When January Feels Like Summer - 2014 - Off-Broadway Articles Page 6

Those who have made significant contributions to the arts in a variety of categories will be recognized for their achievements in enriching the communities and citizens of Utah at the 10th Annual Star Awards held Saturday, February 28, 2015 at the SCERA Center for the Arts in Orem.

Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, continues its 2014/15 Season with Guadalupe in the Guest Room, a new play by Tony Meneses, directed by Daniella Topol. The production will run February 14-March 15, 2015, with the opening night on Friday, February 27 at 8pm. Tickets starting at $20 and ticket packages for Two River's spring season of three world premieres are available from 732.345.1400 or tworivertheater.org. Guadalupe in the Guest Room is supported by lead production sponsor U.S. Trust.

'All our stories this year will be about families or individuals who are broken, but they come back to make the best of it - to survive. That is our job as human beings, and if our shows can give somebody the strength and courage to do just that, then we in the theatre are doing our jobs.' Curt Dale Clark, Artistic Director of Maine State Music Theatre, is waxing eloquent about the company's plans for the 2015 summer season, the fifty-seventh for the company, and his second in the leadership position. Together with his partner, Managing Director, Stephanie Dupal, Clark outlines their plans for what they hope will be a worthy encore to last year's spectacularly successful season.

As the days dwindled down to a precious few in 2014, a few cabaret goers and performers in what is affectionately but also self-mockingly called the “cabaret community” would sidle up and ask if I was planning my annual end-of-the year “Best Of” column, similar to the “Top 20 Bests and Favorites” piece over the first half of the year I posted back in early July. I would respond in the negative with very reasonable and believable excuses, but the truth is I didn't want to reveal my “Bests” of the year until the voting for the 2014 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards had ended. There's enough baggage and backstage whispering that comes with administering the BWW Awards, so I wasn't about to publish any opinions that might influence the vote while it was in process. I may be crazy but I'm not masochistic. But now all bets are off. You want lists? I'll give you lists.

Almost Maine is one of the countries most produced plays, this February; Royal Family Productions (Katie Avebe, Mary Bernardi, Chris Henry and Andy Theodorou, Founders) will present the New York premiere of John Cariani's follow-up play LOVE / SICK. Directed by Chris Henry and featuring choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter, LOVE / SICK will begin performances on February 6 and open on February 9 through February 26, 2015 at Royal Family's new home in Times Square at Royal Family Performing Arts Space (145 West 46th St.). Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting royalfamilyproductions.org or by calling Ovation Tickets at (866)811-4111.

Companies like STAR find themselves drowning in a sea of a million and one LI amateur productions thrown together to make a quick buck. In contrast, STAR is adamant in their goal of being innovative with their respective approach to each show, while also creating an aesthetically pleasing theatrical escape for their spectators.

It's that time of year, and everyone is making their lists. For me, this task is always harder than it probably should be. I wrestle with myself and debate the merits of everything. I worry about who might get their feelings hurt, and whom I may accidentally overlook. So, for 2014, I promised myself to make a simple list of the 10 albums from 2014 that I simply couldn't get enough of. Naturally, that list is actually 15 items long. (Surprise!)

In my recent very extended assessment of cabaret shows I never reviewed during the second half of 2014, there were two significant omissions. I didn't leave these out of my critical mix because they weren't strikingly significant. In fact, it was just the opposite. The new variety game show, Tune In Time, which dubs itself the “Musical Theater Olympics,” and the musical theater piece/song cycle, New World Waking, were among the most original and entertaining productions I witnessed this year and deserved more of a feature treatment than a quickie review. My take on Tune In Time (which will begin a new monthly run at the York Theatre on January 5) should beat the clock before the next show. So by simple process of elimination, this commentary will be on New World Waking, which when performed on December 6 was one of the highlights of the recent annual 12-day, 20-show Winter Rhythms Festival at Urban Stages.

Jane's Addiction is set for an encore presentation at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas at The LINQ, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. South today and Saturday, November 21 & 22, 2014 at 9:00 PM.

The fourth and final reading in Studio 42's 2014 Reading Series will be Clickshare by Lucas Kavner (Carnival Kids) and directed my Studio 42 Artistic Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God). The reading will take place at 7pm on November 23rd at A.R.T/NY.

Kaufman chatted with BroadwayWorld during his first week in the show about joining the company, moving from TV to the stage, making his Broadway debut and more. Check out the full interview below!

The 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals, presented by the National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT), kicked off with THE 46TH MINUTE, a concert hosted by Lindsay Mendez and featuring performances by Heidi Blickenstaff, Doreen Montalvo, Mamie Parris, Bryce Ryness, and more. Musical presentations started October 23 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street) and included Beautiful Poison, Cubamor, Great Wall, How To Break, Mary Marie, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes, String and Stu For Silverton. The Festival concluded on October 24, 2014. Scroll down for photos!

The 2014-2015 season of Broadway in San Antonio features six show-stopping productions, two market debuts and three season options.

Texas stage legend, Jaston Williams, is heading back to Galveston's The Grand 1894 Opera House. This time around he is bringing his newest play, MAID MARIAN IN A STOLEN CAR, to tickle our ribs. Gearing up for the production, Jaston Williams talks to me about why you should see MAID MARIAN IN A STOLEN CAR.

Sundance Institute today announced the projects and artists that will participate in its two Fall artist development programs: the inaugural Playwrights Studio at Flying Point in Water Mill, NY (October 19-26), as well as the two-week Theatre Lab (November 30 - December 14) for musical theatre, ensemble-generated projects and solo work at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). Under the supervision of Artistic Director Philip Himberg and Producing Director Christopher Hibma, the initiatives are among the Theatre Program's five annual Labs and Residencies for theatre artists and part of the 24 artist residency labs across many creative disciplines Sundance Institute offers annually.

Daryl Roth (Kinky Boots, The Normal Heart) and Karyl Lynn Burns (The Best is Yet to Come) present the New York premiere of Wiesenthal, the award-winning play written by and starring Tom Dugan and directed by Jenny Sullivan. Wiesenthal begins performances October 24 at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row, (410 W. 42nd Street). Opening night is November 5. The company just met the press and you can go inside the special event below!

The National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT) is proud to announce final casting for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Michael Cassara Casting serves as the resident casting office for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place on Thursday, October 23, 2014 and Friday, October 24, 2014 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Online Festival registration ends Friday, October 17.

The National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT) just announced initial casting for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals. Michael Cassara Casting serves as the resident casting office for the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals, taking place on Thursday, October 23, 2014 and Friday, October 24, 2014 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

Jane's Addiction is set for an encore presentation at Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas at The LINQ, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. South on Friday and Saturday, November 21 & 22, 2014 at 9:00 PM. Tickets on sale Saturday, October 4, 2014 at 10 a.m. PST.

Women's Project Theater, under the leadership of new Producing Artistic Director Lisa McNulty and Interim Executive Producer Jessica R. Jenen has announced the four plays in its 2014-15 season, continuing the theater's 37 year commitment to producing the finest work by women in the theater. Beginning in October, WP Theater's season will include new work by Cori Thomas (My Secret Language of Wishes), directed by Daniella Topol (Charles Ives take Me Home, Row After Row); Kate Benson (Lee Miller), directed by Lee Sunday Evans (The Play About My Dad); Tanya Barfield (The Call, Blue Door), directed by Leigh Silverman (Violet--Tony Nominee, Chinglish, Well), and Laura Eason (Sex With Strangers, "House of Cards"), directed by Kirsten Kelly (Slipping).

The National Alliance For Musical Theatre (NAMT) announced today the all-star lineup of directors and musical directors participating in the 26th Annual Festival of New Musicals on Thursday, October 23, 2014 and Friday, October 24, 2014 at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street).

Steppenwolf Theatre Company's new production of Kenneth Lonergan's critically acclaimed This is Our Youth opens on Broadway tonight, September 11. Let's see what the critics had to say...

The Old Globe today announced the full cast and creative team for Marco Ramirez's ('Orange is the New Black,' 'Sons of Anarchy') wildly theatrical new play The Royale, directed by two-time Obie Award-winning and Drama Desk Award-nominated Rachel Chavkin. Founding Artistic Director of New York's the TEAM, Chavkin most recently won accolades for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (The New York Times, Time Out New York, and New York Post Critics's Picks, and Top Ten of 2012 and 2013). The Royale will run October 4 to November 2 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run October 4 - 8. Opening night is Thursday, October 9 at 8:00 p.m.

PAGE 73 has announced the world premiere of YOU GOT OLDER, a new play by 2014 P73 Playwriting Fellow Clare Barron. Directed by Obie Award-winner Anne Kauffman, YOU GOT OLDER will star Tony Award nominee Reed Birney and Brooke Bloom and begins previews on October 29, 2014 on the Mainstage at HERE (145 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10013-1548). YOU GOT OLDER's opening date is currently set for November 6, 2014 and runs through November 22, 2014.

The Irish Repertory Theatre, which 'encourages the development of works focusing on the Irish and Irish American experience, as well as a range of other cultures,' continues the eighth season of its Reading Series with Jen Silverman's play The Moors, directed by Jackson Gay. The reading will take place on Monday, July 28 at 3pm on the Francis J. Greenburger Mainstage of the Irish Repertory Theatre (132 W. 22nd Street). The reading is FREE and open to the public. An RSVP to the Irish Repertory Theatre Box Office at (212) 727-2737 is strongly suggested.