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m.

New York Stage and Film has revealed complete casting for the 2023 Summer Season, starting on Friday, July 14 and running to Sunday, August 6 at Marist College in Poughkeepsie. The cast includes Katrina Lenk, Joe Iconis, Laurence Fishburne, and many more. Learn more about the full lineup here!

Shobana Jeyasingh’s glorious outdoor dance work for 22 dancers returns to the iconic fountains at Somerset House this August.

One of the most popular Disney movies of all time is capturing hearts as a practically perfect musical! Based on the books by P.L. Travers and the classic Walt Disney film, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins delighted Broadway audiences for over 2,500 performances and received nominations for nine Olivier and seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.Check out photos of the cast in action!

Leave it to Mark Klugheit to push the envelope in matters of theater programming. Rarely deterred by criticism for producing plays deemed too risky or out of bounds, he remains invested in cultivating candid discussions on staging exceptional works otherwise known for extreme shock value. 

Get all the details about the world premiere of HIPPEST TRIP — THE SOUL TRAIN MUSICAL at A.C.T., featuring Quentin Earl Darrington and an incredible cast. Experience the magic of Soul Train as this musical takes you on a journey through its legendary music and cultural impact.

Listen to Kelli O’Hara as the 200th guest on this week’s episode of the theatre and entertainment podcast DRAMA.

Starting next Friday, July 21, the 20th annual Bard SummerScape presents the first major new American production of Camille Saint-Saëns’s unjustly neglected grand opera Henri VIII (July 21, 23, 26, 28, and 30).

BWW chats to Frankie Thompson and Liv Ello to talk about bringing Body Show to the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

ALL ROADS THEATRE COMPANY (ARTCO) announces its emergence into the Southern California Arts Scene with the bold announcement of a fully staged and choreographed “In Concert” presentation of Jerry Herman’s and Michael Stewart’s beloved but seldom-produced musical, MACK & MABEL, for three performances, February 16, 17 and 18, 2024 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. 

Moonstone Theatre Company’s production of THE NERD is a riotous fun time thanks to swift direction and the cast’s ability to execute on slapstick comedy with impeccable timing. Director Gary Wayne Barker juices ever last laugh from the script. His vision and blocking extracts performances of sharp physical comedy from each of his actors. His brisk pacing makes the 2-hour fly by in a flash, but it is the fearless performances of his cast, especially Ryan Lawson-Maeske (Rick) and Greg Johnson (Warnock) that make this comedy succeed.

Lost Nation Theater – central Vermont's resident professional theater will present THE ADDAMS FAMILY, the musical by Andrew Lippa, based on the comic strip, TV series, and movies. The show runs Wednesdays- Sundays, July 20–August 6 at LNT's wheelchair-accessible home within Montpelier City Hall Arts Center.

Josh Strickland, who originated the role of Tarzan on Broadway and appears on the original cast recording, leads Disney’s TARZAN at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre.  The entire production lives up to its star with a heightened reality that equals the euphoria conjured by such an unparalleled opportunity.

Sister Act will run July 8 - 16, 2023, at The Woodward Opera House. Check out photos here!

RENT follows a year in the life of a group of young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Collins, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread of this groundbreaking musical.

Open Jar Studios and The Creative Artist Database present an exclusive conversation with legendary artists Susan Stroman (The Producers, Contact), John Kander (Cabaret, Chicago), David Thompson (Scottsboro Boys) & Sharon Washington (Feeding the Dragon), members of the creative team of the new Tony Award-winning musical NEW YORK, NEW YORK.