BroadwayWorld.com China Stories

Rotary Club of Beijing to Host THE ROARING 20'S Charity Ball, June 15

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 10:51:19 PST

Rotary Club of Beijing announced today that their annual charity ball will take place on June 15 start at 6:30 pm at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beijing. Tickets are 1,200 RMB per person and are available now. Those who purchase group tickets early can get 10 tickets for 10,000 RMB. All proceeds benefit the charitable projects of Rotary Club of Beijing.

"Rotary Club of Beijing's volunteers, all long term residents of China, are committed to making our city a better place to live for everyone. This annual event is a great way to have fun with friends while at the same time making a positive difference in our Beijing home," said Rotary Club of Beijing president David van Meerendonk.

This annual gala is the club's largest charity event of the year. The most international ball in Beijing, last year hundreds Chinese and foreign attendees came from industry, entertainment and media. The event, with a theme of The Roaring 20's, includes a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, excellent wine, late night bar, live entertainment, and swing dancing on the ballroom floor.

"Rotarians are volunteers who are committed to charitable causes here in Beijing," said Dominic Lyncker, chairperson of this year's ball.

Past, present and future projects funded through Rotary balls include:

Gift of Life-Children's heart surgery program for underprivileged children. More than 300 surgeries have been done since 2000.
Rural Village Education Program-Assisting with the educational expenses of rural families. 240 families have been supported to date.
New Wheelchair Program-2000 people have been helped.
Library Project for Rural and Urban Schools-Provided 48,000 books to 168 of China's western rural schools.
Sichuan Earthquake Relief-In conjunction with Rotary International, provided temporary homes for 50,000 victims; including 4,400 tents and 800 emergency shelter boxes.

Established in 1924, the Rotary Club of Beijing is a group of international professionals who come together to make friends and perform community service.

Rotary Club of Beijing members, most of whom make Beijing their home for many years, are deeply linked to China and historically committed to the long term health and well being of the Chinese community. We volunteer and donate funds locally to assist those in need. Club members contribute to development of the Chinese economy in their day job and do hands on charitable service with their friends in their spare time.

Rotary Club of Beijing is non-political and non-religious. There are 1.2 million Rotarians and 33,000 Rotary Clubs on all seven continents. The Beijing club is an independent club that is a part of this large international Rotary family. The Rotary Club of Beijing helps connect China to the world.

For more information, visit Rotary Club of Beijing at www.beijingrotary.org.

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!

Sarah Brightman Headlines Closing Ceremony at 2013 Beijing Film Festival Tonight

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:30:00 PST

Broadway star and singer Sarah Brightman will headline the closing ceremony of the 2013 Beijing International Film Festival tonight, April 23 at the China National Convention Center.

Other celebrity attendees at the festival will include the casts of Iron Man 3, The Man of Tai Chi, Kathleen Kennedy, Luc Besson, Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi and more.

The festival will feature the announcement of the Tiantan Award, selected from 15 entries, as well as screenings of 264 films, among them 2013 Academy Award nominee for best picture Amour, all of the Harry Potter films and the restored version of Lawrence of Arabia.

Sarah Brightman's new album "Dreamchaser" will be released worldwide this month. It will be available in the US and Canada on April 16th and, for the rest of the world, the release date is April 8th.

Following the "Dreamchaser" album release, Sarah is heading out on her international tour beginning in China this June.

In October 2012, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA star also announced that she will be travelling into space in 2014 or 2015 for ten days on a voyage that will take her to the International Space Station. At the completion of her 5-continent, 100-city tour, Brightman will go straight into 6 months of training before her space flight.

Brightman's West End debut was at the age of 13 in "I and ALbert". She orginated the role of PHANTOM's Christine in London and in New York. Brightman has also appeared on the West End in Nightingale and Cats, as well as the Broadway production of Aspects of Love in 1990.

Over the past two and a half decades, Sarah Brightman has distinguished herself as the world's biggest selling soprano of all time with global sales reaching over 30 million units. She has received more than 180 gold and platinum awards in over 40 countries. Brightman pioneered the classical crossover music movement and is the only artist to have simultaneously topped the Billboard dance and classical music charts.

Brightman was married to composer Andrew-Lloyd Webber from 1984 to 1990. She has recorded a number of solo albums, including 1988's The Trees They Grow So High, 1989's The Songs That Got Away, 1990s As I Come of Age, 1993's Dive, 1995's Fly, and 1998's Eden. And recent ones like La Luna (2001) Harem (June, 2003), Symphony (2008), A Winter Symphony (2008) and the upcoming Dreamchaser (2013).

For more about the festival, visit www.bjiff.com.

L.A. Theatre Works Will Return to China This Year

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:34:45 PST

At the invitation of Beijng's National Centre for the Performing Arts and sponsored in part by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Department of State, L.A. Theatre Works (LATW) will return to China in June, 2013 with Geoffrey Cowan and Leroy Aarons' riveting historical drama, Top Secret: The Battle for The Pentagon Papers. LATW toured China with Top Secret in 2011, playing to sold out houses of Chinese professionals and students.

L.A. Theatre Works will be the first American theater company to perform at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, China's leading performing arts center ("The Egg"). Additional tour venues include the Tianjin Grand Theater as well as major venues in Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chongqing and Fuling.

Top Secret: The Battle for The Pentagon Papers is an inside look at The Washington Post's decision to publish a study labeled "top secret" that documented the history of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. The subsequent trial pitted the public's right to know against the government's need for secrecy. The epic legal battle went to the nation's highest court - arguably one of the most important Supreme Court cases.

Traveling to China with L.A. Theatre Works will be their producing director Susan Loewenberg; multiple award-winning director Brian Kite; and cast members Margaret Colin (Eleanor Waldorf-Rose on Gossip Girl), John Getz (The Social Network) and Gregory Harrison (Trapper John M.D., One Tree Hill, Ringer). Also in the cast are Hugo Armstrong, Jos H Clark, Henry Clarke, Nicholas Hormann, Emilie Ohana, Darren Richardson, Peter Van Norden and Tom Virtue, who are known to Chinese audiences from popular TV shows such as CSI, Drop Dead Diva, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Six Feet Under, Weeds, Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip, The Office, The West Wing, Frasier, Seinfeld and Ally McBeal.

As part of the tour, L.A. Theatre Works is coordinating discussions with Chinese journalists and lawyers at leading law schools, journalism schools and history and political science departments in each city on the tour.

Covering the 2011 Chinese tour for The New York Times, Andrew Jacobs wrote, "During its 10-day run 'Top Secret' has played sold-out audiences...with many performances erupting in shouts of approval from the audience and standing ovations. Perhaps most gratifying...was that those audiences were almost entirely Chinese and young." Agreed Evan Osnos, in The New Yorker, "The shows had no trouble finding an audience... ticket-holders showed up in droves, representing a range of China's scrappiest news organizations. The audience was overwhelmingly Chinese-and overwhelmingly full...It was thrilling." Additonal coverage of the tour appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Le Monde, CCTV, China Radio International, Shanghai Daily, Global Times, Time Out Beijing, Time Out Shanghai, and Caixin Media, among others.

L.A. Theatre Works is the leading radio theater company in the United States, committed to using innovative technologies to preserve and promote significant works of dramatic literature and bringing live theater into the homes of millions. The company's public radio series, featuring stage plays performed by America's top actors augmented by interviews with the artists and others, can be heard in over 100 markets in the U.S.; on Radio Beijing in China; on SiriusXM Book Radio Channel 80; and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org. The recordings are available worldwide through Amazon, audible.com, iTunes and in bookstores. L.A. Theatre Works audio plays are also available at over 11,000 libraries, and recordings and teaching materials are used by over 3,000 middle and high schools across the U.S.

Top Secret: The Battle for the Pentagon Papers in China is produced by L.A. Theatre Works and Ping Pong Productions (www.pingpongarts.org), whose mission is to promote cultural diplomacy through the performing arts.

Sponsors include the United States Embassy Beijing, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs-US Department of State including the Arts Envoy Program, Ford Foundation, China Southern Airlines and Marriott Hotels and Resorts, including the Imperial Mansion, Beijing-Marriott Executive Apartments; Renaissance Tianjin Lakeview Hotel; and JW Marriott Hotel Chongqing.

PARSONS DANCE Announces Three Week Tour to China

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:35:21 PST

David Parsons and Parsons Dance will be returning to China from April 20-May 5, 2013 as demand for Parsons unique works continues to grow internationally. This nine-city tour is the company's second visit to mainland China and is the most extensive staging of company's work in Asia to date.

Remember Me, Parsons' critically acclaimed dance rock-opera, featuring Parsons Dance and music of the Grammy-nominated East Village Opera Company will be making its Chinese debut and is expected to enthrall audiences in the East as it has brought sold-out Western audiences to standing ovations.

"There is a high demand for unique entertainment in China and successful presentations require storytelling of the highest caliber, audiences will not be satisfied unless the work is original, alive and inspiring....I am so excited about David Parson's vision and his company performances, our audiences will cheer", Michael Yao, Executive Director, the Merit Group.

"The logistics and negotiations for this tour were complex and two-years in the making, we're happy to make this announcement today and now the company is packing their bags and looking forward to the performances and meeting the Chinese public " notes Margaret Selby, President of CAMI Spectrum.

Stops on the Parsons Dance Tour to China include:

Saturday, April 20, Shenzhen Poly Theatre, Shenzhen City

Sunday, April 21, Chongqing Grand Theatre, Chongqing City

Tuesday, April 23, Wuhan Qintai Grand Theatre, Wuhan City

Thursday, April 25, Henan Art Center Zhengzhou City

Saturday, April 27, Qingdao Grand Theatre, Qingdao City

Monday, April 29, Wuxi Grand Theatre, Wuxi City

Wednesday, May 1, Shanghai Oriental Art Centre, Shanghai City

Friday, May 3, Beijing Poly Theatre, Beijing City

Saturday, May 4, Beijing Poly Theatre, Beijing City

Monday, May 5 - Sunday, May 5, Xian Grand Theatre, Xian

Sarah Brightman to Headline Closing Ceremony at 2013 Beijing Film Festival, April 23

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 11:37:36 PST

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Broadway star and singer Sarah Brightman will headline the closing ceremony of the 2013 Beijing International Film Festival on April 23 at the China National Convention Center. The festival kicks off on April 15.

Read the original report here.

Other celebrity attendees at the festival will include the casts of Iron Man 3, The Man of Tai Chi, Kathleen Kennedy, Luc Besson, Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi and more.

Sarah Brightman's new album "Dreamchaser" will be released worldwide this month. It will be available in the US and Canada on April 16th and, for the rest of the world, the release date is April 8th.

Following the "Dreamchaser" album release, Sarah is heading out on her international tour beginning in China this June.

For more about the festival, visit www.bjiff.com.

Stars of China's Got Talent and Asian Wave Team for THE PERFORMANCE OF A DREAM at Alice Tully Hall Tonight

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:30:00 PST

New York audiences are in for a special treat when winners and top finalists from Asia's two most popular TV Talent shows - China's Got Talent and Asian Wave, which are seen by more than 800-million viewers - make their American stage debuts in the US Premiere of The Performance of a Dream at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall at 7 PM tonight, March 31, 2013.

Similar to the internationally popular America's Got Talent TV series, Chinas Got Talent and Asian Wave offer opportunities for gifted and passionate individuals from all walks of life to audition, compete and showcase their unique talents and realize their dreams. Both shows are produced by Dragon TV, one of China's most widely watched TV networks, which will include excerpts from the Alice Tully Hall performance in a major holiday TV special that will air in Shanghai in May of this year.

The North American portion of The Performance of a Dream is being presented by Musicality International, Inc., a California-based entertainment company which focuses on introducing leading Asian performing artists to audiences in the US. They have produced and organized more than 100 concerts, variety shows and theatrical performances.

Tickets for The Performance of a Dream are available at the Alice Tully Hall Box Office, 1941 Broadway, between 65^th and 66^th Streets (212-671-4060); Center Charge (212-721-6500); or online at www.lincolncenter.org.

Among the performers whose unique talents will be on display in The Performance of a Dream spectacular are:

Shila Amzah - the winner of the Asian Wave competition in 2012. In 2008 Shila was also the 1^st runner-up in Malaysia's One in a Million talent competition, and was awarded "Best Song" and "Golden Award" in the Asia New Singer Competition. Blessed with an obsession for music and a strong passion for singing, Shila garnered the most online votes among all contestants in the Asian Wave competition.

Pan Qianqian, famed for her baritone voice, is known throughout Asia for her signature songs - "You Don't Know Me," "A Dream to Say the Least" and "Chase." Before gaining stardom, Pan, who hails from rural Shandong, worked as a waitress at a hotspot restaurant. Her initial motivation for competing in China's Got Talent was to use her winnings to improve the living conditions of her family and to support her younger brother's pursuit of his dream as an athlete. Pan Qianqian successfully made her way from audition to winning China's Got Talent Season 3 at the finals held in the Mercedes-Benz Arena -- Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center.

Wang Junru, the winner of China's Got Talent Season 4, is a teenage sensation who won the hearts and votes of TV viewers with her amazing agility and extraordinary acrobatic feats. And the fact that she never lost her composure and sunshine-like smile even when the going got tough, made her an instant favorite with the millions of TV viewers. There is good reason for her now being recognized throughout the Asian continent as 'The Smile of China.'

Liu Wei, the winner of China's Got Talent's first season in 2010, touched the hearts of the judges and millions of TV viewers with his superior artistry as a pianist using only his toes! His upbeat attitude towards life, despite losing both arms in an accident when he was ten years old, created millions of fans and followers. His worldwide popularity became evident when he was cheered by a SRO audience in Vienna, Austria, in January 2011, when he performed "The Butterfly Lovers "in the Wiener Musikverein during the first stop of the China's Got Talent tour.

Zhuo Jun, who was raised on a farm in Guangxi Province, achieved great popularity on China's Got TalentSeason 2 with his self-taught, innovative 'Popping Dance' and 'Genius of Street Dance.' Crowned the 'Grass Root King of Dance' and 'Genius of Street Dance,' Zhuo Jun amazes audiences with his extraordinary performances. Making his way to the semifinals with his original dance, 'A Jackstraw Love Story,' he was voted winner of China's Got Talent Season 2.

China's Got Talent is a unique platform for ordinary, but talented men and women hoping to achieve their dreams by showcasing their unique talents on a nationally televised stage. The show aims to promote positive mainstream entertainment and social values among the public by igniting passionate feedbacks, support and resonance from viewers and audiences through the lives of the competitors and the journey of competition.

Asian Wave is Asia's largest singing competition TV show. Organized by top mainstream media groups, prominent management firms and entertainment companies throughout Asia, the program seeks out the next generation of music superstars among Asian pop singers and groups. Those who can survive the decisions of judges and audiences as they perform in over 20 rounds of competition are honored as the perfect 'Asian Wave.'

Dragon TV is one of China's leading TV networks with a global vision. It provides round-the-clock broadcasting, including news, films, mini-series, variety and talk shows, lifestyle shows, etc. It is the place where Shanghai Media Group's (SMG) outstanding content converges. Among its most popular programs are China's Got Talent, Asian Wave, Let's Shake It, Studio No.1, One in a Hundred and One in a Hundred: Cream of the Crop. Dragon TV distributes TV programming to more than ten countries and serves more than 800 million people.

Stars of China's Got Talent and Asian Wave Team for THE PERFORMANCE OF A DREAM at Alice Tully Hall, 3/31

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:53:03 PST

Among the performers whose unique talents will be on display in The Performance of a Dream spectacular are:

Signature's THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD to Play China in May

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:56:28 PST

Following the end of its run on March 24th at The Pershing Square Signature Center, Signature Theatre's critically acclaimed production of David Henry Hwang's play THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD, directed by May Adrales, will play a limited run at The Inaugural Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China, May 9-12, 2013. The entire production, featuring Ruy Iskandar as Ma and Yuekun Wu as Lone, will make the transfer. This marks the first time that a play by David Henry Hwang has been performed in mainland China.

THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD will continue to play through Sunday, March 24 in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

The Wuzhen Theatre Festival will be China's window to the world's recent theatre. It will also be an incubator for new creative works by young artists on timely subjects. With a generous award system, it will heighten the profile of theatre and take its place as Asia's premiere theatre festival. The festival will last for ten days and shows will be performed in both brand new theatres and refurbished ancient stages, ready to meet theatre fans from all over the globe. THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD will be performed in the newly restored Ancient Courtyard Theatre.

In response to the announcement, David Henry Hwang said: "Though my plays have been performed in many Asian countries, The Dance and the Railroad will be my first work to be produced in Mainland China, and I am very grateful to the Wuzhen Festival and Signature Theatre for their dedication and hard work in making this possible. Wuzhen sits just outside Shanghai, where my late Father was born and raised. I think my Dad would be very happy to know that the work of his Chinese American son will be coming home at last."

On a California mountaintop in 1867 near the Transcontinental Railroad, two Chinese workers struggle through poverty and hunger to reconnect with the traditions of their homeland. THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD follows the twice-extended GOLDEN CHILD as the second production in the Residency One: David Henry Hwang Series.

The design team includes Mimi Lien (Scenic Design), Jennifer Moeller (Costume Design), Jiyoun Chang (Lighting Design), Broken Chord (Sound Design), Huang Ruo (Music), Qian Yi (Chinese Opera Consultant), Leah J. Loukas (Wig Design) and Grace Zandarski (Vocal Coach). Casting by Telsey + Company, William Cantler CSA. The production stage manager for the New York production is Cole P. Bonenberger. The production stage manager for the Wuzhen production will be Michael Rico Cohen.

To purchase tickets for all Signature Productions, call the Signature Theatre Box Office (212-244-7529) or visit signaturetheatre.org.

Beijing Playhouse Academy Announces ALI BABA AND THE 40 THIEVES Kids Summer Camp, July 1-13

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 10:42:16 PST

Beijing Playhouse Academy of Performing Arts announces open enrollment for the following kid's theatre camp.

Participants, age 6-14, will perform Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves with acting, song, and dance. Aspiring actors, singers, dancers, and musicians are all welcome. Some English proficiency is required. Hosted by the Beijing Playhouse Academy of Performing Arts.

Your child can have fun doing a play during the summer holiday. The camp lasts two weeks, Monday-Saturday, July 1-13, 2013, 9 am-4 pm, ending with a family performance.

Everyone will be cast. Student registration and open auditions are Saturday, May 11 at 4 pm. All roles are open. Boys and girls, age 6-14. (Theatre internships are also available for older students.)

Rehearsals and performances will take place at the Daystar Academy in Shunyi. (Map available upon request.)

Tuition is 6,500 RMB.

For more information, contact the Beijing Playhouse online at www.beijingplayhouse.com or via email at performance@beijingplayhouse.com.

Pictured: 'Arthur' and 'Merlin' get into makeup for the Beijing Playhouse Academy of Performing Arts' KING ARTHUR AND GUINEVERE, February 23, 2013. Photo by Moon Zhang.