SIX - 2019 - Chicago (Regional) Articles Page 5

Porchlight Music Theatre announced Klaus Peter Schuller as its new executive director and Michael Weber as The Elaine Cohen and Arlen Rubin Artistic Director, with Schuller set to join the Chicago company later this year.

Sierra Madre Playhouse will present HAUNTED, a one-act dance opera with music by Paul Salerni and libretto by former California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia, featuring baritone Rod Gilfrey and three dancers.

Andrea Macasaet, known for her role as Anne Boleyn in SIX, is scheduled to appear at the SilverVox Film & Music Festival.

Disney’s The Lion King has announced that Robb Sapp and Sam Linda, who play the role of Ed on Broadway and tour, respectively, will switch productions. Learn more here!

This week's theater news spans awards season milestones, legal disputes, labor tensions, and the business challenges facing the art form on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2026 Tony nominations are in — with Schmigadoon! and The Lost Boys leading the pack. Voting is also now open for BroadwayWorld's own Theater Fans' Choice Awards. On a more turbulent note, a fire at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre has shuttered The Book of Mormon through at least May 17, a second lawsuit has been filed against the producers of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, and IATSE is accusing the Kennedy Center of using its upcoming temporary closure as cover to permanently eliminate union jobs. Regionally, The Naples Players have secured a multi-year grant to expand paid apprenticeships for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And internationally, The Stage examines whether the UK touring sector — where the number of touring plays has fallen 64% since 2019 — can find a path forward through its mounting financial and structural pressures.

The full cast has been announced for the 20th anniversary UK and Ireland tour of JERSEY BOYS, led by Luke Baker as Frankie Valli, with the production opening at New Wimbledon Theatre and booking through 2027.

Utah Opera closes its 2025-26 season with Verdi's LA TRAVIATA at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre, featuring soprano Lydia Katarina alongside tenor Isaac Hurtado and baritone Weston Hurt.

The San Francisco Symphony announced its summer season, featuring classical programs, film concerts, and performances with Andrew Bird, Sutton Foster, Kelli O'Hara, A.R. Rahman, and St. Vincent at venues including Davies Symphony Hall, Shoreline Amphitheatre, and Sigmund Stern Grove.

In her first season as the new artistic director at Opera Theatre of St. Louis (OTSL), Patricia Racette has programmed a festival season that holds something for everyone. Three of the four Operas being presented are written in English. Two, Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance and The Light in the Piazza, are from the canon of the American Musical Theatre. The other two, A Streetcar Named Desire and Romeo and Juliet, are well known dramas. If you’ve never seen an Opera, this is the season to take in a show at OTSL.

The Duke's Theatre Company's open-air production of ROMEO AND JULIET, directed by Joseph Pitcher, will tour UK venues including Hever Castle and the Minack Theatre, featuring a cast of six.

Awkward Prods announced a new solo show inspired by a real-life homophobic attack on performer Linus Karp in Soho. LINUS KARP WAS HIT WITH AN UMBRELLA will play Underbelly Bristo Square at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Friendship is nearly always a side element in musicals. From the comic sidekick of the leading character to the backup pals who provide background vocals, friends are part of the fabric of many shows—but rarely are they the main event. 

The Broadway touring production of BEETLEJUICE will play a one-night-only Melbourne premiere engagement at the King Center, closing out the Broadway at the King Center Series.

& JULIET on Broadway has announced a series of special events, including a $20 lottery, fan nights, and a sing-along performance hosted by *NSYNC's Joey Fatone at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at CUNY will present WORLD VOICES, a four-day festival featuring staged readings of new plays in translation by playwrights from Tuscarora/Canada, Austria, France, Senegal, and Germany.

Prospect Musicals announced the full line-up for its 2026 Gala & Muse Awards at The Edison Ballroom, honoring LaChanze, Ken Davenport, Lindsay Mendez, Ryan Scott Oliver, and Jose Antonio Vargas.

The SYDNEY CON JAZZ FESTIVAL will present its seventh all-day event at Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens, featuring 140 artists across 26 concerts in six venues, with tickets starting at $29.

Crow's Theatre and the Grand Theatre co-produce Eboni Booth's PRIMARY TRUST, the 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama, directed by Cherissa Richards and starring Durae McFarlane, at Toronto's Guloien Theatre.

Steppenwolf’s LookOut Series has unveiled its lineup for Summer 2026. Since launching in 2016, the LookOut Series has hosted 1,043 performances of 365 unique engagements spanning dance, drag, music, comedy, and more.

Ariana Grande will officially release her eighth album this summer. Titled 'Petal,' the recording will be available on July 31st via Republic Records.

East Midlands theatre company New Perspectives announced 14 early- and mid-career artists for its New Associates programme, now in its seventh year, supporting artists in a historically underfunded region.

For newcomers, or those who just need an Octet 'Refresh,' we have put together a deep dive into the musical, a history of its life on stage, and everything that we know about the film adaptation.

The Seattle Symphony will present two intimate chamber music performances spotlighting Chickasaw American composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate at Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, featuring works inspired by Pacific Northwest and American Indian traditions.

Naumburg Orchestral Concerts will present the New York premiere of Lisa Bielawa's violin concerto PULSE, featuring soloist Tessa Lark with The Knights, conducted by Eric Jacobsen, at Central Park's Naumburg Bandshell.

Luna Composition Lab announced three NYC performances this spring as part of its 10th anniversary celebration, featuring world premieres by alumni composers performed by Ensemble Ipse, New York Festival of Song, and International Contemporary Ensemble at Carnegie Hall.