News

Theatres Remain Dark In The US – Some Are Blaming The Actors Union

Source: ArtsJournal.com | Posted: October 22 2020 @ 11:29 am

“Some theater professionals say Equity’s lockdown could effectively kill off the entire industry — an industry that generated about $17 billion in ticket sales in 2017, according to a March study from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts.” – Fort Myers News-Press

Marge Champion, Dance Legend of Stage and Screen, Dies at 101

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: October 22 2020 @ 11:16 am

Marge Champion, a legendary dancer for the stage and screen, who also was the model for Disney's Snow White and the and the Seven Dwarfs, died on October 21. She was 101 years old.

Champion worked on Broadway both as a choreographer and actor. She made her Broadway acting debut in 1943's What's Up and went on to perform in Dark of the Moon (1945), Beggar's Holiday (1946), 3 for Tonight (1955), and the 2001 revival of Follies. Champion served as a choreographer for Lend an Ear (1948), Make a Wish (1951), and Stepping Out (1987). She was a special assistant for the original production of Hello, Dolly!, which was directed and choreographed by her husband Gower Champion.

The couple, who married in 1947 and divorced in 1973 prior to Gower's death in 1980, worked together on multiple movies for MGM Studios. Most notably, the couple appeared in the 1951 remake of Show Boat. Marge Champion's other film credits include Mr. Music, Lovely to Look At, I Won’t Dance and Everything I Have Is Yours. She won an Emmy Award in 1975 for choreographing the television movie Queen of the Stardust Ballroom. …

Watch Now: The Prom Official Teaser Trailer

Source: BroadwayDirect.com | Posted: October 22 2020 @ 10:09 am

Dee Dee Allen (three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (Tony Award winner James Corden) are New York City stage stars with a crisis on their hands: their expensive new Broadway show is a major flop that has suddenly flatlined their careers. Meanwhile, in small-town Indiana, high school student Emma Nolan (newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) is experiencing a very different kind of heartbreak: despite the support of the high school principal (Keegan-Michael Key), the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) has banned her from attending the prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana DeBose). When Dee Dee and Barry decide that Emma's predicament is the perfect cause to help resurrect their public images, they hit the road with Angie (Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman) and Trent (Andrew Rannells), another pair of cynical actors looking for a professional lift. But when their self-absorbed celebrity activism unexpectedly backfires, the foursome find their own lives upended as they rally to give Emma a night where she can truly celebrate who she is.

Directed by Ryan Murphy, The Prom is the spectacular, big-hearted film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical. Screenplay by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin.

The post Watch Now: The Prom Official Teaser Trailer appeared first on Broadway Direct.

Time to Dance! See Meryl Streep, James Corden & More in the Sparkly Trailer for The Prom

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: October 22 2020 @ 10:01 am

The starry film adaptation of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical The Prom is arriving on Netflix on December 11, and the trailer is here! As previously reported, the movie stars Meryl Streep as Dee Dee Allen, James Corden as Barry Glickman, Andrew Rannells as Trent Oliver, Nicole Kidman as Angie, Ariana DeBose as Alyssa Greene, Kevin Chamberlin as Sheldon Saperstein, Kerry Washington as Ms. Greene and Keegan-Michael Key as Mr. Hawkins. Newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman plays the central role of Emma. Directed by Ryan Murphy, with a screenplay by Broadway's Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin and music by Matthew Sklar and Beguelin, this movie musical is sure to give your life some zazz! Watch the trailer below!

What To Do (Without Broadway!): A Day-to-Day Schedule

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: October 22 2020 @ 10:00 am

Even with Broadway on hold, there's plenty to do. Trust the Broadway.com editors to get you in on the best online events, theater-centric films, TV shows and more!

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
Roald Dahl’s The Witches Premieres
The new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches, starring Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Kristin Chenoweth, is available for streaming.
Watch on HBO Max.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
Skeleton Crew Reunion Reading @ 7PM ET
Atlantic Theater Company's Fall Reunion Reading Series launches with Dominique Morisseau's play about a makeshift family of workers at the last exporting auto plant in Detroit navigating the possibility of foreclosure. The reading, directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, stars original cast members Jason Dirden, Wendell B. Franklin, Nikiya Mathis and Adesola Osakulumi and new cast member Caroline Clay.
Reserve Tickets

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
Equal Premieres
This four-part docuseries centers on the history of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. With a cast that includes Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Rapp, Samira Wiley, Jai Rodriguez, Sara Gilbert and more playing LGBTQ+ visionaries, this new series is going straight to the top of theater fans' binge-watch-worthy lists.
Watch on HBO Max

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22
Engaging the World: The Role of the Artist in …