Stay Tuned! PBS-KQED Broadcasts: June

San Francisco's PBS affiliate, KQED TV9 and DT9, has several great up-coming Broadway and theatre related broadcasts planned for the month of June!

As announced from San Francisco KQED releases:

BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE
June 12th, 9PM and June 17th, 5PM
"An important, ambitious and comprehensive film about America's most celebrated indigenous art form. Award-winning filmmaker Rick McKay filmed over 100 of the greatest stars ever to work on Broadway. He soon learned that great films can be restored, fine literature can be kept in print - but historic Broadway performances of the past are the most endangered. They leave only memories that, while more vivid, are more difficult to preserve. In their own words - and not a moment too soon - this program tells the stories of our theatrical legends, how they came to New York, and how they created this legendary century in American theatre."

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER: THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
June 15th, 8PM
"Directed by Bartlett Sher, the program restages the original musical production that won six 2005 Tony awards. Adapted from Elizabeth Spencer's novel, the story takes place in the summer of 1953, where Margaret Johnson, the wife of a well- heeled American businessman, is touring the Tuscan countryside with her daughter Clara. A chance encounter sparks an intense romance between Clara and Fabrizio Naccarelli, a handsome Florentine, to the objections of Margaret."

AMERICAN MASTERS - GEORGE GERSHWIN
June 17th, 8PM
"When George Gershwin's parents bought a piano for their eldest son, Ira, it was little George who sat down and began playing tunes on it. That was the beginning of Gershwin's remarkable musical career, which included the Tin Pan Alley hit 'Swanee' and the Broadway musicals Funny Face and Of Thee I Sing. While Gershwin's compositions Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris marked him as a serious composer, he continued to create popular music for stage and screen, winning the first Pulitzer Prize for a musical. In 1935, Gershwin premiered the seminal work of the American opera, Porgy and Bess. Two years later, at age 39, he died of a brain tumor. Using family photo albums, home movies, and rehearsal and performance footage, this film sheds light and historical perspective on Gershwin's eclectic musical career."

AMERICAN MASTERS - YOU'RE THE TOP: THE COLE PORTER STORY
June 17th, 9:30PM
"Some of the cleverest, funniest and most romantic songs ever written came from the pen of Cole Porter. Outwardly a sophisticated bon vivant and international partygoer, he was also a dedicated musical professional who routinely spent hours agonizing over a single rhyme or musical transition. The life and legacy of America's most sophisticated songwriter is the subject of this documentary, which features interviews with the performers and artists who knew Porter best and more than 20 classic performances from his movie musicals."

2006 DRAMA DESK AWARDS
June 11th, 3:30PM – Cable Broadcast only on KQED Life: DT9.4 / Comcast 191
"Awards are presented to actors, playwrights, composers, lyricists, librettists, directors, producers and designers whose work was seen on Broadway, Off Broadway or Off-Off Broadway during the past theatrical season. Presenters are chosen from the many stars who have appeared on New York stages. These Awards are among of the most coveted and prestigious honors in the world of the American Theatre. Just a nomination has the ability to propel a creative artist struggling in relative obscurity to national prominence. Award presentations are interspersed with musical production numbers from some of the nominated musicals."

For more information on other KQED arts and culture broadcasts, visit http://www.kqed.org/arts/.

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