Emmy winner Darren Criss (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace) will be heard later this year in a 10-part sci-fi thriller podcast from iHeartRadio, FlynnPictureCo., Psychopia Pictures, and UpperRoom Productions, according to Deadline. Criss, whose return to Broadway in a revival of American Buffalo was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic, stars opposite John Boyega (Star Wars) in There Be Monsters, which will be available on the iHeartPodcast Network. Created and directed by Dan Bush, who co-wrote with Nicholas Tecosky, the podcast will also feature Marley Shelton, Clark Gregg, and Tony nominee Sahr Ngaujah (Fela!, Moulin Rouge!). Criss plays the CEO of a body hacking startup that promises to enhance human biology.
After canceling its 2020 season along with the rest of Lincoln Center's summer programming, the Mostly Mozart Festival is now being re-imagined for New York City radio, with specially curated content being broadcast August 10–16 on WQXR and at the station's website. The lineup includes the opening night "Mashup," weaving Mozart's Requiem with works by Arvo Pärt, an audio documentary focusing on the creation of the new opera Blue (which was to make its NYC premiere in the summer season), and a panel discussion focusing on the experiences of Black artists in the classical realm. View the full schedule here.
Naomi Scott, who played Princess Jasmine in Disney’s live-action adaptation of Aladdin, will join the previously announced Anthony Ramos (Hamilton, upcoming In the Heights film) in the science-fiction comedy Distance, according to Deadline. Scott replaces Rachel Brosnahan, who departed due to scheduling conflicts for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who also executive produce, direct the Amblin motion picture from a script by Spenser Cohen. In the film, an asteroid miner crash lands on a distant planet and attempts to save a woman trapped in her escape pod.
New York Theatre Barn will host a free live stream of its Choreography Lab August 17 at 7 PM ET. A Quarantine Lab will explore creating new choreography in a virtual space and will feature the work of Raja Feather Kelly (choreographer of A Strange Loop) and Tislarm Bouie (Gary, a Sequel to Titus Andronicus). Kelly will offer an excerpt from Rona Siddiqui’s new musical Salaam Medina: Tales of a Halfghan; Bouie will present an excerpt from Thug, his short film focusing on redefining what it means to be a Black man in America. Both choreographers and writer Siddiqui will also be part of a discussion, moderated by lab founder and curator Avital Asuleen, exploring the inspiration and developmental process behind each new work. The 45-minute presentation will be available on New York Theatre Barn’s YouTube channel. The company will give 50 percent of its donations this week to The Fund for College Auditions.
Tony nominee Jenn Colella (Come From Away) will be among the artists taking part in the August 13 stream of The Great American Songbook Concert Series. Producer and host Scott Siegel brings his concert series, a celebration of American songwriters from Irving Berlin to Stephen Sondheim, online due to the pandemic; the series is audience-donor produced via GoFundMe. The free concerts premiere Thursdays at 7 PM ET on YouTube.
The podcast play company The Parsnip Ship announced that musician submissions are now open for the podcast’s sixth season, which will feature the work of queer playwrights. Visit TheParsnipShip.com for details and the application form. Submissions must be received by September 30. Season 6 of The Parsnip Ship is tentatively scheduled to begin recording in 2021.
