BroadwayWorld.com Turkey Stories

Executive Director Ray Cullom Joins Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment at New Istanbul Performing Arts Complex

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:32:51 PST

Robert Nederlander, Jr, President and CEO of Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, announced today the appointment of Ray Cullom to the position of Executive Director of the ZORLU CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, a major new multi-venue performing arts complex set to open fall 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Mr. Cullom joins Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment at a very exciting time for the organization. As Executive Director, Mr. Cullom will oversee the programming and operation of this new state-of-the-art mixed-use development, consisting of a 2300-seat main stage, and an 800-seat Drama theatre, and will be among the largest (50,000 sq. meters) and most technologically advanced performance venues in the world. The Zorlu Center for the Performing Arts is part of the 3 billion dollar Zorlu Center complex consisting of high-end retail and signature restaurants by the world's best-known chefs, luxury residences, and a Raffles Hotel.

Mr. Cullom brings over 20 years experience in the worlds of Theatrical producing, venue management, and programming across all genres, and most recently served as Executive Director of the Queens Theatre, where he was awarded 2013 Business Person of the Year by the Queens Chamber of Commerce, and the Queens Theatre recognized as the 2012 Top Cultural Institution of the Year in New York City, Prior to his work with Queens Theatre, Mr. Cullom served as Managing Director of the Tony Award-winning Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT, and during his tenure oversaw a fiscal and organizational turnaround from a structural annual deficit and steadily decreasing patron base to consecutive years of operational surpluses and stable growth of the Theatre's audience. Prior to Long Wharf, Mr. Cullom worked as an Executive Director and Producer with Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment at the Bethesda Theatre in the Washington DC-Area, and in General Management, and as Director of Sales & Marketing with NETworks Presentations, where he worked on the national touring productions of Broadway hits such as Rent, Ragtime, Fosse, Kiss Me Kate, and Oklahoma!. Mr. Cullom began his arts management career as General Manager and later Managing Director of the historic Theatre Row complex of five Off-Broadway Theatres on 42nd Street in New York City, a project of the 42nd Street Development Corporation. He holds an AB in Anthropology from The University of Chicago and pursued his MFA in Directing with The City University of New York. Mr. Cullom is married to the former Ms. Meryl Sachs, a brilliant performer and Arts Educator.

"Ray brings an enormous amount of relevant expertise and proven management ability to the position, and will be a great asset to the project as we pioneer a new concept in venue management and entertainment programming in Istanbul, Europe's youngest and fastest growing major city" said Robert (Bob) Nederlander, Jr. He added "Ray's unique mix of experience both on the production and the venue side will serve this project very well. Along with the excellent local staff we have assembled in Istanbul, he will lead what will very quickly become one of the most important performance venues in the world".

"It's hard to believe that Istanbul, this incredible 4,000-year old seat of history and culture does not yet have a major performance venue like this, and I believe the entire worldwide Arts community has been waiting for a project like this to happen here" said Mr. Cullom. He added "The response we have received so far has been overwhelming - from artists, agents and producers the world over. Our soon-to-be-announced programming will run the gamut from multi-week engagements of major Broadway titles, to the top Dance and Classical artists in the world, to family and international attractions, with a healthy dose of local Turkish and regional star performers that we hope to be able to shine an international spotlight on".

Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, LLC ("Nederlander Worldwide"), founded and managed by Robert Nederlander, Jr., a third generation member of the Nederlander entertainment family, develops, manages and operates theatres worldwide, produces Broadway and related shows in domestic and international markets and undertakes cultural educational initiatives. The Nederlander family of companies has been a major force in the live entertainment business for nearly 100 years. Their expertise covers the gamut of theatre management and operations, along with all facets of live entertainment, including ticketing, management, promotion, marketing, and advertising.

Nederlander Worldwide joins forces with the Zorlu Property Group, one of the most widely established conglomerates in Turkey and Europe, in the creation and development of a performing arts center complex at Istanbul's Zorlu Center. Zorlu Center Performing Arts Center, will be comprised of two theatres (one seating 2,300, the other 770) on 50,000 square meters construction area, making this Istanbul's largest multi-purpose performing arts center. Following its highly-anticipated opening in 2013, the performing arts center will play host to an annual Broadway musical series, concerts, dance performances, art exhibitions, and auctions. Developed by Zorlu Property Group, Nederlander Worldwide will oversee design, operations and programming.

DCINY Expands Partnership with TURKSOY

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:34:45 PST

Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is thrilled to embark upon its first concert tour of Turkey at the invitation of TURKSOY, the International Organization of Turkic Culture. Featuring the expanded forces of The Jonathan Griffith Singers, 85 voices strong, with orchestra and conducted by Jonathan Griffith, the concerts will include Ahmed Adnan Saygun's magnum opus, Yunus Emre Oratorio, a work inspired by the thirteenth-century Turkish poet Yunus Emre, as well as an excerpt from Haktan Gelen Serbeti, ("The Drink from God"), a new work by Christopher Tin commissioned by DCINY to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Turksoy and as a gift from the citizens of the United States to the people of Turkey.

"I am most excited about this new joint adventure between DCINY and TURKSOY," commented Jonathan Griffith, DCINY's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, "Both organizations have similar interests and values in terms of exposing the public to the culture of different countries and their people. We anticipate a long and fruitful relationship."

DCINY will begin its concert tour in the ancient city of Eski?ehir, the birthplace of Yunus Emre, on June 3rd. In Eski?ehir, as well as in the capital city of Ankara the following evening, The Jonathan Griffith Singers will perform with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, one of the first symphony orchestras in the world. On June 7 in Istanbul, the singers are joined by the Cemal Resit Rey Orchestra.

The June tour follows DCINY's first collaboration with Turksoy last April. Symphony of Voices from Turkic Lands featured the TURKSOY Symphony Orchestra, composed of 80 distinguished performers from several Turkic nations, and the Jonathan Griffith Singers for concerts at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City and at the Strathmore Music Center in Washington, DC.

One of the most famous Turkish musicians, Ahmed Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) earned international acclaim for the "Yunus Emre Oratorio," composed in 1946. The oratorio, which incorporates Turkish modes and folk melodies, has been translated into five languages and performed worldwide, including an English-language performance at the United Nations in 1958. One of the most important representatives of early Turkish mysticism, 13th-century poet Yunus Emre devoted himself to the themes of divine love and human destiny.

Grammy-winning composer Christopher Tin's work covers diverse terrain: from thrilling fusions of orchestral and world music, to brooding reinventions of 90s electronica, to award-winning scores for film, video games, and commercials. His music has been performed by orchestras including the National Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and Metropole Orchestra. DCINY recently presented Tin's Grammy-winning work Calling All Dawns at Lincoln Center to unanimous acclaim and will present a concert of his works at Carnegie Hall in April 2014.

Founded by conductor and educator Jonathan Griffith in 1987 as a chamber choir of 24 professional singers in Portland, Oregon, the Jonathan Griffith Singers is a flexible ensemble of 80-120 amateur and professional singers from across the United States and Canada, based in New York City. Members of the ensemble have performed in some of the world's finest concert halls, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome, and the Cathedral Duomo of Pisa in Italy. Recognized for their appealing and accessible programming, the Singers perform a wide range of repertoire. Most recently, the Singers have toured to Argentina, and to the People's Republic of China, where they performed the Chinese premiere of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man: Music for Peace with the celebrated Xin Ya Kong Qi Symphony Orchestra at Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall and Shanghai's Oriental Arts Center.

TURKSOY-International Organization of Turkic Culture was established in 1993 with the objective to strengthen cooperation between Turkic peoples. With its focus on culture and the arts for the past 20 years, the organization consists of six founding members: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and eight observer members. TURKSOY aims at the preservation, revitalization and development of Turkic culture around the world.

Founded by Iris Derke (General Director) and Jonathan Griffith (Artistic Director and Principal Conductor) Distinguished Concerts Internationalis driven by passion, innovative vision, a total belief in its artists, and unwavering commitment to bringing forth unforgettable audience experiences. DCINY is a creative producing entity with unmatched integrity that is a talent incubator, a star-maker, and a presenter of broadly accessible, world-class musical entertainment.

Voting Opens for the 2013 BroadwayWorld Awards! Vote Now for the Best of the 2012-13 Theatre Season...

Thu, 02 May 2013 15:39:40 PST

The Tony Awards nominators had their say earlier this week and now it's your turn! We're pleased to announce that voting has now opened for the 11th Annual BroadwayWorld.com Awards!

Once again last year, hundreds of thousands of theatregoers and fans weighed in, breaking site traffic records and further solidifying the BroadwayWorld.com Awards place as the largest and most popular online Broadway polling event of its kind, open to all and with fully visible and audited results. Voting is open through May 31, 2013.

Click Here to Vote Now!

Abu Dhabi Festival 2013 Lineup Announced

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:00:26 PST

Celebrating its landmark 10th edition, Abu Dhabi Festival (ADF) 2013 will bring a spectacular three-week programme of world-class artistic talent to the UAE capital, featuring new commissions and Arab World Premieres which further affirm the festival as one of the leading cultural events on the world stage.

Ground-breaking work includes the Institut du Monde Arabe visual arts exhibition '25 Years of Arab Creativity', which presents over 30 artists from 13 Arab nations, including two Emirati artists. The exhibition celebrates IMA's 25th and ADF's 10th anniversaries, and offers an exhaustive panorama of contemporary Arab creation.

Opera has played a significant role in the festival's history with previous appearances from Jose Carreras, Anna Netrebko, Angela Georghiu, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. This year Placido Domingo will perform a selection of operatic arias supported by Grammy Award winning soprano Ana Maria Martinez and accompanied by the renowned Czech Philharmonic and conductor Eugene Kohn. Also, British baritone Bryn Terfel will perform an evening of beloved opera arias, alongside traditional Welsh songs, with rising star Viktoria Yastrebova and the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Jiri Belohavek.

Ballet continues to be a favourite in 2013 with performances by The Mariinsky Ballet, accompanied by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra. In 'Homage to Fokine' the ballet will present a colourful evening of dance featuring four distinct but equally compelling short ballets, all originally choreographed by the legendary Michel Fokine.

Instrumental classical music features strongly with Chinese pianist Yundi in recital, and a concerto performance from American violinist Joshua Bell.

Brazil's Gilberto Gil brings an intimate, acoustic concert to Abu Dhabi Festival drawing upon Samba and Bossa Nova, African music, Rock, Roots and Reggae. A versatile performer, Gilberto Gil is an iconic artist and musical ambassador.
The Festival champions the very best of Arabic artistic expression. A new Abu Dhabi Festival commission 'The Rahbani Legacy' by Lebanese composer Oussama Rahbani celebrates the music of the late Rahbani brothers – Mansour and Assi - and their unparalleled contribution to the music, theatre and poetry of the Middle East during the 20th century. In celebration of the 10th edition, ADF's has also commissioned 'Poème Orientale' by the Franco-Lebanese poet and composer, Bechara El-Khoury, which will be performed by the Czech Philharmonic on March 26th.

Her Excellency Mrs Hoda I. Al Khamis-Kanoo, Founder and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, said: "The Festival's vision is to both support and capture the multi-cultural essence of Abu Dhabi. Aligned with the capital city's urban planning and economic diversification, the Abu Dhabi Festival has supported Abu Dhabi's identity over the past 10 years as a crossroads of creativity. By creating a platform for community arts, we are fostering a spirit of discovery and an appetite for cultural expression that strengthens society. In 2013, Abu Dhabi Festival shall celebrate the past, the present and the future of artistic innovation, as it continues to build bridges across the world through ongoing strategic partnerships. By investing in creativity, we nurture mutual understanding and cultural dialogue between countries and communities everywhere."

Bruce Kimmel's OUTSIDE THE BOX Web TV Series to Air Exclusively on BroadwayWorld.com

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:56:50 PST

BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre web site on the net, is thrilled to announce the newest addition to its line-up of exclusive, engaging, star-filled TV programs. To get fans caught up, and fired up for the new show, the entire first season's episodes begin airing now, with Season 2 slated to premier November 25, followed by it's regular presentation schedule of every other Sunday. (Click Here to Watch!)

Bruce Kimmel's OUTSIDE THE BOX will join such popular BroadwayWorld TV offerings as BACKSTAGE WITH Richard Ridge, CHEWING THE SCENERY WITH Randy Rainbow and the second season of the hit series SUBMISSIONS ONLY, which earned a spot on Entertainment Weekly's MUST LIST, and hailed as "Brilliant" by New York Magazine.

"We couldn't be more excited to begin airing Bruce Kimmel's web series" said Editor-in-Chief Robert Diamond, "I've been a fan of the series and the concept since the first episode and can't wait for our audience to join in the fun."

"We began the series on YouTube" said creator Bruce Kimmel "and now are excited to expose it to an even larger, dedicated audience of theatre fans worldwide via BroadwayWorld.com".

Season two kicks off with the first episode, starring Hal Linden, Jenna Rosen, Jane Noseworthy and Sharon McNight and will feature six brand new episodes about a very outré musical theatre group who do musicals that are, well, just wrong. Each episode features an entirely new cast, save for one recurring character, the director of the group, Stephen Findle and each episode features between one and three musical numbers. Season two's episodes feature Hal Linden (The Rothschilds, Barney Miller), Euan Morton (Tony nominee for Taboo; Sondheim on Sondheim), Adrian Zmed (Grease; Grease 2; Blood Brothers), John Sloman (Mad Men), Jenna Rosen, Jane Noseworthy, Angel Reda, Sharon McNight, Sami Staitman, Lisa Livesay, and more. Outside The Box is shot on location in New York and Los Angeles.

Written and directed by Bruce Kimmel, each episode features songs by Kimmel – the Outside The Box theme is by Grant Geissman, composer of Two-And-A-Half Men and Mike and Molly. Kimmel wrote and directed the cult comedy classic film, The First Nudie Musical, and is a long-time Grammy-nominated record producer, having produced over 180 albums, including cast albums (The King and I, Hello, Dolly, Bells Are Ringing, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, etc.), concept albums (Lost In Boston, Unsung Musicals), singers (including Petula Clark, Helen Reddy, Liz Callaway, Laurie Beechman, Judy Kuhn, Judy Kaye, Rebecca Luker, Brent Barrett, Jason Graae, Michelle Nicastro, Christiane Noll, and many others), as well as a historic series of jazz cover versions of Sondheim shows with The Trotter Trio. His label Kritzerland releases two new CDs every month.

Click Here to Watch!

Voting Open for 2012 BWW Regional Awards - Vote Now!

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 09:00:51 PST

Election season is officially behind us in politics, but now it's time to vote for our 3rd Annual BWW Regional Awards!

After a record number of nominations in 30 regions worldwide, and careful proofing by our local editors, we are VERY excited to announce that voting has begun for this year's BWW Regional Awards. It's our BIGGEST EVER!

Voting is now open and in most regions will run through Dec. 31, 2012. Winners will be announced in early January. You can only vote once, so make your vote count! As always, we'll provide open live statistics throughout the awards so make sure to check back often.

Click the link below to vote for your favorites!

Wisdom Digital Media Announces Spin-Off from BroadwayWorld.com of New Web Sites Dedicated to Movies, TV, Fashion, Books, Music, Opera & More!

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:00:29 PST

10 New Sites Launch Devoted to Arts, Culture, Fashion & Entertainment

Wisdom Digital Media, parent company of BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theatre web site on the net, today announced the official spinoff and launch of 10 new entertainment web sites including BWWMoviesWorld.com, BWWTVWorld.com, BWWFashionWorld.com, BWWBooksWorld.com, BWWMusicWorld.com, BWWArtWorld.com, BWWComedyWorld.com, BWWDanceWorld.com, BWWClassicalWorld.com and BWWOperaWorld.com.

"We launched many of these sites as subsections of BroadwayWorld.com" explained CEO Robert Diamond "because of the increasing intersection between the stage and other areas of entertainment. After witnessing explosive traffic growth across the board, we decided to tap into, and exploit each market's full potential by launching them as their own comprehensive websites. We will take what we've learned from nearly 10 years of leading theatre coverage and apply it to these other major areas of entertainment."

Each site will have a dedicated Editor-in-Chief, fully supervising content along with a team of newsdesk managers, photographers, photo editors, video crews, advertising sales teams, and more. Already, new site teams are working closely together, offering both media and sales opportunities across different outlets with distinct audiences, demographics, and targets.

"We've already begun to run both editorial exclusives and advertising programs" said Miles Silverman, VP of Sales and Marketing "that target a more general TV or Film audience focused on big stars and pop culture, as well live theatre's coveted upscale, highly affluent consumer audience. The response thus far has been extraordinarily positive as advertisers are increasingly interested in reaching multiple audiences via one reliable publisher for maximum cost efficiency."

All of BroadwayWorld.com's market-leading features including Mobile Sites, Message Boards, Twitter Watch, Photo Flashes, Video Coverage, Exclusive Interviews and more, along with the best news team in the business will be launched across the board to service each individual entertainment category. Additionally, the sites will share a registration system, so one login will work across all the web sites, allowing fans to seamlessly jump into conversations across the board.

Over the coming weeks, BWWComedyWorld.com, BWWDanceWorld.com, BWWMusicWorld.com and BWWClassicalWorld.com will offer regional subsections devoted to the top 25 markets around the world for each genre.

Wisdom Digital Media

Wisdom Digital Media Publishing launched in 2001 and its first flagship site, BroadwayWorld.com in 2003. BroadwayWorld is the largest theatre site on the Internet covering Broadway, the West End and beyond to 100 US cities, and 35 countries worldwide. With over 3.5 million monthly visitors, BroadwayWorld delivers complete up-to-the-minute Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theatre news, in-depth interviews, extraordinary photo coverage, entertaining video features, lively message boards, ticket discounts, reviews, and more.

Contacts:

Editorial
Robert Diamond
CEO
robert@wisdomdigital.com
914-623-8689

Advertising
Miles Silverman
VP Sales & Marketing
miles@wisdomdigital.com
914-214-8177

BWW World Premiere EXCLUSIVE: Michael Crawford and Susan Boyle Duet on 'The Music of the Night'!

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:41:59 PST

A few weeks ago, we premiered Donny Osmond and Susan Boyle singing 'This is the Moment' and we're back to bring you another exclusive first listen to a second highly-anticipated duet from her upcoming album - 'The Music of the Night!' Featuring original Phantom star Michael Crawford himself alongside Boyle, it's a must-listen!

“The Music of the Night” is from Boyle’s new album, “Standing Ovation,” which will be released November 13 (click here to pre-order). Boyle has reached international stardom and sold over 18 million albums in the just three years. “Standing Ovation” showcases duets with both Michael Crawford and her lifelong idol, Donny Osmond and is filled with songs from her favorite shows.

Most recently seen on the West End stage in The Wizard of Oz, and long overdue for a Broadway return, Michael Crawford had established himself as one of London's finest leading men long before he opened as "the Phantom" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera beginning one of the most widely acclaimed and memorable performances in theatre history. Few stars are as widely connected to a single role as Crawford is to "the Phantom." His Los Angeles and Broadway performances earned an astonishing catalogue of critical recognition including the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and the Los Angeles Dramalogue Award and Drama Critics Award.

Since leaving "Phantom" after nearly four years in the role in London, New York and Los Angeles; Crawford has become a multi-platinum recording artist and one of the worlds's most sought after concert and stage performers, playing to sold-out venues around the globe. In addition to his recent concert work, stage credits in London and on Broadway include Billy, Flowers for Algernon, Black Comedy, Dance of the Vampires and Barnum.

(Photo - Rex Features)

Click Here to Play!

BroadwayWorld's Industry Leading App Just Updated for iPhone 5!

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:00:51 PST

We were the first Broadway app on the market back in 2009. The world has come a long way since then and our apps have too!

Just a few weeks back, Apple released their iPhone 5, with a bigger and better than ever screen and now, BroadwayWorld.com's App has been optimized to take full advantage of it. The screen now fits more news, more posts -- and even more great Broadway (and beyond) content.

If you already downloaded our new app, which was released just in time for the Tonys, you'll have received the update automatically via the App Store. New users can click the links below.

BWW's new apps were completely redesigned from the ground-up and release in June and feature all of our news, content, videos, show listings, message boards, special offers, radio channel, search features, regional news and lots more - all updated in real-time!

Get the New Apps Now!

BroadwayWorld Releases Updates for iPhone, iPad & Android Apps!

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:57:20 PST

We were the first Broadway app on the market back in 2009. The world has come a long way since then and our apps have too!

If you already downloaded our new apps which were released just in time for the Tonys, you'll have received the updates automatically via the App Store.

Today, July 6, we've released updates to our applications for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices which now feature an improved login system (login once and forget it), multitasking improvements, speed improvements, an updated player for BWW radio, access to your BWIDB Personalized News Feed and other miscellaneous fixes and enhancements.

Get the New Apps Now!