Women in Theatre is a new series where I will be highlighting an inspiring female identifying person within the heavily male dominated theatre industry. In a 2017 study released by the NY Times, women and minority actors/creatives obtain fewer jobs within the entertainment industry. I was fortunate to sit down for an interview with Kate Lumpkin of Kate Lumpkin Casting and learn about her remarkable journey as a casting director and why she loves what she does.

This past month, Disney unveiled the first teaser trailer for “Aladdin”, its latest remake of their animated classics set to release in Spring 2019. In addition to some glimpses of Iago flying above some epic CGI-generated landscapes, we also got to see a quick look at the Cave of Wonders and hear some pretty familiar dialogue,

“Only one may enter here,” the Cave says. “One whose worth lies far within. A diamond in the rough.”

I’m 100% sure we’re going to hear some of the more iconic lines of the original animated films in this remake. However, apparently Disney is being more than a bit stingy when it comes to paying the original writers of the animated film.

Cancer is not a subject that one would think of for centering a comedy around, though Maura Campbell's new play “Massive” takes on the daunting task of taking a serious and often somber topic and making us able to still laugh at the people on stage.

Developing new musicals often happens outside the shiny marquee lights of New York City. Recently, Chicago and Boston have played host to a number of new shows while a few theaters in Connecticut have done similar work, both recently and as far back as “Annie” and “Oklahoma.” But even further away in Alberta, Canada a new musical is taking the stage for the first time.

One of the most prestigious music programs in the country is being rocked by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct involving professors and students. Worse yet, the school’s response to these issues has been severely lacking in the eyes of its students.

Lulu the Broadway Mouse is the fantastic debut novel of stage and television actress Jenna Gavigan.  Jenna Gavigan made her Broadway debut as a teenager opposite of legend Bernadette Peters in Gypsy. You can visit her on her website. As someone who likes theatre, reading, and animals, I was so thrilled to receive a copy of Lulu for review, especially since this was such a fun book to read.

It’s been 25 years since the world of cinema and animation was changed with the premiere of “The Nightmare before Christmas”, conceived and produced by Tim Burton, with songs by Danny Elfman and originally directed in stop motion by Henry Selkirk.

It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a resident as well as The King of "HalloweenTown" who stumbles through a portal to "Christmas Town" and decides to celebrate the holiday, with some dastardly and comical consequences.  I sit down with Fairlith Harvey, director and founder of Geekenders ( a nerdlesque musical troupe based out of Vancouver, Canada)  to chat about the show.

For six nights this week, little-known and never-heard songs of Jonathan Larson were performed at Feinstein’s 54/Below, in a concert carefully curated by creative and programming director and theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper.

This year, The Laramie Project is sure to be one of the most produced plays across the country. In fact, usually is regardless of what year it is. But for one director in CT, the play is all the more personal. Because while much of the world knows Matthew through this play and his story, Shannon-Courtney Denihan got to know him while they were friends in college.

Unlike other industries, getting a master’s degree isn’t necessarily a requirement for theatre professional to succeed. However, for those looking to teach or further their training, there are many strong MFA programs all over the country.

In the past we’ve done a list of who we felt were the best MFA programs out there. This year, we thought we would changing things up by highlighting programs we felt offer excellent educational opportunities that don’t get enough attention.

I would like you to meet Renée Marino. Ms. Marino can currently be seen in Pretty Woman on Broadway where she is a member of the Ensemble, the Dance Captain, and Assistant to the Choreographer. Other Broadway credits for Renée include West Side Story (Rosalia), Jersey Boys (Mary Delgado), Chaplin, and Wonderland. She has also appeared as Mary Delgado in Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys film.

The Guilford Performing Arts Festival (GPAF) has awarded its inaugural Guilford Foundation/Guilford Performing Arts Festival Artists’ Awards to playwright/screenwriter Susan Cinoman of Woodbridge and jazz pianist/composer Noah Baerman of Middletown. The two were chosen by festival programmers and independent judges from a field of applicants from throughout Connecticut. Each will receive a $2,500 grant toward the creation of new work.

While one could certainly argue that the 2018-19 Broadway season is off to a mixed start, there are certainly shows on the horizon that have our interest piqued.

Some of these shows sound more promising than others and some seem to be Tony contenders before they even open. Here are my picks for the 10 Most Anticipated Shows of 2018-19.

Officers from the Midtown South precinct arrested 47-year-old Ilya Vett on Friday afternoon. The Lion King prop maker was taken into custody by police after he is accused of printing a 3-D gun.

Per the NY Post, police made their way into the Minskoff Theatre where the musical was being rehearsed on West 45th Street around 12:30 p.m. in pursuit of Vett.

The Brooklyn resident was said to be in the middle of printing the gun when officers arrived.

Meet Elliott Mattox! 

Elliott is currently starring in the out of town tryout of Beetlejuice at The National Theatre in Washington DC. He made his Broadway debut in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and is co-host of Equity One: Broadway's Happy Hour! “As you know, sometimes in this business we have to make our own creative opportunities. My best friend, Caleb Dicke, and I have always wanted to work together on something creative. Caleb came to visit me on a contract, and we were Face timing my boyfriend. Our antics had him laughing nonstop, and he put the idea of starting a podcast into our heads. Last summer, we finally decided to just buy a microphone and start! We have a blast doing something together and talking about the industry with people we really respect! Give us a listen on iTunes!” says Mattox.

Unlike other industries, getting a master’s degree isn’t necessarily a requirement for theatre professional to succeed. However, for those looking to teach or further their training, there are many strong MFA programs all over the country.

In the past we’ve done a list of who we felt were the best MFA programs out there. This year, we thought we would changing things up by highlighting programs we felt offer excellent educational opportunities that don’t get enough attention.

For many artists, there comes a time where they are forced to make a painful choice in their lives: continuing to pursue their art or move toward starting a family. Some, however, refuse to ultimately choose, and attempt their best to balance their creative life with their parental life. Such appears to be the case with the woman known simply as “Meshelle,” who returns to the NYC indie theatre scene with her latest performance at Theatre Row as part of the United Solo Theatre Festival, after past successful runs at festivals such as the Midtown International Theatre Festival and the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival.

When it comes to the phrase “write what you know” playwright, Monica Bauer had a lot to work with. A former political science professor as well as a veteran of the National Guard, she sought to write a play that reflected her unique life experiences. Bauer says “The real truth about politics is found, I believe, in the contradictions in human beings. The problem of politics is flawed human beings trying to make sense of movements in history beyond their control. So I wanted to work with the twin national tragedies of the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, both wars of choice, both wars where a lot of young people died or came back wounded.”

After last night’s 70th Emmy Awards, nominees, guests, and presenters strolled along a massive red carpet to the L.A. Live Event Deck for the largest celebratory dinner party in Los Angeles. First guests received a bubbling flute of Ferrari Trento as they walked under 29,000 LED lights hanging from the ceiling illuminating the party and Hollywood's night sky.