Second Chance - 1988 - New York Articles Page 5

Well, it's that time of the year again--time for a look-back on what was worth making note of during the calendar year that's about to come to an end. It's from a totally personal, subjective point of view, of course, but frankly that's the way opera-lovers always seem to like it, n'est-ce pas? The productions worth noting come from places big, small and in-between, from composers old as the hills to freshly minted or somewhere in between (likewise the performers), from traditional or boldly modern to simply stand up and sing.

Come join Pacific Symphony for a special treat this Christmas season, the "Nutcracker for Kids!" Conducted by Music Director of Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, Roger Kaila, this concert will include an assortment of sweet selections from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker;" ballerinas from Orange County's acclaimed ballet company, Festival Ballet Theatre; actor James McHale; a grande finale sing-a-long; and a visit from the jolly man himself-Santa Claus! Performances for "The Nutcracker of Kids" will be on Dec. 8 at 10am or 11:30am at Pacific Symphony's winter home, Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Stephen Lawless will be directing the San Diego Opera's production of The Marriage of Figaro this week. I met with him in the opera company's rehearsal room recently to discuss that, how he came to be a director, and his views of a director's responsibilities.

London International Mime Festival, directed by Helen Lannaghan and Joseph Seelig, is a unique event in the theatre calendar, a once a year chance to see the very best and newest contemporary visual theatre that embraces cutting edge circus-theatre, juggling, puppetry, live art, mime and physical theatre.

Following three critically-acclaimed, sold-out seasons on stage in London's West End, Simon Callow (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Shakespeare in Love) brings Charles Dickens' beloved classic A Christmas Carol to the big screen in December 2018. On Tuesday 11 December the stage-to-film adaptation, reimagined especially for cinema, will be released in 444 cinemas across the UK and Ireland by leading event cinema distributors CinemaLive.

The traditional Christmas staple of Charles Dickens' much loved A Christmas Carol, returns this festive season to the West End stage starring Simon Callow, running at the Arts Theatre for a strictly limited season from 8 December to 12 January.

Clarksville's Roxy Regional Theatre transports audiences back to Baltimore - the capital of big hair and the city of big dreams - in 1962 with their production of Hairspray, now onstage through September 29. This weekend (which features the company's annual fundraising gala on Saturday night) kicks off the second weekend of the show's multi-week run in Historic Downtown Clarksville.

As the kick-off to this year's highly anticipated “2018 American Music Awards,” chart-topping artists Kane Brown and Ella Mai, singer and American Music Award winner Normani and award winning singer/songwriter Bebe Rexha today announced the nominations LIVE from YouTube Space LA.  The event was livestreamed on the official American Music Awards YouTube channel (YouTube.com/TheAMAs) and included a panel discussion about the nominations with the presenting talent and Billboard correspondent Chelsea Briggs. Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the “2018 American Music Awards” will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, October 9 at 8:00pm ET on ABC. 

Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival recognizing writers' and filmmakers' contributions to film, television, and new media, announced today that The Front Runner will serve as the fest's Closing Night selection. Directed by Academy Award®-nominee and AFF alum Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air), The Front Runner stars Hugh Jackman as the charismatic politician Gary Hart, who was considered the overwhelming front-runner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination when his campaign was sidelined by the story of an extramarital relationship with Donna Rice. The Front Runnerwill bow in Austin on November 1 with Reitman in attendance.

“Dancing with the Stars” is waltzing its way into its upcoming season, and the new celebrity cast is adding some glitzy bling to their wardrobe, breaking in their dancing shoes and readying themselves for their first dance on the ballroom floor, as the season kicks off MONDAY, SEPT. 24 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. This season's lineup of celebrity dancers includes an “American Idol” mentor, the first-ever blind contestant to take part in the show, an alumnus from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a Duke of Hazzard, an Olympic Gold medal-winning gymnast and a Bachelor Nation favorite, among others.

Actor Patrick Cassidy, best known for his roles in musical theatre and television, headlines Some Enchanted Evening ~ A Night of Broadway Song & Dance to benefit Inland Pacific Ballet, the professional ballet company based in the Inland Empire. This 2nd annual intimate cabaret evening features song and dance by Inland Pacific Ballet dancers and Academy students, cocktails, hor d'oeuvres, dessert, silent/live auction, and is hosted by IPB Associate Director Jonathan Sharp (The Red Shoes, Carousel, The Rocky Horror Show Live, The Dance of the Vampires, Fiddler on the Roof). Some Enchanted Evening takes place on Saturday, September 22 at 6 p.m., at Inland Pacific Ballet located at 9061 Central Avenue, Montclair, 91763.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of professional theaters that collaborate in innovative ways to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays, announces its 2018-19 grant recipients, including the 2018 Smith Prize for Political Theatre, six Producer Residencies, and five Collaboration Fund awards that will support partnerships between multiple Member Theaters, playwrights, and other theater makers in various projects.

Lovers of new theatre will gather this August for an advance look at tomorrow's hits at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's 2018 New Works Festival at Palo Alto's Lucie Stern Theatre. This unique festival offers audiences an extraordinary opportunity to experience new plays and musicals in their early stages of development, and hear about the creative process in a "Meet the Artists" panel discussion. With multiple performances of each work, playwrights and composers are able to rewrite scenes, add or delete songs, revise and refine, allowing audiences to return and watch the exciting evolution of brand new pieces of American theatre.

The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) today announces that Amy E. Witting's Anne Page Hates Fun and Mary Elizabeth Hamilton's 16 Winters or the Bear's Tale are the first two winners of 'Shakespeare's New Contemporaries,' an international playwriting competition designed to create a modern canon of companion pieces for each of Shakespeare's 38 plays.

Yesterday marked the fourth annual Red Nose Day in the U.S., following a seven-week campaign of activity across the country that brought together millions of Americans to have fun and make a difference, raising money and awareness for children living in poverty. The campaign has now raised over $42 million for children who need it most in America and around the world — totaling more than $145 million in the campaign's first four years in the U.S. The final number is expected to increase as the public continues to donate and turn in fundraising dollars in the coming weeks.

Yesterday marked the fourth annual Red Nose Day in the U.S., following a seven-week campaign of activity across the country that brought together millions of Americans to have fun and make a difference, raising money and awareness for children living in poverty. The campaign has now raised over $42 million for children who need it most in America and around the world — totaling more than $145 million in the campaign's first four years in the U.S. The final number is expected to increase as the public continues to donate and turn in fundraising dollars in the coming weeks.

The biggest names in television, film and music will come together to have fun and raise money for children in need during NBC's fourth annual "The Red Nose Day Special," airing Thursday, May 24 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Hosted by comedian Chris Hardwick, the telecast will be broadcast live from Rockefeller Plaza in New York City.

American Composers Orchestra continues its commitment to the creation and development of new orchestral music with the 27thAnnual Underwood New Music Readings on June 21-22, 2018 at NYU's Loewe Theater (35 West 4th Street).

Dance Umbrella Announces 2018 Programme

American Composers Orchestra continues its commitment to the creation and development of new orchestral music with the announcement of sixteen emerging composers who will participate in its catalytic programs. Six emerging composers will participate in the 27th Annual Underwood New Music Readings on June 21-22, 2018 at a location to be announced. Ten emerging composers receive 2018 EarShot New Music Readings presented by Fort Wayne Philharmonic (February 7, 2018), Charlotte Symphony Orchestra (March 1, 2018), and Jacksonville Symphony (April 20, 2018). EarShot is a partnership between American Composers Orchestra, League of American Orchestras, American Composers Forum, and New Music USA.

For the past thirty years, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has been a vital part of the theatre community, and Tom Viola has been around to nurture its growth since the organization's inception in 1988.

The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, revealed its feature film lineup championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established filmmaking talent. To close the Festival, Tribeca will World Premiere The Fourth Estate, from Oscar®-nominated director Liz Garbus, which follows The New York Times' coverage of the Trump administration's first year. The Centerpiece Gala will be the World Premiere of Drake Doremus' sci-fi romance Zoe starring Ewan McGregor, Lea Seydoux, Rashida Jones, and Theo James. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 18-29.

The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, revealed its feature film lineup championing the discovery of emerging voices and celebrating new work from established filmmaking talent. To close the Festival, Tribeca will World Premiere The Fourth Estate, from Oscar®-nominated director Liz Garbus, which follows The New York Times' coverage of the Trump administration's first year. The Centerpiece Gala will be the World Premiere of Drake Doremus' sci-fi romance Zoe starring Ewan McGregor, Lea Seydoux, Rashida Jones, and Theo James. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 18-29.

Anniversaries are customarily times to reflect on the past, but for Maine State Music Theatre's Artistic Director, Curt Dale Clark, the 2018 gala celebration of the company's sixty years is not only a time to celebrate history, but also to use the significant milestone as an opportunity to look to the future. 'We are thinking forward and not resting on our laurels. We are accentuating what works, trying to fix what doesn't, and trying to find new ways to engage the community and make them happy,' Clark explains his philosophy about the Brunswick-based theatre's upcoming historic season.

A sold-out seven performance production of CHESS in Concert blew the rafters of the roof of the Eisenhower Theater.