Broadway To Vegas

Copyright: August 6, 2023
By: Laura Deni
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STATES OFFER INCENTIVE MONEY FOR LIVE PRODUCTIONS: RHODE ISLAND TERMED 'FUNCTIONALLY AN ARTS DISTRICT'

Taking a cue from the successful response of states offering tax incentives for movies to shoot in their state, more states are doing the same for live productions.

Coming as no surprise the first state to dangle the money carrot was New York.

In 2021 then Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced a $100 million New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit, designed to help revitalize the industry that pre-pandemic contributed over $14 billion to the New York City economy annually.

Since the program was first announced as part of the FY 2022 Budget, at least 35 productions have announced opening performance intentions.

"New York is not 'New York' without theatre . . . " Cuomo said. "Theatrical productions support thousands of jobs and showcase performances and artists that reflect our state's great talent and diversity."

The Broadway theatre industry supports more than 90,000 local jobs.

The New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit is a two-year program designed to support the entertainment and tourism industries in New York City. The program will offset some of the costs associated with producing a show, including costs for sets, costumes, wardrobes, makeup, technical support, salaries, sound, lighting, and staging.

Eligible companies can receive tax credits of 25% of qualified production expenditures. First-year program applicants can receive up to $3 million per production, with second year applications being eligible for up to $1.5 million.

All participants are required to take part in a New York State diversity and arts job training program and expand opportunities for low-income New Yorkers to access productions at low or no-cost. Highly profitable participating productions will increase access to art and cultural programs by contributing to a cultural access fund.

Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin said in a statement, "This unprecedented initiative will increase access to Broadway shows for New York State residents and create new career pathways in our industry. We're gratified for the Governor's enthusiastic support of Broadway and investment in the industry's workforce, which are so vital to the economic and cultural health of New York State."

"To qualify, a Musical and Theatrical Production generally must be a live, scripted performance with one or multiple performers that, in its original or adaptive version, is performed in a Level 1 Qualified New York city production facility or a Level 2 qualified production facility in New York City.

Ballet, opera, musical solo, group, band or orchestra performances, or stand-up comedy performances are not eligible.

Eligible expenditures for qualified productions include:

Production costs for sets, costumes, wardrobes, makeup, accessories and costs associated with sound, lighting and staging.
Salaries, wages, fees, and other compensation, including related benefits for services performed. Total allowable expenses are not to exceed $200,000 per week.
Technical and crew production costs, such as expenditures for qualified production facilities.
Up to 50% of the advertising and marketing costs incurred and paid in NYS by the applicant.
The credit period of a qualified production begins on the production start date, up to 12 weeks before the first paid performance, and ends on the earliest of the following options:

the credit cap has been reached;
the production closes; or
September 30, 2025 – the program end date."

The initial application consists of:

Project Summary
Production and operating budgets
Weekly Payroll Report
Documentation outlining the ownership structure of the applicant entity.
A diversity and arts job training program plan outlining proposed method(s) of participating in a New York state diversity and arts job training program
?A public access and availability plan outlining the ways the applicant will ensure that their production is available and accessible for low-or no-cost to low income New Yorkers
The applicant must agree (on Project Summary) to contribute to the New York State Council on the Arts Cultural Program Fund if ongoing revenues are more than two times ongoing production costs after receiving a tax credit.

Rhode Island has a sales tax exemption for certain artistic works, so anyone with the exemption does not have to charge sales tax on sales With that June 2023 passage of the state-wide Sales Tax Exemption for Artists law distinguishes Rhode Island as "functionally an arts district."

Providence Performing Arts Center. Photo: PPAC

The Senate also approved legislation sponsored by Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna M. Gallo to extend the state’s existing musical and theater production tax credit program to national tours that skip Broadway and launch right from Rhode Island.

Rhode Island has established itself as a leading location from which to launch national tours since it enacted the musical and theater tax credit program in 2011. Since that time, 15 national touring productions have launched from Providence Performing Arts Center, and two more are scheduled in upcoming seasons, as well as one slated at Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

"Our tax credit program has helped Rhode Island become a leader as a location for launching national tours, to the benefit of our economy. We have developed an industry of theater professionals who are located here, and our hospitality industry reaps tremendous benefits from each production. Keeping our program up to date will help Rhode Island remain one of the most sought-after locations for national tour launches, and keep the associated dollars pumping into our economy," said Gallo. "While national tour launches are big business, this is really a bill that helps small business. Every time we launch a tour, its Providence run packs our restaurants, our hotels, our local shops and other businesses. The benefits are widespread, and I’m happy to sponsor this bill to keep them coming."

The way the existing tax credit law is written, a production qualifies for the tax credit only if the tour is launching either following a Broadway production of the show, or as a precursor to a Broadway run that is planned within 36 months of the tour.

While Rhode Island has benefited from being one of the first states that had a tax incentive for the creation of touring productions, New York and Maryland have since enacted laws that put them in competition with Rhode Island, and Massachusetts and Connecticut are considering similar legislation, Janice Anderson, who serves as director of theatrical programming at Providence Performing Arts Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium, told the Senate Finance Committee during the bill’s hearing. Ensuring that productions can take advantage of the credit whether or not they have a Broadway run will help Rhode Island keep its place as a top location from which to launch a national tour."

The legislation (2023-S 0464) also extends the sunset on the tax credit program from July 2024 to July 2027.

"Massachusetts used to be a breeding ground for new Broadway shows, new tours. And that all went away some years ago, as our neighboring states started passing tax credit programs to attract the Broadway producers there," Hanover Theatre CEO Troy Siebels told the press.

"The tour of Pretty Woman, the tour of Ain't Too Proud, the tour of Escape to Margaritaville — those are three examples that all opened in the Providence Performing Arts Center because of Rhode Island's tax credit," he added.

Gov. Healey’s proposal describes the live theater tax credit as a "pilot program" designed to support productions costing at least $100,000 that are headed to Broadway, off-Broadway or a national tour. The Massachusetts Office of Business Development would be able to grant up to $5 million a year to qualifying productions.

Hanover Theatre. Photo; Hanover Theatre

The Hanover Theatre in Worcester is one of several theaters that lobbied for the live theater tax credit in Massachusetts, which is modeled after similar tax incentives in Rhode Island and New York.

The live theater tax credit was supported by theaters like the Hanover and the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston, whose life lines are touring productions and shows headed to New York. However, smaller organizations could benefit as well — like the Lyric Stage Company of Boston, which operates out of a 234-seat theater downtown.

Matt Chapuran

"There’s a production company that I've had a few conversations with that I emailed this off to and said, ‘Would this … make it easier to stage a world premiere here and then move it?,'" questioned Matt Chapuran who has been Lyric's executive director for over 10 years.

He saw the tax credit as a good omen.

"I'm hopeful that this is an indicator that the Commonwealth as a whole is looking at investing more in the creative economy," Chapuran added. "And I hope that we see more initiatives emerge that support, particularly, recent graduates or people earlier in their careers who need help with affordable housing, health care and child care, in order to really establish a viable career in the arts."

The credit is part of an overall commitment to the creative sector from the governor. Her proposed budget also includes record-high funding for the Mass Cultural Council at $25 million.

Connecticut wants to become a major springboard to Broadway with pre-tour theatrical production tax credits. Introduced on March 16 2023, Connecticut House Bill 6919 gives a 30 percent tax credit, with a $10 million cap, to some pre- and post-Broadway productions.

Those are calculated as a percentage of a production company’s in-state spending after the fact — it’s technically not considered a state expenditure from an accounting standpoint. That's important since state expenditures are subject to spending caps. Numerous programs are competing for limited funding under that cap.

On May 3, 2023 Treneé McGee (D-West Haven), legislators, and members of the Connecticut theater community held a press conference in support of House Bill 6919.

Jim Shea, business manager for the local stagehands’ union, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 74, told the press that pre-tour production would support hundreds of workers and their families.

"I hope the state really looks at this and says, 'Why not?'" Shea reasoned. "The state’s in the black. They should say, easily, 'Yes.'"

Garrett Sheehan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Greater New Haven and Quinnipiac Chambers of Commerce asserted that the theater industry is critical to the vibrancy of the Greater New Haven region and the state. They provide a much-needed entertainment venue for Connecticut residents and even bring in out-of-state visitors with the productions and events they put on. By adding to the culture of our region, they also attract young and diverse talent to our employers. Supporting this industry will have a large impact on so many other industries. The theaters in our region bring in a lot of business to industries such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, parking garages, wood suppliers, haulers, and many more. Theaters have a natural ripple effect on other businesses, providing economic opportunities for businesses all around. Ensuring the industry has long-term sustainable funding is critical."

Seth Wenig, Chief Producing Officer, oversees the producing function and the development of all of NETworks tours. He joined forces with Ken Gentry to start up NETworks Presentations as Production Manager for over 30 national tours, including Kiss of the Spiderwoman; Jekyll and Hyde; Victor Victoria, starring Toni Tennille, Cinderella with Deborah Gibson and Eartha Kitt, Showboat, and Seussical The Musical with Cathy Rigby. Seth spearheaded NETworks Presentations International, serving as Executive Producer for Fosse starring Ben Vereen and Ruthie Henshall as well as a UK tour of The King and I. He joined forces with Cameron Mackintosh to produce the UK and US tours of My Fair Lady. This relationship would bring NETworks such titles as Les Misérables; The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. Since returning from the UK, Seth has served as Executive Producer for Hairspray; The Producers, The Lincoln Center Production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific; The King and I, War Horse; Funny Girl; The Book of Mormon; To Kill a Mockingbird, and Beetlejuice. He met his wife Tammy while doing regional theatre in Upstate NY.

Seth Wenig, Chief Producing Officer, NETworks Presentations and Orin Wolf, Chief Executive Officer, NETworks Presentations testified that this season their company produced and fully managed 12 domestic touring productions and, among them, employed hundreds of actors, musicians, stage technicians, and road managers. Their productions generate a significant amount of revenue on the local and state levels where they typically spend between approximately $500,000 and $1,000,000 in direct sales to local business including hotels, trader stores, grocery stores and travel related to technical rehearsals

Furthermore, "our productions disperse between approximately $500,000 and $2,000,000 in taxable income and per diem to both local and traveling employees personal income that is taxed and then reinvested by those employees into the local economy through their daily expenditures."

Fletcher Williams, General Manager, Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale testified that The Shubert has been working to bring technical rehearsals to New Haven to fill the periods between shows. In the last year The Shubert has brought two rehearsals to New Haven. The results of these two groups at the New Haven Hotel were: an abundance of hotel room nights; employment of food and beverage employees in the restaurant, bar, banquets, catering, and coffee shop that would have not been scheduled otherwise; hotel occupancy tax revenue to the state; and hundreds of people in New Haven restaurants and businesses.

Yale Repertory Theatre echoed the aforementioned sentiments of support of the bill. They also suggested to "lower the minimum seat requirement to 800. The current language reflects a minimum of 1,000, which does not consider theaters such as the Bushnell in Hartford. Remove the $250k a week cap on salaries. No other state has a salary cap."

Anthony McDonald, Executive Director, Shubert Theatre, Member, Connecticut Association for the Performing Arts testified, that touring is an "extensive process where a show chooses a theater to create the entire show for the very first time before officially launching their tour.

Every aspect is created, tested, and modified to make sure that it is ready for touring. This process isnt short. For a Broadway show or national tour, it can be anywhere from 2 or 3 weeks to 5 or 6 weeks or longer to put a brand-new tour together. This process for Broadway tours, specifically, happens anywhere from 20 to 30 times a year.

"Connecticut has been fortunate to host some of these techs over the years, but as more and more states realize the economic impact it can have on a community, they have enacted legislation allowing theater tax credits. These states have regularly seen technical rehearsals every season since adopting such tax credits; adding several million dollars of economic impact into their communities. "Film and media production can go anywhere, but Connecticut’s six legacy theaters have stuck around for close to a century or more. We were the place Broadway came to first," he declared. "Now we’re just trying to get some of that back."

William M. Mensching, President, Show Motion, Inc. stated that, "any legislative incentive that would offer tax credits to theatrical touring productions could have a direct impact on Show Motion's ability to generate more revenue into the State as well as create additional opportunities and jobs in the State of Connecticut."

Maryland's Theatrical Production Tax Credit provides a refundable credit of 25% against Maryland state income tax to eligible production entities for production costs. In June 2022 a new Maryland bill was passed, providing a tax credit incentive for producers to launch national tours and pre-Broadway productions.

Up to $5 million in tax credits are available.

Louisiana offers a unique tax incentive for musical and theatrical productions. Provides a 7% tax credit for certified Louisiana expenditures between $100,000 and $300,000. Provides a 14% tax credit for certified Louisiana expenditures between $300,000 and $1,000,000.

Illinois Live Theater Production Tax Credit Program provides for a transferable credit of 20% of all qualified Illinois expenditures including Illinois resident salaries (non-talent) up to $100,000 per worker.

The minimum Illinois spend for the production is $100,000 for Illinois labor and marketing expenditures.
An eligible applicant includes: a theater producer, owner, licensee, operator or presenter.
Eligible theaters must have a seating capacity of at least 1,200 seats.
A production must either be:
Long-Run - runs longer than 8 weeks with a t least 6 performances per week,
Pre-Broadway - scheduled for Broadway’s Theater District in New York City within 12 months after its Illinois presentation, or
Commercial Broadway Touring - plays in more than 2 other markets in North America outside of Illinois within 12 months of its presentation.
Application must be submitted no sooner than 180 days prior to opening of ticket sales and no later than the last business day prior to the opening.
Credits will be shall be awarded on a first-come, first served basis, based on the date on which each properly completed application for an Accredited Theater Production Certificate is received by the Department. If more than one application is received on the same day, the credits will be awarded based on the time of submission of that particular day. Each Theater Tax Credit Award shall be limited to $500,000 per Accredited Theater Production per tax year. If an Accredited Theater Production receives only a portion of the Theater Tax Credit Award to which the Department has determined it is entitled due to the annual fiscal cap on the amount of credits that can be awarded, the Accredited Theater Production shall not be entitled to any Theater Tax Credit Award in the following Tax Years.

Ohio is making a token offer for live productions. While the latest proposal HB 33, passed by the Ohio House and Senate allots 90% of tax incentives for film productions but only 10% for Broadway-style productions.

However, the stages are finding it necessary to distance themselves from the tax credits offered to film and television, which has found itself under fire from lawmakers and advocacy groups. Some state leaders are now seeking to phase out, cap or reduce amid questions over any significant economic impact.

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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

TWINE BALL MUSEUM

Francis Johnson and his twine ball. Photo: Twine Ball Museum

in Darwin, Minnesota is home to the largest twine ball in the world made by one man, the grandiose work of Francis A. Johnson, which took him 29 years.

That famous ball measures 11 feet high and about 40 feet around, 12 feet in diameter and weighs 17,400 pounds (7,900 kg; 8.7 short tons). Johnson began rolling the twine in March 1950, and wrapped four hours every day for 29 years.

Francis A. Johnson, the creator of the world’s largest ball of twine, was born to the late U.S. Senator and Mrs. Magnus Johnson on April 17, 1904 in Kingston Township. He died October 24, 1989 on Litchfield.

Francis lived his entire lifetime in Meeker County. As a young boy he helped on the family farm, later for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, and then as a self-employed carpenter until his retirement. Francis lived for a brief time near Kimball and then near Darwin where he built a home.

In March of 1950 Francis wound the first piece of baler twine around two fingers to form a ball. As the ball grew, it was no longer possible to manually wrap the twine. It was then that he began using massive railroad jacks designed to lift boxcars to move the ball around. Twenty nine years later in 1979, The World’s Largest Ball of Twine was completed and recorded in the Guinness Book of World’s Records, where it remained until 1994. The now recorded largest ball of twine was made by several people and is constructed of plastic twine and weighs considerably less.

The twine ball was moved to Darwin on June 25, 1991 and is currently housed in a glass enclosed gazebo across from the town park on Main Street to prevent the public from touching it.

The creation was referenced by "Weird Al" Yankovic in his 1989 song The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota. The town celebrated that by naming Weird Alley in downtown Darwin in honor of entertainer 'Weird Al' Yankovic who put the city on the map with that song.

The twine ball has become so popular that the town hosts a Twine Ball Day every year which takes place on the second Saturday in August.

This year the 32nd annual celebration takes place on Saturday, August 12, 2023. The event features a parade, craft fair, sand volleyball tournament, a Twine-k run, music in the park; Beer Garden, Root Beer, Brats and Hamburgers.

All proceeds from this event go to charity.

UNIQLO TATE PLAY: RASHEED ARAEEN this summer, visitors to Tate Modern in London are invited to bring participatory artworks by Rasheed Araeen to life as part of UNIQLO Tate Play, Tate Modern’s free program of art-inspired activities for families in partnership with UNIQLO. Staged in the iconic Turbine Hall, Araeen’s interactive Zero to Infinity offers families of all ages the chance to contribute to an ever-changing artwork, whilst outside the gallery Shamiyaana IV (Food for Thought: Thought for Change) encourages people to sit together and enjoy a free meal while chatting to one another.

First devised by Araeen in 1968, Zero to Infinity consists of brightly colored lattice-construction cubes which are initially arranged in a minimalist grid. For its staging at Tate Modern, this dynamic work will begin with 400 cubes painted red, yellow, green and blue neatly laid out by the artist in the Turbine Hall. Visitors are invited to dismantle this symmetrical structure and create new configurations, initiating a process of play and transformation. Through this creative act of making and remaking, people will find themselves participating in a continuous performance of infinite possibilities. To complement Zero to Infinity, tables constructed with the same colorful cubes will be installed on the bridge in the Turbine Hall, offering a place for families to sit and engage with a range of activities inspired by Araeen’s practice and texts written by and about the artist.

Beginning Saturday, August 12, Zero to Infinity will be joined by Shamiyaana IV (Food for Thought: Thought for Change), an installation by Araeen outside Tate Modern comprising four colorful gazebos with tables and chairs. Appearing as a café or restaurant at first sight, this public participatory artwork is based on the idea that art can be part of everyday life, such as cooking and eating food, playing, and reading. First created in Athens in 2017 as part of DOCUMENTA 14, Shamiyaana resulted in people from all walks of life sitting, eating and talking together. Despite being from different cultures and backgrounds, with several unable to speak the same language, participants found a way to tell their stories to one another. Visitors to Shamiyaana at Tate Modern will share free food with all those who have gathered there and be encouraged to discuss art and anything else they like.

Rasheed Araeen (b. 1935) is a London-based artist, activist, writer, editor and curator. Born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1935, he initially trained as a civil engineer before moving to the UK in 1964. Araeen is recognised as one of the pioneers of minimalist sculpture in Britain. Working in performance, photography, painting and sculpture, his work merges his interests in engineering, architecture and social engagement. Araeen organised the seminal 1989 exhibition The Other Story: Afro-Asian Artists in Post-War Britain and his work has been exhibited widely and is represented in important collections across the world.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA (NGA) hs announced that it will return three 9th and 10th Century bronze sculptures to Cambodia, after they were found to be stolen. The decision was the culmination of a decade-long investigation by the two countries to determine the origin of the works.

Cambodia's government welcomed the historic move as "an important step towards rectifying past injustices".

The three artworks originally came from the Champa Kingdom that once inhabited Vietnam and parts of Cambodia. The NGA stated it purchased the sculptures in 2011 for A$2.3m (£1.18m; $1.5m) from British artefacts smuggler Douglas Latchford - who died in 2020.

Latchford has been implicated in the illegal trade of antiquities since 2016 according to the NGA, with 2019 charges brought against him relating to the alleged trafficking of stolen and looted Cambodian artefacts.

In 1994, the three statues were dug up in a field in Tboung Khmum in the east of Cambodia. Then they were smuggled to international art dealers across the border in Thailand and endedg up in Latchford's collection.

Latchford's daughter, Nawapan Kriangsak, worked alongside researchers from the NGA and Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to assist in returning the artifacts.

The treasures will remain on display at the NGA in Canberra for three years while Cambodia prepares a new home for them in Phnom Penh.

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SPREADING THE WORD

NIGHT OF THE MURDERED POETS' COMMEMORATION SET takes place August 10 at The Wild Party in New York City.

On the night of August 12, 1952, 13 Jewish writers, artists, journalists, and scientists were executed by a firing squad in Moscow’s infamous Lubyanka prison after years of confinement and torture to extract false confessions of treason and espionage. This mass execution, which would become known as the "Night of the Murdered Poets," was one of Joseph Stalin’s last crimes before his death six months later.

Following years of repression of Yiddish and Jewish culture, a renewed campaign began in 1948 after the state-sponsored assassination of Solomon Mikhoels, who had led the Moscow State Jewish Theatre (GOSET). Mikhoels also led the Soviet Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee (JAC), formed during World War II to drum up Jewish support in the free world for the Soviet war effort. The truth about Solomon Mikhoels death (staged as an automobile hit-and-run in Minsk in 1948) was poorly concealed even then and publicly confirmed soon after Stalin's death. The remaining members of the JAC were arrested beginning later that same year.

Among the casualties of the were five Yiddish writers who were members of the JAC: David Bergelson, David Hofshteyn, Perets Markish, Itsik Fefer, and Leyb Kvitko, as well as legendary actor and Mikhoels' successor as director of the GOSET, Benjamin Zuskin. Every year since the murders were revealed, Yiddishist organizations wordwide have honored the victims of that awful night, along with other victims of Soviet repression, with a memorial evening.

The five writers were all born in the region that now makes up independent Ukraine. Even as that country is today aflame with war, COJECO BluePrint fellow Yelena Shmulenson (herself a native of Crimea) offers a new staged documentary, examining how the Soviet state repressed Yiddish culture, to be performed on Thursday, August 10.

Appearing in the upcoming program, sponsored by the Congress for Jewish Culture together with COJECO, are Shmulenson and her husband Allen Lewis Rickman, along with Suzanne Toren and Shane Baker. This performance will be in English, Yiddish and Russian, with English supertitles.

MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT that hoot of a Tony award winning musical which began February 14, 2005 on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, running for 1,575 performances - and contains one of my favorite songs Always Look on the Bright Side is seeing bright side - a Broadway revival with previews beginning October 31 at the St. James Theatre in New York City.

Based on the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical comedy follows the medieval misadventures of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table complete with everything "from flying cows to killer rabbits." Directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the new production transfers from its recent sold-out, 11-show run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL the 1994 iconic blockbuster book by John Berendt, is being developed into a new musical and had an invitation only industry reading last week in New York City.

The cast for the reading included J. Harrison Ghee as Lady Chablis, Steven Pasquale as Jim Williams, Austin Colby as Danny Hansford, Amber Gray as Minerva, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Vera Strong, Harriet Harris as Serena Barnes, Paul Nolan as Joe Odom, and Lance Roberts as Bobby Lewis.

A READING OF THE TWO HANDER BY JULIA BLAUVELT featuring Jill Eikenberry and Ella Dershowitz. Therapy first-timer Claire feels immediately understood by Diana, her sharp and witty therapist. But there are obstacles in the room as patient and doctor come to rely on each other in a way that transcends the office.

Part of the Monday Evening Salon Reading Series. Seating is general admission, first come, first served. Doors open at 6:30 pm and readings begin promptly at 7:00 pm, followed by a discussion.

August 14, 2023 at New Jersey Rep in Long Branch, New Jersey. Part of the Monday Evening Salon Reading Series. Seating is general admission, first come, first served. Doors open at 6:30 pm and readings begin promptly at 7:00 pm, followed by a discussion.

SONGBOOK SUNDAYS at Jazz at Lincoln Center hosted by Deborah Grace Winer celebrating the American Songbook will continue with Can’t Help Lovin’ Jerome Kern on Sunday, August 13, 2023.

Can’t Help Lovin’ Jerome Kern swings the legendary tunes of American popular song’s greatest melodic composer, Jerome Kern, as Jazz at Lincoln Center American Songbook slips into high summer at Dizzy’s Club. This Songbook Sundays lets loose the musical party with stellar Kern classics like I Won’t Dance, Long Ago and Far Away, I’m Old Fashioned, Pick Yourself Up, Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man and more.

Hosted and curated by leading American Songbook expert Deborah Grace Winer, the set features star jazz vocalist La Tanya Hall, Broadway Award winner Margo Seibert, JALC rising star Robbie Lee and Grammy award winning pianist and vocalist Billy Stritch.

Music director Stritch leads a band of all-stars including Mark McLean on drums, Neal Miner on bass and Aaron Heck on saxophone.

NEW YORK CITY OPERA'S BRYANT PARK summer series continues August 19, 2023 with From Vienna to Broadway!, a charming review of songs, duets, and ensembles that takes the audience on a musical journey through the 20th century. Beginning with Lehar's The Merry Widow from 1905 and culminating with Sondhiem's A Little Night Music from 1973, and in between featuring works by Herbert, Romberg, Gershwin, Loesser, and Bernstein, this performance features a stellar cast of seven New York City Opera stars. For anyone unable to attend in person, free livestream broadcasts of the performances will be available nationwide via Bryant Park's website and social media platforms.

THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE OF NEW JERSEY presents an elaborately staged reading of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry on August 12th as part of their new programming for the next generation titled Classics for Kids! This stage version is by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, based on the original novella. The reading will be directed by Artistic Director Bonnie J. Monte and the cast features many of STNJ’s long-time company members as well as Peri Gilpin, who is best known for her portrayal of the character "Roz Doyle" on the long-running television series, Frasier.

The Cast: Jon Barker play the role of The Aviator: Dino Curia is playing the roles of The King, The Businessman, and The Geographer: Peri Gilpin joins the cast in the role of The Rose: The Fox is played by Greg Jackson: Isaac Hickox-Young plays the roles of The Conceited Man and The Lamplighter:David Mattle as The Little Prince: Billie Wyatt will play the role of The Snake: Carolyne Leys will play the roles of The Desert Flower, Echo, a Pink Rose.

August 12 on the Main Stage on the Drew University campus in Madison, NJ.

KATIE THOMPSON actress-singer-songwriter who was last seen on Broadway as Aunt Eller in Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma. At Brookside Cabaret, she’s bringing back the '80s with songs like Eternal Flame; Heaven Is a Place on Earth, and What’s Love Got to Do with It? August 9–12 Brookside Cabaret in Millburn, NJ.

TURNING THE HAMMERSTEIN HOME INTO A MUSEUM

the Hammerstein Farm

"A house is not a home," penned Burt Bacharach. Sometimes it becomes a museum.

Highland Farm, which once was the home to Oscar Hammerstein II, is one step closer to becoming a museum thanks to a $500,000 gift from the estate of philanthropist Ronald Franklin Pratt.

"We were excited and honored to receive this timely and generous donation from Mr. Pratt," says OHMTEC Board President Greg Roth. "He leaves a wonderful legacy which will be providing future generations with the opportunity to learn about musical theatre and Oscar Hammerstein’s notable works, and his messages of acceptance and inclusivity. We are grateful to Mr. Pratt, as well as Andy Hammerstein, who in their conversations over the years, discussed the vision for this project. This generous donation, along with those of all who have contributed along the way, is an important part of preserving and protecting this historic property and the legacy of Oscar Hammerstein, the lyricist, the librettist, mentor, and humanitarian."

"Ron’s passion was musical theatre, and he especially loved Oscar Hammerstein and his productions," adds Pratt Estate Executor Lydia Lee Daley. "He would be thrilled to know he had a part in helping fund the future of the museum and education center."

Ronald Franklin Pratt, a public relations strategist, died from a long illness on July 19, 2021, at the age of 73.

His career began in Savannah, GA as a reporter/journalist for the Savannah Morning News in 1971. He was director of the radio station WSOK. He became the editor for the Hilton Head News in 1973 and later moved to San Francisco in 1978 and focused on the field of organizational communication.

He spearheaded the largest public relations firms in San Francisco, providing expertise in crisis management and strategic development.

As a journalist, Ron received numerous honors for his investigative reporting, including an Associated Press Enterprise award for a radio feature on the Watergate break-in. He was a winner of the IABC Gold Quill, one of the highest honors in business communication.

Ron was very active in the arts, sitting on various boards for theatre, ballet and the symphony. He was president of the Hilton Head Institute for Arts, director of the Hilton Head Jazz Festival and served as VP for the San Francisco Council on Entertainment. Most recently, he volunteered as advisory board member to initiate and support the Oscar Hammerstein II Museum and Theatre Education Center in Doylestown, Pa.

Lyricist Hammerstein bought Highland Farms in 1940, and died there on August 23, 1960.

The farmhouse was built in 1840, and is a three-story, three-bay, stuccoed masonry residence with a hipped roof. It features a one-story wraparound porch. A decorative balustrade was added in 1954. Also located on the property is a contributing bank barn. The historic home and farm complex located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

According to the organization: "Plans for the Highland Farm property are two-fold: first, to preserve the historic home where Oscar and his family lived for 20 years while writing his "big five" — Oklahoma!; Carousel; South Pacific; The King & I and The Sound of Music. The home will be open to the public for tours, for all to see and experience the magic of the place where Oscar was when he penned lyrics such as, "The corn is as high as the elephant's eye. . ." Secondly, we will convert the barn to become a theatre education center, where young aspiring theatre artists can hone their singing, dancing and acting skills, inspired by Oscar’s legacy. The center will primarily seek to provide underserved communities the opportunity to pursue their passions in theatre.

"A Museum of Musical Theater - An Education Center for the Arts - A Celebration of Oscar Our vision for Highland Farm is exciting and clear. Along with the existing Michener Museum, Mercer Museum, Fonthill, and Pearl S. Buck International, The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) will provide the musical exclamation point for Bucks County’s cultural landscape — a destination for generations of Broadway fans and movie goers. The museum will celebrate Hammerstein’s work as a librettist, lyricist and humanitarian. By providing theatre education opportunities to students of all ages and levels, Highland Farm will continue to inspire future generations."

Highland Farm is also where Hammerstein became fellow theatrical legend Stephen Sondheim's surrogate father, influencing him profoundly and developing his love of musical theater. The composer-lyricist became acquainted with the Hammerstein family after Sondheim's mother divorced Sondheim's father and moved her family to an estate near the Hammersteins' farm, after which he became a frequent guest and friend to Hammerstein's son, Jimmy. The elder Hammerstein would ultimately take Sondheim under his wing, teaching him many of the basics of constructing musicals and advising him on his early career choices, including signing on to contribute lyrics to West Side Story despite Sondheim's reluctance to work on a project that wouldn't see him composing music.

The Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center (OHMTEC) plans to start another round of fundraising so that they can restore the historic home and prepare it for public use. The group has a goal of $1.5 million, with a fourth phase to follow for the creation of the theatre education center.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY

CONTENT CREATORS SEEK COMPENSATION FROM AI COMPANIES as first reported in the Wall Street Journal and reprinted by The National Association of Broadcasters. Some authors, performers and digital publishing platforms are demanding compensation from companies whose AI tools they assert were trained to generate content using their original work. Several groups have begun investigating how they could be compensated or mount legal challenges against the companies behind AI tools. The tech companies defend their use of digital content to train AI on content that is publicly available online.

THE SANTA BARBARA NEWS-PRESS which was founded shortly after the Civil War, has filed for bankruptcy.

The paper was Santa Barbara, California's only daily newspaper.

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SEATTLE REP has welcomed its new Artistic Director, Dámaso Rodríguez.
“We’re here to entertain and exhilarate, to generate passion for the shared experience of theater. I see Seattle Rep and Seattle as a place of boundless artistic possibilities.”

— Dámaso Rodríguez, Seattle Rep’s new Artistic Director

Dámaso Rodríguez a Cuban American director served as the second Artistic Director of Artists Repertory Theatre, the longest-running professional theatre in Portland, OR. Before joining Artists Repertory Theatre, he was Artistic Director of Furious Theatre Company in Los Angeles, CA. He also served as the Associate Artistic Director under Sheldon Epps at the Pasadena Playhouse. He is one of four leaders of color leading a LORT theatre in the United States today.

SEATTLE’S 5TH AVENUE THEATRE has announced the appointment of Katie Maltais as Managing Director. Maltais will assume the role on September 5, 2023, succeeding Bernadine (Bernie) C. Griffin, who retired after 21 years at the organization in July.

Maltais is currently the Managing Director of Stages in Houston, and previously served as Managing Director of Curious Theatre Company in Denver. Throughout her tenures as Managing Director, she has led by remaining steadfast to the core values of transparency, teamwork, and a commitment to anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices - values she will bring with her to her role at The 5th.

Maltais’ appointment comes after a months-long search for The 5th’s next Managing Director. A search committee of staff, board members, and community leaders was formed in late 2022 to partner with Tom O’Connor Consulting Group to find the next executive leader.

As Managing Director of The 5th, Maltais will lead the business operations for the theatre, collaborating closely with Producing Artistic Director, Bill Berry on the strategic direction of the organization. Together, they will present an exciting repertoire that includes a rich mix of classic and contemporary productions. Furthermore, she will work diligently to ensure the accessibility and inclusivity of the theater’s programming, actively seeking ways to connect with communities and engage a broader audience.

HARVARD ART MUSEUMS has announced that Laure Marest will become the new Damarete Associate Curator of Ancient Coins, effective September 18, 2023.

Laure comes to us from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she is currently the Cornelius and Emily Vermeule Associate Curator of Greek and Roman Art. While at the MFA, she co-curated The Marlborough Gem (2023) and worked with colleagues to renovate and install five new permanent collection galleries featuring the art of ancient Greece, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire, which opened in December 2021. She was the lead curator for the Gods and Goddesses Gallery, a major display of large-scale sculptures of ancient Greek and Roman deities—including the MFA’s monumental Juno—and more intimate objects used for religious rituals.

Laure received her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, and holds degrees from California State University, Northridge, and the Sorbonne, Paris.

BOOKER PRIZE semi-finalists or long-list have been announced. Nominees will be pared down to six finalists next month, before the winner of the £50,000 prize is announced at a ceremony in London on November 26, 2023.

The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, is a literary award conferred each year for the best novel written in the English language, which was published in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The judges this year:
Novelist Esi Edugyan, twice-shortlisted for the Booker Prize, is the chair of the 2023 judging panel and is joined by actor, writer and director Adjoa Andoh; poet, lecturer, editor and critic Mary Jean Chan; Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University and Shakespeare specialist James Shapiro; and actor and writer Robert Webb.

The complete longlist
The House of Doors — Tan Tawn ENg
The Bee Sting — Paul Murray
Western Lane — Chetna Maroo
In Ascension — Martin McInnes
Prophet Song — Paul Lynch
All the Little Bird-Hearts
Pearl — Sian Hughes
This Other Eden — Paul Harding
How to Build a Boat — Elaine Feeney
If I Survive You — Jonathan Escoffery
Study for Obedience — Sarah Bernstein
Old God's Time — Sebastian Barry
A Spell of Good Things — Ay'bámi Adébáy



THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Book by Marsha Norman. Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. Based on the novel by Robert James Waller..

Directed by Hunter Foster.

The Tony-Winning musical romance, The Bridges of Madison County, is a rapturous love story based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller. Francesca Johnson, a beautiful Italian woman who married an American soldier to flee war-ravaged Italy, looks forward to a rare four days alone on her Iowa farm when her family heads to the 1965 State Fair. Her plans change, however, when a chance encounter with a ruggedly handsome, National Geographic photographer, leads to a whirlwind relationship that that forever alters the course of Francesca’s life. This sweeping romance features the 2014 Tony-Winning score by Broadway’s Jason Robert Brown.

August 11 to September 10 at Bucks Country Playhouse in New Hope, PA.

A JUKEBOX FOR THE ALGONQUIN by Paul Stroili.

Directed by the brilliant Suzi Regan.

Set in a senior living community nestled within the picturesque Adirondacks, A Jukebox for the Algonquin features a ragtag bunch of former city slickers refusing to take old age lying down. It's a heartwarming, hilarious, and, at times, poignant reminder that age is just a number, even in the Big Apple - a tale about those who will not be forgotten – a serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs.

The play features an ensemble cast including Susan Angel, Wallace Bridges, Ruth Crawford, Mark Colson, MaryJo Cuppone, Ethan May, and John Seibert.

The creatives are: Set design by Bartley H. Bauer, properties by Danna Segrest, costumes by Suzanne Young, lighting by Noele Stollmack, and sound by Brad Phillips. Karen Anne George is the stage manager.

Performances through Saturday, September 2, 2023 at The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan.

THINGS THAT MATTER by Gary Henderson, adapted from the memoir by David Galler.

Directed by Anapela Polata’ivao.

Following the heartbreaking cancellation in 2021, the much-anticipated play is finally brought back to life this August.

Based on former Middlemore Hospital intensive care specialist and advisor to multiple Health Ministers Dr David Galler’s best-selling memoir, Things That Matter shines a light on the extraordinary patients Dr Galler met during his 30 years on the frontline, the struggles society faces in caring for them and the power of human connection.

The production stars veteran Kiwi actor/director Ian Hughes as Galler’s fictional on-stage character ‘Raf Beckman’, with David Aston, Semu Filipo, Margaret-Mary Hollins, Jen Huang, Greg Johnson, Nicola Kawana, Shaan Kesha, Petmal Lam, Stacey Leilua , Donogh Rees, Elsie Ropati and Michaela Te Awa Bird.

August 11-27, 2023 at ASB Waterfront Theatre in Auckland. New Zealand.

THE HALF-GOD OF RAINFALL by award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams.

Directed by Obie Award winner and NYTW Usual Suspect Taibi Magar.

When Demi, the half Nigerian-mortal, half Greek-god, is angry, rain clouds gather. When he cries, rivers burst their banks. And the first time he takes a shot on a basketball court, the deities of the land wake up. A new myth that spans continents and millennia. The Half-God of Rainfall is a contemporary epic that weaves poetry and storytelling in a majestic journey that transports us from a tiny village in South West Nigeria to an NBA arena in the United States to the hallowed halls of Mount Olympus, where the mothers, daughters and goddesses take a stand against the fragile, furious and entitled gods.

The Half-God of Rainfall details but does not depict sexual violence.

The cast includes Jason Bowen as Sàngó, Kelley Curran as Hera, Mister Fitzgerald as Demi, Patrice Johnson Chevannes as Osún, Michael Laurence as Zeus, Lizan Mitchell as Elegba, and Jennifer Mogbock as Modúpé.

The creatives: scenic design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Linda Cho, lighting design by Stacey Derosier, sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman, and projection design by Tal Yarden. Ann James serves as Intimacy Director with Dawn-Elin Fraser as Voice and Dialect Director, and Caroline Englander as Stage Manager.

A limited run through Sunday August 20, 2023 at New York Theatre Workshop, NYC.

DAS RHEINGOLD by Richard Wagner.

Conducted by Ludovic Morlot.

Directed by Brian Staufenbiel.

Would you renounce love to become all powerful? The Nibelung Alberich steals enchanted gold to craft a ring which allows him to do just that. Yet the corruptive power won’t be his forever as gods and giants discover how far they will go to possess the cursed ring. Brother kills brother, the innocent are enslaved, and the King of Gods must decide where his power truly lies.

Starring internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in her Seattle Opera debut as the earth goddess Erda.

Bass-baritone and Wagner veteran Greer Grimsley returns as Wotan alongside Frederick Ballentine as Loge, Michael Mayes as Alberich, and Kenneth Kellogg as Fafner in their first Seattle Opera Wagner production. With Michael Chioldi as Donner. Martin Bakari as Mime. Melody Wilson as Fricka. Katie Van Kooen as Freia. Peixin Chen as Fasolt. Sarah Larsen as Flosshilde, Shelly Traverse as Wellgunde, Jacqueline Piccolino as Woglinde, and Viktor Antipenko as Froh.

The creatives are Mathew Lefebvre costume designer. Mextly Couzin lighting designer, Robertson Witmer sound designer, David Murakami projection designer, Ashlee Naegle hair and makeup designer.

In German with English subtitles Das Rheingold is on stage August 12–20 for four performances at McCaw Hall in Seattle, Washington.

MISS ABIGAIL’S GUIDE TO DATING, MATING AND MARRIAGE by Ken Davenport & Sarah Saltzberg.

Directed by Mark Spina.

Dr. Ruth Meets Emily Post: With help from her assistant Paco and a few cooperative audience volunteers, Miss Abigail demonstrates flirtation techniques from 1940s and 50s how-to-find-romance handbooks to prove that "love can't be bought -- but it can be taught!" Using her extensive, if somewhat outdated pre-feminist collection of dating guides, Miss Abigail and Paco invite the audience to play along practicing the most effective ways to attract a mate.

Featuring Ellen Revesz and Tomas Vorsteg. Presented August 17-27 by The Theater Project at Burgdorff Center, Maplewood, NJ.

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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.

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Seeking any information regarding attempts to sabotage the Broadway To Vegas website, harm or defame Laura Deni or damage her property.

Broadway To Vegas sincerely thanks those who have already provided information. It is a criminal offense to interfere with websites belonging to anyone other than yourself. Restraint of trade is also a serious crime.

Broadway To Vegas is a solely owned website. Nobody has been given permission to access, distort or destroy any Broadway To Vegas column.

Examples:
In 1999 Broadway To Vegas ran a favorable review and commentary regarding the dramatic musical Parade. See Broadway To Vegas column of December 28, 1998. Week after week, month after month, year after year, that column could easily be called up on Google and other search engines. This Spring that column suddenly, without warning, disappeared. It is impossible to find it on Google and thus other search engines who traffic off of Google. "Parade" concerns an event involving a Jewish man.

Normally, Broadway To Vegas columns appear on Google search engines anywhere from minutes to a few hours after launch and then remain on the Google search engine.

Since June 4th, through the month of June Broadway To Vegas columns go up as usual on Google are easily located for approximately 40 hours and then suddenly disappear, not to be found on a search engine, no matter how they are searched.

All columns can be located through the Broadway To Vegas website.

In those columns the subject matter concerned: 1) favorable reporting on a world renowned artist who happens to be black, (2) positive reporting on an event involving nationally known individuals participating in a major Juneteenth celebration in Las Vegas. Juneteenth concerns celebrating black people no longer enslaved, and (3) positive reporting on The Lost Story of Emmett Till.

Columns favorably regarding Jewish people and/or Blacks suddenly disappear. That begs the question if deleting those Broadway To Vegas columns is part of somebody committing a hate crime.

Google has the ability to deliberately hide columns. Google can't remove content from a person's website, but they can hide content so that nobody can find it. That is suppose to take place based upon proof of a wrongful act - such as a judge granting a removal order based upon copyright infringement or the webpage encouraging illegal activity.

Google's website indicates that this is manually done. A person goes into the site, reads it and determines if the page has violated any Google rules and can, at their discretion, block the page.

Broadway To Vegas has been on the web since 1998 and, until now, there has never been a problem with Google.

Broadway To Vegas is NOT implying that Google is involved in a hate crime or that Google has instructed any of their employees to help in sabotaging any website. Respectfully, we point out that Google has thousands of employees, some of whom are part time and also involved in the public relations business. PR firms, especially those based in NYC, represent entertainment websites, individuals and causes and an isolated few have made it known that they will commit illegal acts to boost their own clients, harming other sites, and will continue to do so until legally stopped.

It is a felony to attempt to enter, hijack, block, destroy, any website or contents thereof owned by anyone other than yourself. Preventing a website column to be seen is a crime unless there is a substantial reason, generally backed up by court order. You can't have a search engine block a web page simply because you don't like it. That's restraint of trade and censorship.

In case you've missed them: See Broadway To Vegas column of June 4, 2023. Broadway Cast Recording of & Juliet: See Broadway To Vegas column of June 11, 2023. ART IMITATES LIFE IN OPERATION MINCEMEAT: See Broadway To Vegas column of June 18, 2023. LAS VEGAS HAS BECOME A SPORTING TOWN AND SPORTS HAVE LONG PLAYED ON BROADWAY: See Broadway To Vegas column of July 9, 2023. NATO SUMMIT COULD LEARN FROM APRIL FOOLS DAY JOKE:

It is appreciated that two weeks ago some of those columns have been reinstated.

HOWEVER, the July 30,2023 column was, after being up and easily found, removed by Google search on Tuesday.

See Broadway To Vegas column of July 30, 2023. THINK PINK: CAN A BARBIE MUSICAL BE FAR BEHIND?

Also, hijacking (stealing) a column, posting it on a website that deliberately misleads the reader to think they have clicked into Broadway To Vegas when it is a different website with no Broadway To Vegas affiliation is a crime.

In searching Google for Parade on Broadway To Vegas, a website comes up that misleads the reader into thinking it is Broadway To Vegas. When clicking on the link the ENTIRE column is seen, not just the "Parade" review and there is no link to Broadway To Vegas. It is a "fake" website which has stolen a Broadway To Vegas column which can only be located on this strange site; headlined with an incorrect spelling of Broadway To Vegas. In the real Broadway To Vegas the "T" is capitalized and I have never called myself "theatre chick".

Who Is reports that theatre_chick.tripod.com ownership is hidden and was first indexed by Google more than 10 years ago.

When looking up theatre_chick.tripod.com Google brings up a website headlined Broadway to Vegas - The Theatre Chick's Life, deliberating misleading people.

Information is sought regarding any attempt to interfere with Broadway To Vegas from anyone, anywhere in any capacity. Confidentiality will be provided to the extent to which the law permits.

Broadway To Vegas thanks those who have provided information. Based upon information received, further information is sought regarding two California based men who have worked as techs in a ISP Broadway To Vegas once used and info regarding a West coast and Midwest based female who reportedly has made comments that she has friends in New York City and can cause her (Laura Deni) trouble.

It is chillingly disturbing to learn the extent of interference, and that there is a direct connection between individuals in Connecticut and California.

Venues and people in the entertainment world are threatened - that they are forbidden to "use" me. That they funding will be cut if they even "acknowledge you" and "we are not permitted to even thank you." The lies are unbelievable and the threats and intimidation to those in the business, makes one wonder how many people still behave as in Middle School. By the way, you are breaking serious felony laws.

The Google press office was provided a copy of this in case they wished to comment. They have not replied.

FINAL OVATION

O'SHAE SIBLEY professional dancer was brutally stabbed to death as he vogued to a Beyonce song with friends while pumping gas at a Brooklyn gas station in New York City on Saturday night July 29, 2023. The incident is being treated as an anti-gay hate crime. He was 28.

Sibley was with friends when a group of men approached them and started to shout gay slurs. One man stabbed Sibley in the torso. He was taken to Maimonides Medical center where he was pronounced dead.

Sibley was featured in several music videos and also performed at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The Drama League issued the following statement: "It is with a heavy heart that we write to inform you that The Drama League lost a beautiful talent. O'Shae Sibley was the Assistant Choreographer to Kemar Jewel on Marry Me a Little in DirectorFest 2019. Kemar introduced O'Shae to us with that performance and he has remained a part of the family of The Drama League ever since, aspiring to someday apply for the Directors Project.

"We write to share this news with you as our community mourns the senseless murder of such a gifted and wonderfully artistic soul. While, we don't wish to dwell on the hate O'Shae faced, we encourage you to read the New York Times article on his murder to make yourselves aware of the violence he succumbed to right in New York City. It was a violent hate crime against a black, queer man, and is being investigated as such, so please take caution and care as you read.

"Instead, we at The Drama League would like to share a work by Kemar that features O'Shae as one of the dancers as a celebration for the artist and human he was. Please watch Kemar's 2021 piece: SOFT: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men and join us in mourning the loss of an artist who relentlessly pursued art that inspired joy to our world and in our hearts. To those who knew and collaborated with O'Shae, please know that you are also on our minds and hearts in this difficult time. "

The dance studio of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Foundation, Ailey Extension issued the following statement: "The Ailey organization mourns the tragic death of O'Shae Sibley, following an attack outside of a Brooklyn gas station on Saturday night. O'Shae was a cherished and devoted Ailey Extension student. He had incredible energy in the studio and was loved by instructors and fellow classmates."

INGA SWENSON Tony and Emmy nominated actress died July 23, 2023 in Los Angeles at a board and care facility after months of declining health. She was 90.

She was nominated twice for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performances as Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade and Irene Adler in Baker Street. Swenson made her Broadway debut in 1956's revue, New Faces of 1956, followed the next year by her television debut in an episode of Goodyear Playhouse.

She originated the roles of Lizzie Curry and Irene Adler in the 1964 U.S. tour of 110 in the Shade and Broadway’s Baker Street respectively. Swenson reprised the role of Lizzie Curry in a 1967 West End production of 110 in the Shade. Other stage roles included those in The First Gentleman and Camelot, as well as an Off-Broadway production of My Fair Lady, in which Swenson starred as Eliza Doolittle.

She portrayed Gretchen Kraus, the autocratic and acerbic German cook (later head housekeeper and budget director) in the TV sitcom Benson. Her portrayal garnered three Emmy nominations. Swenson appeared in all 159 episodes of the show, which aired from 1979 to 1986.

Swenson also starred alongside Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke in the Oscar-winning The Miracle Worker and appeared in episodes of Bonanza; Newhart and The Golden Girls. She retired from screen acting in 1998.

Swenson married sound engineer Lowell Harris in 1953, and the couple had two sons: Mark and James. James died in a motorcycle accident in 1987, at the age of 26. Mark is a film editor who worked on Blues Brothers 2000 and Digging to China.

She is survived by her husband, son Mark, and granddaughter Lily.

GRACE ROBBINS who was on her 91st birthday diagnosed with cancer succumbed peacefully on July 19,2023 at her daughter's home under hospice care. She was 91,

She attended Queens College and entered the world of TV advertising in NYC at Milton Biow, as an account executive at Parkson and as a casting director at Gray Advertising, where she met novelist, Harold Robbins. After a whirlwind romance they were married, building a villa in the South of France, where they welcomed their daughter.

In Cannes, France, she focused on charity work, forming a committee to raise funds for a local orphanage. With performances from Cyd Charisse, Tony Martin, Josephine Baker and many others, her galas were highly successful. Grace raised funds for The Thalians with Debbie Reynolds and Ruta Lee, and then also for the Princess Grace Foundation. She assisted Elizabeth Taylor and Bernardo Puccio at the first Los Angeles fundraiser for AIDS research.

In the mid-1980s Grace became a chanteuse, performing at her friend's restaurant, Verita's, which resulted in a regular following, and a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II in a tribute to Noel Coward. In 2013, she used her talent as a raconteur to pen a memoir, Cinderella and the Carpetbagger.

She is survived by her daughter, Adréana Robbins, her son-in-law, her beloved rescue pup.

PAUL REUBENS who created the Pee-Wee Herman character died July 30, 2023 at a Los Angeles hospital, after a years long, private battle with cancer. He was 70.

“Please accept my apology for not going public with what I’ve been facing the last six years,” Mr. Reubens had said in a statement distributed by his publicist. “I have loved you all so much and enjoyed making art for you.”

Reubens began his career in the 1970s after joining the Los Angeles live comedy troupe the Groundlings as an improvisational comedian and stage actor. In 1980, he launched "The Pee-wee Herman Show," a stage production centered on a fictional character he had been developing for years. As Pee-wee became a cult figure, Reubens’ show ran for five sold-out months, and he landed a special at HBO. Reubens also committed to the character in his interviews and public appearances.

In 1985, he teamed with Tim Burton on "Pee-wee’s Big Adventure," the character’s feature film debut. The character transitioned to television from 1986 to 1990, on CBS’ weekend morning show "Pee-wee’s Playhouse."

Reubens had already decided to end "Pee-wee’s Playhouse" when his image as a beloved childhood hero was tarnished in 1991 after he was arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in Sarasota, Fla. At the center of a national sex scandal, Reubens backed away from Pee-wee and began doing press as himself. In the aftermath of the arrest, he did receive support from his fans and other celebrities, and appeared at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, receiving a standing ovation. "Heard any good jokes lately?" he said to the crowd.

He wouldn’t again reprise the iconic role until 2010, when he revived The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway.

MARK MARGOLIS Emmy nominated actor with hundreds of roles in film, television, and stage stemming back to the 1970s, died at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City on August 3, 2023. He was 83.

Margolis was best-known for his break-out role of Alberto "The Shadow" in Scarface and recently as the character Hector "Tio" Salamanca in the TV series Breaking Bad for which he was nominated for a 2012 Emmy award and Better Call Saul.

Margolis studied acting, first under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio and subsequently with Lee Strasberg and Barbara Loden. He was a lifetime member of the Actors Studio and conducted occasional acting workshops.

He launched his career on Broadway with Infidel Caesar, a Broadway show based on Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Shortly thereafter, Margolis founded Blue Dome, a touring theater company that performed avant-garde productions, including Antonin Artaud’s The Conquest of Mexico, at colleges and universities across the United States, largely funded by the New York State Council on the Arts.

Margolis returned to New York and appeared in more than fifty Off-Broadway plays, including Uncle Sam and The Golem. While he later became more focused on film and television, he "did plays when he could not live without them," which led him to the 2010 role of Bernie Madoff in an upstate New York production entitled Imagining Madoff. He also performed in Tony Kushner’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to The Scriptures at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in 2014 and in A Bright Room Called Day at The Public Theater in New York in 2019.

Margolis had an equally illustrious film career that spanned over forty years and included more than seventy films.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Jacqueline Margolis and their child Knitting Factory Entertainment CEO Morgan Margolis, his wife Heide Margolis, and their three sons Ben, Aidan, and Henry Margolis, all of Los Angeles, CA. He is also survived by his brother and his wife, Jerome and Ann Margolis.

ADRIENNE VAUGHAN publisher of the Harry Potter books died in a tragic boat accident in Italy on August 3, 2023. She was 45.

The head of Bloomsbury USA, the American branch of the British publisher was visiting Italy with her husband Mike White and their children Leanna and Mason, 12 and 8 - when she fell overboard during a boat accident off the Amalfi coast.

Vaughan became head of Bloomsbury USA, which publishes the Harry Potter books in America, in September 2021.

Vaughan and her family had rented out a nine-metre speedboat to explore the gulf when the vessel collided with a 45-metre sailboat named Tortuga, which was carrying some 80 people, including German and American tourists who were celebrating a wedding on board.

According to local media, Vaughan fell into the water and was hit by the boat’s propeller, receiving fatal injuries.

"I saw the woman in the water supported by her children and husband: She had no arm and the back of her head was white, as if no blood was flowing," Pietro Iuzzolino told the Corriere del Mezzogiorno newspaper. "It was terrible."

While rescuers immediately reached the scene and brought Vaughan to land for medical treatment, she was pronounced dead before she could be taken to a hospital by helicopter, according to Euro News.

. Her husband suffered an injury in an arm, according to Italian media, but survived after being taken to a local hospital.

The children were not injured in the accident, though they were reportedly panicked and distressed at seeing what happened to their mother. They are staying with relatives while their father remains in the hospital.

Prosecutors in Salerno, the area where the incident happened, have opened an investigation into the incident. A drugs test of the skipper who was driving the speedboat Vaughan hired proved positive for drugs and alcohol, according to various media.

Next Column: August 13, 2023
Copyright: August 6, 2023 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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