News

Musical Theatre Competition Criticized For All-White Semifinals; Organizers Cancel It, Candidates Allege Gaslighting

Source: ArtsJournal.com | Posted: September 23 2020 @ 10:31 am

The Rob Guest Endowment is Australia’s most prestigious musical theatre prize, offering $50,000 (Aus) offers in scholarship money for professional development. In August, a field of 30 semifinalists was announced, and an outcry arose — supported by the candidates themselves — because none of the 30 were BIPOC. Now the Endowment, claiming concern for the […]

Watch Adrienne Warren's Powerful Rendition of 'I Miss the Mountains' from Next to Normal

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: September 22 2020 @ 4:20 pm

Is there anything Adrienne Warren can't do? The Tina powerhouse offered a moving rendition of "I Miss the Mountains" from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Next to Normal as part of Second Stage Theater's virtual benefit on September 21. The event, which was hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ashley Park, celebrated Angela Sun and Tom Kitt. Sun has served as a member of the Second Stage Board for a decade, while Kitt has worked with the theater company on productions of his musicals Next to Normal and Superhero. Enjoy Warren's incredible performance below!

Online Theatre Has Become Very Creative. But Can A Model To Support It Evolve?

Source: ArtsJournal.com | Posted: September 22 2020 @ 4:01 pm

The best of them have come in the shape of theatrical activism, especially amid the Black Lives Matter movement, made cheaply and with a speed that a live theatrical production could never match. These have included a YouTube series about racism experienced by British East Asians as a result of Covid-19, the Bush theatre’s The […]

Come From Away National Tour Launches “Conversations From Away”

Source: BroadwayDirect.com | Posted: September 22 2020 @ 3:20 pm

Cast members of the North American touring company of "Come From Away" have created a new video podcast series, "Conversations From Away." In the first video in the series, moderated by Aaron Michael Ray (he/him) and featuring panelists Christine Toy Johnson (she/her), Nick Duckart (he/him), Brandon Springman (he/him), and Danielle K. Thomas, they join virtually to discuss why they are here.

What are some of the issues we'll be tackling in the Black Lives Matter movement? How does the coronavirus pandemic affect the urgency of this moment? What instances of systemic racism influence the daily lives of Black Americans? To learn more about this episode's featured organization, Color of Change, please visit colorofchange.org now to get involved or donate.

The post Come From Away National Tour Launches “Conversations From Away” appeared first on Broadway Direct.

Odds & Ends: Phillipa Soo Tapped for New Series Dopesick & More

Source: Broadway.com | Posted: September 22 2020 @ 3:16 pm

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

Phillipa Soo Joins Cast of Dopesick 
Phillipa Soo has joined the cast of Hulu's upcoming drama Dopesick. Variety reports that the eight-episode limited series is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Beth Macy and centers on America’s struggle with opioid addiction. Soo is set to play Amber, a sales rep with Purdue Pharma who is part of the first team to sell OxyContin. A production timeline for Dopesick will be announced later.

Kelvin Harrison Jr. Tapped for Cyrano Movie Musical
Kelvin Harrison Jr. will play Christian in Cyrano, the previously announced musical film adaptation starring Peter Dinklage, according to  Deadline. Harrison screen credits include 12 Years a Slave, Luce, Waves and The Photograph and is set to appear in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7.  Haley Bennett will return to the role of love interest Roxanne, which she played alongside Dinklage at the Goodspeed Opera House’s Norma Terris Theatre in 2018. Tony nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Ben Mendelsohn will also star in the movie, which will be directed by Joe Wright. The music for Cyrano is by The National’s Aaron …