Anna K. Jacobs News

Broadway On Demand has announced the launch of The Artist Channels, a new section of the platform devoted to musical theatre composers and lyricists. The Artist Channels provide a digital space for theatre fans to explore the incredible talent of the musical theatre songwriters who are creating today's new musicals.

Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced its 2020 Artists-in-Residence: Trip Cullman, Joshua Harmon, Michael R. Jackson, Sylvia Khoury, Martyna Majok and Tyne Rafaeli.

Ziegfeld Club, Inc., one of New York City's first performing arts charities to benefit women, has announced that they will once again offer the Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award for the sixth consecutive year.

The New York Youth Symphony is continuing its mission of educating and inspiring young musicians through its Orchestra, Jazz, Chamber Music, Composition, Musical Theater Songwriting, Conducting, and First Music commissioning programs.

National Alliance for Musical Theatre in conjunction with One Foot Productions has announced the launch of a new podcast series, Muse: Discover Musicals, giving you a front-row seat to groundbreaking new musicals in development.

The Dramatists Guild of America has announced Michael R. Jackson as the recipient of the Frederick Loewe Award for Dramatic Composition for his score to the musical A Strange Loop.

New York Theatre Barn will host a free live stream of its New Works Series on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020 at 7PM EDT, featuring excerpts from the new musicals Teeth and Māyā .

New York Theatre Barn will continue to host weekly free live streams of its New Works Series through June 10th, 2020. Upcoming installments of the series include the new musicals Mary and Max, Second Line, Newton's Cradle, Salaam Medina: Tales of a Halfghan, Teeth and Māyā.

The Dramatists Guild of America Council has selected Michael R. Jackson as the recipient of the 2019 Hull-Warriner Award, for his musical A Strange Loop. The other finalists for the award were Madeleine George for Hurricane Diane; Stephen Adly Guirgis for Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven and more.

2020 Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Anna K. Jacobs accepts the grant with a virtual speech. In the speech, Jacobs shares what this grant means to her.

Berkshire Theatre Group and Kate Maguire have announced Berkshire Theatre's revised 2020 Season. Below is a message from Kate Maguire, sent out to all patrons on March 31:

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) and Kate Maguire (Artistic Director, CEO) are thrilled to announce Berkshire Theatre's 2020 Summer Season, with a casting sneak-peek. BTG will be releasing a complete season cast announcement at a later date.

In what has become an annual ritual, a total of 40 established and emerging composers, lyricists, and librettists will converge on the Goodspeed campus from mid-January through mid-February 2020 to participate in the Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. The writing teams, representing 15 new musicals, will populate the campus, creating a truly exciting environment for discovery and inspiration.

Vineyard Theatre Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern have announced that Tina Satter, Michael R. Jackson, and Brandon Victor Dixon will be among the artists to appear onstage at Vineyard Theatre's annual Open House event on Monday, January 13. The Vineyard's Open House is an opportunity for Vineyard supporters to learn more about the theatre through artist panels, rehearsal space tours, and a design exhibition. Panels include a conversation with director Tina Satter (Is This A Room), a discussion and preview of new work by Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) and Vineyard Theatre Board Member Brandon Victor Dixon ('Rent' on Fox) in dialogue with members of Vineyard Theatre Student Ensemble.

THE SONGWRITERS' SALON features 3 select musical theatre writers bimonthly. It is a casual and intimate playground for high-caliber songwriters to share their work & a chance for the audience to get to know the masterminds behind the music. Hosted by MARY TESTA (3-time Tony Nominee). Conceived and Directed by Colton Pometta. Produced by Sam Permutt and Colton Pometta at The Triad Theatre.

New York City's Institute for American Musical Theatre has announced plans for a unique 2-year 'Creators' program. Built and run by award winning lyricist-librettist Sam Carner (Island Song, Unlock'd), the new intensive and highly collaborative training will be guided by a faculty including composer-lyricist Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, Scotland PA, String), composer-lyricist Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop, Teeth, White Girl in Danger), composer Anna K. Jacobs (Pop, Teeth), director Lonny Price (A Class Act, Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened, Company, Sweeney Todd), composer Derek Gregor (Island Song, Unlock'd), music supervisor Brad Haak (Mary Poppins, Daddy Long Legs), director Marlo Hunter (American Reject, Saved By the Bell: the Musical), musical director Andy Collopy (Lightning Thief), and other Broadway professionals still being confirmed.

UnsungMusicalsCo. (Ben West, Artistic Director) closes out its 2019 season with a benefit concert of The Passing Show of 2019, a new musical revue celebrating and satirizing the social and cultural happenings of the past year featuring sketches and songs written by college students and emerging writers. The one-night-only event will be presented on Monday, December 16, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. at The Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre will kick-off this year's Festival of New Musicals at The Green Room 42 (at the Yotel, 570 10th Ave) with The 46th Minute concert on Wednesday, October 23 at 7 PM.  This concert is open to the public and tickets starting at $22, can be purchased by visiting TheGreenRoom42.poptix.com. 

The NYYS Musical Theater Composition program offers songwriting training from all facets of the theater industry to young composers and lyricists ages 12 - 22.

New York Youth Symphony (NYYS), is proud to continue its mission of educating and inspiring young musicians through its Orchestra, Jazz, Chamber Music, Composition, Musical Theater Composition, Apprenticeship Conducting, and First Music commissioning programs. This season includes seven world premieres of new works commissioned through the First Music program, composed for the Orchestra, Jazz, and Chamber Music ensembles. The season also features renowned and up-and-coming soloists including prodigy pianist Harmony Zhu, 2019 Sphinx Competition winner cellist Sterling Elliott, and leading young pianist Michelle Cann in the Carnegie Hall premiere of Florence Price's recently re-discovered Piano Concerto in One Movement with NYYS Orchestra, as well as in-demand drummer Matt Wilson, celebrated saxophonist Steve Wilson, and trombone virtuoso Wycliffe Gordon with NYYS Jazz. The complete NYYS 2019-2020 concert calendar follows at the end of this press release.