An investigation by a college newspaper has uncovered that a long-tenured faculty member of its theatre program has been accused by multiple female students of sexual misconduct. Even more, the college knew of the allegations, found the professor had violated sexual harassment policies, yet he is still employed to this day. 

“I opened a small colorful book I found on the used book shelf”, the charming and erudite Ms. Ahrens told me.  She was immediately bewitched by the novel’s first line: “There is an island where rivers run deep/ Where the sea sparkling in the sun earns it/ The name “Jewel of the Antillies.”

“I thought this is the most beautiful poetry”, Ms. Ahrens remembers.  “It just wants to leap to the music.”  Magically, perhaps, it did.

I recently caught up with Ms. Ahrens by phone to discuss Once On This Island’s path to Broadway, the current revival, and the show’s emotional impact on audiences and cast members. 

Talking with Arta Negahban and Peilani Rasmussen, the two youngest cast members of the production “Once On This Island” directed by Damon Bradley Jang, only solidified my interest in going to see this show Saturday night at the Red Gate Revue Stage on Granville Island! The two young actors are already so mature and gave great insight into what this show will hold for theatre goers of all ages. They describe an emotional show, with themes of self-discovery and independence.

Both as a playwright and as a critic, I frequently get invited to review many shows – and also get chances to present my own plays – in many theatre festivals in New York. Many of these shows that I’ve seen featured in these festivals are a beautiful tribute to the diversity and multiculturalism that is reflected throughout America. However, it’s not every day that I see a festival that not only commits itself to capturing such vibrant diversity through the works that they curate, but also does so through film, music, and poetry, in addition to theatre. Yet over the next five weeks in lower Manhattan, that’s exactly what the Downtown Urban Arts Festival is aiming to achieve.

“You cannot begin to describe the effect that trip had on me as a person but also in feeling equipped to responsibly bring this work to Broadway in 2017 in a way that was true to the piece and what it portrays.”

That is what scenic designer Dane Laffrey told me near the end of our 45-minute phone conversation about the research trip to Haiti that completely changed the way he designed the current Broadway revival of “Once On This Island.” In fact, Laffrey said that expedition changed a lot of things, along with a few other meteorological events that coincidentally happened during the rehearsal process. “Hurricane Maria happened in Puerto Rico and the storms that affected those tiny little islands in the Bahamas. We continued to collect and pull those images because it felt like ‘Island’ is ultimately dealing with, at its core, how you survive in the face of something like that and the restorative power of storytelling. You feel that connection of the human spirit threaded through all these places.”

DumbWise Theatre's recent production of Electra was a modernised retelling of the Greek myth, which drew on themes of politics and the media, and was energised with punk rock music. I recently chatted with John Ward, artistic director of this interesting new piece.

In response to OnStage Blog reporting on an unauthorized performance of "Bombshell", the fictional musical from the TV show Smash, the theatre group MEDIARTRIX at the University of Santo Tomas, has canceled the production. 

In late 2015, seemingly in order to avoid paying Music Theatre International (MTI) for licensing rights for Jonathan Larson's "RENT", students of the theatre group UP Manila Dramatista at the University of the Phillippines - Manila, created their own musical titled "Measure in Love". 

While creating original shows or revues in lew of paying for licensing is a common occurrence, the difference here was that "Measure in Love" was "RENT", with the students simply changing the title to avoid potential copyright infringement. 

Eastbound Theatre, a division of the Milford Arts Council, announces auditions for the final show of its 24th season, the compelling and complex Third by Wendy Wasserstein, directed by Nancy A. Herman.

This spring, the student-run, multimedia organization of and for art enthusiasts at the University of Santa Tomas(MEDIARTRIX-UST), will be performing their annual musical. In the past, this group has performed such shows as Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde. However this year they decided on newer work. This spring they are performing the musical, Bombshell. 

And in case you were wondering, yes, that is the fictitious musical from the TV-show Smash. 

Their production would be a world premiere of sorts because the show is still in development.

Darko Tresnjak will step down as Hartford Stage's Artistic Director at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season. Tresnjak has served as the Tony Award-winning theatre’s artistic leader since 2011. A national search will be conducted to find his replacement.

In the Fall of 2016, a musical theatre club at the London School of Public Relations in Jakarta, Indonesia performed Hamilton for their fellow students and friends. However, this was not just a couple of songs that we typically see videos of in talent shows and cabarets. No, this was a fully staged production of the show, complete with sets, costumes, and choreography. And yes, it appears they sold tickets for this production. 

Hartford Stage Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts announced today the cast and creative team for the world premiere of The Age of Innocence, which will perform at Hartford Stage Thursday, April 5, through Sunday, May 6. 

The Age of Innocence has been adapted for the stage by Douglas McGrath. Tony Award Winner Doug Hughes will direct. Four-time Tony Award winner Boyd Gaines leads the cast, which features Sierra Boggess, Helen Cespedes, and Andrew Veenstra.

It goes without saying that throughout history, very few playwrights are as renowned, studied and frequently produced as William Shakespeare. Some of the most famous comedies, tragedies and love stories in theatre have been credited to his name. Even just over the past year, I’ve probably reviewed more plays by Shakespeare than by any other playwright.

However, a new production coming to Brooklyn this weekend seeks to get audiences to view his work in a very specific lens, in the hopes of starting a conversation on issues that have been getting more and more attention, specifically over the past couple of years.

Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada will make her Feinstein’s at the Nikko debut on Friday, April 27 (8 p.m.) andSaturday, April 28 (8 p.m.). Through her favorite artists like Amy Winehouse and Frank Sinatra, Eva Noblezada sings from her heart and reveals a side of her story you’ve never heard.

Hub Theatre Company of Boston will kick off its highly anticipated sixth season with the Pulitzer Prize nominated play TRUE WEST by the late Sam Shepard, directed by Daniel Bourque, starring Bob Mussett, Victor Shopov, Robert Orzalli and Maureen Adduci.

It’s been called author Tennessee Williams’ best work and is widely known as his favorite. Now the classic Southern drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes the stage in Reston Community Players’ 51st season. The play, which has been called an “American treasure brimming with intensity and wit,” will perform at the Reston Community Center March 9-24.

On Wednesday, March 28, Howard Meyer’s Acting Program (aka HMActing) is hosting a free, no obligation Open House to introduce adults and youngsters to the variety of acting classes offered for all ages and levels. An affiliate of Axial Theatre, a professional company in Pleasantville (N.Y.), HMActing was founded 20 years ago by Mr. Meyer, an award-winning playwright, as well as an actor and director, who serves as artistic director of Axial Theatre.

Since 2005, Manhattan Repertory Theatre has made a name for itself as being a home for playwrights craving to find space to bring their original work to life in the heart of New York City. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Ken Wolf, thousands of one-act and full-length plays have been presented and produced through Manhattan Rep’s wide variety of programming, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

For many people, professional wrestling can often come across as so theatrical and over the top, they are led to believe that it is actually just actors faking it for the sake of pure entertainment. Indeed, many people have actually argued that wrestling – in and of itself – can be considered a genuine form of “pop theatre”, so to speak. Yet a new show being produced down in Orlando, Florida, seeks to cast aside that notion, by merging these two forms of art and entertainment together in a brand new show.