VIDEO: On This Day, September 19- Happy Birthday, Stephanie J. Block!
On this day we’re sending a loving birthday shoutout to one of the stars of Broadway’s The Cher Show, Stephanie J. Block.
Playbill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: September 19
1904 Julian Eltinge, the famed female impersonator, makes his Broadway debut in Mr. Wix of Wickham, the unsuccessful musical at the Bijou Theatre. 19-year-old Jerome Kern writes some of the songs for the show. Kern goes on to write music for Show Boat and Sunny during his long, successful career. Also on this date, E. H. Sothern, Shakespeare actor extraordinaire, stars in a Chicago production of Romeo and Juliet.
1910 For the first time, George M. Cohan directs and writes a non-musical triumph. Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, his new comedy, opens at the Gaiety Theatre. It is based on the novel by George Randolph Chester about a con man who reforms. The show runs for 424 performances with its stars, Frances Ring and Hale Hamilton.
1962 Opening performance of Eric Bentley‘s translated version of Bertolt Brecht‘s Mann Ist Mann. Another version, translated by Gerhard Nellhaus, opened the night before at The Living Theatre. The New Repertory Company stages tonight’s production at the Masque Theatre, directed by John Hancock and starring John Heffernan and Olympia Dukakis. Both productions run 175 performances.
1974 The Winter Garden Theatre is evacuated due to a bomb threat, at the first preview for the revival of Gypsy. Gene Brown’s book, Showtime, notes that librettist Arthur Laurents joked with the audience during the break that acclaimed star Angela Lansbury was quite a “bombshell” herself. The show resumes shortly after the evacuation.
1996 David Hare‘s Skylight, about a successful businessman who attempts to rehash a past affair with a young teacher, opens at Broadway’s Royale Theatre. The Richard Eyre-helmed production stars Lia Williams, Christian Camargo, and Michael Gambon. The production runs 116 performances.
2000 Less than two weeks after ending its run at Second Stage Theatre, the revival of August Wilson‘s Jitney reopens at the larger Union Square Theatre Off-Broadway. The first play written by the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright looks into the lives of a group of black men working at a gypsy cab company (or jitney station) in 1970s Pittsburgh.
2001 Led by Cristyne Lategano Nicholas, the NYC Tourism Chief, and Tim Zagat, president of the famous Zagat surveys of restaurants, New York City business leaders rally at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre to express support for the theatre industry in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and to urge theatre fans to continue buying tickets.
2002 Nunsense, the Off-Broadway novelty musical about a convent full of wacky nuns, spawns its fourth sequel: Meshuggah-Nuns, an entirely new show “with a touch of Yiddish,” at the Fireside Theatre in Minneapolis. Previous entries in the series: Nunsense, Nunsense II, Sister Amnesia’s Country Western Nunsense Jamboree, and Nuncrackers (the Christmas themed show), not counting Nunsense A-Men, the original show, but with an all-male cast.
2004 The television adaptation of Tony Kushner‘s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning drama Angels in America wins a record 11 Emmy Awards.
2006 Elizabeth Allen, 77, the stage, film, and television actor and model who played a feisty, love-hungry tourist in the Broadway musical Do I Hear a Waltz?, dies at Wingate Nursing Home in Fishkill, New York.
2012 The world premiere of Jay Kuo, Marc Acito and Lorenzo Thione‘s Allegiance—A New American Musical, charting the lives of Japanese Americans who were placed in concentration camps on U.S. soil during World War II, opens at The Old Globe in San Diego, California. Directed by Stafford Arima, it stars Telly Leung, George Takei and Lea Salonga. The production transfers to Broadway three years later.
Today’s Birthdays: Malcolm Duncan 1881. Ernest Truex 1889. Frances Farmer 1913. Rosemary Harris 1927. David McCallum 1933. Jeremy Irons 1948. Twiggy 1949. Rex Smith 1956. Sanaa Lathan 1971. Stephanie J. Block 1972. Ramin Karimloo 1978.
Watch highlights from the 2012 world premiere of Allegiance:
David Korins-Designed ELF ON THE SHELF Drive Thru Experience Launches This November in Los Angeles
Global holiday phenomenon The Elf on the Shelf A Christmas Tradition will transformLos Angeles County into a magical wonderland this holiday season.
MJ the Musical on Broadway, Alliance Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage, More Host Video Auditions
From auditions to administrative roles, Playbill is the go-to online source for careers in theatre. You can browse the full list of industry jobs in our extensive Job Listings database.
With theatres dark for the time being, casting directors are encouraging performers to send in video auditions. Here’s a selection of upcoming Equity auditions around America, in chronological order by submission deadline.
READ: How to Create Your Best Self-Tape Audition
2020 RADIO DRAMAS
EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE: 09.18.20)
FANNIE LOU HAMER: SPEAK ON IT!
EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE: 09.18.20)
BALTIMORE CENTER STAGE 2020-21 SEASON
EQUITY VIDEO AUDITION SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE: 09.21.20)
RFK
EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE: 09.21.20)
ALLIANCE THEATRE 2020-21 SEASON
EQUITY PICTURE/RESUME REQUEST (DEADLINE 09.22.20)
THE CURRENT WAR
EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE 09.30.20)
TEN THOUSAND THINGS THEATER 2020-21 SEASON
EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE 10.08.20)
MJ THE MUSICAL (YOUNG MICHAEL/YOUNG MARLON)
EQUITY VIDEO SUBMISSIONS (DEADLINE 10.09.20)
Have a casting notice or job advertisement? Please visit our “post a job” page and begin your search for the perfect applicant.
Virtual Theatre Today: Wednesday, September 16- with Corey Cott, Aaron Lazar and More!
Today September 16 in live streaming Corey Cott and Aaron Lazar visit Backstage Live, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend reunites, and so much more
Join Playbill’s Watch Party for Mauricio Martinez’s De Mexico to Broadway Concert September 16
Playbill, in partnership with Jose Cuervo®, commemorates Mexican Independence Day September 16 with a 7 PM ET stream of the Feinstein’s/54 Below concert Mauricio Martinez: De Mexico to Broadway. Watch the concert here.
The cabaret act, filmed in July 2018, featured special appearances by Tony nominee Orfeh (Pretty Woman, Legally Blonde) and Mariand Torres (Wicked, In Transit). The free 7 PM stream will also include pre- and post-performance interviews with Martinez.
“Growing up I always dreamt of being on a Playbill one day,” said the Mexican stage and screen regular, “so streaming my sold-out Feinstein’s/54 Below debut with my friends from Playbill on such a special day as Mexican Independence Day—which also marks the beginning of Latinx Heritage Month—is not only an honor but a fun way to come full circle. Reliving the story of my journey ‘De Mexico to Broadway’ wouldn’t be the same without Jose Cuervo®! Their tequila is key in my celebrations!”
Martinez made his Broadway debut as Emilio Estefan in On Your Feet!. His additional credits include Unmasked at Paper Mill Playhouse, Mexican productions of Beauty and the Beast, Saturday Night Fever, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Sweet Charity, and NBC Universo’s El Vato.
Jose Cuervo® is a Mexican family-owned brand since 1795 and the largest producer of tequila throughout Mexico and around the world. Utilizing craftsmanship handed down through 10 generations of the Cuervo family, the Jose Cuervo® portfolio of tequilas includes Jose Cuervo® Especial®, the world’s best-selling tequila, Jose Cuervo® Tradicional®, the original 100% agave tequila, Jose Cuervo® Reserva de la Familia®, Jose Cuervo Golden Margarita®, Authentic Jose Cuervo Margaritas® and Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix®. For more information, visit www.cuervo.com.
VIDEO: On This Day, September 15 – Henry Miller’s Theater Renamed For Stephen Sondheim
The renaming of the theatre was dedicated toStephen Sondheim, the greatest and best known artist in American musical theatre on his 80th birthday.
Look Back at Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf
Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf opened on Broadway at the Booth Theatre September 15, 1976, following a run at The Public Theater. The production, arranged and directed by Oz Scott and choreographed by Paula Moss, played 5 previews and 742 performances before closing on July 16, 1978. The production would go on to be nominated for two Tony Awards, with Trezana Beverley winning for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
Filled with passion, humor, and raw honesty, legendary playwright/poet Ntozake Shange’s form-changing choreopoem tells the stories of seven women of color using poetry, song, and movement. With unflinching honesty and emotion, each woman voices her survival story of having to exist in a world shaped by sexism and racism.
Flip through photos of the show below:
Look Back at Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
For Colored Girls starred Trezana Beverley as Lady in Red, Laurie Carlos as Lady in Blue, Risë Collins as Lady in Purple, Aku Kadogo as Lady in Yellow, Janet League as Lady in Brown, Paula Moss as Lady in Green, and Shange as Lady in Orange with Aku Kadogo, Seret Scott, and Michele Shay as understudies.
The production featured music for “I Found God in Myself” by Diana Wharton, scenic design by Ming Cho Lee, costume design by Judy Dearing, and lighting design by Jennifer Tipton with stage management by John Beven and Fai Walker-Davis. For the complete cast and creative team, visit PlaybillVault.com/ForColoredGirls.
The play returned to its roots at The Public Theatre in an acclaimed revival directed by Obie winner Leah C. Gardiner with choreography by Camille A. Brown. The production played an extended engagement Off-Broadway from October 8, 2019 through December 15.