Jessica Martin News

LezFest, the popular and ever-evolving interdisciplinary program of performance by queer female and non-binary artists, will return for its eighth session on Sunday, December 16. Previously known as SheFest and WeFest, this twice-annual event will include performances by 12 artists in The Broadway theater of the Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway.

The Playground Theatre today announces the world premiere of Fanatical, a musical by Matt Board and Reina Hardy, set to open in the autumn of 2018 with a company that includes Suanne Braun (Stargate/Red Dwarf/Mamma Mia/Cabaret)). The announcement is made in conjunction with a crowdfunding campaign, which also launches today.

The Playground Theatre today announces further casting for Gregory Evans' Shirleymander, which receives its UK premiere at the end of May. Joining Jessica Martin, who plays the former leader of Westminster Council, will be Jack Klaff , Omar Baroud and Amanda Waggott with other cast yet to be announced. Anthony Biggs's production will run from May 23 to June 16.

The Playground Theatre today announces the world premiere of Fanatical, a musical by Matt Board and Reina Hardy, set to open in the autumn of 2018 with a company that includes Suanne Braun (Stargate/Red Dwarf/Mamma Mia/Cabaret)). The announcement is made in conjunction with a crowdfunding campaign, which also launches today.

The Playground Theatre today announces further casting for Gregory Evans' Shirleymander, which receives its UK premiere at the end of May. Joining Jessica Martin, who plays the former leader of Westminster Council, will be Jack Klaff , Omar Baroud and Amanda Waggott with other cast yet to be announced. Anthony Biggs's production will run from May 23 to June 16.

ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) will celebrate its inaugural gala, "ASTEP & Friends," on Monday, April 23, at 54 Below, it was announced today. Tony Award-winner Andrea Martin will host the one-night-only event, which will honor the activism of composer and lyricist Georgia Stitt, and ASTEP's work with CASES, the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services. The intimate evening is conceived and directed by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Music Director of Mean Girls, and will feature performances from Campbell along with Tony Award nominees Kate Baldwin and Laura Osnes, as well as Mean Girls' Erika Henningsen and Grey Henson, Hamilton's Sean Green Jr., Jessica Vosk, and more to be announced.

Electric Dream Factory, a new XR content studio and production company formed by feature film producer Lacey Leavitt and VFX artist Joe Jacobs, is excited to announce the premiere of their first VR short: Arcadia Flats. 

On 14th June 2017 a massive fire swept through the twenty-four-story Grenfell Tower block of public housing in West London, killing seventy-one people. What has followed since these tragic events has highlighted the huge social housing crisis across London and the rest of the UK. To coincide with the first anniversary of the fire The Playground Theatre, situated barely five minutes walk from the burnt-out building, is to stage the dramatisation of another social housing scandal that rocked the country.

From the Academy Award-winning team comes a lushly scored retelling of Victor Hugo's epic story of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero. A sweeping score by Alan Menken and powerful story make The Hunchback of Notre Dame an instant classic. Audiences of all ages will be swept away by the magic of this truly unforgettable musical.

50 SHADES OF PRIDE is this month's theme for Pride Arts Center's monthly variety showcase - to include standup comedy, dance, drag and a fashion show.

From the Academy Award-winning team comes a lushly scored retelling of Victor Hugo's epic story of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero. A sweeping score by Alan Menken and powerful story make The Hunchback of Notre Dame an instant classic. Audiences of all ages will be swept away by the magic of this truly unforgettable musical.

Emerging local playwright, Georgina Harriss, is set to premiere her first full-length play this January at Melbourne's quirky, intimate theatre, The Butterfly Club.

Jefferson Performing Arts Society & Loyola University Department of Theatre Arts + Dance present Caroline, or Change. Book and Lyrics by Tony Kushner, Music by Jeanine Tesori, Directed by Dr. Laura Hope, Musical Direction by Dr. Donna Clavijo, Choreography by Lucy Foreman, JPAS Broadway Pit Orchestra Chris Bergeron, Conductor

Join Pride Films and Plays on June 12th at 7:30 pm in THE BROADWAY at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway Ave, Chicago, to kick off Pride month with SheFest!

SheFest (formerly LezFest) is Pride Arts Center's' semi-annual celebration of Chicago's queer female and non-binary artists.

West End leading lady Jessica Martin will play the leading role of Bea Asher in Ballroom at Waterloo East Theatre, the part originally created on Broadway by Dorothy Loudon.

Composer and lyricist Robert J Sherman's work includes musicals Love Birds and Bumblescratch. The latter, set during the Great Plague and Great Fire of London and told from a perspective of a plague rat, received a gala concert presentation last year at the Adelphi Theatre starring Darren Day, Jessica Martin and Michael Xavier. The cast recording is now available on CD from SimG Records.

Need some last minute gift ideas for the Broadway lover in your life? Fear not! There may be only a few short weeks left before the holidays, but we've got plenty of ideas to add to your shopping list!

What better stocking filler could there be than the newest release from SimG Records? In September this year, Robert J Sherman's new musical comedy Bumblescratch received a charity concert at the Adelphi Theatre in London, starring West End performers Darren Day, Jessica Martin, Michael Xavier and Ilan Galkoff. The debut was greatly received by audience members and critics alike with an array of four and five star reviews. The original band and cast have since featured in the London Concert Cast Recording which is due to be released on Monday 19 December.

Musical Theatre Masterclass (MTM) has announced Robert J. Sherman as their first speaker at a special VIP Masterclass on Sunday, 2 October 2016.