Industry Theatre Newsroom Page 72

Origin Theatre Company has appointed the actor and producer Michael Mellamphy to serve as its new artistic director, replacing Origin’s founder George C. Heslin, who became the new executive director of the New York Irish Center in October last year.

Kim H. Kowalke, President of the Kurt Weill Foundation has announced the finalists for the 2021 Lotte Lenya Competition. Fifteen performers will compete for top prizes of $20,000, $15,000, and $10,000.

The S&S Award is turning producer to become S&S Theatre Productions, dedicated to producing radical new musical theatre­ with partnerships between the UK and the USA.

The pandemic has not only had a deep impact on the entertainment industry from a financial perspective, it has also brought into stark relief the inequalities that have existed just below the surface - and as more regions move toward reopening, more questions continue within the industry of how companies should function when they do reopen.

As anti-Asian discrimination, violence, and hate crimes continue to rise, National Asian/Pasifika/Native/Indigenous/MENA Theatre Leaders commemorate one month after the Atlanta massacre with a new statement calling for local and national public leadership to take action against racism.

Kareem Fahmy, a director and playwright, has launched the BIPOC Director Database. The spreadsheet includes personal information such as name, pronouns, and location, as well as contact information and career experience. In the latter category, fields include degrees honors, specialties and interests, and years in the business.

The evening of entertainment included a welcome video from Tamara Tunie and Black Theatre United; a tribute featuring past Hermitage Greenfield Prize recipients, jurors, and partners; performances of Harris' work; and a stirring musical closing by Ann Morrison and Joseph Holt.

The  2021 International Thespian Festival brings together thousands of theatre students and their teachers to enjoy 40+ educational workshops, inspiring performances, and the opportunity to interact with 60+ colleges, industry leaders, and Broadway professionals — including emcee Michael James Scott,

The Whiting Foundation has announced the winners of the 2021 Whiting Awards. These ten writers, working in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama, will each be awarded $50,000, to “devote themselves full-time to their own writing or to take bold new risks in their work.”

The Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation approved the awarding of a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship to choreographer Helen Simoneau, who serves as artistic director of Helen Simoneau Dance.

The Story Collider has announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed longtime Artistic Director Erin Barker as Executive Director, effective July 1, 2021. Barker’s portfolio will continue to include artistic leadership of the organization, and the team will expand to include its first Managing Director.

Today, the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation approved the awarding for Guggenheim Fellowships to a diverse group of 184 artists, writers, scholars, and scientists.

The Richard Lawson Studios continues The Self Tape Master Class series with casting professional Katie O'Connor joining master teacher Richard Lawson on April 17th.

The Jewish Plays Project has announced its second annual digital contest as part of the 10th Annual Jewish Playwriting Contest. The contest opens on April 15th.

The creators of the TikTok musical version of Bridgerton, Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, have just signed with CAA and Kraft-Engel Management, according to Deadline.

Beloved New York City drag performers The Golden Gays NYC have announced their new partnership with Bright Artists Management,  a boutique NYC artist management company, owned and operated by Robert (Bobby) Holder.

Theatre Communications Group has announced the inaugural Climate Action and Environmental Justice Summit, hosted online in partnership with Groundwater Arts, HowlRound, and Broadway Green Alliance on Earth Day, April 22, 2021.

Industry panelists Scott Irgang, Ryan Conway and Carl Pasbjerg will discuss how to get shows and audiences back into our theaters in New York and nationwide. The discussion will be moderated by Tony Award-winning Commercial Theatrical Producer and EAG Council Member Margot Astrachan.

Portrait of a Heart received an informal reading through Artists in Residence of Toronto in January, and another virtual reading just last week. The latest reading featured Sean Allan Krill (Jagged Little Pill), Nadia Bowers, Taylor Rose Mickens, Danny Gardner, Jete Laurence, John Allyn. It featured stage direction by Nicholas Leung and organized by creative consultant Hannah Ryan (Hamilton, An American in Paris).

As vaccines continue to roll out across the country, the puzzle of how to safely reopen gains some clarity - but with that clarity come new questions. This week, we have coverage of new production guidelines from AEA as well as concerns over the feasibility of vaccine or negative test requirements of audiences.

The Small Business Administration has been forced to halt its opening day for COVID-19 grants for theaters and live venues due to technical difficulties.

The All In NYC: Embracing Diversity Webinar Series will present Black on Broadway, a six-part Black travel webinar program. The program creates space for honest conversation that uplifts Black voices, shares the lived experience of Black New Yorkers, promotes allyship and accountability within NYC & Company and its membership, and builds meaningful alliances across our industry.

Non-Profit organization Musicians United for Social Equity today announced a set of scholarships supporting BIPOC musicians pursuing a career in theatre. This new initiative also heralds the official launch of the organization, co-founded by Kenny Seymour and Stephen Oremus.

WrapWomen will welcome Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, singer and producer Cynthia Erivo for a Spotlight Conversation presented by National Geographic at the 2021 BE Mentorship Conference, May 11-13. The livestreaming event will offer three days of mentorship, education and career-building workshops.

The 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize has been awarded to U.S. playwright Erika Dickerson-Despenza for her play about the Flint, Michigan water crisis, cullud wattah. Awarded annually since 1977, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize is the largest and oldest international prize honoring Women+ playwrights.