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Taylor Iman Jones Has Got the Beat in Broadway's "Head Over Heels"

Taylor Iman Jones is currently starring as Mopsa in Head Over Heels (featuring music from the Go-Go’s) on Broadway which is currently in previews right now at The Hudson Theatre. I have been a fan since her Broadway debut in Groundhog Day. What made her debut so amazing was that she had only living in New York for two months when she booked the gig.

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Man accused of groping teens outside Broadway performance of "Anastasia"

Authorities are searching for the man accused of groping three teenage girls outside a New York Broadway theater Friday night.

It happened at about 11:15 p.m. after a performance of ‘Anastasia’ at the Broadhurst Theater as crowds of people were exiting the building.  Police say a man stood outside the theater and made inappropriate sexual contact, groping three teenage girls, ages 15, 16 and 19.

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A Touchstone of the Port Hope Arts Community

Recently, a quick ten-minute pre-show discussion before a highly successful matinee performance of Fiddler on the Roof at Port Hope's Cameco Capitol Arts Centre inspired me to learn more about the indelible mark Antonio Sarmiento has left on the thriving arts community in this pretty town, about a forty-five-minute drive east of Oshawa.

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Trump Supporter Attempts and Fails to Disrupt Performance of 'A Bronx Tale'

This morning it was reported that at last night's performance of A Bronx Tale, a man sitting near the front row, stood up and displayed a pro-Donald Trump sign towards the audience. 

The incident occurred during the curtain call of the show, which just seems pointless because the audience is already cheering the show.

A couple of people on Twitter were able to catch the act. 

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Despite the Doubt and Hate, Tony Awards Ratings Went Up This Year

Leading up to the 72nd Tony Awards, many prognosticators out there were assuming that without a "Hamilton-ish" cross over hit or The Band's Visit's likely dominance, the TV ratings would drop through the basement. 

How wrong they were. 

Just a day after the big night, it was reported that the TV ratings actually went up from last year's awards. Sunday night’s telecast of the Tonys drew 6.3 million viewers on CBS, an improvement of 4% from the 6 million who watched last year.

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Tony Award Wrap Up - Highs, Lows, Tears and Snubs

Surprises? There were a couple. But other than a few unexpected wins, the 2018 Tonys shaped up exactly the way most people thought they were. The Band's Visit dominated the evening with 10 wins which surely pleased the "theatre snob" crowd who feel like the sky is falling when it comes to "quality" Broadway shows. 

Did The Band's Visit deserve every award it won? Yes and no. But it did certainly warrant some of the bigger wins in the evening. Let's run down some of the highlights as well as the lowlights of the ceremony. 

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Chatting with "Mean Girls" Star Kyle Selig!

Meet Kyle Selig!

Kyle is currently playing the role of the Aaron Samuels in "Mean Girls" on Broadway which has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards including Best New Musical. "Mean Girls" is based on the 2004 film written by Tina Fey (who also went on to write the book for the Broadway show which earned her a Tony Nomination). The movie made $129 million at the box office, and since its official opening, the film has developed a strong cult following around the world. So bringing this to the Broadway stage was a very smart and inevitable move.

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Has a Danish Theatre Company Gone Too Far with Blackface Play?

A theatre company in Copenhagen has created quite a stir with their upcoming show. While the folks at Sort/Hvid have never shied away from the more avant-garde material and controversial material, it looks like they have crossed a line with their production of "Black Madonna", which was originally titled "White N*gger, Black Madonna"

In response to the outrage the title of the play cause, Sort/Hvid changed it. However, the play itself seems to be an issue because it's about a woman donning blackface in order to live her life as a black woman.

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Out with "Rise", In with "High School Musical"

In case you were one of the fans of the now-canceled "Rise", who felt empty that there wasn't a musical-based show on television, it looks like you won't have to wait too long. It looks like Disney's preparations for their own streaming service are ramping up with the announcement today that their TV series based on the popular trilogy, "High School Musical"has found its writer. 

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The Asian American Film Lab's “72 Hour Shootout" Begins on June 7th

The Asian American Film Lab, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501c3 organization that promotes gender and ethnic diversity in film and TV programming.

We hold an annual, global filmmaking competition called the “72 Hour Shootout,” which begins on June 7, 2018. In this competition, participants take 3 days to create a 5-minute film that follows a theme assigned by the Film Lab. Last year’s theme was “Welcome to the New Normal: The Normalization of Sexism and Xenophobia in Modern America.” There must be one person of Asian descent both behind and in front of the camera in a key role for each film. Awards include cash prizes and mentorships.

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Pittsburgh Community Theatre Shuts Down Production of "Big Fish" Over Depiction of Gay Parents

Outrage has erupted in Pittsburgh, PA over the cancellation of a community theatre production of "Big Fish" due to a dispute between the creative team and producers over the inclusion of staging that would have featured a gay male couple with a child. 

For their upcoming production of the Andrew Lippa musical, during the number, "Stranger, the director wanted to include a gay male couple with a child among the ensemble interacting with Will while he's reflecting on being a future father. While the producers "compromised" with the director at first, when the director wanted to include additional staging that featured the gay couple, producers balked. The dispute between the creative and producing teams led the director to resign from the production, followed by multiple cast members. 

Due to the fact that opening night was less than a month away and what the producers called a "campaign to disparage" their reputation, they decided to cancel the entire production. 

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