Toni-Leslie James News

On this day in 2013, Academy Award-winner Tom Hanks made his Broadway debut in Lucky Guy, written by Nora Ephron and directed by George C. Wolfe. 

Thoughts of a Colored Man, the new play by Keenan Scott II will play Broadway’s Golden Theatre. Signaling a genuine moment of optimism about the future return of theater to New York City, this morning, the marquee for Thoughts of a Colored Man was installed at the Golden Theatre making it the first new show to take up residence at a Broadway theater since the pandemic forced all plays and musicals to stop performances on March 12, 2020.

Thoughts of a Colored Man, the new play by Keenan Scott II, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, will play Broadway's Golden Theatre

Forty-two students, selected from public high schools across New York City, will participate in The Broadway League’s ninth annual High School Broadway Shadowing Program. The 2021 program will be presented online due to the ongoing health concerns with COVID-19.

Come From Away officially returned to performances at the Comedy Theatre from Tuesday 19 January. This marks the first of the global companies of Come From Away to return to the stage, for a strictly limited season that must close on Sunday 21 March, prior to a national tour.

The Australian company is the first to re-take the stage worldwide, with Broadway, London, Toronto and North American Tour counterparts on hiatus.

Leading the way in a triumphant return to the theatre in Melbourne, COME FROM AWAY will be the first major musical back on stage, commencing performances at the Comedy Theatre from Tuesday 19 January.

The 48th Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Awards occurred virtually on Monday, November 30, 2020 at 7pm hosted by Roger Guenveur Smith, the AUDELCO award winning actor, best known for his “The Huey P. Newton Story” and as Smiley in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”! and LaChanze, AUDELCO award winner for “The Secret Life of Bees” and 2006 Tony award winner for “The Color Purple”. 

The 48th Annual Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Awards will occur virtually on Monday, November 30, 2020 at 7pm and will be hosted by Roger Guenveur Smith, the AUDELCO award winning actor, best known for his 'The Huey P. Newton Story' and as Smiley in Spike Lee's 'Do the Right Thing'!

The worldwide smash hit, Tony and Olivier award-winning musical COME FROM AWAY, will open at QPAC's Lyric Theatre from 28 March 2021 for a strictly limited season. It will be the first major musical to open in Queensland since the COVID-enforced shutdown.

AUDELCO has announced the nominees for its 2020 'VIV' Awards, honoring excellence in Black Theatre.

Today, producers Brian Moreland, Ron Simons, Diana DiMenna, Samira Wiley, and Sheryl Lee Ralph, announced that Thoughts of a Colored Man, the new play by Keenan Scott II, directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, will open on Broadway in the upcoming season at a Shubert theater to be announced.

Yale School of Drama, the only graduate-level professional conservatory in the English-speaking world to offer training in every theatrical discipline, announces newly promoted and newly appointed faculty members, effective for the 2020-21 academic year.

The worldwide smash hit musical COME FROM AWAY has been rescheduled to play at the magnificent Capitol Theatre from 3 June 2021 and new seats are now on sale. 

The Broadway community may be experiencing some downtime, but Come From Away creators Irene Sankoff and David Hein are staying busy. In a recent interview with the Toronto Star, the couple revealed that the film version of the musical is still very much in the works.

It's Not That We Don't Exist the podcast is about to hit 100 episodes, but before that milestone, we are pleased to present a brand new mini-series entitled 'Changing the Landscape: Examining Race in Theatrical Design.'

Broadway Black, the multimedia organization highlighting the achievements of Black theatre artists, will present the inaugural Antonyo Awards, a celebration of the Black Broadway and Off-Broadway community.

Tune in right here at 7:30pm to watch The 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards and check back for a full list of winners, updating live!

Broadway Black, the multimedia organization highlighting the achievements of Black theatre artists, has announced the inaugural Antonyo Awards, a celebration of the Black Broadway and Off-Broadway community.

YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA introduces the 2020 Class of scenic, costume, lighting, sound, and projection designers, who matriculated this week. A showcase of these artists' work will be held in New York when conditions allow. More information will be shared online at drama.yale.edu/designshowcase2020 when possible.