On behalf of the Kleban Foundation, New Dramatists presented the 19th Annual Kleban Award for the most promising musical theater lyricist has to Beth Falcone and the award for the most promising musical theater librettist has to Kait Kerrigan. The 2009 awards were presented on June 1, 2009, in a private ceremony at BMI.

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2008-2009 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Craig Bierko (The Music Man, 2000), Daniel Breaker(Passing Strange, 2008), Kristin Chenoweth (Steel Pier, 1997), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976),Susan Kellermann (Last Licks, 1980), Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific, 2008), and John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, 2004).

Anika Larsen, star of the upcoming Off-Broadway musical SHAFRIKA, THE WHITE GIRL, will be this week's special guest on SIRIUS XM Live on Broadway Wednesday, June 3rd at noon at The Broadway Concierge & Ticket Center in The Times Square Information Center (Seventh Ave. between 46th & 47th St.)

Natalie Douglas brings a brand new show to Birdland next Monday, June 8th at 7pm. Entitled 'The Heart of the Matter,' it is a collection of songs that transfixed Natalie as a child and teenager in Los Angeles. These are the songs that she would listen to over and over in her bedroom, crying, laughing and, of course, singing as she discovered the power of music and how it could indeed, reach to The Heart of the Matter with intelligent lyrics, beautiful melodies and that dash of magic.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, June 1, 2009.

The Whiting is proud to announce its incredible 2009-10 season line-up! Get ready for a season of excitement as The Whiting presents a variety of performances from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Hairspray, Avenue Q and Cirque Dreams Illumination to Tracy Lawrence, Sinbad and Kenny Wayne Shepherd

It's the time of year where the Theatre World celebrates the best of the best and special recognition is bestowed upon certain individuals for their work. No...I am not talking about the Tony Awards...although I know where I will be that evening. I talking about the 19th Annual Kleban Awards, which will be presented in a private ceremony on June 1st, 2009.

In a bold move designed to continue to make Avenue Q accessible to all, Cameron Mackintosh has priced weekday grand circle seats at just £10. Since day one, the hilarious, feel-good musical about young people finding their way in the world has pulled in new audiences as well as regular theatergoers.

Gerard Alessandrini (creator, writer and director) and Philip George (director) will bring their multi-award winning satirical musical, Forbidden Broadway, for a limited run only at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 25 June to 13 September, with press night on 02 July. The show, which wrapped up its record-breaking 27-year run in New York this March, makes its first visit to London in 10 years.

Just weeks prior to the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q's 6th anniversary on Broadway, one of the stars of the original cast, Ann Harada, will return to the role of 'Christmas Eve' starting Monday, July 6th at the John Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street) in New York City.

The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), the acclaimed off Broadway hit by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart that has played to sold-out houses across the United Stages, in Canada and on London's West End, will return to New York for a one-night-only performance, on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30pm. The evening will benefit the York Theatre Company, the award-winning off-Broadway company that first produced the show, in 2004, in honor of the theatre's 40th Anniversary.

Theatre World Awards for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut performances during the 2008-2009 theatrical season will be presented by former Theatre World Award winners, including: Craig Bierko (The Music Man, 2000), Daniel Breaker(Passing Strange, 2008), Kristin Chenoweth (Steel Pier, 1997), Tovah Feldshuh (Yentl, 1976),Susan Kellermann (Last Licks, 1980), Loretta Ables Sayre (South Pacific, 2008), and John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, 2004).

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will kick off this summer's Second Stage Theatre Uptown Series with the world premiere of Zakiyyah Alexander's 10 Things To Do Before I Die. Directed by Jackson Gay, 10 Things To Do Before I Die will feature Francois Battiste, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Kyle Beltran, Dion Graham, and Tracie Thoms. Opening night is Thursday, May 28 at 7:00pm.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Tuesday, May 26, 2009.

The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, Florida, proudly announces its 2009-2010 Harris Broadway Season. The King Center continues its fine tradition of bringing quality, heartfelt, classic entertainment direct from the Broadway stage to the Space Coast. This season's line-up offers something everyone can enjoy.

Producers Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum and Allan S. Gordon have announced that stars Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart will reprise the roles they originated on Broadway in 'RENT: The Broadway Tour'.

THE BURNT PART BOYS -- a new musical by Mariana Elder (book), Nathan Tysen (lyrics) and Chris Miller (music), directed by Erica Schmidt ('Humor Abuse') -- will have an innovative production and development schedule on its way to an Off-Broadway premiere in the spring of 2010 when it will be presented as a co-production by Playwrights Horizons (Artistic Director, Tim Sanford; Managing Director, Leslie Marcus) and the Vineyard Theatre (Artistic Director, Douglas Aibel; Executive Director, Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell) at Playwrights Horizons, it has been announced by both non-profit theaters.

Transport Group, the winner of a special 2007 Drama Desk Award and a 2007 Obie Award, will present An Evening With...William Finn & Friends on Monday, June 15th at 7:00PM at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Bedford Streets.

The T Fellowship, the ambitious Theater program created in an effort to encourage, support and develop a new generation of creative theatrical producers, is now seeing the first yield of its considerable efforts with the critical hit GROUNDSWELL, the U.S. premiere of the award-winning play by Ian Bruce and directed by Scott Elliott. Presented by The New Group, GROUNDSWELL is produced in association with Orin Wolf, the first recipient of the T Fellowship for Creative Producing.

Variety reports that the Broadway-bound musical MEMPHIS has nabbed the Shubert Theater for its fall run, with a group sales announcement indicating the show will begin previews on September 23rd, 2009. The official announcement about a theatre location or for exact preview and opening dates has been made as of yet.

Drag superstar Sweetie, recently seen on 'Project Runway' and in WIG OUT!, hosts the WIG OUT! COSTUME EXTRAVANGZA, a special one-night-only event offering drinks, divas, drag and dance presented by the Vineyard Theater on Thursday, May 21, beginning with a cocktail reception at 7:00pm, followed by a fashion show, silent auction of costumes from the hit musical WIG OUT! designed by Toni-Leslie James, and dance party featuring the stars of WIG OUT! at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) in Manhattan.

Shrek The Musical takes you behind-the-scenes with the launch of 'This Is Our Story: Swamp to Stage,' the 10-part online video series that follows the cast and creative team of Broadway's newest hit musical on their journey to bring this story to life on stage. BroadwayWorld is proud to bring you the complete video series!

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Monday, May 18, 2009.

The New Group, currently represented Off-Broadway by Ian Bruce's play Groundswell, is pleased to announce its upcoming 2009-2010 season. Leading next season with previews beginning in October 2009 is the world premiere of The Starry Messenger by Kenneth Lonergan, featuring Matthew Broderick. The season continues with a major revival of A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard, directed by Ethan Hawke (previews begin January 2010).

Fox Associates announces its stellar 2009-2010 U.S. Bank Broadway Series, featuring Broadway's latest sensation IN THE HEIGHTS, winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical. The new Mel Brooks Musical YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, a zany recreation of the classic film, will make its St. Louis debut. Also included in the series are: the recent Broadway smash hit production of IRVING BERLIN'S WHITE CHRISTMAS; the 2007 Broadway revival of GREASE starring 'American Idol' winner Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel and the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY starring Estelle Parsons.