I started this blog with one daughter, kept it up with the other, to spend time together doing something we enjoyed.
However, things change and people evolve. My daughters are older, busier, and not as interested in writing.
From now on this blog will be mostly mom with occasional contributions from my daughters and maybe even my husband.
Nothing else will change. We'll still focus on sharing fun places to go, fun things to do, and more, and we would  still love to hear your views too

Sunday, June 4, 2017

Sunday Scoop Week of 6/3/17 - What's Happening This Week or Coming Up Soon

Win a Pair of Tickets to Come From Away
 and a Backstage Tour

$20 RAFFLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW UNTIL JUNE 19TH
All proceeds benefit Project Broadway.


One lucky winner will receive 2 tickets to the special Actors Fund Performance of COME FROM AWAY on Sunday July 9th at 7:30 PM as well as a private back stage tour following the performance.

DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 19TH at 4PM! 

For more information or to purchase raffle tickets click here
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Upcoming at Children's Museum of the Arts
Maker Maker
103 Charlton Street
New York, NY

On view June 8 - September 10, 2017

Exhibiting Artists: Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Caroline Wells Chandler, Adam Frezza/Terri Chiao, Brad Kahlhamer, Jon Kessler, LoVid, Jason Middlebrook, Rebecca Morgan, Carlos Rolón/Dzine, and the CMA Permanent Collection

Children’s Museum of the Arts is pleased to announce Maker, Maker, a group exhibition curated by Paul Laster and Renée Riccardo that explores the recent explosion of D.I.Y. Maker culture and the expanding relationship between fine art and craft.
Showcasing 10 contemporary artists and artist teams, the exhibition features handmade works that employ artisanal processes and materials such as ceramics, crochet, casting, papier-mâché, collage, macramé, woodworking, assemblage and quilting to create lively works of art
For more information click here
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Upcoming at Merkin Concert Hall:
Prima Volta Competition Winners Concert, Highbridge Voices, Nashir! the Rotterberg Concert and Adelphia Orchestra
Kaufman Music Center
129 W. 67th St
New York, NY

Wednesday June 7, 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM
Prima Volta Competition
Winner's Recital

This annual event features instrumentalists, vocalists and small chamber ensembles at all levels, from age 3 to 19.

For more information or to purchase tickets click here

Thursday June 8, 7:00 PM
Highbridge Voices
2017 Benefit Concert

The Bronx's premier youth choir performs songs by classical and contemporary composers, and repertoire in four different languages. This 120-voice choir celebrates nineteen years of music-making in the South Bronx!

For more information or to purchase tickets click here

Sunday June 11, 2:30 AM Nashir! The Rottenberg Chorale

Dedicated to performing Jewish vocal music spanning centuries and continents, Lucy Moses School's Nashir! brings a sense of joy and passion to repertoire both spiritual and whimsical. 

For more information or to purchase tickets click here

Sunday June 11, 7:00 PM
Adelphi Orchestra
Une Fete En France

At this benefit concert, Maestro Joshua Gerson, Assistant Conductor New York Philharmonic, will lead the orchestra and violin prodigy Nathan Meltzer in a program of French works.

For more information or to purchase tickets click here
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Upcoming at State Theatre New Jersey:
Center Stage Dance & Theater School: Show Biz Kidz
15 Livingston Ave.
New Brunswick, NJ

Friday June 9, 2017 7:00 PM

For more information click here
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iPlay America:
Science Fair
110 Schank Rd.
Freehold, NJ

Sunday, June 11
Warehouse 100
Event: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

iPlay America invites the public to attend the iPlay America Science Fair presented by Amboy Bank! Don’t miss your chance to see students from across the state compete for over $5,000 in cash and park prizes. Winners will be chosen by special guest judges. Join iPlay America and Amboy Bank in supporting academic excellence!

For more information or to download free tickets click here
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PR Firm Roundup

News from Boneau/Bryan-Brown

Manhattan Theatre Club Announces
Fulfillment Center
World Premiere by Abe Koogler
Directed by Daniel Aukin

Performances Begin June 6, 2017 For June 20, 2017 Opening
at The Studio at Stage II - Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series
at New York City Center (131 West 55th Street)

The limited engagement of Fulfillment Center will begin previews June 6, 2017 for a June 20, 2017 opening at The Studio at Stage II – Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Series at New York City Center – Stage II (131 West 55th Street).

In the New Mexico desert, a down-on-her-luck folk singer (Deirdre O’Connell) takes a job at a giant online retailer's shipping center. Her young manager struggles to connect with his girlfriend newly relocated from New York. And a drifter living at a local campground dangerously links them all. Raw, surprising, and funny, this world premiere from the fast-rising author of Kill Floor is about four lonely lives coming together in the search for fulfillment.

TICKETING INFORMATION
New and renewing subscribers can join the 2016-2017 season by calling The MTC Clubline at 212-399-3050. Single ticket information along with other listings information for MTC’s 2016-2017 season will be announced at a later date.

In order to ensure that tickets to Fulfillment Center are affordable to the widest and most diverse audiences possible, MTC will price all tickets during the show’s initial five-week run at $30.

For more information and to sign up for MTC’s “30 Under 30” program for theatregoers age 30 and under visit www.manhattantheatreclub.com/30under30/.
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News from DKC/O & M

MCC THEATER
EXTENDS
MATTHEW PERRY’S
T H E   E N D   O F   L O N G I N G 
AHEAD OF OPENING NIGHT

BY POPULAR DEMAND


NOW IN PREVIEWS
OFFICIALLY OPENS JUNE 5, 2017

MCC THEATER (Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey, William Cantler, Artistic Directors; Blake West, Executive Director) is pleased to announce the extension by popular demand of The End of Longing, a new play written by and starring Matthew Perry in his NYC playwriting and stage acting debuts.  Previously scheduled for a limited run through June 24The End of Longing will now play through July 1at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street).  Now in previews, the production officially opens on June 5, 2017

An alcoholic, an escort, a self-diagnosed neurotic and a well-intentioned dimwit walk into a bar... Broken and deeply flawed, they find their lives irreversibly entwined no matter how hard they try to break free of one another. The End of Longing is a bittersweet comedy that proves that broken people don't need to stay broken.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit  www.mcctheater.org
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News from Karen Greco PR

Franz Kafka’s A HUNGER ARTIST uses puppets, toy theater, and a spark of magic at The Tank’s Flint & Tinder series

The Tank (Rosalind Grush and Meghan Finn, co-artistic directors) is thrilled to present the world premiere of Franz Kafka’s A HUNGER ARTIST, adapted from Kafka’s story by Sinking Ship Productions, created collaboratively by performer Jonathan Levin, writer Josh Luxenberg, and director Joshua William Gelb. Part of The Tank’s Flint & Tinder series, A HUNGER ARTIST began performances on Thursday, June 1 for a limited engagement through Friday, June 27Performances are at the Connelly Theater (220 East 4th Street, between Avenues A & B). 

A man sits alone in a cage, starving himself for your entertainment. Once cheered by thousands, the Hunger Artist is now forgotten by everyone except his one-time manager. What begins as a simple nostalgic story transforms into a startlingly inventive, darkly comic trip into the nature of memory, art, performance, and spectatorship, as told by the only person who remembers an artist whose act was simply...to hunger.

The performance schedule is: June 1 at 8 p.m.June 3 at 6:30 p.m.June 4 at 2 p.m.June 5 at 8 p.m.;June 6 at 8 p.m.June 7 at 8 p.m.June 9, at 7 p.m.June 10 at 7 p.m.June 11 at 3 p.m.June 13 at 8 p.m.June 15 at 8 p.m.June 16 at 7 p.m.June 17 at 2 p.m.June 17, 2017 at 7 p.m.June 18 at 8 p.m.June 19 at 8 p.m.; June 20 at 8 p.m.June 21 at 7 p.m.June 21 at 9 p.m.June 26 at 8 p.m.;June 27 at 8 p.m.

For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.thetanknyc.org

**
Torben Betts’ INVINCIBLE makes US premiere at Brits Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Founding Artistic Director & President; Peter Tear, Executive Producer; Val Day Artistic Director) is thrilled to host the US premiere ofINVINCIBLE written by Torben Betts, directed by Stephen Darcy, with original direction by Christopher Harper, at Brits Off Broadway. Produced by The Original Theatre Company & Ghost Light Theatre Productions, INVINCIBLE begins performances on Thursday, June 1 for a limited engagement throughSunday, July 2.  Press Opening is Tuesday, June 13 at 7 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7 PM; Friday 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; and Sunday at 3 PM. Performances are at59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets range from $25 - $70 ($25 - $49 for 59E59 Members). 

With the recession biting hard, Emily and Oliver have decided to downsize and shift their middleclass London lifestyle to a small town in the north of England. One night, they open their doors and invite next door neighbors, Dawn and Alan, into their home. Over the course of a disastrous evening of olives, anchovies, Karl Marx, and abstract art, class and culture collide where the consequences are as tragic as they are hilarious.

To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit  www.59e59.org
**

STREEPSHOW! premieres at The Connelly Theater as part of The Tank’s Save & Print series


The Tank (Rosalind Grush and Meghan Finn, Co-Artistic Directors) is thrilled to present STREEPSHOW!, written by Jay Stull, and directed by Andrew Neisler. Part of The Tank’s Save & Print series, STREEPSHOW! began performances on Friday, June 2 for a limited engagement  through Saturday, June 24.  Performances are at the Connelly Theater (220 East 4thStreet, between Avenues A & B). Tickets are $15 - $35. Tickets to the brunch are $75 and includes tickets to Part 1 & Part 2 (4 Episodes) plus a brunch between the performances. 

STREEPSHOW! features four episodes performed in two parts, simulating a Live TV experience.

The performance schedule for Part 1 (Episodes 1 & 2) is: June 2nd at 8pmJune 3rd at 9pmJune 4th at 8pmJune 8th at 8pm; June 11th at 8pm; June 9th at 9:30pmJune 16th at 9:30pmJune 18th at 12pm (BRUNCH! tickets available); June 22nd at 8pmJune 24th at 2pm (BRUNCH! tickets available).

The performance schedule for Part 2 (Episodes 3 & 4) is: June 10th at 9:30pmJune 12th at 8pm;June 17th at 9pmJune 18th at 4pm (BRUNCH! tickets available); June 23rd at 9:30pmJune 24th at 6pm (BRUNCH! tickets available).

This is the true story of 14 characters once played by Meryl Streep, picked to live in a house, and have their lives filmed to find out what happens when people stop being, oh I don't know, direct and start getting, well, breathy.

STREEPSHOW! features costume, makeup and hair design by Daniel Dabdoub, the production designer for “Billy on the Street,” who creates the iconic ‘Meryl Streep’ looks for the show’s Meryl tributes. He is joined by a design team that includes Obie-winner Noah Mease (scenic and prop design);Mike McGee (lighting design); Jay Owen Eisenberg and Ben Gullard (sound design); and Dave Tennent and Stivo Arnoczy (video design).

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.thetanknyc.org.

**

What’s On at the wild project

Monday, June 5 – Thursday, June 15 at 8 PM
(No performance Sunday, June 11)

OF GOVERNMENT by Alex Borinsky, directed by Jeremy Bloom
With Emily Davis, Beth Dixon, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Beth Griffith, Mia Katigbak, Keilly McQuail, Ana Nogueira, Socorro Santiago and Stacey Yen
 
The adventures of Barb the Teacher, Deb the Seeker, Heidi the Helper, Tawny the Addict and a host of others. With songs! Presented by Miss Marjorie Blain, her students, and members of the community. Light refreshments will be provided. 

All performances are at the wild project (195 E. 3rd Street, between Avenues A & B).

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.thewildproject.com.
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News from Michelle Tabnick PR


South Street Seaport Museum
Sail New York Harbor
Aboard Schooner Pioneer

The South Street Seaport Museum announces the beginning of the 2017 season to sail New York Harbor aboard the historic 1885 schooner Pioneer.Public sails began on Saturday May 27, 2017.

Spend an afternoon at the Museum! Pioneer tickets include free admission to the Museum's historic ships and exhibitions on the day of your sail. Just bring the ticket to the Museum before or after your sail!

The Museum now offers later hours allowing visitors to see the Museum's exhibitions before or after their Pioneer sail.  The Museum's historic ships and main exhibition space will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am-7pm from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Tickets for Pioneer are available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/947114.

Pioneer is also available for charters. Bring friends, family, coworkers, and colleagues aboard for a private 2-hour sail on New York Harbor with striking views of the lower Manhattan skyline, Statue of Liberty and Governors Island. Customized scheduling and catering recommendations are available. Contactcharters@seany.org for details.

**

Jody Sperling/Time Lapse Dance
presents the New York Premiere of
Book of Clouds
June 7-10, 2017

Jody Sperling/Time Lapse Dance presents Book of Clouds, a collaborative performance-installation contemplating the sublime sky, June 7 - 10, 2017 at Baryshnikov Arts Center, John Cage and Merce Cunningham Studio, 450 W. 37th Street (near Tenth Avenue), NYC.  Performances:  Wed-Fri at 7:30pm, with a free family workshop on Sat at 2pm and a performance-installation from 3-9pm. Tickets start at $10 and are available at 1-800-838-3006 or http://bookofcloudsnyc.brownpapertickets.com.

Jody Sperling, artistic director of Time Lapse Dance, collaborates with Vancouver-based visual artist Amy-Claire Huestis, and composer/ video artist Omar Zubair on Book of Clouds. The trio create a space for contemplating the skyscape. The work utilizes inventive light technologies, movement, and sonic composition to expand perceptions of time and space. Huestis engineers her own magic-lanterns (analog projection devices) and deploys them with her extraordinary hand-painted slides and slide-wheels depicting her recorded drawings of clouds, sun, moon, and Earth. Zubair designs the sonic environment, shaping rhythms of light and motion, and layering in video systems. Sperling navigates the site-scape of light and sound, adding a kinetic energy to the images and embodying the act of gazing.

Wednesday, June 7 at 7:30pm: A stellar benefit event including a revival of Time Lapse Dance's Ice Cycle, which transports the Arctic ice-scape to the stage, followed by a champagne sunset reception and the first New York iteration of Book of Clouds.
Tickets: $65 General | $30 Artist Rate | $100 Patron (includes $35 tax-deductible contribution)

Thursday, June 8 at 7:30pm: This evening begins with a panel discussion with climate scientists and communicators on the complex interactions between clouds and climate change which will be followed by a performance of Book of Clouds.

Friday, June 9 at 7:30pmPerformance ofBook of Clouds followed by a twilight artist talkback.

Saturday, June 10 at 2pmFree Family Workshop 
Join Time Lapse Dance for a cloud dance workshop. The program is designed for children (ages 5-11) partnered by one parent/caregiver.  Adults and children will move together. Capacity limited - advance registration recommended.

Saturday, June 10 beginning at 3pmBook of Clouds Durational Installation
This extended installation-performance will occur from 3pm-9pm, and attendees are welcome to arrive and experience the work at their own pace. Entry to the installation is $10, and all tickets will be sold the same day. Re-entry for patrons who leave and return within the six hour period will be subject to venue capacity.

**

Ardea Arts
Presents Pop-Up Preview Performances of
BOUNCE The Basketball Opera
May 17 - June 21, 2017

Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 5:30pm - West 4th Street Cage
Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at 5:30pm -  Grand Army Plaza Entrance, Brooklyn
Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at 5:30pm - Abraham Lincoln Playground, 134th Street, Harlem
Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 5:30pm - Brooklyn - Surprise Location!

BOUNCE PopUps are free, non-ticketed events, of mini preview performances in public spaces, open to the public. For more information, visitwww.ardeaarts.com/bounce/. They are conceived as little previews of the opera, slated for premiere November 17-19, 2017 in Lexington KY.

BOUNCE The Basketball Opera is grounded in pressing issues facing today's audiences. Based on the Greek myth The Flight of Icarus, BOUNCEtells the story of Ike "The Flight" Harris, a high school basketball star bound for stardom. Audiences will see if "Flight" can rebound from the emotional and physical pain of gun violence, as the story plays out on local basketball courts across the city and the country.

Pairing diverse casting with a fresh approach to arts engagement, local youth working alongside seasoned professionals are integrated into the production using the powerful medium of basketball. They become the basketball players, the cheerleaders and Flight's classmates and teammates. Local and national community leaders also play a number of the guest adult roles.

Basketball is a simple game - get the ball in the basket. But this 'simple' game becomes complex when outside forces like money and fame challenge team ethics. Isaac "Flight" Harris, a gifted and ambitious young player is on a fast track to stardom until his wings are clipped by the actions of a jealous teammate. We experience Flight's descent, then the powerful epiphany that changes his world forever. Synthesizing the grandeur of operatic singing with the grittiness of street rhythms, electronic dance music and urban hip-hop vocal stylings, BOUNCE asks: how does one rise up after being knocked down? The answer is in the game of basketball itself.
**

Join Theater Resources Unlimited 
for their annual
TRU Tony Award Party / Fundraiser
 Sunday, June 11, 2017 beginning at 7pm

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will be hosting their annual TRU Tony Award Party / Fundraiser on Sunday, June 11, 2017 beginning at 7pm at Jack Doyle's Pub & Restaurant, 240 W. 35th Street, NYC.For more details, visit http://truonline.org/events/tony-party/.

Join this warm and friendly, special theater-lover fundraiser to give TRU a little financial boost. Enjoy the Tony Awards with TRU friends (including some former and current nominees and winners) and great food from Jack Doyle's. Buffet will include roast sirloin of beef, chicken francaise, Atlantic salmon, penne pasta, roasted potatoes, vegetables and salad bar, plus wine with dinner, and of course a cash bar. And 6 big screen TV's!

Enter the Tony Pool for a chance to win some great prizes, including:
  • A pair of tickets to Come From Away
  • A pair of tickets to Indecent
  • A pair of vouchers to Shakespeare in the Park's Julius Caesar 
  • Other prizes TBA.

$60 for TRU Members, $70 for non-members (and anything over $30 is a tax-deductible contribution to help support the work TRU does for the community).  Tony pool ballots will be available just prior to the event: $6 each, two for $10. Room is limited to 60 attendees, so purchase now and secure a spot! 

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org
or call 212 714-7628.
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Theater Resources Unlimited
announces the
TRU Voices New Plays Reading Series
June 12, 19 & 26, 2017 at 7pm at Soho Playhouse

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces the TRU Voices New Plays Reading Serieson Mondays, June 12, 19 & 26, 2017 at 7pm at Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, NYC.  A "Dollars and Sense" talkback on the future development of the presented works will be held after each performance. Admission is free.  Please RSVP at least a day in advance (or much sooner) by calling 212/714-7628, or e-mailingTRUVoicesReservations@gmail.com. The three selected works are as follows:

Catharsis - June 12, 2017 at 7pm
Written by Academy Award winning screenwriter and playwright Mayo Simon, directed by Carl Andress (world premieres of Charles Busch's critically acclaimed plays, The Tribute Artist, The Divine Sister, The Third Story, Judith of Bethulia, Cleopatra, Bunnicula, Queen Amarantha and Shanghai Moon, as well as the New York production Die! Mommie Die!); and produced by Filmus, Inc./ Ben Goldstein and Associate Producer Yoni Vendriger, featuring J.D. Taylor, Keira Keeley, and Amy Rutberg. Robert Gregory will narrate.

A violently funny dramatic comedy. A beautiful Greek island. A tacky hotel. A young married couple at each others throats. It's kill or be killed in this fantasy of revenge, death and rebirth. 

Moonshadow - June 19, 2017 at 7pm
A romantic comedy by Bryan D. Leys, directed by Charles Abbott, former artistic director of Maine State Music Theatre, and presented by Sharon Weiss and Eileen B. Weiss of Tweiss Productions (Hell's Belles, Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking, Forbidden Broadway Comes Out Swinging). Starring Broadway notables Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll and HydeLes Miserablesas well as Empty Nesters in a previous TRU Series) and Amy Bodnar (Ragtime, revival of Oklahoma!, off-Broadway What We Wanted).

A '60s radical is in for a radical change. What happens when a Yippie agitator arrives in Buffalo to promote his new book?  Will it just be another appearance at Barnes & Noble or will he rekindle a 30- year-old affair?  Moonshadow is a comedy about recognition, resurrection and romance.

Radio Galaxy - June 26, 2017 at 7pm
A new play by Michele Aldin Kushner whose 31 Bond was commissioned and produced by Brooklyn Lyceum and has had three shows in FringeNYC (Dear AmericaThe Program and The Text of Sex); directed by Daisy Walker, assistant director of Jersey Boys (Broadway, national tour, regional), former artistic associate at Classic Stage Company. The producing team includes Jeanette Bonner, founder of Kelly's Pool Hall Productions & creator of Ghost Light: the Web Series and the upcoming series The Scoop; Jessica McCoy, who was associate producer of gUN COUNTRY at A.R.T./NY this spring and is associate producer of off-Broadway's upcoming The Crusade of Connor Stephens and producer of Night Tide at New York Musical Festival, her past productions include the Virginia regional premieres of The Motherf*cker With The Hat and Or, at Live Arts Theater, Charlottesville, VA; and Melissa Nally, associate producer of The Wrong Box and Morgan Street, plus shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

Tino is a 17 year-old science prodigy from a hard-working, blue-collar family, who dreams, eats and sleeps astronomy. Unexpectedly, his biological father, Raju, an astrophysicist and academic, enters his life, as he and his wife Daya hope that Tino will be a match for a bone marrow transplant for their daughter. The stakes and potential risks of bone marrow donation and racial, cultural and class differences spark conflicts between the two families, and Tino is caught in the middle. His sister's life - and Tino's dream - hangs in the balance.

Admission is free for everyone. But reservations are requiredPlease reserve at http://truonline.org/tru-voices (click for the show you wish to reserve), or call at least a day in advance for reservations: 212/714-7628, or e-mailTRUVoicesReservations@gmail.com.

TRU will next be accepting submissions for the 2018 TRU Voices Musicals Reading Series. For details, visit http://truonline.org/tru-voices-details-and-history/Deadline for submissions will be in September, 2017.

**
OPERA SARATOGA ANNOUNCES
COMPLETE CASTING 
 
AND FULL PROGRAM FOR 

2017 SUMMER FESTIVAL PROGRAM

Falstaff
Music by Giuseppe Verdi Libretto by Arrigo Boito
New Production: Directed by Chuck Hudson; Conducted by Craig Kier
Featuring: Caroline Worra, Emily Tweedy, Vera Savage, Lindsay Ammann, Dominick Corbacio,
Michael Chioldi, and Craig Colclough
July 1 - 15, 2017

Zémire et Azor (Beauty and the Beast)
Music by André Grétry; Libretto by Jean François Marmontel
New Production: Directed by James Ortiz; Conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya
Featuring: Maureen McKay, Lisa Rogali, Katherine Maysek,
Andrew Bidlack, Keith Jameson and Christopher Burchett
July 2 - 14, 2017

The Cradle Will Rock
Music and Libretto by Marc Blitzstein
Directed and Choreographed by Lawrence Edelson; Conducted by John Mauceri
Featuring: Ginger Costa-Jackson, Audrey Babcock, Keith Jameson,
Christopher Burchett, Justin Hopkins and Matt Boehler
July 9 - 16, 2017

The first opera production of the season will open on July 1st with Verdi's comic masterpiece, Falstaff, which has not been seen at Opera Saratoga in 26 years. The production will be directed by Chuck Hudson, and will be conducted by Craig Kier (company debut). Featured singers will include bass baritone Craig Colclough (company debut), one of the country's leading interpreters of Falstaff; soprano Caroline Worra in her role debut as Alice Ford; soprano Emily Tweedy (company debut) as Nannetta; mezzo soprano Vera Savage as Meg Page; contralto Lindsay Ammann (company debut) as Dame Quickly; Dominick Corbacio as Fenton; and baritone Michael Chioldi (company debut) as Ford.

Rounding out the season will be André Grétry's Zémire et Azor (Beauty and the Beast), directed by James Ortiz (company debut), whose recent critically acclaimed production of The Woodsman was a sensation off-Broadway. Grétry's 1771 opera-ballet - a favorite of Mozart - will incorporate both dance and Ortiz's signature use of puppetry in his opera-directing debut. The production will be conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya (company debut), and choreographed by Jill Echo (company debut). The cast will feature soprano Maureen McKay (company debut) and tenor Andrew Bidlack (company debut) in the title roles; with soprano Lisa Rogali (company debut) as Fatmé; mezzo soprano Katherine Maysek (company debut) as Lisbé; tenor Keith Jameson as Ali and baritone Christopher Burchett as Sander.

Subscriptions for the 2017 Summer Festival are on sale now at www.operasaratoga.org.  Single tickets for the 2017 Summer Festival are on sale.

COMPLETE CASTING AND SCHEDULE BY PRODUCTION
FALSTAFF (1893)
Music by Giuseppe Verdi; Libretto by Arrigo Boito
Sung in Italian with English Supertitles
SAT        THU      MON      SAT
JULY   1     /   6    /  10   /  15
7:30pm   7:30pm   2:00pm   2:00pm
A man of many appetites, the lecherous Falstaff can't resist his favorite vices: food, wine, and women - and not necessarily in that order! Suddenly finding himself broke, he hatches a plot to cure his woes - he sends identical love letters to two married women to get his hands on their wealthy husbands' money. But Falstaff doesn't bank on getting caught, and with the help of some 'merry wives', husbands and supernatural creatures, he gets his due and finds out the joke is on him. Bass-baritone Craig Colclough makes his Opera Saratoga debut with his interpretation of Falstaff.
Conductor: Craig Kier
Director: Chuck Hudson
Scenic Designer: Martin T. Lopez
Costume Designer: CeCe Sickler
Lighting Designer: Brandon Stirling Baker
Sir John Falstaff: Craig Colclough
Alice Ford: Caroline Worra
Ford: Michael Chioldi
Nanetta: Emily Tweedy*
Fenton: Dominick Corbacio+
Dame Quickly: Lindsay Ammann
Meg Page: Vera Savage+
Dr. Caius: Max Jacob Zander*
Bardolfo: Michael Anderson*
Pistola: Jorgeandrés Camargo*
* Members of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program
+ Alumni of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST / ZÉMIRE ET AZOR (1771)
Music by André Grétry; Libretto by Libretto by Jean François Marmontel
Sung in French with English Supertitles
SUN          SAT       FRI
JULY   2     /    8    /  14  
7:30pm     2:00pm     2:00pm
Once upon a time, the merchant Sander and his servant Ali are shipwrecked in a storm and find themselves outside an enchanted palace. When Sander plucks a rose from the palace garden to give to his daughter Zémire, the beast-like Azor appears, demanding that Sander pay with his life for stealing the rose, unless he can persuade one of his daughters to take his place. When she hears what has happened, Zémire agrees to sacrifice her life for her father and Ali brings her to the palace, where she almost faints at the sight of Azor. But Azor proves to be a kind host, and Zémire begins to see beyond his terrifying exterior.  One of the earliest operatic adaptations of the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, Zémire et Azor combines beautiful melodies with enchanting dance music in a fairy-tale for audiences of all ages. Opera Saratoga's new production will be directed by James Ortiz, whose innovative use of elaborate puppetry has been compared to the legendary Jim Henson.
Conductor: Lidiya Yankovskaya
Director: James Ortiz
Choreographer: Jill Echo
Scenic and Puppet Designer: James Ortiz
Costume Designer: Shima Orans
Lighting Designer: Brandon Stirling Baker

A Co-Production with Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
Zémire: Maureen McKay
Azor: Andrew Bidlack
Sander: Christopher Burchett
Ali: Keith Jameson
Fatmé: Lisa Rogali*
Lisbé:  Katherine Maysek*
* Members of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program

THE CRADLE WILL ROCK (1937)
Music, Book and Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein
Performed in English
SUN           TUE        THU       SUN
JULY   9     /    11   /  13   /  16
7:30pm     2:00pm    7:30pm    2:00pm
In Steeltown, USA, everything and everyone can be bought - at least that's what Mr. Mister thinks. The greedy businessman uses his wallet to control anyone he wants, including the local newspaper editor, preacher, university president, doctor... even the artists! But Larry Foreman's efforts to unionize local workers threatens to rock the cradle and shift the balance of power out of Mr. Mister's control.  An allegory on corruption and corporate greed both timely and timeless, The Cradle Will Rock's biting humor and brazenness is as impactful now as it was when it premiered in 1937. Blitzstein's eclectic, jazzy score is a propulsive mix of classical parody, popular melodies, and dramatic ensemble numbers, with a smoky flavor redolent of Kurt Weill - but all-American in its raw energy and urgency.
Conductor: John Mauceri
Director and Choreographer: Lawrence Edelson
Scenic Designer: Martin T. Lopez
Costume Designer: Anya Klepikov
Lighting Designer: Brandon Stirling Baker
Moll: Ginger Costa Jackson
Mr. Mister: Matt Boehler
Mrs. Mister: Audrey Babcock
Larry Foreman: Christopher Burchett
Harry Druggist: Keith Jameson
Junior Mister: Spencer Viator*
Sister Mister: Heather Jones*
Reverend Salvation: Justin Hopkins
Editor Daily: Brian Wallin*
Yasha: John Tibbetts*
Dauber: Scott Purcell*
Doctor Specialist: Jorgeandrés Camargo*
President Prexy: Eric McConnell*
Professor Mamie: Adam Bradley*
Professor Scoot / Steve: Miles Herr*
Professor Trixie/Gus Pollock: Michael Anderson*
Sadie Pollock: Meghan Kasanders*
Ella Hammer: Nina Spinner*
Gent/Bugs: Andy Papas*
Dick: Efraín Solís
Cop: Dylan Elza*
* Members of Opera Saratoga's Young Artist Program

FREE CONCERTS
STARS OF TOMORROW
Saturday, May 27, 7:30pm
Free Concert
Filene Recital Hall at Skidmore College
815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY
The season begins with Opera Saratoga's third annual Stars of Tomorrow Concert - featuring 24 singers from around the country who have been selected from almost 1,000 applicants to be members of Opera Saratoga's prestigious Young Artist Program. Presented in partnership with Skidmore College.  

SWAN SONGS
Saturday, June 3, 2:00pm
Free Concert
The Dee Sarno Theater at Saratoga Arts
320 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY
What do Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Rossini's Guillaume Tell, Puccini's Turandot. and Bizet's Carmen have in common with Verdi's Falstaff? They were the final operas - the swan songs - of some of the world's most beloved composers. This free concert will feature arias and ensembles from the final operas by composers from Monteverdi to Richard Strauss! Presented in partnership with Saratoga Arts.

MARC BLITZSTEIN - A LIFE IN SONG
Friday, June 16, 7:30pm
Free Concert
GE Theatre at Proctors
432 State Street, Schenectady, NY
Born in Philadelphia in 1905, Marc Blitzstein achieved nearly overnight notoriety with his 1937 agitprop musical theater work, The Cradle Will Rock. At the time of his unexpected and tragic death in 1964, much of his work was left unfinished and unpublished, leaving behind a legacy that has been largely overlooked in the ensuing decades. On the evening of the 80th Anniversary of the legendary world-premiere of The Cradle Will Rock, Opera Saratoga presents an evening of song by Marc Blitzstein, curated and hosted by bass-baritone Justin Hopkins. The program will include excerpts from Blitzstein's theatrical and operatic works - including The Cradle Will RockI've Got the TuneJunoNo for an Answer, and Regina - as well as lesser known songs that chronicle the life of one of America's most influential composers. Presented in partnership with Proctors. 

TICKETED EVENTS
WAND'RING MINSTRELS - A GILBERT AND SULLIVAN CABARET
Sunday, June 11, 2pm and 7:30pm
Ticketed Event (Tickets: $60; Subscribers: $54)
The Carriage House at The Mansion Inn
801 Route 29, Rock City Falls, NY
(10 minutes from downtown Saratoga Springs)
The Victorian era partnership of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan brought the world fourteen of the most beloved operettas of all time. Join Opera Saratoga's "wand'ring minstrels' for a topsy-turvy cabaret where fairies rub elbows with British lords, flirting is a capital offense, gondoliers ascend to the monarchy, and pirates emerge as noblemen who have gone astray. Seating is general admission, at cabaret style tables, and is strictly limited for these two concerts. G&S inspired tapas and drinks - specially concocted by The Mansion Inn's Cordon Bleu trained Executive Chef Rick Bieber - will be available for purchase. Presented in partnership with The Mansion Inn. 

BROADWAY IN THE 1930s
Friday, July 14, 7:30pm
Ticketed Event (Tickets: $80/$60/$40; Subscribers: $72/$54/$36)
The Spa Little Theater
21 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, NY
The '30s were extraordinary years on Broadway, where jazz, classical and popular music intertwined to create some of the most memorable and beloved shows of the 20th century - as well as some fascinating musicals that have been lost to time, but deserve to be better known. Gershwin's Girl CrazyOf Thee I Sing, and Porgy and Bess; Cole Porter's Gay DivorceNymph ErrantAnything Goes and Red, Hot and Blue; Rodgers's JumboOn Your ToesBabes in Arms, and The Boys from Syracuse, Weill's Johnny Johnson and Knickerbocker Holiday; and of course, Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock, were all products of this incredible decade on the Great White Way. Members of Opera Saratoga's acclaimed Young Artist Program will be featured in this evening of music that defined a decade and forever changed the course of American musical theater and opera.
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News from Polk and Co.

HELLO AGAIN MOVIE MUSICAL FROM AWARD-WINNING TEAM TO PLAY FILM FESTIVALS WORLDWIDE THIS SUMMER

BROADWAY RECORDS TO RELEASES EXCLUSIVE FIRST SINGLE “BEYOND THE MOON”
PERFORMED BY SIX-TIME TONY AWARD-WINNER AUDRA McDONALD ON 6/2

Michael John LaChiusa’s musical HELLO AGAIN  launched with the June 2nd release of “Beyond the Moon.”  An original single which will debut in the film, “Beyond the Moon” was written especially for Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald. The new single will be released on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify and all major digital retailers. The release of this new song will be followed by a summer of film festival screenings & regional theatre-hosted sneak peek events featuring HELLO AGAIN.

Music-packed HELLO AGAIN chases 10 fleeting love affairs across 10 periods in New York City history. The pursued becomes pursuer as they spin through 10 daisy-chained vignettes that come together in 1 soulful circle. Originally produced by Lincoln Center Theatre in 1994, Hello Again was nominated for 8 Drama Desks. In the original song BEYOND THE MOON, set in 2002, Audra McDonald’s character transforms into a “Pop Diva.”

Look for HELLO AGAIN at film festivals across the world including in San Francisco, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, London, Tel Aviv, Kansas City, Hartford, Maine and South Korea - with more festivals being added regularly. The film will also be presented at exclusive ‘sneak peek’ screenings hosted by regional theaters including the Tony-Winning Old Globe (California) and Signature Theatre (Virginia).

A regularly updated ‘sneak peek’/ film festival list with specific dates and times can be found on the film’s Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/HelloAgainMovie).  You can also connect via Twitter and Instagram at @HelloAgainMovie. 
**

SECOND STAGE THEATER UPTOWN
Announces One Week Extension of


SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER

World Premiere by Chisa Hutchinson
Directed by May Adrales

Opening Night is Tuesday, June 6

At Second Stage Theater’s uptown home the McGinn/Cazale Theater,
Broadway at 76th St.

May 31, 2017 – Second Stage Theater’s (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) production of SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER has been extended by one week and will now play through Sunday, June 25.

SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER is presented at Second Stage Theater’s uptown home, the McGinn/Cazale Theater on Broadway at 76th Street. Time Warner is the lead sponsor for Second Stage Uptown. Single tickets for SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER can be purchased by calling the Second Stage Theater Box Office at 212-246-4422 or online at www.2ST.com. 

Alex is a fifteen year old Asian-American girl going to extremes to get her own mother to notice her. She’s a dream child-- except to her parents who wish she was a boy. Luckily she finds a sympathetic ear in Kate, her irreverent guidance counselor who knows all too well what it’s like to walk in Alex’s shoes. As three generations of women find their identity in question, each needs to decide who makes the rules and what happens when you break them.

For more information, please visit www.2ST.com

**
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY
Presents

NAPOLI, BROOKLYN
By MEGHAN KENNEDY
Directed by GORDON EDELSTEIN

Previews begin June 9, 2017
Opening night June 27, 2017
Limited engagement through September 3, 2017

Off-Broadway at the Laura Pels Theatre 
at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre

Napoli, Brooklyn will begin preview performances on June 9, 2017 and opens officially on June 27, 2017 at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 W 46th Street). This is a limited engagement Off-Broadway through September 3, 2017.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets for Napoli, Brooklyn are available by calling 212.719.1300, online at roundabouttheatre.org, and in person at any Roundabout box office: The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 W 46th Street); American Airlines Theatre Box office (227 West 42nd Street) and Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street). All single tickets are $79.

For more information visit www.roundabouttheatre.org
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And that's the scoop. Tune in tomorrow for another Talking Topic.

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