On Second Avenue - 1987 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 15

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. It's the TOP TEN HOT TOPIX for the first half of 2014! Did your favorites make the list?

Japan Society Gallery's new Summer Artist Residency Program returns for its second annual installment this July, introducing up-and-coming ink painter Cyoko Tamai (b. 1987). Working with the world's thinnest handmade paper, this 27-year-old artist reaches beyond the conventional notion of ink on paper painting. As her first visit to New York City, visitors to the Open Studio on July 19 will be among the first in the U.S. to see her work outside Japan.

Nick Gehlfuss (Shameless, The Newsroom), Shawn Hatosy (Southland, Reckless), Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) and Alicia Witt (Justified, 88 Minutes) are cast in the Geffen Playhouse production of Reasons to Be Pretty, nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play (2009). Helmed by Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Randall Arney, Reasons to Be Pretty will be performed in the Gil Cates Theater July 29 to August 31 with an opening night of August 6.

Grand Performances announces its 28th annual season with a line-up full of fan favorites, new musical obsessions, and events at the gorgeous California Plaza under the spectacular Downtown Los Angeles skyline. Starting Friday, June 13, 2014 and running through Saturday, September 13, 2014, the Grand Performances 2014 Summer Concert Series brings artists and audiences together for an array of music, dance, film, and spoken word featuring performers from around the globe and the streets of Los Angeles. Every show is free; no advanced reservations are required. Grand Performances at California Plaza is located at 350 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213-687-2159). For a complete overview of Grand Performances' upcoming season, hailed as the "best free outdoor summer concert series" by Los Angeles Magazine, please see the schedule here http://www.grandperformances.org/calendar/2014-season-overview.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, beloved as one of the world's most popular dance companies, will return to Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts with four different programs for a 15-performance engagement at the David H. Koch Theater June 11 - 22, 2014.

The Buck Creek Players will continue their 40th Anniversary Season 'Fabulous at 40' with the Indianapolis premiere of Carrie: The Musical, opening tonight, May 30th, and continuing for a limited run three weekends through Sunday, June 15th.

From today, May 22 - June 1, 2014, Houston Ballet offers up a mixed repertory program showcasing works by three of the twentieth century's greatest choreographers entitled Modern Masters.

The Buck Creek Players will continue their 40th Anniversary Season 'Fabulous at 40' with the Indianapolis premiere of Carrie: The Musical, opening Friday, May 30th, and continuing for a limited run three weekends through Sunday, June 15th.

Pacific Symphony's critically-acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) continues for the 14th year with 'From Screen to Score: New Concert Music by Famous Film Composers'-who happen to be four of today's biggest Hollywood heavy-hitters: John Williams ('Star Wars,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'E.T., the Extra Terrestrial'), Howard Shore ('Lord of the Rings,' 'The Hobbit,' 'Hugo'), James Horner ('Titanic,' 'Star Trek,' 'Apollo 13') and Elliot Goldenthal ('Alien 3,' 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman and Robin'). Together, these iconic composers boast 11 Oscars and countless billions of box office dollars. They also hold the ironic position of simultaneously being the most-heard orchestral composers ever (the soundtrack for 'Titanic' sold 30 million copies), yet their music is the least performed.

From May 22 - June 1, 2014, Houston Ballet offers up a mixed repertory program showcasing works by three of the twentieth century's greatest choreographers entitled Modern Masters. The program features the company premiere of Ji?i Kylian's comic and delightful Sechs Tanze (Six Dances), along with revivals of his playful and sexy work Petite Mort, William Forsythe's explosive In the middle, somewhat elevated and George Balanchine's complex and inventive The Four Temperaments. Houston Ballet will give six performances of the program in the Brown Theater at Wortham Theater Center. Tickets start at $19, and may be purchased at www.houstonballet.org or by calling Houston Ballet box office at 713-227-2787, or1-800-828-2787.

The generosity of theatre fans during six weeks of fundraising by 57 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring companies helped push the 28th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition to another record high, raising $4,532,129 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Pacific Symphony's critically-acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) continues for the 14th year with "From Screen to Score: New Concert Music by Famous Film Composers"-who happen to be four of today's biggest Hollywood heavy-hitters: John Williams ("Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T., the Extra Terrestrial"), Howard Shore ("Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit," "Hugo"), James Horner ("Titanic," "Star Trek," "Apollo 13") and Elliot Goldenthal ("Alien 3," "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin"). Together, these iconic composers boast 11 Oscars and countless billions of box office dollars. They also hold the ironic position of simultaneously being the most-heard orchestral composers ever (the soundtrack for "Titanic" sold 30 million copies), yet their music is the least performed.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for Alan Ayckbourn's science fiction comedy Communicating Doors. Eleven plays penned by Alan Ayckbourn have been produced by the Alley, including the American premiere of Henceforward, directed by Ayckbourn, in 1987 and House & Garden in 2002. Alan Ayckbourn has been inducted into the American Theatre's Hall of Fame, received the 2010 Critics' Circle Award for Services to the Arts, became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and was knighted in 1997 for services to the theatre.

Huntington Theatre Company, the 2013 recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award and Boston magazine's Best Theatre of 2013, announces six productions of its 2014-2015 Season plus one additional title. Continuing its 32-year tradition, the Huntington will present world-class productions of new works and classics made current created by the finest local and national talent. The varied lineup includes a Tony Award-winning Broadway comedy, a thrilling new play set in Boston, a new play by a celebrated local writer that riffs on a beloved classic, a revival of a provocative comedy, a classic American drama, and a topical new play directed by Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois, plus the return of visionary director David Cromer (Our Town).

For DIRECTOR'S CHOICE, the fourth program of Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season, Artistic Director Peter Boal selects from his roster of acquisitions and increases them by one: The captivating mixed-bill program will feature a much-anticipated world premiere by Alejandro Cerrudo, resident choreographer of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. The program also reprises audience favorites TAKE FIVE...More or Less, Broadway-darling Susan Stroman's sunny slice of jazz-infused Dave Brubeck fun; and Susan Marshall's distinctive aerial duet, Kiss. Rounding out the lineup is Molissa Fenley's State of Darkness, a tour-de-force solo performance set to Stravinsky's riot-inducing The Rite of Spring. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE runs for seven performances only, today, March 14 through 23 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall.

Mercury Theater Chicago, 3745 N Southport Ave., will celebrate Stephen Sondheim's birthday at The Hypocrites' production INTO THE WOODS with a weeklong celebration beginning on Sunday, March 16 with a panel discussion following the 3 p.m. performance with Andra Velis Simon from Columbia College Chicago and Director Geoff Button, and a second panel discussion on Saturday, March 22 following the 2 p.m. performance with Kris Vire, Associate Editor at Time Out Chicago and Executive Director L. Walter Stearns. The matinee performance on March 22, Stephen Sondheim's actual birthday, will also feature a classic Sondheim sing-a-long immediately following the panel discussion with selections from Merrily We Roll Along, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and Roadshow. A delicious birthday cake from gourmet Southport bakery Sensational Bites A Dessert Cafe will be served following the sing-a-long on March 22. Directed by Geoff Button* with Musical Direction by Matt Deitchman, INTO THE WOODS has been extended through Saturday, April 5.

This spring Japan Society continues to honor the late Donald Richie, whose criticism, commentary and advocacy contributed incomparably toward making Japanese art and culture, especially its cinema, revered throughout the world. As the second and final leg of the ongoing series, again curated by noted film scholar Kyoko Hirano, A Tribute to Donald Richie (1924-2013), Part 2: Richie's Electric Eight: The Bold & the Daring encompasses eight films that reflect the complexity, nuance, and brilliance of Japanese society, as seen through Richie's unflinching and insatiable eye.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd announces the cast and creative team for Alan Ayckbourn's science fiction comedy Communicating Doors. Eleven plays penned by Alan Ayckbourn have been produced by the Alley, including the American premiere of Henceforward, directed by Ayckbourn, in 1987 and House & Garden in 2002. Alan Ayckbourn has been inducted into the American Theatre's Hall of Fame, received the 2010 Critics' Circle Award for Services to the Arts, became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and was knighted in 1997 for services to the theatre.

This spring Japan Society continues to honor the late Donald Richie, whose criticism, commentary and advocacy contributed incomparably toward making Japanese art and culture, especially its cinema, revered throughout the world. As the second and final leg of the ongoing series, again curated by noted film scholar Kyoko Hirano, A Tribute to Donald Richie (1924-2013), Part 2: Richie's Electric Eight: The Bold & the Daring encompasses eight films that reflect the complexity, nuance, and brilliance of Japanese society, as seen through Richie's unflinching and insatiable eye.

For DIRECTOR'S CHOICE, the fourth program of Pacific Northwest Ballet's 2013-2014 season, Artistic Director Peter Boal selects from his roster of acquisitions and increases them by one: The captivating mixed-bill program will feature a much-anticipated world premiere by Alejandro Cerrudo, resident choreographer of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. The program also reprises audience favorites TAKE FIVE…More or Less, Broadway-darling Susan Stroman's sunny slice of jazz-infused Dave Brubeck fun; and Susan Marshall's distinctive aerial duet, Kiss. Rounding out the lineup is Molissa Fenley's State of Darkness, a tour-de-force solo performance set to Stravinsky's riot-inducing The Rite of Spring. DIRECTOR'S CHOICE runs for seven performances only, March 14 through 23 at Seattle Center's Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. Tickets start at just $28 and may be purchased by calling the PNB Box Office at 206.441.2424, online at PNB.org, or in person at the PNB Box Office, 301 Mercer Street.

The evening will be co-hosted by two of the company's alumni actors: two-time Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce (at PH in Richard Greenberg's The Maderati in 1987) and two-time Tony Award nominee, two-time Obie Award winner and 2012 Special Drama Desk Award winner Mary Testa (at PH in William Finn's In Trousers in 1979, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Lucky Stiff in 1988, Tom Donaghy's From Above in 1998/Obie Award and Kathleen Tolan's The Wax in 2000).

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has added an exciting roster of screen legends and beloved titles to the 2014 TCM Classic Film Festival,

Wasatch Theatrical Ventures will present one of the great American plays of the 20th century, INHERIT THE WIND, written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, directed by the award-winning Kiff Scholl, produced by Racquel Lehrman/Theatre Planners. In a small town courtroom and with the eyes of the nation upon them, two legal giants face off over a teacher's right to teach evolution to a high school class in this critically acclaimed drama based on the Scopes Monkey Trial. As rousing and relevant today as it was when it debuted in 1955, INHERIT THE WIND is an edge-of-your-seat riveting look at the age-old conflict between science and religion. The play opens Friday, February 8th and runs through March 16th at the Grove Theatre Center in Burbank, CA.

Annex Theatre has long considered itself the research and development wing of the Seattle theater scene. Last Winter, Annex partnered with Rain City Projects (a playwright service organization founded in 1991) to present a theatrical experiment called Second Date, in which writers and directors had a chance to stage short pieces of work they were developing. One of those pairings was playwright Rachel Atkins (TPS Gregory Nominee for Outstanding Playwright, 2010) and director Tyrone Brown (Artistic Director, Brownbox Theatre). For Second Date, they revived a ten-minute 'Quickie' Rachel originally wrote for Live Girls! Theater (theme: 'exploration and discoveries') and expanded it to a twenty minute short. An hour-long version received a reading in the Live Girls! Cupcake Series later that year, directed by Jose Amador. Now Annex Theatre, in partnership with Brownbox, is proud to present the full-length, world-premiere production of Black Like Us, with Jose Amador returning as director.

Bang on a Can's exhilarating marching band Asphalt Orchestra has been invited to join the Pixies on their 2014 winter tour, bringing selections from the radical performance Asphalt Orchestra Plays the Pixies: Surfer Rosa