Michael Kooman News

Emmy-nominated writing team Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond (Romantics Anonymous, Disney's Vampirina) announced the world premiere recording of their song 'Chaos' will be released on Friday, March 25th, 2022, performed by Ben Fankhauser (Newsies).

To some of us, waking up to learn our life has  become a musical would be a dream come true. To others, it would be a true nightmare. Luckily, there's a musical for that! Described as The Truman Show meets Family Guy, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes drops our hero, an average man in his 30s, smack dab in the middle of a fantastical quest through all things musical theatre.

Broadway Records announced today the release of 16 Stories, a collection of 16 previously unrecorded songs written by award-winning musical theatre creators from around the world and recorded by The Australian Discovery Orchestra.

To some of us, waking up to learn our life has become a musical would be a dream come true. To others, it would be a true nightmare. Luckily, there's a musical for that! Described as The Truman Show meets Family Guy, The Noteworthy Life of Howard Barnes drops our hero, an average man in his 30s, smack dab in the middle of a fantastical quest through all things musical theatre.

The Johnny Mercer Foundation and the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University once again seek out the nation's most talented young songwriters and writing teams for the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project, now in its 17th year. The free weeklong songwriting workshop returns to Northwestern's Evanston campus from June 19-25.

 The Fred Ebb Foundation has announced that their Fred Ebb Award ceremony, previously set for January 3rd, 2022 at Birdland Jazz Club, has been postponed. 

The Fred Ebb Foundation will present the seventeenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to the team of Isabella Dawis & Tidtaya Sinutoke. The award, named in honor of the late award-winning lyricist Fred Ebb, will be presented on Monday January 3rd, 2022, at a by-invitation-only ceremony at Birdland Jazz Club

Next week, FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

Next month, FEINSTEIN’S/54 BELOW, Broadway’s Supper Club & Private Event Destination, will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond.

The seventh installment of Geffen’s Stayhouse series Is THE DOOR YOU NEVER SAW BEFORE: A CHOOSICAL MUSICAL has been in previews, with opening May 22, 2021. This world premiere, written by Matt Schatz, is geared for children and the young at heart. An ‘Adventure Suitcase,’ full of puzzles and special items will be pre-mailed for the youngsters’ interaction during the Zoom of the show. Katie Lindsay directs the cast of Michael Faulkner, Shyla Lefner and Gabrielle Maiden.

The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company announced today that applications for the seventeenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters are now available. Applications will be accepted from June 1 - June 30, 2021. The winner will be selected in November of 2021.

David Sisco and Laura Josepher, owners of ContemporaryMusicalTheatre.com, are launching a new radio show on MusicalTheatreRadio.com on Saturday, January 16 at 10 AM (EST).

The Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF) and the American Music Theatre Project (AMTP) at Northwestern University are seeking the nation's most talented young songwriters and writing teams for the 16th annual Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. The free weeklong songwriting workshop will take place virtually from June 20-26, 2021.

On Monday night, The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company presented the sixteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to the team of Ben Bonnema & Christopher Staskel, and Michael R. Jackson. 

The Fred Ebb Foundation in association with the Roundabout Theatre Company  will present the sixteenth annual Fred Ebb Award for aspiring musical theatre songwriters to the team of Ben Bonnema & Christopher Staskel, and Michael R. Jackson. The award will be presented by Audra McDonald on Monday November 30th at 7pm.

Disney Junior's hit animated series 'Vampirina' has gained some Broadway veterans as guest stars. The show will welcome Audra McDonald, Christopher Jackson, Sutton Foster, James Monroe Iglehart and Santino Fontana for its third season.

Now, as New York City struggles to get back on its feet after long COVID-19 shutdowns, and theaters are still months from being able to reopen, St. Ann's Warehouse, which turned 40 this year, has found a range of meaningful ways to program for New Yorkers and more far-flung audiences.

Berkeley Rep's Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer today announced three additional virtual projects for the fall. The season, titled Rep On-Air, will include collaborations with Tony Award nominee Raúl Esparza (Company, Speed-the-Plow, and Taboo), celebrated New Yorker cartoon artist Tom Toro, Pulitzer Finalist Eisa Davis, and Bay Area favorite Hershey Felder.

Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic and Plush Theatricals, in conjunction with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, announces the cast for Emma Rice's critically acclaimed musical Romantics Anonymous, which will be performed live in the U.K. as part of a 'digital tour' that will livestream in the U.S. as a benefit for a collective of theaters across the country, including The Wallis in Beverly Hills, CA, on  Saturday, September 26, 2020, 1 pm (PDT).

Full casting has now been confirmed for Romantics Anonymous a?" the delicious new musical from visionary director Emma Rice (Wise Children). Embarking on a virtual tour this autumn, the show will be co-hosted online by the Belgrade Theatre on Wednesday 23 September.