Tia Shearer News

At first glance, Imagination Stage's Night Fairy is a story about an injured Night Fairy who must learn to survive in the daytime. However, although Flory the Night Fairy does manage to survive in her new ecosystem, the means by which she thrives often seem overly harsh and not all that noble.

Arts on the Horizon, the first dedicated theatre company for very young children in the United States, is proud to announce its programming for the 2014 - 2015 season, which will reach over 3,500 children under the age of six across the DC metro area. Arts on the Horizon's shows are interactive, inclusive, and intimate -- adhering to a completely nonverbal performance style making each piece accessible to children whose first language may not be English, children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and children at any stage of language development.

The Hub has announced Matt Bassett as their new Associate Artistic Director. Matt joined The Hub Theatre as a company member after appearing in 2011's The Clockmaker and has since served as Casting Associate for The Hub, directed 2014's Failure: A Love Story, assistant-directed 2012's Big Love (2013 Helen Hayes nomination - Outstanding Direction for Kirsten Kelly) and directed many table and staged readings for new play development for The Hub.

Arts on the Horizon, the first dedicated theatre company for very young children in the United States, is proud to announce its programming for the 2014 - 2015 season, which will reach over 3,500 children under the age of six across the DC metro area. Arts on the Horizon's shows are interactive, inclusive, and intimate -- adhering to a completely nonverbal performance style making each piece accessible to children whose first language may not be English, children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and children at any stage of language development.

Casting has been announced for The Hub Theatre's spring production of Philip Dawkins musical, macabre comedy, FAILURE: A LOVE STORY. A trio of sisters played by TIA SHEARER (Jenny June), MAGGIE ERWIN (Nellie) and CAROLYN KASHNER (Gertie) guide us through this wonderful fable of love and life as they all lose their hearts to a gentleman caller embodied by the ever-magnetic MICHAEL KEVIN DARNALL (Mortimer Mortimer). The family is made whole with CHRIS STINSON (John N.) an adopted brother and ROSE MCCONNELL as the melodic Gramaphone

Arts on the Horizon, the first dedicated theatre for very young children in the United States, announces its 2013-2014 programming which will reach over 2,000 children under six years old across the metropolitan D.C. region. Inspired by theater for ages 0-6 that she had seen internationally, founder and producing artistic director, Michelle Kozlak, started Arts on the Horizon to provide Northern Virginia families with high-quality participatory theater created specifically for this young age group. Arts on the Horizon's shows are interactive, inclusive, and intimate; adhering to a completely nonverbal performance style making each piece accessible to children whose first language is not English, children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and children at any stage of language development. The season features two Arts on the Horizon original, commissioned productions including Sunny and Licorice by Miriam Gonzales, and Under the Canopy, a ground breaking theatrical piece and sensory experience for children under 2 years old, created by Matt Bassett and Tia Shearer Bassett. Additionally, audiences will be able to see two returning shows, originally commissioned and produced by Arts on the Horizon: The Young Spectaculars and the Front Yard Adventure and Drumming with Dishes: Holiday Edition, both by David Kilpatrick.

This timeless presentation is definitely one that needs to be seen. At just $15 a ticket, Taffety makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone and, to my mind, is among the most successful in the city at doing justice to the material - regardless of ticket price.

The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, the only accredited acting school in the Greater Washington Area, announced today that it would celebrate international 'Commedia dell'Arte Day' today, February 25, with a staged reading of a brand-new Commedia play written by local playwrights Mario Baldessari and Tyler Herman.

The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, the only accredited acting school in the Greater Washington Area, announced today that it would celebrate international 'Commedia dell'Arte Day' on Monday, February 25, with a staged reading of a brand-new Commedia play written by local playwrights Mario Baldessari and Tyler Herman.

Imagination Stage has yet another successful production on its hands with this one. It's definitely recommended.

Anime Momotaro is a staging of a famous Japanese folktale that teaches powerful lessons about inner strength and the ability to stand up against bullying. Created and premiered by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Imagination Stage is bringing Eric Johnson (adaptor/director) and Alvin Chan (adaptor/choreographer) from Hawaii to develop an expanded version for Imagination Stage audiences. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the show below!

Anime Momotaro is a staging of a famous Japanese folktale that teaches powerful lessons about inner strength and the ability to stand up against bullying. Created and premiered by the Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Imagination Stage is bringing Eric Johnson (adaptor/director) and Alvin Chan (adaptor/choreographer) from Hawaii to develop an expanded version for Imagination Stage audiences.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical tells the story of toddler Trixie who has a beloved stuffed bunny, which she misplaces while on a trip to the laundromat with her slightly disheveled dad. Luckily, she finds the stuffed animal and speaks her first words: 'Knuffle Bunny!' The production is a story about family, best friends, baby steps and memories that last a lifetime.

The Wind in the Willows, the 1908 classic by Kenneth Grahame about one overly impulsive Mr. Toad and his passion for the newly invented motor car, is a veritable "COPS" for the younger set.

The Wind in the Willows, the 1908 classic by Kenneth Grahame about one overly impulsive Mr. Toad and his passion for the newly invented motor car, is a veritable "COPS" for the younger set.

Nashville actors displayed an astonishing range in 2010, playing some of the most coveted roles in theater with imagination and creativity and exhibiting new stage personas for characters making their initial debuts in new, original works. It was a memorable year, to say the least, and Nashville men stepped up to the plate with vigor and conviction, showing greater promise for the new season now under way in 2011. These ten actors led the way for their peers during the season just past and we're proud to recognize their onstage achievements...

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts kicks off its 2010-2011 Programs for Young Audiences series with Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences On Tour newest national touring production, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. With music by Grammy Award winning composer Michael Silversher, six-time Emmy Award winning author/illustrator Mo Willems adapts his Caldecott Honor winning children's book Knuffle Bunny into a brand new family musical. Directed by Rosemary Newcott with choreography by Paige Hernandez. The production is recommended for children ages 4 and up. Performances are Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts kicks off its 2010-2011 Programs for Young Audiences series with Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences On Tour newest national touring production, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical. With music by Grammy Award winning composer Michael Silversher, six-time Emmy Award winning author/illustrator Mo Willems adapts his Caldecott Honor winning children's book Knuffle Bunny into a brand new family musical. Directed by Rosemary Newcott with choreography by Paige Hernandez. The production is recommended for children ages 4 and up. Performances are Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

In September, DC area theatres are filled with almost a dozen musical productions opening -- classics, family shows, and many wonderful plays being performed on our over 200 theatre venues. The humidity is finally melting away, and it's a perfect time to welcome the cooler weather and the colors of the Fall by making a trip to the Nation's Capital and catching a show or two or three. There are family shows with canines and rabbits, a Labor Day weekend theatre festival that's FREE, a new jazz musical with some of the area's most talented singers, and bugs and ants that swing on trapezes. Mr. Ripley is finally coming to town, while I'm hoping that all will be well at Shakespeare Theatre. Someone is trying to deal with a very troubling inch, a Bar-Mitzvah boy has to deal with his crazy family, spelling champions battle it out, and a beagle pilot takes flight. There's so much to choose from, so read on and see what's playing in September in this monumental town. Happy New Year to all my fellow Jewish lovers of the theatre!

How important then is this play - now onstage at Nashville Children's Theatre in a stunning production helmed by NCT producing director Scot Copeland - designed for younger audiences? Frankly, its impact is immeasurable, but it most certainly presents the story of young diarist Anne Frank in such a way that younger audiences should never be able to forget the Holocaust, nor should they ever question the reality of those dark days in the human experience.