Slave Master

What did our critic think of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at CMPAC?

Confederates is a thought-provoking stage play that depicts two women - a slave and professor, on similar journeys.

Joe’s Pub has announced incredible performances coming up in July and August plus join us this Sunday at Astor Place for Juneteenth. Don’t miss performances from First Ladies of Disco (Martha Wash, Linda Clifford, and Norma Jean Wright (formerly  of Chic), Matteo Lane, Cocomama, and more.

Less than one month from the release of her new album ‘Breaking The Thermometer’, cellist, banjo player and vocalist Leyla McCalla has shared a live performance of the new track “Dodinin.' The mix of musical performance and spoken word recordings also establishes a template for much of what’s to come on the album. Watch the performance video now!

Unquestionably, we all should listen...and talk...and occasionally laugh, and sometimes we should even be screaming until our lungs are on the brink of explosion. And we can be doing some of this to a Rihanna soundtrack.

As part of the collaborative partnership between Roundabout Theatre Company and Columbia University, the reading series awards three playwrights from the current MFA program and recent alumni with a cash prize as well as a reading produced by Roundabout.

honor of Black leaders who shaped and defined American history, The Marsh is presenting Darryl Van Leer’s riveting The Escape of Frederick Douglass on its digital platform, MarshStream. Van Leer wrote and stars in the acclaimed production, which brings to vivid life the early years of African American rights activist Frederick Douglass, from his youth as an unruly boy caught in a slave training camp to his gripping and suspenseful train ride to freedom. Immediately following the performance, Van Leer will be joined by The Marsh Founder/Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman for a Q&A. The Escape of Frederick Douglass will be streamed on Saturday, April 24 at 7:30pm PDT. For more information, please visit www.themarsh.org/marshstream. BroadwayWorld up with Van Leer last week from his home base in Nashville, Tennessee. An actor with some notable film & TV credits, Van Leer is perhaps best known for his stage works about political and cultural leaders, including musical performers such as Ray Charles and Little Richard. We discussed The Escape of Frederick Douglass and how he went about bringing such an iconic historical figure to life, and his thoughts on finding hope in difficult times. Van Leer has made it his mission to take inspiration from these great historical figures and pass it on to his audiences.

We're also giving you a chance to hear straight from the IAMT professionals! Tune in today, April 1 (12pm EST), as Head of Voice Andrew Drost and Head of Dance Nicholas Cunningham host a live chat from BroadwayWorld's Facebook page. Be sure to tune in to watch live and send him your questions about the program, how you can participate, or even general dance and vocal tips!

Two years ago, Roger Q. Mason paid tribute to Billy Porter, the 2018 recipient of the Chuck Rowland Pioneer Award, by performing in a reading of Porter's semi-autobiographical play, As I Yet Live. Now, 2020 is Mason's year - and he is kicking it off, following in Porter's fabulous footsteps, as this year's Chuck Rowland Pioneer Award recipient.  The award ceremony will take place on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 7:30 pm at the West Hollywood Council Chambers (625 N San Vicente Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069).  Details of the program will be announced in the coming months.

Earlier this year, on April 22, The Phantom of the Opera, reached a milestone that no other Broadway show has even come near. Phantom, the longest-running show in Broadway history, became the first Broadway show EVER to reach #13,000 performances. This is just one of many incredible achievements made by the show since it opened on Broadway over three decades ago.

Gramps, Peetah and Mr Mojo are the holy trinity comprising the iconic reggae based, Grammy-winning family band Morgan Heritage.

Take in 'the music of the night' as The Phantom of the Opera plays at Segerstrom Center for the Arts July 10-21.

The Phantom of the Opera won't just be in your mind June 15 through July 7 as the world tour plays at Istana Budaya.

Stage Left Theatre presents Robert O'Hara's INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY. Directed by Wardell Julius Clark, INSURRECTION: HOLDING HISTORY runs January 11th through February 11th.

OTHER SIDE OF THE GAME marks the playwriting premiere for Toronto-raised writer, Amanda Parris. Presented by Cahoots Theatre and Obsidian Theatre, Parris' play gives voice to the stories of Black women, who are too often silenced. Parris chats with BroadwayWorld's Taylor Long about the process of bringing OTHER SIDE OF THE GAME to the stage.

'Racism can destroy America', says H. J. Harris author of America the Racist?, a must read for white and black Americans as current events unfold from police shootings of black men, the racist massacre of 9 black Americans in a Bible study class is Charleston, South Carolina, to the killing of 5 police officers in Dallas, Texas. America the Racist?, a 172 page book sets forth a concise, easy to read, historical, spiritual, and psychological treatment of Racism in America - its causes, evolution and possibilities for the future.

Everyone is familiar with the works of Stephen Sondheim, quite the musical genius himself: his contributions to everything from 'West Side Story' to 'Sweeney Todd' have really set him apart from others in the musical theater realm; his style is so eclectic, his music so beautiful, that any show which bears his name is most likely going to be something great. Not necessarily a fan of comedy but having great admiration for and desire to see any type of musical I have the opportunity of seeing, Sondheim's 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' is a musical I have not had the pleasure of seeing before the Eventide Theatre Company showed me just how wonderful a show it truly it. The number of laughs and clever moments planned (and disasters diverted or avoided) are as plentiful as the amount of words in the title of this musical. The show is a farce, so anything and everything can happen, so long as one character's involvement in the continuous hoax is constantly given complete attention to and, ironically, prone to the greatest bout of almost far-fetched confusion that can be had. Yes, 'Forum' not only provides perpetual laughs had by both the sheer unknowingness of all the characters of what, exactly, is going on (not to mention each individual is quite the character on his/her own), but the music is wonderful and upbeat, the plot is lighthearted and there just really is not a reason to be mentioned why this musical is anything but pure, adulterated fun (which doesn't mean what you think!) Eventide should be extremely proud of this production now brought to their stage, and as this was my first time seeing it, I can now confidently share with others the enthusiasm felt that night as I watched magic unfold.

Scotty Sanders, the author of the young adult fantasy book Quest of the Keys, is moving forward with ambitious plans to develop a free video game app based on his book. The novel is currently being used in middle and high school classrooms around the world, and the author hopes the app will help pre-teen and teen readers further engage with the material.

A new historical fiction from author Sandra Cooper depicts the painful relationship between a southern belle and a slave woman in the 1800s. Cooper's new book, 'In Common' (published by Balboa Press), shares the details of a relationship that gave two women the strength to live, despite the evilness of the white man's way of living.

On Tuesday, July 28, Quest of the Keys author Scotty Sanders revealed that he is in the final stages of producing a new downloadable classroom instruction guide for educators to use in the 2015/2016 school year. The Eight Character Keys Teacher PDF pack will contain supplemental materials for teachers who use his fantasy book as part of their school curriculum. After the completion of some additional design work, the new resource pack will be available for download on the author's website at the beginning of September 2015.