Engaged 2004 - Articles Page 14

Rod and Ricky, the same-sex puppets from the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q, are engaged to be married and will tie the knot on Sunday, July 24, 2011 -- the first day same-sex couples can be legally married in the State of New York -- it has been announced by the show's producers.

Tony Award-winning director Garry Hynes returns to New York on July 24, 2011 with the Druid Theatre Company's production of Seán O'Casey's The Silver Tassie, a searing drama set during and after World War I.

Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger today announced the appointment of Miller Theatre director Melissa Smey as executive director of Columbia's Arts Initiative effective immediately.

The New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) has announced the next round of invited musical productions, a developmental reading series and special events for their eighth annual festival. This year's Festival will begin September 26th and continue through October 16th. A breakdown of newly added performances for this year follows.

Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, and David Alan Grier will star as Porgy, Bess, and Sportin' Life in A.R.T.'s new production of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. Performances will begin August 17 at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, where it will run until October 2. The show's next stop will be on Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater, where it will begin previews on December 17th and will open on January 12th, 2012.

The New Museum is pleased to present 'Cronocaos,' an exhibition about the increasingly urgent topic of preservation in architecture and urbanism, by OMA / Rem Koolhaas and organized by the New Museum.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) announced that Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, and David Alan Grier are joining the A.R.T. to play Porgy, Bess, and Sportin' Life in the A.R.T.'s new production of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. Performances will begin August 17at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge. Further casting will be announced at a later date.

Theater for the New City presents 'Awake in a World that Encourages Sleep,' written and directed by Raymond J. Barry.

The New Museum is pleased to present 'Cronocaos,' an exhibition about the increasingly urgent topic of preservation in architecture and urbanism, by OMA / Rem Koolhaas and organized by the New Museum.

The New York Philharmonic will celebrate the Chinese New Year with a gala concert featuring Chinese and western orchestral music, Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. Long Yu - artistic director and chief conductor of the China Philharmonic, music director of the Shanghai and Guanzhou Symphony Orchestras, and artistic director of the Beijing Music Festival - will make his Philharmonic debut.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) announced that Norm Lewis, Audra McDonald, and David Alan Grier are joining the A.R.T. to play Porgy, Bess, and Sportin' Life in the A.R.T.'s new production of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess. Performances will begin August 17at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge. Further casting will be announced at a later date.

Theater for the New City presents 'Awake in a World that Encourages Sleep,' written and directed by Raymond J. Barry.

Theater for the New City presents 'Awake in a World that Encourages Sleep,' written and directed by Raymond J. Barry.

Heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by The New York Times, 28-year-old Lang Lang has played sold-out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world, and is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and all the top American orchestras.

The Alliance for the Arts today announced its list of Emerging Voices of 2011: Seven Groups to Watch. These groups are all New York City nonprofit cultural organizations are innovative in the services they offer and extend their recognized expertise to audiences that are often not engaged in the arts. The Alliance will showcase and celebrate these groups at its Eighth Annual Friends of the Arts Party on January 24.

Heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by The New York Times, 28-year-old Lang Lang has played sold-out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world, and is the first Chinese pianist to be engaged by the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and all the top American orchestras.

The Alliance for the Arts today announced its list of Emerging Voices of 2011: Seven Groups to Watch. These groups are all New York City nonprofit cultural organizations are innovative in the services they offer and extend their recognized expertise to audiences that are often not engaged in the arts. The Alliance will showcase and celebrate these groups at its Eighth Annual Friends of the Arts Party on January 24.

The Language Archive will begin previews on Friday, September 24th and open officially on Sunday, October 17th, 2010 at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, December 19th, 2010.

On Monday, October 4th, Broadway producer Elizabeth I. McCann will interview screen icon and celebrated stage actress Kathleen Turner.

LA LUNA NUEVA - A festival of Hispanic arts and culture from around the world in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sponsored by PGE Foundation

Rundgren, IU's ninth Wells Professor, will teach the middle two weeks of a four-week, one-credit hour honors course designed for a maximum of 25 Wells Scholars and Hutton Honors Scholars. The class commences in late October and finishes in mid-November. Co-teaching the class will be IU Professor of Music Glenn Gass -- whose relationship with Rundgren helped make the professorship possible -- and IU Distinguished Professor of Sociology Bernice Pescosolido, who was instrumental in helping to plan the course. Gass, a professor at IU's world-class Jacobs School of Music, said he sees Rundgren's engagement at IU as the start of a trend in which legendary rock stars share their knowledge with a new generation. Rundgren, who performs frequently, gave a concert at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University in Indianapolis on Sept. 11. 'Todd is a treasure trove of memories, knowledge, stories . . .,' Gass said. 'This class is a way for him to celebrate what he's done and allows him to share his experiences with students who really want to hear what he has to say.' In addition to learning about the culture, politics and economics of the music business, from the 1970s through today, students will visit Professor of Anthropology Nicholas Toth at IU's Stone Age Institute to view some of the earliest tools used for making music. 'I think the students will love it. For us, the appeal of the class is really both Todd and Glenn,' said Professor of Physics Tim Londergan, director of the Wells Scholars Program. Londergan is a self-professed rock 'n' roll fan who has audited three of Gass' courses. The Rundgren course is currently full with a waiting list, and course auditors/visitors, including IU students not registered for the class, cannot be accommodated. During his stay in Bloomington, Rundgren will give a public lecture titled 'LONGHAIR: Todd Rundgren on the Beatles Effect' at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in Ballantine Hall 013. He will also present a Halloween-night recital titled 'CLUSTER: The Birth of the T Chord' at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Auer Hall. Both are free and open to the public. Gass said he asked Rundgren to talk about the Beatles both because of Rundgren's collaborations with various members of the band and because of the window it will provide into his own music. 'If it was going to be 'Todd talks about Todd,' he may have felt awkward,' Gass said. 'By asking him to talk about the Beatles, we can get more insight into his music, too.' Rundgren's unique associations with the Beatles include a number of covers, participation in the Ringo All-Star Band and co-producing the power pop band Badfinger with George Harrison. When Harrison died, Rundgren did a highly acclaimed version of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' for a tribute album. In 1980, Rundgren and his then-band Utopia, did a loving sendup of the Beatles (Deface the Music) that Gass calls 'just genius.' Rundgren is also a longtime Beatles fan who credits Harrison with inventing the 'lead guitar' player, Gass said. 'When Todd was in the band Nazz, he wasn't the lead singer -- he was the lead guitar player -- which in the 50s meant one of the backup musicians. Because of George, lead guitar now means you're one of the band's leaders.' Glenn Gass Print-Quality Photo Gass initially met Rundgren in Hawaii, when Gass and his wife were on sabbatical for a year (and where they spent the past two summers). 'The kids start taking the bus together and the next thing you know, you're going to cookouts at Todd's,' Gass said. 'I quickly learned that everything they said about him was true. He's brilliant, articulate, really interesting -- and interested in things far beyond his own work and even his music. He's just a really engaged human being.' Rundgren is also known for staying true to his artistic muse. 'He refused to take the easy way out,' Gass said. 'The easy way would have been to do five more songs like 'Hello, It's Me.' He paid a price for that, but in the long run, in 50 years, I think that's why he'll matter more than starts who may have had more hits.' Rundgren was the highest paid producer of the 1970s, producing bands that ranged from the New York Dolls, The Band and Patti Smith to Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates and Cheap Trick. On Aug. 1, 1981 -- the evening MTV debuted with 'Video Kills the Radio Star' by the Buggles -- Rundgren was ready with his music video for 'Time Heals,' which premiered on MTV the same evening. Always a fan of technology, Rundgren made his music available through online downloads about 10 years before iTunes ('Everyone had dial-up connections then,' Gass commented. 'His fate is always to be just a few years ahead of his time.'). Gass said after the Beatles broke up, he was personally attracted to singer-songwriters like James Taylor, Neil Young, Carole King, Joni Mitchell -- and Todd Rundgren. 'Todd was always one of the best and most interesting performers. Even in those early albums, it was clear he wasn't just a singer-songwriter,' Gass said. At turns, Rundgren played with electric guitar or classical riffs, producing his own double album in 1972, on which he also played all of the instruments. From the time he met Rundgren in Hawaii, Gass starting thinking of ways to bring the performer to IU. A confluence of events sparked by a Rundgren speaking engagement at DePauw University led to the IU professorship. DePauw's executive director of media relations, Ken Owen, is 'a huge Todd scholar -- Todd to him is like the Beatles to me,' Gass said. 'All of a sudden it went from being a day dream to being a real possibility, and now it's actually happening,' Gass said. 'He really can call himself Professor Rundgren. This is not a gimmick: He is the Wells Professor.' About the Wells Professorships The Wells professorships are made possible by gifts from the IU classes of 1941, 1942 and 1963. Previous Wells professors have included the Honorable Helen Suzman, a South African political leader (Class of 1941 Wells Professor in 1993), Sir Malcolm Bradbury, a novelist-screenwriter-critic (Class of 1942 Wells Professor in 1997), and Holocaust scholar Christopher Browning (Class of 1943 Wells Professor in 2003). The most recently appointed Wells Professors were Sir (now Lord) Timothy Garden (Class of 1941 Wells Professor) and artist Robert Colescott (Class of 1943 Wells Professor), both of whom taught at IU in 2004.

LA LUNA NUEVA - A festival of Hispanic arts and culture from around the world in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sponsored by PGE Foundation

North Coast Repertory Theatre is proud to present The San Diego Premiere of a two-time Tony Award winning musical. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, directed by Rick Simas.

Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) is pleased to announce the full company for the upcoming New York premiere of The Language Archive, a new play by Julia Cho, directed by Mark Brokaw. The cast will include Betty Gilpin (Emma), John Horton (Resten), Jayne Houdyshell (Alta), Matt Letscher (George) & Heidi Schreck (Mary).

North Coast Repertory Theatre is proud to present The San Diego Premiere of a two-time Tony Award winning musical. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Music and lyrics by William Finn, book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman, directed by Rick Simas