Up and Doing

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, has revealed its inaugural season in the company’s new home at 1012 Church Street in Downtown Evanston.

Winston Churchill was one of the 20th century’s towering political figures – a British statesman, military officer, and prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II in 1940–45, and again in 1951–55, who spent over six decades as a member of the British parliament.

In many of America’s cities, theatre history exists in plain sight. Whether inside a museum or on a street corner, fascinating pieces of theatre lore exist, waiting to be discovered by an interested passerby. Here are ten inspiring displays of theatre history I saw up close and in person this summer, from New York City to Washington D.C. and beyond. You can visit them too—and many are free to see! 

Beautifully performed, but somewhat vanilla, Richard Bean's adaptation lacks a necessary bite

Theater Resources Unlimited is bringing back the TRU Voices New Musical Reading Series with a presentation of América Tropical produced by Prince fellowship recipient Jamila Ponton Bragg. Learn more about the cast here!

In summary, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 was a great introduction to Oyster Mill.  I look forward to getting back to this venue soon.

This week, GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY takes the stage at the Saenger Theatre, bringing its powerful Depression-era story to New Orleans.

In 2025 The TADA Theatre will bring a diverse array of entertainment to the stage ranging from a current hit on Broadway, a special guest from 'America's Got Talent', a hilarious comedy, a Las Vegas headliner, an original musical, a creature from outer space and much more!

The Colburn School has launched a digital archive celebrating the legacies of music pioneer and Holocaust survivor Herbert Zipper and renowned dancer and teacher Trudl Dubsky Zipper, preserving their contributions to the arts.

Radio show whodunnit blends murder mystery parlor game and old-time radio for old-fashioned family fun.

VJM: Thank you both for giving of your time to answer my questions.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of two Choreographers being hired for the same Broadway show, not even a revival, that I can think of.  How did that come about for both of you? Ellenore Scott:  Funny Girl was my Broadway debut as a choreographer. I was so happy when I got a call from Michael Mayer (the director) asking me to work on this revival with him. He knew I was NOT a tap dancer and was aware of the multiple tap routines in the show and asked if I would be down to share the billing with Ayodele Casel. Ayo is an extraordinary artist so I was thrilled to be by her side as she made her Broadway debut as well. Michael first met me initially at Head Over Heels on Broadway where I was an associate choreographer to Spencer Liff. In 2019, he asked if I would choreograph the Off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors and we opened the show October 17th, 2019. I have loved working with Michael and feel as though he keeps his people close and I’m grateful he thought of me for this historic revival. Ayodele Casel:  I met Michael Mayer in 2016 when he directed a New York City Center Encores! show I performed in.  Later that fall he invited me to perform that piece in a Broadway for Hillary fundraiser he was also directing. We'd kept in touch over the years and in 2019, after seeing a show I’d premiered at The Joyce Theater, he asked if I would be interested in providing the Tap choreography for a revival he was working on. Like Ellenore shared, Michael wanted to work with us both to deliver the full choreographic vision of the show. I believe it was a very progressive vision on his part and I’m really thankful that I was able to make my Broadway debut with this team.

I initially started working on this show, and now I am the biggest Dylan fan. He's so ubiquitous. He's out there in the culture. So, of course, I knew Dylan and Dylan's songs, but this has made me a huge fan of his.

BOOMERANG THEATRE COMPANY will continue their 'Super Season' of nine plays, which commenced in October 2023. Learn more!

Join actors J. Smith-Cameron and Joe Morton as they narrate MasterVoices' performance of THE GRAPES OF WRATH at Carnegie Hall on April 17. Don't miss this unique theatrical experience.

MasterVoices will close its 2023-24 season on April 17 at Carnegie Hall with a revised concert version of The Grapes of Wrath by composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Michael Korie based on the epic novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present the 25th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Kevin Hart on March 24, 2024 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The Prize, which is named to honor one of the world’s greatest humorists, will be awarded at a gala performance featuring some of the biggest names in comedy.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present the 25th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to Kevin Hart on March 24, 2024 in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Utah Symphony | Utah Opera announces the appointment of Sharon Bjorndal Lavery as Chorus Director and Opera Assistant Conductor. Lavery will work with both the Symphony Chorus and Opera Chorus, preparing them for performances.

Utah Symphony performs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Berg’s Wozzeck in a semi-staged production led by Creative Partner David Robertson. Don't miss this exceptional musical experience!

What did our critic think of BLITHE SPIRIT at Theatre Memphis? Perhaps it’s self-evident, but the ability to communicate with the dead would appear to be, in a word, “challenging.” Having never personally attended a séance, the ingredients necessary to summon a ghost would seem to require enormous skill, persistence, and focus.

A sensational and sumptuous feast for both the eyes and ears, you can’t help but fall under the spell of the pinball wizard TOMMY.

HEAD OVER HEELS opened this weekend at the Cultural Arts Playhouse in Syosset this past Saturday night. Based on the 1593 story “The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia,” this 2018 Broadway hit features the music of the Go-Go’s, including “We Got The Beat,” “Heaven Is A Place On Earth,” “Vacation,” and, of course, “Head Over Heels.” Directed by CAP Artistic Director/General Manager Tony Frangipane and Diane Marmann, the production shines in all the right places. 

Those of us who remember the 60s no doubt were fans of Roller Derby on television. But ever wonder what it was like behind-the-scenes when the rough and tough female skaters let their hair down? The new musical High Heels on Wheels, with lyrics and book by Leslie Sloan and music by Eliza Jane McNamara, is part of this month’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and shares the story of Doris Selander, the best carhop in town, who decides to try out for the open spot of the local derby team in 1965. Her life takes many directions once she makes the decision to follow her dreams to roller derby stardom, despite the roadblocks in her way. I decided to speak with Leslie Sloan about the process of bringing it to the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

It seems like only a few weeks ago that Palm Canyon Theatre (PCT) began their 26th Season with the magnificent Titanic.  Now that season is coming to an end with a delightful little jewel box called She Loves Me. Canyon Theatre?

As Holocaust Remembrance Day approaches, The Colburn School is proud to announce that it has received a prestigious Save America's Treasures grant to preserve and digitize the Herbert and Trudl Zipper Archive at Colburn. Herbert Zipper, for whom Colburn's Zipper Hall is named, was a pioneer of the community music movement and had a deep commitment that every student should be able to participate in the performing arts.