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 16, 2022

Sunday Scoop Week of 1/16/21 - What's Happening This Week and More

1) Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre Holiday Season Preview of Threads 1/23
2) Ice Theatre of New York Edge Classes Wednesdays Through 3/23 
3) Ice Theatre of New York City Skate PopUp Concerts Through 2/17
4) The Little Match Girl: The Concert 1/22
5) Nick Rashad Burroughs Will Stars as Ike in Tina on Broadway Starting 1/18
6) Odd Man Out, Live Immersive Experience in Complete Darkness Returns 1/18
7) Pan Asian's Repertory Company's The Nightingale Returns to Theater Row 1/15
8) Rescue Rue Extends Run Through 1/30
9) Roundabout Theatre Company's Tenth Annual Underground Reading Series 1-18 - 1/21
10) TADA! Youth Theater In-Person Winter Semester Classes 1/19 - 4/11
11) Town Hall & The Peoples' Symphony Concerts Present the Salmon Series Starting 1/23
12) TRU Broadway Bootcamp 1/23


1) Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre
Holiday Season Preview of Threads
January 23, 2022 | 6:30 and 8 p.m. performances
Arts on Site | 12 St. Mark’s Place, NYC

Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre announces a holiday season preview of Threads on Sunday, January 23, 2022 at 6:30pm and 8pm at Arts on Site, 12 St. Mark’s Place, NYC. Seating is limited! Join us for a special preview performance of Selwyn’s developing work, Threads. A reception will follow the 8pm performance. For more information and to watch a trailer, visit amandaselwyndance.org/holiday-season-preview-2021/. This performance is supported by NYSCA’s Re-Start NYC Rapid Live Performance Grants. Tickets are $20 for the performance and $40 for performance with reception, and are available at https://amandaselwyndance.networkforgood.com/events/36218-threads-holiday-preview-at-arts-on-site.

Threads will premiere in full April 7-9, 2022, at New York Live Arts as Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre’s 22nd Annual Performance Season. 

 For more information, visit www.amandaselwyndance.org
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2) Ice Theatre of New York
presents
Edge Class
Wednesdays through March 23, 2022
Sky Rink, Pier 61 Chelsea Piers

Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) presents Edge Class on Wednesdays at 1:30pm, January 12, 2022 through March 23, 2022 at Sky Rink, Chelsea Piers, NY. The 11 consecutive sessions are $165 and drop-in classes are $20. To register, please click here

Taught by ITNY Ensemble Director, Elisa Angeli, the Edge Class allows adult figure skaters to hone their skating skills in a 50-minute session set to music, followed by an additional 15 minutes of free skating. Skaters must be proficient in their forward and backward skating with speed, able to do forward outside/inside three turns, and forward inside mohawks. Classes begin with simple exercises, then moves on to more complex patterns and ensemble skating - “birding” - exercises. Class will be taught by our Ensemble Director, Elisa Angeli or guest ITNY teacher.

Please note that if you are looking for an instructional class, you may want to take ITNY's Tuesday Adult Edge class by our performer, Sarah France, at City Ice Pavilion. Click here for more information. 
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3) Ice Theatre of New York, Inc. ®
Presents
2022 City Skate Pop Up Concerts
at The Rink at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
January 11- February 17, 2022

Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) presents 2022 City Skate Pop Up Concerts on Tuesdays and Thursdays from January 11 through February 17, 2022 at 12:40pm at The Rink at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. ITNY performers include Olympian Kaitlyn Weaver, ITNY Ensemble members Armen Agaian, Danil Berdnikov, Sarah France, Valerie Levine, Liz Schmidt, and young ice dance apprentices Oona and Gage Brown. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit https://www.icetheatre.org/pop-up-winter-performances.html.

Arctic Memory
Choreographer: Jody Sperling 
Performer: Valerie Levine
Music: Brooks Williams & Beo Morales
Arctic Memory, by award-winning dancer/choreographer Jody Sperling, is an environmentally conscious creation. Arctic Memory had its genesis in a 43-day polar science mission north of the Arctic Circle in which Ms. Sperling was the first, and to date only choreographer-in-residence aboard a US Coast Guard icebreaker. ITNY Artistic Director, Moira North, commissioned Jody to take this choreography onto the ice with ice dancer Valerie Levine. Valerie wears a cape hand-painted with the image of fissures in Arctic sea ice, the dancer's movements suggesting a time-lapse series of floes moving and melting. Music composed by Brooks Williams & Beo Morales. Having brought the legacy of pioneering dancer Loie Fuller into the 21st century, she currently focuses on using visual-kinetic narratives to connect choreography and climate science.

I Feel The Earth
Choreographer and Performer: Kaitlyn Weaver
Music: Carole King
ITNY commissioned Kaitlyn Weaver to create this piece for its streaming broadcast Pivoting Through The Pandemic in May 2021. This piece was created under strict COVID rules in an empty arena and was made possible by the generous support of the Will Sears Fund.

Imagine
Choreographer and Performer: Kate Mangiardi
Music: John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Kate Mangiardi in a demonstration of fancy figures into graceful edge movements to the music of “Imagine” composed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and recorded by Eva Cassidy.

I Will Fall For You
Choreography and Performer: Sarah France
Music: Woodkid
Journey Through The Snow
Choreographers: Gia and Akop Akopian
Performers: Jessica Huot and Conor Wagar

Take Five
Choreographer: Eliot Halverson
Music: Dave Brubeck
Performers: Armen Agaian or Danil Berdnikov
ITNY former performer and current choreographer, Eliot Halverson, created Take Five for Armen Agaian to show off his ice dancing skills.

When Atoms Embrace
Choreographer and Costumes: Lorna Brown 
Music: “Spiegel im Spiegel” by Arvo Pärt
Performer: Liz Schmidt 
When Atoms Embrace is an acclaimed solo choreographed and costumed by original John Curry Theatre of Skating member, Lorna Brown. Ms. Brown is an artist with a deep interest and knowledge in science. The piece is set to Music by Arvo Pärt's “Spiegel im Spiegel” and was inspired by a poem Ms. Brown wrote herself: She comes to us in blue and lavender light which shines on us all to give mankind energy and love and to help and heal our planet. Lay me in a field of wildflowers, let the scent perfume the hours. When The Atoms embrace and time changes pace, I find my magical powers.” Performed 10 times at the ITNY Home Season and Gala at Sky Rink Chelsea Piers as well as Rockefeller Center, by Liz Schmidt, Sarah France and once by apprentice performer, Sarah Baetge. 

Right Place, Wrong Time
Choreographer and Performer: Theron James
Music: Dr. John

Junior Free Dance
Choreographer: Joel Deal
Performers: Oona and Gage Brown
Oona and Gage just won the silver medal at the Junior Grand Prix in Linz, Austria. They are the current US Silver Medalists in Junior Ice Dance. They are coached by Joel Dear and Inese Bucevica.

Ella Bauer, Junior Apprentice
Choreographer: Kaitlin Weaver
Performer: Ella Bauer
Ella will perform "Home Alone,” coached by Tanya Douglas.

This season, ITNY will also be performing at The Rink at Rockefeller Center, Riverbank State Park, and Lefrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park.

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is popularly known as NYC's only free admission ice skating rink.  Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is open daily through March 6, 2022 and in addition to The Rink, the annual winter event features fun, outdoor activities including delicious food and drink offerings at The Lodge by Prime Video, the Curling CaféCozy Igloos by Prime Video and Bumper Cars on Ice. For more information, go to WinterVillage.org.
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4) YAYA YOUTH THEATER and EMMA WANG present

THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL: THE CONCERT

Based on the story by HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON


Starring Broadway’s 

KEVIN KERN, DWAYNE CLARK, SEAN COOPER

and JENNIFER GOODE COOPER


Saturday January 22, 2022 

The Nave at Riverside Church


The iconic tale of The Little Match Girl returns to New York City in a special concert presentation on Saturday January 22, 2022 at 7PM in The Nave at Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive).  Tickets are $39-$99 and can be purchased by clicking by HERE.  

It’s New Year’s Eve, and the Little Match Girl is forced onto the streets to sell matches to support her family. Cold and alone, her wondrous imagination takes her away from the harsh realities and struggles of her daily life. Armed with match sticks and music, she finds the hope we all need. THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL, the iconic story by Hans Christian Anderson, returns to New York City as it comes to life in this brand-new musical concert adaptation with a stunning, contemporary score filled with soaring melodies. 


Saturday, January 22 at 7PM

60 Minutes

The Nave at Riverside Church is located at 490 Riverside Drive (between W 121 & 122 Streets)

Tickets are $39 - $99 and can be purchased by clicking by HERE. 

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5) BROADWAY’S SMASH HIT 

TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL ANNOUNCES

NICK RASHAD BURROUGHS 

WILL STAR AS “IKE” 

BEGINNING TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022


Stage EntertainmentJames L. Nederlander and Tali Pelman, in association with Tina Turner, announce that original Broadway cast member Nick Rashad Burroughs will assume the role of “Ike” beginning Tuesday, January 18, 2022 in the smash hit TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre (205 West 46th Street).


Nick Rashad Burroughs has been seen on Broadway in Kinky Boots and King Kong and in the National Tour of Something Rotten!. His EP “Groove Machine” featuring the Pop Smash Radio Award-nominated single “Tonight” is available on all music platforms.


TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Broadway’s TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL range from $59.00 – $199.00 and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.com.


A $45 ticket digital lottery is available at https://lottery.broadwaydirect.com/show/tina-ny. Powered by Broadway Direct, TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL’s digital lottery will open at 9AM the day before the performance and closed at 3PM the day before the performance. Winners will be notified by email shortly after each drawing and have 60 minutes to claim and pay for tickets online. Seat locations and number of tickets awarded by the lottery are subject to availability. Maximum 2 tickets per entry. Please note, lottery seats may be partial view.

 

The performance schedule for TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL is as follows: Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3PM.

 

VACCINATION POLICY

This vaccination policy is in effect for performances now through February 28, 2022.

Guests who wish to enter any of the NYC theatres owned and/or operated by the Nederlander Organization, Inc. including the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, will be required to follow the vaccine policy herein. 

 

In addition to a valid ticket, to be permitted to enter the theatre:

  • Guests ages 12 and older will need to be Vaccinated (as defined below) with an  FDA or WHO authorized vaccine AND present a government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. (Guests 12-18 may use a government-issued ID or school ID, with or without a photo.)
  • Guests ages 5 – 11 NOW THROUGH JANUARY 28, 2022 may enter the Theatre only when (1) accompanied by an adult who complies with the theatre entry requirements, and (2) providing proof of vaccination of one dose of an FDA or WHO approved vaccine.
  • Guests ages 5 – 11 EFFECTIVE JANUARY 29, 2022 may enter the Theatre only when (1) accompanied by an adult who complies with the theatre entry requirements, and (2) are Vaccinated the same as a guest over the age of 12 (as defined below) with an FDA or WHO vaccine.
  • Guests under 5 are not permitted in the theatre.
  • Masks are required for all guests, regardless of vaccination status.

 

VACCINATION REQUIRMENTS

  • “Vaccinated” means on the day of the performance date as shown on the valid ticket, a guest has received (a) the second dose of an FDA or WHO authorized 2-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or (b) the single dose of an FDA or WHO authorized 1-dose vaccine or (c) for international guests, 2 doses of any “mix and match” combination of an FDA or WHO approved COVID-19 vaccines is acceptable.
  • Any guest whose last vaccine dose (excluding boosters) was fewer than 14 days before the date of performance must, in addition to meeting these requirements, also present proof of (a) a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of the performance time, or (b) a negative COVID-19 antigen test within 6 hours of performance time.
  • Proof of vaccination must come directly from the healthcare provider that performed the vaccination. Guests may display proof on a smartphone or present a physical copy. New York State residents, or anyone who received a COVID-19 vaccine in New York State, may present proof through the use of the Excelsior Pass (for more details, visit: epass.ny.gov) or any other CDC-approved digital app.

 

Entry will be denied for guests who do not provide the documentation as required above.

 

Other health & safety requirements may be required in addition to the vaccine. See further details on the Health & Safety Protocols.

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6) ODD MAN OUT

A LIVE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE IN COMPLETE DARKNESS


RETURNS TO
THE FLEA THEATER

WRITTEN BY MARTÍN BONDONE

DIRECTED BY MARTÍN BONDONE, CARLOS ARMESTO, & FACUNDO BOGARÍN

PERFORMANCES BEGIN JANUARY 18

 PITCHBLACK Immersive Experiences announced the return of Odd Man Out to The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street). Written by Martín Bondone and directed by Bondone, Carlos Armesto, and Facundo BogarínOdd Man Out begins performances on Tuesday, January 18 at The Flea Theater’s The Pete Theater, with the strictly limited engagement set to run through Saturday, February 19, 2022.

Odd Man Out is a LIVE immersive play in darkness. It begins when “passengers” enter a dimly lit space guided by a flight attendant. Passengers put on their headphones and their blindfolds. From there, the story allows listeners to immerse themselves in the tale of Alberto, a blind musician flying home from New York to Buenos Aires, Argentina, after decades of self-exile. As listeners enter Alberto’s story of love, prejudice and fears that were left behind, they experience a 360-surround sound, multisensory “journey.”

Because passengers are blindfolded through the entire duration of the flight, the action can be experienced by way of auditory stimulation, tactile objects and enriched smells. VIP passengers will be able to have their sense of taste piqued as well. All passengers will even feel weather happening around them. This experience engages and awakens the senses, tests limits, and ultimately uses the darkness to bring the audience to a new light

A portion of the proceeds from the Odd Man Out will go to Visions (www.visionsvcb.org), which provides services for the blind and visually impaired.

Tickets for the Odd Man Out LIVE immersive experience are $50 with “First Class” VIP seating available for $90. Odd Man Out plays at The Flea Theater Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7pm; Fridays at 7pm and 9pm; Saturdays at 3pm, 7pm, and 9pm; and Sundays at 3pm.

Odd Man Out is also presented as an at home immersive experience where people are sent a box to their home with all the elements required to experience the play.

Senior and Student tickets are available for $35 and patrons must present supporting ID. All passengers must present proof of vaccination upon arrival. First class passengers receive an extra VIP experience prior to the main show, a VIP reception with refreshments, advance entrance to the space (premier boarding), and a souvenir.

For tickets and information, please visit: OddManOutNYC.com
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7) PERFORMANCES BEGIN JANUARY 15!

PAN ASIAN REPERTORY THEATRE
PRESENTS


THE ANNUAL RETURN ENGAGEMENT OF

THE EMPEROR’S NIGHTINGALE


BY DAMON CHUA

DIRECTED BY CHONGREN FAN

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT THROUGH JANUARY 30, 2022
AT THEATRE ROW

 A Lunar New Year Special: Pan Asian Repertory Theatre (Tisa Chang, Founding Artistic Producing Director) launches its 45th Milestone Season of recovery and healing with the return to LIVE theater beginning after the new year and celebrating the Lunar New Year with the annual return engagement of the acclaimed 2018 production of The Emperor’s Nightingale by Damon Chua (Incident at Hidden Temple)The limited return engagement that includes public and student matinee performances begins this Saturday afternoon, January 15, 2022 and concludes Sunday afternoon, January 30, 2022 at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

The Emperor’s Nightingale is a family-friendly staged adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Nightingale,” set in 18th century China, and brings to light the youthful exploits of the future Emperor Qianlong. This production employs traditional Chinese puppetry, folk songs and new illustrations teaching the art of Chinese calligraphy. Nominated by the Off-Broadway Alliance for “Best Family Show”, this TYA production emphasizes the importance of leadership guided by a moral compass, through the story about two rival teen brothers competing for the throne. The Emperor’s Nightingale by Damon Chua is produced by special arrangement with Plays for New Audiences.

The Emperor’s Nightingale will play select public performances and student matinees.

NOW ON SALE: Tickets for Public Performances are priced at $40.50 (includes $2.50 restoration fee). Premium seating is available in Row A only at $52.50 (includes $2.50 restoration fee).

Public Performances will play the following schedule: Saturday & Sunday afternoons, January 15 & 16 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday evenings, January 20 -22 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday afternoons, January 22 & 23 at 2:30 p.m.; Thursday – Saturday evenings, January 27 -29 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday afternoons, January 29 & 30 at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets for Public Performances may be purchased online at https://bfany.org/theatre-row/, or by calling the Box Office at (212) 714-2442, ext 45 (phone hours are 12:00PM – 5:00PM daily), or by visiting the Box Office. When ordering ticket, please use the CODE: EN22.

Tickets for School Matinees are priced at $15 per student (minimum of 20 per class; one free chaperone ticket for every 10 students.)

School Matinees will play the following performance schedule: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: January 18 – 20 at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday: January 25 - 27 at 11:00 a.m.

Reservations and payment is through Pan Asian office only by calling (212) 868-4030, or via email to Simon Rogers at srogers@panasianrep.org, or info@panasianrep.org.

For more information about Pan Asian Rep, visitwww.panasianrep.org. For information about Theatre Row, visit www.theatrerow.org.
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8) Masked Performers Return to 

Rescue Rue 

at NYC's DR2 Theater after Holiday Hiatus

With health and safety in mind, creators of new musical fairytale announce extension 

NEW DATES THROUGH  JANUARY 30

Performances Days/Times

Thursdays at 7pm

Fridays at 3pm & 7pm (Jan. 14th: no 3pm performance)

Saturdays at 11am, 3pm & 7pm

Sundays at 12pm & 4pm (Jan. 9th: 11am & 3pm performances)

DR2 Theatre

103 East 15th Street

New York, NY 10003 

Tickets start at $39. For tickets, visit Telecharge.com or RescueRue.com

Direct Show Link: https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Rescue-Rue/Overview  


Returning after a holiday hiatus, Rescue Rue will now be extended to Sunday, January 30, 2022 with performances on a new varying schedule, available here. To ensure the safety of the company and audience members alike, the cast appears on stage fully-masked throughout the performance. Rescue Rue is being staged at DR2 Theatre, 103 East 15th Street (bet. Park and 4th Avenue) in NYC.

Told by a colorful cast of puppets and people, Rescue Rue is a family-friendly musical for all ages created and directed by Emmy Award-winning Weingarten and produced by Chinese Mother Jewish Daughter LLC in association with Daryl Roth. Rescue Rue is recommended for all ages.

When a little dog named Rue wishes for a "Happily Ever After" from her Fairy Dogmother, she soon embarks on an emotional journey of self-discovery and belonging. Kicked out of her home, Rue meets new friends and enemies alike on the street and at the pound before finding her "Furever" home and realizing life is really about finding your happy beginnings, not endings! Based on a true adoption story, this family-friendly pop musical is fun for all ages - for kids and kids at heart... especially animal lovers. There's no place like (furever) home!

Tickets start at $39. For tickets, visit Telecharge.com or RescueRue.com

Direct Show Link: https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Rescue-Rue/Overview.

Performances are Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 3pm & 7pm (Jan. 14th, no 3pm performance), Saturdays at 11am, 3pm & 7pm, and Sundays at 12pm & 4pm (Jan. 9th: 11am & 3pm performances). Visit the website, RescueRue.com for the full performance schedule.

The runtime is 75 minutes with no intermission.

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9) THE TENTH ANNUAL

UNDERGROUND READING SERIES

FOUR READINGS IN FOUR NIGHTS

 

FEATURING NEW WORKS BY

LIZ APPEL, NOAH DIAZ, DARIA MIYEKO MARINELLI and YORK WALKER

 

January 18 - 21, 2022

At the Five Angels Theater (789 Tenth Avenue)


Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director/CEO) is thrilled to announce the tenth annual Roundabout Underground Reading Series, a four-night event that includes nightly readings of new works written by emerging artists. The Reading Series will feature new works by Liz Appel, Noah Diaz, Daria Miyeko Marinelli and York Walker.

The Roundabout Underground Reading Series is January 18 - 21, 2022 at 5:00PM at the Five Angels Theater (789 Tenth Avenue).

Roundabout Underground exists to provide a new generation of playwrights with their debut New York productions, at Roundabout’s 62-seat Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. To encourage the widest possible audience, all seats are $30.

Now in its 14th season, Roundabout Underground is part of Roundabout’s New Play Initiative, discovering new writers and providing them long-term development and production support. In addition to the Black Box production, every Underground playwright gets a commission for a future play. Roundabout’s Jill Rafson serves as Artistic Producer.

 

The playwrights who made their New York debuts at Roundabout Underground are Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate, 2007), Steven Levenson (The Language of Trees, 2008), Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, 2009), Joshua Harmon (Bad Jews, 2012), Meghan Kennedy (Too Much, Too Much, Too Many, 2013), Lindsey Ferrentino (Ugly Lies the Bone, 2015), Mansa Ra (Too Heavy for Your Pocket, 2017), Ming Peiffer (Usual Girls, 2018), Daniel Zaitchik (Darling Grenadine, 2020), Sanaz Toossi (English, 2022), Dave Harris (Exception to the Rule, 2022).  Ra’s commission ….what the end will be will premiere at the Laura Pels Theater in 2022. 

 

BELLS LIKE HOOVES

By Liz Appel, Directed by May Adrales

Tuesday, January 18 at 5:00PM


When Jo’s fiancée disappears, close friend Xanthe and her partner Inez, come to her aid. While they spiral into their own explorations of both grief and love, Jo embarks on a mysterious journey to search for answers in the ghostly darkness of the space between time and between worlds.

 

Liz Appel (Playwright) is a playwright originally from Toronto now based in New York. She has been a Finalist for the Princess Grace Award, the Leah Ryan FEWW Emerging Playwright Prize, PlayPenn, BAPF, Ashland New Plays Festival and the Playwrights’ Center’s Core Apprentice Program. She was a winner of the Henley Rose Playwright Competition for Women, and an Honorable Mention for the Annual Parity Commission (Parity Productions), and The Hearth Theater’s Virtual Retreat. Her short play, SNOW, was produced at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London, and her play MOONSHINE, received a staged reading at the Cherry Lane Theater through Primary Stages, ESPA Drills. Her one-act play, REMEMBER, is published in Blackbird. She has developed work at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Kennedy Center, the Banff Centre, the Flea Theater, the Tank, and is a New Georges Affiliate Artist. She is currently finishing her MFA in Playwriting at Hunter College where she was awarded a Roberts Foundation Fellowship (Dec ’21). She holds an M.A. and MPhil from Yale University (English) and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge (European Literature).

 

May Adrales (Director) is a director, artistic leader, teacher and mother; she has directed over 25 world premieres.  Her work has been seen most recently at Second Stage (Rajiv Joseph’s “Letters of Suresh”) Manhattan Theater Club (Qui Nguyen’s “Vietgone”) Signature Theater, LCT3, The Public Theater, WP, New York Theater Workshop, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep and South Coast Rep.  She was awarded the prestigious Ammerman Award at Arena Stage and Theater Communications Group’s Alan Schneider award for freelance directors.  She is a Drama League Directing Fellow, Van Lier Directing Fellow, Women's Project Lab Director, SoHo Rep Writers/Directors Lab and New York Theater Workshop directing fellow, TCG New Generations Grantee, SDC Denham Fellowship and Paul Green Directing Award.   She served as an Associate Artistic Director at Milwaukee Rep; Artistic Associate at The Playwrights Center; Artistic Associate at The Public Theater; and Director of Artistic Programs and Artistic Director at The Lark. She serves on the board of Theater Communications Group.  May has directed and taught at Juilliard, Harvard/ART, ACT, Fordham, NYU and Bard College.  May has served on faculty at the Yale School of Drama and Brown/Trinity MFA program. MFA, Yale School of Drama. (www.mayadrales.net

 

BEAUTIFUL BLESSED CHILD

By Daria Miyeko Marinelli, Directed by Miranda Cornell

Wednesday, January 19 at 5:00PM

 

Aimiko is moving across the country to start a life with t/her partner and invites t/her mother, Sharon, to accompany them. (Sharon has never heard of a mother daughter-child road trip.) When Aimiko’s Saab-93 breaks down in the middle of Nevada, time and space begin to blur, and soon tales of cannibals, cranes, and samurais guide their journey into the desert and far beyond. Beautiful Blessed Child is a lyrical reckoning about the dreams we give up for the people we love and how the people we love can become our dreams.

 

DARIA MIYEKO MARINELLI (Playwright) (they/she) is a Japanese-Italian playwright who writes about the nearly impossible long-con, outcasts and underdogs trying to honor the wildness of their hearts, and the things we take for fact that are really just cultural mythology. Their plays include Ravenous, A Departure, Beautiful Blessed Child, and This is Not What I Expected When I Imagined a Republic. Mx. Marinelli has developed work with SPACE on Ryder Farm, The Playwrights Realm, The New Harmony Project, Fault Line Theatre, Jackalope Theatre, and has been a finalist for The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and The Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Daria has helped develop work with Cirque du Soleil and was a showcased writer at the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists.   Based in LA, Daria is a forever New Yorker at heart. BA: Brown University. MFA: University of Texas at Austin.

 

MIRANDA CORNELL (Director) (she/her) is a mixed-race, Japanese American theater director and generative artist with a passion for telling stories that are unabashedly sincere, achingly human, and irrevocably alive. Directing credits include the North American premiere of Breach Theatre’s It’s True, It’s True, It’s True (Idlewild Theatre Ensemble) and other projects with Ma-Yi Theatre Company, The 24 Hour Plays, New Ohio/Ice Factory Festival, Yale Summer Cabaret, the Asian American Arts Alliance, Fordham University, and more. As an assistant director: New York Theatre Workshop (dir. Chay Yew), Park Avenue Armory (dir. Robert Icke), The Public Theater, McCarter Theatre Center (dir. Emily Mann), New York Stage and Film, and The TEAM (dir. Rachel Chavkin). She was the 2020 Van Lier Fellow in Theater at A4, the inaugural directing apprentice at Dear Evan Hansen, and is a proud member of the Roundabout Directors Group (Cohort 2). BA: Vassar College.

 

COVENANT

By York Walker, Directed by Lili-Anne Brown

Thursday, January 20 at 5:00PM

 

Two years after his sudden disappearance, struggling guitarist Johnny "Honeycomb" James returns to his small town a blues star, setting into motion rumors that he may have made a deal with the devil to attain his musical genius. Inspired by the myth of Robert Johnson, Covenant explores the power of belief and tests the thin veil between rumor and truth.

 

YORK WALKER (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is the inaugural recipient of the Vineyard Theatre's Colman Domingo Award. He is also a member of Marcus Gardley's New Wave Writer's Workshop. His work includes Holcomb & Hart (Victory Garden's New Plays For A New Year Festival), Asè (Harlem9, Harlem Stage, and Lucille Lortel Theatre's Consequences digital series), The Séance (Winner of the John Singleton Short Film Competition, 48 Hours… in Harlem), Covenant (Colman Domingo Award, Fire This Time Festival, Access Theatre’s 4 Flights Up Festival, Arizona Theatre Company's Digital Play Series), White Shoes (Fire This Time Festival), Summer Of ’63 (The Actors Company Theatre’s New TACTics Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Apprentice Reading Series) and Of Dreams To Come (American Conservatory Theatre’s New Play Series). York received his MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and is currently a writer for Dick Wolf's FBI on CBS. 

 

LILI-ANNE BROWN (Director). A native Chicagoan, Lili-Anne Brown works as a director, actor and educator, both locally and regionally. Recently she helmed the world premieres of Ike Holter’s Lottery Day at Goodman Theatre and Put Your House in Order at La Jolla Playhouse. The former artistic director of Bailiwick Chicago, she directed Dessa Rose (Jeff Award), Passing Strange (BTA Award), See What I Wanna See (Steppenwolf Theatre Garage Rep), and the world premiere of Princess Mary Demands Your Attention by Aaron Holland, while producing several other award-winning shows during her tenure. Other directing credits include School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play (Goodman Theatre), The Color Purple (Drury Lane Theatre), P.Y.G. or the Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle (Jackalope Theatre), The Total Bent (Haven Theatre w/ About Face), Caroline, or Change (Firebrand Theatre w/TimeLine), Tilikum by Kristiana Rae Colón (world premiere, Sideshow Theatre), Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (American Blues Theatre), Hairspray (Skylight Music Theatre), The Wolf at the End of the Block (16th Street Theatre), Marie Christine (Boho Theatre), Peter and the Starcatcher (Metropolis Performing Arts), The Wiz (Kokandy Productions; BroadwayWorld Award), Xanadu (American Theatre Company), Jabari Dreams of Freedom by Nambi E. Kelley (world premiere, Chicago Children’s Theatre), American Idiot (Northwestern University); the national tour of Jesus Snatched My Edges; and Little Shop of HorrorsUnnecessary FarceCabaretSweet Charity, and The 25th…Spelling Bee, among others, at Timber Lake Playhouse where she was an Artistic Associate. She has received 3 Jeff Awards for Best Director of a Musical. Member of SDC, AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and a graduate of Northwestern University. www.lilbrownchicago.com

 

YOU WILL GET SICK

By Noah Diaz, Directed by Will Davis

Friday, January 21 at 5:00PM

 

What do you do if you get sick but don’t know how to tell your friends and family? Maybe you could hire a stranger and tell them everything instead. In You Will Get Sick, two strangers’ lives intertwine as they barrel down the pathway of terminal illness and caregiving. This play is a surreal meditation on grief, shame, and finding peace in your body.

 

NOAH DIAZ (Playwright) is a playwright and television writer from the Iowa/Nebraska border. His plays have been developed with La Jolla Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Two River Theater, The Sol Project, First Floor Theater, and The Playwrights Realm, where he was a Page One Resident Playwright. He is a recipient of the ASCAP Cole Porter Prize for Excellence in Playwriting, a five-time recipient of playwriting awards from the Kennedy Center, and is currently under commission from La Jolla Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Club/Sloan, The Great Plains Theatre Commons, Baltimore Center Stage, and Audible/Amazon Studios. For television he has written on Joe Exotic (NBC, USA, and Peacock), Up Here (Hulu), and is currently developing projects for Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, 20th Century Television, and Hulu. MFA: Yale School of Drama.

 

WILL DAVIS (Director) is a transgender director and choreographer focused on physically adventurous work for the stage. Off-Broadway credits include: Road Show (Encores! Off-Center); India Pale Ale (MTC); Bobbie Clearly (Roundabout Underground); Charm (MCC); Men on Boats (Clubbed Thumb and Playwrights Horizons—Lucille Lortel nomination); and Duat (Soho Rep). Regional credits include: Spamtown, USA (Children’s Theater Company); Everybody (Shakespeare Theater Company); A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Long Wharf Theatre); The Carpenter (The Alley Theatre); Colossal (Olney Theatre Center and Mixed Blood Theater—Helen Hayes award for best direction); Evita (Olney Theatre Center—Helen Hayes award nomination); and multiple productions for ATC in Chicago where Davis also served as artistic director. He is an alum of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, the NYTW 2050 Directing Fellowship, the Brooklyn Art Exchange’s Artist in Residence program, and is currently a Princeton Arts Fellow.

 

TICKET INFORMATION

A limited number of FREE tickets to the reading series will be available to the general public. Tickets can be reserved by emailing undergroundreadings@roundabouttheatre.org.

 

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

There will be one reading each night at 5:00PM, Tuesday, January 18 – Friday, January 21 at the Five Angels Theater (789 Tenth Avenue).

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10) TADA! YOUTH THEATER ANNOUNCES IN-PERSON

WINTER SEMESTER EDUCATION CLASSES

January 19– April 11, 2022


Families may register now for TADA! Youth Theater’s in-person Winter Semester Education Classes from January 19 through April 11, 2022 at TADA! Youth Theater at 15 West 28th Street, 3rd floor, between Broadway & Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan.

To register for 2022 Winter Semester Education Classes, please visit: https://tadatheater.com/winter-classes/

TADA! Youth Theater is back in-person this winter with our popular Write on! semester class where students create, rehearse, and perform their very own original mini-musical. In addition, students engage in musical theater training, explore their interests and identity, share their voice and be heard, and experience ensemble-based instruction by professional NYC Teaching Artists while making connections with new friends. On the last day of class, we invite friends and family to attend the debut of their child’s original mini-musical!

Financial Assistance is available, and no child will be turned away because of their inability to pay.

As a performing arts center, TADA! is required to comply with the NYC vaccine mandate regulations outlined in the “Key to NYC Pass". Starting on 12/14, in accordance with “Key to NYC Pass”, ages 5-11 are required to have one vaccination.  TADA! will require full vaccinations (both shots) from all TADA! staff and visitors who are 5 years of age or older by 1/15.

In TADA! Musical Theater Minis, children ages 5 to 6 will imagine, explore, play and perform! In this upbeat class, young children will create their very own original mini-musical. Students will bring their story and character to life for friends and family in a fun final performance.

In TADA! Jazzy Juniors, children ages 7 to 9 let creativity take center stage. In this high energy, fun environment, young stars create an original musical as an ensemble. This class is the perfect blend of musical theater training, storytelling and theater games to keep young minds active and engaged. Students will experience the excitement of a final live performance for family and friends.

In TADA! Rising Stars, children ages 10 to 11 will share their voices, be heard and develop their talents. Through improvisation and good old-fashioned fun, young actors work on an original mini-musical as an ensemble to be performed for a live audience of family and friends.
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The Town Hall (www.TheTownHall.org) and Peoples’ Symphony Concerts (www.PSCNY.org) have teamed up to honor the best in classical music at some of the most affordable prices through the Salomon Series, beginning January 23 at 2PM, both in person at The Town Hall (123 W. 43rd Street) and virtually. This collaboration celebrates The Town Hall’s centennial season.

Peoples’ Symphony Concerts (PSC) is New York City’s oldest concert series offering students, families and other New Yorkers on a limited budget the most affordable ticket prices anywhere.

The schedule is as follows:

January 23
Best of Beethoven
Dover Quartet continues their exploration of the Complete Beethoven String Quartets
 
The artists include: Joel Link, violin; Bryan Lee, violin; Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola;
and Camden Shaw, cello
 
February 27
Vocal Treasure
Schubert's Incomparable song cycle Die Winterreise for tenor and piano. The program will include a brief discussion of Schubert's legendary composition with the text on twenty-four poems by Wilheim Mueller. What is considered as the ultimate song cycle was remarkably written by a composer
and poet who lived to the ages of 31 and 33, respectively.
 
March 20
Guitar Legends
Miloš, guitar (This International Star in Segovia Tribute).
 
April 10
Chamber Masterwork
Shai Wosner, piano & friends play Schubert's great Trout Quintet. Artists include: Shai Wosner, piano; Alexi Kenney, violin; Hsin-Yun Huang, viola; Sterling Eliott, cello; Timothy Cobb, double bass
 
May 1
Orchestral Gems
East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO)
 
May 8
Prima Pianist
Lise de la Salle, piano plays from her hit recording When Do We Dance

A series ticket is 50% less than single tickets thereby offering 3 free concerts.

Series tickets for the Salomon Series at The Town Hall begin at $54 dollars for the six concert series. Individual tickets for each event will go on sale in January.
 
Please note: The Best of Beethoven and Vocal Treasure concerts are available on subscription only.

For tickets and information, please visit: www.PSCNY.org.
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12) Theater Resources Unlimited
TRU Producer Bootcamp
Raising Money for Theater 2022: Who, How and When to Ask
Sunday, January 23, 2022

A dependable haven for artists in isolation, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the TRU Producer Bootcamp, Raising Money for Theater 2022: Who, How and When to Ask, held virtually on Sunday, January 23, 2022, 12pm-7pm ET. For more information and to register, visit truonline.org/events/raising-money-for-theater-2022/

The world has been on hold since March 2020, but hope is on the horizon at last: though uncertainties persist, at least we have an effective vaccine and have seen the tentative return of live theater. It's more important now than ever for the voices of theater to be heard, so get ready to move ahead with passion and a plan, and an awareness of how to navigate our current world-in-transition. For producers, one important step is finding the money and resources to make it all happen. And with our new engagement in the virtual world, maybe it's time to think globally. 

Workshop faculty will include (confirmed so far): producers Jane Dubin (Is This a Room? and Dana H.; The Prom, Tony winning The Norman ConquestsAn American in ParisFarinelli and the KingBandstandPeter and the Starcatcher, Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, The 39 Steps, Ann)Neil Gooding (Australian premieres of Gutenberg! The Musical!, and Dogfight and New York productions of Church and StateHandle with CareThe 39 Steps, Alan Cumming’s one-man Macbeth on Broadway; upcoming production of Back to the Future in London); R.K. Greene (Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar the musical, Room Service); Cody Lassen (Tootsie, What the Constitution Means to Me, Indecent, Significant Other, Spring Awakening revival; upcoming Titanic, How I Learned to Drive); and Cheryl Wiesenfeld  (Ain't Too Proud, The Great Society, 4-time Tony winner for All the Way, Vanya & Sonia & Masha & Spike, The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, Elaine Stritch: At Liberty). Plus entertainment attorney Lee Feldshon and Eric Goldman, and financial advisor Bailie Slevin of Entertaining Finance. 

Application Details
To apply online: Fill out the online registration form

To apply by mail: Download this application on Word or an editable PDF and send with payment to: Theater Resources Unlimited/BCMoney, 115 W. 29th Street, 12th floor, NYC NY 10001

Non-Members: $200 
TRU Members: $165
(apply before January 13, 2022 and save $30)

Special workshop/membership packages available:

Festival Discount: $135
For anyone who has applied to any of the upcoming festivals.

Student Discount: $115 
Email TRUStaff1@gmail.com with proof of your festival application, or a student ID, and we will provide you with a code to use with the Special Discount button in the bright red ticketing box when registering. 

To apply for available COVID-19 Scholarships, fill out this form to demonstrate financial need.
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.