BroadwayWorld.com Russia Stories

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!

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!

The Marinsky Theatre to Celebrate 25th Anniversary in 2012-2013 Season

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:12:16 PST

The 2012/2013 season of the Mariinsky Theatre marks the 25thanniversary of the leadership of General and Artistic Director Maestro Valery Gergiev, who has built the Mariinsky into one of the largest, most acclaimed and most dynamic performing arts institutions in the world. The Mariinsky will celebrate this anniversary with an impressive schedule of tours, performances, recordings and events, and will usher in a new era of even greater artistic possibilities with the inauguration of the new Mariinsky Theatre (Mariinsky II).

The new opera house, funded by the Russian Government, is among the largest in the world, capable of supporting the most demanding productions. When it opens in May 2013, it will join the legendary Mariinsky Theatre and the Mariinsky Concert Hall to further the transformation of the Mariinsky’s complex into one of the world’s premier centers for classical music, opera and ballet.

While maintaining a robust performance schedule in its existing complex in 2012/2013, the Mariinsky will simultaneously conduct ambitious international tours. The itinerary will bring the Mariinsky Opera, Ballet and Orchestra to more than 35 cities worldwide, including such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Shanghai Oriental Art Center in China, the Seoul Arts Center in Korea, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris and the Salzburg Festival in Austria.

Among the performance highlights of the season will be the Mariinsky Ballet‘s celebration of the 120th anniversary of the premiere of Tchaikovsky’s and Petipa’s The Nutcracker at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1892. Commemorating this occasion, the Mariinsky has collaborated with EuroArts Music to create the film The Nutcracker in 3D, bringing its deep historical tradition together with cutting-edge technology. The Nutcracker in 3D will be released in Europe in November 2012, Asia in December 2012 and the United States in December 2012, where it will be shown in more than 400 theaters.

The coming months will also witness the release of two major new recordings on the Mariinsky Label. In December 2012 the label will release the emotionally charged recording of Maestro Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad,” the most recent in the Orchestra’s cycle of Shostakovich symphonies. February 2013 will see the launch of the Mariinsky Label’s most ambitious project to date, the full cycle of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. The first recording in the series, Die Walküre, will feature Jonas Kaufmann, Nina Stemme, Anja Kampe, Mikhail Petrenko and René Pape with the Mariinsky Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Gergiev.

“These past 24 years have seen a wonderful flourishing of the Mariinsky Theatre in both its artistic program and its institutional achievements, as we have brought the Opera, Ballet, Orchestra, Chorus and our extraordinary Company into the 21st century and a more active and outgoing engagement with the world,” stated Valery Gergiev. “We are carrying forward our progress in every way in 2012/2013, including the opening of our magnificent new opera house. Mariinsky II will provide abundant resources for our artists and audiences, and will ensure that the Mariinsky remains one of the most vital performing arts institutions in the world.”

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

A.C.T.'s MFA Program Selected to Perform at Moscow Art Theatre School's Stanislavsky Festival, Now thru Oct 21

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:30:00 PST

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Conservatory Director Melissa Smith announced today that the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program has been selected by Anatoly Smeliansky, dean of the Moscow Art Theatre School, to perform at Moscow Art Theatre School's 2012 Stanislavsky Festival, to be held in Moscow today, October 15–21, 2012. This year's festival, titled "Open Class: Stanislavsky Continues," honors the 150th birthday of Konstantin Stanislavsky, founder of the Moscow Art Theatre. The A.C.T. M.F.A. Program has the distinguished honor of being the only theater school selected to represent the United States.

Says Smith: "We feel tremendously honored that our M.F.A. program has been invited to participate in this festival with other drama schools from Europe and Russia. The occasion promises to offer a multi-faceted collision of culture, theater, and approaches to the art and craft of acting. Sharing work with students from different cultures and training programs is going to be an invaluable educational experience."

The Moscow Art Theatre was established in 1898 by Konstantin Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko who, in their mission to discover the truth in drama, discovered that its essence is the ensemble. Through their close association with Anton Chekhov and his plays and through Stanislavsky's influential teachings, The Moscow Art Theatre became the birthplace of modern theater and modern actor training.

The International Festival of Acting Schools marks the first time in Moscow history that theater schools from eight countries-England, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Poland, France, Russia, and the United States-will congregate together to celebrate live theater as well as share in open discussions about the most urgent problems of contemporary theater. Each acting school will participate in a series of master classes, lectures, and round-table discussion to showcase their educational know-how.

The 10 second-year A.C.T. M.F.A. Program students will perform Federico García Lorca's acclaimed play The House of Bernarda Alba on Wednesday, October 17, on Moscow Art Theatre's Chamber stage. For this production, the director, Stephen Buescher, head of movement and physical theater in the A.C.T. Conservatory, experimented with having students direct and create physical movement for various scenes, which were then integrated into the final staging to be performed in Moscow. The participating students are Blaire Busbee, Nemuna Ceesay, Philip Estrera, Asher Grodman, Dillon Heape, Lateefah O. Holder, Lisa Kitchens, Aaron Moreland, Elyse Price, and York Walker.

The other participating schools include:

Centro Internazionale La Cometa, Rome, Italy
Performing: Katzelmacher, from the movie script by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, Berlin, Germany
Performing: Casimir and Carolina by Eden von Horvath

Ludwik Solski State Drama School, Krakow, Poland
Performing: Three Sisters inspired by Anton Chekov

Moscow Art Theatre Studio, Moscow, Russia
Performing: Metamorphosis by Ovid

Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance, London, United Kingdom
Performing: …Pages from the Book of… by Bruno Schultz

St. Petersburg University of Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia
Performing: Futurismvisions, 23 improvisations around the themes of Russian futuristic poetry

Théâtre National de Strasbourg School, Strasbourg, France
Performing: Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

University of Theatre and Film Arts, Budapest, Hungary
Performing: Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind

Says Smeliansky: "In the world of modern theater, there are several theater festivals, competitions, conferences, and forums. Almost each of them has their own flavor and their own program. The festival taking place in Moscow in October of 2012 has its own goal, in many ways dictated by the time and place of our meeting. The events of the festival are to occur at the Moscow Art Theatre on the eve of the 150th birthday of one of its founders. In this we find, as Stanislavsky would say, our superobjective: we want to present the state of the worldwide theater school, that same school that will define the direction of stagecraft in the decades to come. It is our hope that we are able to find and to hear each other, to understand The Common point we occupy, and to sense a new movement forward."

Ranked as one of the top programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts Program is the only theater training program in the country accredited to award the master of fine arts degree, yet is not affiliated with a college or university. The essence of A.C.T.'s actor training lies in the interplay between the professional company and the Conservatory. Student actors at A.C.T. perform frequently within the program in Studio Productions, as well as in cabaret and Shakespeare productions that tour to the larger Bay Area. Third-year M.F.A. Program student actors perform in A.C.T.'s mainstage production of A Christmas Carol and also audition for roles in A.C.T. mainstage productions. In recent years, students have played leading roles in Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, Once in a Lifetime, Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle, as well as performing in new and commissioned works. Many graduates of the program go on to distinguished careers in theater and film and include such celebrated actors as Elizabeth Banks, Annette Bening, Christopher Fitzgerald, Danny Glover, Omar Metwally, Dileep Rao, Anna Deavere Smith, and Denzel Washington. A.C.T. provides a wealth of talented actors for productions across the San Francisco Bay Area: graduates of the M.F.A. Program have taken on leading roles in productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, San Jose Stage, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz, among others. The M.F.A. Program functions as the cornerstone of the A.C.T. Conservatory, which also includes the Summer Training Congress, Studio A.C.T., and the Young Conservatory, and trains more than 3,000 students annually. For more information, visit act-sf.org/conservatory.

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!

THE LITTLE MERMAID Opens in Moscow at the Rossia Theatre, 10/8

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:27:08 PST

The Moscow production of THE LITTLE MERMAID will open tonight, on the 175th anniversary of the first publication of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. This marks the first musical production to play the newly-renovaTed RossIA Theatre on Pushkin Square, now the largest theatrical venue in Moscow.

Along with the critically-acclaimed Holland production, THE LITTLE MERMAID in Moscow is one of two premiere productions of an entirely original version of the show. The production is being helmed by a creative team including director Glenn Casale (Beauty and the Beast) and set and costume design by five-time Tony® Award winner, Bob Crowley (Tarzan, Mary Poppins, Aida) who join composer Alan Menken, lyricist Glenn Slater and book writer Doug Wright.

The production features a local, all-Russian cast and is produced by Stage Entertainment in collaboration with Disney Theatrical Productions. The producers’ previous collaboration in Moscow, Beauty and the Beast, was a great success, running for two years with an audience of over 400,000 Muscovites.

Disney Theatrical Productions, a division of The Walt Disney Studios, was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Thomas Schumacher. Worldwide, its eight Broadway titles have been seen by over 103 million theatergoers, grossed over $7.4 billion and have cumulatively run a staggering 189 years. With 15 productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day.

The company’s inaugural production, Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994. It played a remarkable 13 year run on Broadway and has been produced in 28 countries worldwide. In November 1997, Disney opened The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony® Awards including Best Musical and recently became the highest grossing show in Broadway history. The show continues in its 15th smash year, having welcomed over 65 million visitors worldwide. The Lion King can also currently be seen on tour across North America and the U.K., and in London’s West End, Hamburg, Tokyo and Madrid.

Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony® Awards, and spawning productions around the world. Mary Poppins, a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh, opened in London in 2004 and has established itself as one of the biggest stage musical successes to emerge in recent years. The Tony Award®-winning Broadway production opened in 2006 at Disney’s New Amsterdam Theatre, where it continues to delight audiences. Mary Poppins can also be seen on tour across North America and in New Zealand.

Tarzan®, which opened on Broadway in 2006, is now an international hit with an award-winning production in Germany.

In January 2008, The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the #1-selling new musical of that year. Its success continues with its recent European debut in Holland.

Other successful stage musical ventures have included King David in concert, the national tour of On The Record, several touring versions of Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame in Berlin and the premiere of the stage adaptation of Aladdin at The 5th Avenue Theatre.

Two new critically acclaimed productions opened on Broadway this season, receiving seven Tony® Awards between them: Newsies, at the Nederlander Theatre, and Peter and the Starcatcher, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

In addition, DTP licenses stage performance rights to more than a dozen Disney musicals around the world through Music Theatre International.

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!

A.C.T.'s MFA Program Selected to Perform at Moscow Art Theatre School's Stanislavsky Festival, Oct 15-21

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:59:53 PST

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) Conservatory Director Melissa Smith announced today that the A.C.T. Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Program has been selected by Anatoly Smeliansky, dean of the Moscow Art Theatre School, to perform at Moscow Art Theatre School's 2012 Stanislavsky Festival, to be held in Moscow October 15–21, 2012. This year's festival, titled "Open Class: Stanislavsky Continues," honors the 150th birthday of Konstantin Stanislavsky, founder of the Moscow Art Theatre. The A.C.T. M.F.A. Program has the distinguished honor of being the only theater school selected to represent the United States.