Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: October 8, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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AUTHOR ZALLE BURROW USES MINACK THEATRE'S HISTORY AND THE PANDEMIC TO CREATE OPEN AIR

Author Zalie Burrow has created a clever incorporation of the successful Minack Theatre in Cornwall, England's history with the current event of a recent pandemic to set the stage for an entertaining 1 hour and 14 minute play, Open Air.

Backed by a guitar the production opens with a song describing the emotional aspects of the upcoming play.

Open Air by Burrow is the story of Ruby, whose beloved theatre company, Brown Duck, has gone under during the pandemic.

The excellent cast features Amanda Gordon and Gerard McDermott who deliver excellent performances as Ruby and Father, David Holt as Roger and Richard, Kate O'Sullivan (who spend 16 years as the US Maybelline voiceover), and Rachel Atkins who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

The cast is no stranger to making one's voice hold the audience's attention.

David Holt is one of the UK’s foremost animation voice talents. He graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has worked on over 100 series and countless films for all the major studios in the UK and beyond in a career spanning over 30 years.

Gerard McDermott trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. Gerard’s recent Theatre: Calendar Girls, National tour and West End run; Richard III and Fool For Love. His TV credits include Downton Abbey, and Eastenders. He has completed his fifth season as a member of The BBC Radio Drama Company.

David Holt

Forced to leave the pandemic-struck London's Brown Duck theatre company where she served as the Director of Plays, she is facing the unknown. The pandemic has caused the theatre to close, resulting in a career finish for most of the actors and creatives. She takes the long drive back to her father Michael's Devon farm to find him struggling. She is horrified at the way her father looks, the unkempt house and the fact that he isn't coping - looking lost. The pandemic has also been disastrous for the farm. The animals are gone. There is no electricity and the phone is dead. All that is left is the antique tractor. While he has lost hope, suggesting selling the farm, Ruby remains the unbridled optimist.

It took her two solid weeks to clean the house. She describes the kitchen as apocalyptic. She doesn't know know why she didn't pick up on her father's decline during their occasional phone calls.

Ruby and her father argue, as they always have. He is anti theater: He taunts her that he warned her about the life in the theatre. "The theatre is just a bunch of people pretending to be someone else."

Rudy opens her laptop looking for work in any theatre. No jobs exist.

She keeps scrolling until she sees an eccentric looking woman looking out over a cliff. Ruby feels unusually drawn to her.

A woman who had built a theatre on her own, which has become a success.

Gerard McDermott

Inspired, Ruby tricks her father into traveling to Cornwall so that he could see the open air Minack Theatre, where they learn the story of Minack founder, the inspirational Rowena Cade. See Broadway To Vegas column of August 7, 2022.

The venue is staging the story of Rowena Cade, a woman who spent her entire life taking great risks. The Minack Theatre built almost singlehandedly by Rowena. Inspired by Alice Through the Looking Glass when at age 8, Rowena's mother cast her in the production. The theatrical seed was sowed in Rowena. For A Midsummer Night's Dream she joined the production as a costumer.

The next production The Tempest required a theatre. A washed up ship provided the wood. Battery powered car lights lit the production - the Minack Theatre was born. Constructed as an outdoor theatre the seats are rocks. Appropriately, Minack means "rocky place." The London Times wrote covered the production.

Annually, a quarter of a million visitors tour the venue. 100,000 watch a performance.

Her father acknowledges that Rowena was one of the remarkable people, but declares that Ruby is not one of them and should get a proper job.

Ruby sets her sights on turning her father’s barn into a community theatre. All she has to do now is convince him not to sell the farm.

Ruby even applies for a government grant to construct a theatre in a cow shed. Grant investigator Marjorie arrives to look over the situation. She isn't impressed terming it "verging on the delusional."

When Marjorie berates Ruby, her father suddenly changes course and defends his daughter and the idea of a theatre on a farm. He compares his daughter to Rowena Cade.

He announces that the first production will be A Midsummer Night's Dream and that they will make their own apple cider from the proliferation of apple trees, serving the potential potent brew during intermission.

Suddenly Ruby is rattling off all of the obstacles while her father is exposing how the cowshed theatre will succeed.

Still downhearted, Ruby gets a job stocking shelves at a grocery store. Her previously depressed father surprises Ruby. While she has been stacking food he has transformed the cowshed into a theatre using bales of hay as steps and seats. Their original roles have been reversed. Ruby is worn out and he is energized, turning the tool shed into a dressing room and building a bar. Now he needs to get the old apple press out of storage.

Dejected Ruby is on her way to back to London hoping to find a better job than stacking canned goods, when she learns that her father has decided to sell the farm.

Reverse psychology can work.

When the real estate agent turns out to be an actor which her father has hired to trick his daughter, the set up works.

It's opening night. The audience takes to their hay bale seats. Then Ruby and her father remember that they have forgotten to install the lights. They recall Rowena and her solution to a similar problem. Tractor lights come to the rescue, but fail. Suddenly a volunteer from the Minack theatre has arrived to purchase the antique tractor and is impressed by the open air farm theatre.

Unexpected support from the Minack, in the form of donating an old lighting rig, resulted in their farm theatre being a success. All's well that ends well.

Reasons Ruby: "Without the Pandemic I never would have come back to dad and seen what was really important."

Perfectly charming production. Clever use of the Minack Theatre history. Superb acting, direction, and sound balancing.

Ruby was played by Amanda Gordon. Father by Gerard McDermott. Roger and Richard by David Holt. Rowena Cade and Marjorie by Rachel Atkins, and Mrs Scrivens by Kate O’Sullivan.

The music was specially composed by Chris Parron. The Production Assistant was Fiona Thraille. The play was produced and directed by Cherry Cookson. It was sound engineered and sound designed by Malcolm Thorpe, with post production by Ross Burman.

An Open Air is a Wireless Theatre production.

Minack Theatre

About the Minack Theatre: The Minack Theatre (Cornish: Gwaryjy Minack) is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea. The Minack's performing season runs from Easter to the end of October and includes a wide range of music and theatre. Each year, the Minack produces several professional productions as well as hosting visiting companies. It has appeared in many lists of the world's most spectacular theatres.

The theatre was the brainchild of Rowena Cade, who moved to Cornwall after the First World War and built a house for herself and her mother on land at Minack Point for £100. Her sister was the feminist dystopian author Katharine Burdekin, who lived with them from the 1920s. In 1929, Rowena Cade became involved with a local village group of players who staged Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in a nearby meadow at Crean, repeating the production the next year. They decided that their next production would be The Tempest and Miss Cade offered her cliff garden as a suitable location for the play. Miss Cade and her gardener, Billy Rawlings, made a terrace and rough seating, hauling materials down from the house or up via the winding path from the beach below. In 1932, The Tempest was performed with the sea as a dramatic backdrop, to great success. Miss Cade resolved to improve the theatre, working over the course of the winter months each year (with the help of Billy Rawlings, Charles and Thomas Angove and other friends), to create the theatre that exists today. She was still working on it well into her 80s. Rowena Cade died in 1983 shortly before her 90th birthday.

In 1944, the theatre was used as a location for the Gainsborough Studios film Love Story, starring Stewart Granger and Margaret Lockwood but inclement weather forced them to retreat to a studio mock-up. In 1955, the first dressing rooms were built. In the 1970s, the theatre was managed by Lawrence Shove. Since 1976 the theatre has been registered as a charitable trust and is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

The theatre is open for visitors throughout the year though visiting days are limited in the winter. The 90th anniversary of the Minack was celebrated with a production of The Tempest performed by Hertfordshire Players in August 2022.

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This is not your typical, totally boring textbook.

In the pages of How To Earn A Living As A Freelance Writer (the first to be lied to and the last to be paid) you'll find sex, celebrities, violence, threats, unethical editors, scummy managers and lawyers, treacherous press agents, sex discrimination; as well as a how-to for earning money by writing down words.

ART AND ABOUT

THE OZZY OSBOURNE MUSEUM

Ozzy Osbourne

has been announced by Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne detailing plans to open interactive Ozzy museum with café in Birmingham, England.

Sharon took to the family's The Osbournes Podcast, to make the announcement elaborating that the museum will be filled with exhibits including stage clothes, posters and more, ranging from Black Sabbath's days performing as Earth to awards and 'every instrument you can think of'.

In the company of her children, Sharon said: "I've been busy trying to get together daddy's memorabilia for the memorabilia place that we’re opening in Birmingham."

She added: "He's having all of his awards, all his stage clothes, posters, old posters from Earth days. I’ve got so much memorabilia."

"We're gonna do it totally interactive; every video, every live show of your dad’s, everything there. It's more of an educational thing for musicians and artists that want to see that you can come from nothing and if you work hard enough, this is what you can get."

She continued: "We’re going to have a café attached, and in there we’re going to have every instrument you can think of. Music students can come in and we’re gonna do music classes, because there’s no music at schools anymore. We’re gonna get friends and other musicians to come in."

In a latter Osbournes Podcast, Ozzy joined his family and admitted: "I wouldn't mind going back to Birmingham," referring to his hometown, which in 2019 also hosted the Black Sabbath 50 Years exhibit at the Birmingham Music & Art Gallery.

Son Jack remarked: "I bet if you moved back to Birmingham, when you left the house people would throw rose petals at your feet, saying 'the prodigal son has returned!'"

In response, Ozzy complimented others: "No, they wouldn't. I will say this about Birmingham, they're on about Liverpool having The Beatles and that but half of us came from around Birmingham! Robert Plant, John Bonham, Jeff Lynne and ELO, Wizard, a lot of bands."

Sharon said: "So much came from Birmingham! It's endless, the amount of talent."

Referring to the proposed museum, Sharon reiterated that there will be a café containing a number of instruments for students to go in and play, as well as music lessons.

"We'll have a naked woman serving!" said Ozzy, to which Sharon responded: "Shut up."

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SWEET CHARITY

A ONE NIGHT ONLY BENEFIT STAGED READING OF THE LARAMIE PROJECT takes place October 16, 2023 at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City.

Tony Award Winners Julie White and Brandon Uranowitz will join Tony Nominee Ato Blankson-Wood for this one-night-only benefit staged reading of Moises Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theatre Project’s The Laramie Project, directed by Dustin Wills. The event, will raise funds to support the work of The Trevor Project.

Based on hundreds of interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming and the surrounding area, The Laramie Project explores the viewpoints, emotions, and mindsets of that community in the aftermath of an act of hate. Through these glimpses into their hearts and minds, we are given both a view of the depths of evil, and the glimmers of a world filled with hope, compassion, and love.

The Trevor Project is the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people. The nonprofit operates several programs to help prevent and respond to the public health crisis of LGBTQ youth suicide, including 24/7 free crisis services, research, advocacy, education, and peer support.

TAKE 10 TO READ is the current campaign of Britain's National Literary Trust. Life is busy and it isn’t always easy to find time for yourself. Reading can help you relax, boost your mood and escape elsewhere – and it doesn’t have to be reading a book. This month the organization is encouraging people to escape the everyday by reading something that interests them for 10 minutes. It could be the post-match analysis of Saturday’s football game, an interview with your favorite actor, DIY hacks or even recipes. We’re calling the nation to pause for 10 minutes on Tuesday October 10 at 10am to #Take10toRead with us in support of World Health Mental Day.

SPREADING THE WORD

JAMES BOND CONCERT SPECTACULAR takes place at The O2, London on Sunday, October 15, 2023.

Hosted by David Zaritsky (The Bond Experience), with special guests Kristina Wayborn, David and Tony Meyer (from Octopussy), and Martine Beswick (From Russia With Love, Thunderball).

The James Bond Concert Spectacular by Q The Music Show was formed in 2004 as the world’s first dedicated tribute to the music of 007. They have gone on to establish themselves among every Bond fan club around the world as the finest performances of the songs since the originals.

In 2017 they were asked to perform at Sir Roger Moore’s official memorial event at Pinewood Studios in front of the who’s who of the British film and TV industry including Sir Michael Caine, Dame Joan Collins and David Walliams. In 2019 they performed at an event with George Lazenby: the 50th anniversary event for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, held at Piz Gloria in the Swiss Alps.

The show features all your favorite Bond songs such as "Goldfinger", "Diamonds Are Forever", "Live and Let Die" and "Nobody Does It Better", performed with "the most authentic and dedicated arrangements to the originals ever heard, but with such passion, enthusiasm and flair: you can’t help but be wowed."

This show will also focus on three huge anniversaries: From Russia With Love (60th), Live and Let Die (50th) and Octopussy (40th), with musical tributes to the scores, as well as memories from special guests who appeared in the films.

MARTIN SCORSESE director of Killers of the Flower Moon, and Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, Principal Chief of the Osage Nation, will be interviewed by American Bar Association (ABA) President Mary Smith and Jimmy K. Goodman, an attorney, Crowe & Dunlevy on October 19, 2023. The interview is part of the American Bar Association President Mary Smith's ABA Presidential Speaker Series, featuring exclusive conversations with world leaders, thought leaders, business people, philanthropists, entertainers, and other influential people.

Under the theme "Lifting Our Voices, Charting the Future," these fireside chats promote dialogue, civility, and exposure to diverse viewpoints, innovative ideas, and career insights. They spotlight trailblazers shaping our collective future, inspiring thought, and fostering understanding of pressing global issues.

New episodes are released on selected Thursdays at 3 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. CT/ 12 p.m. PT. at the America Bar Presidential Series. The Scorsese-Standing Bear interview is free for ABA members and chargeable for non-members.

TOWN HALL (LIVE AND VIRTUAL): GENDER DISPARITY AND AGEISM takes place Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 6:30pm ET Polaris North Studio, 245 W. 29th Street, 4th Floor, NYC.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces its return to live monthly panels/discussions, with simultaneous streaming for friends outside of New York City. Co-hosted by Rose-Marie Brandwein, writer, president of the board of Polaris North Studio, the panel town hall will include a zoom component for those outside of NYC, and will feature special guest speakers including writer Cindy Cooper, co-initiator of Honor Roll!/The Profiles Project, Emma Davidov, actress, founder of The Aurelians Collective and The Pearl Agency, Nico Juber, writer (Millennials are Killing Musicals), Ludovica Villar-Hauser, founder, artistic and executive director of Parity Productions, among other incredible guests. The town hall will be moderated by Cheryl L. Davis and Bob Ost of TRU.

TRU monthly conversations continue about issues of current cultural significance. We expand our conversation about the ongoing uphill battle for gender equality, and we add in the inequities of ageism. These fights have been part of our political fabric for generations and they continue to influence and impact the arts and specifically, for us, theater. We will look at the ongoing struggle for equal pay, the resistance to women being accepted in positions of power, the cultural trap of double standards, and the undervaluing of experience in the workplace. Our guest "co-hosts" span several generations in an effort to consider whether the perception of these issues differs from generation to generation, and to examine ways in which generations can help and influence each other. Attendees are encouraged to talk about their own experiences with gender discrimination and ageism. TRU offers this as an opportunity for everyone to learn from actual experiences and find ways to support each other while exploring initiatives that might bring us closer to genuine respect and acceptance.

SHAKESPEARE'S STAGE has been found. St. George's Guildhall in King's Lynn, Norfolk is the oldest running theatre in the UK. Founded as an artists’ guild in 1376 and completed in 1420, it has been used as a theatre since 1445. A lot of people have played on its stage, including William Shakespeare. Inn 1593 the Bard acted as part of The Earl of Pembroke's Men theatre company.

Those old slats resurfaced because Guildhall is under renovation and in digging around the old floorboards were discovered, having been covered up for 75 years.

Building historian Dr Jonathan Clark commented to the BBC: "We know that these [floorboards] were definitely here in 1592, and in 1592 we think Shakespeare is performing in King's Lynn, so this is likely to be the surface that Shakespeare was walking on."

According to historical evidence, Shakespeare was in that area and would have performed in the King’s Lynn theatre because many theatre companies were touring the country to escape London which was being ravaged by the plague.

THE 40th ANNIVERSARY SEASON OF THE VERDI CHORUS launches on Sunday, October 15 with This, and My Heart, A Portrait of Emily Dickinson and Her Worlds Through Text and Song, presented by the Verdi Chorus and the Sahm Family Foundation at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica,CA.

This unique theatre/concert piece, written by Anne Marie Ketchum, pianist Victoria Kirsch and actress Linda Kelsey, celebrates the genius of Emily Dickinson, interspersing spoken readings of her text with musical settings of her poems by composers Aaron Copland, Lori Laitman, Tom Cipullo and Steve Heitzeg.

In This, and My Heart, Verdi Chorus Artistic Director Anne Marie Ketchum portrays Emily Dickinson in both text and song, with Fox Singers Alexandra Bass, Tiffany Ho and Megan McDonald expressing Dickinson’s thoughts through the singing of her poetry. Victoria Kirsch is the pianist.

BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY perform Friday, October 13, 2023, in Anchorage, Alaska at the Atwood Concert Hall as part of the Anchorage Concert Association 's season.

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has been bringing their high-energy swing to audiences worldwide since the '90s. Now Mitch Cooper, Alex Henderson, Joshua Levy, Karl Hunter, Glen "The Kid" Marhevka, Andy Rowley, Dirk Shumaker, Kurt Sodergren, and Scotty Morris are stirring up another revival, with their 30th anniversary tour.

Bursting onto the national scene in the hit indie film Swingers, starring Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, the band was a forerunner of the swing revival, including a legendary residency at The Derby nightclub, and has toured virtually nonstop ever since with their all-original lineup. Blending a vibrant fusion of jazz, swing, and Dixieland, they’ve sold out concerts from the Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center, rocked the Super Bowl Half-Time Show, and show no signs of slowing down.

Followig Friday's show they can be enjoyed Saturday at the Hering Auditorium in Fairbanks then it's back to the lower 48 for a show October 20 at The Canyon in Montclair, CA with an October 21st swingin' gig at the Jubilee Music Festival in Santa Paula, CA.

HER EXCELLENCY HUDA ALKHAMIS KANOO (Founder, the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation) was received by Royal Patron of the Peace and Prosperity Trust the Duke of Gloucester on October 5, 2023.

Huda Alkhamis-Kanoo is a patron of the arts who has dedicated her life to inspiring artists to create, generations to innovate, and communities to unite and prosper. She founded the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF) in 1996 and is Artistic Director of Abu Dhabi Festival, which she established in 2004. His Highness President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan appointed her to the Board of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage (now Department of Culture and Tourism) in 2006, on which she served until 2012.

She serves on the Cleveland Clinic International Leadership Board, the International Circle of the Reina Sofía College of Music, and the International Advisory Board of the Edinburgh International Festival. She is also a founding member of the American Ballet Theatre’s Global Council, and she sits on the National Advisory Board of Zayed University – College of Arts and Creative Enterprises. She is married to businessman and artist Mohamed Abdul Latif Kanoo, a member of the prominent Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo business family.

ADMAF's activities serve to fulfill the following objectives:

To advocate the power of music and arts in cross-cultural understanding.
To embed music and the arts in the heart of civil society.
To empower original artistic expression in the UAE and Middle East.
To ensure access to the music and the arts for all.
To inspire creativity and cultivate emerging talent.
To nurture artistic excellence by and for the people of Abu Dhabi and beyond.
To preserve the UAE’s cultural legacy.
To promote music and the arts as effective educational tools.
To raise the appreciation of traditional culture and heritage.
To position Abu Dhabi as an international cultural capital.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

DID YOU KNOW THAT Ohio State University has over 100 registered marks and a robust licensing strategy, providing a model case study for collegiate branding, licensing, and enforcement.

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2023 GILDER/COIGNEY INTERNATIONAL THEATRE AWARD CEREMONY takes place Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at the Lovinger Theater at Lehman College in the Bronx, NY.

The League of Professional Theatre Women will welcome attendees to a celebration of Petrona de la Cruz (Mexico) winner of the 2023 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award (GCITA), and her sister nominees.

The ceremony is sponsored by the CUNY Institute for Mexican Studies and includes tributes, music and a video honoring Petrona and the 18 GCITA nominees. Special recognition will be given to two-time finalist Maya Zbib (Lebanon).

Anne Bogart, Founder of the notable SITI Company and a pioneer in international theatre exchange programs, will be delivering the Keynote address in honor of Martha Coigney, a long-time Director of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) and a world renowned cultural ambassador, who was instrumental in the creation of the GCITA Program.

The award will be presented by Olga Garay-English, a renowned national and international arts administrator and performing arts producer. She is currently the Executive Director of the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs.

Petrona de la Cruz was the first indigenous person to win Mexico's coveted Rosario Castellanos Prize for Literature in 1992 and then received the National Council for Culture and the Arts grant, the highest in Mexico, in 2002. In 1999, FOMMA (Fortaleza de la Mujer Maya), which she formed in 1994, received a national award given by IMIFAP (Mexican Institute of Research on the Family and Population) and sponsored by the Summit Foundation for its work in radio, theater, and education in Mexico. Cruz was awarded the prestigious Rosario Castellanos Medal for her lifetime achievements in 2019. In addition to writing and performing, Cruz currently serves as a Congresswoman for the State of Chiapas local Congress for the 2021-2024 term.

The GCITA Program was established in 2011 in honor of Martha Coigney and her predecessor at ITI, Rosamund Gilder, who both chartered an enduring course of productive global diplomatic relations through the Arts. The triennial award has previously been given to Odile Gakire Katese (Rwanda), Patricia Ariza (Colombia), Adelheid Roosen (The Netherlands) and Hanane Hajj Ali (Lebanon).

THE NATIONAL LATINX THEATER INITIATIVE a new re-granting program that will boost the national profile of Latinx theater companies across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, disperse funds needed to pursue greater financial stability and nurture artistic voices in a post-pandemic landscape has announced recipients.

Funded by a three-year, $5M grant from the Mellon Foundation, the initiative has received funding support from the Ford Foundation ($2 million over two years), the Rockefeller Brothers Fund ($750,000 over three years), the Joyce Foundation ($600,000 over three years), the California Community Foundation ($500,000 over two years) and an anonymous donor ($150,000 over two years).

Los Angeles based Latino Theater Company artistic director José Luis Valenzuela and internationally recognized arts administrator Olga Garay-English will serve as directors of the initiative during the initial three-year period of a ten-year effort.

A national steering committee, created in 2021 with the help of a $150,000 planning grant from Mellon, provided guidance on the structure. Comprised of diverse Latinx theater professionals from across the country and Puerto Rico, the 11-member committee included, in addition to Valenzuela and Garay-English, Pedro Adorno of Puerto Rico’s Agua, Sol y Sereno theater company; Jacqueline Flores of Latinx Theatre Commons in Boston, MA; Tony García of Su Teatro in Denver, CO; Miranda González of Urban Theater Company in Chicago, IL; Abel Lopez of Gala Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C.; David Lozano of Cara Mia Theatre in Houston, TX; Rosalba Rolón of Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in New York, NY; Mario Ernesto Sánchez of Teatro Avante and the International Hispanic Theatre Festival of Miami in Miami, FL; and José Torres Tama, a theater artist from New Orleans, LA.

"This new re-granting initiative was inspired by The Black Seed," explains Olga Garay-English, referring to a first-ever national strategic plan to create impact and thrivability for Black theater institutions. "The funders’ collaborative, which includes both national and local foundations, will allow us to make a minimum of 40 to 60 grants throughout the country and Puerto Rico from 2023 to 2025. Meanwhile, we are working to procure additional monies and have set a three-year fundraising goal of $15 million. At the $15 million level, the initiative will be able to award significant grants to 60 or more Latinx theaters. If all the commitments we have currently come through, we will have about $10 million in 2023 for regranting, other programming efforts, and administration of the initiative. As with The Black Seed, this is the first time major donors are systemically addressing the perennial under-funding and under-capitalization of Latinx theater companies. Most of the money raised is being re-granted through competitive general operating support grants."

The National Latinx Theater Initiative will provide general operating support to national Latinx anchor producing theaters with budgets over $250K and programming for 15 years or more with grants ranging from $75,000 to $150,000 a year for a minimum of two years; and to local Latinx anchor producing theaters with budgets under $250K and programming for at least 5 years with grants ranging from $25,000 to $60,000 annually for a minimum of two years.

In addition, the initiative will offer a robust professional development component that will include annual grantee convenings, meetings of the Latinx theater field more broadly, consultations with the Nonprofit Finance Fund, and other opportunities for growth. The current, nine-member national steering committee will continue to help guide the effort.

A total of 52 Latinx local and national anchor producing theaters were chosen using a competitive peer review panel process. A total of six theaters from Chicago received funding support. Los Angeles had a total of five grantees, while Greater New York City had ten theaters in the final tally. Other places with multiple grantees include Greater California (six), Greater Miami (six), Puerto Rico (six) and Texas (four). One theater from each of the following locations throughout the United States received funding support: Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington, D.C.

National Latinx Theater Initiative Grantees and Locations:

About Productions – Pasadena, CA - - - Aguijón Theater Company – Chicago, IL - - - Antiheroes Project, Inc. – Miami, FL - - - Arca Images – Miami, FL - - - Artefactus Cultural Project, Inc. – Coral Gables, FL - - Asociación ACirc Corp – San Juan, Puerto Rico
- - - A Todo Dar, Cedar Park, TX - - - Borderlands Theater – Tucson, AZ - - - Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, Santa Ana, CA - - - Caborca, Brooklyn, NY - - - Cara Mía Theatre, Dallas, TX - - - CARPA San Diego, San Diego, CA - - - Casa 0101, Los Angeles, CA - - - Latino Theater Company, Los Angeles - - - Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group, Memphis, TN - - - Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), Chicago, IL - - - Combat Hippies/Teo Castellano, Miami, FL - - - Company of Angels, Inc., Los Angeles, CA - - - Culture Clash, Los Angeles, CA - - - El Ingenio Teatro, Miami, FL - - - El Teatro Campesino, San Juan de Bautista, CA - - - GALA Inc., Washington, D.C. - - - Group.BR Limited, New York, New York - - - Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio, TX - - - International Arts Relations, Inc. (INTAR), NY, NY - - - LatinUS Theater Experience Company, Inc., Cleveland, OH - - - Latinx Playwrights Circle, Middletown, NY - - - Miracle Center, Chicago, IL - - - Miracle Theatre Group (Milagro), Portland, OR - - - Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Bronx, NY - - - Programa de Artes Escénicas, Teatros Francisco Arriví y Victoria Espinosa, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, PR - - - SINERGIA Theatre Group-Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA, Los Angeles, CA - - - Spanish Theatre Repertory Company, Ltd. (Repertorio Español), NY, NY - - - Su Teatro, Denver, CO - - - Tantai Teatro, San Juan, PR - - - Teatro Alebrijes, San Jose, CA - - - Teatro Avante, Inc., Miami, FL - - - Teatro Breve, San Juan, PR - - - Teatro Circulo, NY, NY - - - Teatro Dallas, Dallas, TX - - - Teatro de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR - - - Teatro del Pueblo, Saint Paul, MN - - - Teatro ECAS, Providence, RI - - - Teatro Nagual, Sacramento, CA - - - Teatro Paraguas, Santa Fe, NM - - - Teatro Público, San Juan, PR - - - Teatro Sea, NY, NY - - - Teatro Visión, San José, CA - - - Teatro Vista, Chicago, IL - - - Thalia Theater, Sunnyside, NY - - - The Sol Project, NY, NY - - - Urban Theater Chicago DBA Urban Theater Company, Chicago, IL - - - Water People Theater, Chicago, IL



PRIVATE JONES Book, Music and Lyrics by Marshall Pailet.

Directed by Marshall Pailet.

Choreographer: Misha Shields.

Music Director: Myrna Conn.

Director of Artistic Sign Language: Alexandria Waile.

Private Jones is inspired by the true story of a deaf soldier in World War I who displays remarkable skill as a sniper while hiding his profound hearing loss. Driven by an ensemble of deaf, hearing and hard-of-hearing actors and a dynamic Celtic score, witness how one man’s journey through war becomes all the more treacherous because heand we can’t hear what’s coming next.

Starring Johnny Link (Private Gomer Jones), Claire Neumann (Jack King), Leanne Antonio (Gwenolyn/Evans) and Vincent Kenpski (Edmund).

Ensemble: David Aron Damane, Alex De Bard, Brandon Espinoza, Dickie Hearts, Amelia Hensley, George Psomas, Jon-Michael Reese, and Emily Steinhardt.

The creatives are: Scenic Designers: Christopher & Justin Swader. Costume Designer: Phuong Nguyn. Lighting Designer: Jen Schriever. Sound Designer: Jay Hilton. Orchestrator: Ryan O’Connell. Puppets by: Nicholas Mahon. Production Stage Manager: Mysti Stay. Additional Casting: JZ Casting.

"Goodspeed has supported the development of Private Jones throughout its lifespan," said Donna Lynn Hilton, artistic director. "The musical was conceived at our Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove on the Goodspeed campus in 2019, presented in Goodspeed’s 2020 Festival of New Musicals, continued developing through creative workshops since and will now make its stage debut at The Terris Theatre. We are honored to support Marshall’s vision for this groundbreaking new musical."

October 13 – November 5, 2023 at Goodspeed Musicals in East Haddam, CT.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE an adaptation by Kate Hammill "blends the timeless charm of Austen with the contemporary flair reminiscent of Dickinson and Bridgerton."

Directed by Tatyana-Marie Carlo.

It’s about time for the Bennet sisters to get married, only the independent and outspoken Elizabeth isn’t keen on the idea. Meanwhile, the proud and mysterious Mr. Darcy keeps appearing in the Bennet social sphere, sparking conflict and marital questions. Might a change of heart be in the cards for Elizabeth? In this playful adaptation, Kate Hamill bends tradition and social conventions.

Featuring Sergio Mauritz Ang as Mr. Bingley / Mr. Collins - Madeleine Barker as Mary / Miss Bingley - Renata Eastlick as Lizzy - María Gabriela González as Jane / Miss de Bourgh - Zoë Kim as Lydia / Lady Catherine - Carman Lacivita as Mr. Darcy - Anne Scurria as Mr. Bennet / Charlotte Luca and Lana Young as Mrs. Bennet.

The creatives are: Choreographer Shura Baryshnikov - Scenic Design Sara Brown - Lighting Design Aja M. Jackson - Costume Design Haydee Zelideth - Original Music & Sound Design Daniel Baker & Co. - Wig Design Earon NealeyVocal and Dialect Coach Jennifer Scapetis-Tycer. Casting Alaine AlldafferProduction - Stage Manager Anaïs Bustos - Assistant Stage Manager Theresa Stark.

October 12 – November 5, 2023 at Hartford Stage in Hartford, CT.

THE GREAT GATSBY based on the iconic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Book by Kait Kerrigan, a jazz- and pop-influenced original score by Tony Award nominees Jason Howland and Nathan Tysen.

Directed by Marc Bruni.

Starring Jeremy Jordan as Gatsby and two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Daisy with Sara Chase as Myrtle, Stanley W. Mathis as Wolfsheim, Samantha Pauly as Jordan, Noah J. Ricketts as Nick, Paul Whitty as Wilson, and John Zdrojeski as Tom.

The cast will also feature Lauryn Adams, Raymond Edward Baynard, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Austin Colby, Colin Cunliffe, Natalie Charle Ellis, Curtis Holland, Brianna Kim, Dariana Mullen, Mariah Reives, Julio Rey, Dan Rosales, Maya Sistruck, Jake Trammel, Jake Urban, Tanairi Vazquez, and Katie Webber.

Fitzgerald’s novel has fascinated and captivated readers since its publication in 1925. Set in the Roaring Twenties, eccentric millionaire Jay Gatsby (Jordan) will stop at nothing in his tragic pursuit of Daisy Buchanan (Noblezada), a wealthy young woman who he loved in his youth. Surrounded by characters with incredibly complex and nuanced inner lives, passions, and longings boil, and then erupt – spurring the unimaginable fates that befall them.

The production will be choreographed by Dominique Kelley. Music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations are by Jason Howland. Daniel Edmondsis is the Music Director.

The creatives are scenic and projection design by Paul Tate DePoo III, costume design by Tony Award winner Linda Cho, lighting design by Cory Pattak, sound design by two-time Tony Award winner Brian Ronan, hair and wig design by Charles G. LaPointe and Rachael Geier, and fight and intimacy direction by Rocío Mendez . The production stage manager is Brian Bogin. Casting is by C12 Casting.

The Great Gatsby will perform October 12–November 12, 2023 at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ.

FEAR OF HEIGHTS written and performed by Kevin Flynn.

Directed by Tim Byron Owen.

"A heartwarming and often hilarious story about an Irish American kid's phobias, family life and the meaning of success. Kevin Flynn’s grandfather, a tough, Irish steelworker, may have been unafraid to perch precariously on a steel beam high above the New York skyline — but young Kevin finds himself dreaming of the bright lights of Hollywood instead. In this funny, moving autobiographical solo show, the former professional soccer player and current award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, writer, producer and television host examines the American experience through the lens of his Irish immigrant family."

October 12 – October 29, 2023 at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles CA.

MACBETH IN STRIDE created by STC Associate Director Whitney White.

Directed by Tyler Dobrowsky and Taibi Magar, Co-Artistic Directors of Philadelphia Theatre Company.

Macbeth In Stride.this rock 'n' roll play with music turns Macbeth on its head—and is a great complement to our spring production of the Shakespeare classic. The cast features Whitney White as Woman, Charlie Thurston as Man, Stacey Sargeant as First Witch, Ximone Rose as Second Witch, Chelsea Lee Williams as Third Witch, and Kanysha Williams.

The creatives are: Raja Feather Kelly serves as Choreographer and Steven Cuevas serves as Music Director and Co-Orchestrator. Scenic Design is by Daniel Soule, Costume Design is by Qween Jean, Lighting Design is by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, and Sound Design is by Nick Kourtides . Wig, Hair, and Make-up Design is by Rachel Padula-Shufelt. Casting is by STC's Resident Casting Director Danica Rodriguez. Charles M. Turner III is the Production Stage Manager and Samantha Wilhelm is the Assistant Stage Manager.

Macbeth In Stride begins its limited run on October 10 at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC.

BITE ME written by Eliana Pipes.

Directed by Rebecca Martínez.

Nathan is ditching class when he stumbles on Melody crying in a storage closet - he’s a white boy with family money and dangerous habits, she’s the lone Black girl on campus, excelling academically and grappling with feelings of isolation. They form an unexpected bond and it’s not long before the heat between them boils over. Bite Me explores the drama (and trauma) of trying to fit in at high school, and the unfinished business waiting for them at their reunion a decade later. This captivating dark comedy dares to explore the raw undercurrents of youth, and the unspoken truths that bind us.

Starring David Garelik and Malika Samuel.

The creative team features scenic designer Chika Shimizu; costume designer Sarita Fellows; lighting designer Lucrecia Briceno; and sound designer Tosin Olufolabi. The stage manager is Caren Celine Morris. Casting by Kelly Gillespie, C.S.A.

Bite Me has performances at the WP Theater in New York City through October 22, 2023.

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