Wilbur News

Atlanta's nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre and Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Susan V. Booth are pleased to announce the productions of the Theater's 51st season.  Since opening in 1968 the Alliance has been dedicated to expanding hearts and minds on stage and off with diverse programming for all ages.  The 2019/20 season marks the Alliance's first full season back in its transformed performance space, the newly opened Coca-Cola Stage.

John Coltrane's breakout year, when his mature saxophone sound first grabbed ears and his own recordings began to sell consistently, was 1958. The upcoming box set Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings (out March 29 (5-CD & digital formats) and April 26 (8-LP format) on Craft Recordings), chronicles that exciting year session by session, featuring all 37 tracks Coltrane recorded as a leader or co-leader for the independent Prestige label in those 12 months. The collection captures Coltrane in creative high gear—developing the signature improvisational style that journalist Ira Gitler famously dubbed “sheets of sound.” In addition, Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings comes on the heel of the 60th anniversary of that breakthrough year, and serves as the cornerstone release marking the 70th anniversary of Prestige Records.

If a singer/actor/dancer is considered a triple threat, New Mexico transplant David Carter is more like a quintuple threat. In addition to being the technical director at the Santa Fe Playhouse and a huge advocate for making the arts (in particular, performing arts) accessible for all, he translated, served as a dramaturg for, and is currently performing in The Oasis Theatre Company's production of Moliere's The Miser. I was able to pick his brain about his theatrical experience, his translation process, and some other artistic endeavors he currently has in the works.

Continuing a celebration of its 10th season of award-winning theater, Creative Cauldron will present Alice in Wonderland from March 22 through April 14, 2019. The production features 13 original songs created for the show by Matt Conner, with lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith.  Twenty-four young people participating in Creative Cauldron's Learning Theater program will perform the iconic characters that have made this story a beloved classic.  Madeline Aldana joins the cast as Alice and Izzy Smelkinson stars as the White Rabbit. Creative Cauldron veterans Will Stevenson and E. Augustus (Gus) Knapp appear as the Queen of Hearts and King of Hearts respectively. Press night is Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 pm.

Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love hilarious and heartbreaking. Twins are separated during a shipwreck and are forced to fend for themselves in a strange land. The first twin, Viola, falls in love with Orsino, who dotes on Olivia, who falls for Viola but is idolized by Malvolio. Enter Sebastian, who is the spitting image of his twin sister is it possible for this to all end well? Well, it IS a comedy!

Broadway In Boston, Boston's mainstage for Broadway, has unveiled the upcoming 2019-2020 Lexus Broadway Season during its annual announcement event at the Citizens Bank Opera House.

If you hear an explosion of energy coming from the east end of the valley over the next couple of weekends, it is almost certainly the production of Hairspray at Indio's Desert Theatreworks. I enjoyed virtually every detail of the production so much that it's hard to know where to start. The performers, the sets, the singing, the dancing, and above all, the exuberance grab us from our chilly winter evenings and whisk us away to a truly happy place!

The NMSU Theatre Arts Department and the nonprofit American Southwest Theatre Company presents Broadway Onstage, a musical revue highlighting shows currently running on Broadway along with traditional Broadway favorites performed by NMSU students and faculty and community members.

Of Mice & Men have been busy working on new material with producer Josh Wilbur. Last month, the band dropped a brand new, battering ram of a song entitled 'How to Survive.' They've just released the accompanying video, directed by Zev Deans (Denzel Curry, Ghost.) 

The NMSU Theatre Arts Department and the nonprofit American Southwest Theatre Company presents Broadway Onstage, a musical revue highlighting shows currently running on Broadway along with traditional Broadway favorites performed by NMSU students and faculty and community members.

Of Mice & Men spent much of the fall hunkered down in the studio working on new material with producer Josh Wilbur. They have stormed out of the gates with a brand new, battering ram of a song entitled 'How to Survive.'

E.B. White's beloved children's story is adapted for the stage in this delightful, colorful production. When Wilbur the pig is befriended by a small spider named Charlotte, the friendship sets off a series of events that turn Wilbur from the runt of his litter to "Some Pig."

The New Colony, under the new artistic leadership of Fin Coe* and Stephanie Shum*, continues its 2018-19 season with the world premiere of SMALL WORLD, a twisted comedy in the happiest place on earth, co-written by Jillian Leff and Joe Lino and directed by Andrew Hobgood*, playing March 27 - May 4, 2019 at TNC's resident home, The Den Theatre's Upstairs Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

The Tony Award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) will launch its 84th year and Bill Rauch's final season as artistic director with preview performances beginning on March 1. The 2019 season officially kicks off Friday night, March 8, in the Angus Bowmer Theatre with Shakespeare's As You Like It (director, Rosa Joshi). On Saturday afternoon, Cambodian Rock Band (director, Chay Yew) opens in the Thomas Theatre, and Hairspray The Broadway Musical (director, Christopher Liam Moore) opens that evening in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. On Sunday afternoon, the drama by Southern Oregon based playwright Octavio Solis, Mother Road (director, Bill Rauch), will see its world premiere in the Angus Bowmer Theatre.

Long Wharf Theatre (LWT), in collaboration with Yale Repertory Theatre (YRT), will host the 2019 New Haven Regional August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC).The Regional Competition will be presented on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 7 PM at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St, New Haven, CT 06510. Fifteen participants from the Greater New Haven Area, Hartford County, and Fairfield County, will compete to win all-expense paid trip to the National Competition in NYC where they will perform on a Broadway stage, see a Broadway play, and have a chance to win college scholarships. The National Competition will take place in May 6, 2019 at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre.

Of Mice & Men spent much of the fall hunkered down in the studio working on new material with producer Josh Wilbur. They have stormed out of the gates with a brand new, battering ram of a song entitled 'How to Survive.'

Artistic Director Ray Jivoff today unveiled Skylight Music Theatre's 2019-2020 season, which will mark the theatre's 60th Anniversary.

Fever Breaks, the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer, songwriter and performer Josh Ritter, will be released April 26 via Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers and is now available for pre-order at http://ffm.to/feverbreaks. Produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell, the 10-song record was recorded at Nashville's historic RCA Studio A and features Isbell's band, the 400 Unit. In advance of the release, the album's first single, “Old Black Magic,” is debuting today; listen/share it here.

Though it's been 52 years since his tragic passing, John Coltrane's importance and influence have never been greater. Though active for a relatively short period—from 1957 to '67—he was an intrepid spirit who developed at a feverish pace. Coltrane's breakout year, when his mature sound first grabbed ears and his own recordings began to sell consistently, was 1958. Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings, out March 29th on Craft Recordings, is a box set (8-LP, 5-CD & digital formats) that chronicles the exciting story session by session, featuring all 37 tracks Coltrane recorded as a leader or co-leader for the independent Prestige label in those twelve months. This collection captures him in creative high gear—developing the signature improvisational style that journalist Ira Gitler famously dubbed “sheets of sound.”

Bernard Fowler is most widely known by millions of people around the world as the longtime collaborator and backing vocalist for the Rolling Stones, a position he has proudly held for 31 years and counting.  His dynamic vocals have appeared on hundreds of albums for artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Yoko Ono, Alice Cooper, Bootsy Collins, and many more.