Yvonne News

Theatre503 is pleased to announce the appointment of Jessica Campbell as their new Producer and Head of Marketing.

NEW YORK, June, 2015 – OppenheimerFunds and the Financial Times today announced the longlists of 10 rising artists in each of three categories who are advancing to the next stage in the new FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards competition. Selected from more than 800 entries from 65 emerging-market countries, the nominees are vying for awards as well as global recognition. 

The final entry in Theatricum Botanicum's 2015 'Americana' repertory season, Green Grow the Lilacs by Native American playwright Lynn Riggs is the rarely produced 1931 play that vied for the Pulitzer Prize and inspired the first mega-musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!. A rough-and-tumble love story with singing cowboys and classic folk music of the pioneering era, Green Grow the Lilacs will be directed by Ellen Geer for a July 11 opening.

The award-winning musical, A Letter to Harvey Milk, based on the short story "A Letter to Harvey Milk" by Leslea Newman,  will enjoy an invite-only industry reading in New York City on Monday, June 22, 2015 at Times Square's Playroom Theatre. A Letter to Harvey Milk, has a book by Jerry James, Cheryl Stern and Laura I. Kramer, lyrics by Ellen M. Schwartz with additional lyrics by Cheryl Stern, and music by Laura I. Kramer, it has been musical directed, arranged and orchestrated by Ned Paul Ginsburg, and the reading will be directed by Evan Pappas (Performer: Parade, My Favorite Year).

The producers of the forthcoming UK tour of Terence Rattigan's FLARE PATH, directed by Justin Audibert, are delighted to announce the full cast, headed by the previously announced Leon Ockenden as Peter Kyle, Olivia Hallinan as Patricia Graham and Philip Franks as Squadron Leader Swanson.

Last night I had the privilege to go to the 3rd annual FADE TO BLACK playwright's festival. Houston has its share of fringe events, but there wasn't a playwright's festival celebrating the works of black playwrights until Denise O'Neal conceived the FADE TO BLACK festival. In their 3rd year of operation, the FADE TO BLACK festival is on the rise and serves as a platform for the creative voices of black theatre artists of the future. Not only do the playwrights get the chance to show their work, actors and directors have an opportunity to flex their creative muscles. An esteemed panel of judges read a lot of plays and narrowed it down to 10 titles that were rehearsed and presented last night.

Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, Shameless, EastEnders) will play Ella Khan in Ayub Khan Din's critically-acclaimed play East is East, which was part of Jamie Lloyd's second Trafalgar Transformed season, directed by Sam Yates, on a 16 week National Tour from tonight 11 June 2015, commencing at Theatre Royal, Brighton. East is East is designed by Tom Scutt, with lighting by Richard Howell and sound and music by Alex Baranowski.

Moonlight Stage Productions presents the San Diego Professional Premiere of 'All Shook Up,' a hysterical new musical comedy about a guitar-playing, hip-swiveling roustabout who rides into a sleepy town in 1955 determined to help everyone discover the magic and romance of rock and roll.

Shrunken Shakespeare Company presented the world premiere reading of Chukwudi Iwuji's masterpiece screenplay IRA on June 8th, 2015. The reading was the centerpiece of the SSC 2015 Spring Gala and was directed by Danya Taymor. The Creative Producer was Adam Shulman (Dukes of Hazard: The Beginning, Song One starring Anne Hathaway), host of SSC's Annual Benefit Gala and Staged Reading of at W83 (150 West 83rd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus). Scroll down for photos from the event!

The CAPA Summer Movie Series, the longest-running classic film series in America, celebrates its 45th anniversary in 2015 with an impressive assembly of classics, cult favorites, and beloved films. The 2015 series will run today, June 5-August 9 at the historic Ohio Theatre (39 E. State St.) and will feature 29 films over nine weeks (no films scheduled for the week of the Fourth of July).

Just in time for the 50 th anniversary of the worldwide box office blockbuster The Sound of Music, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, has acquired all U.S., Canadian and UK distribution rights to Tele Munchen Group's The von Trapp Family A Life of Music, the two companies announced today.

Shrunken Shakespeare Company (Yvonne Cone and Jennifer Martina, Co-Producing Artistic Directors) announced today that Madeline Brewer has joined the cast as Meg, in the world premiere reading of Chukwudi Iwuji's masterpiece screenplay Ira - on June 8th, 2015. Brewer joins new cast member Eli Gelb (The Squid and the Whale, Holy Rollers).

MIAMI BEACH, Florida

The world premiere of A Third by award-winning Chicago playwright Laura Jacqmin runs at the Finborough Theatre for twelve performances, on Sunday and Monday evenings and Tuesday matinees, from Sunday, 28 June 2015 (Press Night: Monday 29 June 2015 at 7.30pm).

Adam Karim (Sajit Khan), Assad Zaman (Saleem Khan), Dharmesh Patel (Abdul Khan), Salma Hoque (Meenah Khan) and Simon Nagra (George Khan) join the previously announced comedy award-winning actress Pauline McLynn (Ella Khan) and original West End cast members, Ashley Kumar (Tariq Khan) and Darren Kuppan (Maneer Khan) to complete the casting of the Khan family in the national tour of Ayub Khan Din's critically-acclaimed play East is East. The Khans are joined by Kammy Darweish (Mr Shah), Sakuntala Ramanee (Mrs Shah) and Sally Bankes (Auntie Annie).

Joanna Gleason has joined the cast of Showtime's critically-acclaimed drama THE AFFAIR in a recurring role.

On Sunday night, members of the original Broadway cast of Grand Hotel, including Tony winners Liliane Montevecchi, Tony nominee Karen Akers, Tony nominee Tim Jerome, Tony nominee Walter Willison, Brent Barrett, Ben George, David Jackson, Ken Jennings, Hal Robinson, Meg Tolin Piper, David White, Penny Worth, Chip Zien, with Michael Choi, Bill Coyne, Joshua Dixon, Erin Marie, Nathan Meyer, Chelsie Nectow, Michael Jayne Walker and Jackie Washam reunited to salute of this aristocratic score by Robert Wright & George Forrest, with additional music & lyrics by Maury Yeston (and a book by Luther Davis). 1,017 Broadway performances don't lie, Ol' Socks; neither do five Tonys: Grand Hotel has earned an indelible place in the pantheon of Broadway's most beloved musicals. Who Couldn't Dance to tunes such as Maybe My Baby Loves Me, Love Can't Happen & I Want to Go to Hollywood? With musical direction by Alex Rybeck and dances supervised by Yvonne Marceau, original cast member and Tony nominee Walter Willison directs when this landmark musical finds new life on the 54 Below stage. Don't Waltz Alone. We'll Take a Glass Together!

Award-winning actor Stephen Wight takes on the title role of Lee McQueen and Dianna Agron will play Dahlia in the world premiere of James Phillips's play McQUEEN directed by John Caird, which will run at St. James Theatre from 12 May to 27 June, with press nights on Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 May.  The play will also star Tracy-Ann Oberman as Isabella Blow, Laura Rees as Arabella, and David Shaw-Parker as John Hitchcock, along with Sophie Apollonia, Amber Doyle, George Hill, Eloise Hymas, Jordan Kennedy, Rachel Louisa Maybank, James Revell and Carrie Willis.  Check out behind the scenes interviews and more!

On Sunday evening, 54 Below celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the musical Grand Hotel on Broadway in high style with two performances crackling with energy and featuring a talented roster of performers including 13 from the original cast. Splendidly Directed (and Written) by Walter Willison, with Musical Direction by Alex Rybeck, Bass Accompaniment from Ray Kiddain, and Dance Supervision by Yvonne Marceau, the delicious production (one really can't call it a concert despite lack of dialogue) was fluid, polished, and imaginative in its use of the room. From leads to the chorus, voices were strong, commitment thorough. In the audience, Tommy Tune must've had a helluva time. We did.

?David Benson starred in a series of award-winning one-man shows about Kenneth Williams, Frankie Howerd, Noel Coward and Princess Diana.