Marcy Heisler News

Need something new to listen to or read? Check out this week's list of new and upcoming releases!

The new podcast musical LITTLE DID I KNOW from The Audio Drama Initiative, based on the novel by Mitchell Maxwell, will release its first three episodes on Apple Podcasts on Tuesday, March 31.

Musical Theatre of Anthem has announced their 2020-2021 Lucky 13th Season, bringing to the stage some new performances sure to delight patrons of all ages.  MTA will produce 8 shows offering tremendous opportunities for performers of all ages, including casting all youth who audition in productions for performers ages 6-19, as well as opportunities for adult performers.  

The Circuit Playhouse, Inc., parent company to The Circuit Playhouse, TheatreWorks at the Square, and Playhouse on the Square have announced their 2020-2021 Season.

The Black Box Performing Arts Center has moved to Englewood - and so has Junie B.! Junie B. Jones is back with new friends, different dance numbers, and the same lovable story that is sure to delight fans of all ages!

Just last week, award-winning songwriters Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler ('Taylor the Latte Boy', 'Alto's Lament', Ever After) brought their vivacious, eclectic, romantic, and seriously funny songbook to Feinstein's/54 Below.

Forget that other show. I was in the REAL room where it happened last weekend at the 4th Annual Junior Theater Festival West (JTF), which celebrates youth theatre and encourages students and teachers to keep theatre alive in their community. Each year it follows the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, which just finished its 15th season. Over 2,200 people participated in the three-day festival, some coming from as far away as Australia, England, and South Korea. Students and educators benefited from the knowledge of top Broadway professionals in the form of adjudications, workshops, and a discussion panel entitled Pathways to Success, in which the featured guests shared how they forged their own paths to Broadway and beyond.

Michael Childers' presents One Night Only benefitting the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center. a?oeThe Way We Were: Songs of the '70'sa?? features the best of Broadway and pop music from that era, for one performance only on April 22 at 6:30 pm, at The McCallum Theatre. With Direction & Choreography by Scott Coulter and Music Direction by Todd Schroeder, the cast features the best of Broadway and Hollywood performers. I had the chance to catch up with director, Scott Coulter, as he was preparing the production for rehearsal. Here are a few excerpts from that conversation:

The USM Department of Theatre, in collaboration with USM School of Music, continues its season-long celebration of women's voices with a musical for the young and young-at-heart, Dear Edwina. Music by Zina Goldrich and book & lyrics by Marcy Heisler. Directed by Joyce A. Presutti with Musical Direction by Edward Reichert.

From Hello, Dolly! and Mame to La Cage aux Folles, no one has written 'showtunes' with as much exuberance as Jerry Herman whose musicals offer an optimistic approach to the human condition, finding common ground with his audience by showing us that the differences between us are, in fact, what unite us. Lyrics & Lyricists 2020 season continues with a celebration of the composer, lyricist and songwriter whose joyful scores have sent us from the theater humming for more than 50 years. Singing them at L&L are Quentin Earl Darrington (Once on This Island), Cady Huffman (The Will Rogers Follies, Chicago, The Producers), Bryonha Marie Parham (The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Prince of Broadway), and Ryan Vona (Once, Beautiful).

Sneak a peek into the 'Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal' of the outspoken and lovable Junie B. Jones!

Lyrics & Lyricists opens its new season with a salute to Yip Harburg, who appeared on the 92nd Street Y stage for L&L's first show in December 1970. Harburg was a master lyricist, poet, and book writer who worked with more than 40 composers in writing over 600 songs, including such classics as 'April in Paris,' 'Old Devil Moon,' 'Lydia, the Tattooed Lady,' 'Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?,' 'Paper Moon,' and, of course, 'Over the Rainbow.' Mikaela Bennett, Clifton Duncan, Desi Oakley, Megan Sikora and Nick Spangler bring Harburg's story to life-from his Lower East Side childhood to being blacklisted by HUAC. Matt Kunkel's direction, with musical direction by Paul Masse and a script by Jon Marans, weaves together Harburg's comedic and political sides.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell S. Bernard, Trustee) in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) presented the fifteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Angela Sclafani & Benjamin Velez. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, was presented by Kate Baldwin on Monday, December 2nd from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony in the Penthouse Lounge of The American Airlines Theater.

Since arriving in our midst in early 2017, Ernie Nolan justifiably has gained a reputation as an innovator, a creative genius (Hyperbole? The answer is a resounding a?oeno,a?? judging from his artistic achievements of the past two-plus years) and a master of challenging the status quo. As executive artistic director at Nashville Children's Theatre a?" one of the leading theater companies in America, dedicated to serving young audiences through challenging, elucidating offerings certain to appeal to their varied sensibilities a?" he's given us a plethora of productions that have been both unexpected and exhilarating, elevating the local theater scene immeasurably in the process.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell S. Bernard, Trustee) in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company (Todd Haimes, Artistic Director) will present the fifteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to Angela Sclafani & Benjamin Velez. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented by Kate Baldwin on Monday, December 2nd from 6-8pm at a by-invitation-only ceremony in the Penthouse Lounge of The American Airlines Theater.

Hershey Area Playhouse is proud to present its first-ever fall youth musical, Dear Edwina Jr., from November 8 to 10.

92Y announces Lyrics & Lyricists 2020, the new season of the country's preeminent American Songbook series. L&L features artists from theater and beyonda?"including Andy Einhorn, Matt Kunkel, David Loud, Paul Masse, and Stephen Schwartza?"presenting original revues with award-winning Broadway and cabaret performers.

Florida Repertory Theatre's Education Department is pleased to announce public performances of its 2019-2020 Theatre for Young Audiences productions, a?oeJunie B. Jones the Musicala?? and a?oeThe Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.a?? Held in the Historic Arcade Theatre, the performances kick off the Florida Rep's Touring Theatre program with a day of family-friendly theatre with performances on September 28 at 1 PM, and 6 PM and the tickets are only $10 for students and $15 for adults.

Next up on the Second Stage, The Players Club of Swarthmore's Children's Series presents, Junie B. Jones The Musical. A delightful adaptation of four of Barbara Park's best-selling books, Junie B. Jones The Musical, is brought to life in a genuinely comical (and not strictly-for kids) musical. With lyrics by Marcy Heisler and music by Zinia Goldrich, Junie B. Jones The Musical is delightfully entertaining. Meg Cranney is both the director and choreographer and Alyssa Cherewaty is the music director.