Contact 2000 - Articles Page 20

Pittsburgh CLO, with the families of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, will proudly present the 12th Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater to award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. The ceremony will be held at the 2009 CLO Guild's Pink Frolic Ball on May 9, 2009, at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Established in 1988, the Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater recognizes the lifetime contributions of outstanding talents in musical theater. Pittsburgh CLO has presented the Richard Rodgers Award 11 times in recent years to such luminaries as Mary Martin (1988), Dame Julie Andrews (1989), Harold Prince (1991), Sir Cameron Mackintosh (1992), Stephen Sondheim (1993), Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber (1996), Gwen Verdon (2000), Bernadette Peters (2002), Shirley Jones (2007), Kathleen Marshall (2008) and Rob Marshall (2008).

The National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) -- whose revivals of western classics performed by all Asian-American casts since 1989 include such acclaimed productions as BERNARDA ALBA, OTHELLO, A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, OUR TOWN, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU and IVANOV -- will expand its mission to include world premieres about non-Asian peoples performed by an all-Asian cast with the world premiere of LEAH'S TRAIN, Karen Hartman's play about three generations of women from a Jewish family whose lineage spreads from Russia to present-day San Francisco, previewing February 6th prior to opening February 10th Off-Broadway at the TBG Theatre (312 West 36th Street) in Manhattan.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is proud to welcome The Artists Theatre Group, Inc., in association with Warren Baker and Sally Jacobs, with the American premiere of GATES OF GOLD, a new comedic drama by Frank McGuinness and directed by Kent Paul. Previews begin Thursday February 19 for a limited engagement though Sunday March 29. Opening night is Sunday, March 1 at 5:00PM.

Broadway star Charlotte D'Amboise will be taking on the role of Principal Dickinson on One Life To Live. She will appear on January 16.

The National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) -- whose revivals of western classics performed by all Asian-American casts since 1989 include such acclaimed productions as BERNARDA ALBA, OTHELLO, A LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT, OUR TOWN, YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU and IVANOV -- will expand its mission to include world premieres about non-Asian peoples performed by an all-Asian cast with the world premiere of LEAH'S TRAIN, Karen Hartman's play about three generations of women from a Jewish family whose lineage spreads from Russia to present-day San Francisco, previewing February 6th prior to opening February 10th Off-Broadway at the TBG Theatre (312 West 36th Street) in Manhattan.

Broadway star Charlotte D'Amboise will be taking on the role of Principal Dickinson on One Life To Live. She will appear on January 16.

Sam Mendes directs a transatlantic company of actors in a double-bill of classic works for The Bridge Project's inaugural 2009 season, which pairs a new version of The Cherry Orchard by Tom Stoppard with The Winter's Tale. A formidable transatlantic company and creative team will mount these two new productions for seven internationally renowned theaters. Simon Russell Beale leads the British/American cast, playing Lopakhin in The Cherry Orchard and Leontes in The Winter's Tale. He is joined by Sin?ad Cusack as Madame Ranevskaya and Paulina, Richard Easton as Firs and Old Shepherd, Rebecca Hall as Varya and Hermione, Josh Hamilton as Yasha and Polixenes, Ethan Hawke as Trofimov and Autolycus, and Paul Jesson as Gaev and Camilo.

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is proud to welcome Outhouse Theatre Company to 59E59 Theaters with the NYC premiere of RIDE, written by Jane Bodie and directed by Nick Flint.

500 Clown Theater,, founded in 2000 and made a non-profit in 2007, presents its holiday hit ?500 Clown Christmas? for a limited holiday 2008 engagement during the first season of programming at North Central College?s Meiley-Swallow Hall.

500 Clown Theater,, founded in 2000 and made a non-profit in 2007, presents its holiday hit ?500 Clown Christmas? for a limited holiday 2008 engagement during the first season of programming at North Central College?s Meiley-Swallow Hall.

'Lillian Hellmania!',a festival celebrating the playwrights' work, will run in Chicago at Eclipse ('The Autumn Garden'), Shattered Globe ('The Little Foxes,' 1/8-3/8/09), and City Lit ('Scoundrel Time,' 1/30-3/8/09).

Neil Patrick Harris, Penn & Teller, JoAnne Worley, Tippi Hedren, Richard Sherman, and Magic Castle co-founder's Milt Larsen and Irene Larsen were all on hand Friday, October 24th, 2008 for the unveiling of the refurbished Star on the Walk of Fame dedicated to the earliest and still often most recognized illusionist of stage and screen - MR. HARRY HOUDINI.

A special performance of 'Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again' by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA.

Angelo Parra's The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith will be performed at the New Brunswick Playhouse, running March 3?29. Miche Braden, who portrayed Bessie Smith in the previous productions of the play, will recreate the title role once more.

A special performance of 'Tibetan Book of the Dead or How Not To Do It Again' by Jean-Claude van Itallie will be presented one night only, October 27, 2008 at La MaMa E.T.C. (Annex Theater), 66 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, to support the rebuilding of the century-old theater barn at Shantigar, the unique center for theater, meditation and healing located in Rowe, MA.

Eric Schaeffer, the Artistic Director of Signature Theatre, tonight announced that Signature will honor Stephen Sondheim at a Gala Benefit in April and establish an annual award as a tribute to America's most influential contemporary musical theater composer. Signature will salute Mr. Sondheim at a black-tie Gala Celebration on Monday, April 27, 2009, in Washington, DC highlighted by a musical tribute, festive dinner, and dancing and inaugurate an annual honor to be known in future years as The Sondheim Award.

Siegfried Fischbacher, Neil Patrick Harris and Magic Castle co-founder Milt Larsen will unveil the newly renovated star of history's most famous illusionist - Harry Houdini. Among those contributing to the restoration include top magicians such as: David Copperfield, Lance Burton, Tihany, Marvyn Roy (Mr. Electric), as well as Siegfried and Roy.

'Lillian Hellmania!',a festival celebrating the playwrights' work, will run in Chicago at Eclipse ('The Autumn Garden'), Shattered Globe ('The Little Foxes,' 1/8-3/8/09), and City Lit ('Scoundrel Time,' 1/30-3/8/09).

Mayumi, a 'Contact' alum, has been dancing on NYC stages since she was a teen and is now playing one.

The hit of the 2000 Broadway season and winner of 4 Tony® Awards dances across the stage in North Shore Music Theatre's New England Regional Premiere of 'Contact.'

Michael Frayn is an English playwright and novelist. He began as a reporter for The Guardian and The Observer after graduating college in 1957. His first novel, The Tin Men, was published in 1965 winning him his first of many accolades. His other award winning novels include Headlong, The Russian Interpreter and Spies. Considered to be Britain's finest translator of Anton Chekhov, he adapted four major plays along with several smaller plays for an evening called The Sneeze in London in 1988. Theatrically, Frayn is the playwright for such well received plays including Noises Off, Copenhagen, and Democracy, which won the Tony Award in 2000.

The award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) is proud to announce its exhilarating 2008 Musical Season, including Spelling Bee, Show Boat, 42nd Street, The Producers, Bye Bye Birdie and Contact.

New this week! Best Bet: Titanic: The Musical! News of Everyman Explore! Series! CENTERSTAGE Events! Baltimore Shakespeare Festival Fund Raiser! Much more!

Discounts for Titanic: The Musical! News of Spotlighters Renovations! RepStage offers free reading of new Gurney play! Plus an audition notice and much more!

Three time Tony Award-winner Boyd Gaines discusses his varied acting career, as well as his next role as Herbie in Encores! Summer Stars Gypsy, opposite Patti LuPone!