How to Be an American! - 2016 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 6

The Arts Club Theatre Company is serving up a heartfelt musical this summer with WAITRESS, now playing at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver, BC from June 12 to August 3, 2025. With a book by Jessie Nelson and music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, Sara Bareilles, this musical is based on the 2007 film written by Adrienne Shelly. Treating audiences to a story of resilience, hope, and the healing power of baking, WAITRESS is a warm and satisfying theatrical recipe filled with both humour and heart. 

Josh Odor, Bryan Nicholas Carter, and Jensen Knudson will join Cameron Raasdal-Munro in his semi-autobiographical play about a gay sex worker who is the son of a gangster.

Greg Reiner will be the new Managing Director of Barrington Stage Company. Reiner, who most recently served as Director of Theater and Musical Theater at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), joins BSC as of August 4, 2025. 

Teenage Drama Workshop (TADW) will host a three-week public run of two stage productions, including Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical JR. and The Hobbit, beginning in July at California State University Northridge.

Multi-Grammy award winning band and Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees Chicago will be performing at Newark's New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Learn more here!

DOG DAY AFTERNOON, a new play by Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Adly Guirgis, based on the legendary true crime story, will open on Broadway in the spring of 2026. We have all of the details here!

Stepping into the director’s chair for the first time at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in over four decades, London-based writer, producer, and filmmaker Donald Rice brings his cinematic eye and deep reverence for rock opera to The REV’s production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR.

Darren Criss has won the 2025 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for MAYBE HAPPY ENDING.

In the World Premiere of Lear Redux: A Quantum Fantasia, Jack Stehlin, who previously starred in both Titus Redux at the Kirk Douglas and Tempest Redux at the Odyssey, inhabits the role of an aging actor whose last days strangely parallel those of Shakespeare’s tragic king. I decided to speak with Jack about his history portraying Shakespeare’s tragic kings, his personal connection to Lear, and how this tragic king differs or is similar to the others.

This is a revival for Theatre Under the Stars, who first presented IN THE HEIGHTS in 2016. It replaced GREASE as their season opener way back then, which marked an inevitable transition in the company’s artistic direction and commitment to the evolution of musical theater.

Today’s subject Francesca Zambello is currently living her theatre life as the Artistic Director of Washington National Opera (WNO). She has been in the position since 2012. Her production of Porgy and Bess begins performances this evening in the Opera House at Kennedy Center where it will play through May 31st.

National Sawdust has announced the formation of its inaugural Global Strategic Council, as it enters its second decade. Formed at a pivotal moment for the performing arts sector, this group of visionary leaders and advocates from diverse disciplines will offer connections, expertise, and insights that help National Sawdust model how a cultural institution can both catalyze artistic innovation and drive social change.

​​​​​​​Those drawn to intimate, music-driven storytelling and powerful, personal theater take note of This Is Water, written and performed by a singer-songwriter Rain Perry, which makes its debut at the 2025 Hollywood Fringe Festival. I decided to speak with Rain about the genesis of her show, her six-disc recording career, and how her own experience lends to taking an insightful look into her own history in the United States.

This past weekend, composer Kevin Puts’s BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT, based on the long, abundant correspondence of artist Georgia O’Keeffe and photographer/gallerist Alfred Stieglitz, had its long overdue New York premiere, with the New York Philharmonic under debuting conductor Brett Mitchell, and soprano Renee Fleming as O’Keeffe and baritone Rod Gilfry as Stieglitz, friends and lovers (marital and otherwise).

Few honors in entertainment are as coveted—or as rare—as achieving EGOT status. This elite distinction marks a career filled with versatility, longevity, and extraordinary talent across multiple mediums. What does it all mean? We're taking a closer look at the artists who have managed to join one of the industry’s most exclusive clubs.

The 2025 ArtsFairfax Awards will honor U.S. Air Force Retired General Lester L. Lyles with the Jinx Hazel Award, Tim Rizer with the Philanthropy Award, IACC-Pars Place with the Impact Award, and Marco Rando with the Education Award. Learn more!

OSAKA COMIC CON 2025: Held annually during Japan’s Golden Week since 2023, OSAKA COMIC CON is the Osaka counterpart to TOKYO COMIC CON, which began in 2016. This major celebration of American comics, movies, and pop culture welcomed its third edition this year. A star-studded lineup of ten celebrities appeared, including Nicolas Cage (“Ghost Rider”), Mackenyu (“One Piece”), Edward Furlong (“Terminator 2”), Emily Rudd (“One Piece”), Sung Kang (“Fast & Furious” series), Mads Mikkelsen (“Mufasa: The Lion King”), Hugh Dancy (“Hannibal”), Daniel Logan (“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”), Christina Ricci (“The Addams Family” series), and Bill Skarsgård (“IT” series). Through stage events, autograph sessions, and photo ops, fans had the chance to interact with their favorite stars. The event’s PR ambassador was NMB48, and the main hosts were Yuichi Nakamaru and IMALU.

The Drama Book Shop will present, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications, author events designed to entertain and enlighten. Learn more and see how to attend.

The award recipients of Broadway In Chicago's 14th Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards (IHSMTA) were announced and presented, in an award ceremony sponsored by NBC 5, celebrating outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre performances at Broadway In Chicago's Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place on Monday, May 12.

On May 10, 16, and 18, Detroit Opera will present The Central Park Five, directed by Nataki Garrett and featuring a new, expanded orchestration by composer Anthony Davis.

The San Francisco Mime Troupe, founded in 1959, started with movement 'Events' with visual art elements and music, segued to commedia dell’arte, and now presents fully fledged outdoor political musical theatre with a decidedly “left” bent.

The Richard Tucker Music Foundation has announced the recipients of its prestigious Richard Tucker Award, Richard Tucker Career Grant, and Sara Tucker Study Grant. 

Leeds-based Phoenix Dance Theatre will present Inside Giovanni’s Room at Sadler’s Wells East as part of a UK tour. Learn more about the upcoming performance here!

The Episcopal Actors' Guild has announced that the Barbour Playwrights Award will return for its eighteenth year this June. Learn more about the upcoming festival here!

Project Y Theatre will present the World Premiere of Dorothy's Dictionary written by E. M. Lewis as part of their 10th Annual Women in Theatre Festival at A.R.T./New York Theatres. Learn more!