Roy Berko: Here and there and everywhere…Entertainment in the Pandemic
ONE NIGHT ONLY, THE BEST OF BROADWAY
Tina Fey hosts NBC's One Night Only: The Best of Broadway, a primetime special celebrating the resilient Broadway community and featuring the Great Bright Way's top productions. The special airs Thursday, December 10, at 8 pm Eastern/Pacific. The two-hour show benefits Broadway Cares and features new performances from Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations, Chicago, Jagged Little Pill, Diana: The Musical, Jersey Boys, Mean Girls and Rent, with an appearance by the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, plus Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Porter, Vanessa Williams and dozens more
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BWU grad talks about SPRING AWAKENING
Colton Ryan, who appears in a lead role on television’s “Girl from the North Country” talks about an ambitious production of Spring Awakening from his alma mater, Baldwin Wallace University. American Theater magazine just chronicled how the musical theater department pulled it off, masks and all. (Read my review at www.royberko.info)
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CLE PLAYREADING GROUP
Imagine cozying up by your fireplace (or space heater) with a warm blanket, mug of cocoa or glass of wine on a cold evening, and reading a play with some really cool people. The authors range from William Shakespeare to Caryl Churchill, and topics from murder mystery to musical comedy.
The Cleveland Actors’ Play Date (APD) is a local play reading group that does this once a month. Read the whole story by clicking HERE.
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CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE PRESENTS “THEATRE THURSDAY”
Theatre Thursday is LIVE interactive virtual program focusing on CPH's core values of artistry, community, and life-long learning, presented on the third Thursday of each month, hosted by CPH Artistic Director Laura Kepley and CPH Artistic Directing Fellow Stori Ayers. Theatre Thursday is a monthly interactive virtual event which will allow audiences to experience the artistry of CPH, connect directly with the makers of our work, and converse with staff and other audience members about the impact of our artistic work in our beloved community.
Registration for Theatre Thursday is required in advance. Viewing access is "Pay What You Can," starting at $5. All events are live streamed via ZOOM and can be viewed on a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. For more information about Theatre Thursday, visit www.clevelandplayhouse.com/theatre-thursday
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NEAR WEST THEATRE PRESENTS All Roads Lead to Home
Near West Theatre (NWT) announced the second show in its most unconventional season thus far: All Roads Lead to Home, a performance showcase of popular music, spoken word, and storytelling by local artists and five decades of NWT alumni.
Performances will be streamed exclusively on demand online from December 18, 2020 through January 3, 2021. Tickets will go on sale on December 18. The theatre employs a pay what you can feature for every performance, with a suggested donation of $15 per streaming. www.nearwesttheatre.org.
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RUBBER CITY THEATRE PRESENTS . . .
Rubber City Theatre will feature several new plays and adaptations of classic favorites in its 2020-21 season. The lineup of performances includes a new take on “A Christmas Carol,” a military couple love story “Love in Reserve,” and a musical version of Dante’s “Inferno” called “Heartbreakers in Hell.” Plus, a very-Akron show is included in the lineup — a rubber factory-themed adaption of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” called “On the Line.”
Though the programming is set, the shows’ formats haven’t been determined. “A Christmas Carol” will be streamed online for ticketholders, but the troupe hasn’t determined if 2021’s shows will take place virtually or in person at the troupe’s playhouse, at 243 Furnace Street. That will depend on CDC recommendations based on the coronavirus pandemic’s spread in 2021
Tickets to each show will be available to purchase on Rubber City Theatre’s website for around $20 a show, along with memberships for the whole season. A $30-$40 membership will discount ticket prices to $15 per production, and a flexible traditional membership ($100) includes one ticket to each production, along with readings and other members-only events. Here’s the full lineup, and read more about each play at rubbercitytheatre.com.
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VIRTUAL TOURS OF BROADWAY
Take a virtual tour of Broadway's ruins, learn more about Hamilton on HamilTour, and introducing Broadway's newest Trivia Night at Social Selects! To find out more, go to:
View Selects!
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BAH, HUMBUG
A Christmas Carol: Radio Play by Nancy Cates. Adapted from the classic tale by Charles Dickens. Live and free on Facebook each Saturday of December at 7pm, beginning December 5.
Just tune into our Facebook page. Not a Facebook person? You’ll be able to hear it anytime thereafter at this link or listen as a podcast on Soundcloud.
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