Broadway fans had plenty of reasons to celebrate this year, with dozens of shows having opened since January, hundreds of actors having made their debuts, and many more having returned to the stage for critically acclaimed performances. Not all news was good though, as we also suffered a loss of an incredible amount of talent.
Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2014.
Joseph Haj, Producing Artistic Director of PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC, has been named recipient of the 2014 Zelda Fichandler Award.
It's 1962. A white man has been murdered on a hot August night in a small town in the deep South, and the local police arrest a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs. L.A.
New York City is the place where stars flock to take their turns on the grandest stages in the world. Throughout the past year, Broadway has welcomed such film and television stars as Daniel Radcliffe, Patrick Stewart, Bryan Cranston, Debra Messing and Ian McKellen, as well as a slew of celebrated Broadway favorites such as Sutton Foster, Audra McDonald, Neil Patrick Harris and many more.
The Great White Way isn't the only place for stars to shine on stage though. During the summer months, many cherished performers travel to regional theatres around the country to share their extraordinary talents with the rest of America. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you a roundup of this summer's starriest productions at a theatre near you!
Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) opens the nomination process for The Zelda Fichandler Award on May 14, 2014. This award presents an unrestricted grant of $5000 to an outstanding director or choreographer making an exceptional contribution to the national arts landscape through theatre work in a region. In 2014, the award will honor achievement in the Eastern region, comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia.
The artist community Yaddo announced today that the inaugural Yaddo Artist Medal will be presented to Pulitzer Prize winning author Philip Roth. Roth is set to receive the Yaddo Artist Medal, designed by internationally-acclaimed artist James Siena, at Yaddo's annual New York City Benefit today, May 14, 2014 at the Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). Alison Lurie, also a Pulitzer Prize recipient, former Yaddo resident and author of Foreign Affairs, will introduce Roth at the event.
The artist community Yaddo announced today that the inaugural Yaddo Artist Medal will be presented to Pulitzer Prize winning author Philip Roth. Roth is set to receive the Yaddo Artist Medal, designed by internationally-acclaimed artist James Siena, at Yaddo's annual New York City Benefit on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 at the Edison Ballroom (240 West 47th Street). Alison Lurie, also a Pulitzer Prize recipient, former Yaddo resident and author of Foreign Affairs, will introduce Roth at the event.
Standing before a packed house of subscribers, Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong revealed The 5th Avenue Theatre's 2014/15 season. "Every year we try to choose a season that embodies our mission: to celebrate our great indigenous art form, The Musical - past, present, and future," Armstrong said. "With an array of shows ranging from a hotly-anticipated Broadway tour to a hilarious world premiere, not to mention celebrated contemporary classics and one of the immortal musicals from the Golden Age of Broadway, we believe that this season truly represents the breadth and depth of what musical theater has to offer."
Without a doubt Alexandra Fuller is one of my most favorite authors. Her first book, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, is a delightfully funny yet poignant backward look at her childhood in Africa. The latest,Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, is, at first glance a charming, delightfully funny account of her mother's life as a child when she was growing up in Africa. Fuller never loses her sense of humor and there are numerous chuckle out loud moments where she uses her mother's own words to paint for us an undeniably brilliant picture of just who her mother is and what is important to her.
In Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre's 'The Republic, or My Dinner with Socrates,' playwright/director Vit Horejs dramatizes the historic role of the renowned philosopher with toga-clad puppets, shadow figures and live music. The play's world premiere will be presented by La Mama E.T.C. in association with GOH Productions from tonight, November 29 to December 15 in its First Floor Theater at 74A East Fourth Street.
Sometimes, it's nice to be reminded that rules have exceptions.
Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, is the 2013 recipient of The Zelda Fichandler Award, an award to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through imaginative, brave work in theatre. The $5,000 award, given by Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, heralds both accomplishment to date and promise for the future, and lauds deep commitment to a community.
Let's see what the critics had to say...
Charles Newell, Artistic Director of Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, is the 2013 recipient of The Zelda Fichandler Award, an award to recognize an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through imaginative, brave work in theatre. The $5,000 award, given by Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, heralds both accomplishment to date and promise for the future, and lauds deep commitment to a community.
Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for-profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), announces that Artistic Director Charles Newell of Court Theatre is the recipient of the 2013 Zelda Fichandler Award, which recognizes an outstanding director or choreographer who is transforming the regional arts landscape through singular creativity and artistry in theatre. The award heralds accomplishment to date and promise for the future, artistic vision, and deep commitment to a region outside of New York. It carries an unrestricted grant of $5000 to the individual recipient. The award will be presented to Mr. Newell on Monday, November 4, 2013 at a reception at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.
In Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre's 'The Republic, or My Dinner with Socrates,' playwright/director Vit Horejs dramatizes the historic role of the renowned philosopher with toga-clad puppets, shadow figures and live music. The play's world premiere will be presented by La MaMa E.T.C. in association with GOH Productions from November 29 to December 15 in its First Floor Theater at 74A East Fourth Street.
A high point of the first part of the play is when King asks Camae what she would say to the world if she were in his shoes, and she literally puts on his shoes (and coat) and launches into her own oratory, which is surprising and intelligent, if quite different from King's perspective on the conflict between the races.
Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) 2013–14 season includes the launch of the company's first Ring cycle, in a visionary and captivating production by the Catalan company La Fura dels Baus; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Holocaust opera The Passenger; the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, based on the play of the same name by renowned Texas writer Horton Foote and starring iconic mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; a new HGO production of Carmen from Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; revivals of Aida, Rigoletto, and Die Fledermaus; and, in tribute to the nation's homegrown musical theater tradition, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music designed by fashion star Isaac Mizrahi. Through its HGOco S o n g o f H o u s t o n project—winner of the National MultiCultural Institute's Leading Lights Diversity Award—the company continues to celebrate Houston's cultural diversity with the world premieres of two new commissions exploring the city's Vietnamese and Indian communities as part of the East + West series.
Houston Grand Opera's (HGO) 2013-14 season includes the launch of the company's first Ring cycle, in a visionary and captivating production by the Catalan company La Fura dels Baus; the hotly anticipated American premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Holocaust opera The Passenger; the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's A Coffin in Egypt, based on the play of the same name by renowned Texas writer Horton Foote and starring iconic mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade; a new HGO production of Carmenfrom Broadway sensation Rob Ashford; revivals of Aida, Rigoletto, and Die Fledermaus; and, in tribute to the nation's homegrown musical theater tradition, Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music designed by fashion star Isaac Mizrahi. Through its HGOco Song of Houston project-winner of the National MultiCultural Institute's Leading Lights Diversity Award-the company continues to celebrate Houston's cultural diversity with the world premieres of two new commissions exploring the city's Vietnamese and Indian communities as part of the East + West series.
During the 2013/14 Season an epic slate of personalities and productions awaits you on the Quadracci Powerhouse stage! The monumental, moving, and Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime gives us a glimpse at the early 20th century life of three distinct groups of people, while the side-splitting comedy, Noises Off, peeks behind the curtain at a group of struggling actors. The tumultuous final days of Judy Garland unfold before our eyes in End of the Rainbow, a single virtuoso artist will lead a blazing, contemporary retelling of a Homer classic in An Iliad, and the dynamic birth of Superman will be explored with The History of Invulnerability, forever changing the way we look at superheroes.
In 'The Past Is Still Ahead' by Sophia Romma, one of Russia's most ill-fated and controversial cult poets of the twentieth century, Marina Tsvetaeva, revisits the tumultuously tragic and sexy events of her life--just before she succumbs to 'suicide' at the hands of the Soviet Secret Police in 1941 while exiled in Siberia. The play will be presented by Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival tonight, July 23, 27 and 28 at The Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC, directed by Francois Rochaix.
Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) is now accepting nominations for The Zelda Fichandler Award. This award presents an unrestricted grant of $5,000 to an outstanding director or choreographer making an exceptional contribution to the national arts landscape through theatre work in a region. In 2013, the award will honor achievement in the Central region, comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin.
In 'The Past Is Still Ahead' by Sophia Romma, one of Russia's most ill-fated and controversial cult poets of the twentieth century, Marina Tsvetaeva, revisits the tumultuously tragic and sexy events of her life--just before she succumbs to 'suicide' at the hands of the Soviet Secret Police in 1941 while exiled in Siberia. The play will be presented by Midtown International Theatre Festival on July 23, 27 and 28 at The Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC, directed by Francois Rochaix.
Stage Left Theatre is pleased to announce the programming for its 32nd season. The company will offer three mainstage productions that examine the concept of responsibility. Parents, teachers, law enforcement officers-they have a responsibility to guide us and look out for us. Season 32 examines what happens if they can't. Or won't.
Bergen Performance Arts Center in Englewood, New Jersey presents The Zombies, featuring Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent with special guests Et Tu Bruce, tonight, June 13, 2013 at 8pm.
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