BroadwayWorld.com Washington, DC Stories

Photo Flash: GEFILTE FISH CHRONICLES Performs at the White House

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:16:08 PST

Gefilte Fish Chronicles the Musical was invited to perform at the White House. The event was hosted by Presidential Senior Advisor, Valerie Jarrett and Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz. After a crowd pleasing presentation, the entire cast, writers, and crew, were invited to attend a VIP reception with Vice President Biden. Scroll down for photos!

The Chronicles was invited to the White House to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month. This year the focus was on entertainment and family. Iris Burnett, Executive Producer said, "What is really important is that a celebration of family resonates with people regardless of culture, color, or religion. Only three of the nine cast members were Jewish, but they had no problem identifying with the theme -- "celebrating the power of family."

The Gefilte Fish Chronicles the Musical is directed by Emily Maltby, with orchestrator James Higgins. Recently adapted to a musical production following its 2007 television premiere, "The Gefilte Fish Chronicles" speaks to the Jewish American experience and to the rich traditions and stories that American Jews have kept alive across the generations.

Gefilte Fish Chronicles, the Musical, which celebrates the power of family. Written by Iris Burnett and Matty Selman, with music and Lyrics by Matty Selman. Starring Broadway's own Elizabeth Ward Land, and world famous mime Bill Bowers, the production uses music, stories, and humor to tell a universal tale.

The musical answers the universal question all families face. How do we pass on to our children and their children all the traditions, celebrations, and history about the family to which they belong. And how do we keep the spirit of all those family members who are no longer with us, alive in out hearts, minds and memories.

The show also features experienced actors, Matt Harrington, Jordan Kai Burnett, Dayna Grayber, Sara Dobrinich, and Rebecca Odorisio and Max Bisantz.

The Chronicles opened in Torrington Ct. in March and is moving to Boulder Colorado, Montreal, Canada and Just Off Broadway, in the Fall.

Cast of GEFILTE FISH CHRONICLES THE MUSICAL

Kim Yarbrough, Alison Cusano Join ONE NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN at Arena Stage

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:34:58 PST

Following a critically acclaimed run at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater this past fall, One Night with Janis Joplin returns for a summer run. Leading the production is Mary Bridget Davies. Davies is joined by Sabrina Elayne Carten as the Blues Singer. Created, written and directed by Randy Johnson, the production is produced in partnership with The Pasadena Playhouse and Milwaukee Repertory Theater, in association with Todd Gershwin and Daniel Chilewich of One Night Productions, The Estate of Janis Joplin and Jeff Jampol of JAM, Inc. One Night with Janis Joplin runs June 21-August 11, 2013 in the Kreeger Theater.

Joining Davies and Carten on stage and providing backup vocals as the Joplinaires are Alison Cusano (Cohoes Music Hall's Hair), Shay Saint-Victor(Billie Holiday Theatre's Freeda Peoples) and Kim Yarbrough (season two finalist on NBC's The Voice). Cusano and Yarbrough are also alternates for Joplin and the Blues Singer, respectively.

Press performances of One Night with Janis Joplin are Saturday, June 22 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, June 23 at 2:00 p.m.; Tuesday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. andThursday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m.

"One Night with Janis Joplin has been barnstorming across America and it's time to come back to Arena," shares Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. "This powerful portrait of a seminal American artist brings many back to their youth while introducing others to this wildly original artist for the first time. There is nothing quite like hearing her voice blasting through the Mead Center for American Theater."

About One Night with Janis Joplin: With a voice like whiskey and a laugh like pure joy, Janis Joplin took the music scene by storm. Simultaneously rough and vulnerable, Joplin was dubbed the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, proving music wasn't just a man's world anymore. Packed with classic songs ("Piece of My Heart," "Summertime," "Mercedes Benz"), the show also shines the spotlight on trailblazers who influenced Janis-like Bessie Smith, Etta James and Aretha Franklin. Now, in a musical event featuring more than a dozen singers and band members, playwright-director Randy Johnson creates "a compelling portrait of an artist" (Culturemob) through the words, inspiration and music of one of America's greatest rock 'n' roll originals.

One Night with Janis Joplin features a live, on-stage band, featuring returning musicians Tyler Evans (keyboard), Stephen Flakus (guitar), Patrick Harry(bass), Ross Seligman (musical supervisor, guitar) and Mitch Wilson (drums), who performed with the show at Arena Stage this past fall. They are joined by D.C.-area based Dennis Ferry (trumpet), Scott Silbert (tenor sax) and S. Craig Taylor (trumpet), making their debuts with the company.

"Arena Stage has become one of my theatrical homes away from home, and I'm thrilled to be working with Molly, Edgar and the entire staff at Arena Stage again," adds Johnson. "After the incredible critical response we received this past fall, I am confident that audiences are ready to embrace Janis and her legacy again. I feel as if the D.C. audiences are my old friends, and I can't wait to see them all again and return home with One Night with Janis Joplin."

"Every performance of One Night with Janis Joplin is like a family homecoming for me," says Laura Joplin, sister to Janis Joplin. "I'm blessed with the opportunity to see, feel and re-create the intense pleasure of engaging with my sister again. Janis may have died in 1970, but she comes alive again when she shares a funny story onstage, belts out her songs with her unique emotional wrapping and pushes me to share my emotional bonding in foot-stomping, hand-clapping and sing-along magic. I would attend the show every night of the run for the thrill of feeling the power of those times and this woman."

force/collision to participate in Arena Stage's Kogod Cradle Series

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:55:56 PST

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces that force/collision, a Washington, D.C.-based interdisciplinary performance ensemble, will participate in this year's Kogod Cradle Series, which supports the exploration and development of new and emerging work. The company will present the U.S. premiere of Trust me, a devised dance/theater project created in collaboration with German playwright Falk Richter.Trust me explores the body and psyche in Western culture through dance, theater, video and music and runs June 13-16, 2013 in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle.

"It is exciting to continue the Kogod Cradle Series and further our mission of cradling new work and emerging artists," shares Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. "It's not your average theater space-a project like this from force/collision bridges mediums and presents challenges to the audience that will not only help the artists grow, but also the audience and indeed the entire field grow."

Trust me dialogues German and American culture by exploring the lateral effects of cross-continental influences and by examining the shaky foundations and mechanisms of human bonds against the background of current crises. Relationships build up and break down in ever shorter timescales, they become a resource in an increasingly intense competition. The project will also explore the divide between information and sensationalism in modern society and the individual by incorporating notions of media and pop-culture identities.

"One of our areas of inquiry with the project is the value of international collaborations in ensemble driven work," says force/collision Founding Director John Moletress. "How can we challenge ourselves to look introspectively into our own process by having dialogues with our colleagues overseas? As force/collision experiments with a cross-cultural collaboration, Arena Stage provides an exciting opportunity to host our work under the Kogod Cradle Series. We look forward to sharing our process with Arena's audiences."

Trust me is based on three of Richter's plays that originally premiered in Berlin-Trust, Rausch and Protect me. Force/collision has collaborated with Richter to combine these works and also add additional text to create Trust me.

"I am excited about force/collision's Trust me, which gives my work a new and original twist and places it into an American context," adds Richter. "I congratulate force/collision on this opportunity to present Trust me as part of the Kogod Cradle Series at Arena Stage."

Performances of Trust me will be followed by an open rehearsal, giving audience members the opportunity to see the process in action, along with a brief post-show discussion about the performance, development and work of force/collision.

The 8pm performance of Trust me on Sunday, June 16 will also be livestreamed on HowlRound TV at howlround.tv. HowlRound TV is a global, peer-produced and open source livestreaming and video project stewarded by HowlRound: A Center for the Theater Commons.

Moletress will be blogging about the development and rehearsal process for Trust Me at whereisthetrust.wordpress.com/.

"I'm thrilled to feature force/collision in our final installation of the Kogod Cradle Series for this season," comments Arena Stage Director of Artistic Programming David Snider. "Their inclusion in the series gives them a great chance to learn from the audience's participation in the process as they continue to develop this new piece. This is a great opportunity for us to again feature a local company, one that's asking big questions about collaboration, with an international focus to their work. Very exciting."

TICKETS: Tickets for the Kogod Cradle Series are $10. Tickets may be purchased online at tickets.arenastage.org/single/psDetail.aspx?psn=17320 or by phone at 202-488-3300.

BWW Reviews: IN THE HEIGHTS at Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia - A Smashing Success

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:25:16 PST

The last time I attended a show at Toby's highly respected Dinner Theatre in Columbia, MD was the summer of 1990 to see their acclaimed production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. I recall my daughter Britt even auditioned for the part of the young girl who "lost her glasses".

When I saw a full page ad in the Baltimore Sun that IN THE HEIGHTS would be coming to the Toby's, I was really excited and knew I had to see it.

There are many reasons. First, my now grown-up daughter in 2007 was actually living in Washington Heights, the location for the musical. She actually lived on 181st where the action takes place and experienced the August 2003 black-out which is part of the end of Act I.

We first saw the show when it was Off-Broadway at the 37 Arts Theatre. We were seated behind the choreographer, Andy Blankenbuehler. At intermission, I said to him "This is some of the best dancing I've seen since WEST SIDE STORY.

I was shocked to see just an impressive set, such a large cast, and some fabulous music and performances. I even bought my daughter a show souvenir shirt which had 181st St. on it.

I then saw it on Broadway and was so pleased to see it win the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical and to see the star and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda accept his award with an homage to Stephen Sondheim by saying "Mr. Sondheim, I made a hat where there never was a hat".

So it was with great anticipation that I arrived to see what would Toby's do with this Latin-inspired musical filled with Spanish lyrics which starts with a rap number, not the typical musical for the dinner-theatre crowd.

Toby's has garnered its share of Helen Hayes Awards so I did in fact have high expectations and boy were they met.

First I was impressed with the marvelous set with two versions of the lighted up George Washington Bridge. There were front stoops, exits for the subway, a sign for Rosario's Car Service (they don't have cabs in Washington Heights, just a car service where you can always find one in front of Jen's grocery store), and a sign for Daniela's Hair Salon (in Washington Heights they always seem open). Kudos to Set Designer David A. Hopkins who loves details such as gum sticking to lampposts.

The show opens with the rap song by Usnavi (played by the incredibly talented David Gregory) who owns the local bodega where he dispenses coffee, lottery tickets, etc. and he introduces the audience to the inhabitants of the barrio who struggle in everyday life. Look for the tribute to Cole Porter's "The A Train".

There's Usnavi's virtual grandmother Abuela Claudia CrystAl Freeman who is getting up in age and likes to play the lottery every day. Usnavi's young cousin Sonny helps with the bodega and tries to encourage him to start a relationship with the beautiful Vanessa (Nadia Harika) who is trying to leave the neighborhood but has problems getting credit for a new lease.

Owning the local car service are Kevin (David Bosley-Reynolds) and Camila (Tina DeSimone) and they are both wonderful. The book deals with their lovely daughter Nina (Alyssa V. Gomez) who just returns from her freshman year at Stanford and her relationship with local Benny (Marquis White) who works for her father but is never accepted since his not a Latino.

A bright spot is Daniella (Santina Maiolatesi) who owns the hair salon and realizes she must leave the neighborhood due to gentrification.

A highlight for me was Tobias Young who plays Piragua Guy who sells frozen flavored ice and is always in competition with the Mr. Softee ice cream truck. He has a riveting voice in a role that composer Miranda stated he added at a late stage.

The ensemble is absolutely stunning with superb choreography by Christen Svingos. Director Toby Orenstein and Lawrence B. Munsey have accomplished a wonderful theatrical evening for everyone to enjoy. Cedric D. Lyles is responsible for the Musical Direction and on the evening I attended, Doug Lawler directed the orchestra with panache.

To borrow from the insert in the program, "Welcome to The Heights where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music."

Do not miss this spectacular production and watch for many Helen Hays' Award nominations.

My only suggestion to Toby's is to offer for sale the wonderful CD of the Broadway production.

IN THE HEIGHTS runs until July 21. For reservations, call 410-730-8311 or visit http://tobysdinnertheatre.com.

cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

John Mincks to Star in Firehouse Theatre Project's POP!; Full Cast Announced!

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:49:50 PST

Firehouse Theatre Project announces complete casting and the creative team for POP!, a new musical with book and lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman and music by Anna K. Jacobs, directed by Jase Smith. Sponsored in part by Yale Repertory Theatre's Binger Center for New Theatre, POP! will play for 18 performances, July 11 - August 10. Opening Night is Friday, July 12.

The cast for POP! includes John Mincks (Andy), Ian Stearns (Candy), Grey Garrett (Edie), Christie Jackson (Viva), Audra Honaker (Valerie), Evan Nasteff (Gerard), and Axle Burtness (Ondine).

POP! will feature choreography by Starr Foster, music direction by Anthony Smith, costume design by Margaret Joyner, light design by Andrew Bonniwell, set design by Eddie Slipek, and projection design by Nathan Wunderlich.

Who shot Andy Warhol? The fabulous drag queen Candy Darling hosts a happening whodunit musical in which the famous - and infamous - denizens of Warhol's legendary Factory all have motives to pull the trigger. But the pop art icon unravels an even bigger mystery as he confronts not only the prime suspects, but also his art and his own greatest creation: himself.

POP! features book and lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman and music by Anna K. Jacobs. The production will play Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA. Call (804) 355-2001 or visit www.firehousetheatre.org.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director: Jase Smith
Choreography: Starr Foster
Music Director: Anthony Smith
Costume Designer: Margaret Joyner
Lighting Designer: Andrew Bonniwell
Set Designer: Edwin Slipek
Sound Designer/Assistant Technical Director: Joey Luck
Production Manager: Annie Colpitts
Production Stage Manager: Sharon Gregory
Stage Manager: Christin Boone
Projection Designer: Nate Wunderlich
Props Master: Kiari Hicks
Set Intern: Jessica Bishop

CAST:

Andy: John Mincks
Candy: Ian Stearns
Edie: Grey Garrett
Viva: Christie Jackson
Valerie: Audra Honaker
Gerard: Evan Nasteff
Ondine: Axle Burtness

BAND:

Anthony Smith on piano
Bentley Cobb, Jr. on drums
Grant Oliver on guitar
Khaled Hijaab on bass

The show runs July 11 - August 10, 2013, playing Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm. PAY-WHAT-YOU-WILL Sundays are July 21, July 28 and August 4 at 2pm. PREVIEW: July 11, 2013. OPENING: July 12, 2013. Talkbacks: July 19 and August 2, 2013.

Tickets for POP! are $32 and are available online at www.firehousetheatre.org, by phone at (804) 355-2001, and in person at the Firehouse Theatre Box Office (1609 W. Broad Street). Student, senior, military, RAPT and group rates are also available. All tickets for the Thursday, July 11 Preview Night are $15. Seating is based on availability. Firehouse Theatre Project cannot guarantee availability without advance reservations.

GEFILTE FISH CHRONICLES THE MUSICAL Plays the White House Today

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:30:00 PST

In celebration of the eighth annual Jewish American Heritage Month, the White House will be hosting today, May 21st, a staging of the critically acclaimed "The Gefilte Fish Chronicles the Musical".

Recently adapted to a musical production following its 2007 television premiere, "The Gefilte Fish Chronicles" speaks to the Jewish American experience and to the rich traditions and stories that American Jews have kept alive across the generations.

Gefilte Fish Chronicles, the Musical, which celebrates the power of family. Written by Iris Burnett and Matty Selman, with music and Lyrics by Matty Selman. Staring Broadway's own Elizabeth Ward Land, and world famous mime Bill Bowers, the production uses music, stories, and humor to tell a universal tale.

"We feel honored and proud to be invited to the White House to celebrate Jewish Heritage," said Iris Burnett in her role as Executive Producer.

Matty Selman added: "There is so much talent in our cast and crew that we know the White House will be beyond pleased."

The musical answers the universal question all families face. How do we pass on to our children and their children all the traditions, celebrations, and history about the family to which they belong. And how do we keep the spirit of all those family members who are no longer with us, alive in out hearts, minds and memories.

The show also features experienced actors, Matt Harrington, Jordan Kai Burnett, Dayna Grayber, Sara Dobrinich, and Rebecca Odorisio and Max Bisantz.

The Chronicles opened in Torrington Ct. in March and is moving to Boulder Colorado, Montreal, Canada and Just Off Broadway, in the Fall.

Pictured: The team in rehearsal.

Matthew Scott and More Star in COMPANY at Signature Theatre, Now thru 6/30

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:30:00 PST

Phone rings. Door chimes. In comes Company, one of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim's most beloved musicals, produced at Signature Theatre for the first time in twenty years and directed by Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer. The cast of fourteen, led by Matthew Scott (First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb; Side By Side By Sondheim) in the role of Bobby, features many of Signature's most well-known stars in an enchanting, deeply funny exploration of love and marriage.

On his 35th birthday, Bobby, a commitment-phobic bachelor, searches for the answers to love and life in New York City. While enjoying the company of some lovely ladies, he observes both the joys and pitfalls of marriage from his five quirky couple friends - but is he ready? Only Bobby can find the answer in this witty and piercing examination of matrimony. For how else can you treat marriage, but as a comedy?

Signature wil have three real-life married actor couples take on the roles of three onstage couples: Sherri Edelen (Xanadu) as Joanne and Thomas Adrian Simpson (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) as Larry, Tracy Lynn Oliver a (Hello, Dolly!) as Sarah and Evan Casey (The Hollow) as Harry, and Erin Driscoll (Hairspray) as Jenny and James Gardiner (The Last Five Years) as David.

Other Signature favorites Sandy Bainum (Show Boat), as Susan, and Bobby Smith (See What I Wanna See), as Peter, join the party as well, as do Erin Weaver (The Last Five Years) as Amy, Paul Scanlan (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) as Paul, Madeline Botteri(Sunset Boulevard) as April, Rachel Zampelli (Dying City) as Marta, and Jamie Eacker (Chess) as Kathy.

The production, featuring an award-winning score that includes the songs "Being Alive," "Side By Side," "Little Things You Do Together," "Another Hundred People," and "Ladies Who Lunch," will run tonight, May 21 - June 30, 2013 in the MAX Theatre. Daniel Conway is scenic designer, joined by costume designer Frank Labovitz, lighting designer Chris Lee, and sound designer Matt Rowe.

Schaeffer, fresh from directing the critically-acclaimed production of Sondheim's Follies on Broadway, is excited to direct a Sondheim show at Signature again - something he hasn't done since Sweeney Todd in 2010. "To get the opportunity to visit Company again after twenty years is exciting," he said. "With all the national discussion recently of how marriage raises questions about freedom and happiness, I think the time for Company is right now."

"And with three married couples in the cast," Schaeffer added, "I think the show's ideas about finding the perfect soul mate will have an even deeper meaning."

COMPANY, with Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Book by George Furth, was originally produced and directed on Broadway by Harold Prince with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Signature's production is directed by Eric Schaeffer with choreography by Matthew Gardiner and music direction by Jon Kalbfleisch. It runs tonight, May 21 - June 30, 2013.

Performances are Tuesday through Sunday evenings, with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tuesday and Wednesday performances are at 7:30pm; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening performances are at 8:00pm; Sunday evening performances are at 7:00pm. Matinee performances are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm. Tickets start at $40 and are on sale now. Tickets are available by phone at 703 573 SEAT, online at signature-theatre.org, or in person at the Signature Box Office at 4200 Campbell Avenue in Shirlington.

Signature is also offering "$22 for Tuesdays," making available a limited number of $22 tickets to the first two public Tuesday performances on May 21 and June 4. A Pride performance is scheduled for June 7. Discussion performances are scheduled for June 12 and June 18.

For more information about the production, visit Company online HERE.

Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginiadedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 38 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces.

In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such theatre luminaries as Chita Rivera, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Ann Reinking, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 82 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 320 nominations.

Ford's Theatre Annual Gala Set for 6/2 With Heidi Blickenstaff, Brian Stokes Mitchell and More

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:34:27 PST

Ford's Theatre Society will host its annual gala on Sunday, June 2, 2013, at Ford's Theatre (511 10th Street NW) followed by a seated dinner at the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian American Art Museum (750 Ninth Street NW). The evening will include the presentation of the Lincoln Medal to former Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice and Basketball Hall of Fame honoree Bill Russell, two individuals whose extraordinary character, accomplishments and work reflect Lincoln's legacy of leadership, service, humanity, wisdom, eloquence and vision.

The evening's events will begin with red carpet arrivals and a special evening performance at Ford's Theatre celebrating the power of the performing arts to inspire and engage. Highlights include appearances by host Richard Thomas, Broadway actress Heidi Blickenstaff, mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, Tony-winning baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell, actors CLARE BOWEN and Sam Palladio from ABC's Nashville, Emmy winner Eric Stonestreet from ABC's Modern Family, and others. Following the performance, invited guests dine at the National Portrait Gallery.

First Lady Michelle Obama serves as the honorary chair of the gala celebration. Honorary co-chairs are Mrs. Landra Reid, The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, Mrs. Cynthia Rogers, Mrs. Deborah I. Dingell, Dr. Sharon Malone and Mrs. Catherine B. Reynolds.

The Ford's Theatre Annual Gala benefits the Ford's Theatre Society and its programming, including exhibits at the Ford's Theatre Center for Education and Leadership (opened February 2012). This event is made possible by the generous support of lead sponsor General Dynamics and American Airlines, the official airline of Ford's Theatre. Ford's Theatre gratefully acknowledges Gloria Story Dittus and Story Partners for their support of the 2013 Lincoln Medal Presentation.

For additional information about tickets to the Ford's Theatre Society Annual Gala, contact RSVP@fords.org.

BWW Features/Reviews: Extraordinary Young Talent on Display in Act 2 @ Levine NEXT TO NORMAL

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:41:23 PST

There's no shortage of theatrical educational activities in Washington, DC - particularly for teenagers. Among those are Studio Theatre, Signature Theatre, and Theatre Lab. Certainly, all of them have something to offer to students of all talent and experience levels - a sense of community, the prospect of honing a craft, and building friendships with other kids who share the same passions. Yet, in the past week I've been introduced to a program that clearly offers all these things, and - dare I say it - something even a little more unique at the Levine School of Music

Levine, often considered one of our nation's leading community music schools and boasting a faculty of over 150 teaching artists, has long included musical theatre classes/lessons among its diverse educational offerings. The relatively new Act 2 @ Levine Pre-Professional Program for exceptionally talented high school students - one of three Act 2 @ Levine offerings, which also include First Act, a program for 5-8 graders, and a Mainstage program for high school and middle school students - continues this tradition and steps it up a notch.

The Pre-Professional Program, founded and spearheaded by the ambitious Kevin Kuchar, is - per Kuchar - a highly selective, audition-only, process-oriented theatre program that makes use of the existing infrastructure at Levine, including faculty, private lessons, music theory classes, and masters classes with the best in the business. Upon acceptance, the students join what founding director Kuchar calls a year-long 'cast' that participates in three productions - two performing roles and one apprenticeship track. This year's cast - which completed its last production this past weekend - took on three popular contemporary musicals, Rent, Bat Boy (presented at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company), and most recently, Next to Normal. In addition, students perform in a jury-style showcase and critique before the casting and outreach departments at one of DC's most prestigious and well-known theatres, Arena Stage. Arena Stage also played host to its production of Next to Normal.

Artistic Director Kuchar, who was gracious enough to answer some interview questions from BroadwayWorld DC, noted that it's "the integration of the curriculum in the classroom [at Levine] with the hands on instruction, coupled with its growing relationship with our partner organizations that make Act Two @ Levine truly an industry-shaping musical theatre department." That said, Kuchar stresses that the focus of the program is not simply to put on a show and/or prepare a student to become "the next Broadway star," but rather to develop a "total artist" in each student and allow them to acquire skills they can use whether they choose to purse theatre in college or not. While he says that certainly some students go on to pursue degrees in some top musical theatre programs at New York University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music among others, "many more" are also able to apply the skills they learned at Act 2 @ Levine in rigorous non-theatre oriented academic programs at Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania and beyond.

If the program's recent May 2013 production of Next to Normal is any indication of what Kuchar is doing right, I must say that he is doing a lot right. Next to Normal, an award-winning rock musical from Tom Kitt (Music) and Brian Yorkey (Book and Lyrics), is one of those contemporary musical theatre juggernauts. While it offers a compelling story - an average American family coping with tragedy and trying to overcome all obstacles with love and determination - it's one of those shows that, if presented by artists not up to the challenge, may leave the audience scratching its head as to why it's so beloved. It is fierce belting meets angst-filled dramatic acting. To say that it's challenging for the actor and director, in particular, would be an understatement.

Thankfully, Kevin Kuchar (Direction, Production Design), Josephine Riggs (Musical Direction), Jennifer Suess (Vocal Coaching), a hard-working crew of Act 2 @ Levine students, a five-member professional band (two keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums/percussion), and of course a talented cast of seven teenagers (with four alternating major roles), rise to the occasion. They put on something that's pretty remarkable especially when one considers the short rehearsal and preparatory time (about 4 weeks, according to one cast member). Riggs, who admitted that "time was of the essence" in putting the show together, is certainly right when she describes the production with one word - "dynamic."

While the design elements were naturally far from perfect - the set in particular was a bit too complex for the space and required some very hardworking teenagers to slip in and out during the show to remove things to the point where it served as a distraction - and the band did not rock out like one might have hoped, there were a lot of things that worked in this production. Let's start first and foremost with the two ladies who took on the matriarch of the Goodman family, Diana - a woman struggling with loss and Bipolar Disorder, among other challenges, at the center of this story.

Kayla Dixon and Katie Gerard each bravely took on Diana for two of the four performances. I had the opportunity to catch both of them in action. Each brought something different to the role and have a future in musical theatre if that's the path they choose.

Dixon's well-trained, supple, and Broadway-ready voice served her well in taking on this mammoth singing role. Her intensity, particularly in "You Don't Know/I Am the One," was something to marvel at for someone so young. Her rendition of "I Miss the Mountains," likewise, was interesting for its jazzy-pop vibe. This song has been covered to death by an array of Broadway belters and I was glad to see she made choices that were her own - phrasing, riffs and all. Dixon also proved she's quite the burgeoning actress as well and captured Diana's darker and angrier moments in a particularly realistic way.

Gerard also has oodles of vocal talent and is perhaps one of the strongest and well-rounded teenage actresses I've seen in education-related theatrical productions in DC. Her versatility was more than on display in every moment of the show and defied her young age. Comedy? Drama? She could handle it all while achieving a remarkable balance between vocal control and palpable emotion. Standout numbers included "Didn't I See This Movie?" - she more than nailed the sardonic edge of the lyrics - and, interestingly enough, "The Break," a sad number that's usually overlooked where Diana comes to terms with her reality. Katie, who told BroadwayWorld that she knows this show very well having followed its development since its original New York production at Second Stage, resisted the temptation to 'play Alice Ripley - the original Tony Award-winner for the role - as Diana.' She used her knowledge of and love for the show in a way that was productive.

Also featured were Francesca Rowe and Emily Cochrane as perfectionist and nervy teenage daughter Natalie Goodman. Rowe, who took on the role in two of the four performances, is noteworthy for her realistic portrayal of a girl who lives in a world of chaos yet longs to get out of it and carve a path for herself. Her strong voice served her well in numbers such as "Superboy and the Invisible Girl." Cochrane's take on Natalie was slightly more reserved vocally, yet she also nailed the heartbreaking acting moments and proved she also has the chops for drama and comedy.

Two strong singer-actors, Eitan Mazia (Dan) and Noah Kieserman (Henry), proved worthy scene partners for Dixon/Gerard and Rowe/Cochrane as the long-suffering significant others who try to bring normalcy to Diana and Natalie's tumultuous worlds. Mazia had the difficult challenge of playing a middle aged man dealing with marital strife, unspeakable loss, and other personal obstacles - a challenge he admitted in his interview with BroadwayWorld. He proved he had the acting ability to take on someone that's likely in a very different place from himself with words and with his body language in the silent moments. His emotion-filled performance was matched by his strong vocals on "I've Been" among other numbers. Likewise, Kieserman was particularly endearing as Natalie's lovable pot-head boyfriend Henry and his strong pop voice was particularly suited to such numbers as "Perfect for You."

Rounding out the cast were Sean Watkinson (Gabe), Joey Ledonio (Doctor Madden) - who stated in an interview that he "learned the role in a little over a week" when another student dropped out of the production - and Cameron Mitchell (Doctor Fine). Watkinson's beautiful tenor voice and relatable charm were well suited to portray Gabe, a crucial person in Diana's life and journey. Gabe's soaring Act 1 solo "I'm Alive" is usually a showstopper in most productions of Next to Normal and this case was no exception. Ledonio and Mitchell also displayed fine comedic and dramatic acting skills as the very different men who treat Diana for her mental illness.

Kuchar, in his interview with BroadwayWorld DC, stressed that his love for theatre is not the only thing that prompted him to join the Levine team and carve out this intensive yet nurturing musical theatre program. Says Kuchar, "I love what storytelling can do. Storytelling quite literally has the power to teach, to inspire, to change, to motivate, to cultivate, to challenge - there really isn't anything story telling can't do." Kuchar and his students certainly told a story in Next to Normal and a challenging one at that.

As each of the cast members answered an interview question about how they prepared for their roles and how they viewed their characters, it was clear that they too have internalized the importance and power of storytelling and the need to understand who people are and what makes them tick. Each keyed in important facets of their characters and in some cases, revealed they observed others in similar situations to come up with the best way to approach their characters. Kayla keyed in on Diana's "strength and willingness to fight," and Katie noted Diana's "sexiness" and "sharpness" and the fact that she's "complex" and "strong and weak all at once." Francesca and Emily also keyed in on Natalie's "strength" and determination. Eitan focused on Dan's "selfless and supportive" nature. Sean, likewise, honed in on the importance of Gabe's link to Diana for his own journey and his desire to "stay alive." Noah, too, focused on Henry's "determination to expose Natalie to a better world." Joey and Cameron, both playing psychiatrists, understood how the two doctors were different from one another, which influenced how they played the roles (with Madden being, as Joey said, more "compassionate."

As a result, the production was real, raw, and unflinching. Kuchar says he chooses shows that will inspire kids and cause them to think. This show certainly does that and can also impact the audience. Kudos to this wonderful program.

For more information on Act 2 @ Levine, visit its website: http://www.levineschool.org/instruction/programs/act-two

Photo: Cast of Next to Normal; by Carmelita Watkinson.

SIGNS OF LIFE Gets Staged Reading at American University, 6/1-2

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:50:41 PST

Snap-Two Productions, Inc. and LimanAde Productions in association with Issembert Productions, Inc. will present a staged reading of the new drama with music, Signs of Life, at American University in the Katzen Arts Center Studio Theatre on June 1 at 7:00 P.M. and June 2 at 1:00 P.M. The performances will feature American University alumni, current students and a student from BRAVO@KAT, the children's wing of Kensington Arts Theatre. This is the first academic production of Signs of Life.

Set in Terezin (Theresienstadt in German), Hitler's so-called "model city" for the Jews, Signs of Life is a new musical drama with book by Peter Ullian, lyrics by Len Schiff and music by Joel Derfner. Based on the true story of the Nazis' beautification attempts to deceive the Red Cross, the captives of Terezin, many of whom were artists and musicians, must choose whether to follow the Nazi orders to survive or risk everything by exposing the truth through their art and music.

"It is a story about what it is like to be caught in a web of tyranny and deception, and what people do mentally and emotionally to survive it; we want people to see this production not only as a Holocaust story, but as a human story," the show's commissioner, Virginia Spiegel Criste, said.

Despite their horrific circumstances, Terezin's inhabitants still created a variety of artwork, plays and music. Their work captures life in the ghetto and reveals how art and music played a vital part in their own survival. The show's director, Gail Humphries Mardirosian, studied the Terezin captives' perseverance for several years, beginning with her work as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Prague. She chronicled her research in her chapter, "Giving Voice to the Silenced Through Theatre," in The Power of Witnessing: Reflections, Reverberations and Traces of the Holocaust.

"Some say it was spiritual resistance. Others say it was a means of personal coping. I just want to say, 'Never Again,' and honor the victims of Terezin for their exceptional outpouring of artistry and manifestation of personal dignity," Humphries Mardirosian noted. In addition to Humphries Mardirosian's direction, Christopher Wingert, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Mary Washington, will music direct the weekend of staged readings.

There will be talkbacks after each performance, Saturday evening with the creative team and Sunday with special guest panelists: Bob Behr, a Terezin survivor, Warren Marcus, Education Specialist at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Robert Rehak from the Embassy of the Czech Republic. A reception will follow the Saturday evening performance.

The show will also perform in the DISK Theatre at the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU) Prague, Czech Republic in July and August as part of the International Psychoanalytical Association's International Conference entitled "Facing the Pain."

Admission is free, but reservations are required. To reserve a seat, email Laurie Levy Issembert at tllg22@gmail.com or phone (202) 360 7578. Parking is free and located in the underground parking lot beneath the Katzen Arts Center. For more information on the show's content and creation, please visit www.signsoflifethemusical.com.

Be sure to follow the journey of the production online via our Twitter (@AU_SignsOfLife), our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SignsOfLifeAU) or YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/AUSignsOfLife).

Founded by Virginia Criste, Snap-Two Productions, Inc. is the original commissioner of Signs of Life, and has been developing the work since 2003. Signs of Life is now scheduled to be presented on a limited run September 18, 2013 through October 27, 2013 at Vacek McVay Theater at Victory Gardens in Chicago, Illinois. For more information about Snap-Two Productions, Inc., email Virginia at vcriste@aol.com.

Founded by Joan Liman, MD with the mission of "healing hearts through the performing arts,"

LimanAde productions will be presenting Joan's musical memoir, "A LimanAde Life," on June 9, 2013 at NYC's Metropolitan Hospital Center in celebration of National Cancer Survivor's Day." For more information about LimanAde Productions or any upcoming projects, email Joan at joanliman@hotmail.com.

The readings will take place on June 1 at 7:00 P.M. and June 2 at 1:00 P.M. in the Studio Theatre at the Katzen Arts Center American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, D.C.

The book for this show, by Peter Ullian, was commissioned by Virginia Spiegel Criste in the year 2000. After completion of the book, Joel Derfner, composer, and Len Schiff, lyricist, were brought into the project.

The process of developmental readings began at New York University in June 2003. It was read again at Shetler Studios in October 2003. In April 2004, an abbreviated version was presented at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. It was then read again in August 2004 at New York University.

In December 2005, Jeremy Dobrish was added to the creative team as director for the mounting of another reading at the Zipper Theatre in New York. Thereafter, the piece was featured by Melting Pot Theatre Company in New York City as part of their series Preludes: New Musicals in Concert for three (3) nights during February 2006. The show's development then continued with another reading at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington on June 2, 3, and 4, 2006.

One year later, the piece's first full-scale regional production was completed at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington, from June 1 through 17, 2007. Thereafter, the show in conjunction with Amas Musical Theatre received an NEA Grant. It then ran an Off Broadway limited run at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre in New York City from February 17 to March 21, 2010.

The show is now scheduled to be presented in a limited run September 18, 2013 through October 27, 2013 at Vacek McVay Theater at Victory Gardens in Chicago, Illinois.

BIOS

Gail Humphries Mardirosian (Director) : is a professor of theatre in the Department of Performing Arts and in the University College and University Honors Program, has directed more than 130 productions (including musicals, serious drama, classics, children's theatre, and cabaret performances) and more than 60 special events in venues across the United States and in Europe. She has received several awards for her college directing, including awards from the American College Theatre Festival. She has served as the vice president for professional development for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education since 2007, and as the past president of Theatre as a Liberal Art. She has worked as a consultant for multiple arts organizations, and serves as the principal investigator researching the impact of the use of arts- based teaching/learning for an evidence-based model entitled Imagination Quest (IQ). Mardirosian's articles include "Arts-Based Teaching: A Pedagogy of Imagination and a Conduit to a Socially Just Education" (Current Issues in Education, fall 2009); "Teaching to Reach All Children" (Chronicle of Higher Education, March 2009); "Transforming the Classroom Teacher into a Teaching Artist" (Teaching Artist Journal, summer 2007); and "The Quest to Captivate Hearts and Minds in the Classroom: Teaching to Reach All Children." Mardirosian is working on a book titled Exceptional Teaching, Exceptional Learning: Using the Arts Across the Curriculum, K-16. She recently completed a chapter entitled "Giving Voice to the Silenced through Theatre" featured in the book The Power of Witnessing: Reflections, Reverberations and Traces of the Holocaust. The chapter delineates an ongoing project that she developed in Prague, at the Nazi transit/forced labor camp of Terezin, implemented at American University and the University of New Hampshire. The project is ongoing with sponsorship during the upcoming year by the Florida Holocaust Museum. Other international collaborations include Project ARTS (American Russian Theatre Symposia in Yaroslavl and St. Petersburg, Russia); a Fulbright appointment at the Academy of Performing Arts, Prague, Czech Republic; and guest lectures/master classes at the European Cultural Centre (Delphi, Greece), Charles University (Prague), New York University (Prague), and the University of Goteborg (Sweden). She has hosted artists and professors from China, Korea, Norway, and Serbia. During the 2011-2012 academic year, she will continue to focus on AU's cultural exchanges in theatre collaborating with the St. Petersburg Theatre Arts Academy both in the U.S. and in Russia, working with the Center for Global piece on A Balkan Sampler, with readings from five different Balkan plays, and presenting at a Fulbright conference in NYC entitled "Academic Exchanges and Research Success-20 Years of Fulbright Between the USA and the Czech Republic."

Christopher Wingert (Music Director) : has performed, accompanied, coached, and taught throughout Washington, DC since 2005. He continues to direct and teach musical theatre, piano, and voice to all ages, including college students and adults. In 2006, he joined the adjunct faculty at the University of Mary Washington where he serves as music director and conductor for the Department of Theatre and Dance's musical productions (Forever Plaid; Nunsense; Bat Boy; Funny Thing...Forum; Elegies; Reefer Madness; 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee; RENT; Into the Woods). In addition, he teaches a performance techniques course and has helped develop the musical theatre program into a minor degree option for UMW's students. Mr. Wingert is a volunteer instructor at the Patricia M. Sitar Center for the Arts where he teaches piano and serves as music director or pit performer for the annual musical (Once Upon a Mattress; You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Beauty and the Beast; Hello, Dolly; Bye, Bye, Birdie; Joseph...Dreamcoat). He has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and throughout New York City as a member of The Washington Chorus since 2006. He served as music director and conductor for Ganymede Arts' production of Falsettos and has recently appeared at the piano in multiple cabarets with two-time Helen Hayes Award-winner Will Gartshore at Signature Theatre and Round House Theatre. In January 2013, he served as rehearsal and orchestra pianist for Broadway legends Chita Rivera and Rita Moreno at the Kennedy Center's Latino Inaugural concert gala in honor of President Obama's reelection. Chris can be contacted at christopher.wingert@gmail.com.

James Randle (Assistant Director) : is an actor and director in the DC area, specializing in classical theater. He was first introduced to Terezin and its history by Gail Humphries Mardirosian on an academic trip to Prague, CZ in the spring of 2011. Currently he is constructing a play about the life of Felix Kolmer, a survivor of Terezin, and hopes to mount a production within the year. He is an alumnus of the Department of Performing Arts at American University and the London Theater Program at BADA.

Jen Grunfeld (Stage Manager) : is a rising senior Theater design/production Major at American University. Previous AU credits: Cabaret (SM), Excerpts from The Good Doctor (SM), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (SM), The Who's Tommy (ASM), and Measure for Measure (ASM). Regional: Stage manager for Children of Eden and FAME (Bergen Performing arts Center), Stage Manager for Trespassing (Ambassador Theater).

Laurie Levy Issembert (Associate Producer) : is the Executive Producer of BRAVO@KAT, established in 2012 as the children's wing of the award-winning Kensington Arts Theatre. Laurie looks forward to expanding BRAVO@KAT's presence in dance, voice and acting as well as seeking ways to collaborate with other performing arts organizations in the Washington area. After a successful and varied career in the arts that includes feature films in Hollywood on the production side and news and documentaries for local, national and international television, Laurie is delighted to call BRAVO@KAT home, providing opportunities to talented youth. The last 14 years she has devoted to producing musicals of the Broadway repertoire (65!) with local lower, middle and high school students in the area, many of whom have gone on to work in the entertainment industry. She is currently developing projects both for Broadway and Off Broadway and divides her schedule between Washington and New York. Having become acquainted with Signs of Life through NYC Producer Joan Liman, Laurie devoted her enthusiastic energies to bringing this reading to the Department of Performing Arts at American University, giving college students the opportunity to explore a meaningful Holocaust-related drama with music. Laurie is a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, Women in Film and a graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute of The Broadway League, where she has also been a past Adjunct Member. Her "adult" works include shows for the New York International Fringe Festival (The Last Days of Cleopatra - 2005), the New York Musical Theatre Festival (The Children - 2006) and (The Yellow Wood, directed by B.D. Wong - 2007), Kennedy Center Page to Stage Festival, (Cleopatra directed by Joe Calarco - 2009) Equity showcases (NERDS - 2010) and investing in the Broadway productions of Dr. Seuss's The Grinch and Catch Me If You Can.

Virginia S. Criste (Producer) : who commissioned this show, is President of Snap-Two Productions, Inc. She received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her J.D. from George Washington University. After the Berlin wall fell, and during Havel's first year as Chief of State of the then country of Czechoslovakia, Virginia went to Terezin to try to learn about her grandparents who spent their final years there. At that time, there were only a small exhibit and a depository of artifacts that they allowed her to view alone in the company of a Museum official. Spending a day with the remnants of hand-drawn posters announcing show performances, cabaret tickets, albums of dorm life, and so much more, was hard to forget. A stop at a London Theatre on her return to the United States helped form the thought . . if Les Miserables and Miss Saigon could be musicals, why not Terezin? After all, inhabitants of Terezin kept music and theater as a vital part of their life in captivity. Flash forward and you have the piece that is now presented with the talented artists whose biographies appear herein. When not working on this project, Virginia practices law in Palm Desert, California.

Joan Liman, MD, MPH (Producer) : made her producing debut with the off-Broadway run of Signs of Life. Joan is a graduate of the Commercial Theater Institute and has invested in several off-Broadway and festival shows (e.g., Little Ham, Zanna Don't, Slut, Soul to Keep.) She worked with the late Michael Frasier (Nunsense) on Eatonville, a theatrical version of Zora Neal Hurston's acclaimed novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Currently, she is an associate producer to Frank D'Agostino for his new musical Cold as Ice, a backstage look at the world of competitive ice skating performed on ice, slated for a NYC workshop in Fall 2013. Joan's passion for theater dates back to SING at Brooklyn's James Madison High School. From there she "shuffled off to Buffalo," graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the State University of Buffalo with a B.A. in Psychology. She earned her MD and MPH degrees from New York Medical College. Her favorite extracurricular activity while there was writing and performing song parodies in the annual NYMC Follies. Joan entered academia after graduation, serving as a student affairs dean at three medical schools despite two bouts with cancer. She wrote about overcoming these as well as other obstacles in a quasi-autobiographical musical, A LimanAde Life, which has been presented at several cancer society and hospital benefits. It was also selected as a semi-finalist in The Network's 2012 Festival of New Plays. Joan is a board member of Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) as well as president of the board of directors of Amas Musical Theatre, NYC's award-winning, not-for profit organization dedicated to producing quality musical theatre that celebrates different cultural viewpoints while reaching out to underserved audiences. Her favorite role? "Nonny" to her grandchildren, Ryan and Marissa. Best collaborator to date? Larry, her husband of forty-three years!