Elliot Lanes - Page 11

Washington DC's premiere arts education institution The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts presents it's second world premiere musical as part of its Summer Musical Institute for Teens program.

Today's subject David Muse is currently living his theatre life as the Artistic Director of Studio Theatre. This season marks his ninth in the position. He became only the second Artistic Director in the company's history when founder Joy Zinoman stepped down in 2010.He is currently represented as a director at Studio Theatre with The Children which is now playing through June 9th in the Metheny Theatre space.

Since 2012 today's subject Lourdes Lopez has been living her theatre life as the Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet. The company is performing May 31st through June 2nd at the Kennedy Center as part of Ballet Across America. The May 31st performance is a shared program with Dance Theatre of Harlem who will be performing May 28th through the 30th.

Today's subject KenYatta Rogers is currently living his theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre playing Folk Man 3 in Spunk. The production directed by the esteemed Timothy Douglas runs through June 23rd in Signature's ARK space. The show is KenYatta's Signature Theatre debut.

Today's subject Zonya Love is currently living her theatre Life performing the role of Georgia Gordon in Arena Stage's production of Jubilee. The show runs through June 9th in Arena Stage's Kreeger Theater space. Zonya is making her Arena Stage debut with this production.

Today's subject Julia Rhoads is currently living her theatre life as the founding Artistic Director of Lucky Plush Productions. Lucky Plush is a dance company that melds dance with theater, dialogue elements, and more. Their work entitled Rooming House can be seen at the Kennedy Center from May 2nd through May 4th in the Terrace Theater

It's that time of year when arts institutions hold their annual galas. This year the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD has a double bill wallop of an evening planned.

There is an old expression in theater about knowing when to shut up and sing. Some performers refuse to subscribe to that theory. If I use Wednesday's concert at the Music Center at Strathmore as a basis, multi-award-winning singer/activist Alan Cumming is – or at least can be or is prone to be – one of those performers.

For 25 years now the percussion spectacular known as Stomp has been making beautiful noise all over the world. This high-octane audible feast is back in town at the National Theatre for a week and the historic rafters are shaking from the melodious vibrations Stomp brings with it.

Spring has sprung here in DC. The cherry blossoms are in bloom, Lawmakers are doing whatever they do and my favorite area art education institution The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts is gearing up for their  spring musical production. This year as part of the Creating a Musical Role class The Theatre Lab will be presenting the Bill Russell/Henry Krieger cult musical Side Show with performances starting on May 2nd and running through May 11th.

Since 2003, today's subject, Jeremy Price has been living his theatre life making noise all over the world in the international percussion phenomenon, Stomp. The current US tour is coming to DC's National Theatre April 23rd, playing through the 28th.

There are certain things that really bother me in theater.  One of the biggest is when a theater company that is capable of brilliance presents a show that should be a perfect fit – and unfortunately ultimately delivers a final product that does not meet my expectations.

Sometimes a singer just needs a microphone and a killer accompanist to create a fine evening of music. Of course, it helps if the singer's material is good as well. Tony and Emmy Award-winning singer/actress Kristin Chenoweth combined these few simple ingredients, walked out onto the stage of The Music Center at Strathmore, and treated her audience to an audible feast.

Oh bother! Adventure Theatre is currently presenting a hunny of a show with Le Clanché du Rand's delightful stage adaptation of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh.  Under the fine direction of Shirley Serotsky, Milne's 100 Acre Wood and its inhabitants magically come to life with a story of lost tales, huffalumps, and much more.

Today's subject, Kristin Chenoweth, has been living her theatre life to the fullest since 1993 when Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ cast her as the ingénue in their production of Animal Crackers. The show effectively launched her career and she went on to become a Tony Award-winning actress, and a highly successful recording and concert artist. She has also made many appearances on television and in film. On April 8th you will have the privilege of seeing this immense talent live onstage at The Music Center at Strathmore and, judging from past performances, it's going to a great evening of music.

Life in the theatre is hard enough without having a diva in your show. As the title character in a well known play by a certain Norwegian playwright you would think that she would play along with what she was given. In this case the playwright is that king of mirth himself Henrik Ibsen and the diva in question is Hedda Gabler. Gabler, after many productions over the span of many years, decides she doesn't want to die by gunshot at the end of every performance. You might be asking how did she get this kind of power. For the answer you need to check out Washington Stage Guild's (WSG) hilarious and (per usual) well presented production of Jon Klein's Resolving Hedda. The show is a DC area premiere.

Today's subject Laura Giannarelli has been living her theatre life for many years now on both sides of the footlights. As a performer she just completed a star turn in Gulf View Drive at Washington Stage Guild (WSG), the company she helped found back in 1986. The company's current show Resolving Hedda runs through April 14th at their home at The Undercroft Theatre at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church.

As a playwright you always hope that your script gets a first class production at a top theatre. Today's subject, Heather McDonald, is currently living her theatre life on a high as her world premiere play Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity is receiving such royal treatment. Featuring the likes of performers Holly Twyford, Felicia Curry, and Yesenia Iglesias, the production plays through April 7th in Signature Theatre's ARK space.

Sometimes a particular genre of theater isn't necessarily popular with a general audience. Theater of the Absurd might be the biggest example of this. Playwrights like Eugene Ionesco and others have left audiences scratching their heads for years as to what they were trying to say within their plays.

You most likely know today's subject Nicholas Rodriguez from his many area appearances at Arena Stage. Who could forget his Billy Bigelow in Carousel or his Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady or Curly in Oklahoma!? The latter garnered Nicholas a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor in a Musical.