The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF), recently nominated for a 2018 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical Revivial (Amerike-The Golden Land),  has completed its casting for the American premiere of the Yiddish language Fiddler on the Roof. Helmed by Academy Award and Tony Award winner Joel Grey, and accompanied by English and Russian translation supertitles, this highly-anticipated 8-week limited engagement, July 4th through August 26th, is set to play Off Broadway at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Walking into the Pantages Theatre at 10:45 a.m. was a thrill. Usually the theatre is closed to the public at this time of the day, however, the lobby lights were aglow on School of Rock posters, and chairs were set for a select group of media to meet the cast of School of Rock.

The two leads Rob Colletti (Dewey) and Lexi Dorsett Sharp (Rosalie) walked into the lobby with sixteen of their cast mates all under 12 years old. This talented bunch were dressed informally and in School of Rock apparel. The kids performed “If Only You Would Listen” before the interviews.

Don’t miss your chance to win tickets to Broadway hits such as Anastasia and Waitress at Downton Abbey: The Exhibition!

Throughout the month of May, Downton Abbey: The Exhibition invites guests to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. We will be celebrating in style at the exhibition with special guest speakers, giveaways, competitions, and more!

About a month from now, Broadway will descend on Radio City Musical Hall for the 2018 Tony Awards. While this year doesn't feature the crossover hits such as Hamilton or Dear Evan Hansen, it should still be an exciting evening with many of the award categories without a clear front-runner. 

So who is going to take home a trophy? Who really deserves it? And who should have been invited to the big night and wasn't?

Trafalgar Releasing has announced the North American theatrical release of the highly acclaimed musical, An American in Paris, coming to movie theaters across the USA on Thursday, September 20 and Sunday, September 23.

About a month from now, Broadway will descend on Radio City Musical Hall for the 2018 Tony Awards. While this year doesn't feature the crossover hits such as Hamilton or Dear Evan Hansen, it should still be an exciting evening with many of the award categories without a clear front-runner. 

So who is going to take home a trophy? Who really deserves it? And who should have been invited to the big night and wasn't? Here are our picks for the technical categories

“A dark, amusing look at romance…strikes just the right balance between wisdom and whimsy…light, bright, anti-romantic, and engaging,” according toThe Hartford Courant, LOVE/SICK is a collection of nine slightly twisted and completely hilarious short vignettes taking place in an alternate suburban reality (where a bride can literally get cold feet and a couple can simply forget to have a baby). This 80-minute romp explores the tragedy and comedy of relationships. Full of imperfect lovers and dreamers, LOVE/SICK is an unromantic comedy for the romantic in everyone.

America’s Sweethearts, now in their third year of bringing vintage entertainment to audiences all over the country, will host a long-awaited CD Release Party at Town Stages on Saturday, May 12th!

Concrete Temple Theatre is curating an evening of cutting edge, devised visual theatre. Concrete Boom: volume one will be presented Monday, June 11th and Tuesday, June 12 at Dixon Place, located at 161A Chrystie St. (between Rivington and Delancey). Performances begin at 7:30pm. Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door, and $15 for students & seniors, please purchase through dixonplace.org.

A German theatre in Konstanz, has found itself at the center of controversy by offering free admission to any audience member willing to don a swastika armband during a play about Adolf Hitler. The play in question, Mein Kampf, is a farce which depicts Hitler as a young aspiring artist in Vienna. The play also features a character that resembles Donald Trump.

Audience Rewards® and the 72nd Annual Tony Awards® will launch the 2018 Tony Awards Challenge, an interactive game that invites theatre fans to predict who will win the Tony Awards.

Beginning May 1st on the heels of the announcement of the Tony Nominations, fans will be invited to visit TonyAwards.com to play the game for free. Similar to fantasy football, fans can start their own “leagues” and play against friends and family.  

My first time seeing Jelani perform was in a reading of Boy Meets Girl (written by Eric Schaeffer) at The New York Theater Barn last year and I was blown away. One can only imagine the fantastic feeling Jelani must have felt when offered the role of Kristoff in Frozen. “I know this will sound cliché, but it truly has been the most magical experience of my life thus far," he said regarding his experience so far with the show. He also added that “Working for this company, with this group of artists has been so inspiring and eye-opening.”

I’d like you to meet the talented Matt Shingledecker!

Matt is currently starring in the National Tour of Les Miserables playing one of the central roles of Enjolras, the leader of the ABC Cafe. Matt has appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening, West Side Story (Tony), Wicked (Fiyero), Off-Broadway in RENT (Roger), and in the first National Tour of Spring Awakening. I first saw Matt perform on Broadway in Spring Awakening, and after that, I had the chance to work with him when he starred in a staged reading of my play The Unpredictable Time in the summer on 2015 where he played the lead role of Henry.

Once again it appears as though educators have failed their students as a high school production has been canceled due to copyrights not being secured.

Over the weekend, students at Nansemond River High School in Suffolk, VA were told that their production of Disney's The Lion King would not continue because rights to the show had not been obtained. The worst part is, they had already begun performances. 

One of the more iconic literary works dealing with race relations in 20th Century America will not be performed in Keene, NY. The small community's Keene Central School, just north of Albany, decided against performing Christopher Sergel's adaptation of Harper Lee's novel due to its use of a racial slur. 

While usually these types of decisions are handed down by school administrations, it was the Director of the production, who opted against performing the piece, because the students felt uncomfortable saying the "n-word". 

OOTB will host a special forum on Monday, April 30 th to support the theater’s commitment to providing a platform for up and coming artists. Moderated by Love Your Bodd Podcast host Heather Boddy, OOTB Producing Artistic Director, Elizabeth Flemming, OOTB Nocturne director Amiee Turner, Broadway’s Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812’s Associate Director Sammi Cannold, Actor/Writer/Producer and HAPA Magazine Founder Alex Chester, and Atlantic Theatre Company Director Awoye Timpo will discuss the importance and relevance of immersive theatre and how you can use it to create your own platform for your unique voice.

For actress Gabrielle Beckford, starring in “Crowns” is both the start of her professional career and a full circle moment. The recent Rider University graduate grew up in New York City and, while she was involved in all types of art from visual to culinary, her first experience as a performer was singing in church. But after a high school teacher cast in “Hair,” Beckford switched her attention from the pulpit to the proscenium. She started studying voice and dance, eventually completing a BFA in musical theater. It seems to be serendipity that her first professional role after college is in “Crowns,” a gospel-infused play Beckford says hits close to home. To learn more about the show and her experience playing Yolanda, both at McCarter Theatre Center and currently at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, I spoke to her over the phone. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

On Friday, May 4 TheatreWorks New Milford will premiere Mel Brooks' Zany movie-turned-musical musical, Young Frankenstein.The curtain rises at 8:00 p.m. every Friday and Saturday and 2:00pm on some Sundays through June 2.

On Friday, April 20th, the new "Spy Kids: Mission Critical" animated TV show will launch on Netflix. Based on the popular film series, the show will center on brother-and-sister team Juni and Carmen Cortez. who attend Spy Kids Academy, a top secret spy school for kid agents. When a new counter-spy agency threatens the safety of the world, it will be up to junior spies Juni and Carmen to train and lead a team of fellow Spy Kids cadets against the forces of S.W.A.M.P. (Sinister Wrongdoers Against Mankind's Preservation) and their diabolical leader, Golden Brain. The Mission Critical team may not be ready, but they are the only ones to call when grown-up spies can't do the job.

One of the supporting characters on the show is "Psi". Not much is known about the character other than he seems to be a dapper dresser and is black. The voice actor playing the role, however, is white. Below is an image of the character, Psi and Travis Turner who is voicing him.

Award season is upon us. In the coming weeks and months, a lot of accolades are going to be handed out to Broadway's best. It all leads up to the Tonys on June 10th. 

While some races might be more predictable than others, I feel there are going to be not only some surprises on who takes home an award but also those earning nominations as well. So here are our guesses as to who should expect a call on May 1st. While some of these shows have yet to officially open, the buzz from their previews will most definitely impact the Tony races. These predictions are based on pending eligibility.