2 Pianos 4 Hands is the riotous tale of two boys in Canada, Ted and Richard, sharing the same goal: concert pianist stardom. They work fervently towards their dream amidst pushy parents, eccentric teachers, hours of repetitive practice, stage fright, the agony of competitions and the dream of greatness.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater continues its inaugural season this spring with an unparalleled tribute to one of the nation's greatest living playwrights, Edward Albee. The company has mounted a two-month festival featuring 30 events, making nearly every one of his plays available in performance spaces throughout the Mead Center.
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater continues its inaugural season this spring with an unparalleled tribute to one of the nation's greatest living playwrights, Edward Albee.
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's acclaimed educational touring company, Shakespeare LIVE!, will launch its fifteenth season in February, traveling to schools and other venues throughout the tri-state state region with 65-minute versions of two of Shakespeare's most popular plays - A Midsummer Night's Dream for grades 3 and up and Julius Caesar for grades 6 and up.
2 Pianos 4 Hands is the riotous tale of two boys in Canada, Ted and Richard, sharing the same goal: concert pianist stardom. They work fervently towards their dream amidst pushy parents, eccentric teachers, hours of repetitive practice, stage fright, the agony of competitions and the dream of greatness.
2 Pianos 4 Hands is the riotous tale of two boys in Canada, Ted and Richard, sharing the same goal: concert pianist stardom.
Imagination and teamwork will be center stage when a diverse cast of over 2,000 students and teachers representing 50+ schools and educational theatre groups from 15 states and Canada join Broadway creatives in a monumental celebration of the arts at the 2011 Junior Theater Festival happening January 14 - 16, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president, Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Four-time Tony nominated composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek the Musical) will receive the Junior Theater Festival Award for Advancement of Musical Theatre for Young People, while Broadway producer and Disney Theatrical Group president Thomas Schumacher will be the festival's keynote speaker and Grammy award-winning musician, producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox will participate in a Q&A session with all attendees. For the first time, in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the festival will also feature 'Dream Boxes' where students will record 30 second messages with their dreams for the future to be uploaded on the Internet.
Imagination and teamwork will be center stage when a diverse cast of over 2,000 students and teachers representing 50+ schools and educational theatre groups from 15 states and Canada join Broadway creatives in a monumental celebration of the arts at the 2011 Junior Theater Festival happening January 14 - 16, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA, it was announced today by Theater of the Stars president, Nick Manos and Timothy Allen McDonald, founding chairman of iTheatrics. Four-time Tony nominated composer Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek the Musical) will receive the Junior Theater Festival Award for Advancement of Musical Theatre for Young People, while Broadway producer and Disney Theatrical Group president Thomas Schumacher will be the festival's keynote speaker and Grammy award-winning musician, producer and songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox will participate in a Q&A session with all attendees. For the first time, in honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, the festival will also feature 'Dream Boxes' where students will record 30 second messages with their dreams for the future to be uploaded on the Internet.
One of the most beloved stories of all time comes to life in White River Junction when Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, stages L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz from December 8 - January 2.
2 Pianos 4 Hands is the riotous tale of two boys in Canada, Ted and Richard, sharing the same goal: concert pianist stardom. They work fervently towards their dream amidst pushy parents, eccentric teachers, hours of repetitive practice, stage fright, the agony of competitions and the dream of greatness.
One of the most beloved stories of all time comes to life in White River Junction when Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, stages L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz from December 8 - January 2.
One of the most beloved stories of all time comes to life in White River Junction when Northern Stage, the region's professional theater, stages L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz from December 8 - January 2.
The 2006 hit production The Fortune Teller from HERE's The OBIE award-winning HERE is thrilled to present an encore staging of the 2006 Dream Music Puppetry Program hit production The Fortune Teller. This marionette play in miniature is created and directed by Erik Sanko and Jessica Grindstaff, and features original music by Danny Elfman and Erik Sanko and narration by Gavin Friday. Set to play October 28 - December 4 at HERE (145 Sixth Avenue), this production will have its Official Opening on Sunday, October 31st (Halloween) at 9:00 PM.
The OBIE award-winning HERE is thrilled to present an encore staging of the 2006 Dream Music Puppetry Program hit production The Fortune Teller.
The Town Hall, Broadway's landmark concert venue, (123 W. 43rd Street) announces its 90th Anniversary season lineup. Headliners include Tony Award ®winning Broadway star Ben Vereen; the acclaimed musical comedy troupe Capitol Steps, back by popular demand; Grammy Award® winning singer and songwriter Don Mclean; the world premiere of a new production by the Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble; Broadway stars Linda Eder and three time Tony Award® nominee Kelli O'Hara; celebrated singers and actors Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harner; Grammy and Tony Award® winner Dee Dee Bridgewater and the acclaimed concert series Broadway By The Year®, featuring the years 1921, 1932, 1982 and 1997.
Joseph V. Melillo, executive producer of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, today announced programming for the BAM 2011 Spring Season, which runs from Jan 7 through Jun 11, 2011. The season comprises eight theater, opera, and dance engagements and features BAMcinématek series, BAMcafé Live weekend music events, artist talks, visual art exhibitions, and literary events.
The 2006 hit production The Fortune Teller from HERE's The OBIE award-winning HERE is thrilled to present an encore staging of the 2006 Dream Music Puppetry Program hit production The Fortune Teller. This marionette play in miniature is created and directed by Erik Sanko and Jessica Grindstaff, and features original music by Danny Elfman and Erik Sanko and narration by Gavin Friday. Set to play October 28 - December 4 at HERE (145 Sixth Avenue), this production will have its Official Opening on Sunday, October 31st (Halloween) at 9:00 PM.
The OBIE award-winning HERE is thrilled to present an encore staging of the 2006 Dream Music Puppetry Program hit production The Fortune Teller.
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
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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.
The American Theatre Wing announced today that applications are now being accepted for the 2011 Jonathan Larson® Grants. The grants, given annually to honor emerging composers, lyricists and book writers, help to continue Tony® Award-winning composer Jonathan Larson's dream of infusing musical theatre with a contemporary, joyful, urban vitality.
LA LUNA NUEVA - A festival of Hispanic arts and culture from around the world in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sponsored by PGE Foundation
Freddie Company in association with TKO Entertainment proudly presents the U.S. Premiere of the Japanese musical Freddie the Leaf, written and directed by Takashi Inuishi, conceived by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, with music and lyrics by Shoichi Tama and starring popular Japanese film actor, Akira Takarada, and a cast of 21 Japanese teens and children. Freddie the Leaf runs from August 13 - 15, 2010 in a limited engagement at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater, located at 899 Tenth Avenue, between 58 and 59 Streets, in NYC. The show officially opens on August 13.
Freddie Company in association with TKO Entertainment proudly presents the U.S. Premiere of the Japanese musical Freddie the Leaf, written and directed by Takashi Inuishi, conceived by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, with music and lyrics by Shoichi Tama and starring popular Japanese film actor, Akira Takarada, and a cast of 21 Japanese teens and children. Freddie the Leaf runs from August 13 - 15, 2010 in a limited engagement at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater, located at 899 Tenth Avenue, between 58 and 59 Streets, in NYC. The show officially opens on August 13.
Of the 25 plays to be presented in Theater for the New City's upcoming 'Dream Up Festival' August 8 to September 5 (www.dreamupfestival.org), one in particular indicates the expansion of TNC into the international arena.
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