Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: April 17, 2022
By: Laura Deni
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CELEBRATING SHAKESPEARE'S BIRTHDAY - 2022 STYLE

National Shakespeare Day is celebrated all over the world on April 23 and theatres are getting ready to enjoy the day in the best possible way.

On April 23, 1564 (as near as we can tell), William Shakespeare was born to a respectable middle-class family in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Over 450 years after his death, Shakespeare (aka the Bard of Avon) is the most produced and celebrated playwright in the world.

On April 20 and 21 of this year, the UTAH SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL in Cedar City, Utah is throwing a birthday party.

The two days will be full of a variety of activities, including dancing the maypole, jousting contests, performing Shakespeare onstage, and eating cake with Queen Elizabeth.

“It’s a beautiful way to launch into spring, with kids singing and dancing out on the grass, talking about Shakespeare, and eating cake,” Education Director Michael Bahr said. “It’s a way to celebrate Shakespeare and theatrical performance, and to get a taste of theatre, dance, and youthful energy and optimism.”

The Tony Award-winning theater will also present All's Well That Ends Well; King Lear and The Tempest.

Celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.

In celebration of Shakespeare’s 458th birthday, Stratford-upon-Avon residents can enjoy free entry to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s New Place during the weekend April 23 and 24.

On Friday April, 22 the Shakespeare Birthday Lecture - Stormy Weather: Shakespeare in a Changing Climate - - How Does Shakespeare speak to our own age of climate crisis- takes place as a digital event live on Zoom.

Join Professor Sir Jonathan Bate CBE, Professor of Environmental Humanities (Literature), Arizona State University as he presents this year's Shakespeare Birthday Lecture on the subject of Shakespeare in a Changing Climate. This year's Shakespeare Birthday Lecture will be co-hosted by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, England.

Throughout the morning, of Saturday, April 23, K’antu ensemble will perform an eclectic musical performance outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street. This versatile, intriguing and multi-talented vocal/instrumental ensemble are known for the uniqueness of their sound, combining elements of folk and world music with historically-informed techniques.

K’antu ensemble will also deliver interactive performances and workshops during the afternoon in the garden of Shakespeare’s New Place.

On Sunday, April 24, you can join in for a guided walk across the Welcombe Hills led by guides from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Part of the Sustainable Shakespeare program, the walk offers an opportunity to connect Shakespeare’s work with the natural world and learn more about his direct links to the landscape and the wildlife in the area. The two hour walk starts at Rowley Fields.

THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY has several mountings: Wars of the Roses until June 11, 2022. Henry VI: Rebellion is staged until May 28, 2022.

THE OLD GLOBE IN SAN DIEGO, CA got into the birthday spirit early, celebrating Happy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare! on Saturday, April 16, 2022. Guests were treated to birthday cake.

Other happenings included: Participating in a stage fighting demonstration with Ben Cole and learning to craft roses. There was a masquerade ball and a sonnet competition with winners receiving prizes.

Ambient music by the Brandon Cerquedo Band, an Elizabethan dance workshop with Monique Gaffney and a Henry 6 puppet show with Gaston Morineau. The Word Up! sonnet performance was by Ric Scales and other San Diego artists.

SHAKESPEARE IN DETROIT is celebrating Shakespeare's natal day with several events and experiences, including this one on Monday, April 25th at the historical Jam Handy.

If you are looking for a fun way to kick off your week, stop by for this 90-minute event that includes complimentary cake, wine and hear some of the bard's most popular monologues read by two members of the theatrical organization's acting company.

SHAKESPEARE UNDER THE STARS stages Midsummer Night’s Dream August 3 – 14 at the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, CA.

On Saturday, April 23, 2022 join AMERICAN SHAKESPEARE CENTER hosts some fun, family-friendly activities on Market St. in front of the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. On Saturday, April 23 from 10 AM – 1 PM, it's a free day of family friendly events with a environmental focus including Shakespeare MadLibs.

THE OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL in Ashland, Oregon has a production season which includes The Tempest and King John. Their Greens Show is world famous.

The Green Show is a free, family friendly, outdoor performance venue that runs from June to September and features different acts Wednesday to Saturday evenings, prior to the nightly plays from June 1, 2022 to October 1, 2022.

"We program with the goals of balance, diversity and representation, and excellence. We also program with thoughts of connection to our community, our audience, and our plays on stage. At OSF, we believe the inclusion of a diversity of people, ideas and cultures enriches both our insights into the work we present on stage and our relationships with each other."

BERKELEY SHAKESPEARE COMPANY offers Much Ado About Nothing May 14 – 23 in Berkeley, CA followed by a mounting in Kensington, CA May 29 – May 30.

LAKE TAHOE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL (LTSF) launches its 50th Anniversary Season in 2022. Showcasing live entertainment seven nights a week, July 1 – August 21, 2022 at Sand Harbor, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, LTSF’s 2022 lineup is headlined by mega-hit productions of Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s sublime battle of wits and wills.

Directed by LTSF Producing Artistic Director, Charles Fee, Much Ado About Nothing Beatrice and Benedick would rather exchange scorching insults than sweet nothings in Much Ado About Nothing. However, the pugnacious pair is forced to forge a partnership in order to defend house and honor, and salvage the true love of Hero and Claudio after deceptions destroy the lovers’ wedding day. Will the earnest endeavor to restore a young romance elicit an unexpected change of heart for the effort’s unlikely collaborators as well?

A Nevada State Parks Entrance Pass is required to gain access to and park at the venue.

PALM BEACH FLORIDA SHAKESPEARE presents Shakespeare for the Masses with Richard II July 7 – 17 in Carlin Park, Jupiter, Florida and July 21 – 24 in Commons Park, Royal Palm Beach, Florida.

Considered “Shakespeare’s most dangerous play,” the original Succession story, Richard II tells of a ruler, crowned at an early age, whose poor leadership leads to a loss of faith in the governance of the realm. Featuring some of the richest language in the early modern canon, one scene from the play was used during Shakespeare’s time to incite a rebellion against the crown itself, forcing it to be banned from the original quarto. Centuries later, this tale of the dangers of absolute power continues to resonate with audiences across the globe, and throughout the ages.

The Richard II productions are free of charge to the public.

NEW SWAN SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL lands Shakespeare's wittiest comedy on a 70's boardwalk. Will the double set of funk-loving twins unravel the mysteries of mistaken identities, madness, and witchcraft?

The Comedy of Errrorrs takes place July 9, 10, 15, 17, 21, 23, 28, 30, 31; August 4, 6, 11, 13, 14, 19, 20, 26, 28, and September 1, 3.

Also on board is Pericles Prince of Tyre. Destiny leads Prince Pericles on a fantastical tour of the vast and varied world. Through shipwrecks, tournaments, assassins, and pirates, a lost prince finds his family and himself. Join us and celebrate the resiliency of the human spirit!

July 8, 14, 16, 22, 24, 29; August 5, 7, 12, 18, 21, 25, 27, 31 and September 2.

The New Swan Shakespeare Festival is located at the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts in Irvine, CA.

NEBRASKA SHAKESPEARE presents The Art of Shakespeare May 13-22. This is an exhibit of Nebraska artists as they show case work themed around their 2022 Shakespeare in the Park season. Artwork will be auctioned/sold and all proceeds to be split 50/50 with artists.

The Bards’ Sofa will be held July 3, 10, and 17. It is a series of special guests and conversation about Shakespeare and creativity. Guest speakers will include authors, actors, and playwrights that represent the very best of their craft moderated by local personalities.

October 1 will be the End of the Season Gala, an evening of food, friends, and celebration of the very best of Nebraska Shakespeare. In addition to these special events, Shakespeare on the Green will be held June 23 – July 17 at Elmwood Park. This year’s productions include The Tempest, directed by Scott Glasser, and Othello, directed by Rachel Grossman.

This is the 60th Anniversary Season and more than 150 productions of FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK AT THE DELACORTE THEATRE in New York City's Central Park.

The beloved summer tradition returns with the intriguing political drama Richard III, directed by Tony nominee Robert O’Hara and featuring Danai Gurira in the title role.

Adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery, Public Works' joyful, community enriched, musical adaptation of As You Like It returns this summer. This heartwarming musical will close out the celebratory season, and features music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, choreography by Sonya Tayeh, and direction by Laurie Woolery.

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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

BESTOWING BEAUTY: MASTERPEICES FROM PERSIAN LANDS celebrates artistic heritage and exchange of vital cultural region in a spectacular exhibition of more than 100 objects drawn from one of the most significant private collections of Persian art.

Bestowing Beauty: Masterpieces from Persian Lands opens April 23 and showcases the artistic inventiveness of Persian culture across different media, featuring a broad array of textiles, ceramics, metalwork, lacquer, paintings, jewelry and manuscripts from the Hossein Afshar Collection.

Historically Persian lands – a wide swath of territory that at various times spanned from Cairo to Delhi, with its heart in what is now modern-day Iran – saw centuries of conquest and globalization. The art that resulted both reinforced Persian culture and assimilated these cross-cultural exchanges.

Banquets and Battles features the exuberance of palace feasting and fighting, quintessential aspects of Persian kingship and perennially popular subjects in Persian art and literature. Feasts are portrayed across media, such as a 19th-century painting of a female juggler accompanied by a cat, and the exhibition also includes lavishly decorated serving vessels and utensils fashioned from metals and ceramic.

Art of the Word, the third section, delves into the different developments, styles and uses of calligraphy, enhancing the aesthetic form and rhythmic beauty of calligraphy. Words were woven into textiles, engraved onto metalwork, painted on ceramic objects and enamels and carved into wood.

Kingship and Authority explores the kingly ideal, which figures prominently in Persian visual and literary culture. In addition to the Shahnama – the masterpiece that reflects the legends and virtues of Persian dynasties – court painters in the 19th century captured portraits of royalty and the ruling elite. This section also incorporates monumental silk carpets of the 16th and 17th centuries and an exquisite 19th-century pendant of gold, pearls and gemstones.

The concluding section, Earth and Nature, examines the manifestations of flora and fauna that abound in the art of Iran. Its people were among the earliest civilizations to cultivate gardens. The garden’s symbolism – of paradise, of the promise of spring, of renewal – permeated Persian culture and can be seen in the exhibition through glorious depictions of lions, falcons, nightingales, roses and fruit.

Bestowing Beauty: Masterpieces from Persian Lands is organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Exhibition on view at Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio - April 23-July 17, 2022.

INSTALLATION: SUSPENDED LANDSCAPES: THREAD DRAWINGS BY AMANDA McCAVOUR To commemorate the Chazen Museum of Art’s 50th anniversary, Toronto-based artist Amanda McCavour has created an installation in Paige Court, the heart of the museum’s original 1970 Elvehjem building. McCavour works with stitched thread to create embroidered installations, and developed this new, large-scale, site-specific work in response to the collection and history of the Chazen Museum and UW–Madison, Wisconsin.

McCavour’s work is often described as drawing with thread. By sewing into fabric that dissolves in water, McCavour builds up stitched lines on a temporary surface. When the fabric is dissolved, the thread drawing holds together without a base. The crossing threads possess an unexpected strength that counters the appearance of fragility. To present these thread drawings on a monumental scale, McCavour has printed them on rolls of sheer fabric that hang from the fourth floor and terminate in Paige Court.

During research trips, McCavour visited the botany department, the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and the UW Libraries’ Special Collections. She studied native plant specimens held in the Wisconsin State Herbarium and botanical works from the Chazen’s collection. McCavour curated a presentation of the artwork on campus that inspired her planning, alongside her own preparatory drawings, materials and the original thread drawings used to create the sheer fabric panels. Items drawn from the permanent collection include works on paper such as rare watercolors of flowers by Salvador Dalí.

Significance: The Elvehjem building opened during a time of national turmoil. McCavour’s installation will challenge the visual weight and dominating presence of the design and travertine marble of the Elvehjem building. The work will offer a transformation of the space and a reflection of the collection, in a celebration of all that has changed, and hasn’t changed, at the Chazen during the museum’s first 50 years.

THE HONOLULU MUSEUM OF ART (HoMA) has announced the appointment of Penni Hall as chief operating officer. In this integral position on the leadership team, Hall will oversee the museum’s finance, facility, security, technology, human resources, collections and revenue operations, while leading cross-functional teams to achieve institutional goals. She will also conceive and implement plans for improving performance by guiding strategic planning and resource management to ensure the museum can continue to serve and engage with the community.

A native of Australia, Hall joins HoMA from M+, Hong Kong’s prestigious new museum for visual culture designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron, and which recently opened to the public in November 2021.

Hall will join HoMA as COO on April 19, 2022.

About the Honolulu Museum of Art
A vital part of Hawai?i’s cultural landscape, HoMA is a unique gathering place where art, global worldviews, culture and education converge in the heart of Honolulu. In addition to an internationally renowned permanent collection, the museum houses innovative exhibitions, an art school, an independent art house theatre, a café and a museum shop, within one of the most beautiful, iconic buildings in Hawaii.

MICHELANGELO'S FIRST NUDE was unveiled on Thursday, Aoruil 14, 2022, in Paris ahead of a Christie's auction on May 18, 2022.

The unpublished sketch dates back to the end of the 15th century and, Christie's has said, managed to "escape the attention of specialists".

Fewer than ten drawings by Michelangelo exist in private hands. This one, in pen and brown ink, was last offered for sale in 1907 at the Hôtel Drouot under the classification "Ecole de Michel-Ange".

In 2019 during an inventory for a French private collection, scholars finally attributed it to the master himself, who died in 1564.

That September it was declared a 'national treasure of France', prohibiting its exit from French territory for 30 months, and providing the French government and museums the opportunity to purchase it.br>
No offer was made during this period. Thus, the drawing will be displayed in Hong Kong and New York to encourage bidding before returning to Paris on May 13 ahead of the auction.

Remarkably well-conserved according to experts, the sketch is the size of an A4 sheet and may be inspired by the Masaccio fresco, 'The Baptism of the Neophytes' (1426-27).

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SWEET CHARITY

LIGHT UP THE SKY by Moss Hart. Directed by Jonathan Silverstein in a one night only benefit reading presented by the Keen Company on April 25, 2022 at Theatre 3 at Theatre Row in New York City.

Featuring Arnie Burton, Jasminn Johnson, Lauren Molina, Reg Rogers, Ari'el Stachel, Jason Tam.

Tickets to this fundraiser event support Keen Company’s 22nd Season celebrating new work, as well as Keen’s Playwrights Lab for mid-career writers, and Keen Teens which serves students in all five boroughs of NYC.

An outstanding hit of the Broadway theater, Moss Hart’s Light Up the Sky is a gorgeously amusing comedy about show folks. The comedy revolves around a group of New York theater-folk who attend the opening of their new play in Boston. The lead actress, the backer, and several others, are in seventh heaven at the prospect of a tremendous success which they hope for in the work of a young unknown writer. Gathered in a hotel room, these people go through their paces with tremendous gusto and many exhibitions of temperament. The opening of the play, which is a very earnest and experimental work, is such as to lead the cast, director and backer to believe it a flop. Instantly they turn against themselves, the production, the author and savagely proceed in what looks like an attempt to destroy themselves and all their former hopes. It turns out, however, that in spite of the curious reception by the first night audience, the play has made a deep impression, and when news spreads that the reviews are on the whole favorable, the tables are turned. But the playwright who has suffered both from the enthusiasm and pessimism of his associates has decided that he is through with the theater, and he is captured by the backer only at the moment he is about to take a plane back home. He is persuaded to play ball with his associates, but he is so disgusted with the temperamental shenanigans of those who were presumably his friends that he turns on them and lays down the law to them.

THE NEW YORK POPS 39TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION takes place at Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 25, 2022.

Steven Reineke leads The New York Pops in a celebration of its 39th Birthday Gala with Music Honorees Kristen and Bobby Lopez. The Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning, married songwriting team are best known for their music from Disney's Frozen, Pixar's Coco, and more. Performers that night will include: Samantha Barks, Josh Gad, Maggie Lakis, Rob McClure, Andrew Rannells, Jennifer Barnhart, Kristen Bell, Jaime Camil, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Santino Fontana, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Nikki M. James, Mykal Kilgore, Caissie Levy, Rick Lyon, Patti Murin, and Betsy Wolfe.

Concert proceeds support The New York Pops orchestra and its PopsEd music education programs.

THE 4TH ANNUAL CHITA RIVERA AWARDS will take place on Monday, June 20, at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.Nominations will be announced on May 5, 2022.

Carrying the namesake of one of the great dance icons of the American musical theater, the mission of the Chita Rivera Awards is to celebrate dance and choreographic excellence - past, present and future. The awards will honor the superb achievement of each nominee, while recognizing the immeasurable talents and passion of every theatrical choreographer and dancer. Additionally, through education and scholarships, the awards are committed to nurturing future generations, as well as preserving notable dance history.

Honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theater Award, and Ambassador For The Arts Award will also be awarded.

The NYC Dance Alliance Foundation College Scholarship Program will be the beneficiary of the event. Since the inception of the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation, $4 million have been awarded to over 400 dancers represented in 42 of the most prestigious college dance programs in the country.

SPREADING THE WORD

THE INVICTUS GAMES

Prince Harry being driver by four-year-old Scarlet Vroegop. Following behind is Meghan whose driver was five-year-old Mya Poirot. Photo: Facebook

are taking place this week in Holland. Prince Harry founded the games in 2014, inspired after seeing the 2013 Warrior Games in the US, where injured and retired service personnel compete in a wide range of events.

Following a meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at the Zuiderpark in The Hague and joined in the junior driving contest where they were driven round a circuit in mini Land Rovers. The younger son of Prince Charles was driven by four-year-old Dutch girl Scarlet Vroegop. Following behind was Meghan whose driver was five-year-old French girl Mya Poirot.

The promotional spin around preceded the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge.

Following the mini van spin, The duke took to a full-size car to complete his driving challenge, taking on a course featuring bridges, ramps and rocks.

The opening ceremony featured live performances by British rock band the Kaiser Chiefs, along with a military band, Dutch singer-songwriter Anneke van Giersbergen, and Hague-based rock band DI-RECT.

The duke and duchess both spoke during Saturday evening's opening ceremony. The audience at the televised event included members of the Dutch royal family and the country's prime minister.

Competitors will take part in events including archery, athletics, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.

AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST ASHLEIGH BANFIELD host of Banfield on NewsNation, will reunite with her former MSNBC co-anchor, Lester Holt, the NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor. Holt will join her Rising Tide: The Value in Mentoring Others series during the NAB Show Opening Main Stage session on Sunday, April 24 in Las Vegas, NV.

The interview will precede Holt’s induction into the National Association of Broadcasting (NAB) Hall of Fame, also on the Main Stage at NAB Show.

Banfield recently founded Rising Tide a monthly live Zoom event for people looking to succeed in TV journalism and receive guidance from leading figures in the field.

Each month, she features guest VIP mentors in the industry who have agreed to take questions and share tips, secrets and career advice. The mentors include Bob Costas, Gayle King, Harvey Levin, Jake Tapper, Sanja Gupta, Dan Abrams, Lisa Ling, Meghan McCain, Mika Brzezinski, Savannah Guthrie, Wolf Blitzer, Deborah Norville, Donny Deutsch, Dana Bash, Shepard Smith, Elizabeth Vargas, Jesse Palmer, S.E. Cupp, Sam Champion, Thomas Roberts and Steve Wilkos.

LIVE IN THE VINEARD GOES COUNTRY (LITVGC) presented by Visit Napa Valley, has announced the lineup for the upcoming event, scheduled for April 26-28 in Napa Valley, California.

Kicking things off at the Opening Reception of Live In The Vineyard Goes Country at Napa Valley’s oldest winery, Charles Krug, on Tuesday, April 26, are Jessie James Decker, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Joe Nichols. On Wednesday, April 27, the day will start with a VIP Tailgate among the vineyards at Peju with performances by Hannah Ellis, Jameson Rodgers, and Lee Brice and the evening will conclude with the Mainstage event at The Uptown Theatre with performances by Chase Rice, BRELAND, Morgan Evans, Tyler Braden, Caroline Jones The event will close with a special Send-Off Brunch at Domaine Chandon on Thursday, April 28.

In addition to the LITVGC main events that take place for all attendees, private VIP performances will take place at wineries throughout Napa Valley and will feature intimate acoustic sets by Easton Corbin, Tim Duggar, Ian Flanigan, Jordan Fletcher, Ray Fulcher, Ryan Griffin, Ty Herndon, Rayne Johnson, Erin Kinsey, Brooke Moriber, O.N.E. The Duo, Caitlyn Smith, Matt Stell, Restless Road.

Founder of Live In the Vineyard and President of Forefront Entertainment Bobbii Jacobs shared, “LITVGC is an event that brings together ‘the best of’ in music, culinary arts, wine, and more. LITVGC bridges relationships like no other, and we couldn’t be prouder of the impact it continues to have on the different communities it touches. We are excited about this year’s lineup and for what’s in store -- this year’s attendees are in for a real treat.”

LITV and LITVGC give attendees intimate access to recording artists, premier Napa Valley wineries, and world-renowned chefs during a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. The 3-day private event brings together music supervisors, radio programmers, DSP curators, label executives, VIPs, corporate hospitality groups, and more from around the country to celebrate and hear brand new music by today’s most successful artists as well as the most popular emerging artists in a unique arrangement.

YOU SEND ME: THE SONGS AND SOUL OF SAM COOKE Conceived by and Starring Darius De Haas.

Award-winning Broadway dynamo Darius de Haas creates and stars in a show spotlighting the life and songbook of the great Sam Cooke. Cooke’s rise during his tragically short life took him from local gospel singer to international pop/soul icon to trailblazing entrepreneur to civil rights activist.

De Haas recreates Cooke’s enduring songs and tracks, from classics of romance (You Send Me; Wonderful World; Cupid: For Sentimental Reasons) to an anthem of revolution (A Change is Gonna Come) and many others. An illuminating look at the legacy of a hugely influential artist and a man with the voice of an angel.

Musician Credits:
Ravi Best, Trumpet
Sherrod Barnes, Guitar
Darius Christian, Trombone
George Farmer, Bass
Patience Higgins, Saxophone
Jason Thomas, Drums

April 23-25 at 92Y in New York City.

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER PLAYS DJ It was The Phantom of the Opera as you’ve never seen it before. Under the stars, on a floating stage with the Sydney Australia Opera House, Harbour Bridge and city skyline glittering in the background. With fireworks every night the opening night was made even more unforgetable when the fabulous after party had none other than Andrew Lloyd Webber - the legend himself- taking to the decks with an iconic DJ set.

The incredible musical plays through April 24.

THE PATSY talkback series hosted by the Transport Group takes place following upcoming performances of its acclaimed production. Guests include playwrights Tony Kushner and Charles Busch and creator of "Be Kind Rewind" Isabel Custodio. The schedule is:

Wednesday, April 20
Participants: Charles Busch, David Greenspan, Jack Cummings III

Thursday, April 21
Participants: Isabel Custodio, David Greenspan, Jack Cummings III, production dramaturg Krista Williams

Friday, April 29
Participants: Tony Kushner, David Greenspan, Jack Cummings III

The Patsy, written by Barry Conners, performed by David Greenspan, and directed by Jack Cummings III, opened April 10 at Abrons Arts Center, NYC. Filled with familial intrigue, marital sparring, lovers in pursuit, country club scandals, and labors of the heart, The Patsy premiered on Broadway in 1925 becoming an instant success. The hit play was then immediately immortalized in film by a quartet of early 20th century luminaries - stars Marion Davies and Marie Dressler, director King Vidor, and producer William Randolph Hearst.

SUZI QUANTRO one of the great queens of rock 'n' roll performs a rare UK show in the Royal Albert Hall iconic auditorium on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.

THE EAGLES on tour perform April 19, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Thursday show is at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. On Saturday they can be enjoyed at the UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY.

AN AMERICAN IN LONDON SERIES features Lorna Luft April 9-12 at the Crazy Coqs Cabaret live music venue located inside the Brasserie Zedel in Soho in London.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ON THIS DATE April 17, in 1905 New York's bakeshop labor law was overturned. In October 1901, Joseph Lochner, who owned a bakery on South Street in Utica, New York, was indicted and subsequently convicted on two criminal counts of working his employees beyond the hourly limits of the Bakeshop Act, a relatively new state law that limited the working hours of bakery employees to 10 hours per day and 60 hours per week.

On April 17, 1905, in Lochner v. New York the U>S. Supreme Court writing for the majority, Justice Rufus Peckham declared the New York labor law an unconstitutional use of state police power against an individual’s right to contract, and he declared the law itself a public health pretext designed to prevent small independent bakeshops from competing with larger, often union-affiliated bakeries. “Clean and wholesome bread does not depend on whether the baker works but 10 hours per day or only 60 hours a week,” Peckham wrote. “The [Bakeshop] act is not, within any fair meaning of the term, a health law, but is an illegal interference with the rights of individuals, both employers and employees, to make contracts regarding labor upon such terms as they may think best.”

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

DAVID BECKHAM

Brooklyn Beckham and new bride Nicola drive off in his parents' wedding gift.

and his wife Victoria have presented his son, Brooklyn and his daughter-in-law Nicola, with an all-electric Jaguar XK140 Open Two Seater (OTS) by Lunaz as a gift to mark their wedding in Palm Beach, Florida.

The newlyweds drove off in the car to attend their post wedding brunch.

"In creating this beautiful, electrified Jaguar XK140, we are honoured to bridge the gap between David Beckham’s professional life, where he is an investor in Lunaz and his family life. This remarkable car is the perfect gift to his son Brooklyn and daughter-in-law, Nicola on their wedding day. In every respect, this extraordinary electric classic car by Lunaz symbolises a bright, positive future."
David Lorenz, Founder & CEO, Lunaz

This clean-air classic, bespoke commissioned by Beckham is the product of thousands of hours of work from the company’s 120 strong team of craftspeople, designers and Electric Vehicle (EV) technicians and was built entirely in-house at the home of Lunaz in Silverstone, England.

This 1954 XK140 is appointed in a beautiful light blue. Every Lunaz customer is afforded the opportunity to name their unique color. At Beckham's request, the name for this particular color will remain confidential.

The fully restored and upcycled interior is presented in a light cream, offering contemporary expression to the car’s classic aesthetic. Like every classic by Lunaz, modern technology is discreetly hidden. Dials and switches faithfully reflect the original Jaguar design but with subtle updates to provide information on the battery level and to operate contemporary functions.

The driver will also benefit from uprated brakes, suspension and steering; making this most celebrated British automotive icon a car that can be driven and enjoyed every day.

In June 2021, Beckham announced that he was investing (10%) in Lunaz, Britain’s fastest growing clean-tech company. Since then, the company has expanded rapidly, growing its workforce by 200% and is soon to establish the UK’s largest remanufacturing and electrification facility adjacent to its current home on the Silverstone Technology Park. This takes Lunaz’ total manufacturing footprint to 210,000 sq/ft making it the largest company within the globally renowned Silverstone Technology Cluster by space and employees.

This expansion will see Lunaz enter full production of Upcycled Electric Vehicles (UEVs) for industrial applications. Indeed, the company recently unveiled the world’s first fully electrified and up-cycled refuse truck. This approach responds to the growing global requirement to plot a much more sustainable course to the transition of passenger and industrial vehicles to clean air power trains.

By upcycling and electrifying, in essence returning the vehicle to a factory-new standard, Lunaz saves 80% of the embedded carbon versus replacing it with new. This also saves significant capital making upcycling a cleaner, better and greener route to the rebalancing of global fleets to electric powertrains.

The company recently announced the conclusion of a private investment round through 2021. This included the introduction of Beckham, the Barclay, Reuben and Dallal families as major shareholders.

NYC WOMEN'S FUND IN MEDIA, MUSIC AND THEATRE have announced the third round recipients.

89 projects, led by female-identifying creatives, received finishing grants. The $2 million awarded in this round brought the grand total of funding to $5.5 million, allocated to a total of 246 recipients.

This groundbreaking initiative, intended to address the underrepresentation of women in film and digital media, music, and theatre, is administered by New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).

U.K. PLAYWRIGHT BENEDICT LOMBE has received the 2022 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her debut play, Lava.

Awarded annually since 1978, the prize is the oldest and largest award recognizing women, transgender, and non-binary playwrights who have written outstanding works for English-speaking theatre.

Finalists were: Amanda Wilkin, Chiara Atik, Benedict Lombe, Daniella De Jesús, & Lauren Whitehead Bottom row: Kae Tempest, Sonya Kelly, Zora Howard, Joanna Murray-Smith, & Sarah Hanly.

THE FAMED MAGIC CASTLE the Hollywood private club that presents magic shows and other entertainment, is being sold to one of its members, video game mogul Randy Pitchford. In a transfer to preserve the historic venue, Pitchford is buying the famous home to the Academy of Magical Arts from the Glover household, which had owned the property since 1961 when Thomas O. Glover purchased the house and land. In that very same year, Glover leased the constructing to William "Invoice" Larsen Jr., Irene Larsen and Milt Larsen, all of whom started the Magic Castle.

Glover and and Larsen, who was a television writer and magician, turned it into a clubhouse for magicians. It also serves as headquarters for the Academy of Magical Arts, an organization of a thousand magicians and fanatics devoted to the celebration and preservation of the performing artwork.

The worth has but to be disclosed. Pitchford is often called the founding father of Gearbox Leisure Co., which developed the favored Borderlands franchise of video video games. He’s additionally a lifelong magician and member of the academy based on the Magic Castle.

"Mainly every thing I learn about leisure began on the Magic Castle," commented Pitchford, whose magic specialty is sleight-of-hand. "I really feel like I owe my profession to the Magic Castle."

The Edwardian manor with French and Gothic parts was in-built 1908 by Rollin Lane, a Redlands financier and orange grower, and his spouse, Katherine. By the Nineteen Sixties, it had turn out to be a maze of small residences. The sale comes somewhat more than a year after the storied establishment was shaken by allegations detailed in a Los Angeles Occasions investigation, In interviews with The Occasions, 12 folks — among them company and former workers — accused Magic Castle administration, workers, performers and academy members of abuses that included sexual assault, sexual harassment and discrimination on the premise of race or gender.

The academy’s board president at the time, Randy Sinnott Jr., responded with an announcement: “The Academy of Magical Arts and its Board work to supply a secure and welcoming atmosphere and expertise." He emphasized that all claims brought before the board or administration "are handled severely and professionally.”

You must be a member or have a guest card from a member to gain admittance. Those who have an invite from an academy member can dine, drink and watch magic acts on the fortress. The invitation carries with it a strict dress code that notes: "All members and guests are required to dress in Evening wear or business attire that is conservative, formal, and elegant. Thank you for not wearing: Denim, Casual Footwear (for example: work boots, sneakers, sandals, flip-flops), Military Fatigues, Casual or Athletic Clothing, Outer-wear Guests who do not meet the dress code or minimum age requirements will not be admitted to the clubhouse. If you have any questions about the dress code, please call the Castle before you make your visit. When in doubt, OVERDRESS!"

The academy, a nonprofit public profit company, has become a profitable enterprise: In 2019, it generated income of $21 million and internet revenue of $1.39 million, based on its annual report.

Pitchford, who married his spouse Kristy on a stage within the venue, declined to disclose the value only to declare that the sale iincludes the Magic Castle Lodge, a modest inn that attracts vacationers.

Pitchford additionally declined to speak about his broader plans for the property, which are reported to "be operated by Erika Larsen, daughter of founders Invoice and Irene Larsen. The academy will stay a tenant."

"I count on there will probably be funding into all the property," Pitchford mentioned. "There’s alternative there, with Erika on the helm." Statements of approval for the sale have been pouring in including those from famed magicians David Copperfield and Penn Jillette, who praised Pitchford. "The entire magic group is applauding Randy and excited in regards to the new period of the Magic Castle," mentioned Jillette, the taller half of Penn & Teller. "And now perhaps I can get in with no tie as a result of I do know Randy."

NAB SHOW the world’s largest annual conference for broadcast, entertainment and technology professionals, will host attendees from 154 countries and exhibiting companies from 38 nations at the 2022 NAB Show, held April 23 – 27 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Attendees from outside the U.S. make up nearly one-quarter of all pre-registered 2022 NAB Show attendees, which closely mirrors the 2019 NAB Show percentage.

NAB Show participates in the U.S. Department of Commerce's Trade Event Partnership Program, which recruits international trade delegations to select U.S. trade shows and connects international buyers with U.S. suppliers.

Delegations attending NAB Show include Brazil, Columbia, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Turkey, Vietnam and more.

NAB Show's exhibit floor, located in the North Hall, Central Hall and the newly constructed West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, will host 358 exhibitors from 38 countries outside of the United States, including United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Belgium and France.

Additionally, several international organizations, including the Brazilian Society of Television Engineering (SET), will host meetings for their members at NAB Show. Demonstrations of global technologies currently deployed outside of the U.S. will also be conducted by broadcasters and other media and entertainment companies throughout the Show.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO . . .

QUEEN ELIZABETH II who turns a young 96 on April 21.

While, in a serious aspect, the world is her stage, the monarch played a Bond Girl opposite Daniel Craig in an introduction to the 2012 Olympics in London. For her performance she received a special BAFTA Award. British Academy of Film and Television Arts chairman commented that she was "the most memorable Bond girl yet."

Actor Kenneth Branagh presented the award to her at a star-studded reception at Windsor Castle.

Her Majesty has also acted in Panto productions and school plays.

Some of her favorite roles have been as wife to Prince Philip, mother to four, grandmother to eight and great=grandmother to 12.



FUNNY GIRL the classic score by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill, (comprising additional songs from Styne & Merrill). The original book by Isobel Lennart, from an original story by Miss Lennart, is revised by Harvey Fierstein.

Directed by Michael Mayer.

Funny Girl, a bittersweet comedy, is the story of the indomitable Fanny Brice, a girl from the Lower East Side who dreamed of a life on the stage. Everyone told her she'd never be a star, but then something funny happened—she became one of the most beloved performers in history, shining brighter than the brightest lights of Broadway.

Starring Beanie Feldstein, Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes, Jane Lynch, Peter Francis James, Ephie Aardema, Debra Cardona, Toni DiBuono, Martin Moran, and includes Amber Ardolino, Daniel Beeman, Colin Bradbury, Kurt Thomas Csolak, John Michael Fiumara, Leslie Donna Flesner, Afra Hines, Masumi Iwai, Aliah James, Jeremiah James, Danielle Kelsey, Stephen Mark Lukas, Alicia Hadiya Lundgren, John Thomas Manzari, Liz McCartney, Katie Mitchell, Justin Prescott, Mariah Reives, Leslie Blake Walker, and Julie Benko.

The creatives are: choreography by Ellenore Scott, tap choreography by Ayodele Casel, scenic design by David Zinn, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Kevin Adams, sound design by Brian Ronan, hair & wig design by Campbell Young Associates, music direction and supervision by Michael Rafter, orchestrations by Chris Walker, dance, vocal and incidental music arrangements by Alan Williams, and additional arrangements by David Dabbon and Carmel Dean.

Funny Girl officially opens on Sunday, April 24 at the August Wilson Theatre in New York City.

WAKINGS! an evening of short "mind excursions" by Harold Pinter with Robert Coover and Hermann Hesse. Directed by Odyssey Theatre Ensemble artistic director Ron Sossi.

A five-person ensemble including Ron Bottitta, Diana Cignoni, Kristina Ladegaard, Darrel Larsen, and C.J. O’Toole, examines the manifestation of consciousness in Pinter’s Victoria Station and A Kind of Alaska; Coover’s Rip Awake; and Hesse’s Siddhartha.

In the bizarrely comic Victoria Station, a taxi cab dispatcher (Bottitta) radios Driver 274 (O’Toole) with instructions to pick up a fare. But the driver seems to be in a fog. Is he conscious, or dreaming?

Rip Awake introduces us to a highly disgruntled Rip Van Winkle (Larsen) who wants to go back up that mountain and get those little Dutch suckers who tricked him into losing 20 years of his life and missing the entire American Revolution.

A Kind of Alaska, loosely inspired by the book Awakenings by neurologist Oliver Sacks, sees Deborah (Cignoni) awaken from a 30-year coma with a mind that is still 16-years-old. As she confronts a body that seems to have aged without her prior knowledge or consent, her sister (Ladegaard) and doctor (Bottitta) try to ease her back to her current reality.

Finally, all five actors come together to explore the state of consciousness in the final stages of the Buddha’s awakening in an excerpt from Siddhartha, Herman Hesse’s timeless novel.

The creative team includes set designer Song Yi Park, lighting designer Nina Marie Attinello, sound designer Christopher Moscatiello and costume designer Mylette Nora. The stage manager is Jacob Price. Beth Hogan produces.

Presented by Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in West Los Angeles, CA, the metaphysical adventure begins Saturday, April 23, with performances continuing through June 5.

TEA by Velina Hasu Houston.

Directed by Hero Theatre resident director Rebecca Wear.

Two all Asian female ensembles tell the story of five Japanese immigrants in this deeply moving, yet humorous and surprising play that illuminates a little-known chapter in American history. Set in Fort Riley, Kansas during the late ’60s, Houston’s tale of five war brides who married American soldiers during the American occupation of Japan illuminates universal themes of loneliness, loss and the need for community. Despite their common situations, these women are not a close-knit group. Yet, when one commits suicide, the others come together to clean her house and perform a ceremonial tea service. The restless spirit of the dead Himiko watches over them, seeking peace in the next world as her guests remember and relive their experiences coming to a new country and struggling to fit in.

Velina Hasu Houston’s powerful, lyrical exploration of the immigrant experience has become a modern classic in its nearly four-decade history of production.

A fully double-cast company perform.

The two companies include Elaine Ackles, Olivia Cordell, Hiroko Imai, Tomoko Karina and Hua Lee, and Yukari Black, Alix Yumi Cho, Ariel Kayoko Labasan, Sayaka Miyatani and Bolor Saruul. Imai and Black share the role of kindly Setsuko Banks, whose African American husband recently passed away. Lee and Saruul double as snooty Atsuko Yamamoto, who feels she is “above” the others because her husband is Japanese American. Ackles and Labasan portray the assimilated Chizuye Juarez, who loves coffee and is known as “Chiz” to her friends (much to the chagrin of Atsuko, who thinks the nickname sounds like “Cheese”). Cordell and Cho play Teruko MacKernzie, married to a White man. And Tomoko Karina and Sayaka Miyatani take on the role of tragic Himiko Hamilton.

The creative team includes set designer Carlo Maghirang, lighting designer Azra King-Abadi and music and sound designer Dan Harada. The costume designer is Maggie Dick and associate costume designer is Marvin Hildago. Audrey Forman is assistant director. The stage manager is Ashley Weaver. Hero Theatre resident artist Gabe Figueroa produces for the company.

Tea is rooted in Houston's own experiences growing up in Kansas as the daughter of a Japanese mother and half African American/half Native American father who met during the American occupation of Japan. The play is based on true incidents, and the characters are composites of women she has known.

Officially opens Saturday, April 23 opening at the Rosenthal Theatre at Downtown L.A.’s Inner-City Arts, where performances will continue through May 15. Two previews are set for April 21 and April 22. The month of May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

BOB FOSSE'S DANCIN' Original Broadway Production Created, Directed, and Choreographed by Bob Fosse,

Direction and Musical Staging by Tony Award Winner Wayne Cilento.

Performances begin April 19 and run to May 29, 2022 with the opening on Thursday, April 28. Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ will play on the Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage in the Old Globe Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego, CA.

A full-throated, full-bodied celebration of the art form he loved, practiced, and changed forever. This hit musical masterpiece is reimagined by director Wayne Cilento, who starred in the original Broadway production of Dancin’ and is transforming the show’s original vision for 21st-century audiences. Dancin’ brims with Fosse’s warmth, emotion, color, and endlessly influential style rarely seen in modern interpretations of his work. Featuring an eclectic score that spans a multitude of musical genres and an extraordinary cast of Broadway’s most accomplished dancers.

The ensemble of principal cast members includes Ioana Alfonso, Yeman Brown, Peter John Chursin, Dylis Croman, Tony d’Alelio, Jovan Dansberry, Karli Dinardo, Jacob Guzman, Manuel Herrera, Kolton Krouse, Mattie Love, Yani Marin, Nando Morland, Khori Michelle Petinaud, Ida Saki, and Ron Todorowski.

Understudies include Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Gabriel Hyman, Krystal Mackie, and Michaeljon Slinger.

In addition to Bob Fosse and Wayne Cilento, the creative team includes scenic design by Robert Brill; costume design by Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung; lighting design by David Grill; sound design by Peter Hylenski; projection design by Finn Ross; music supervision, orchestrations, incidental music, and vocal arrangements by Jim Abbott; music direction by Darryl Archibald; dance arrangements and additional music by David Dabbon; casting by Tara Rubin Casting; production stage manager Beverly Jenkins; Mr. Fosse’s choreography reproduced by Christine Colby Jacques; associate direction/musical staging and additional choreographic reconstruction by Corinne McFadden Herrera; and text consultant and additional material by Kirsten Childs.

GRACE Music and Lyrics by Nolan Williams, Jr.; Book by Nolan Williams, Jr., and Nikkole Salter.

Directed and Choreographed by Robert Barry Fleming.

Packed with an eclectic mix of styles including jazz, R&B, rousing up-tempos and raise-the-roof ballads, Grace is an electrifying musical feast celebrating the perseverance of family and the power of traditions.

"Created by celebrated D.C. composer Nolan Williams, Jr., Grace examines the little-told history of African-American culinary tradition and the challenges faced by Black-owned businesses. The musical captures a day in the life of the Mintons, a Philadelphia family who gather to mourn the loss of their matriarch and deal with the future of their family restaurant in a changing neighborhood. Heartfelt and hopeful, timely and timeless, Grace is the new American musical where, although family comes first, everyone has a seat at the table."

Featuring David Hughey, Arica Jackson, Raquel Jennings, Rayshun LaMarr, Jarran Muse, Solomon Parker III, Nova Y. Payton, and Virginia Ann Woodruff.

The understudies are: LaDonna Burns, Jay Frisby, Duawne Starling, Kai B. White.

The creatives include: NY Casting: Stephanie Klapper Casting - Music Director: Nolan Williams, Jr. - Creative Consultant: Sheldon Epps - Scenic Design Jason Ardizzone-West - Costume Design Dominique Fawn Hill - Lighting Design Xavier Pierce - Sound Design David Budries - Hair and Wig Design Nikiya Mathis - Orchestrations Joseph Joubert - Dramaturg Martine Kei Green-Rogers - Production Stage Manager Craig A. Horness - Stage Manager Jessica R. Aguilar - Assistant Stage Manager Taryn Friend.

Musicians:
Paul Byssainthe, Jr.
Keys I/Conductor

Marika Countouris/Nathan Blustein
Keys II

Ben Bokor
Reeds 1: Piccolo/Flute/Clarinet/Oboe/Alto Sax

Kelsey Mire
Reeds 2: Flute/Clarine

Kieron Irvine
Trumpet/Flugelhorn

Christopher Steele
Trombone

Eliot Seppa
Bass

Carroll "CV" Dashiell III
Drums/Percussion.

Now through May 14 at Ford’s Theatre, Washington, DC.

OH GOD, A SHOW ABOUT ABORTION by Alison Leiby.

Starring Comedian and podcaster Alison Leiby in her comedic solo show about no one's favorite subject..

Directed by Lila Neugebauer.

Alison Leiby's summer started with a bang and ended with a visit to Planned Parenthood. In between, she had two root canals, one very scary trip to the “Fertility” section of a Missouri CVS, and a dozen or so meltdowns about what to wear to an abortion, naturally. In her new show, Alison walks through the stupid minutiae, the backwards practices, and the surprising perspective that comes with exercising your reproductive rights.

The production features lighting design by Amina Alexander and sound design by Margaret Montagna.

Oh God, A Show About Abortion will play the Cherry Lane Theatre in Manhattan for six weeks only, from April 25 through June 4, 2022. Opening night will be May 5, 2022.

SCIENCE a new play by Tom Attea.

Directed by Mark Marcante.

Dr. Alexander Morgan is a Nobel-Prize winning research chemist and professor at a medical school, who has, in his words, put himself in the service of life. It’s his religion. Bret Wilmont is a brilliant medical student, who Dr. Morgan invites to be his lab assistant. Bret hesitates, because he's the son of a Fundamentalist Christian pastor, and the rumor on campus is that Dr. Morgan is an atheist. When he finds out what Dr. Morgan believes, he has a hard time finding fault with it. When Bret meets Dr. Morgan's daughter, he's attracted to her. She's also attracted to him, but her beliefs are similar to her father's. Bret's life complicates even more. One reason is that he's already engaged to his long-time girlfriend, who is a devout member of his father's church.

"I wrote Science to present on the stage what I believe are some of the biggest urgent questions facing humanity," says playwright Tom Attea. "As always, the play invites the members of the audience to make up their own minds about which emphasis they prefer -- a devotion, as one's primary reverence, to the care of this life or to End Times. Ideally speaking, can modern science and enlightened religion come together to help save the biosphere and its biodiversity? Or must science do it alone?"

The cast of Science features Robert Gregory, Tom Koch, Madison Finney, Robin May, Blake McAlister, Maura Moreau, Alyssa Palmigiano, Ellen Revesz and Joel Shaw.

The creatives include: incidental music by Arthur Abrams, scenic design by Mark Marcante, costume and prop design by Lytza Colon, lighting design by Alexander Bartenieff, and sound design by Roy Chang. Assistant Director and casting by Danielle Hauser. Natasha Velez is the production stage manager.

Science plays a three-week limited engagement through May 1, at Theater For The New City in New York City. Opening night is Friday, April 22.

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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.






LeVAR BURTON to Receive Inaugural Insight Award from Library of American Broadcasting Foundation at 2022 NAB Show.

Actor, director and educator LeVar Burton will receive the first-ever Insight Award from the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to broadcasting, history and American culture. Burton will be honored during the NAB Show Welcome on Monday, April 25 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Reflective of LABF’s purpose, the Insight Award recognizes an individual or organization for an outstanding artistic or journalistic work or body of work that enhances the public’s understanding of the role, operation, history or impact of media in our society.

Burton’s best-known acting credits are as Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed television mini-series “Roots” and as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which aired in syndication from 1987 to 1994 and launched several feature films.

A lifelong children’s literacy advocate, Burton was host and executive producer of “Reading Rainbow,” one of the longest-running children’s television shows in history, during its 26-year run from 1983 to 2009. The show received more than 25 Emmy Awards, including 10 for Outstanding Children’s Series, and was honored with a prestigious George Foster Peabody Award in 1992.

Burton will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 94th Scripps National Spelling Bee in June 2022. His production company, LeVar Burton Entertainment (LBE), and Hasbro’s content studio Entertainment One (eOne) are developing Hasbro’s classic trivia game, Trivial Pursuit, into a gameshow format, which will feature Burton as host and an executive producer.

An award-winning author, Burton hosts his own podcast, “LeVar Burton Reads,” which has been downloaded over 25 million times and recently launched the “LeVar Burton Book Club.” He is the cofounder of the Skybrary App, a curated interactive library of eBooks and real-world video explorations designed to engage young readers and foster a love of reading. Burton has been honored with 13 Emmy Awards, 3 NAACP Awards, a Grammy Award for Spoken Word Album, the Fred Rogers Award, the Inamori Prize for Ethics in Entertainment and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton as commissioner of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences. “Guided by a belief in the power of reading, for decades LeVar Burton has been a beloved champion of childhood literacy, a promoter of education through entertainment, and a champion of the importance of lifelong learning,” said LABF co-chairs Jack Goodman and Heidi Raphael. “The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation is thrilled to present the inaugural Insight Award to LeVar Burton, who not only embodies the spirit of this honor but sets a high standard for all future recipients.”

NAB Show, held April 23 – 27, 2022, in Las Vegas, is the premier event for content professionals in the media, entertainment and technology ecosystem.

MAKASHA COPELAND has won the American Theatre Critics Association’s (ATCA) 2022 M. Elizabeth Osborn Award for their play Extreme Home Makeover. Given by ATCA in memory of critic, director, educator and new play advocate M. Elizabeth “Betty” Osborn (1941-1993), the prize recognizes the work of a playwright who has not yet received a major production, such as a Broadway or Off-Broadway engagement, or received any other major national awards. The Osborn Award carries a $3,000 cash prize.

The 2022 award ceremony that included the Steinberg-ATCA and Osborn award winners took place in Costa Mesa, Calif., on April 9, 2022. ATCA thanks South Coast Repertory and the Pacific Playwrights Festival for generously hosting the presentation.

Extreme Home Makeover had its world premiere at Theatre Exile in Philadelphia. In the wake of its patriarch’s death, a struggling Tejano family sees their way forward through participation in a popular reality television program. The production began performances on Oct. 28, 2021, and closed on Nov. 21, 2021.

Extreme Home Makeover was selected from a pool of eligible scripts recommended by ATCA members from around the country. Misha Berson (Seattle, WA) and Cameron Kelsall (Philadelphia, PA) served as co-chairs of the ATCA New Play Committee during the adjudication process. Other participating members included Nancy Bishop (Chicago, IL), Mike Fischer (Milwaukee, WI), Melissa Hall (Indianapolis, IN), Lou Harry (Indianapolis, IN), Susan Haubenstock (Richmond, VA), Ed Huyck (Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN), Kramer (Louisville, KY), Wendy Parker (Midlothian, VA), Martha Wade Steketee (New York, NY), Doug Strassler (New York, NY), Perry Tannenbaum (Charlotte, NC), Karen Topham (Chicago, IL) and Bob Verini (Boston, MA).

The M. Elizabeth Osborn Award was established in 1994. An ATCA member and editor-author at Theatre Communications Group, Osborn championed new plays, fostering and promoting the early careers of such dramatists as Paula Vogel, Tony Kushner and José Rivera.

Past recipients of the Osborn Award include Rebecca Gilman, J.T. Rogers, Rolin Jones, Chelsea Marcantel, Jonathan Norton and Cori Thomas. Last year’s honoree was SHIP by Douglas Williams.

PLAYWRIGHT CHIARA ATIK has won the 2022 Harold and Mimi Steinberg / American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award for their play Poor Clare.

The Steinberg/ATCA Award, which carries a $25,000 cash prize, recognizes an outstanding script that premiered professional outside New York City during 2021.

An irreverent look at the religious awakening of St. Clare by St. Francis of Assisi, Poor Clare premiered at Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles.

Two 2022 Steinberg/ATCA citations were bestowed to Galatea by David Templeton, produced by Spreckels Theatre Company in Rohnert Park, Calif., and Young Money by Erlina Ortiz, produced by Azuka Theatre in Philadelphia. Each citation carries a $7,500 cash prize.

With an annual prize total of $40,000, Steinberg/ATCA is one of the largest national new play award programs. ATCA began honoring new plays produced at regional theaters outside New York City in 1977, and the awards have been funded by the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust since 2000. Plays receiving a production in New York City during the award cycle are not eligible for the Steinberg/ATCA award, recognizing the many other awards programs already in existence there.

Past honorees of ATCA’s new play award include August Wilson, Horton Foote, Lynn Nottage, Moises Kaufmann, Lee Blessing, Marsha Norman, Nilo Cruz, Regina Taylor, Qui Nguyen, Lauren Yee, Michael Cristofer and Rebecca Gilman.

The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg on behalf of himself and his late wife. Pursuing its primary mission to support the American theater, it has provided grants totaling millions of dollars for new productions of American plays and educational programs for those who may not ordinarily experience live theater.

IAMA THEATRE COMPANY has selected June Carryl as the 2022 recipient of the company’s annual Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission. Sponsored by award-winning writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, the commission, now in its fifth year, was created to help grow and nourish budding playwrights and artists with emphasis on cultural inclusion and the goal to showcase fresh, creative, thought-provoking work.

June Carryl's new play N*GGA B*TCH was developed for the Vagrancy’s Blossoming Projects, then received a reading as part of Boston Court Theater’s 17th annual New Plays Festival.

JEOPARDY! has named Michael Davies, 56, its new, permanent executive producer or show runner following the ouster of Mike Richards.

His previous executive producer positions were with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Talking Dead.

HARRY STYLES has set a new Guinness World Record with As It Was’. Styles, 28, broke the record for "most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours (male)," announced a news release from Guinness. The song accumulated over 16 million streams in its first 24 hours on the platform.

Released April 1, As It Was also ranked first in streams in 34 countries, including the U.S.

As of Friday, the song’s ’70s inspired music video has racked up over 62 million views. The video, directed by Tanu Muino, features Styles clad in a bedazzled red outfit, dancing alongside a woman dressed in blue. The glittering garments were designed by Spanish fashion designer Arturo Obegero.

The video was "made with love by a creative team from Ukraine," according to Styles’ YouTube account.

FINAL OVATION

HENRY PATTERSON the author of more than 80 novels including The Eagle Has Landed, died April He was 92.

Patterson, who wrote primarily under the pseudonym Jack Higgins, sold more than 250million books. Publisher HarperCollins revealed Patterson died at his home in Jersey, England surrounded by his family. His most famous work was 1975'sThe Eagle Has Landed, which introduced his Irish character Liam Devlin, in which he is recruited into a WWII plot to kidnap Winston Churchill. The book has sold 50 million copies and was made into a film a year later starring Donald Sutherland as Devlin.

Patterson also wrote A Prayer for the Dying, which was turned into a 1987 film of the same name starring Liam Neeson and Mickey Rourke.

The author's most prolific character was Sean Dillon, a former IRA man and protégé of Devlin, who appeared in 22 novels.

The character was portrayed on screen by both Rob Lowe and Kyle McLachlan.

Patterson is survived by four children from his first marriage - Sarah, Ruth, Sean, and Hannah - as well as his wife, Denise.

Next Column: April 24, 2022
Copyright: April 17, 2022 All Rights Reserved. Reviews, Interviews, Commentary, Photographs or Graphics from any Broadway To Vegas (TM) columns may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, utilized as leads, or used in any manner without permission, compensation and/or credit.
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Laura Deni

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