New York State Senator Brad Hoylman bestowed Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner André De Shields with yet another honor...his very own day. During filming for the virtual production of the York Theatre benefit The Musical of Musicals, Sen. Holyman arrived "on set" at The West Bank Café with proclamation in hand declaring April 8, 2021, "André De Shields Appreciation Day." Producer Tom D'Angora arranged the surprise to honor the extensive charity work and activism, along with the public appearances, Mr. De Shields has done for the community this year. For more information on the April 18 benefit, visit YorkTheatre.org.

Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre Presents The Wiz
This Christmas season, Hope Mill Theatre will stage the first new U.K. production of The Wiz in ten years. The 1975 Tony Award-winning musical has a book by William F. Brown, music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls, and original orchestrations by Harold Wheeler. The Hope Mill production will be directed by Matthew Xia, artistic director of Actor’s Touring Theatre, with musical supervision and new orchestrations by Sean Green and choreography by Leah Hill. Ameena Hamid will co-produce, along with ChuChu Nwagu in place as assistant producer. The production runs November 24–January 16, 2022, operating with any current COVID measures that are in place at that time. Priority booking reservations for the limited tickets can be made here.

Mandie Rapoza's Fragments Will Return for Live Performances in May
After a sold-out premiere at Dixon Place in 2019, the performance art piece Fragments, a live audio story will return with in-person presentations, reconstructed as a live audio installment, in May. The piece features an array of live dance, video projections, and original composition in its story of an Alzheimer's patient wrestling with moments of her past including a childhood involvement with the Hitler Youth. The work features live dance performances by Hannah Balagot and Celia Mei Rubin (The Great Comet), with virtual appearances from Autumn Hurlbert (Legally Blonde), Patrick John Moran, Sophie Lee Morris, James Patterson (Gigi), Jennifer Smith (Anastasia), and Oumou Traore. Fragments is directed and choreographed by Mandie Rapoza, with a script by Brian Kettler and an original score by Kate Marlais. In accordance with New York State guidelines, all performances will accommodate socially distanced seating at a maximum of 10 people per performance. The play runs Saturdays and Sundays May 1-16 at NYC's Liberated Fitness. For ticketing and more information, click here.