A Class Act - 2004 - London Articles Page 18

Karamu House, the oldest multicultural performing arts center in the country, closes it's 102nd consecutive season with the Tony Award-winning musical Passing Strange. Karamu House President and CEO, Tony F. Sias notes, 'this is a piece that is important and relevant, and speaks to and engages our millennial and 'genZ' generations.' With book and lyrics written by Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter Stew, and music composed by Stew and Heidi Rodewald, the production opened on May 10 and will run through June 3, 2018 in Karamu's Arena Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, in a co-presentation with Pomegranate Arts, is thrilled to announce the special guest artists who will perform in Taylor Mac's ambitious, internationally acclaimed work A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. Local Philadelphia performance artists and musicians will join Mac in these final U.S. performances of the full, 24-hour-long pop odyssey, June 2 & 9 at the Kimmel Center's Merriam Theater, as part of the 2018 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA). Mac will perform A 24-Decade History of Popular Music as two distinct 12-hour concerts, Saturday, June 2 (1776-1896) and Saturday, June 9 (1896-present day) - Mac's longest continuous performances since the work premiered at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn in 2016.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents the World Premiere production of Lost Girl by Kimberly Belflower performed by the 2017/18 Professional Training Institute (PTI) ensemble this July 19-22, 2018 in the Stiemke Studio.  PTI is an advanced actor-training program for students in 8th-12th grade who may have an interest in pursuing a career as a professional theater artist.   The 2017/18 PTI ensemble features sixteen students hailing from fourteen different high schools who received free training from some of the top theater professionals in the world, culminating in this capstone performance  of Lost Girl where they will be employed as paid, professional actors.

Edward Albee's Three Tall Women will play a special Midnight Performance as a benefit for The Actors Fund. The production, directed by Joe Mantello, opened on Broadway on March 29 to ecstatic reviews. Last week, Mantello's production of The Boys in the Band started previews on Broadway. To celebrate their director and the vital work of The Actors Fund, the entire cast of The Boys in the Band will host the Midnight Performance of Three Tall Women,

Full casting has been announced for the sensational feel-good musical MAMMA MIA! which comes to Palace Theatre, Manchester from 3rd - 14th July 2018 as part of its international tour. Shona White (Donna Sheridan), Nicky Swift (Rosie), Helen Anker (Tanya), Tamlyn Henderson (Sam Carmichael), Daniel Crowder (Harry Bright), Matthew Rutherford (Bill Austin), Lucy May Barker (Sophie Sheridan), Phillip Ryan (Sky), Leisha Mollyneaux (Ali), Lottie Henshall (Lisa), Matt Jordan-Pidgeon (Pepper) and Michael Nelson (Eddie) will star in the production. At certain performances the role of Donna Sheridan will be played by Natalie Langston.

Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA; Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director), an award-winning company presenting Shakespeare alongside other classic and contemporary drama at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, Downtown Brooklyn, is pleased to announce its 2018-19 season-the 39th since its founding in 1979.

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere of THE BABY DANCE: MIXED, a new adaptation by Emmy Award-winner JANE ANDERSON ("Olive Kitteridge") of her acclaimed 2004 play The Baby Dance. A drama delicately laced with comic overtones, THE BABY DANCE: MIXED is a compelling and urgent play about race, class, and wanting the perfect child. In the story, Regina and Richard, an affluent mixed-race couple in Los Angeles, have everything except a baby. Wanda and Al, an African-American couple living in an overcrowded trailer in modern-day Louisiana, are too poor to keep their soon-to-be-born child. Through an adoption attorney, the two couples broker a deal. However, circumstances arise that affect their decision and the situation spins out of control. The Wall Street Journal described The Baby Dance as "filled with emotional power and nimble humor." The L.A. Times called it "a stunner…funny as well as perceptive."

Penobscot Theatre Company is proud to present Twirly Whirly Burly-Q, classic burlesque with a modern twirl, for two performances only, May 18-19 at 8:00 pm, at the historic Bangor Opera House. The New York City-based touring troupe includes Üla Überbusen, who played two sold-out shows at the Opera House on New Year's Eve 2016. This new show combines the nostalgia of vintage burlesque and the excitement of avant-garde theater, celebrating sensuality, sexuality, and the female form.

Queensborough Performing Arts Center in Bayside, NY will present Pushcart Players in "Stone Soup and other Stories" on Monday, May 14th at 10:00 and 11:45 am. Pushcart is the Emmy-nominated educational theater for families, now in its 44th year of bringing something special to every young audience.

Schimmel Center will present Tony and Pulitzer Prize nominee Anna Deavere Smith's Obie Award-winning solo performance, Notes From the Field, for one weekend only on Friday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 2 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in preparation for a two week run at the Royal Court in London. The production is directed by Leonard Foglia and features original music composed and performed by bassist Marcus Shelby who joins Ms. Smith on stage.

Pushcart Players, New Jersey's renowned touring theatre for young audiences will perform their beloved musical production, "Peter and the Wolf" at Stafford Branch of the Ocean County Libraries in Manahawkin NJ on Monday, May 7 at 6:00 pm. In their 44th Season of touring theater for young audiences -- bringing performances to schools, theaters, production venues, and community centers throughout the United States - Pushcart's performance is hosted by the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival, the State's largest celebration of live professional theater.

Presented to a young adult under the age of 35, who is or has been an island resident, the Amy Award annually recognizes those who have compiled a body of work in the visual or performing arts, and whose work demonstrates a sense of quality, creativity, exploration and dedication. In recognition of her award-winning original work, dedication, and potential, Bainbridge Performing Arts has named Keiko Green the recipient of the 2018 Amy Award for Emerging Artists. Keiko will be honored at an event at BPA later this spring.

State Theatre New Jersey presents the Tony-winning musical Cabaret for three performances on Friday, May 18, 2018 at 8pm and Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 2pm and 8pm. Tickets range from $35-$98.

Producer Scott Rudin announced today a special Midnight Performance for Edward Albee's Three Tall Women on Thursday, May 17 at the Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street), which will be a one-night-only benefit for The Actors Fund. The first Broadway production of Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece stars two-time Academy Award®-winner Glenda Jackson, Tony Award® winner, three-time Emmy Award® winner, and 2018 Academy Award® nominee Laurie Metcalf, and Tony Award® nominee Alison Pill, and is directed by two-time Tony Award® winner Joe Mantello. Tickets will be available at actorsfund.org.

Casting has been announced for the World Premiere of THE BABY DANCE: MIXED, a new adaptation by Emmy Award-winner JANE ANDERSON ('Olive Kitteridge') of her acclaimed 2004 play The Baby Dance. A drama delicately laced with comic overtones, THE BABY DANCE: MIXED is a compelling and urgent play about race, class, and wanting the perfect child.

If you've ever wondered what kind of music led to The British Invasion of the 1960s, go see LOW DOWN DIRTY BLUES, now through April 22 at the Herberger Theater in Phoenix, Ariz.

Capital Stage and American Stage come together to share resources, artists, and talent for this production of Marjorie Prime by Jordan Harrison, who also wrote Maple & Vine, and writes for the Netflix Original Series Orange Is The New Black. Marjorie Prime was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2015 and is directed by Capital Stage's own Founding Artistic Director, Stephanie Gularte. The production stars Capital Stage Associate Artists Janis Stevens (August: Osage County, Macbeth, Master Class) and Jamie Jones (August: Osage County, The Totalitarians, Tribes, Dinner with Friends). Stephanie Gularte founded Capital Stage in 2004, and served as Artistic Director for 10 years. She has now put together a creative team including both American Stage and Capital Stage artists for this production, which will have a run both in St. Pete (March 7 - April 1), as well as in Sacramento at Capital Stage (May 2 - June 3). Press Opening at Capital Stage will be Saturday, May 5, 2018 at 8:00 pm. 

Premiere Stages at Kean University has announced the winner of the 2018 Premiere Play Festival, its annual competition for unproduced scripts written by playwrights affiliated with the greater metropolitan area. The theatre has named Linger by Glen Ridge resident Craig Garcia this year's winner, and will present the play's first professional production this summer as part of the theatre's 14th season in residence at Kean University. The season, which runs June-October, will also feature full productions of Brick City by Ridgewood resident Nicole Pandolfo and Black Tom Island by Jersey City resident Martin Casella, as well as a developmental workshop of this year's runner-up for the Premiere Play Festival, Baton by Brooklyn resident Deneen Reynolds-Knott. 

GRAMMY Award winning band Paramore and Sixthman, the industry leader in music festivals at sea, have just returned to shore after the sold-out Parahoy! Deep Search cruise. The third annual journey was a four-day adventure from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas that took place from April 6th-10th, during which 2700 guests from 32 countries boarded Norwegian Jade and were treated to a variety of performances, activities and experiences. Paramore performed 2 pool deck shows as well as special “mini set” acoustic performances in the ship's intimate Stardust Theater. Those performances saw “Grudges” performed live for the first time and the band being joined onstage by Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou) for a live performance of their collaboration, “No Friend.” Guests became the stars during “Paraoke,” performing Paramore songs while the band cheered them on from just feet away on stage, laughed as the band judged a belly flop contest, and one lucky duo played ping-pong with Zac Farro and Taylor York. The band also took cruisers' questions during a pool deck Q&A session.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Artistic Advisor at Large Renee Fleming today announce the schedule of performances for the 2018-2019 Renee Fleming VOICES series, marking its third season celebrating the power of the voice across a wide range of genres.

Porchlight Music Theatre concludes its fifth season of Chicago's "lost" musicals in staged concert series with Porchlight Revisits Do Re Mi, starring Porchlight Music Theatre's Artistic Director Michael Weber and Nancy Voigts, music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and book by Garson Kanin, with direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik and musical direction by David Fiorello.

There's a theory, hopefully an accurate one, that the things that make you an outcast in high school are the things that make you awesome as an adult. And maybe that's why scenes in the buoyant new musical Mean Girls are often stolen by the Mathletes, the activist artist, the tap dancers and the kid who decided to attend the Halloween party as sexy Rosa Parks.

Now celebrating the 23rd anniversary in Houston and the 26th season since its inception in Brussels, Belgium, Dance Salad Festival promises another gathering of world-class performers. Famous in their own countries, classical, modern and contemporary dance companies/dancers share the Dance Salad Festival stage to form a mix of movement and compelling choreography.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the 2018 Bootcamp Weekend Intensive for Showcase Producing on Saturday, April 28, 2018 & Sunday, April 29, 2018 from 10am - 6pm at Nola Studios, 244 W. 54th Street, 5th floor. Registration is $270 for non-members ($225 for TRU members, $290 for Membership/Workshop Package, and $100 for a second attendee). Save $50-$60 with the Early Bird Discount through April 15.

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre presents critical and audience favorite Man of La Mancha by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, original production staged by Albert Marre, originally produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James, and based on Cervantes' Don Quixote. ANW Artistic Director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott directs. La Mancha performs August 16 - September 9, 2018 (Press Opening August 18).