Mary Murphy News

Happy Friday, BWW Dance! Here are the top dance stories from around the BroadwayWorld you might have missed this week!

Actress, singer and dancer Vanessa Hudgens will join Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy as the third judge on this season of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. The season premiere, airing Monday, June 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX, will mark Hudgens' judging debut in part-one of the Los Angeles auditions.

The tamale train has pulled back into the station for season 14 of So You Think You Can Dance!

Palos Verdes Performing Arts concludes its 34th season with a new production of Meredith Willson's musical comedy 'The Music Man' to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the critically acclaimed Broadway classic. The production will run for 11 performances, April 21-May 7 at the 450-seat Norris Theatre.

"At its heart Spamalot is about the pursuit of happiness-how to find your GRAIL in life - which is something everyone can relate to." That's how director Tony Targan describes the hit Broadway musical comedy that will end the Farmington Players season, providing loads of laughter.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, presents the Midwest Premiere of By the Water, written by Sharyn Rothstein and directed by Cody Estle.  By the Water runs March 16 - April 23, 2017 at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is scheduled for Friday, March 24 at 8pm. 

FOX is announcing summer premiere dates for new series LOVE CONNECTION, BEAT SHAZAM, THE F WORD WITH GORDON RAMSAY and SUPERHUMAN, as well as the returns of MASTERCHEF, AMERICAN GRIT and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.

Mary Murphy will return as judge on the hit unscripted series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE for its 14th season, premiering this summer on FOX.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) travels back to the 1970s with When We Were Young and Unafraid, an intriguing drama by Sarah Treem, one of the writers behind Netflix's House of Cards and co-creator of Showtime's award-winning drama The Affair. In this moving piece, a new arrival's influence forces the residents of an underground women's shelter to confront their own secrets. This powerful drama explores the passion of youth, the wisdom of age, and the people who awaken us to new possibilities. Playing February 21-March 12, 2017. Directed by Drew Fracher.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) travels back to the 1970s with When We Were Young and Unafraid, an intriguing drama by Sarah Treem, one of the writers behind Netflix's House of Cards and co-creator of Showtime's award-winning drama The Affair. In this moving piece, a new arrival's influence forces the residents of an underground women's shelter to confront their own secrets. This powerful drama explores the passion of youth, the wisdom of age, and the people who awaken us to new possibilities. Playing February 21-March 12, 2017. Directed by Drew Fracher.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces casting for the upcoming productions of By The Water by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by Cody Estle, and Relativity, a new play by Mark St. Germain, directed by BJ Jones.

The award-winning series MetroFocus premieres new episodes in the New York and tri-state region weeknights at 5 p.m. on WLIW21, 5:30 p.m. on NJTV and 6 p.m. on THIRTEEN. All episodes are available at metrofocus.org following the broadcast.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces its 42nd season, including three World Premieres and two Midwest Premieres.  The season kicks off with the Midwest Premiere of Anthony Giardina's political family drama The City of Conversation, critically acclaimed and currently in development as a miniseries for F/X. The season continues with the World Premiere of the charmingly imagined sequel to Pride and Prejudice, Miss Bennet by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, followed by the World Premiere of Faceless by emerging playwright Selina Fillinger, and the Midwest Premiere of By the Water by Sharyn Rothstein, winner of the prestigious 2015 Primus Prize. Closing out the season is the World Premiere of Relativity by Mark St. Germain, the prolific playwright behind the long-running Freud's Last Session.