Ameenah Kaplan News

Television, film, and stage star French Stewart will host the LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards Ceremony for the 2011 theatre season on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Closing the Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum 2011 season is the wickedly funny 'Vigil,' a dark comedy written and directed by Morris Panych and featuring Marco Barricelli and Academy Award-winner Olympia Dukakis, through December 18. Check out photos from opening night below!

Television, film, and stage star French Stewart will host the LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards Ceremony for the 2011 theatre season on Monday, November 14, 2011 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Nominees for the 2011 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on the evening of Monday, September 19 at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank; the complete list of nominees is as follows.

Sean Bradford (Original Cast of The Scottsboro Boys, The Lion King) and Chris Ferro ('All My Children') will explore the effects of homophobic violence in the West Coast Premiere of BASH'D! - A GAY RAP OPERA.

Celebration Theatre is thrilled to announce the fourth show in its 2010-2011 Season of Shows, the West Coast Premiere of the gay rap opera BASH'D! - A GAY RAP OPERA, written by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, music by Aaron Macri, musical direction and additional beatz by DJ Jedi, directed and choreographed by Ameenah Kaplan and produced for Celebration Theatre by Ryan Bergmann and Michael A. Shepperd with Nathaniel Mathis, Cameron Faber and Michael C Kricfalusi III.

On Sun Jan 30, 2011, La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and Chris Isaacson presented Upright Cabaret's second American Icon Series concert entitled 'Sweet Soul Music' starring American Idol star Frenchie Davis (Rent), Tony Award-nominee Brandon Victor Dixon (The Color Purple) and Leslie Odom, Jr. (Rent) singing the Music of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight!

The LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Center on January 17, 2011 in Thousand Oaks, California.

Celebration Theatre in association with David Elzer is thrilled to announce that the smash-hit, critically-acclaimed, Los Angeles Premiere of the Broadway sensation, [title of show], with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell, musical direction by Greg Nabours (The Women of Brewster Place, A New Brain), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan; directed by Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd and produced for Celebration Theatre by Jim Halloran and Tijuana Gray is EXTENDING through Saturday, September 11 at Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Celebration Theatre in association with David Elzer presents the Los Angeles Premiere of the Broadway sensation, [title of show], with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell, musical direction by Greg Nabours (The Women of Brewster Place, A New Brain), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan; directed by Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd and produced for Celebration Theatre by Jim Halloran and Tijuana Gray.

Celebration Theatre in association with David Elzer is thrilled to announce that the smash-hit, critically-acclaimed, Los Angeles Premiere of the Broadway sensation, [title of show], with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell, musical direction by Greg Nabours (The Women of Brewster Place, A New Brain), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan; directed by Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd and produced for Celebration Theatre by Jim Halloran and Tijuana Gray is EXTENDING through Saturday, September 11 at Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Have you ever sat around with a bunch of your smart friends and just gabbed all night about anything and everything, mostly about personal creative struggles or maybe trading a few snarky pop culture anecdotes? Well, seeing the long-awaited Los Angeles premiere of the Tony Award-nominated musical [title of show], in the appropriately intimate Celebration Theatre, feels so much like a kind of fun get-together. It's as if we, as the audience, are sitting and listening in on a lively gathering of close friends-who all happen to be immensely talented and pleasantly relatable. With a staging that is both witty and consistently hilarious, coupled with a catalog of charming, whimsical songs, [title of show] offers up an amusing musical love letter to (somewhat obsessive) musical show-lovers everywhere. Performances continue through September 5.

Celebration Theatre in association with David Elzer presents the Los Angeles Premiere of the Broadway sensation, [title of show], with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell, musical direction by Greg Nabours (The Women of Brewster Place, A New Brain), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan; directed by Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd and produced for Celebration Theatre by Jim Halloran and Tijuana Gray.

Celebration Theatre in association with David Elzer presents the Los Angeles Premiere of the Broadway sensation, [title of show], with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell, musical direction by Greg Nabours (The Women of Brewster Place, A New Brain), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan; directed by Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd and produced for Celebration Theatre by Jim Halloran and Tijuana Gray.

It's always great news when the Troubies return to the Falcon for their summer shows. Two seasons back they lampooned The Brady Bunch and maid Alice in Alice Through the Looking Glass and 60s/70s television sitcoms were never the same. This season they turn to TV drama and the 1977 blockbuster CHiPS - and for the very first time, ladies and gentlemen, the Troubies have created their very own musical score for CHiPS The Musical. Rick Batalla and Matt Walker play the simple-minded Ponch, played originally by Erik Estrada and John Baker, originally played byLarry Wilcox, respectively. Needless to say, skin tight uniforms, Ponch's sexy bod and John's perfect coiff aside, these guys bring new and obscenely funny meaning to being California Highway Patrolmen. Thank Heavens! The Troubies' outrageous parody/improv makes this dull show better than it was, or could be or ever hope to be!

Celebration Theatre is thrilled to announce that the West Coast Premiere of its smash-hit, critically-acclaimed new musical, THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE - The Musical, with music, book and lyrics by Tim Acito (Zanna, Don't), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan (Altar Boyz, Frosty the Snow Manilow), musical direction by Greg Nabours (A New Brain), directed by Michael Matthews (Haram Iran, Beautiful Thing) and produced for Celebration Theatre by David Tarlow is EXTENDING through Sunday, June 27 at Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Celebration Theatre in association with David Elzer presents the Los Angeles Premiere of the Broadway sensation, [title of show], with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell, musical direction by Greg Nabours (The Women of Brewster Place, A New Brain), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan; directed by Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd and produced for Celebration Theatre by Jim Halloran and Tijuana Gray.

Celebration Theatre is thrilled to present the West Coast Premiere of a brand new musical, THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE - The Musical, with music, book and lyrics by Tim Acito (Zanna, Don't), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan (Altar Boyz, Frosty the Snow Manilow), musical direction by Greg Nabours (A New Brain), directed by Michael Matthews (Haram Iran, Beautiful Thing) and produced for Celebration Theatre by David Tarlow.

Celebration Theatre is thrilled to announce that the West Coast Premiere of its smash-hit, critically-acclaimed new musical, THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE - The Musical, with music, book and lyrics by Tim Acito (Zanna, Don't), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan (Altar Boyz, Frosty the Snow Manilow), musical direction by Greg Nabours (A New Brain), directed by Michael Matthews (Haram Iran, Beautiful Thing) and produced for Celebration Theatre by David Tarlow is EXTENDING through Sunday, June 27 at Celebration Theatre, 7051B Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

Celebration Theatre is thrilled to present the West Coast Premiere of a brand new musical, THE WOMEN OF BREWSTER PLACE - The Musical, with music, book and lyrics by Tim Acito (Zanna, Don't), choreography by Ameenah Kaplan (Altar Boyz, Frosty the Snow Manilow), musical direction by Greg Nabours (A New Brain), directed by Michael Matthews (Haram Iran, Beautiful Thing) and produced for Celebration Theatre by David Tarlow.