The Chairs - 2015 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 18

To acknowledge her outstanding contribution to classical theatre in America, Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) will present Tony-Award winning actress, singer and stage director Phylicia Rashad with the prestigious William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (Will Award).

Join the incomparable Mel Brooks live on stage for an exclusive, inside look at his storied career, and the making of the legendary and groundbreaking movie Blazing Saddles on Saturday, October 6th, 2018 at Bellco Theatre. This outrageous masterpiece, considered one of the top comedy films of all time, will be presented on the big screen followed by a conversation and audience Q&A with Mel Brooks himself.

One of the country's most dynamic and successful programs for the performing arts - ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS, located on West 45th Street in Manhattan - will make its 5th annual trip to Martha's Vineyard August 12-18, it has been announced by Lori Klinger, Artistic and Executive Director of ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS (RTKids).

Irish Arts Center welcomes back Mikel Murfi, one of the most vital and versatile voices in Irish theater, to present two of his solo works-companion plays I Hear You and Rejoice and The Man in the Woman's Shoes(September 12-October 21). The plays, presented in repertory by the celebrated writer and performer, see Murfi embodying a mute shoemaker and the coterie of characters he encounters in a small Irish town in County Sligo. While Rejoice functions as a sequel to Shoes (whose U.S. premiere IAC presented in 2015), revealing the bittersweet next chapter of the lives of the characters audiences came to know and love inthat first play, the two works easily stand alone. Those who saw The Man in the Woman's Shoes in 2015 will find their relationship with Murfi's singular style and his depiction of small town Irish existence deepening, and audiences new to his work will marvel at how his acting acrobatics can, most importantly, access and activate our hearts.

Angela Delfini Explains It All For You, a full-length one-woman show created by Angela Delfini and John Towsen, will play the 2018 NY Clown Theatre Festival at The Brick (579 Metropolitan Avenue at Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211) as part of its United States cross-country tour this fall. Performances will be on Saturday, September 8 at 7pm, Tuesday, September 11 at 7pm, and Sunday, September 23 at 2pm. Tickets ($20) are available online at www.bricktheater.com or by calling 866-811-4111. The performance will run approximately 60 minutes, with no intermission.

HAND TO GOD is a little like AVENUE Q, but with less singing, more frequent cursing, and more graphic simulated puppet sex. The 2015 Tony nominee for best play is having its regional premiere in a fantastic production at Jungle Theater, and if you don't mind being a little uncomfortable at the theater (you shouldn't, it's good for you), it's well worth braving the construction, traffic, and parking headaches that come with a trip to Uptown to see this funny, irreverent, and sad little play.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts today announced the selection of four Honorees who will receive the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements, and a special Honors distinction for a work of art and its co-creators. Recipients to be honored at the 41st annual national celebration of the arts are: singer and actress Cher, composer and pianist Philip Glass, Country music entertainer Reba McEntire, and jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter. This year, the co-creators of Hamilton-writer and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, and music director Alex Lacamoire-will receive a unique Kennedy Center Honors as trailblazing creators of a transformative work that defies category.

Now celebrating its 6th year presenting free Shakespeare in the streets of Park Slope, South Brooklyn Shakespeare (SBS) has announced its 2018 production: Five FREE performances of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale in Park Slope, with opening night serving as the main event of Park Slope Fifth Avenue's Summer Stroll #2 performed on 5th Avenue at 18th Street (July 28), plus four performances staged outside The Old Stone House (August 1-4).  Shakespeare's late romance, The Winter's Tale, opens on the Kingdom of Sicilia, where unfounded jealousy leads the king to destroy his family and a long friendship.

Clare Barron's Obie Award winning play (2015) YOU GOT OLDER makes it's Sydney Premiere under Claudia Barrie's astute direction. 

The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts announces a broad range of sensory-friendly performances across its Campus throughout the 2018-19 season, with presentations from Broadway Philadelphia and three of the Center's esteemed resident companies including Pennsylvania Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Philly POPS. Part of a Campus-wide commitment to present a diverse tapestry of programming to the Philadelphia community, the upcoming lineup of events furthers the mission of reaching broad and diverse audiences.

On September 27, New York City Ballet will present the seventh installment of its annual Fall Fashion Gala, celebrating choreography and costume design with an evening of world premiere ballets and creative collaborations between some of today's most exciting artists from the worlds of dance and design. 

Known for their live performances that blend bluegrass roots with the fierce fire of a rock show and an emotional, near-gospel spirit, The Avett Brothers are no strangers to major venues: for past summers, they have sold out three nights at Colorado's legendary Red Rocks Amphitheater. They're also a staple on the festival circuit, frequenting the likes of Bonnaroo and Shakey Knees.

The University Musical Society (UMS) hosted its annual meeting of the UMS Board of Directors on Wednesday, June 27, electing six new Board members and re-electing four officers. Additionally, two new ex-officio members were appointed to the Board. 

National Alliance for Musical Theatre (Betsy King Militello, Executive Director) is thrilled to announce the line-up of new musicals for their 30th Annual FESTIVAL OF NEW MUSICALS, which takes place on Thursday, October 25 and Friday, October 26, 2018 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). The Festival events will kick off on Monday, October 22 with Thank You, 30!, a gala event to celebrate the 30th Annual Festival.

Who hasn't been to one of the Broadway musical gems that play out in the open air amphitheatre during these blistering hot Austin summers? A gift to the community, the Zilker Summer Musical has been part of Austin for sixty years now. Always free to the public, this year's offering is ALL SHOOK UP, a jukebox musical from 2004 setting Elvis Presley's music to a book by Joe DiPietro. The story is based on William Shakespeare's 1602 play Twelfth Night. Since 1959, audiences have placed their blankets and lawn chairs under the stars at the Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater to be treated to such Broadway hits as Hairspray, The Sound of Music, The Music Man, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Oklahoma, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and L'il Abner to name just a few. Shows that, in many cases, no other theatre in town would produce. BroadwayWorld recently had the opportunity to sit down with J. Robert Moore, the Artistic Director of Zilker Theatre Productions to talk about the Zilker musical as well as the organization.

After a successful run in Central Park, playing to over 4,000 people, performances resume on Wednesday, June 27 in Rockefeller Park/Battery Park City for New York Classical Theatre's critically acclaimed production of Romeo and Juliet, directed by the company's Founding Artistic Director Stephen Burdman. The production will play this week through June 30, before continuing on to The Battery, Carl Schurz Park, and Brooklyn Bridge Park for performances through July 29. There is no ticketing, and all performances are free and open to the public. Performance schedule can be found at newyorkclassical.org.   

While its original production, as most Broadway shows go, offered the expected big sets, first-rate costumes, and impressive production values, the 2015 Tony Award-winning revival production of THE COLOR PUPLE---currently slaying audiences for a week-long stop at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa through June 24---is decidedly more subdued and scaled-down by comparison, allowing the songs, the story, and the cast performances to shine on their own merits instead. The resulting show is a powerful, uplifting one, bathed in a loving, spiritual embrace that shines a light on the struggles, the insecurities, the passions, and the tenacity of African-American women living in the early decades of the 20th Century. I can say without hesitation that this revival production is an excellent way to experience this beautiful, touching, and ultimately triumphant musical.

BroadwayWorld presents a comprehensive weekly roundup of regional stories around our Broadway World, which include videos, editor spotlights, regional reviews and more. This week, we feature IN THE HEIGHTS, HUNCHBACK, GUYS AND DOLLS and More!

The production of The Color Purple that opened at Actor's Express over the weekend is a strong, spirited, stripped-down production that aims straight at the heart of Alice Walker's beloved story. Here, the aesthetic improvements to the stuffy and overcooked original Broadway production's concept are inspired by John Doyle's recent acclaimed minimalist revival on Broadway, and in the hands of a talented ensemble and a luminous Latrice Pace in the role of Celie, this musical becomes exactly what it should be: a heartfelt portrait of the resilience of the human heart.

St. Ann's Warehouse will present the U.S. Premiere of The Jungle, the immensely acclaimed Good Chance Theatre co-production with the National Theatre and Young Vic. Currently opening a five-month run at London's Playhouse Theatre on the West End, The Jungle comes to St. Ann's beginning December 4, 2018.

The BROADWAY PRINCESS PARTY is having a homecoming of sorts. The brand, led by Benjamin Rauhala and Laura Osnes (Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA), touched down at Feinstein's/54 Below (then simply 54 Below) back in August 2015, returning for four more engagements over the next three years. When the show returns to the space on June 25, it will look a bit different than what New York audiences may have come to expect.

In response to popular demand, Soho Rep. (Sarah Benson, Artistic Director; Cynthia Flowers, Executive Director) extends the world premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Fairview, directed by Sarah Benson, through July 22. In Fairview, the Frasier family (MaYaa Boateng, Charles Browning, Roslyn Ruff, and Heather Alicia Simms) is gearing up for Grandma's birthday, and Beverly needs this dinner to be perfect. But the silverware's wrong, the radio's on the fritz, her sister Jasmine is drinking, her husband Dayton isn't helping, her daughter Keisha is a typical teenager, and her brother Tyrone might not show up at all!

What place does a fairytale have in the modern world? Unlike Cinderella's slipper, there's no one perfect fit of an answer, but two of Broadway's favorites have been exploring this question through a popular concert/cabaret series. The Broadway Princess Party, the brainchild of two-time Tony-nominated actress Laura Osnes and music director Benjamin Rauhala, combines a tongue-in-cheek sensibility with a warm affection for musical princess characters and their stories. With the concerts, Osnes and Rauhala have created a space that celebrates music, joy, and a healthy dose of girl power.

The Drilling Company, Hamilton Clancy Artistic Director, will present 'Hamlet,' directed by Karla Hendrick and starring Jane Bradley, for its 2018 Shakespeare in the Parking Lot production. This popular New York summer institution is now in its 24th year. Its concept--presenting Shakespeare plays with a 'poor theater' aesthetic in a working parking lot--is now widely imitated around the US and around the world, with productions as far away as New Zealand.

The Laguna Playhouse raised $1.7 Million at their annual gala held on May 12, 2018 at Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California. Attended by 400 playhouse patrons, the sold-out event featured a VIP Sponsors Reception, an elegant dinner, live and silent auction, entertainment and a special performance by 'Phantom of the Opera' star Davis Gaines. Honored at the event were the Moulton Family and South Coast Plaza.