The Immigrant - 2004 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 7

Cabaret singer Rian Keating's trajectory has been a variation on the a?oelocal boy makes gooda?? cliché with unpredictable twists and turns and a fair amount of obstacles.  

The Iraqi maqam (modal system), one of Iraq's richest cultural offerings, features sophisticated melodies, infectious rhythms, and eloquent poetry. Hamid Al-Saadi, Iraq's foremost exponent of this centuries-old tradition, is renowned for his powerful voice and highly ornamented style, as well as his comprehensive knowledge of the intricate details of the music and poetry of Iraq. Al-Saadi is the only person from his generation to have memorized and mastered all 56 maqamat from the Baghdad repertoire, and is one of the few vocalists to keep this maqam alive today. He is joined by Safaafir, the only US-based ensemble dedicated to performing the Iraqi maqam in it traditional format. The group is led by the acclaimed Amir ElSaffar (santur-zither) and Dena El Saffar (joza-bowed stringed instrument, violin) of Iraqi descent, and features Tim Moore on percussion.

CBS today announced the six writers selected to participate in the 2019-2020 Writers Mentoring Program. Since its inception in 2004, the program has served to provide mentorships, access and opportunity for writers.

Anyone who has undertaken a show by Stephen Sondheim knows that the music is seriously difficult, often including dissonant cords, tricky intervals, and overlapping lines. Assassins is no exception. Written by John Weidman and Sondheim, it was first produced at Playwrights Horizons in 1990 and hit Broadway in 2004. It was originally scheduled to play on Broadway in 2001, but was postponed due to the events of September 11, 2001. The story of those who assassinated or attempted to assassinate various Presidents throughout US history, Assassins combines quirky characters such as the Proprietor and Balladeer with historical characters such as Emma Goldman and John Wilkes Booth. It covers complex themes ranging from broken dreams to corruption to classism with dark humor. The show approaches these themes and the overarching theme of disillusionment with the American dream in a way that may make audiences feel uncomfortable as they are confronted with truths that are all too real about our country, our history, and human nature. Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg takes on Assassins now through November 3rd.

Waterwell today announced the return of The Courtroom, a re-enactment of deportation proceedings, with text arranged from real court transcripts by Waterwell co-founder and Tony Award nominee Arian Moayed

ProArteDanza celebrates its 15th anniversary season with the Toronto Premiere of The 9th!, the full-length choreographed imagining of Ludwig van Beethoven's epic 9th Symphony, on stage November 6a?'9, 2019 at 8pm at Harbourfront Centre's Fleck Dance Theatre. Created and co-choreographed by the company's award-winning Artistic Director Roberto Campanella and Artistic Associate Robert Glumbek, this bold and provocative work pays homage to the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, in a fitting tribute to the thrilling physicality of the composer's iconic music. 

The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 American Poets Prizes, which are among the most valuable and venerable poetry prizes in the United States. This year the organization has awarded more funds to poets than any other organization, giving a total of $1,250,000 to poets at various stages of their careers.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced that The Tale of Despereaux, a new musical, will join the 2019-20 season as its second special presentation solidifying the previously announced seven-show subscription season. Coming off a successful run at The Old Globe in San Diego, where it had its world premiere, The Tale of Despereaux, written and directed by PigPen Theatre Co. and co-directed by Marc Bruni, will begin previews at Berkeley Rep on Thursday, November 21, 2019 and run through Sunday, January 5, 2020. Tickets will go on sale in early August exclusively to Berkeley Rep's 2019-20 season subscribers before being made available to the general public.

World Music Institute (WMI) prepares to celebrate its 34th year in NYC with a fresh roster of global artists for the FallWinter 2019-2020 Season

Since its founding in 1989, Ma-Yi Theater Company has distinguished itself as one of the country's leading incubators of new work shaping the national discourse about what it means to be Asian American today. Building on the recent success of the Lortel Award-winner KPOP and Mike Lew's Teenage Dick, Ma-Yi is pleased to announce programming for its 30th anniversary season.

The Tony Award-winning musical HAMILTON opened Tuesday, June 18, 2019, at the Music Hall in Kansas City and continues through Sunday, July 7. The American Theater Guild presents the smash Broadway musical featuring rap, jazz, blues, traditional-style show tunes, and hip-hop. Does it deserve all the attention it has garnered? The majority of the theater-goers, especially younger ones, will enthusiastically answer yes. While others, including myself, while recognizing the superb quality of the production and of the talent, will answer no. At times the lyrics are hard to understand, making the plot somewhat hard to follow.

The little OPERA theatre of ny will present a FREE concert of scenes from American operas in collaboration with Bronx Opera and operamission on Saturday, June 22, 2019. The concert will showcase the diversity of music and stories written for the opera stage by both native born and immigrant composers and librettists. The concert will take place outdoors on Governors Island in Nolan Park, in front of building 25. The performance is at 5pm and is FREE to the public. (Rain date: Sunday, June 23 at 4pm.)

The little OPERA theatre of ny will present a FREE concert of scenes from American operas in collaboration with Bronx Opera and operamission. The concert will showcase the diversity of music and stories written for the opera stage by both native born and immigrant composers and librettists. The concert will take place outdoors on Governors Island in Nolan Park, in front of building 25. The performance is at 5pm and is FREE to the public. (Rain date: Sunday, June 23 at 4pm.)

Zions Bank in partnership with Spike150, CRWDA and Ogden Musical Theatre presented Gold Mountain, written by 2017 ASCAP Foundation's Cole Porter Award recipient Jason Ma as a series of semi-staged concert performances at the Regent Street Black Box at The Eccles Theater in Salt Lake City and in partnership with Ogden Musical Theatre, at the historic Peery's Egyptian Theater in Ogden, May 8 - May 11.

Hartford Stage will present Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, a celebration of one of America's most beloved and prolific songwriters, written and performed by internationally-acclaimed pianist, actor and playwright Hershey Felder, for a limited one-week engagement - June 21 through 30, 2019.

Effie Marie Sojak Rosene passed away early Mother's Day morning, May 12, 2019. She was born November 10, 1932 to Frank Sojak and Christine Lezak Sojak, Czech immigrant farmers, in the Frydek/Simonton area of Texas. She grew up in the Rio Grande Valley with 15 brothers and sisters and graduated from Rio Hondo High School. She attended St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Houston. She was working as a nurse at St. Joseph Hospital when she met the love of her life, Willard George (Bill) Rosene.

Who would ever think of creating a musical based on a carnival shooting gallery filled with the ghosts of presidential assassins? The idea is ridiculous; therefore, this show is ridiculous...ly entertaining!

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the three shows that complete the seven plays of its 2019-20 subscription season: the West Coast premiere of the critically acclaimed new drama White Noise by Suzan-Lori Parks; the world premiere of Sarah Ruhl's Becky Nurse of Salem that was developed through The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work; and Samuel Beckett's masterpiece Happy Days directed by James Bundy and starring two-time Academy Award winner Dianne Wiest.

Baruch Performing Arts Center, along with New York-based theater company Blessed Unrest and Teatri ODA of Kosovo, will co-present the World Premiere of Refuge from April 25 - May 11 @ 7:30, with a variable weekly schedule and a 5pm performance Sun May 5 (Opening Night April 27) at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue (25 Street between Third and Lexington Avenues), NYC. 

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced a compelling slate of productions for its 2019-20 subscription season. Berkeley Rep's newArtistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer revealed four of the seven subscription shows that will comprise her first season at the Theatre.

San Francisco Playhouse announced today the six plays that will comprise its 2019-20 Mainstage Season. With a lineup that includes both brave new works and re-imagined classics, the company solidifies its commitment to providing a home for the most essential voices in theatre. The Playhouse's three-play Sandbox Series devoted to developing new works will be announced at a later date.

CRADLE, a riveting new relationship drama about a British girl intent on joining ISIS and the mother equally intent on stopping her, has been selected as a featured play by Riant Theatre's Strawberry One-Act Festival.

Geva Theatre Center's Artistic Director Mark Cuddy and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli are proud to announce the 10 major productions and 2 festivals of the much anticipated 2019-2020 Season, the non-profit theatre's 47th year of making professional theatre of a national standard in Rochester.

The National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) is pleased to announce its next special exhibition Sara Berman's Closet: a small and monumental story by Maira Kalman and Alex Kalman. An installation of one immigrant woman's belongings as re-created by Sara's daughter and grandson - the acclaimed artist and writer Maira Kalman and designer and curator Alex Kalman - the project will feature the Museum's first-ever public art installation on its Kimmel Plaza, on the corner of 5th and Market Streets. An accompanying art exhibition will continue in the Museum's special exhibition gallery, featuring new paintings by Maira Kalman and new sculptures by Alex Kalman and will include interventions throughout the core exhibition, as well as in-person appearances by the Kalmans throughout the run. Sara Berman's Closet will be on view April 5 through September 2, 2019.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance, in partnership with New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark, announces the return of NJPAC Stage Exchange for a fifth year. The program gives established playwrights an opportunity to hear commentary from the public about their new works at a special sneak peek reading event on Friday, March 8 at NJPAC.