NOMINATED FOR 14 TONY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL

WINNER! NEW YORK DRAMA CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD – BEST MUSICAL

WINNER! DRAMA DESK AWARD – BEST MUSICAL

WINNER! OUTER CRITICS CIRCLE AWARDS – BEST MUSICAL

WINNER! DRAMA LEAGUE AWARD – BEST MUSICAL

“THE BEST MUSICAL OF THIS CENTURY.

Heaven on Broadway!  A celebration of the privilege

of living inside that improbable paradise called a musical comedy.”

Ben Brantley, THE NEW YORK TIMES

THE BOOK OF MORMON ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST RECORDING

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM AMAZON.COM FOR $1.99

FRIDAY, JUNE 10 THROUGH MONDAY, JUNE 13

Get The Book of Mormon Tickets

The complete Original Broadway Cast Recording for THE BOOK OF MORMON will be available for digital download for $1.99 from Amazon.com, starting tonight at midnight, Pacific Time.   The special offer will be available for four days only through Monday, June 13 at midnight, Pacific Time.   Visit www.amazon.com/bookofmormon for download information.  

Released by Ghostlight Records, THE BOOK OF MORMON’s digital release is already the fastest selling Broadway cast album in history.    The CD, complete with color booklet with production photos, complete lyrics and liner notes by Frank Rich, is also now available in stores and for online purchasing. 

THE BOOK OF MORMON has been nominated for 14 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and is the winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, Best Music (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Lyrics (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Director (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker) and Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus), four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Actor in a Musical (Josh Gad) and Best Director (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker) and the Drama League Award for Best Musical.

THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.   The world premiere musical is choreographed by five-time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.

THE BOOK OF MORMON stars Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham, Andrew Rannells as Elder Price, Nikki M. James as Nabalungi, Rory O’Malley as Elder McKinley and Michael Potts as Mafala Hatimbi, with Lewis Cleale, Brian Tyree Henry, Scott Barnhardt, Justin Bohon, Darlesia Cearcy, Kevin Duda, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Clark Johnsen, John Eric Parker, Benjamin Schrader, Michael James Scott, Brian Sears,  Jason Michael Snow, Lawrence Stallings, Rema Webb, Maia Nkenge Wilson and Tommar Wilson. The production also features Graham Bowen, Ta’Rea Campbell, Jared Gertner, Tyson Jennette, Valisia LeKae, Douglas Lyons and Nick Spangler.

THE BOOK OF MORMON features set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt and sound design by Brian Ronan.  Orchestrations are by Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus.  Music direction and vocal arrangements are byStephen Oremus.  

Tickets are available at Telecharge.com, by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 or in person at the Eugene O’Neill box office (230 West 49th Street). 

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www.bookofmormonbroadway.com

Follow THE BOOK OF MORMON on Twitter: @BookofMormonBWY and on Facebook

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For the most up to date press releases visit our Blog.

VETERAN BROADWAY AND TONY AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS LEA SALONGA TO RELEASE LIVE CD, THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Recorded at New York’s Café Carlyle, “The Journey So Far” features favorite tracks from throughout Lea’s career; a mix of Broadway, jazz, pop and cabaret standards

Los Angeles, CA.  “The Journey So Far,” the new live CD from veteran Broadway and Tony Award-winning actress Lea Salonga, is set for release by LML Music/Allegro Distribution August 9th, 2011.  Salonga, the Filipina singer and actress who is best known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon (and for which she won the Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk Outer Critics and Theatre World Awards), will accompany the release of the CD with a worldwide tour throughout 2011 and 2012.

Says Salonga, “We wanted to make this recording something very personal, touching on my life as well as my career.  There are songs from my homeland, musical theater, film, and the jazz and pop worlds…this is more than just a recording; it’s a memento, a lasting souvenir of this very special time in my life.”

Recorded at the Café Carlyle with musical director Larry Yurman on piano, Jack Cavari on guitar, John Miller on bass, and Dave Ratajczak on drums. “The Journey So Far” features such timeless classics as “My Romance,” “Let’s Fall In Love,” “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “Salamat Salamat Musika,” “I Have Dreamed,” “Something’s Coming” and “There’ll Be Time.”  “The Journey So Far” was produced by Nashville-based industry veteran Chris Keaton.  

"Lea is the consummate entertainer and, in my opinion, one of the premier vocalists on the planet,” said Keaton.  “Working on this project is a dream come true for me, especially being a Nashville based industry professional....Broadway/Nashville, who knew? I really do believe this recording will open new doors and introduce Lea to a 'whole new world' of fans."

“The Journey So Far” is Salonga’s 26th CD release (she began her recording career at the age of 10 with her first album, Small Voice).  Amongst many other theatrical productions (including the critically-acclaimed revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song), Salonga was the first Asian actress to play the roles of Eponine and Fantine in the musical Les Miserables on Broadway, and also provided the singing voices of two Disney “princesses” – Jasmine in the filmAladdin and Fa Mulan in the films  Mulan and Mulan II.  In addition to her roles on the Great White Way, Salonga has starred in many theatrical productions in the Philippines and the Pacific Rim countries and continues to tour worldwide.  She has performed with the likes of Harry Connick Jr., Michele Lee, John Lithgow, Jeff Daniels, and Russell Watson, and is active in such Broadway organizations as the Broadway Artists Alliance, Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and The Actor’s Fund. Salonga received a Presidential Award of Merit from Philippine President Corazon Aquino.

FOLLOWING RAVE REVIEWS
AND SELL-OUT CROWDS
TRANSPORT GROUP'S

LYSISTRATA JONES

TO EXTEND ONE WEEK ONLY
THROUGH FRIDAY, JUNE 24

On the heels of rave reviews and sell-out crowds, Transport Group has announced that its production of the New York premiere of Lysistrata Jones, will extend one week only through Friday, June 24. Lysistrata Jones has a book by Douglas Carter Beane; music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn; direction and choreography by Dan Knechtges. The musical plays at Judson Memorial Church Gymnasium, 243 Thompson Street at Washington Square South.

Transport Group's Artistic Director Jack Cummings III says, "We are overjoyed and thrilled that audiences are loving Lysistrata Jones. Like all good college girls, I'm sure she'll be back on campus in the fall."

Lysistrata Jones has been playing to sold-out houses since opening Sunday, June 5 to rave notices:

"This goofy tale of basketball on a "less than competitive" college campus exudes the kind of youth-fueled energy that revs up the metabolism of everyone in the bleachers. Like "Glee" and the wonderful Broadway hit The Book of Mormon, Lysistrata Jones suggests that sneering at the pop corniness of old-fashioned musicals is so over. Lysistrata Jones is having too much fun to be merely cool."
Ben Brantley, The New York Times

"This terrific splash of summer fun is staged in a gym, and could well turn into the basketball answer to The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The wonderful cast handles the show's one-liners and the aerobic numbers with frisky flair."
Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Post

"A naughty, bubbly, modern goof on Aristophanes' naughty, bubbly, ancient goof about women denying their men in order to stop their constant warring. It's an answer to the question, what if we cast really talented, good-looking people and dressed them sparingly? The answer to this question, as we all know, is Yes, sure thing.
Scott Brown, New York

"This bouncy comedy is performed by a talented, energetic group of attractive young actors who make the most of the athletic choreography, strong tunes and smart, witty lyrics. And they do it while shooting hoops at times, too."
Jennifer Farrar, Associated Press

"Lysistrata Jones is a slyly contrived "High School Musical" for adults, lubricated with gallons of Grecian formula. New site-specific offering has the potential to make it to the big leagues."
Steven Suskin, Variety

The Athens University basketball team hasn't won a game in 30 years. But when spunky transfer student Lysistrata Jones dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop 'giving it up' to their boyfriends until they win a game, their legendary losing streak could be coming to an end.

Join Lyssie and her girl-power posse courtside for the New York City premiere of this boisterous new pop musical comedy. Adapted from Aristophanes' comedy, Lysistrata, Tony-nominated bookwriter Douglas Carter Beane (Sister Act, Xanadu,The Little Dog Laughed) and composer-lyricist Lewis Flinn (The Divine Sister) have given the classic Greek tale a riotous new twist. Directed and choreographed by Tony nominee Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) and staged in an actual gymnasium, Lysistrata Jones takes student activism to a whole new level and celebrates the journey of discovering and embracing who you truly are.

The cast of Lysistrata Jones is Alexander Aguilar (Uardo), Katie Boren (Lampito Kanagawa), Lindsay Chambers (Robin/Shelley), Max Kumangai (Tyllus), Liz Mikel (Heterai), Patti Murin (Lysistrata Jones), Kat Nejat (Cleonice), Josh Segarra (Mick), LaQuet Sharnell (Mhyrinne), Jason Tam (Xander), Teddy Toye (Harold), and Alex Wyse (Cinesius). Ato Blankson-Wood takes over the role of Tyllus beginning Wednesday, June 15.

Set design for Lysistrata Jones is by Allen Moyer; costume design is by David C. Woolard and Thomas Charles LeGalley; lighting design is by Michael Gottlieb; sound design is by Tony Meola. The music director is Brad Simmons; production stage manager is Wendy Patten.

Judson Memorial Church has long been associated with the arts. Since the 1960s Judson Church has been known as a venue for avant-garde arts and a champion of First Amendment rights in the face of attempts to censor artists and their work. The arts at Judson thrive today, as Judson makes its facilities available to diverse styles of artists in dance, theatre, music, and visual arts from all corners of New York and beyond.

Transport Group's production of Lysistrata Jones launches the renovation of Judson Gymnasium into a new theater space that will create even more opportunities for artists to develop and perform their work for years to come. For more information, visit Judson's website: www.judson.org.

Founded in 2001, Transport Group, under the leadership of Jack Cummings III, Artistic Director, and Lori Fineman, Executive Director, is a not-for-profit theatre company that develops and produces work by American playwrights and composers with the aim of exploring the American consciousness in the 20th and 21st centuries. Transport Group is the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award for its "breadth of vision and its presentation of challenging productions." Transport Group presented its premiere production in 2002: Thornton Wilder's Our Town, which featured older actors in the roles of Emily and George and a twelve-year-old girl as the Stage Manager. Its second production, Requiem for William, an evening of seven seldom produced plays by William Inge, that featured a cast of 26 as well as original songs, premiered in 2003. In 2004 the company presented the first New York revival of Michael John LaChiusa's First Lady Suite, which received rave reviews, played to sold-out houses, and earned two Drama Desk Award nominations including outstanding revival of a musical. Recent productions include the world premiere of the musical The Audience, which featured a cast of 46 actors and earned three Drama Desk Award nominations, including outstanding musical; Normal, a new musical about a mother's battle to save her daughter from anorexia; cul-de-sac, a new play by Tony Award nominee John Cariani; the first New York revival of Tad Mosel's Pulitzer Prize play, All the Way Home; the 50th anniversary, Obie-winning production of William Inge's The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, the world premiere musicals Crossing Brooklyn, Marcy in the Galaxy, and Being Audrey, and the first New York revival of Irwin Shaw's Bury the Dead. Both First Lady Suite and Bury the Dead were filmed for the New York Performing Arts Library's Theatre on Film and Tape Archive. In 2010 Transport Group presented a sold-out, extended engagement of Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band, which was nominated for five 2010 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Revival of a Play—the most for an off-Broadway play. Transport Group's productions of See Rock City and Other Destinations by Brad Alexander and Adam Mathias and Hello Again by Michael John LaChiusa combined for eleven 2011 Drama Desk Award nominations and one win.

For more information about Transport Group visit www.transportgroup.org.
Lysistrata Jones plays at the Gym at Judson, 243 Thompson Street at Washington Square South. The performance schedule through Sunday, June 19 is Wednesday through Friday, and Sunday at 8pm. The Saturday performance schedule is as follows: Saturday, June 11 at 8pm; Saturday, June 18 at 4pm and 8pm. The playing schedule for the extension, beginning Tuesday, June 21, is Tuesday at 5pm; Wednesday at 2pm and 8pm; Thursday at 2pm and 8pm; and Friday at 2pm. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.transportgroup.org or by phoning 866 811-4111. For more information about Transport Group and Lysistrata Jones, visit www.transportgroup.org.

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SIRIUS XM TO LAUNCH RADIO CHANNEL FOR

THE BOOK OF MORMON

LIMITED RUN CHANNEL AIRS JUNE 11-12,

FEATURING INTERVIEWS WITH CAST, CREATIVE TEAM

AND SONGS FROM THE CAST RECORDING

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

NEW YORK – Prior to this Sunday’s Tony Awards®, Sirius XM Radio is pleased to announce “The Book of Mormon Radio,” a two-day limited run channel featuring exclusive content about THE BOOK OF MORMON, the new Broadway musical by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator Bobby Lopez.  

“The Book of Mormon Radio” will air on channel 104 from Saturday, June 11 at 6:00 AM ET through Sunday, June 12 at 11:59 PM ET.  

THE BOOK OF MORMON has been nominated for 14 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  The production was awarded with the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, Best Music (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Lyrics (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Director (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker) and Best Orchestrations (Larry Hochman, Stephen Oremus), four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score (Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone), Best Actor in a Musical (Josh Gad) and Best Director (Casey Nicholaw, Trey Parker) and the Drama League Award for Best Musical.

“The Book of Mormon Radio” will feature interviews with the show’s Tony-nominated cast and creative team: “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator Bobby Lopez; co-director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw; producer Anne Garefino and starsJosh Gad and Andrew Rannells.

The exclusive channel will also include selections from the cast recording from Ghostlight Records, which is being released on Tuesday, June 7.  The special will include the songs “All American Prophet,” “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream,” “I Believe,” “Baptize Me,” “Joseph Smith American Moses” and “Tomorrow Is A Latter Day”.

THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone.   The world premiere musical is choreographed by five-time Tony Award-nominee Casey Nicholaw and is directed by Nicholaw and Parker.

THE BOOK OF MORMON stars Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham, Andrew Rannells as Elder Price, Nikki M. James as Nabalungi, Rory O’Malley as Elder McKinley and Michael Potts as Mafala Hatimbi, with Lewis Cleale, Brian Tyree Henry, Scott Barnhardt, Justin Bohon, Darlesia Cearcy, Kevin Duda, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Clark Johnsen, John Eric Parker, Benjamin Schrader, Michael James Scott, Brian Sears, Jason Michael Snow, Lawrence Stallings, Rema Webb, Maia Nkenge Wilson and Tommar Wilson. The production also features Graham Bowen, Ta’Rea Campbell, Jared Gertner, Tyson Jennette, Valisia LeKae, Douglas Lyons, and Nick Spangler.

Stone and Parker have earned four Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for South Park, which is now in its 15th season. Their films include South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (Academy Award nomination for Best Song) and Team America: World Police.

Lopez co-created Avenue Q, earning 2004 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and a Grammy Award® nomination for Best Cast Album. He has also penned Finding Nemo: The Musical with Kristen Anderson-Lopez, as well as the original musical Up Here.

For more information, please visit www.siriusxm.com. 

About Sirius XM Radio

Sirius XM Radio is America's satellite radio company.  SiriusXM broadcasts more than 135 satellite radio channels of commercial-free music, and premier sports, news, talk, entertainment, traffic, weather, and data services to 20.6 million subscribers. SiriusXM offers an array of content from many of the biggest names in entertainment, as well as from professional sports leagues, major colleges, and national news and talk providers.

SiriusXM programming is available on more than 800 devices, including pre-installed and after-market radios in cars, trucks, boats and aircraft, smartphones and mobile devices, and consumer electronics products for homes and offices. SiriusXM programming is also available at siriusxm.com, and on Apple, BlackBerry and Android-powered mobile devices.

SiriusXM has arrangements with every major automaker and its radio products are available for sale at shop.siriusxm.com as well as retail locations nationwide.

This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about future financial and operating results, our plans, objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services; and other statements identified by words such as “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimated,” “intend,” “plan,”  “projection,” “outlook” or words of similar meaning.  Such forward-looking statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control.  Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements. 

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement:  our competitive position versus other forms of audio and video entertainment; our ability to retain subscribers and maintain our average monthly revenue per subscriber;  our dependence upon automakers and other third parties; our substantial indebtedness; and the useful life of our satellites, which, in most cases, are not insured.  Additional factors that could cause our results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, which is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).  The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.

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SIGNATURE THEATRE COMPANY TO LAUNCH

NEW PERMANENT HOME, SIGNATURE CENTER,

WITH ATHOL FUGARD AS INAUGURAL RESIDENCY ONE PLAYWRIGHT

PLAYWRIGHTS FOR SIGNATURE’S EXPLANDED LEGACY PROGRAM AND

NEWLY ESTABLISHED RESIDENCY FIVE TO BE ANNOUNCED AT A LATER DATE

Signature Theatre Company (Founding Artistic Director James Houghton; Executive Director Erika Mallin), will launch the theatre’s new home, Signature Center, with Athol Fugard as its inaugural Residency One playwright.  Residency One is Signature’s core one year playwright-in-residence program that produces a series of plays from the body of work of one accomplished writer.  Throughout the season, Signature will explore the works of Fugard, the South African playwright, director and actor, who will also be honored with a special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Tony Awards this Sunday, June 12. 

Signature Center is a new 74,000 square foot facility at 480 West 42nd Street near 10th Avenue, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry and featuring three theatres, two rehearsal spaces and administrative offices all on one level and connected by a shared lobby with a café and bookstore.  Signature Center will serve as Signature Theatre Company’s permanent home and will open in February, 2012. 

Signature Center will feature three unique programs: the continuation of Residency One, the program Signature Theatre Company is best known for, which is a one year residency for a playwright with a major body of work; the expansion of the Legacy Program, which is a homecoming for past Signature Playwrights-in-Residence with a production of a premiere or signature play; and the introduction of Residency Five, which will encourage the creation of a body of work by guaranteeing multiple playwrights three productions over the course of a five-year residency.  These three programs combined will allow Signature to produce up to nine shows a year and provide an artistic home for up to eleven playwrights each season.  The Legacy Program and Residency Five playwrights will be announced at a later date. 

“Signature is honored to host Athol Fugard as our inaugural Residency One Playwright and our first international Playwright-in-Residence,” commented Signature’s Founding Artistic Director James Houghton. “Athol is a writer of astounding courage and humanity, which is evident in his breathtaking body of work that spans over fifty years. We look forward to presenting a wide breadth of that work, from his early to his latest plays, and we look forward to experiencing his rich and deep history at our new Center alongside our Legacy and Residency Five offerings.”

“A season at Signature? What an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on 50 years of playwriting,” remarked Athol Fugard.  “I’m thrilled to be among the first resident playwrights at Signature’s very exciting new home.”

Titles, dates and directors for the Athol Fugard series will be announced at a later date. 

Athol Fugard has been working in the theatre as a playwright, director and actor in South Africa, England and the United States for over fifty years. This Sunday, June 12, he will receive a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award. In November he was the inaugural Humanitas Visiting Professor of Drama at Oxford University. His latest play The Bird Watchers premiered this year at The Fugard Theatre in Cape Town. Last yearThe Train Driver, featuring Sean Taylor and Owen Sejake, transferred to The Hampstead Theatre in London for a critically acclaimed run.  His plays include: No-Good Friday, Nongogo, Blood Knot, Hello and Goodbye, People are Living, There, Boesman and Lena, Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, Sizwe Banzi is Dead, Dimetos, The Island, A Lesson From Aloes, ‘Master Harold’ …and the Boys, The Road to Mecca, A Place With the Pigs, My Children! My Africa!, Playland, Valley Song, The Captain’s Tiger, Sorrows and Rejoicings, Exits and Entrances, Victory, Coming Home, The Train Driver and The Bird Watchers.

Signature Theatre Company, founded in 1991 by James Houghton, exists to honor and celebrate the playwright.  Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright’s body of work, and during this journey, the writer is engaged in every aspect of the creative process.  Signature is the first theatre company to devote an entire season to the work of a single playwright, including re-examinations of past writings as well as New York and world premieres. By championing in-depth explorations of a living playwright’s body of work, the Company delivers an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision. 

Signature has presented entire seasons of the work of Edward Albee, Lee Blessing, Horton Foote, Maria Irene Fornes, John Guare, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Romulus Linney, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Sam Shepard, Paula Vogel, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, the Negro Ensemble Company and Tony Kushner.  Signature remains deeply committed to season-long residencies, and during the company’s tenth and fifteenth anniversaries, Signature introduced the Legacy Program.  The Legacy Program invites past Playwrights-in-Residence back to Signature through two series: the Signature Series, which presents “signature,” or more well-known works; and the Premiere Series, which presents New York and world premieres. 

Since 2005, Signature has been committed to presenting world-class theatre at an affordable price through The Signature Ticket Initiative, which offers subsidized $20 tickets. 

In October of 2008, Signature announced the creation of Signature Center, a permanent home to open in February 2012. Designed by Frank Gehry Architects with Hardy Collaboration Architecture LLC as Architect of Record, the Center will comprise three theatres, two rehearsal studios, a café, bookstore, and offices all on one level – a configuration that allows the company not only the space to expand its programming, but also the proximity for natural interaction between artists and audiences of the different programs. In its new home, Signature will continue its season-long residencies exploring the body of work of one playwright (to be known as Residency One), expand the Legacy Program, and introduce Residency Five. Residency Five will encourage the creation of a body of work by guaranteeing playwrights three productions over the course of a five-year residency. These three programs combined will allow Signature to provide an artistic home for up to eleven playwrights each season. This groundbreaking facility will offer a vital presence on West 42nd Street and will make it possible for Signature to collaborate with playwrights throughout the entire trajectory of their careers. For more information please visit signaturecenter.org.

Signature, its productions and its resident writers have been recognized with a Pulitzer Prize, fourteen Lucille Lortel Awards, sixteen Obie Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, and twenty-two AUDELCO Awards, among many other distinctions. The National Theatre Conference recognized the company as the 2003 Outstanding National Theatre of the Year. For more information on Signature please visit us on-line at signaturetheatre.org.

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www.SignatureTheatre.org

www.SignatureCenter.org

“ELYSIAN FIELDS”

F R E U D’ S   L A S T   S E S S I O N

WINNER OF THE 2011 OFF-BROADWAY

ALLIANCE AWARD FOR BEST PLAY

TO HOST SPECIAL POST-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS

JUNE 11, 12 & 21

FREUD’S LAST SESSION, the smash hit play by Mark St. Germain, will host special post-performance discussions this Saturday matinee June 11th, Sunday matinee June 12th and Tuesday June 21st led by the playwright and the show’s stars, Mark H. Dold (C.S. Lewis) and Martin Rayner (Sigmund Freud).  They will also conduct Q & A sessions with the audience.

FREUD’S LAST SESSION is the winner of the 2011 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play.  After opening on July 22, 2010 to rave reviews, the show immediately became a sellout sensation at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 10 West 64th Street (at Central Park West).  Additional productions of FREUD'S LAST SESSION are already set through 2011 and 2012 in major markets across the nation and around the world. 

Under the direction of Tyler Marchant, FREUD’S LAST SESSION centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites the young, rising academic star C.S. Lewis to his home in London.  Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda.  On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex, and the meaning of life – just two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own.  Not just a powerful debate, this is a profound and deeply touching play about two men who boldly addressed the greatest questions of all time.

Mark St. Germain’s celebrated new play was suggested by the bestselling book The Question of God by Harvard’s Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.

There have been an unusually large number of celebrities spotted throughout this past season at FREUD’S LAST SESSION,including such luminaries as Woody Allen, Alec Baldwin, Barbara Walters, Dick Cavett, Marcia Gay Harden, Jerry Stiller, Andy Rooney, Patricia Heaton, John Cleese, Dan Lauria, Celeste Holm, Tina Louise, T.R. Knight, Warner Wolf, Cornel West, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Mark H. Dold appeared on Broadway in Absurd Person Singular, and his Off-Broadway credits include Shockheaded Peter, Comic Potential, Race, The Winter’s Tale, Othello, The Seagull, Romeo and Juliet, Spread Eagle, and Timon of Athens.  Regionally, Mark has appeared at the Mark Taper Forum, Old Globe (San Diego Critics Circle Award), Chicago Shakespeare, Shakespeare DC, Long Wharf (Connecticut Critics Circle Award), Trinity Rep, and Yale Rep. 

Martin Rayner’s Broadway credits include The Invention of Love and Sixteen Wounded.  His Off-Broadway appearances includeTravels with My Aunt, Gates of Gold, Henry V, and Kit Marlowe.  Martin’s favorite regional roles were at Yale Rep: Underground andYou Never Can Tell; McCarter: Loot; American Repertory Theater: King Lear and When We Dead Awaken; Wilma: The Invention of Love and The Magic Fire.  TV credits include Dr. Chaotica on Star Trek: Voyager, Frasier and Benjamin Franklin.  

FREUD’S LAST SESSIONis presented Off-Broadway by Carolyn Rossi Copeland, Robert Stillman and Jack Thomas.  The performance schedule is Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesday through Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 2 & 8pm, and Sundays at 3 & 7pm.  Tickets are $65 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or through www.FreudsLastSession.com.  A limited number of $20 Student Rush tickets (cash only, with valid student ID) are available at the box office beginning three hours prior to each performance. 

George C. Wolfe and Ruth and Stephen Hendel are

Honored at the Inaugural Celebration of Color on Broadway Awards

Tonight, June 9, 2011

Awards Gala Will Benefit Harlem's OPUS 118

This evening the inaugural Celebration of Color on Broadway Awards will take place at SAKS Fifth Avenue (611 5th Avenue) beginning at 6PM.  Honoring George C. Wolfe and Ruth and Stephen Hendel for their contributions to diversifying Broadway, the Celebration of Color on Broadway Awards will benefit Harlem's OPUS 118 , a private, non-profit organization that supports music education programs for public school students in low-income areas.  In addition to the honors this event will celebrate the life of Barbara Ann Teer, founder of The National Black Theater.

George C. Wolfe is a celebrated Tony Award winning director and playwright and is currently nominated for his co-direction of The Normal Heart, now on Broadway.  Ruth and Stephen Hendel produced the groundbreaking Broadway musical FELA!, winner of three Tony Awards, which begins its international tour, tonight in Amsterdam.

A Celebration of Color on Broadway was founded by Stephen Colman, David Watkins, and Jayson Jackson. Tonight's awards gala is sponsored by Grey Goose Vodka.

Stephen Colman is an award-winning writer, performer, and producer.  He co-wrote and co-starred in the TONY Award-winning Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway and co-conceived and assistant directed Sarah Jones’s Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Bridge and Tunnel, which was originally produced by Meryl Streep.  

David Watkins is one of New York's top special event and marketing professionals.   He has produced events for private clients like Derek Jeter, Sean Combs, and Antonio LA Reid , cultural institutions like The Whitney Museum and The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and worked with companies to build their brands - a short list includes Hugo Boss, BMW, PEPSI, Moet, Grey Goose Vodka, Scandinavian Airlines, Proctor and Gamble, and BET. 

Jayson Jackson is a seasoned entertainment professional and has been involved with shaping the careers of icons like Lauren Hill, Janet Jackson and Diddy.  He has also worked with ground breaking artists like Q-Tip, Mos Def, The Neptunes and Spankrock. He also produced the Sara Jones' TONY and Drama Desk award winning one woman show (alongside ex producer Meryl Streep) Bridge and Tunnel

OPUS 118- OPUS was started in 1991, when 150 kids in three East Harlem public elementary schools were about to lose their cherished violin program as a result of budget cuts. Working with parents, other teachers and volunteers, their violin teacher, Roberta Guaspari founded Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, a private, nonprofit organization, to save the program and to continue to serve public school students in low-income areas. Opus 118 Harlem School of Music expanded on the success of its internationally recognized In-School Music Program and established a comprehensive community music school currently located at 103 East 125th Street in Harlem. Through this community music school, Opus 118 can meet the needs of this fast-growing and under served community by offering opportunities for New York City public school students to obtain one-on-one and ensemble instruction after school, offering access to music education for children who may not have music programs in their schools at all, and offering instruction for adults who want to learn a musical instrument or advance their musical skills. In addition to Opus 118's traditional violin program, the expanded curriculum includes viola, cello, piano, guitar, chorus and early childhood music education.

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MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB’S DIRECTOR OF EDUCTION

DAVID SHOOKHOFF

TO BE HONORED BY NEW YORK CITY ARTS IN EDUCATION ROUNDTABLE

FESTIVE COCKTAIL BENEFIT TO BE HOSTED BY TONY NOMINEE BILL PULLMAN

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 AT PARK AVENUE ARMORY

NEW YORK CITY MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG

TO DECLARE JUNE 22 “DAVID SHOOKHOFF DAY”

David Shookhoff, Director of Education at Manhattan Theatre Club, will be honored by the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable in a benefit being held on Wednesday, June 22 at the Park Avenue Armory’s Veterans Room (643 Park Avenue).

The cocktail event, which is recognizing Shookhoff as outgoing founding chair of the roundtable, is presented by The Board of Directors of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable and event host Bill Pullman. Pullman and Shookhoff have a friendship spanning 30 years when Shookhoff cast the future Tony nominee in his first Equity acting job playing Tom in a school tour of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, directed by Shookhoff.

The evening will feature a specially composed “Fanfare for David” performed by an ensemble from the New York Philharmonic; a performance by Renée Elise Goldsberry, who received an Outer Critics Circle nomination for her work in MTC’s recent world premiere production of GOOD PEOPLE; a performance by theFrank Sinatra School of Arts Chamber Singers (Heidi Best, Director); and a jazz combo throughout the evening. Tickets for the evening are available atwww.nycaieroundtable.org

In addition, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will declare June 22, 2011 “David Shookhoff Day” in recognition of his contribution to arts education in the city.

The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable is the service organization for cultural groups that provide education programs in the city’s schools and communities. Founded in 1992 by Shookhoff and a small group of colleagues, the organization has increased in size and importance. Today, its 120 members include major institutions like Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, and Manhattan Theatre Club as well as small community-based organizations in all five boroughs. The roundtable shares information, provides professional development, and advocates for arts education with policy makers and the general public. Throughout its 19-year history it has remained a largely volunteer effort — a labor of love undertaken by a working board of directors with a quarter-time coordinator and a tiny project-based staff. Currently the organization is undertaking long-range planning in an effort to expand and more fully professionalize its operation. The benefit will help financially in moving the roundtable into this next chapter of its history. For more information, visit www.nycaieroundtable.org

BIOGRAPHY

As Director of Education at Manhattan Theatre Club since 1988, David Shookhoff has designed and implemented a range of programs that annually serve 5,000 students, teachers, and families in the New York City area and around the nation. A leader in the field of arts education, Shookhoff is the founding chair of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable and serves on the NYC Department of Education Advisory Council on Arts Education and on the Board of Directors of the Center for Arts Education. He has chaired the Arts in Education Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts and has been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts. He serves on the Education Committee of the Broadway League and was a member of a special task force on learning assessment for the Theatre Communications Group. He has been a consultant to the Lincoln Center Institute, the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the Theatre Development Fund, and many other arts organization in New York and around the country. He has directed numerous theatre and opera productions for companies in New York City and nationwide, including MTC, and has taught at NYU, City College, Carnegie Mellon University, Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University Teachers College, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Mannes School of Music. Shookhoff is a recipient of the Golden Administrator Award from the Association Teaching Artists.  He holds a BA cum laude from Stanford University and an MFA in Directing from the Yale School of Drama.

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Albany High School Student Wins First Ever Adele Astaire Scholarship

A Broadway Veteran at 17, Corey Snide Will Attend Juilliard This Fall

At the 29th Annual Fred & Adele Astaire Awards, the only awards to recognize excellence in dance and choreography on Broadway and in film, actor, dancer & singer Corey Snide, a senior at Colonie Central High School in Albany, New York, danced his way into the Awards Committee’s hearts and walked away with the first ever Adele Astaire Scholarship presented by the NYC Dance Alliance Foundation at the 29th Fred & Adele Astaire Awards  But not before dazzling the audience of theater and film stars with a piece titled “Didn’t He Ramble” choreographed by Anthony Morigerato.

The young man who has been dancing since he was just 3 years old will fulfill one of his many dreams by attending Juilliard this fall. He began his dance training at Eleanor's School of Dance 14 years ago continuing to expand his skills at  STEPS on Broadway, Royal Ballet (UK) 07-08, McDonald College (AU) 08,

Already a seasoned performer, Corey starred in the lead role of the international musical hit “Billy Elliot” on London’s West End and in Sydney, Australia. On Broadway he once again had the lead role in the short lived musical comedy “13”.

Famed dancer, choreographer and instructor, Joe Lanteri Executive Director of the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation, introduced the talented teen stating,” “As Ava Astaire mentioned earlier, together we’ve established a new scholarship, an award that bears the name of ‘Adele Astaire’….that will be given for the first time ever tonight… to a young man I first met when he was nine years old and training in a local studio in Albany. He has grown up through the NYC Dance Alliance. He’s now 17 and was just accepted to the Juilliard School for the fall of 2011.  This is someone we will all be keeping an eye on, for years to come”. Snide than whipped into a tap solo, “Didn’t He Ramble” choreographed by Anthony Morigerato after which another famous tapper Maurice Hines presented him with the scholarship.

Snide has a long and distinguished relationship with the New York City Dance Alliance Foundation which is dedicated to empowering the next generation of professional dancers by advocating education and offering scholarships for secondary and college training.

He has been an active participant in the New York City Dance Alliance National Conventions in New York.  NYCDA offers training by top dance professionals and the opportunities to compete for scholarship, to some 1,500 young dancers from all over the United States, Canada and as far away as Brazil and Costa Rica. Snide has won the Teen Outstanding Dancer (NYCDA) 2010, Junior Outstanding Dancer (NYCDA) 2006, First Mini Outstanding Dancer (NYCDA) 2004.  Additionally, he received the Gold Medal for Tap (Team USA) in Reisa, Germany for International Dance Organization 2004 and the Gold Medal for Show Dance (Team USA) also in Reisa.

Now in its 17th year, the NYCDA National Dance Convention slated for July 4- 7, continues to be the most unique dance event anywhere. For the past 16 years, the NYCDA has lead the industry in offering professional weekend conventions exposing young dancers to the best of the New York City dance world in a supportive, positive and fun environment and helping them take their first steps into the professional world.  

Under the auspices of Executive Director Joe Lanteri a renowned choreographer, instructor and dancer, the NYCDA National Dance Convention, the culmination of scores of local gatherings held throughout the year, has become the single most important scouting opportunity for college and university recruiters and their scholarship committees. No surprise as NYCDA alumni number among the ranks of such dance companies as Alvin Ailey, Cedar Lake Ballet; scarcely a Broadway musical is without a dancer from NYCDA and the world famed Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular recruits most of it young talents via NYCDA. This year the NYCDA expects to see some $1 million in scholarships awarded at the Closing Gala.

For further information about NYCDA please visit www.nycdance.com

"Oh, she's gonna shimmy 'til her garters break!"

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY

TO REPRISE HER BROADWAY SUCCESS IN LONDON
THIS SUMMER, WHEN SHE MAKES HER WEST END
STAGE DEBUT AS ROXIE HART IN THE MUSICAL SMASH

FOUR-WEEK LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
AT LONDON'S CAMBRIDGE THEATRE;
MONDAY, JULY 11 - SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

WWW.CHICAGOTHEMUSICAL.CO.UK

On the heels of her tremendously successful Broadway debut this spring, Christie Brinkley, one of the world's most successful supermodels, is set to reprise her role as merry murderess Roxie Hart this summer when she makes her West End stage debut in the Olivier Award-winning musical CHICAGO for a four-week engagement at London's Cambridge Theatre, Monday, July 11 through Saturday, August 6, 2011.  

"Christie's Broadway debut in CHICAGO this spring has been nothing short of phenomenal," said producer Barry Weissler. "Her commitment, dedication and passion for conquering new experiences have served her well throughout her career, and her Broadway stage debut is proof positive of that. Our New York audiences are going crazy for her night after night, and I'm thrilled to announce that she will be sharing her remarkable performance with our West End audiences for four weeks this summer." 

Celebrated CHICAGO veteran Amra-Faye Wright, who starred opposite Ms. Brinkleythroughout her 11-week run on Broadway, is also set to return to the UK production on July 11 in the role of Roxie's rival prison mate, Velma Kelly.  

Brinkley and Wright will be joined by Jonathan Wilkes as Billy Flynn, James Dohertyas Amos Hart, Jasna Ivir as Matron "Mama" Morton and R. Whitehead as Mary Sunshine.

Produced by Barry and Fran Weissler, the West End production of CHICAGO opened at the Adelphi Theatre on November 18, 1997 to rave reviews and immediately became a sell-out hit.  The production won the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production and the 1998 Critics Circle Drama Award for Best Musical. 

CHICAGO transferred from the Adelphi Theatre to its current home, the Cambridge Theatre, in April 2006, where it continues to hold the record as the longest-running American musical in West End history.

Directed by Walter Bobbie and choreographed by Ann Reinking,CHICAGO features a book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.  

The Broadway production is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording. CHICAGO has become a worldwide phenomenon with productions in 24 countries and 11 languages since 1996.

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Two New Tony Award® Nominees for Best Play from TCG Books:  
Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire and

Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth

NEW YORK, NY – Theatre Communications Group (TCG) is pleased to announce the publication of two Tony Award® nominees for Best Play: Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth.

Good People is the most substantial new Broadway play since August: Osage County.”

– Time Out New York

Winner:

New York Drama Critics’ Award for Best Play

David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People is a penetrating drama by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Rabbit Hole. Well known for his absurdist comedies Fuddy Meersand Kimberly Akimbo, Lindsay-Abaire brings his signature humor to his tough and tender new work. Good People recently concluded its world premiere production at Manhattan Theatre Club’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

Set in Boston’s Southie, the neighborhood the playwright grew up in, Good People follows Margie Walsh who is facing eviction and scrambling to catch a break. When an old flame from the neighborhood – now “lace curtain Irish” – moves back to town, Margie hopes he may be her ticket to a fresh new start. Raising difficult questions with unsentimental observation and appealingly scrappy characters, Good People explores the struggles, shifting loyalties and unshakeable hopes that come with having next to nothing in America.

David Lindsay-Abaire is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of author Rabbit Hole, which was made into a feature film. He is the author of Fuddy Meers, Wonder of the World,Kimberly Akimbo, A Devil Inside, Wonder of the World, as well as the librettos for the musicals High Fidelity and Shrek. He has written the screenplays for Rabbit Hole and the upcoming Rise of the Guardians and Oz: The Great and Powerful. Born in South Boston, he now lives in Brooklyn.

Jerusalem is one of the most exciting new plays in ages.”

–New York Times

Winner:

New York Drama Critics’ Award for Best Foreign Play

Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem isa comic, contemporary vision of life in rural England. Best known for his Olivier Award-winning black comedy Mojo, British playwright Jez Butterworth has penned “one of the best dramas of the 21st century” (London Guardian). Currently in the midst of a critically-acclaimed Broadway premiere at the Music Box Theatre, Jerusalem received an unprecedented set of five-star reviews from twelve London newspapers.

Set in Southwest England, Jerusalem’s former daredevil motorcyclist and modern-day Pied Piper, Johnny “Rooster” Byron, is “one of the most sensational creations in English drama of the past twenty years” (New Yorker). The roguish ne’er-do-well is a wanted man: the authorities want him evicted from his trailer in the woods, his son wants to be taken to the country fair, a stepfather wants to give him a serious beating and a motley crew of friends wants his never-ending reserve of drugs and booze. “A great, sprawling brawl of a play” (New York Times), Jerusalem is a rousing exploration of national identity, living on the margins and the urgent necessity for rebellion in our time.

Jez Butterworth is the multi-award-winning author of Mojo. Other plays include The Night Heron, The Winterling and Parlour Song. He also wrote and directed the film adaptation of Mojo (1998) starring Ian Hart and Harold Pinter, and Birthday Girl (2002) starring Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin, and he co-wrote and produced Fair Game(2010) starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.

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Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, has existed for fifty years to strengthen, nurture and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. TCG’s constituency has grown from a handful of groundbreaking theatres to nearly 700 member theatres and affiliate organizations and more than 13,000 individuals nationwide. TCG offers its members networking and knowledge-building opportunities through conferences, events, research and communications; awards grants, approximately $2 million per year, to theatre companies and individual artists; advocates on the federal level; and serves as the US Center of the International Theatre Institute, connecting its constituents to the global theatre community. TCG is the nation’s largest independent publisher of dramatic literature, with 11 Pulitzer Prizes for Best Play on the TCG booklist. It also publishes the award-winning AMERICAN THEATRE magazine and ARTSEARCH®, the essential source for a career in the arts. In all of its endeavors, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre.

In 2005, TCG received the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in recognition of its impact on the national field. TCG and its member theatres are major contributors to the American theatre sector, which employs nearly 130,000 people, produces more than 187,000 performances each year and contributes $1.9 billion to the US economy annually. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, TCG is led by executive director Teresa Eyring and governed by a national board of directors representing the theatre field. Please visit TCG’s website and online bookstore at www.tcg.org.

Good People
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Paperback  208 pages
$14.95  978-1-55936-393-8
June 2011

Also by David Lindsay-Abaire, available from TCG Books:

Rabbit Hole $14.95  978-1-55936-290-0
and Rabbit Hole (movie tie-in) $14.95  978-1-55936-396-9

Jerusalem
By Jez Butterworth
Paperback 120 pages
$14.95  978-1-55936-408-9
June 2011

TCG books are exclusively distributed to the book trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. Orders: 800-283-3572. SAN number: 63170X. Individuals may call 212-609-5900 or visit our online bookstore at www.tcg.org. For postage and handling, please add $5.00 for the first book and $.50 for each additional copy.

* * * OPEN CASTING CALL FOR KIDS! * * *

A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL!

SEEKS KIDS AGES 8 – 13 FOR 2011 HOLIDAY TOUR 

OPEN CASTING CALL IN CHICAGO
MONDAY, JUNE 27TH AT CHICAGO THEATRE 

More about A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL!

THE LONDON GLOBE THEATRE’S PRODUCTION OF

“THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR”

COMES TO MOVIE THEATERS ACROSS THE U.S.

MONDAY, JUNE 27

* * * * *

“This sparkling show brims with a joy in pranks and japes and silly jokes that suggests the devilish feeling that possesses people on the first bright, balmy day after a long winter.”

-The New York Times

“Joyous.  Delightful.  Absolutely go.”

-New York Magazine

“Thoroughly irresistible.  Immensely entertaining.”

-Theatermania.com

5 stars out of 5 stars

“Christopher Luscombe’s production brims with humanity, ingenuity and irresistible charm.”

-Sunday Telegraph

The London Globe Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of The Merry Wives of Windsor comes to movie theaters across the U.S. on Monday, June 27 at 7:00pm local time.  The stage-to-cinema presentation is part of NCM Fathom, Globe Theatre and Arts Alliance Media’s Shakespeare’s Globe London Cinema Series, an exclusive four-part in-theater series of the most classic of Shakespeare titles in U.S. movie theaters nationwide this summer and fall. 

Captured in 2010 from the prestigious and internationally renowned Globe Theatre in London— Shakespeare’s theatrical London home – the series will kick off with The Merry Wives of Windsor.  Each performance will also include a special 20-minute behind the scenes feature, providing insights into the working of the Globe today and a study of each production. Featuring interviews with the actors and creative team involved, these extra features bring the world of Shakespeare’s Globe and the plays in the series to life for audiences.

Tickets for Shakespeare’s Globe London Cinema Series are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations, prices and additional information, visit the Fathom website (theaters and participants are subject to change).  Watch the official event trailer here.

The Merry Wives of Windsor, one of the great comedies by William Shakespeare, is a hilarious tale of love and marriage, jealousy and revenge, class and wealth, and is Shakespeare’s only play to deal with the contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life.  It was first published in 1602, although it was believed to have been written prior to 1597.  Directed by Christopher Luscombe, The Merry Wives of Windsor stars Christopher Benjamin as Sir John Falstaff, Serena Evans as Meg Page and Sarah Woodward as Alice Ford. The design team also includes Janet Bird (Designer), Nigel Hess (Composer),Jenny Arnold (Choreographer).

Following The Merry Wives of Windsor, the Shakespeare’s Globe London Cinema Series  continues with Henry IV Part 1 on Monday, August 1 at 7:00pm,Henry IV Part 2 on Thursday, August 18 at 7:00pm and closes with Henry VIII on Thursday, September 15 at 7:00pm.

Shakespeare’s Globe London Cinema Series will be broadcast in more than 260 movie theaters across the country through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network.

The Globe Theatre is known as Shakespeare’s theatrical London home. The original open-roof theater, made of wood-and-thatch was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company and was destroyed by fire in 1613. American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker, worked tirelessly to raise funds for the theater’s reconstruction. His efforts paid off and a modern reconstruction of The Globe opened in 1997 approximately 200 yards from the site of the original theater.

For more information about this NCM Fathom Shakespeare’s Globe London Cinema Series event, go here. For artwork/photos, click here.

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PREVIEWS BEGIN TOMORROW!

Four performances this week including Tony Sunday

Roundabout Theatre Company

Presents

The World Premiere New Musical

DEATH  TAKES A HOLIDAY

Book by Peter Stone & Thomas Meehan

Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston

Based on the dramatic play by Alberto Casella

Directed by Doug Hughes

Opening Night is July 21, 2011

Preview performances begin tomorrow evening for Roundabout Theatre Company’s Death Takes a Holiday, with a book by Peter Stone & Thomas Meehan, music & lyrics byMaury Yeston, directed by Doug Hughes. The cast  features Linda Balgord (Contessa Danielli), Matt Cavenaugh (Eric Fenton), Mara Davi (Alice), Joy Hermalyn (Cora), Jay Jaski (Lorenzo), Simon Jones (Dr. Dario Albione), Rebecca Luker (Duchess Lamberti), Patricia Noonan (Sophia), Julian Ovenden (Prince Sirki / Death), Jill Paice (Grazia),Michael Siberry (Duke Lamberti), Alexandra Socha (Daisy Fenton), Don Stephenson (Fidele), Max von Essen (Corrado Montelli).

This weekend’s performance schedule is Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday at 2PM & 7:30PM and Sunday at 2PM.

Death Takes a Holiday is based on the dramatic play by Alberto Casella, rewritten for the American stage by Walter Ferris, and originally produced by Messrs. Shubert.

Death Takes a Holiday will begin performances on Friday, June 10, 2011 and open officially on Thursday, July 21, 2011 at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). Death Takes a Holiday will play a limited engagement through September 4, 2011.

The creative team includesKevin Stites (Musical Direction & Supervision), Peter Pucci (Choreography), Derek McLane (Sets), Catherine Zuber (Costumes), Kenneth Posner (Lights), Jon Weston (Sound) and Tom Watson (Hair & Wigs).

In Death Takes a Holiday,it’s just after the first World War and the loneliest of souls arrives at an Italian villa disguised as a handsome young Prince (Ovenden), and for the first time experiences the joys and heartbreaks of life. But when he unexpectedly falls in love with a newly engaged young woman (Paice), the mysterious stranger discovers that love may in fact be stronger than death.   Directed by Tony® winner Doug Hughes (Doubt), this soaring tale of love is adapted by Tony®-winning writers Peter Stone (1776) and Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray), and features lush, romantic songs by Tony® winner Maury Yeston (Nine, Titanic).

TICKET INFORMATION:

Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212)719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre box office (111 West 46 Street).  Ticket prices range from $76-$86.  

Roundabout Subscribers save up to 50% off of ticket prices and have access to special in-theatre events and perks. To become a Roundabout Subscriber, visitwww.roundabouttheatre.org/joinnow or call Roundabout Ticket Services (212)719-1300 today.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:

Death Takes a Holiday will play Tuesday through Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. 

www.roundabouttheatre.org

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CARLEY STENSON TO PLAY ELLE WOODS

ALONGSIDE NEW CAST MEMBERS NATALIE CASEY AND LEE MEED

IN OLIVIER AWARD WINNING

L E G A L L Y   B L O N D E   T H E   M U S I C A L

From 11 July 2011 Carley Stenson will play college sweetheart Elle Woods in the Olivier award-winning Legally Blonde The Musical.  Stenson, who is currently playing Margot in the West End production, steps up to play the leading role joining Lee Mead who joins the cast later this month (20 June) to play Emmett Forrest and Natalie Casey as ditzy beautician Paulette Buonofonté. Peter Davison continues in the role of Professor Callahan as well as Nicola Brazil as Serena and Siobhan Dillon as Vivienne.

College sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods doesn't take no for an answer. So when her boyfriend Warner dumps her for someone serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and heads for Harvard Law! Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

Legally Blonde The Musical, which won three 2011 Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, opened at the Savoy Theatre in December 2009 is currently booking until 31 March 2012.  In addition the show won four Whatsonstage.com Awards including Best New Musical and Best Choreographer (Jerry Mitchell).

Carley Stenson (Elle Woods) made her West End stage debut as Margot in Legally Blonde The Musical.  She is best known on television as Steph Cunningham in C4’s Hollyoaks, a role she has played for over ten years.  She won ITV’s Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes when she performed as Faith Hill.  On stage her regional theatre credits include Sandy in Grease, Dulcie in The Boyfriend and Nancy in Oliver.

Lee Mead (Emmett Forrest) played the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Adelphi Theatre from 2007 to early 2009, after winning BBC One’s Any Dream Will Do.  In 2007 he released his debut solo album, Lee Mead, followed in 2009 by Nothing Else Matters.  Most recently he starred as Fiyero in the West End production of Wicked.  His previous theatre credits include Lord Arthur Savile in Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime on tour in the UK; The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre; Miss Saigon on tour in the UK and Tommy.

Natalie Casey (Paulette Buonofonté) is best known on television for playing Donna in the BBC’s Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.  On stage she has been seen in The Invisible Man at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Oklahoma for Chichester Festival Theatre, Well at the Apollo Theatre, Fame at the Shaftesbury Theatre and Hobson’s Choice at the Watermill Theatre.  Her other television credits include Dave Shakespeare, Missing, Hollyoaks, Head Jam, Girls Night In andChopratown.  On film she played Shirley Temple in Chicago Joe and the Showgirl.

The cast of Legally Blonde The Musical from 11 July 2011 includes Stephane Anelli (Padamadan, Nikos), Emma Bateman (Stenographer), Nicola Brazil (Serena), Thomas Camilleri (Carlos), Natalie Casey (Paulette), Peter Davison (Professor Callahan) Siobhan Dillon (Vivienne Kensington), Chris Ellis-Stanton (Grandmaster Chad, Dewey, Kyle), Kimmy Edwards (Judge, Saleswoman), Ibinabo Jack (Pilar), Suzie McAdam (Enid), Sorelle Marsh (Courtney, Mom, Whitney), Lee Mead (Emmett), Sean Mulligan (Pforzheimer), Dawn Sievewright (Kate, Chutney), Carley Stenson (Elle Woods), Lincoln Stone (Dad, Winthrop, Reporter), Simon Thomas (Warner), Robbie Towns (Aaron), Dominic Tribuzio (Kiki), Tamara Wall (Brooke), Stephen Webb (Lowell) and Tara Young (District Attorney) as well as Jonathan Mawson, Jane McMurtrie, Lucy Miller, Ruthie Stephenson and Gregor Stewart as swings. 

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell, Legally Blonde The Musical has music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin, book by Heather Hach, set design by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Paul Miller, sound design byACME Sound Partners and orchestrations by Christopher Jahnke.

Legally Blonde The Musical is produced in the West End by Sonia Friedman Productions, Robert G. Bartner, Ambassador Theatre Group, Bud Martin, Adam Zotovich, Jamie Hendry Productions, Matthew Byam Shaw and Act Productions.

ROCK OF AGES The Musical announces further London casting
* X Factor winner Shayne Ward to take the role of rock bad boy Stacee Jaxx *

ROCK OF AGES The Musical is proud to announce the casting of X Factor winner
Shayne Ward in the role of disillusioned rock bad boy Stacee Jaxx.

Shayne Ward will be taking to the West End stage when ROCK OF AGES The Musical
previews at the Shaftesbury Theatre from 31st August 2011. Tickets are on sale
now.

Shayne Ward is one of the UK's premiere vocal talents, having sold over 3
million records worldwide since winning the X Factor in 2005. ROCK OF AGES The
Musical marks his West End debut. He said: "I cannot wait to take to the stage
for Rock of Agesl it's an absolute thrill to have been chosen for this part and
can't wait to show a new side to my voice."

Ward released his third album Obsession last Autumn, followed by a nationwide UK
and Ireland tour.

ROCK OF AGES The Musical is the ultimate 80's rock mix-tape musical, an
hilarious story of hedonism, dreams, love and, of course, rock.

A celebration of classic 80's rock culture, ROCK OF AGES The Musical tells the
story of a small town girl and a big city rocker falling in love to the greatest
songs of the decade.

So popular has it been in New York, Toronto and Melbourne that the show is
currently being made into a star-studded movie starring, amongst others, Alec
Baldwin, Russell Brand and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Tom Cruise will be playing
Shayne Ward's role of Stacee Jaxx.

For more information and to book tickets visit: www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk

LISTINGS INFORMATION

ROCK OF AGES

Book by Chris D'Arienzo
Director: Kristin Hanggi
Choreography: Kelly Devine
Scenic Design: Beowulf Boritt
Costume Design: Gregory Gale
Lighting Design: Jason Lyons
Sound Design: Peter Hylenski
Projection Design: Zachary Borovay
Music Supervisor: Ethan Popp

Cast includes: Justin Lee Collins and Shayne Ward

From 31 August 2011
Press Night: 27 September 2011

Monday-Thursday at 7.30pm
Friday at 5.30pm and 8.30pm
Saturday at 4pm and 8pm

Shaftesbury Theatre
210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8DP
Box office 020 7379 5399 / www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk
<http://www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk>

Tickets from £20

DIDI CONN RETURNS TO

 “ L O V E ,   L O S S,   A N D    W H A T    I    W O R E ”

FOR SIX PERFORMANCES

New York, NY (6/07/2011) – Producer Daryl Roth announced today that “Grease” star and Love, Loss, and What I Worealumna Didi Conn will join the show again for six performances only, filling in for current cast member Julie Halston from Wednesday, June 8th through Saturday, June 11th, who will be out of the show fulfilling a previous commitment. 

In addition to Ms. Halston, the current cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore(through Sunday, July 3) includes Emily Bergl (“Desperate Housewives”), Emme (“Fashion Emergency”), Ashley Austin Morris (“The Electric Company”) and Susan Sullivan (ABC’s “Castle”).

Love, Loss, and What I Wore, written by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron, opened in October 2009 at the Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street), where it’s broken all box office records.  Directed by Karen Carpenter, this collection of stories is based on the best-selling book by Ilene Beckerman, as well as on the recollections of the Ephrons’ friends.  Like the popular book, Love, Loss, and What I Wore uses clothing and accessories and the memories they trigger to tell funny and often poignant stories that all women can relate to.

The production, which was honored with a 2010 Drama Desk Award and a Broadway.com Audience Award, is performed by a rotating cast of five all-star actors, who perform in five-week cycles.   Members of the rotating cast have included Samantha Bee, Alexis Bledel, Kristin Chenoweth, Tyne Daly, Fran Drescher, Janeane Garofalo, Melissa Joan Hart, Carol Kane, Stacy London, Jane Lynch, Natasha Lyonne, Rosie O’Donnell, Rhea Perlman, Caroline Rhea, Doris Roberts, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sherri Shepherd, Brooke Shields, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Cobie Smulders, Rita Wilson and many more.

In addition to its New York production, Love, Loss, and What I Worehas played in Los Angeles, Toronto, Sydney and more and will kick-off a national tour at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse beginning September 13, 2011.

The performance schedule for Love, Loss, and What I Wore is as follows: Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets ($79.00) are available via Telecharge.com (212-239-6200) and in-person at the Westside Theatre Box Office (407 West 43rd Street).  Same-day general rush tickets ($25.00, cash only) are available at the Westside Theatre box office, beginning at noon.  (Limited to two rush tickets per person.  Seats are based on availability; some are limited view.)

Bio                                                                                                                                                     

DIDI CONN. Broadway: Lost in Yonkers; Say Goodnight, Gracie!; The Green Bird; A Christmas Carol. Off-Broadway: Souls of Naples, The Vagina Monologues, The Primary English Class. Films: Frenchy in Grease and Grease 2,You Light Up My Life, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Shooting

Vegetarians, Helen at Risk, Oh Baby! and more. TV: “The Practice” with Danny Thomas, “Benson,” “Shining Time Station.” National celebrity spokesperson for Autism Speaks and co-creator/executive producer of the new animated musical Didi Lightful with her husband, composer David Shire.

www.LoveLossOnStage.com
www.twitter.com/lovelossonstage
www.facebook.com/LoveLossandWhatIWore
www.youtube.com/LoveLossOnStage
www.oandmco.com

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