Kathryn Van Meter News

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will present a special one-night-only performance of Spectrum Dance Theater's A Rap on Race today, January 13 at 7:30pm in the Ordway Music Theater.

Every now and then, a transformational moment will occur in the theatre, transporting the audience into new realms of experience and understanding. Such a moment is at hand in David Bennett's vivid and compelling interpretation of MAN OF LA MANCHA. (Arizona Theatre Company's third production of the season, running through January 28th at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix.) Bennett's work is a grand and inspired achievement. It touches the soul and ignites the emotions.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will present a special one-night-only performance of Spectrum Dance Theater's A Rap on Race on Saturday, January 13 at 7:30pm in the Ordway Music Theater.

The River Bride, Marisela Trevi o Orta's poignant story of true love, regret, transformation and the struggle to stay true to your family and to yourself, will have its Arizona premiere at the Temple of Music & Art in Tucson from Oct. 21 to Nov. 16 and at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix from Nov. 11 to Dec. 3.

The River Bride, Marisela Trevi o Orta's poignant story of true love, regret, transformation and the struggle to stay true to your family and to yourself, will have its Arizona premiere at the Temple of Music & Art in Tucson from Oct. 21 to Nov. 16 and at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix from Nov. 11 to Dec. 3.

I'll admit, Dear Readers, that when I saw the cast list for Village Theatre's current production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's classic Into the Woods I was quite excited. It was (and is) quite a list of powerhouse talent and not the usual suspects for a Village show. But Sondheim's show, as much as it's done by every professional house, community theater, or school is by no means a bulletproof show and something egregious must have happened (or didn't happen) between then and now as the production I saw last night, while technically good with well sung songs lacked any kind of emotional resonance, heart, stakes, or even connection between the characters. And for a show like this, pretty singing is not enough.

Arizona Theatre Company (ATC; David Ivers, Artistic Director; Billy Russo, Managing Director) is pleased to welcome back four-time Academy Award-nominee Marsha Mason, who will direct Neil Simon's autobiographical romantic comedy Chapter Two to open ATC's 51st season, Oct. 5-22 at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe in Phoenix.

Arizona Theatre Company (ATC; David Ivers, Artistic Director; Billy Russo, Managing Director) is pleased to welcome back four-time Academy Award-nominee Marsha Mason, who will direct Neil Simon's autobiographical romantic comedy Chapter Two to open ATC's 51st season, Sept. 9-30 at the Temple of Music & Art, 333 S. Scott Ave. in Tucson, Oct. 5-22 at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe in Phoenix.

Single tickets for the first two shows in Arizona Theatre Company's (ATC) 2017-18 season, its 51st, - Chapter Two and The River Bride - go on sale August 1.

Single tickets for the first two shows in Arizona Theatre Company's (ATC) 2017-18 season, its 51st, - Chapter Two and The River Bride - go on sale August 1.

Downton Abbey meets Gilligan's Island in this hysterical new musical titled A Proper Place by Broadway's Leslie Becker (Bonnie & Clyde, Amazing Grace) and Curtis Rhodes.

City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will present the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical, Next to Normal on February 10-12 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Performances are February 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm and February 12 at 2:00 pm.

City Circle Acting Company of Coralville will present the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical, Next to Normal on February 10-12 at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Performances are February 10 and 11 at 7:30 pm and February 12 at 2:00 pm.

David Ira Goldstein, in his 25th and final year as Artistic Director of Arizona Theatre Company, has mounted an intensely human and deeply moving production of FIDDLER that is exemplary both in its distinctive portrayal of characters and place and its magnificent stagecraft (Kathryn Van Meter's spirited choreography, William Forrester's exquisite scenic design, and Cynthia Savage's brilliant costumery).

The beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof, called 'one of the greatest musicals in history' by the New York Daily News and 'Indestructible' by The New Yorker magazine, brings a richly vibrant close to 2016 and a celebratory opening to 2017 in Arizona Theatre Company's epic production as part of ATC's 50th anniversary season.

A few months back another group in Seattle put up an immersive production of "Romeo and Juliet" that blew me away and finally gave me the chance to see a completely solid production that I liked. But even while watching that I knew that Seattle Shakespeare Company would be closing out their season with their own intimate production of the show and I worried that the chances of getting another great production might be tempting fate or the theater Gods or the odds or whatever. Well unfortunately my fears were well founded as this new staging, while having a few stand out supporting performances, ultimately falls flat with a severe lack of passion or love (crucial for a love story) and an overarching theme that at best feels confusing and tacked on and at worst, pretentious.

Seattle Shakespeare Company presents ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare, directed by Vanessa Miller, opening this Today, May 6, 2016 and closing May 22, 2016 at the Cornish Playhouse (201 Mercer Street, WA 98109). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Seattle Shakespeare Company presents ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare, directed by Vanessa Miller, opening this Friday, May 6, 2016 and closing May 22, 2016 at the Cornish Playhouse (201 Mercer Street, WA 98109). BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

It's a story so familiar that it is practically part of our DNA. A boy, a girl, and a love that tries to beat the odds. For Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of ROMEO AND JULIET, director Vanessa Miller will use the play and stage space as a portal for a group of players trapped in a game that races to its final conclusion. 

It's a story so familiar that it is practically part of our DNA. A boy, a girl, and a love that tries to beat the odds. For Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of ROMEO AND JULIET, director Vanessa Miller will use the play and stage space as a portal for a group of players trapped in a game that races to its final conclusion.