.jpg)
Read on for some recent theatre headlines and videos you may have missed.
Leslie Odom Jr., Sting, More Set for Virtual SummerStage Jubilee Benefit
City Parks Foundation will stream its SummerStage Jubilee, a free benefit concert supporting CPF’s programs in parks, September 17 at 8 PM ET. The hour-long digital event will feature performances by Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr., Sting, Norah Jones, Trey Anastasio, Rufus Wainwright, Rosanne Cash, Emily King, and PJ Morton. The event highlights the various City Parks Foundation programs and will also showcase advocates for CPF’s work, including sports icon Billie Jean King, TV and radio host Ryan Seacrest, musical artist H.E.R., comic Lewis Black, and performer and Late Show bandleader Paul Shaffer. The digital benefit will be available to stream across all SummerStage social platforms. AXS TV will air the concert simultaneously and rebroadcast it on demand for 30 days following. New York City and tri-state area residents can watch encore presentations September 19 at 7 PM ET on WLNY-TV and September 20 at 2 PM ET on WABC.
Christopher Jackson Performs 9/11 Tribute at U.S. Open
Hamilton Tony nominee Christopher Jackson performed a moving medley of “(America) My Country ’Tis of Thee,” “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and “This Land Is Your Land” for this year’s U.S. Open 9/11 tribute. Recorded at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, Jackson was joined by wife Veronica and daughter Jadelyn, plus performers Sam McKelton, Ben Thompson, and Shockwave (Chris Sullivan). Watch the performance below.
Colt Coeur Will Launch Virtual Season With Reading of Seven Minutes in Heaven
Colt Coeur's four-show virtual fall-winter 2020 season will kick off September 26 at 8 PM ET with a reading of Tony winner Steven Levenson's Seven Minutes in Heaven. The reading, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the high school-set play, will be helmed by original director Adrienne Campbell-Holt and feature Nic Ashe, Natalia Dyer, Leah Lewis, Justin Linville, Dallas Liu, and Odeya Rush, with stage directions read by Sidikha Ashraf. Proceeds benefit Colt Coeur’s education and mentorship programs. The online event is ticketed with access starting at $5, available by clicking here. The remainder of the season will feature Sendhil Ramamurthy and Kavi Ladnier in Rehana Lew Mirza's Hatef**K, directed by Campbell-Holt, in October; the original world premiere cast reuniting for Stacey Rose's America V. 2.1, directed by Logan Vaughn, in November; and the variety show Holiday Craptacular, curated by Sidikha Ashraf and Adam Harrington, in December.
American Ballet Theatre Promotes Gabe Stone Shayer to Soloist; Principal Dancers Named
Gabe Stone Shayer was promoted to soloist at American Ballet Theatre September 10. He joined ABT’s studio company in September 2011, the main company as an apprentice in April 2012, and the corps de ballet in November 2012. His repertoire includes the Bronze Idol in La Bayadère, Jester and Napoleon in Cinderella, and the Lead Gypsy in Don Quixote. In 2016, he received the Clive Barnes Award for Dance. Shayer is one of seven Black dancers at ABT. The performer is seeking more representation to amend the deficit of BIPOC dancers and choreographers in the industry by launching projects like Creative Genius, which allows dancers to collaborate in-person. Click here to learn more.
In addition to Shayer’s promotion, ABT announced September 11 several new principal dancers: Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Skylar Brandt, Thomas Forster, Calvin Royal III, and Cassandra Trenary.
Jonathan Groff, Aasif Mandvi, Rhonda Ross, More Set for Virtual Gala
Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s annual Fandango Benefit Gala is going virtual this year, September 13 at 7 PM ET. The lineup includes Stephen Colbert, Dane DeHaan, Jonathan Groff, Melissa Joan Hart, Ethan Hawke, Tyler Hoechlin, Carole King, John Lithgow, Aasif Mandvi, Bridget Moynahan, Steven Pasquale, Rhonda Ross, Luke Wilson, and Anna Wood. The festivities will feature a variety show with campers performing musical numbers, families sharing inspirational stories, and celebrity friends dropping by to say hello. For more information, click here.
