Tim Burton News

Last week BroadwayWorld reported that Disney Theatrical Productions has been experimenting with bringing a live stage version of THE MUPPETS to Broadway, but according to the New York Times, that's not the only project in the works. Many other shows based on animated Disney classics are being created for the stage including THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Peter Parnell and direction by Scott Schwartz), for which a table reading was recently held. It was announced several year ago that stage adaptations of DUMBO (direction by Stephen Daldry), and Tim Burton's version of ALICE IN WONDERLAND (direction by Rob Ashford) were in the works, though no new information has been released recently on either project.

Tickets for the new Broadway musical Big Fish will go on sale to the general public today, June 16 at Ticketmaster.com (866-870-2717). Scroll down for the show's artwork!

Actress Kathryn Leigh Scott, best known for her role in the original Dark Shadows TV series, is the latest name to sign up for a special-guest-star turn in the award-winning gay web show Old Dogs & New Tricks' third season, shooting this fall in Los Angeles.

One of Greater Boston's most beloved traditions, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's 'Free Shakespeare On The Common' celebrates its 18th season with the comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Inspired by Rat Pack-era Vegas, this production brings together the talents of CSC's Artistic Director Steve Maler, music director Colin Thurmond and choreographer Yo-el Cassel. Playing July 6 - 28, 2013, performances are free and open to the public.

Hilarious star of stage and screen Martin Short makes his Segerstrom Center debut on Thursday, November 21 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for a special one night only performance of his acclaimed one-man-show An Evening with Martin Short.

Following the success of past children's productions like The Ugly Duckling and Alice in Wonderland, Serenbe Playhouse's upcoming Season of Change kicks off June 7th at 11AM with The Velveteen Rabbit as you've never seen it before. The Playhouse once again takes a well-known, beloved classic and reimagines it to delight audiences of all ages!

After a hugely successful spring season, which included the most successful ever Sprint festival of new and innovative theatre, CPT hosts the following shows and activity from June - August 2013:

A cast of young student actors will perform Stephen Sondheim's Tony Award-winning "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" July 17-21 at the Center for Dramatic Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tickets for the new Broadway musical BIG FISH will go on sale to the general public onSunday, June 16 at Ticketmaster.com (866-870-2717). An exclusive two-week pre-sale for Audience Rewards members and partners launches on Monday, June 3, during which members can earn 2,000 bonus points when they purchase a ticket to BIG FISH at AudienceRewards.com. Directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (Contact, The Producers, The Scottsboro Boys), with music and lyrics by Grammy and Tony Award nominee Andrew Lippa (The Wild Party, The Addams Family), and a book by Grammy and BAFTA Award nominee John August (Frankenweenie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), BIG FISH begins performances on Thursday, September 5, 2013 and will open Sunday, October 6, 2013 at the Neil Simon Theatre. Tickets for BIG FISH range from $49 - $142. The playing schedule for BIG FISH is as follows: Monday through Friday at 8pm with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays. There will be no 2pm matinee on Wednesday, September 11. Beginning October 7, 2013, the playing schedule for BIG FISH is as follows: Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm and Wednesday at 8pm with matinees on Wednesday at 2pm, Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm.

The Actors Training Center will present the Los Angeles Film Intensive Workshop with Casting Director Deborah Dionon Thursday, June 13 through Saturday, June 15 at The Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Ave. Dion has worked with acclaimed directors Tim Burton ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and 'Alice in Wonderland'), PJ Hogan ("Peter Pan," "Unconditional Love"), Lasse Hallstrom ("Cider House Rules," "Chocolat," "The Shipping News," "An Unfinished Life"), John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love"), and M. Night Shyamalan ("The Last Airbender," "The Happening," "Lady in the Water"). She has devised an efficient and focused three-day seminar for the actor ready to take their on-camera audition and acting skills to a new level. Dion's exclusive film intensive program expects each actor to prepare as thoroughly as a working professional actor with assigned film scripts.

Theatre Planners will present a World Premiere play, THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY: A COMEDY, written by Peter Lefcourt, and directed by Terri Hanauer. THE ASSASSINATION OF LEON TROTSKY: A COMEDY will preview on Friday, June 21 at 8pmand will open on Saturday, June 22 at 8pm and will run through Saturday, July 28 as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., in Los Angeles.

Hurry, hurry! Step right up! The circus has come to Austin, and it's not to be missed. Filled with imagination, whimsy, and charm, The Cruel Circus, now playing the Salvage Vanguard Theatre thru May 25th, is an absolute delight and a feast for the eyes.

Movieweb.com reports that Anne Hathaway has officially signed on to star in a new musical drama SONG ONE from Worldview Entertainment. The project will be helmed by Kate Barker-Froyland from her own screenplay.

Five remaining couples take to the ballroom floor during the Semi-Finals on MONDAY, MAY 13 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET). Each couple perform two routines, inching their way one step closer to the coveted mirror ball trophy. Last week viewers were asked to vote via twitter on a new style of dance for each couple to perform; this week the couples perform their chosen style, including the Flamenco, Charleston, Afro Jazz, Lindy Hop and Hip Hop. Each couple will also be challenged to take on a ballroom or Latin style dance they have yet to perform this season.

According to Deadline, Ben Walker is nearing a deal to star opposite Chris Hemsworth in Ron Howard's THE HEART OF THE SEA.

Screen Actors Guild Foundation and Broadway World have partnered for an inaugural filmed Conversations Q&A series to recognize and celebrate the vibrant theatre community in New York City and the union actors who aspire to have a career on the stage and screen. The most recent event was a two hour career conversation with Vincent D'Onofrio moderated by Broadway World's own Richard Ridge, and you can check out highlights from the discussion below!

Movieweb.com reports that Ben Stiller is currently in talks to helm Warner Bros upcoming live-action reboot of the children's classic PINOCCIO. Robert Downey Jr. is set to take on the role of 'Geppetto', while at the same time serve as producer along with his wife Susan Downey.

Two-time Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz returns to the musical theatre mainstage with his new theatrical venture, BIG FISH, an adaptation of the hit Tim Burton feature film currently trying out in Chicago before its Broadway bow in the Fall, and some glimpses at his central performance of patriarch Edward Bloom have now become available.

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff, and presented by American Express, today announced that more than 450,000 people attended screenings, panels, talks and free community events - including the Tribeca Drive-In series, Family Festival Street Fair, Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day, as well as the Storyscapes installation at the Bombay Sapphire House of Imagination, the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards and the Tribeca Film Institute Interactive Day - during the Festival's 12th edition.

For the first time ever, the professional skaters who appear in ITV's Dancing on Ice will star in their own ice skating show, THE PROFESSIONALS ON ICE, and will be demonstrating their breath-taking skills on a national tour. The audience will be dazzled by national and world champions as they prove their prowess with hair-raising headbangers, daring double salchows and sensational split twist lifts. The venues are some of the biggest ice skating arenas in the country, with the biggest, the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, kicking off the tour today, 27 April. The tour will end in Dundee on 2 June.