Winnie Holzman News

This week's Theater Stories features The Circle in the Square Theatre! Learn about the Circle in the Square Theatre School, the 2019 Tony-winning revival of Oklahoma!, the show that was most recently set to be performed in the theatre, American Buffalo, and much more!

Director Stephen Daldry has left his post as helmer of the upcoming 'Wicked' film adaptation.

Today's top stories: Patti LuPone responds to Trump on the balcony, Alex Brightman plays an animated Beetlejuice, and more!

Are you showing up to vote on November 3? The cast of Wicked thinks you should! The company just released a music video about voting featuring special lyrics by award-winning Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. The music video features original company members Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, alongside current Broadway and touring company members.

The novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire was published in 1995, and was further cemented into the fabric of our culture when it was made into a global phenomenon of a musical in 2003. A 25th anniversary edition of the novel is being released by HarperCollins on October 13th.

Stars in The House continued this afternoon (2pm) with Wilson Cruz.

May and June episodes will feature Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus, choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and actor Elizabeth Stanley on their collaboration during Jagged Little Pill; Tony-winning director Michael Mayer with actors Jonathan Groff and Christian Borle on Little Shop of Horrors; directors Lileana Blain-Cruz, Sheryl Kaller, and Desdemona Chiang; director Gaye Taylor Upchurch and playwright Lauren Gunderson on The Half-Life of Marie Curie; and more.

Wicked has just released a heartfelt new video saluting the frontline workers of the current health crisis, underscored by the show's currents stars, Lindsay Pearce and Ginna Claire Mason. The description reads: 'In honor of every person on the front lines, our WICKED community came together in song and in thanks. You have truly changed us all. For Good.'

In this time of social distancing and remaining responsibly indoors, we are all looking for ways to brighten our days and get moving any way we can! In the spirit of celebrating theater and providing motivation to get up and get shakin', we're taking a look back and paying tribute to some of the greatest dance numbers in musical theater history! Today's number, 'Dancing Through Life' from Wicked!

On the same day that Broadway went dark due to coronavirus concerns, the show went on for WICKED in Madison, Wisconsin. As the curtain rose, and before I was totally swept up in the experience of WICKED, I took a moment to wonder how it felt for the cast and crew to be performing when their Broadway relations were on a sudden hiatus, and how long would they continue their run? It turns out, not long. It was their final performance for the foreseeable future.

Get your first look at the latest company defying gravity in WIcked on Broadway!

Dr. Phillips Center today joined Florida Theatrical Association and Broadway Across America to announce the full lineup of the FAIRWINDS Broadway in Orlando season. The 20/21 season launches with Academy Awarda?"winner Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prizea?"winning masterwork TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and includes Tony- and Grammy Awarda?"winner HADESTOWN. The expanded season sees the Orlando premieres of TOOTSIE, THE BAND'S VISIT, THE PROM and THE CHER SHOW, along with audience favorite CATS. The previously announced season add-on HAMILTON will run for four weeks and season option WICKED will play the Dr. Phillips Center for three weeks.

Chances are, as America is an increasing book-abhorrent culture, most folks familiar with THE WIZARD OF OZ know only of the 1939 Judy Garland film, versus author L. Frank Baum's children's 1900 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. While the book and the film are fairly well aligned as children's entertainment, author Gregory Maguire's 1995 spin on the story, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is most definitely for the adults. Political upheaval, adultery, multiple murders, family dysfunction, betrayal, it's downright Shakespearean. All three serve as fantastical fodder for Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman's Broadway production of Wicked, a sort of Oz-ian 'Odd Couple,' were Neil Simon a fan of J.R.R. Tolkein and J. K. Rowling: 'On Ozmember the 13th, Elphaba was asked to remove herself from her place of residence; that request came from her father. Deep down, she believed he was right, but knew that someday she would return. With nowhere else to go, she appeared at university and meets Galinda, fresh off an off-Broadway run of LEGALLY BLONDE. Can two strange women share a dorm room together without driving each other crazy?'

The Broadway blockbuster WICKED will welcome new cast members to the Gershwin Theatre this month. Beginning Tuesday, February 25, Lindsay Pearce will assume the role of Elphaba and Sam Gravitte will assume the role of Fiyero.

A staged reading of CHOICE written and directed by Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award-winner Winnie Holzman (Wicked, 'My So-Called Life'), starring Allison Janney (I,Tonya, 'Mom'), Lisa Kudrow ('Friends,' 'The Comeback'), Tony Shalhoub ('The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' 'Monk'), Paul Dooley (Sixteen Candles, 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'), Madeline Wise (HBO's 'Crashing') and Raviv Ullman ('Phil of the Future,' 'Rita Rocks') will be performed at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, February 29, 2020, at 7:30 pm in The Wallis' Bram Goldsmith Theater, in collaboration with Hayloft Productions.

Theatre of NOTE has announced the 25th Annual Hollywood Performance Marathon, on Saturday, January 18 beginning at 3pm and continuing until dawn, at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd. (just North of Sunset) in Hollywood.

Wicked in Little Rock's Robinson Performance Hall is a thrill of sight and sound. It has stunning visuals and magnificent performers that will carry you away on a thrilling night of theatre.

WICKED, East Lansing's most popular musical, will return to Wharton Center's Cobb Great Hall on Wednesday, April 1 through Sunday, April 19, 2020. Tickets for the return engagement are on sale now. Tickets are available at the official source to purchase Wharton Center tickets online, whartoncenter.com; at the Auto-Owners Insurance Ticket Office; or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.

The 5th Avenue Theatre has announced complete casting for the world premiere of Bliss, an empowering original musical fantasy that flips the traditional princess narrative upside down.

WICKED, the Triangle's most popular musical, will return to DPAC September 30 a?" October 25, 2020 for the first time in five years. Information on how to purchase individual tickets will be announced at a later date. Tickets for groups will go on sale in January 2020.