William Finn News

Performances are Saturday, October 4 at 8 PM and Sunday, October 5 at 2 PM and 7 PM. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $15 for students and industry, and are available at www.11thhourtheatrecompany.org or by calling 267-987-9865.

Virginia's Signature Theatre has appointed Joe Calarco to the new position of Resident Director/Director of New Works. In this position, Calarco will continue to strengthen Signature's commitment to new work by shepherding the development of new musicals and plays and actively seeking the work of original and diverse voices. Calarco will also direct 1-2 shows per season and will continue his work with Signature in The Schools, Signature's flagship education program.

School season is upon us, and the Redhouse Arts Center is joining in on the school spirit fun with its first mainstage musical of the season, Tony Award winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opening tonight, Sept. 12.

'Held Momentarily' is a poignant new musical comedy about making connections, living in the moment, and moving on in life. Conceived by a group of classmates from LaGuardia Arts High School (the 'Fame' school), the piece was originally workshopped in January 2014 at The Producers' Club, continued on to the New York International Fringe Festival at The Sheen Center, and will now extend to the FringeNYC Encore Series at SoHo Playhouse, to be helmed by director Hunter Bird and produced by Lionel Christian and Marielle Young, today, September 11-21.

On Monday, September 29 (8 pm), Symphony Space will present Sundance…Sings!, spotlighting songs from groundbreaking shows developed with support from the Sundance Institute Theatre Program, sung by a stellar cast. Christine Ebersole, Ann Harada, Annie Golden, Joshua Henry, and fourteen other notables will take the stage at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in selections from the Broadway oeuvre of Stew + Heidi Rodewald, Scott Frankel, Adam Guettel, Lisa Kron, Michael John LaChiusa, Bill Finn, Steven Lutvak, Duncan Sheik, and others.

Geva Theatre Center's Artistic Director Mark Cuddy and Executive Director Tom Parrish are proud to announce the 12 major productions of the much anticipated 2014-2015 Season, the non-profit's 42nd year of making professional theatre of a national standard in Rochester.

Barrington Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and Managing Director Tristan Wilson, announces the return of Drama Desk Award-winner Jim Brochu in his new show Character Man, following his wildly successful run of Zero Hour in 2011. A musical valentine celebrating the Golden Age of the American Musical, Character Man will be presented at BSC's St. Germain Stage at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center from September 18 through 28. The press opening is Saturday, September 20 at 7:30pm.

'Held Momentarily' is a poignant new musical comedy about making connections, living in the moment, and moving on in life. Conceived by a group of classmates from LaGuardia Arts High School (the 'Fame' school), the piece was originally workshopped in January 2014 at The Producers' Club, continued on to the New York International Fringe Festival at The Sheen Center, and will now extend to the FringeNYC Encore Series at SoHo Playhouse, to be helmed by director Hunter Bird and produced by Lionel Christian and Marielle Young, September 11-21.

School season is upon us, and the Redhouse Arts Center is joining in on the school spirit fun with its first mainstage musical of the season, Tony Award winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opening on Sept. 12. Conceived by Rebecca Feldman, with music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss, Spelling Bee tells the delightful story of six quirky adolescents as they compete in the Putnam Valley Middle School Bee and learn that winning isn't everything!

Betsy Werbel, who co-founded the Brian Werbel Memorial Fund and organized the event, recently took the time to chat with BroadwayWorld about the upcoming concert. Read on to preview the upcoming benefit performance.

Following sold-out performances at Joe's Pub, 54 Below, and an extended run at Sophie's @ Broadway, Musical Theatre Factory presents the farewell engagement of Shakina Nayfack's ONE WOMAN SHOW, September 2-4 at 8pm. Join Shakina as she recounts the exploits and misadventures that led to her gender transition with new songs and stories added for this final run. Shakina's public approach to gender confirmation is living performance art with a dark, funny, and powerful cabaret edge. After successfully raising over $22,000 through her high-profile KickStartHer campaign, these final performances celebrate her upcoming departure to Thailand to undertake the first internationally crowd-sourced sex change.

A New Brain is one of William Finn's his many exquisite musical theatre works. Producer Phill Scanlon let BWW view one of the final rehearsals before A NEW BRAIN opens at the Doncaster Playhouse from September 12. Based on what we saw, this show promises heart and music.

A great, big Broadway season is on its way, with fourteen productions already slated to open in the next few months. The craziness is almost upon us, but there is still plenty of time to catch up on what's been going on at Broadway's already occupied theaters . BroadwayWorld will be profiling the hits of the Great White Way that continue to draw crowds after months, years, and (in some cases) decades. Meet the current cast of Broadway's THE BOOK OF MORMON below!

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, presents Celebrating the Music of William Finn this weekend, August 29 and 30 at 8pm at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage Stage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield.

Stage and screen actor Andrew Leeds will appear as a series regular in ABC's new family comedy CRISTELA, set to premiere on Friday, October 10, 2014.

Following sold-out performances at Joe's Pub, 54 Below, and an extended run at Sophie's @ Broadway, Musical Theatre Factory presents the farewell engagement of Shakina Nayfack's ONE WOMAN SHOW, September 2-4 at 8pm. Join Shakina as she recounts the exploits and misadventures that led to her gender transition with new songs and stories added for this final run. Shakina's public approach to gender confirmation is living performance art with a dark, funny, and powerful cabaret edge. After successfully raising over $22,000 through her high-profile KickStartHer campaign, these final performances celebrate her upcoming departure to Thailand to undertake the first internationally crowd-sourced sex change.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, presents Celebrating the Music of William Finn on August 29 and 30 at 8pm at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage Stage, 30 Union Street, Pittsfield.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the BSC Musical Theatre Lab new workshop production of two-time Tony winner William Finn's acclaimed Romance in Hard Times, featuring a new book by Finn's Spelling Bee collaborator, Tony winner Rachel Sheinkin. Check out a first look at the production below!

After a national search, Playwrights Horizons announced today the appointment of Kyle Sircus as the institution's new Director of Marketing. Beginning Monday, September 22, Mr. Sircus will join the acclaimed theater company direct from Berkeley Repertory Theatre in Berkeley, CA, where he currently serves as Marketing Manager, a position created especially for him in July 2012. Mr. Sircus will lead the theater company's seven-person Marketing Department.

Barrington Stage Company (BSC), the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and Tristan Wilson, Managing Director, presents the BSC Musical Theatre Lab new workshop production of two-time Tony winner William Finn's acclaimed Romance in Hard Times, featuring a new book by Finn's Spelling Bee collaborator, Tony winner Rachel Sheinkin.