Jessica Lewis - Page 244

While America's Black churches have been battling racism and poverty for decades, and rightfully so, their newest opponent -- American gay citizens fighting for equal rights and same-sex-unions -- has caused them to inappropriately funnel millions of dollars to wage war on an undeserving enemy; all the while neglecting to focus their attention, energy, and resources on the growing AIDS pandemic that threatens to claim the lives of millions of their children.

Jennifer Hudson, the multi-talented actress-singer whose accolades include an Academy Award for the movie 'Dreamgirls' and a Grammy for 'Best R&B Album' heads back to her hometown of Chicago to share childhood memories of the music, people and places that set the stage for her success, in the hour-long primetime music special, 'Jennifer Hudson: I'll Be Home for Christmas,' airing this December on the ABC Television Network.

After garnering critical and popular acclaim with its debut at the House Theatre of Chicago, The Sparrow comes to Stoneham Theatre for its East Coast Premiere. Nathan Allen, who both conceived and directed the original Chicago production of The Sparrow, will also be directing the Stoneham Theatre production. The Sparrow tells the story of an orphaned teenager named Emily Book who returns home to finish her final year of high school-but this time, she's carrying a secret. An ordinary teenager with extraordinary abilities must now embrace her supernatural powers and confront the truth about her past.

This Monday, Stray Cat Theatre joins forces with Arizona Theater Company, Actors Theatre and ASU School of Theater and Film to put up a staged reading of THE LARAMIE PROJECT: 10 YEARS LATER (AN EPILOGUE)

Last week, after 23 years, Orlando's oldest professional theater company, Orlando Theatre Project, has elected to disband. The Orlando Sentinel cites the struggling economy and the fact the the small arts collective has no full-time professional staff to raise funds as reasons.

The jingle bells will rock again this holiday season when THE COVERLETTES COVER CHRISTMAS returns to the Aurora. Following in the great tradition of 1960's girl groups like The Ronettes, The Marvelettes, The Crystals, and The Shangri-Las, THE COVERLETTES COVER CHRISTMAS finds legendary (and fictitious) singing sensations The Coverlettes dusting off their harmonies and their bee-hives to celebrate the season.

Marking the beginning of its 20th Anniversary Season, or 'The Year of Enchantment,' Hartford Children's Theatre (HCT) announces its production of the beloved family musical, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Under the direction of HCT's newly appointed Artistic Director, Ryan Ratelle with Musical Direction and Choreography by Lisa Foss, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST opens on Friday, October 30 at the Carol Autorino Center for Arts and Humanities on the campus of Saint Joseph College where the show will run through Saturday, November 7, 2009. Tickets are now on sale.

Nora and Delia Ephron took the stage at More Magazine's Reinvention Convention yesterday to discuss their new play 'Love, Loss and What I Wore.' They also dished about Nora's worst wedding dress (for her third marriage); taxes; divorce and of course - men.

That sweet transvestite from outer-space is taking over the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre just in time for Halloween. Richard O'Brien's THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is ALIVE! will play October 23-November 7, 2009 at the Westwego Performing Arts Theatre.

Call it the longest opening night delay of all times. After treading in controversy for 20 years, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's play, 'Der Müll, die Stadt und der Tod' will debut in Germany at last. Protests by the Jewish community were the cause of two earlier failed attempts to stage the piece.

The highly anticipated international hit FUERZA BRUTA will make its Taipei premiere at the base of Taipei 101 on December 15, 2009. Celebrated by audiences across the world, FUERZA BRUTA is a non-stop collision of dynamic music, visceral emotion, and kinetic aerial imagery that resembles nothing less than a fantastic interactive theatrical experience.

STOMP is making its much anticipated return to Wilmington's DuPont Theatre for one weekend only Friday, November 13 through Sunday, November 15, 2009.

'The Pee-wee Herman Show,' starring Paul Reubens, will begin a limited engagement starting January 12, 2010, at Club Nokia @ LA Live. This theatrical production is for grown-ups and appropriate for ages 16 to 106.

Actor's Express partners with the Alliance Theatre to bring Atlanta audiences a staged reading of a powerful new play,The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later (An Epilogue). Directed by Actor's Express Artistic Director Freddie Ashley, the special event takes place on the Alliance's Hertz Stage Monday, October 12, the 11th anniversary of the brutal murder of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard.

The Austin Chronicle reports that Scott Schroeder, the Artistic Director of Zilker Theater Productions, resigned last week after a financial dispute with the company's Board of Directors. Schroeder had served as Artistic Director for eight years, however had been associated with the company since 1984.

Jersey Boys, the 2006 Tony Award®-winning Best Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi, will make its Mid-South debut when it performs at Memphis' The Orpheum beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27 through Sunday, Feb. 14 for three weeks of performances.

The Charlestown Working Theater will remount its acclaimed production of The Odyssey for six final area performances, November 6 - 21. The Odyssey is adapted and performed by CWT Co-Directors Jennifer Johnson and John Peitso, and played last winter to sold?out audiences.

The producers of the Tony Award nominated new Broadway production of GREASE announced that Lauren Ashley Zakrin will assume the role of 'Sandy' in the national tour of the show, as of October 23, 2009, at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, AZ.

Thodos Dance Chicago's Fall Concert 2009, featuring the company's premiere of Fosse Trilogy set by legendary Broadway and film veteran Ann Reinking, will be presented in two performances: Friday November 13, 2009 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie and Saturday, November 28 at Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago.

PS Classics, the record label dedicated to recording Broadway albums and discs of classic American songs will be releasing three albums this fall featuring some of the industry's finest talent. The albums include a debut recording of the little known 1926 Broadway musical KITTY'S KISSES, which ran from May 6 - October 6; GUTENBERG!: The Musical; and Rebecca Luker's first solo album in five years, GREENWHICH TIME.