Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
Portia de Rossi and Cast of ABC's Better Off Ted Reunite for Virtual Reading
Play-PerView, a new streaming company created to raise money for organizations impacted by the pandemic, will bring together the cast of the cult comedy series Better Off Ted for a Zoom reunion to read the Season 1 episode Jabberwocky, followed by Q&A. The cast of the 2009 series includes Jay Harrington, Portia de Rossi, Andrea Anders, Malcolm Barrett, and Jonathan Slavin. Proceeds for this event, streaming 6 PM ET December 27, will benefit Feeding America. Tickets are available here.
Broadway Stars Come Together for Save West Bank Cafe Virtual Telethon
Since 1978, the West Bank Cafe has been an integral part of the NYC theatre district—the dining room a hotspot for pre- and post-show gatherings and the downstairs Laurie Beechman Theater an oft-booked cabaret space. With the threat of closure due to the pandemic's affects on Broadway and NYC tourism, producers Tom and Michael D'Angora and writer Joe Iconis have teamed up to produce a Christmas Day live stream telethon to save the restaurant. Talent scheduled to participate are Betty Buckley, Debra Messing, Alice Ripley, Megan Hilty, Kerry Butler, Telly Leung, Leslie Kritzer, Joe Iconis and many more. Watch here live December 25 beginning 12 PM EST.
Basil Twist's Symphonie Fantastique Released as Film
Puppeteer and creator Basil Twist makes his film directorial debut with this piece, shot during several live performances of the 2018 HERE Arts Center production of Symphonie Fantastique. The puppet spectacle is set in a 1,000 gallon glass tank – in which seven unseen puppeteers manipulate hundreds of fabrics, feathers, forms, plastics, colors, shapes, mylar, etc., swirling through water and light, all to the score of Hector Berlioz’s 19th century composition. The film is available now on Vimeo on Demand. For more information, visit BasilTwist.com.
The 76th Theatre World Awards Ceremony Postponed
The Theatre World Awards, given annually for Outstanding Broadway and Off-Broadway Debut Performances, have been postponed until the return of live theatre in 2021–2022, at which time the awards will recognize the debuts from the 2019–2020 and the subsequent season. Winners are selected by Theatre World Awards Committee which is comprised of theatre journalists Roma Torre, David Cote, Joe Dziemianowicz, Peter Filichia, Harry Haun, Elysa Gardner, and Frank Scheck.
