I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Sunday Scoop Week of 1/31/21 - Live and Virtual Events Coming Up This Week or Soon Thereafter and More

1) Amas Musical Theatre Announces Second Extension of Hip Hop Cinderella A New Musical
2) Amas Musical Theatre To Present Virtual Reading of Black Butterfly Streaming Begins 2/3
3) BroadwayCon Launches New Meet & Greet Experiences
4) Broadway Profiles Show Spotlight Series Launches Monthly Focusing on Touring Productions
5) Broadway Workshop Upcoming Online Workshops
6) Dance/NYC Announces 2021 Symposium
7) George Street Playhouse Streaming Season
8) LayeRhythm Commences Bridge Street Theatre Dance 
9) NYCC Celebrates Black History With Creative Clubhouse Stories
10) The Orchestra Now Starts 2021 Season With Livestreamed Concerts 2/7 & 2/21
11) Paper Mill Summer Conservatory Auditions
12) Post Theatrical Festival of Plays to Run February - June 2021
13) #QueertheBallet Joins Bridge Street Dance Theatre's Dance Residency Lineup
14) Seat Geek & Jujamcyn Bring New Ticketing System to Broadway
15 Urban Stages Presents The Heroes & Villians Monologues 2/5 - 2/12
16) The Wild Project Streaming Shows

1) A SECOND EXTENSION ANNOUNCED!

AMAS MUSICAL THEATRE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH HIPHOPMUSICALS.COM
ANNOUNCE
HIP HOP CINDERELLA - A NEW MUSICAL
AN OUT OF THIS WORLD MUSICAL ADVENTURE

BOOK BY SCOTT ELMEGREEN
MUSIC & LYRICS BY RONA SIDDIQUI
STORY ADAPTED BY LINDA CHICHESTER AND DAVID COFFMAN

A FAMILY-FRIENDLY VIRTUAL THEATRICAL EXPERIENCE
FEATURING ALUMNI STUDENTS OF
THE ROSETTA LENOIRE MUSICAL THEATRE ACADEMY

NOW STREAMING THROUGH FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) in association with HipHopMusicals.com (Linda Chichester and David Coffman, Co-Founders) are pleased to announce that they are extending “Hip Hop Cinderella - A New Musical,”a family-friendly intergalactic romp with a cool, hip hop vibe, laughs, adventure and unforgettable songs for a second time. This virtual theatrical experience enjoyed its online launch on December 10, 2020 and was only to be available on demand through December 27, 2020. An initial extension was annnoucced through January 31. However, due to popular demandthe stream will now be available for an additional four (4) weeks through February 28, 2021. Tickets are priced at $20 (general admission), $15 (students/seniors) and $25 (viewing family) and may be purchased at www.amasmusical.org. All proceeds will benefit Amas Musical Theatre’s education programs.

In this reimagining of the classic fairy tale, teenage Cinderella and her rapping robot companion Runka live on planet Zolla. They toil under the thumb of Cinderella’s stepmom, Lady Zurka, and her two social media obsessed stepsisters, Zig and Zag. The galaxy has lost its groove, and the Prince is throwing a Hip Hop Ball and Rap Competition to turn the beat around. Traveling via a quantum time warp, Cinderella transforms into “Ella C” and fights to win the competition. Upon returning to planet Zolla, Ella C is forced into a royal rap battle against Lady Zurka with a surprising result.
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2) AMAS MUSICAL THEATRE
TO PRESENT A VIRTUAL READING OF
BLACK BUTTERFLY
A SURREAL DRAMEDY TV SERIES WITH MUSIC

WRITTEN BY MARY MCCALLUM AND N’KENGE
CREATED BY N’KENGE

FEATURING: N’KENGE, TERENCE ARCHIE AND TAMARA TUNIE

STREAM LAUNCH BEGINS FEBRUARY 3, 2021

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) will present a virtual benefit reading of “Black Butterfly” a surreal dramedy TV series with music, written by Mary McCallum & N’Kenge. This virtual experience will launch online beginning Wednesday, February 3 at 7pm (followed by a Q&A with the company) and will be available on demand through February 6, 2021. Tickets are free, but reservations are required at www.amasmusical.org. All proceeds will benefit Amas Musical Theatre’s education programs.

Tahja, a beautiful and multi-dimensional aspiring Black opera singer, leaves behind the comforts of family life in Florida, the opportunity to work the family business and her engagement to the perfect “southern gentleman” to pursue her dreams as a graduate student at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.

Black Butterfly incorporates a mixture of pre-existing and brand new Broadway, jazz, hip-hop, opera, blues and soul music into Tahja’s journey, set in the bustling and exciting world of the New York City music scene. From the rigid walls of Juilliard filled with strict professors and young hungry talent, to the cutthroat competition of the Broadway stage and audition scene, with the raw eclectic energy of NYC heightened by surreal experiences, Tahja learns that her journey of self-discovery is tied to empowering herself and her passion for her music, and that her dreams “do not have deadlines
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3) BROADWAYCON LAUNCHES 
MEET & GREET EXPERIENCES

ALL-NEW ONLINE EXPERIENCES INCLUDE
ONE-ON-ONE AND GROUP CHATS, RECORDED VIDEOS,
COACHING SESSIONS, AND MORE

FIRST SLATE OF GUESTS: ALEX BRIGHTMAN, JENN COLELLA, 
JUSTIN GUARINI, PATTI MURIN, FREDI WALKER-BROWNE, AND MORE

EXPERIENCES ON SALE NOW

Meet your favorite stars online! BroadwayCon has launched BroadwayCon Meet & Greets, all-new online experiences with some of the most popular Broadway stars. Starting now and continuing through BroadwayCon 2021 in April, these special virtual experiences will bring you face-to-face with your favorite stars.

BroadwayCon has always been the place where fans and creators come together. As Broadway’s shutdown stretches on, BroadwayCon continues to connect people to celebrate the theatrical arts. Meet & Greets combine the excitement of the stage door with the interactivity of BroadwayCon and allow you to meet, learn from, and support your favorite theatre professionals all at once.

The first slate of Meet & Greets include experiences with Andrew Barth Feldman, Alex Brightman, Jenn Colella, Justin Guarini, Ilana Levine, Patti Murin, Ryann Redmond, James Snyder, Nik Walker, and Fredi Walker-Browne. New guests will be added to the platform on a rolling basis.

Experiences include recorded videos, live one-on-one and group meet and greets, coaching sessions, and virtual meeting drop-in surprises. For more information and to purchase experiences, please visit BroadwayCon.com/mg

BroadwayCon 2021 will be held online from the comfort and safety of your own living room. Taking place April 17-18, 2021, BroadwayCon 2021 will host two days of panels, programming, meet and greets, and more. All MainStage programming will stream for free across select BroadwayCon social media platforms. Additionally, fans can upgrade their experience with passes that include virtual swag packs, access to bonus content, exclusive merchandise for pass holders, and more!
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4) THE JOHN GORE ORGANIZATION’S



BROADWAY PROFILES


 WITH TAMSEN FADAL


AMERICA’S FIRST WEEKLY NATIONAL 


BROADWAYNEWS T.V. SHOW


LAUNCHES SPECIAL DIGITAL MONTHLY SERIES

 

BROADWAY PROFILES SHOW


 SPOTLIGHT SERIES


HIGHLIGHTING SHOWS TOURING THE COUNTRY

 

FIRST EPISODE FEATURING THE TONY AND 


GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING BEST MUSICAL


HADESTOWN



The John Gore Organization announced today that “Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal” is launching the “Broadway Profiles Show Spotlight Series,” a special digital series that will feature nationally touring theatrical productions. The first episode, focusing on the Tony and Grammy Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown, will launch on BroadwayProfiles.com on January 25, 2021.


Earlier this month, “Broadway Profiles with Tamsen Fadal,” the first nationally syndicated Broadway entertainment program, increased production to become a weekly television show distributed in 97% of US television households.  Hosted and executive-produced by 12-time Emmy Award® winner Tamsen FadalBroadway Profiles is a NY Emmy Award-winning entertainment show with unprecedented access to A-list celebrities, Broadway’s biggest stars, and behind-the-scenes stories on and off the stage.


The First Episode of “Broadway Profiles Show Spotlight Series,” will feature the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown. In this special episode, hear from Tony Award winners AnaÏs MitchellRachel Chavkin, and André De Sheilds; stars Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada; and Tony Award-winning producers Mara Isaacs and Dale Franzen, as they discuss building and creating this production.


For more information, visit www.broadwayprofiles.com.

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5) Broadway Workshop Upcoming Online Workshops


TAYLOR LOUDERMAN ONLINE WORKSHOP
Mean Girls, Kinky Boots, Bring it On, Peter Pan Live!


Saturday, February 6th, 2021
2:00pm - 3:30pm ET (Eastern Time)
Ages: 13-19
Zoom Online Workshop
Tuition: $100
Only 2 Spaces Open

Tony Award Nominee TAYLOR LOUDERMAN will work with each student on audition technique and song interpretation in this special online master class. We will focus on giving actors the opportunity to bring their audition and performance skills to the next level and how to better connect to their audition material. Students will also take part in a Q&A with Ms. Louderman and the Broadway Workshop team.

Each student should prepare one musical theatre song of their choice for this workshop and have an accompaniment track in the correct key. This is an online workshop through Zoom.

Class is limited to 8 students

For more information or to register, visit www.broadwayworkshop.com/program/taylor-louderman-online-workshop


BROADWAY DAY
with the stars of
DEAR EVAN HANSEN
ANDREW BARTH FELDMAN, GABRIELLE CARRUBBA,
SKY LAKOTA-LYNCH, PHOENIX BEST & ALEX BONIELLO

Broadway Day with Dear Evan Hansen Stars (Q&A)
Sunday, February 7th, 2021
2:00pm – 3:30pm ET (Eastern Time)
Zoom Online Workshop
Ages 10-19
$35

This special 90-minute Q&A experience will reunite the Broadway cast of DEAR EVAN HANSEN, featuring company members Andrew Barth Feldman (Evan), Gabrielle Carrubba (Zoe), Sky Lakota-Lynch (Jared), Alex Boniello (Connor) & Phoenix Best (Alana).

These Evan Hansen stars will discuss leading the incredible company of the hit musical eight times a week, and students will get to ask the stars questions about the show and working in the theatre industry.




Masterclass Intensive
with Leading Ladies
CAISSIE LEVY & SAMANTHA BARKS

Saturday, February 13th & Sunday, February 14th, 2021
11:00am - 1:00pm ET (Eastern Time)
Ages: 10-19 (divided into groups by age)
Zoom Online Workshop
Tuition: $175

Each day, students will work through musical theater material with both CAISSIE LEVY (Elsa in Frozen on Broadway) and SAMANTHA BARKS (Elsa in Frozen on the West End) in small groups (divided by age). Each student will work with each guest master class teacher during this special program.

Each day, students will begin with a short group meeting and then head off to their smaller group master class, where they will receive one-on-one coaching in a more personalized setting with the teacher of the day. In each day’s master class students will work on song interpretation, audition technique, and how to connect to their material. Students will need 1-2 songs to work on over the two days and they should be ready to receive honest feedback from their coaches.

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6) Dance/NYC Announces 2021 Symposium
Education Track Sessions, Speakers, and Lead Sponsor Subsidized Student Tickets

Dance/NYC announces Jody Gottfried Arnhold as the Lead Dance Advocate of the 2021 Symposium. As Lead Dance Advocate, Jody Gottfried Arnhold, Founder of Dance Education Laboratory (DEL) at 92Y, and the Arnhold Foundation will support Dance/NYC's mission to create a just, equitable, and inclusive dance ecology, ensuring the participation of dance workers, dance educators, and students at the virtual Dance/NYC 2021 Symposium, Wednesday, March 17 - Saturday, March 20, 2021. With the support of the Arnhold Foundation, Dance/NYC will provide subsidized ticket rates for students, artists, teaching artists, and dance educators enrolled in or working within the New York City Department of Education K-12 schools, or colleges, universities, and conservatory programs based in the metropolitan NYC area*.

Considering the substantial hardship many in the field are facing, this support is crucial for Black, Indigenous, Peoples of Color (BIPOC), immigrant and disabled dance workers which Dance/NYC research suggests are less likely to earn living wages from their work and have been hardest hit by COVID-19, rendering the true event cost prohibitive. Dance/NYC's Executive Director, Alejandra Duque Cifuentes offers, 'The Arnhold Foundation has been a true partner to Dance/NYC. Jody's leadership and personal investment in dance and in advocating for quality dance education for every child in every school has made an indelible mark in the New York City dance community. Dance education is one of the most vital aspects of a healthy dance ecosystem and one of the main reasons dance remains at the center of our City's cultural fabric.' As the only gathering of its kind for the dance community in the metropolitan New York City area, the Symposium is an opportunity for the dance field to exchange ideas, expand networks, sharpen organizational practices, and deepen the inquiry around New York City's legacy and trajectory of dance-making. Student tickets cost $10 and are limited; Dance worker tickets cost $25; Group rate packages for New York City Department of Education K-12 schools, or colleges, universities, and conservatory programs based in the metropolitan NYC area are also available. For more information, visit Dance.NYC/DanceSymp and register.

This year's theme of Justice. Transformation. Education. will invite participants to reimagine the dance ecology with emphasis on advancing justice, civic engagement, and the whole dance worker, in the context of the global health crisis and social justice uprisings of 2020. The 2021 Symposium will offer content tracks in alignment with its theme, with the Justice Track aimed at rooting out oppressive practices and historic marginalization, the Transformation Track aimed at inspiring change at the individual, organizational and field-wide level, and the Education Track aimed at providing business of dance and dance education tools.

Sessions in the Education Track include:

KEYNOTE: The Studio to Stage Pipeline: a Story of Racism, Tendus and Black Death, moderated by Gregory King, Assistant Professor of Dance at Kent State Universitywith speakers Melanie George, Dance Project & Associate Curator at Jacob's Pillow, Maura Nguyen DonohueProfessor, Hunter College, City University of New York, Ingrid SilvaProfessional Ballet Dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Founder of EmpowHerNY & Co-Founder of Blacks in Ballet, and Jesse Phillips-Fein, Choreographer, performer, and dance educator.

Workshop Series: Dance Education in Focus curated with Ana Nery Fragoso, Dance Educator and Dance Director for the NYCDOE Office of Arts and Special Projectsand speaker Olivia Mode Carter, Founder and CEO, Dance Ed Tips.

Session: Changing the DNA of the settler colonial state: Decolonising syllabi, archives, canon, and the guards of intellectual property curated by Emily Johnson, Choreographer, Guggenheim Fellow with presenter Colette Denali Montoya-SloanArchivist/Librarian, Adelphi University's Manhattan Center and CUNY's Guttman Community College.

The Education track will be accompanied by a thematic guide, to be included in the program book, curated by Maura Donohue. This guide will feature essays, resource lists with related media, and reflection prompts providing deeper pathways to explore the Symposium topics.

Visit Dance.NYC/DanceSymp to get information about Registration, Sponsorship, Ads, Group Tickets, Sessions and Speakers. Sessions will include ASL interpretation and closed captions. 
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7) George Street Playhouse Announces

4-Play Streaming Season


Broadway’s Andréa Burns (On Your Feet; In the Heights) and television and film’s Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock; Weeds; Phineas and Ferb) will headline the start of George Street Playhouse’s newly announced 2021 season, starring in two hilarious full-length comedies audiences can stream at home. 

The 2021 Season begins streaming with the comedy Bad Dates, written by award-winning playwright Theresa Rebeck (Seared, The Scene, Bernhardt/Hamlet) and starring Drama Desk Award Winner Andréa Burns

Television and film star Maulik Pancholy will then play Sam in Becky Mode’s Fully Committed this March.  

A one-woman comedy about a single mom in search of cute shoes, the perfect dress, and a romantic table for two at a great restaurant, Bad Dates is a charming, funny and hopeful tale of dates gone wrong and looking for Mr. Right.

Bad Dates is available to stream February 23 thru March 14. 

The George Street Playhouse season continues with the hit comedy Fully Committed by Becky Mode starring Maulik Pancholy.  Featuring one actor playing more than 40 characters, Fully Committed takes place in a famed restaurant where patrons will stop at nothing to secure a reservation— including coercion and bribes.  

Fully Committed will be available for streaming March 23 through April 11.  

 

George Street Playhouse’s inaugural virtual season then continues with Tiny Beautiful Things, based on the best selling novel of the same name by Cheryl Strayed and directed by GSP Artistic Director David Saint.


Tiny Beautiful Things is based on the Dear Sugar advice column, and was adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

 

Closing the 2021 Season is the hilarious Broadway comedy about Broadway -- It’s Only A Play -- by famed playwright and Tony Award winner Terrence McNally.  It is opening night and the cast of characters is waiting eagerly for what could only be rave reviews. 


The George Street Playhouse 2021 Season of four streaming plays is now on sale for $132 per household.  Single tickets can be purchased for $33 per household beginning January 27.


Each subscriber household will receive a unique link to view each of their performances. Patrons may watch the performance on demand at any time during the run of the show, but patrons must finish their viewing within 24 hours.  


Patrons may also purchase individual household ticket (s) for the performances of their choice.  


Tickets are available online now at GeorgeStreetPlayhouse.org


Subscription packages are available by calling 732-659-0377.

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8) LayeRhythm Commences 
Bridge Street Theatre Dance Residency

Next up in Bridge Street Theatre's ongoing 2021 Winter Dance Residency initiative is French-Vietnamese dance artist Mai Lê Hô's LayeRhythm. The troupe will be using their two-week residency at the Hudson Valley-based performing arts complex (February 1 - 12) to develop a new piece called SWITCH, culminating in an online performance excerpt from Section One (out of five) of this evening-length work-in-progress. The remaining four sections will be freestyle-based, ready to be performed/transformed with each new audience. During their time in Catskill, the dancers will be exploring the meaning of "routine" and of "switching roles" on personal, societal, artistic, and mind-body levels.

Created in 2015 in NYC, LayeRhythm is a cutting-edge jam session that creatively layers live musicians and vocalists with freestyle dancers. Now in its 5th year, the project has taken its club roots to the stage with performances at Jacob's Pillow and 92nd Street Y. The LayeRhythm Experiment (LE) company features prominent dancers who have won world-class competitions in breaking, hip-hop, popping, and house dance. They are accompanied by musicians and vocalists at the forefront of NYC's funk, hip hop, jazz, and soul scenes. The LE usually generates approximately 90% new content each performance. At each show, audience ideas are collected by LE's MCs. Performers instantaneously draw from personal experiences and artistic knowledge to turn those ideas into movements, sounds and improvised lyrics. In western dance, artists commonly rely on recorded or rehearsed music to create movement. With the LE, musicians, dancers and the MC stretch artistic boundaries and "take turns" conducting the rest of the ensemble. This call and response culture is intrinsic to many generations and genres of African-American and Latin based street and social dance forms.

As their residency draws to a close, a free video excerpt of LayeRhythm's SWITCH will be streamed to the public beginning at 7:00pm February 11 on Bridge Street Theatre's web site (BridgeStreetTheatre.org), Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

Underwritten by Bridge Street Theatre fans and local community members Duke Dang and Charles Rosen, the entire Bridge Street Theatre Dance Residency initiative is dedicated to the memory of their friend and mentor Anh-Tuyet "AT" Nguyen. A native of Vietnam, Nguyen served on the boards of Dance to Unite, Dorrance Dance, and the Joyce Theater. Residency artists were selected to honor Nguyen and to support Vietnamese dancemakers and Dorrance Dance and Joyce Theater alumni. For more information about the 2021 Bridge Street Theatre Winter Dance Residency initiative, visit https://bridgest.org/bridge-street-dance-residencies/

SWITCH by the LayeRhythm Experiment, with Mai Lê Hô
In residence at Bridge Street Theatre February 1 - 12
Digital performance excerpt available on February 11 @ 7:00pm
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9) CELEBRATE BLACK HISTORY WITH 

CREATIVE CLUBHOUSE STORIES

New York City Children’s Theater Offers Free & Affordable Series 

Honoring Black Notables


The award-winning and critically-acclaimed New York City Children’s Theater (NYCCT) debuted Creative Clubhouse Stories last year and right on time for families with young children. In honor of Black History Month, Creative Clubhouse Stories curates a LIVE series highlighting Black historical and notable figures, past and present. The goal of the February series is to reach all families to celebrate the contributions and investigate the injustices Black people endure. The series will culminate a month of exploring stories of Black folks who have made an impact on history, music, science, and literature and end on Thursday, February 25 with a FREE class. 

The  Creative Clubhouse Stories led by amazing Artistic Associate and Teaching Artist Caitlin McCain includes:

Creative Clubhouse Stories - Black History month series schedule:

  • Tuesday, February 2nd - Ron’s Big Mission

  • (about the late astronaut Ron McNair)

  • Thursday, February 4th - The 5 O’Clock Band  

  • (about Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins)

  • Tuesday, February 9th - Fast Enough: Bessie Springfield’s First Ride 

  • Thursday, February 11th - Mae Among the Stars

  • (about astronaut Mae Jemison)

  • Tuesday, February 16th - Song in a Rainstorm  

  • (about Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews )

  • Thursday, February 18th - The Roots of Rap

  • (about the influence of Black music featuring James Brown, Queen Latifah, Langston Hughes, Biggie Smalls, etc.)


$10 per family, per class; classes are 45 minutes duration

Thursday, February 25th - Hey Black Child 

This class is specifically for Black /Brown children and Caitlin will read Hey Black Child by Useni eugene Perkins

FREE


All classes take place at 3pm EST; All classes take place live on Zoom 

For tickets or more information: https://nycchildrenstheater.org/creative-clubhouse/

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10) THE ORCHESTRA NOW STARTS ITS 2021 SEASON
WITH TWO LIVESTREAMED CONCERTS
ON FEBRUARY 7 AND 21
Programs Feature a World Premiere by Sarah Hennies and
Popcorn Superhet Receiver by Radiohead Bandmember Jonny Greenwood 

The Orchestra Now (TŌN) will begin its 2021 season with two concerts to be livestreamed from the Fisher Center at Bard on February 7 and 21, led by Leon Botstein and James Bagwell respectively. Both programs for string orchestra will offer pieces by underrepresented composers, including a new work by composer/percussionist Sarah Hennies written for the Orchestra and the Bard Music Program, where she is on faculty. Her work is concerned with a variety of musical, sociopolitical, and psychological issues including queer and trans identity, love, intimacy, and psychoacoustics. She was recently profiled in The New York Times about her eclectic musical style, “rife with psychological effects and emotional undercurrents.” Additional rarely-heard music will showcase Popcorn Superhet Receiver, a work by English composer Jonny Greenwood, the lead guitarist and keyboard player of the alternative rock band Radiohead; and Serenade for Strings by the Venezuelan composer, pianist, and singer Teresa Carreño, who played for Abraham Lincoln at the White House in 1863.

Upcoming highlights in the 2021 season are a concert led by assistant conductor Andrés Rivas (March 7), a performance with resident conductor Zachary Schwartzman (March 20), and two concerts led by music director Leon Botstein (April 10 and May 1).

Schoenberg & Bach
Sunday February 7 at 2 pm
Leon Botstein, conductor
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Lutosławski: Funeral Music
Teresa Carreño: Serenade for Strings 
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

Access: RSVP at theorchestranow.org starting on January 27 to receive a direct link to the livestream on the day of the concert. This concert will be available for delayed streaming on TŌN’s digital portal STAY TŌNEDstarting on February 11.

New & Classic Works for Strings
Sunday February 21 at 2 pm
James Bagwell, conductor
Sarah Hennies: New Work (World Premiere)
Jonny Greenwood: Popcorn Superhet Receiver
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Grieg: Holberg Suite

Access: RSVP at theorchestranow.org starting on January 27 to receive a direct link to the livestream on the day of the concert. This concert will be available for delayed streaming on STAY TŌNED starting on February 25.
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11) Paper Mill Playhouse Announces Auditions for 2021 Summer Musical Theater Conservatory for Young Artists

Competitive professional training program plans for

hybrid summer instruction.


Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Producing Artistic Director, Michael Stotts- Managing Director), recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, announces auditions for the institution’s prestigious Summer Musical Theater Conservatory for young artists to be held this summer.  Paper Mill Playhouse welcomes audition videos from students 10- 18 years old seeking a coveted spot in the competitive Conservatory.  The program culminates in a video presentation titled, New Voices of 2021!  This original program will premiere online in September. 

The 2021 Paper Mill Playhouse Summer Musical Theater Conservatory will take place June 28 to July 23, 2021, at Paper Mill Playhouse and the Paper Mill Studios in MilburnNew Jersey.  Students will be offered a hybrid schedule of live training three days a week and alternating with virtual instruction two days a week. Classes will be modest in size with all current CDC guidelines and state mandated protocols in place for live instruction.

Auditions for the Summer Conservatory are by video submission only. There will be no live auditions scheduled.  For audition video guidelines, submission instructions and other important information on tuition and available scholarships, visit their website at Paper Mill Summer Conservatory Auditions.
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12) Festival of Plays-by-Mail Premieres
POST THEATRICAL
** featuring 13 projects from 6 states and across the globe **
February - June, 2021

A collective of 13 theater groups and artists from across the globe will join forces for POST THEATRICAL, a festival of works that use mail as a theatrical medium. The festival, which launches in February and will run through June, 2021, features a diverse range of works that use the medium of mail in a broad range of ways.

POST THEATRICAL was conceived and is coordinated by Pittsburgh's RealTime Interventions. Tickets range from Pay-What-You-Can to $75. Complete details on individual projects within the festival are compiled and continually updated at www.PostTheatrical.org.

The goals of POST THEATRICAL are to support participating artists in making new work both during this time and in response to it. Participants also have a shared goal to reach out to and work with groups and individuals -— either as partners or as audiences -- who may not have had easy access to live theater (or even virtual plays) in normal circumstances, but who are connected by the intricate web of postal routes extending across this country and beyond. The mail service arose from a need to communicate, like theater; and like theater, it’s survived all manner of disease and disaster. This Spring, POST THEATRICAL will be celebrating that resilience. 

The lineup for POST THEATRICAL, by date, includes:

February, 2021:

A TUNNEL YEAR
Karinne Keithley Syers (Amherst, MA)
A play built from a few years’ worth of interrupted thoughts crammed into one-line scenes voiced by animals. It asks: Did I escape? Or am I lost? Originally conceived as a walk-through comic book paired with a live radio play at The Chocolate Factory Theater in Queens, NY, it now changes scale to become a book with an audio link to a recording of the 2016 live radio play.

JOURNEY OF A DREAM
Irina Kruzhilina (New York, NY)
A virtual global performance which connects UN representatives and the audiences to the aspirations of youth. Children from around the globe are asked to express their dreams and obstacles via digital and photographic storytelling. The collective image of their dreams will form a postcard which will be delivered to the UN representatives making them accountable for making the kids’ dreams come true.

March, 2021:

THE MAILBOX
Tiny Box Theater/Ya Chin Chang (New York, NY / Hong Kong)
Tiny Box Theater presents a new interactive theatrical piece in collaboration with visual artist Ya Chin Chang. What happens when all of the mailboxes in the world disappear overnight? The artists will post drawings and narrative to participants who will pick up the story’s trail by initiating a response. Audience submissions will affect the conclusion which will be revealed in an online finale event on April 1.

SPITE & MALICE
Chelsea Sutton & Slipped Beyond Productions (Los Angeles, CA)
A fantastical branching narrative that utilizes playing cards, found objects, new media, and mail-based interaction to lead you through a tangled correspondence between the King, the Queen, and Jack, who are racing to win a never-ending card game. You’re part of the game now. Good luck.

PARTY LINE
Scott Adkins & Let’s Make a Theatre Company (New York, NY)
One day your phone rings and you hear two strangers talking on the other end. They can’t hear you but you can hear everything they are saying. Playwright Scott Adkins, missing the joy of overheard conversations, brings you a series of eight everyday phone calls to connect with random fictional people. With your ticket, you will receive an SASE to send a note or questions to your favorite character in the series. Every audience member who writes will get a response from that character.

April, 2021:

AS YET TO BE DETERMINED
Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School (New Haven, CT)
A year into being forced to do remote learning, a high school drama class tries to reimagine what the theatre experience can become outside of the physical space. Utilizing the tactile and ancient medium of the post, they will attempt to recreate what makes theatre special to them. How can they leverage available technology, can they capture their voices in this new form, and who is the audience they want to reach? It is as yet to be determined.

DREAM/HOME
New Georges/ Emerie Snyder (New York, NY)
An object-based theatrical exploration of your own home and surroundings, led by a playfully mysterious map that connects you to others across the country, inviting us all to look at the world a bit differently. You receive a package from an artist far away...oh look, there's a map inside... maybe a few clues...might as well see where they lead?

ALL LIGHT ON EARTH COMES FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE
The Wallpaper Company (Troy, NY)
“all light on earth comes from somewhere else” seeks to reclaim lost queer futures from the wake of scrubbed archives, burned evidence, fabricated ephemera, and rot. Immerse yourself in six intertwining storylines told through a series of letters, parcels, and transmissions that ask: would you recognize your own loneliness if you found it in someone else?

May, 2021:

THE COMMUNITY FOREST
Melisa Tien (New York, NY)
A mail-based work that invites recipients to participate in plant cultivation and interaction with a living text as a reflection on change, growth, legacy, and impermanence.

CAPRICORN 29 
Alex Hare (New York, NY)
A digital musical experience loosely inspired by the dystopian 1976 cult film Logan's Run, set in a society that kills people when they turn 30. After receiving that fateful birthday card in the mail, you decide to escape, and the ensuing journey leads not only to frozen caves and violent robots, but also to a radical questioning of the self and the world that shaped you. CAPRICORN 29 reimagines the not-quite-midlife crisis as an opportunity to embrace the terror and joy of blowing up your life.

THE BIRTH OF PAPER
RealTime Interventions (Pittsburgh, PA)
A live/postal experience that physically connects humans in Pittsburgh humans in Beirut, Lebanon. Beirut residents living the fallout of the 2020 explosion will receive gifts in real time designed by Pittsburgh makers from Handmade Arcade, Pittsburgh's largest independent maker community. A celebration of paper, ink, and the postal service as an ancient, global technology of connection. In collaboration with City of Asylum.

June, 2021:

DELIVERANCE
Demaskus Theater Collective (Pittsburgh, PA)
An interactive above ground journey to personal freedom through community correspondence and connectivity. Based upon the life of Mary Fields (known also as "Black Mary"), the first Black mail carrier, participants will receive a satchel of items in the mail that evoke remembrance and rebellion. Journal entries received from participants will be pieced together to create a live virtual performance during Juneteenth 2021. Deemed "one of the freest souls ever to draw a breath, or a .38," the Star Route Stagecoach carrier Black Mary will be remembered through the performance of the works created in community. Actors will cultivate meaningful experiences for each participant through daily text messages and weekly challenges meant to guide each participant along their personal path to liberation.

Ongoing:
MONDAYS IN THE CLUB WITH LANCE
Lance Horne (New York, NY)
A collective born from gathering each week to sing around a piano turns instead to a medium as old as America and can reach much farther than any footlight.

For the most up-to date info on POST THEATRICAL visit 
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13) #QueertheBallet by Choreographer Adriana Pierce, featuring American Ballet Theatre's Remy Young and Sierra Armstrong, Joins Bridge Street Theatre's Dance Residency Line-Up

Choreographer Adriana Pierce and dancers Remy Young and Sierra Armstrong, both from American Ballet Theatre, have joined the six previously-announced projects as part of a Dance Residency initiative at Hudson Valley's Bridge Street Theatre. Developmental work on #QueertheBallet will take place at the theatre, located in Catskill, NY, from February 14 - 26, 2021, during which time the artists will have exclusive access to all the theatre's resources, including its Mainstage, technical facilities, and on-site housing, as well as stipends to support their creative process - precious commodities during the current health crisis.

During the residency Adriana Pierce will start to create a non-traditional pas de deux on pointe that will serve as a loving testament to the unique and varied ways in which two women communicate and connect.

As the residency draws to a close, a free video excerpt of the work-in-progress will be streamed to the public beginning at 7:00pm February 25 on Bridge Street Theatre's web site (BridgeStreetTheatre.org), Facebook page, and YouTube channel.

#QueertheBallet by choreographer Adriana Pierce, featuring Remy Young and Sierra Armstrong
In Residence at Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, NY
February 14 - 26, 2021
Digital work in process performance viewing on February 25, 7:00pm
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14) SEATGEEK


AND


JUJAMCYN THEATERS

 

BRING


NEW TICKETING SYSTEM TO BROADWAY


IN MARQUEE, MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP

 


SEATGEEK TO SERVICE JUJAMCYN’S FIVE BROADWAY THEATERS


BRINGING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TICKETING TECHNOLOGY


TO AUDIENCES OF


THE BOOK OF MORMON, HADESTOWN, 


MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL,” AND MORE


Jujamcyn Theaters and SeatGeek today announced a marquee multi-year partnership that will bring the next generation of ticketing technology to Broadway. Attendees at Jujamcyn’s five theaters will enjoy a streamlined ticket-buying experience for some of Broadway’s top shows.

 

SeatGeek’s technology will deliver numerous benefits to Jujamcyn theatergoers and show partners alike. SeatGeek’s ticketing platform runs off a modern tech stack that allows for a bespoke theater ticketing solution. Jujamcyn Theaters patrons will enjoy a reimagined experience that will allow them to easily browse shows, compare listings through SeatGeek’s proprietary Deal Score™ technology, and find a ticket within their exact specifications. Once they have purchased, patrons will have customized best-in-class mobile tickets for each particular show, allowing guests to order concessions, purchase an upgraded experience, or read more details about the show directly from their ticket. With its industry-leading data and analytics tooling, SeatGeek makes it easy for Jujamcyn and its shows to understand demand for tickets in real time, allowing for event management across hundreds of performances.


Jujamcyn Theaters houses some of the most exciting shows on Broadway, including Tony Award-winning musicals Hadestown and The Book of Mormon, as well as current Tony Award nominee for Best Musical, Moulin Rouge! The Musical. In total, Jujamcyn owns and operates five iconic Broadway houses: the St. James Theatre, the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the August Wilson Theatre, the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and the Walter Kerr Theatre.

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15) THE HEROES AND VILLAINS MONOLOGUES

A Virtual Production

Friday, February 5 through

February 12, 2021

Online - urbanstages.org


Urban Stages' Artistic, Producing Director, Frances Hill, announces a February virtual production, THE HEROES AND VILLAINS MONOLOGUES, streaming February 5- 12, 2021 at urbanstages.org. Creative Consultant Bara Swain serves as the project's producer with Kim T. Sharp as the production manager. 

The springboard for this online event challenged eight playwrights to select a hero or a villain, and write a monologue incorporating a quote from their selected figures. Historical, fictional, and comic book figures were chosen, from the Man of Steel to the Fuhrer; from Kamala Harris to Hannibal Lecter. An additional challenge was to reference another hero or villain in the script … or have one of these figures appear in the monologue! Playwrights worked with actors from Urban Stages’ diverse artistic community to capture performances of their new works. These monologues have been carefully selected and assembled to create a 70-minute theatrical event streaming at urbanstages.org for a limited time.

THE HEROES AND VILLAINS MONOLOGUES

Will begin streaming on urbanstages.org

Friday, February 5 at 7:30 pm EST through February 12, 2021

 

Urban Stages will host a talk-back with the creative team following the opening night performance on Friday, February 5 (8:45 pm est) The 8 Monologues last 70 minutes.


.

For further information, visit or call the office at 212 421-1380.

Donations to Urban Stages are appreciated on their website. 

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16) What's On (Streaming) 

at the wild project



East Village stalwart the wild project (Ana Mari de Quesada, Producing Artistic Director) has pivoted to a fully online and streaming platform to continue their mission to serve downtown performing artists.

As gentrification took over the East Village, the wild project remained a beacon to the funky arts and artists that make up its scrappy low-fi arts scene. With the advent of Covid, the wild project takes its low-fi aesthetic online with the launch of wildprojectTV, a new on-demand channel.
 
TREES, originally scheduled to premiere live in its entirety at La MaMa on April 2020, launches this initiative. TREES was trimmed down to 30 minutes and leans into the evolution and beauty of digital theater

In addition to the on-demand platform, streaming performances are also offered, so the wild project can continue to present the East Village’s delightfully oddball personalities live.

On Now:

Available On-Demand Now!
TREES: A New Musical, created & directed by Mur
Produced by wild project
Featuring: Mur, Aisha Kerensa, Haley Fortune, Jade Litaker & Nyah Raposo
Streaming on wildprojectTV 
Tickets: $10

Inspired by the international bestseller The Hidden Life Of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, TREES is a musical witness statement addressing climate change, deforestation, and the selfishness of mankind.  TREES gives voices to the last remaining Trees on Earth.

Mur, a New York City-based visual and performance artist with a focus in music composition, has exhibited and performed solo works in collaboration with La MaMa, National Sawdust, Le Poisson Rouge, Justin Vivian Bond, Alan Cumming, Illesteva, New York Fashion Week, Nordstrom, and Soho House.

Streaming Now – February 27
VIRTUAL IMPOSSIBILITIES starring Eric Walton
Schedule: Saturdays at 3 pm & 8 pm (no performances on 2/6)
Tickets: $20 (Zoom link emailed the morning of the show; log-in limited to one device per household)

In this highly engaging virtual show, NYC’s top mentalist Eric Walton presents many of the astonishing feats of mind-reading and mental acuity.

Eric has adapted material from his live performance repertoire to suit the virtual format, and has also developed entirely new routines, tailored specifically for this exciting platform. Far from being mere passive viewers of the show, the audiences for Virtual Impossibilities participate actively in the performance, engaging and interacting directly with Eric throughout the experience!

All performances are online and accessed via the Wild Project’s website www.thewildproject.org.
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.