The Sundance Institute News

Broadway veteran Maureen McGovern has revealed that she has been diagnosed with posterior cortical atrophy with symptoms of Alzheimer’s and/or Dementia. In a message on her official website, Maureen shared that she can no longer travel, perform in concerts, or even drive.

TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, has announced details for its upcoming 2022–2023 season which is filled with great music, captivating stories, and world-class writing.

In 1973, Sacheen Littlefeather, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, became the first Native woman to stand onstage at the Academy Awards® ceremony, on behalf of Marlon Brando. Littlefeather did not accept Brando’s Best Actor award for The Godfather and gave a 60-second speech regarding the stereotypes of Native Americans in entertainment.

Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota, Florida's premiere destination for bold, contemporary black-box theater, announced its 2022-23 season, which includes four main productions and two special engagements.

Charlotte’s Blumenthal Performing Arts will present the world premiere of BLACKSTAR SYMPHONY, The Music of David Bowie, with featured guest vocalist John Cameron Mitchell, taking place on Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17 on the stage of the Belk Theater as part of the inaugural Charlotte International Arts Festival.

Three years ago, a YouTube channel called Wait in the Wings published its first video, titled 'The World's Most Dangerous Musical -- Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark.' From that moment on, Brendon Henderson gained a reputation in the theatre world - The Explorer of Underrated Shows. Since then, Wait in the Wings has been used as a place for Brendon to publish documentaries on different underrated Broadway shows that haven't been given their full due by the theatre community. He's discussed shows like Carrie, Groundhog Day, Diana, Rebecca, and even fictional shows like Rogers the Musical from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Playwrights Horizons will present the second season of Soundstage, its scripted fiction podcast. With plays written specifically for the audio format, not translated or recorded live from the stage, Soundstage has established itself as a singular, adventurous presence in both the podcasting and theater worlds. Listen to the Season 2 intro here!

The Latinx House, the Sundance Institute’s Women at Sundance program, Netflix, and Shondaland announced three Latina directors who will participate in the inaugural Adelante Directors Fellowship, a groundbreaking program that supports up-and-coming directors’ professional development, creating a pipeline to uplift independent filmmakers.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater today announced that Artistic Director Molly Smith has decided to retire in July of 2023. The Arena Stage Board of Trustees will conduct a nationwide search to appoint a new Artistic Director to build on the pioneering legacy of Smith and Arena’s Founder Zelda Fichandler.

Six composers have been invited to participate in a lab environment prioritizing craft, innovation, and building a community of next generation film music artists. Led by program director Peter Golub with the support of Creative Advisors working in the industry, the fellows will engage in a week-long Intensive celebrating the power of film music.

Kramer will lead the global membership, the Oscars, the institution’s education and emerging talent initiatives, the Academy’s extensive collections housed in the Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, and the Academy Museum and its ongoing calendar of exhibitions, screenings, educational and public programs, and retail operations.

TheaterWorks Hartford, under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero, is excited to announce its upcoming 2022–2023 season. Rob said 'This season, we’re focusing on plays that we hope inspire our audiences to come see LIVE theater. Great music, captivating stories, and world-class writing – these stories are uplifting, powerful … and will engage us all in important conversations. We’re particularly excited that they are written by four female playwrights representing the best and most important voices in American theater. These plays tell our stories.'

New York Theatre Workshop and National Black Theatre will present Dreaming Zenzile, based on the life of Miriam Makeba, by Grammy-nominated Vocalist/Composer Somi Kakoma, directed by Obie Award winner, Tony Award nominee, NYTW Usual Suspect & former NYTW 2050 Artistic Fellow Lileana Blain-Cruz.

Men, Money and Madness. The award-winning cabaret show, written and performed by Tessa Bell, directed by Victoria Lavan and produced by Dina Morrone comes to Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. July 15-July 17, 2022. Fri. & Sat. at 8:00, Sun. at 2:00.

After celebrating its 25th Anniversary in residence at Theater Wit—a season that featured the world premiere, acclaimed hit Relentless, which went on to an extended run at Goodman Theatre—the company will return to its longtime home in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood, located at 615 W. Wellington Avenue, for three productions.

The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the names of the mediamakers selected for the new Humanities Sustainability Fellowship, a year-long program providing 20 U.S.-based under-resourced nonfiction mediamakers whose work and livelihood have been grossly affected by the pandemic with direct, unrestricted stipends to supplement their income.

Today, The Bentonville Film Festival unveiled their distinguished Competition Jury, singularly dedicated to inclusive representation in media and entertainment. The festival, produced by the BFFoundation and chaired by Academy Award-winning Actor Geena Davis, will take place in-person June 22-26 and virtually June 22-July 3. The illustrious group of jurors is composed of award-winning producers, directors, actors and authors, including actor Yolonda Ross, film and television producer Bird Runningwater, actor Shohreh Aghdashloo, writer and filmmaker Justine Bateman, among others. The Festival is sponsored by Founding Partner, Walmart and Presenting Partner Coca-Cola. 

​​​​​​​Ucross and Cave Canem have joined forces to present a literary fellowship that provides creative support to Black poets. The 2022 Toi Derricotte Residency at Ucross has been awarded to interdisciplinary poet S. Erin Batiste of Brooklyn, New York. 

The nonprofit Sundance Institute is pleased to announce the 2023 Sundance Film Festival will take place as a hybrid festival in Park City, Salt Lake City, Utah, and beyond, from January 19 through January 29, 2023. “We can’t wait to return to our home in Park City and present exciting new work from around the world live and in person,” said Festival Director Tabitha Jackson. “We also have two years of digital exhibition and participation under our collective belt, and are returning to the excitement and immediacy of live events while retaining a powerful online offering.”

New York Theatre Workshop and National Black Theatre announced today casting, dates and ticket information for Dreaming Zenzile, based on the life of Miriam Makeba, by Grammy-nominated Vocalist/Composer Somi Kakoma directed by Obie Award winner, NYTW Usual Suspect & former NYTW 2050 Artistic Fellow Lileana Blain-Cruz.