Broad Comedy - 2017 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 15

Grease is still the word! Since its first appearance in 1971, Grease has become an indelible element of American culture. Indio's Desert Theatreworks has assembled a dozen of the valley's top young actors who have brought such an amazing level of talent, hard work, and enthusiasm to the show that it feels as if it had been written last week. I dare you to keep your toes from tapping!

Peninsula Players Theatre is pleased to announce it was awarded a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board (WAB) through their WAB's Creation & Presentation program. Funds of the grant will support the Peninsula Players continued development and presentation of outstanding theatrical productions and community programs as the theater prepares for its 83rd season in 2018.

LA's own Impro Theatre continues their residency at The Edye at The Broad Stage, presenting a different style of their signature improvisation for one weekend, each month.  From the darkest corners of reality to the land of the unexplained Twilight Zone UnScripted is a completely improvised show in the style of classic 60's sci-fi television shows. Enter a dimension of pure imagination as the company starts with audience suggestions and creates new and completely improvised episodes at every performance, March 16 - 18. 

Inevitable Theatre Company, in partnership with Paraquad, proudly presents the regional premiere of the Risk Theater Initiative production of STIFF, written and performed by Sherry Jo Ward, at the Kranzberg Arts Center Black Box in Grand Center, St. Louis, MO, from March 22-April 1, 2018. 

Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) and Broadway in Columbus (BIC) are proud to announce the Broadway musical HAMILTON will play its premiere Columbus engagement to anchor the 2018-19 PNC Broadway in Columbus season. The six-show season, supported in part by PNC, offers four productions never before seen in Columbus including a two-week engagement of Disney's Aladdin, The Play That Goes Wrong, Finding Neverland, and of course, HAMILTON. The season also includes the 2017 Tony-winning Best Musical Revival Hello, Dolly! starring Broadway legend Betty Buckley as Dolly Gallagher Levi, and the 20th anniversary touring production of RENT.

Kick it with Comedy Central at the annual SXSW Festival in Austin as the brand hosts panels, shows at Esther's Follies and holds a Backyard Bash, a two-day event with free beer, food and festivities for the fans.

Organizers of the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival will open the 2018 show-submission process one month from today, on April 1, 2018 at 9 a.m. (EST). Through April 30 at 11:59 p.m. (EST), artists and producers from all over the world may submit production proposals directly to the 2018 Fringe's 20+ venues via rochesterfringe.com. Based on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe model, the vast majority of the Fringe's 500+ shows are selected by the venues themselves in this way. Only a few headliner shows and the outdoor entertainment are curated by the Fringe itself.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents Bedlam, the acclaimed New York based theatre company, with a fresh kinetic look at two plays with four actors, playing 49 characters in William Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw's most famous creations, side by side, Hamlet and Saint Joan, in repertory April 5 to 15 at The Broad Stage. This engagement will be the company's West-Coast debut.

The Verdi Chorus celebrates its 35th anniversary with its Spring 2018 concert The Force of Destiny for two performances only at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica on April 28 and 29 led by Founding Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum. As the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, their program will feature selections from three Verdi operas - La forza del destino, Nabucco, including the famed chorus "Va, pensiero," the opening party scene of La traviata, and conclude with beloved melodies from Strauss' Die Fledermaus.

After two consecutive years of bringing down the house, "Bring It! Live" is back by overwhelming demand and set to take the stage in Atlanta. Miss D and her Dancing Dolls, the stars of Lifetime's hit series Bring It! will be coming to the Fox Theatre on Wednesday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. with an all new "Bring It! Live" 2018 summer tour.

Philadelphia Theatre Company presents the Ars Nova production of the Obie Award winning play Small Mouth Sounds, written by Bess Wohl and directed by Tony nominee Rachel Chavkin (Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812). In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six wildy dissimilar runaways from city life embark on a week-long silent retreat. Guided by an unseen guru and pledging a vow of silence, these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd. Both contemplative and funny, Small Mouth Sounds is a cleverly conceived and sharp observation of the pursuit of wellness and the achingly human need to connect. Small Mouth Sounds will preview on March 13 and opens on March 14, 2018. The show will run for 24 performances through April 1, 2018 at Philadelphia Theatre Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (480 S. Broad Street). Tickets are on sale starting at $25 at philatheatreco.org, at the box-office, or by calling 215-985-0420.

Check out the exciting lineup of artists coming to City Winery Chicago next month!

Connecticut women attend Voices Festival in DC; Playwright Initiative at Ivoryton; International Women's Day Readings at Westport

Westport Country Playhouse will host the second annual 'Letters to Our Daughters,' a free-of-charge event to celebrate International Women's Day, on Thursday, March 8, at 7 p.m. A diverse group of 13 women, including Tony Award winners Joanna Gleason and Judith Ivey, and 'This Is Us' series regular Susan Kelechi Watson, will read essays and poems written by female authors on global women's issues.

Asolo Rep's MORNING AFTER GRACE IllumiNation event will be held on Saturday, February 17. A stimulating series of theatre and conversation exploring the topical and social themes threaded throughout the season, IllumiNation events begin one hour prior to curtain with a ticketed reception on the mezzanine, continue with the performance, and conclude with a free, open-to-the-public conversation.

The Off-Broadway League today announced details for the 2018 Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway. The 33rd Annual Lucille Lortel Awards will be handed out on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts, beginning at 7:00pm EST.

Fresh from her hugely successful debut show 'What Would Beyonce Do?!', star of Comic Relief and Live at The Apollo, Luisa Omelan will bring the cream of UK stand-up talent to Birmingham this February for a one-off comedy bonanza with 100% of all proceeds donated to Helena's Hospice Foundation.

LA's own Impro Theatre continues their residency at The Edye at The Broad Stage, presenting a different style of their signature improvisation for one weekend, each month.  February brings Chekhov UnScripted. For each performance Impro will create a full-length play, in the style of the great Russian master.  Starting with audience suggestions, each performance will feature characters dreaming of a different life, all the while dealing with the everyday unpredictability of feeling love, disillusionment and the certain catastrophe that is the comedy of life! LA Weekly called Chekhov UnScripted a "Pick of the Week," adding, "You don't have to be a Chekhov aficionado to appreciate this entertaining and clever mock-up of his art."

Annenberg Center Live presents the best in contemporary children's entertainment for its 33rd annual Philadelphia Children's Festival, May 17 through 19. Top artists from Philadelphia and beyond will showcase dance, theatre, music, magic, spoken word, and more over the three days of family-friendly festivities that will close the Annenberg Center's 2017-18 season. In addition to staged performances, the outdoor PlazaMania encompasses a host of interactive activities by local arts partners, face painting, balloon animals, performers, food trucks, and special guest appearances (perennial favorite, the Phillie Phanatic!).

POP UP THEATER, INC. presents the second play in their 2017-2018 season, PIZZA MAN, written by Darlene Craviotto, directed by Jamie Lou and produced by Grafton Doyle & Melanie Weisner. PIZZA MAN will preview on Wednesday, January 24 & Thursday, January 25 at 8pm and will open on Friday, February 2 at 8pm and runs through Saturday, February 24 at The Loft in Hollywood, 5426 Flemish Lane, Los Angeles 90029.

Written by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Anne Occhiogrosso, Centenary Stage Company's mainstage theatrical season continues in the Lackland Performing Arts Center with Reza's 1998 Tony Award and 1996 Olivier Award winning comedy Art from February 16 through March 4.  "Wildly funny, naughtily provocative…" says the NY Post, it all begins when Serge buys an expensive painting by a celebrated artist.  A white canvas with white diagonal lines.  Old friends square off over the canvas, using it as an excuse to hilariously batter one another over various slights and failures.  Art is a hilarious exploration of the very notion of what constitutes art while examining the meaning of friendship.  'Anyone looking for a play that is funny, sophisticated, stylish, stimulating and moving should go to 'ART'.' (Independent, London).

Building on the Blaine County School District's mission of inspiring, engaging, educating and empowering every student, Company of Fools announces the 21st year of Stages of Wonder-an in-school dramatic arts program that has served as the theatre curriculum in local elementary schools since 1997.

An evening of song and swing awaits local music lovers as Philadelphia Theatre Company presents "The Summer Club: A Big Band Valentine's Day." Cupid shoots his arrow down music's memory lane this February 14th as audiences are transported to an era when clubs were hot, everyone dressed up and martinis came straight up. Take the Lead Dance Project will have everyone swinging in the aisles with free dance lessons before the show. Champagne cocktails will be pouring at the bar and Asher's Chocolates will provide a sweet treat to remember the night. This one-night only event takes place at Philadelphia Theatre Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (480 S. Broad). Doors open at 6:00pm, with showtime at 7:00pm. Tickets are on sale for $25 to $69 at philadelphiatheatrecompany.org, at the box-office, or by calling 215-985-0420.  

Adventure! Undiscovered alien cultures! Lots of laughter. As part of the Seattle Emerald City Comic Con celebrations, UP Improv is excited to present Seattle Experimental Theater's original unscripted comedy- Where No Man Has Gone Before, a fully improvised parody of the original Star Trek TV series. Join the crew of the enterprise as they beam down to an alien planet (defined by audience suggestion). But are the aliens friend or foe? Tensions rise as the crew and ship are put in unforeseen danger.