Tony-Winning Lighting Designer Pat Collins Has Passed Away
Pat Collins, a Broadway lighting designer who won a 1986 Tony Award for her work on I’m Not Rappaport, has passed away.
In the News: Ana Villafañe to Guest Star on Younger, 6 New Short Ballet Works from ABT
Read on for more theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.
Ana Villafañe Joins the Final Season of Younger
Ana Villafañe, known to Broadway audiences for her turn as Gloria Estefan in 2015’s On Your Feet!, will join the cast of the seventh and final season of Younger, Deadline reports. The series stars Tony Award winner Sutton Foster as Liza Miller, an editor who lied about her age to get a job in the competitive world of publishing. Villafañe will play KT, a “highly organized type-A music manager.” The performer has most recently been seen on the small screen in recurring roles on the NBC series Sunnyside and New Amsterdam. The final season of Younger, created, executive produce and written by Darren Star, begins streaming on Paramount+ April 15.
Playwrights Realm’s Annual INK’D Festival of New Plays Will Stream in April
The INK’D Festival of New Plays is the culminating event of the Writing Fellowship Program, presenting the new works of four early-career playwrights after their nine month fellowships with the Playwrights Realm. This year’s streaming festival will launch on April 15 with Opening Panel: Playwriting in a Pandemic, an online discussion with the four fellows. New works to be presented are Lajasarriba by Omar Vélez Meléndez, ABCD by May Treuhaft-Ali, not-for-profit (or the equity, diversity and inclusion play) by Francisca Da Silveira, and We Can’t Breathe by Phillip Christian Smith. For festival ticketing, visit PlaywrightsRealm.org.
ABT Will Stream Six New Short Works Weekly Beginning March 29
American Ballet Theatre will present six new short ballets from 2021 ABT Incubator, a lab for ABT dancers to explore choreography, under the directorship of ABT dancer Jose Sebastian, with mentorship by choreographer Jessica Lang. The works were created and filmed over Zoom and in isolated “ballet bubbles.” The six new ballets to be presented from the 2021 cohort are: The Unforseen, choreographed by Zhong-Jing Fang, on March 29; She didn’t, choreographed by Joseph Markey, on April 5; Death and Life, choreographed by Sung Woo Han, on April 12; Nunanu, choreographed by Luciana Paris, on April 19; Thread of Memories, choreographed by Luigi Crispino, on April 26; and Soirée Nocturne, choreographed by Melvin Lawovi, on May 3. Each program premieres at 12 PM ET on ABT’s YouTube channel.
New Micro-Grant From Ma-Yi Theater Company
Ma-Yi Theater Company has created a new micro-grant program to benefit New York City-based BIPOC, transgender, and disabled artists and creatives in need as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The micro-grant fund was established through the support of Play-PerView and its streamed production of Carla Ching’s Revenge Porn, presented specifically to benefit Ma-Yi, and through the support of Edward Bok Lee. Ten awards of $500 each are available for creatives across disciplines designers, actors, directors, playwrights, poets, musicians, choreographers, dancers, painters, sculptors, video artists, etc. Applications will open March 29 and must be submitted by April 9. For more information, visit Ma-YiTheatre.org.
Theater Stories: BEAUTIFUL: THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL, MRS. DOUBTFIRE & More About the Stephen Sondheim Theatre!
Today’s Theater Stories features the Stephen Sondheim Theatre Learn about the theatre’s longest-running show, Beautiful The Carole King Musical, the show currently inhabiting the theatre, Mrs. Doubtfire, and more
Listen to Celia Keenan-Bolger and Denée Benton in First Episode of Sunday Pancakes March 21
The premiere episode of Celia Keenan-Bolger’s podcast Sunday Pancakes debuts March 21, featuring Tony nominee Denée Benton from Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812. In “Making Peace With Your Perfectionism,” the pair talk about managing perfectionism when things feel outside of your control and the work the theatre industry needs to do in order to become actively anti-racist. Listen here.
As previously announced, new episodes will drop Sundays at 9 AM ET. The podcast focuses on humanity and what keeps people connected to, motivated by, and curious about the world around them. Keenan-Bolger will also cap off each episode with a weekly round-up of what she is reading, watching, and listening to as well as any specific works that help enhance and contextualize the listening experience.
This week’s listings include the book Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski, the podcast Post Report’s “The Life Of George Floyd” episode, a Vogue op-ed discussing Stacey Abrams, and the Spike Lee film capture of Passing Strange. In addition, the Tony winner suggests following @napministry on Instagram.
You can listen and subscribe to Sunday Pancakes at Playbill.com/SundayPancakes and everywhere podcasts are available. The podcast is produced by Plate Spinner Productions, edited and mixed by Apples and Oranges Arts, and distributed by Playbill.
Plate Spinner Productions is a production company working across entertainment media. Led by CEO Diana DiMenna in collaboration with producers Brian Moreland and Rachel Sussman, Plate Spinner is committed to developing, nurturing, and producing unique and dynamic stories that challenge artists and audiences to question the status quo, and believe that a fair and equitable world is possible.
Take a Look at Josh Groban and Denée Benton in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
VIDEO: On This Day, March 20- PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT Opens On Broadway
On this day in 2011, the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert celebrated its opening night on Broadway
Stars in the House Reunites Thirtysomething’s Patricia Wettig, Ken Olin, Melanie Mayron, More March 20
Stars in the House, the daily live streamed concert series created by Playbill correspondent and SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and producer James Wesley, continues its anniversary week of programming March 20 at 8 PM ET with an evening celebrating the classic 1987–1991 TV show Thirtysomething.
Guests include Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Melanie Mayron, Timothy Busfield, Patricia Wettig, Peter Horton, and Polly Draper.
READ: 365 Streaming Moments That Got Us Through 365 Days of the Broadway Shutdown
Stars in the House launched March 16 last year to promote support for The Actors Fund and its services in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It has also raised funds for the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund in support of the Black Lives Matter movement as well as Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
“We can’t believe it has been a year! We continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our viewers, who send in donations from all over the world,” said Rudetsky and Wesley in a recent statement. “We thought that after the first few weeks, contributions would dwindle and the show would be more about bringing some joy and positivity during these dark times. But the fact that we have been able to do both—deliver fun and financial support—is beyond our wildest dreams. We are so grateful to our team behind the scenes, Dr. Jon LaPook, the thousands of guests, and millions of viewers, who have made Stars in the House the success that it is. We are looking forward to the day that Broadway reopens, but in the meantime, we will be here!”
New shows—streaming Tuesday through Saturday at 8 PM ET—feature performances by stars of stage and screen, in conversation and song with Rudetsky and Wesley. Peter Flynn serves as streaming director.
Click here to watch previous episodes.
To make a tax-deductible donation to The Actors Fund visit StarsintheHouse.com/Donate.
