Love Letters - 2021 - West End Articles Page 16

Diana has been on my mind for many years. In fact, I actually wrote about it in quite a few of my earlier articles, constantly stating that it would be the first show that I wanted to see once Broadway reopened. If only I knew just how much of an impact this show would have on my life.

Jefferson Performing Arts Society proudly announces its 45th season mainstage directors, featuring directors based in New Orleans, New York, and San Antonio. Several directors are returning to JPAS after directing or performing with JPAS in recent seasons; two make their JPAS directorial debut this season. The following overview includes shows that are part of JPAS mainstage season subscription packages, currently on sale. Single ticket sales open June 6th for all 45th season shows. For a full schedule of the entire 2022-2023 season which includes season specials such as ballets, concerts, and other special performances in addition to those listed below, please visit www.jpas.org.

Westport Country Playhouse is staging the comic satire, “Straight White Men,” by Young Jean Lee, from now through June 5, directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director. The show’s 2018 Broadway run made Lee the first Asian American female playwright to have a work produced there.

CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE – New York’s newest hotspot for intimate dining and extraordinary music – will present Julia Van Cartier – recently voted “New York’s Next Top Drag Queen (All Star Edition)” – in her latest foray onto the cabaret stage “I’m Not Myself Tonight” on Saturday, June 4 at 7:00 PM.

JBR Productions, LLC will present three industry readings (by invitation only) of Are You There?, a comedy about love, death, and the supernatural, written and directed by Javier Daulte and starring Josefina Scaro and Ben Becher.

Pasadena Playhouse has announced the 2022/2023 Season featuring a six-month-long celebration of the works and impact of Stephen Sondheim.  The State Theater of California’s Sondheim Celebration will begin in January 2023 and extend into June.  Find out what shows are included and the full schedule.

CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE will present Spencer Day, the #1 Billboard jazz/pop singer and songwriter seen everywhere from Lincoln Center to the Hollywood Bowl, for two shows on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 at 7:00 PM. These concerts will celebrate the New York launch of Broadway By Day, Spencer’s new album from Club44 Records.

Nominations for the 66th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced today, and the full list of nominees is available here as well as information on who was eligible.

Peppermint - the trailblazing actress, singer, reality star, and activist who continues to defy limitations has created a special birthday present for her favorite pop artist Janet Jackson. Peppermint’s dance tribute video of Janet Jackson's iconic song/video 'If' re-creates the original video almost frame for frame with costuming and all.

This summer’s Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival will presents 11 concerts from July 24 to August 21 – approaching its pre-pandemic scope. The 11 distinct programs in the 39th season of Long Island’s longest-running classical music festival highlight interconnections in music.

TFANA has extended the run of Alice Childress’s Wedding Band, directed by Awoye Timpo, to May 22. (The production, which began previews April 28—postponed from an original date of April 23 due to two COVID-19 cases—was formerly set to close May 15).

CHELSEA TABLE + STAGE will present acclaimed performer Billy Valentine – the Billboard chart-topping singer and songwriter best known for his work on The Five Heartbeats, “Boston Legal” and “Sons of Anarchy” – on Saturday, June 8 at 7:00 PM.

Palm Beach Dramaworks closes out its 2021-22 season with The Belle of Amherst, William Luce’s popular one-woman play based on the life of Emily Dickinson. Margery Lowe, who portrayed the enigmatic poet last year when PBD joined forces with Actors’ Playhouse for a streaming coproduction of the play, returns to the role and is again directed by PBD Producing Artistic Director William Hayes. 

 Like the rest of Lydia Luce’s upcoming EP, Garden Songs, “Vow” is framed by lush, organic tones, breathtaking string arrangements, and soothing, otherworldly melodies. But “Vow,” by nature, is closer to her heart—a meditation on what it meant to decide to spend the rest of her life with her partner. As with the rest of Garden Songs, “Vow” was written at an artist retreat on Orcas Island, a tiny destination of some 57 square miles off the coast of Washington state known for vistas of water, forest, rocks, beaches, and blue skies—all of which are reflected flawlessly in the music. It was the first writing Luce had done since her 2021 album, Dark River.

  Seattle Rep today announced a second round of its large-scale playwright commission project, 20x30: Reimagining the Anthropocene, in which the organization has commissioned three playwrights in an effort to plants seeds for the future of the industry.

New York Stage and Film, will return July 9-August 7 for five weeks of in-person programming in Poughkeepsie for their 2022 Summer Season. 

The Dramatists Guild of America has announced the first recipients of their 2022 Awards. The Awards for both 2021 and 2022 recipients will be presented at Joe's Pub on Monday, July 25, 2022.

New York Stage and Film returns July 9-August 7 for five weeks of in-person programming in Poughkeepsie for their 2022 Summer Season.  For 38 years, NYSAF has operated as a vital incubator for artists and their work, a catalyst for stories that continue across the country and around the world.  All tickets are $25 and go on sale June 1.

Artistic Directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner have today announced Paines Plough's Roundabout programme for 2022. The award-winning pop-up venue will be premiering three new plays in rep at Summerhall as part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time since 2019. As well as work from three trailblazing playwrights Dipo Baruwa-Etti, Sami Ibrahim and Laura Lindow, Summerhall will also see the return of Chris Bush's critically acclaimed play HUNGRY which premiered at Roundabout last year.

The Juilliard School will hold its 117th commencement ceremony on May 20, 2022, at 10:30am. The ceremony will be held outdoors on the Lincoln Center campus in Damrosch Park, presided over by Juilliard President Damian Woetzel. It will also be livestreamed at juilliard.edu for those unable to attend in person.

Westport Country Playhouse will stage the comic satire, “Straight White Men,” by Young Jean Lee, from May 24 through June 5, directed by Mark Lamos, Playhouse artistic director. The show’s 2018 Broadway run made Lee the first Asian American female playwright to have a work produced there. The cast includes Richard Kline, who was a series regular on television’s “Three’s Company” as Larry Dallas. The production reunites Kline and Lamos, who were classmates at Northwestern University. Others in the ensemble are Bill Army, Denver Milord, Nick Westrate, Akiko Akita, and Ashton Muñiz.

To celebrate the incredible cinema New York African Film Festival brings to BAM each year during DanceAfrica, the nation's largest festival dedicated to African dance and music taking place May 27—30 at BAM looks back at the decade-plus history of FilmAfrica with a series of recent films and hits from past festivals.

Peppermint - the actress, singer, reality star, and activist who continues to defy limitations has announced she will hit the road this summer in support of her latest release Moment of Weakness: Letters To My Lovers with live performances throughout July.  Purchase tickets for the upcoming tour dates now and listen to Peppermint's latest album!

CreateTheater New Works Festival and JK Productions present OCEAN IN A TEACUP, a spiritual quest musical based on a true story. This Original Musical Set in India runs as part of CreateTheater New Works Festival, from April 28 through May 7, 2022, at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036).

The Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national publications, have just announced the nominees for the 71st Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards, honoring the 2021-2022 Broadway and Off-Broadway season.