Days of Hope - 1990 - Regional (UK) Articles Page 5

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best musical theatre characters from 1940-2020; see if your favorites are on our list of the best characters from Broadway musicals.

Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, the largest soup kitchen in New York State, is pleased to announce the official launch of Operation HopeFULL, a $1MM campaign that rallies support from the broader New York City community to ensure New Yorkers struggling with extreme poverty and homelessness have access to food, clothing, toiletries, masks, and other support.

The creation of Wilmington Drama League is interesting, to say the least, and its perseverance to create under any circumstance is historic. Look on WDL's website under the ABOUT tab, and you'll find these tidbits:

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the best TV episodes from the 1950's to 2020; see if your favorites made the list!

We continue our series with leaders in the theatre arts to learn about their upcoming plans and find out how they are dealing with the Covid-19 outbreak. We had the opportunity to interview Bonnie J. Monte, the Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. She gave us her insights about the Theatre.

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

Geva Theatre Center has released the following statement regarding upcoming performances:

Produced by Live Nation, THE BIG ROCK SUMMER TOUR features legendary rock acts RATT, CINDERELLA's TOM KEIFER, SKID ROW and SLAUGHTER, four bands that have combined to sell more than 60 million albums, including dozens of radio hits and smash videos. Every night of the tour will feature more party anthems and power ballads than fans could hope for, with the rock n roll caravan hitting more than two dozen North American cities starting June 3 in Farmingville, NY and wrapping September 19 in Los Angeles, CA (see dates below).

Mabou Mines, the esteemed experimental theater company, and Weathervane Productions, in association with Philip Glass' Days and Nights Festival, add free documentary film screening and Promenade concert performance, and announce complete casting for a unique upcoming celebration of legendary playwright and director María Irene Fornés. The February 21-March 7 engagement centers on the New York premiere of Philip Glass' transformation of her five-page play Drowning into an opera and a version of Fornés' acclaimed Mud. JoAnne Akalaitis directs these two intimate productions-both with new music composed by Glass-at Mabou Mines (150 First Avenue).

The GRAMMY AWARDS Premiere Ceremony took place at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 26, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. PT. Preceding the 62nd Annual GRAMMY AWARDS telecast, the Premiere Ceremony was hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Imogen Heap and featured a number of performances by current GRAMMY nominees. Performers included classical violinist Nicola Benedetti, jazz legend Chick Corea, folk music supergroup I'm With Her, West African sensation Angélique Kidjo and Best New Artist nominee Yola.

'If evidence were needed that imaginative staging can provide us with access to difficult works of art, then it was offered in abundance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale in an extraordinary performance of Orlando di Lasso's a cappella masterpiece, Lagrime di San Pietro ...' (Simon Williams, Opera News)

The Australian Music Vault has captured the stories of some of the most formidable pioneers and innovators from the Australian music scene including Judith Durham AO and Archie Roach AM in their latest offering, Long Play Series.

Works & Process at the Guggenheim  has announced its spring 2020 season. Since 1984, the performing arts series has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to leading creators. The intimate Frank Lloyd Wright­-designed Peter B. Lewis Theater is the venue for these seventy-minute programs that explorethe creative process through stimulating discussions and riveting performance highlights. One-of-a-kind productions created for the Guggenheim's rotunda offer a unique experience of the landmark museum. Additional information is available at worksandprocess.org.

The Wheeler Opera House is pleased to announce the full roster of its jam-packed winter season, featuring theatrical events, concerts, comedy and films for the entire family to enjoy. Tickets go on sale Monday, November 25 at noon at the Wheeler Box Office (970.920.5770/ aspenshowtix.com). The Wheeler Opera House is located at 320 E. Hyman Ave., Aspen, CO.

Recording Academy® President/CEO Deborah Dugan alongside Academy Chair of the Board of Trustees and renowned record producer Harvey Mason Jr., as well as GRAMMY Awards® host Alicia Keys and past two-time GRAMMY® nominee Bebe Rexha, today revealed nominees for the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in select categories. This year's nominees reflect a melting pot of artistic innovation that defined the year in music, showcasing the unparalleled craftsmanship of established artists and the industry-shifting impact of rising music creators. Leading nominees Lizzo (8), Billie Eilish (6) and Lil Nas X (6) not only topped the charts but ignited a cultural conversation around their genre-bending hits. As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY Awards are voted on by the Recoding Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers and engineers.

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ) has continued its 2019 Season with William Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet.' Directed by Ian Belknap, Artistic Director of the prestigious Acting Company in NYC, the show will be on the Madison stage through Sunday, November 17. Broadwayworld.com had the pleasure of interviewing Bonnie J. Monte, the Artistic Director of STNJ about 'Romeo and Juliet' and her highly acclaimed Theatre.

Visually stunning. Inventively staged. Compellingly acted. Beautifully told. Utterly delightful. Heartrendingly poignant. What more can be said about Once On This Island, the Lynn Ahrens-Stephen Flaherty musical which launched its national tour in Nashville last night with a remarkable opening performance before a capacity crowd in Andrew Jackson Hall? The critical raves, audience adulation and awards for the recent Broadway revival of the Caribbean-influenced musical were enough to attract ticket-buyers, to be certain, but the sheer artistry of the production and its amazingly talented cast will be more than enough to propel the company forward on their cross-country tour where, we suspect, the accolades will continue to be bestowed upon the heartfelt and authentic story.

From the vibrant opening number (The Anti-Polio Picnic), the cast let rip with power and passion that does not drop throughout.  Each performer grabs every moment with intensity and commitment to showcase their learning and talent while displaying their devotion to the craft.  The lyrics are crisp, witty and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny if not cringe-worthy. (I dare anyone not to watch a?oeGirl, Can I Kiss Youa??.?a?? through their fingers.)  The rockabilly score adds energy and pep and the music (with band skilfully led by Musical Director, Kate Marshall) is immaculate.

Art Cake is pleased to present its inaugural exhibition Suzanne Bocanegra: Wardrobe Test, opening September 7, 2019. Located at 214 40th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Art Cake is a new organization dedicated to providing space for production and opportunities to explore creative practices.

Violinist Itzhak Perlman, one of the reigning artists of our day, will make a rare appearance for a recital to inaugurate the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts' 2019-2020 Season on September 19 at 7pm.  Perlman is accompanied by Rohan De Silva, piano.

For its seventh year of offering plays by contemporary Irish playwrights to Portland audiences, Corrib Theatre announces a three-show season: Eclipsed by Patricia Burke Brogan, James X by Gerard Mannix Flynn, and Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue. All three 2019-20 productions will be held at New Expressive Works, 810 SE Belmont St., Portland.

What impact can one man who has lost the ability to speak have on those he encounters every day? If you are Ben, the central character in the new musical HI, MY NAME IS BEN, which opens this week at the Goodspeed's Norma Terris Theatre in Chester, CT the impact is greater than you might imagine.  I had the chance to sit down with the duo behind the show, book writer Scott Gilmour and composer and lyricist, Claire McKenzie who shared a little about their creative process, their journey writing the show, and how they work effectively together to bring a musical like HI, MY NAME IS BEN to life.

The residents of Flint and Ann Arbor, Michigan were treated to a very special event because of the University Musical Society (UMS): Yo-Yo Ma visited as part the performer's two-year journey to perform Six Suites for Solo Cello as a catalyst for social action and it marks the first time Ma extended the model beyond the Bach Project to a broader audience. Ma's visit was two-days filled of activities including a talk by him in the University of Michigan's Hill Auditorium on 'Culture, Understanding, and Survival,' as well as a Day of Action in Flint, Michigan with the theme, 'Flint Voices: Culture, Community, and Resilience.' At the Day of Action, Ma worked with community partners to transform lives and forge both a more connected world and a healthy and vibrant local community with the goal of the session to find new opportunities for collaborations across Flint's cultural communities and organizations. The strategy session was followed up by a community cultural show that was a celebration of Flint's vitality, diversity, and artistry. BroadwayWorld Detroit had a chance to speak with two of people heavily involved in brining Yo-Yo Ma and his Day of Action event to Michigan - Jim Leija (director of education & community engagement for UMS) and Natasha Thomas-Jackson (Flint-based arts advocate). Read our interview with them to see why this was an important event:

Samuel L. Jackson is a household name, known for his iconic roles on screen. He recently appeared in a feature on 60 Minutes, where he talked about his long career, including how getting his start in the theatre shaped him as an actor.

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with Benny Green, The James Carter Organ Trio, Joao Bosco, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Frank Catalano Quartet, Clint Holmes, Joe Alterman, Aubrey Logan, Sheila Jordan, Dena DeRose, The Jive Aces, Michael Wolff, Jason Kravits, Jim Caruso's Cast Party, and more!