Category: News

Michael O’Flaherty Named Recipient of 2018 Tom Killen Award

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Michael O’Flaherty has been the man behind the music — and baton, too. Entering his 27th season as Goodspeed’s resident music director, O’Flaherty has guided more than 100 shows at the East Haddam and Chester theaters, several of them (“By Jeeves,” “Gentleman Prefer Blondes”) to Broadway. He’s also a key figure behind the Festival of New Musicals, as well as the composer for a new locally-rooted show: “A Connecticut Christmas Carol.” His expertise also goes well beyond Goodspeed, being the musical supervisor for productions at Paper Mill Playhouse, North Shore Music Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Ford’s Theatre, the Kennedy Center, and… read more

2018 CT Critics Circle Awards

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The ceremony was held at the Westport Country Playhouse on Monday, June 11, 2018. CLICK HERE for the complete program of the 2018 CT CRITICS CIRCLE, which includes nominees. (*denotes winner) Special Awards *Musical score by Billy Bivona for Constellations at TheaterWorks *Broadway Method Academy *Flock Theatre Tom Killen Award *Michael O’Flaherty Outstanding Solo Performance Elizabeth Stahlmann (Grounded) – Westport Country Playhouse Outstanding Debut Shannon Keegan (The Wolves) – TheaterWorks *Megan O’Callaghan (The Bridges of Madison County and Fun Home) – Music Theatre of CT Noah Kierserman (Newsies) – Connecticut Repertory Theatre Outstanding Ensemble Cast of Avenue Q – Playhouse… read more

THE FESTIVAL IS CALLING NEW HAVENERS TO ITS PLEASURES & TREASURES

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By Bonnie Goldberg The New Haven community is blessed with a two week event unique in the country:  THE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS AND IDEAS. From Saturday, June 9 to Saturday, June 23, the city of New Haven is opening its arms wide in welcome for friends, families, neighbors and visitors to discover the arts in all their glory, from all corners of the globe. If you are into music, plan to bring a chair or blanket and a meal to the New Haven Green for a FREE concert, most starting at 6 p.m.  Come hear Elan Troman and Rohn… read more

Interview with Actor, Director, Producer JACK PLOTNICK

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Someday Productions LLC and Pillow Talking are pleased to present the following interview with multi-talented actor, director, playwright, producer, acting coach JACK PLOTNICK Approximately 26 years ago, a young actor walked into an audition for a major lead in crazy spoof about Hollywood. The part called for an incredibly talented, versatile performer with impeccable comedic timing and who was adept at improv. His name was Jack Plotnick and he was booked on the spot. As life has a way of coming full circle, that film was mine (Wayne Keeley’s) — and we all knew at the time that this guy… read more

Conversation with: Terrence Mann

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by Tim Leininger There are few people in the world who can legitimately be defined as Broadway Royalty. Terrence Mann is one of those people. Having starred in 14 Broadway shows and originating such iconic roles on the Great White Way as Rum Tum Tugger in “Cats,” Javert in “Les Miserables,” and the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast,” he was an inspiration to me when I studied acting, as well as to many other up and coming actors. Mann has returned to the University of Connecticut for his second season as artistic director of its Summer Nutmeg Series, three… read more

Bonnie Goldberg converses with Sarna Lapine about Goodspeed’s newest musical, “You Are Here”

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Sarna Lapine never aspired to be an actor or a playwright. This is despite the fact that she loves theater, literature and reading. She does love to analyze texts and is excited about the way to take conversations and bring them to life. It’s not so surprising that Sarna Lapine has become a director, one who is sought after. For her apprenticeship, she served as associate director on Broadway for Bartlett Sher and she hasn’t looked back since. Recently Sarna undertook her most ambitious project ever, overseeing a “really fabulous American play I always wanted to direct.” “.Photograph 51” was… read more

TheaterWorks announces its 2018-2019 Season

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HARTFORD, CT – May 13, 2018 Producing Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero announced today that TheaterWorks 2018-2019 Season will include The River by Jez Butterworth, A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath, Fully Committed by Becky Mode, and Actually by Anna Zeigler.  The fifth and final production will be announced shortly. Rob said “I’m excited by the adventure this season – our renovation season – presents. It comes with challenges but we think it also offers great opportunities, creatively. Part of the season will be produced in different space and we’re looking forward to the challenges that brings us and our audience. We’ll share the… read more

“MOTOWN THE MUSICAL“ ROCKS INTO WATERBURY’S PALACE THEATER

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Berry Gordy tried his hand at boxing, owning a record store, working on an auto assembly line and being a soldier in the Korean War and, fortunately for the American music scene, really wasn’t happy with any of those career choices. He went on to become an American record executive, a songwriter, film producer, television producer and the founder of Motown Records, and, in the process, becoming one of the highest earning African-American business owners for decades. In 1959, in Detroit, he took a family loan of $800 and bought a house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard and converted the… read more

Matthew Lopez Creating A Legend In Hartford

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I first interviewed Matthew Lopez in 2015, when Hartford Stage was about to produce his play Reverberation . His two previous plays The Whipping Man, which quickly became one of the most produced plays nationally and which received the Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards for an off-Broadway production. In 2013, his play Somewhere had a reading during the Festival Brand/New presented by Hartford Stage, and a full staging in 2014. Each one of those plays deals with very different issues, like slavery and freedom (Whipping Man);  a theater loving Puerto Rican family about to be evicted (Somewhere)  or a gay… read more

At First Performance of ‘My Fair Lady’ In New Haven, Drama Was Offstage

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The snow was coming down. The turntables didn’t turn. The star refused to perform. The cast was dismissed, thinking that that night’s show would not go on. Yet “My Fair Lady” opened improbably, triumphantly, to its first paying audience on that Saturday, Feb. 4, 1956, at the Shubert Theater here, making the night the stuff of theater legend. The out-of-town circuit for shows destined for Broadway — and its pressure cooker atmosphere — has largely been replaced with the more measured pace of readings, workshops and developmental productions at regional theaters and presenting houses. The latest, highly anticipated revival of… read more