Usher News

Embark on a magical-realist journey with filmmakers Elan and Jonathan Bogarín as they undertake an excavation of their late grandmother's home. In their search for her story, 306 Hollywood turns into an epic tale—with plenty of humor, fantasy and drama—of what remains after life ends.

Twelve months ago, Karen Gibson was travelling around London giving workshops in gospel music, when she received a phone call which was to change her life - and the lives of her closest friends, the members of The Kingdom Choir.

Broadway and TV star Brandon J. Dirden (All the Way, Jitney, The Americans) hosted the 11th annual New York City August Wilson Monologue Competition, sponsored by LEAP (Learning through an Expanded Arts Program, Inc.). A total of 15 LEAP students from nine New York high schools in four boroughs brought the audience to their feet as they embodied Wilson's characters and provided their own interpretations-immersing them in Wilson's world of 10 plays, referred to as The Century Cycle.

Playwrights Horizons, in association with Page 73, present the world premiere production of A Strange Loop, with book, music, and lyrics by 2017 Jonathan Larson Award and2017 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award-winner Michael R. Jackson, directed by Stephen Brackett (Be More Chill, Buyer and Cellar), and choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly (Playwrights: If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhf**ka; Ugly (Black Queer Zoo), Fairview).

The Phantom of the Opera was how Aliya fell in love with theatre, but then she fell out of love with the show.

Jammcard launches the live video of Robin Thicke performing his hit 'Magic' from their in demand, invite-only pop up event, the JammJam.

The return of the iconic Shakespearean tragedy Romeo & Juliet, as well as Nashville premieres of Christopher Bruce's Rolling Stones-inspired ballet Rooster and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's A Streetcar Named Desire are among the highlights of Nashville Ballet's 2019-20 season, announced today.

GDE/Island Prolific/Atlantic Records recording artist, Raiche, has introduced the release of her highly anticipated debut EP. DRIVE is now available at all digital music retailers and streaming services. Download here. 

The Boards of Directors of New York City Ballet (NYCB) and its affiliate training academy, the School of American Ballet (SAB), today announced the appointment of Jonathan Stafford as Artistic Director of NYCB and SAB, and Wendy Whelan as Associate Artistic Director of NYCB, establishing the esteemed former NYCB dancers, SAB alumni, and prominent industry notables as the next generation of artistic leadership at two of the world's most acclaimed and storied dance institutions.

According to Billboard, Ariana Grande is set to return to Manchester to headline Manchester Pride Festival this August. Also joining the lineup are Years & Years, Kim Petras, Bananarama and Lady Leshurr. Read more about it from Billboard here!

Claude Debussy began writing an opera based on Edgar Allan Po's classic horror novel 'The Fall of the House of Usher'. He never finished it but the music has now been completed by Annelies Van Parys and the libretto by Gaea Schoters by order by Folkoperan and Staatoper During the Linden in Berlin. Premiere was in Berlin on October 12, 2018 and premiered at Folkoperan in Stockholm on February 14, 2019.

Berkshire Theatre Group seeks child and adult actors, musicians, backstage crew, technical support, usher staff and parent volunteers to participate in its upcoming non-equity production, Shrek The Musical. This production will be directed by Travis Daly, with music direction by Mark Gionfriddo and choreography by Avital Asuleen and will run August 1-August 17 at The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA.

Williams Street Repertory, McHenry County's only professional theatre company, is excited to announce it is now accepting submissions for its 2019 - 2020 Reading Series (formerly LAB Series) at Raue Center For The Arts.

Today the Edinburgh International Festival revealed that the Orchestre de Paris will perform at the Usher Hall as part of the 2019 International Festival.

Hank's Bar is a roadside joint on a desolate highway in the middle of nowhere. Hank the barkeep (played by Kurtis Bedford) passes the time when he has no customers by perusing a porn mag while pleasuring himself. He likes the bar's isolated location: It keeps him away from his ex-wife and kids. But Hank does have one customer this evening: Jonas (George Villas), a drifter who wants to drink, not chat. Jonas has been haunted by troubling dreams. He travels from place to place to escape his past. Into the bar strides Ruby (Kate Whitney), a sexy woman who informs them that her car has broken down nearby. Can she use the phone to call the auto club? A howling dust storm outside suggests that the three are going to remain at the bar for a while.

Richard the Third is one of Shakespeare's most famous villains. Ruthless and astute, savvy and unscrupulous, Richard pursues power with a single-minded and dangerous intensity. In the Shakespeare Theatre Company's production, directed by David Muse, Richard's world is grim, gray, perilous, and unrelenting. Matthew Rauch in the title role is deliciously complex - we, too, are alarmed to find ourselves wooed by his intelligence and charisma even as we are repelled by his treachery and dogged fixation with acquiring power any cost. Shakespeare's tale of villainy, and the Shakespeare Theatre Company's interpretation, asks the audience to venture into a severe and harsh world. It is a dark and fascinating journey, but not for the faint of heart.

The International Center of Photography (ICP), the world's leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture, today announced that Kelly Heisler has returned as its Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, building on a role she previously held from 2010 through 2013. In this expanded position, Heisler will guide communications strategy for ICP, including managing the messaging and promotion of the reunification of the ICP Museum and School at its new space located at Essex Crossing later this year.

SJ Presents: the Godmother of Soul and Neo-Classic Soul Icon ERYKAH BADU with 2x Grammy winner and this year's hottest new artist H.E.R. on Saturday, May 11 at 8 p.m. at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

During its nearly 100-year history, Playhouse Square's theaters have been the sites of spirits, ghost sightings and unexplained occurrences, as reported by visiting psychics, performers and theater workers.  Now The Cleveland Area Paranormal Society and Playhouse Square will host "The Connor Palace Ghost Tour" March 25 and April 1.

Kicking off their 66th theatre season, The Naples Players (TNP) announce the 2019-2020 theatre season. The upcoming season reaffirms The Naples Players' dedication to providing a superior theatre experience for the community with an exciting combination of Tony Award-winning plays and musicals as well as popular beloved classics and exhilarating new works. 'It's a season about strength and sacrifice' said Bryce Alexander, TNP's Executive Artistic Director. 'It's about the sacrifices we make for love, and the strength that comes from finding our community.'