Michael Jones News

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces that Michael Greif, who holds the distinction of being the only director to helm the original Broadway productions of two Pulitzer Prize-winning musicals (RENT and Next to Normal), will return to Next to Normal to direct for the Broadway Center Stage production.

The Factory Theater,1623 W. Howard St., has announced the launch of The Factory Zone, a two-night event featuring a collection of eight plays and conceived by Factory Co-Artistic Directors Manny Tamayo and Stacie Barra. The Factory Zone will run Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets for The Factory Zone are $10, and may be purchased through the Box Office by calling 866-811-4111 or by visiting TheFactoryTheater.com.

Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, have announced Tori Allen-Martin and Alex Cardall as the cast for their co-production of the new musical, The Season, by 2018 MTI Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award winners, Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, playing in Northampton and Ipswich in November. The production will be directed by Tim Jackson and designed by Amy Jane Cook.

Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT) is adding Michael Ching's a?oeBuoso's Ghosta?? as a second opera to its a?oeGianni Schicchia?? performances Feb. 29 a?" March 1. The work is a sequel to Giacomo Puccini's a?oeGianni Schicchi,a?? often nicknamed the a?oeSchiquel.a?? Both works are one-act comedies and will be performed by the resident artists of the Michigan Opera Theatre Studio. a?oeBuoso's Ghosta?? premiered in 1996 in Pittsburgh, 78 years after its predecessor.

The Factory Theater opens its 27th season with Oh Sh#t! It's Haunted! September 27 a?" November 9, written by Factory Theater Ensemble Member Scott OKen and directed by Factory Theater Co-Artistic Director Manny Tamayo at the Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St.

The Factory Theater is proud to announce five new members of its artistic ensemble: Brittney Brown, Jose M. Cervantes, Ashley Yates, Michael Jones and Jennifer Betancourt.  Factory's ensemble members write all of the Factory's original plays and have full voting rights in the company, including season selection, leadership election and accepting new ensemble members. They are also forced to do arduous chores like helping with strike and manning the box office. 

Royal & Derngate Northampton and York Theatre Royal, in association with Oxford Playhouse, today announced that they will be staging the world premiere of Alone in Berlin, adapted for the stage by Alistair Beaton from Hans Fallada's acclaimed novel. Directed by Royal & Derngate's Artistic Director James Dacre, the production will open in Northampton in February before transferring to York and Oxford.

Royal & Derngate Northampton has announced full cast and creative team for the venue's world premiere of The Pope. This new play from Anthony McCarten, the 2019 Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning, and 2019 Oscar nominated writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, The Theory Of Everything and Darkest Hour, will star Anton Lesser (Game Of Thrones, The Crown, Wolf Hall, Endeavour) as Pope Benedict and Nicholas Woodeson (Baptiste, The Danish Girl, Death of Stalin, Taboo) as Pope Francis and will feature original music composed by BRIT, Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Anne Dudley (Elle, American History X, The Full Monty, Poldark). Faith Alabi (Belleville, Donmar Warehouse; Hamlet, Talawa) and Lynsey Beauchamp (Britannia, Einstein) play the roles of Sister Sophia and Sister Brigitta respectively.

Royal & Derngate Northampton has announced that Artistic Director James Dacre will direct the world premiere of The Pope this June as part of its Made in Northampton 2019 season. This new play from Anthony McCarten, the 2019 Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning, and 2019 Oscar nominated writer of Bohemian Rhapsody, The Theory Of Everything and Darkest Hour, will star Anton Lesser (Game Of Thrones, The Crown, Wolf Hall) as Pope Benedict and will feature original music composed by BRIT, Oscar and Grammy-winning composer Anne Dudley (Elle, American History X, The Full Monty, Poldark).

In the early hours of February 21, 2005, a utility worker found 21-year-old Inna Budnytska unconscious, naked, beaten and near death, abandoned in an undeveloped Miami cul-de-sac. Budnytska, a guest in a nearby airport hotel, had no memory of her attack and rape. Authorities looked at the hotel's surveillance footage for potential answers, but found puzzling information. The cameras recorded her walking into the lobby at 3:40 a.m. and then never captured her again. In a two-hour documentary, “20/20” reports on the mysterious case and features private investigator Ken Brennan, who meticulously gathered and pieced together clues, discovering how Budnytska left the hotel and tracking down the man whose DNA matched her attacker. “20/20” airs on Friday, April 5 (9:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC.

After wreaking havoc on Achievement Hunter with the first season of Hardcore Tabletop, Geoff decided to take the competition to a new level, opening the battle to the greatest Monopoly players in the world in Hardcore Tabletop: World Series.

Royal & Derngate announces another world premiere production, a musical staging of Pippi Longstocking, for the venue's Made in Northampton 2019 Christmas show. Meanwhile, the venue's 2018 Christmas production of The Worst Witch continues to tour the UK. Pippi Longstocking is adapted for the stage for the first time by Mike Akers from Astrid Lindgren's much-loved books, with original music by Stu Barker. It will be directed by The Wardrobe Ensemble's Jesse Jones and Helena Middleton who co-directed Education, Education, Education for Royal & Derngate in 2017.

Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, have just announced their co-production of a new musical, The Season, by 2018 Stiles + Drewe Mentorship Award winners, Jim Barne and Kit Buchan, playing in Northampton and Ipswich in November.

If you were trying to find a stage that presented some of the most treasured American popular music, performed by probably the best vocalists born to sing it, you were at The Kravis Center in Palm Beach last night. The Kravis Center Pops Orchestra under the baton of Michael Feinstein, one of the most beloved entertainers of our generation honored another legend......Jack Jones. Jack Jones, the vocalist who created a sound track of love ballads and swinging hit songs for most of the Kravis audience's ( and the worlds) musical life walked out on it's stage and there was no doubt that the look, sound, and magnetism of Mr. Jones was in full force and undiminished at this juncture in his career. Palm Beach gave him a standing ovation after his thrilling rendition of Man of La Mancha, one of Jack's signature songs.

Artistic Director of Northampton's Royal & Derngate, James Dacre today announced that the venue will stage the world premiere of a brand new version by Mike Poulton of Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece Ghosts in April 2019, directed by Lucy Bailey, starring Penny Downie and Pierro Niel-Mee.

Royal & Derngate Northampton have confirmed the cast and creative team for its UK premiere production of Katori Hall's Our Lady of Kibeho, which takes to its Royal stage in January. Directed by the venue's Artistic Director James Dacre (who directed Hall's 2010 Olivier Award winning production of The Mountaintop) and designed by 2018 Tony award nominee Jonathan Fensom, with original music by Orlando Gough, choreography by Diane Alison Mitchell, photography by Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer Paul Watson and aerial direction by Vicki Amedume. The ensemble cast is led by Gabrielle Brooks, Michelle Asante and Ery Nzaramba. This UK premiere production promises to be an epic event, with its large professional cast complemented by the Royal & Derngate Community Ensemble and members of the theatre's Young Company.

Porchlight Music Theatre announces the extension of Gypsy, A Musical Fable, through December 29, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Porchlight Music Theatre's Gypsy stars E. Faye Butler as "Rose," is directed by Michael Weber, music directed by David Fiorello and choreographed/associate directed by Chris Carter.

Porchlight Music Theatre's Mainstage 2018 - 2019 season launches with Gypsy, A Musical Fable, October 12 - November 25, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  Porchlight Music Theatre's Gypsy stars E. Faye Butler as "Rose," is directed by Michael Weber, music directed by David Fiorello and choreographed/associate directed by Chris Carter.

Porchlight Music Theatre's Mainstage 2018 - 2019 season launches with Gypsy, A Musical Fable, October 12 - November 25, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  Porchlight Music Theatre's Gypsy stars E. Faye Butler as "Rose," is directed by Michael Weber, music directed by David Fiorello and choreographed/associate directed by Chris Carter. Previews are Friday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night is Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Oct. 14, Nov. 18 and Nov. 25; Sunday at 6 p.m.: Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4, Nov. 11 and Nov. 18 with an added matinee performance Thursday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. and an added 4 p.m. performance Friday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m.