Roundabout Theatre Company and Education at Roundabout have announced the return of its Theatrical Workforce Development Program (TWDP). The program aims to train and place young professionals in non-performance careers into the Broadway industry. TWDP will offer two fellowships: technical theater training and administrative. Entering its seventh year, the technical program is a partnership with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). It will pair participants with a veteran member of IATSE to learn hands-on skills in backstage theater work. Fellows will gain experie ..read more

It seems obvious to use circus maneuvers to tell a story about, well, a circus. And yet, the circus created in the new Broadway musical “Water for Elephants” seems eons away from P.T. Barnum’s tent-set acts made explicitly for spectacle and show.  “What is so stunning about the circus movement is that it’s all derived in a movement language and vocabulary as opposed to trick, trick, trick, trick, trick,” said the musical’s co-choreographer Jesse Robb. The musical’s circus elements, while dazzling, serve the narrative — which follows Jacob Jankowski, a man who runs away from a shattered l ..read more

Good morning, and welcome to Broadway News’ Broadway Review by Brittani Samuel — our overview of reactions, recommendations and information tied to last night’s Broadway opening of “The Wiz.”  RUNDOWN  (L-R) Kyle Ramar Freeman as Lion, Avery Wilson as Scarecrow, Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy, Phillip Johnson Richardson as Tinman in “The Wiz” on Broadway, 2024 (Credit: Jeremy Daniel) While the original Broadway production of “The Wiz” was a landmark achievement and hit with audiences, subsequent productions garnered mixed reviews — with the first major revival fizzling out in less than a ..read more

Americans for the Arts (AFTA), the nonprofit dedicated to using research and advocacy to advance the arts, has announced that its president and CEO, Nolen Bivens, will step down. Bivens will remain in his leadership position until the completion of his tenure in June.  Bivens was appointed in 2021. During his tenure, Bivens has led the organization through a “Strategic Realignment Process,” which aimed to identify AFTA’s role in the arts community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bivens also spearheaded AFTA’s 2022 Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) research study, which quantified the e ..read more

“Water for Elephants” has announced a partnership with Global Sanctuary for Elephants, a nonprofit that aims to protect, rescue and provide sanctuary for captive elephants worldwide.  The collaboration with the Jessica Stone-directed musical will focus on not just advocacy for elephant welfare, but will spread awareness that the organization’s Brazil-based sanctuary provides space for formerly abused and neglected elephants to heal, both physically and emotionally. “‘Water for Elephants’ upholds the integrity of our mission, taking care to portray the elephant, Rosie, in their storyline ..read more

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced the world premiere of “The Thing About Jellyfish.” The play, based on Ali Benjamin’s 2015 novel of the same name, will open on Jan. 31, 2025 and play a limited run through March 9. Tyne Rafaeli will direct the Broadway-aimed piece, which is being adapted for the stage by Keith Bunin. “The Thing About Jellyfish” is being produced in association with Madison Wells Live. “The Thing About Jellyfish” follows teenaged Suzy Swanson who, in the aftermath of her best friend’s death, uses her imagination to explore not only grief and friendship, but also the sci ..read more

Broadway’s “& Juliet” has announced a new principal actor. Maya Boyd will take on the title role in the Max Martin jukebox musical beginning on May 14 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Boyd will succeed Lorna Courtney, who earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for originating the role of Juliet. Courtney will play her final performance on May 12. “& Juliet” will mark Boyd’s second Main Stem credit, having made her Broadway debut earlier this season in the ensemble of “Merrily We Roll Along” and serving as an understudy for the role of Gussie. While performing in “Merrily,” Boyd completed ..read more

When “Hadestown” premiered Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW), there wasn’t a plan to take it to Broadway. “At that point, I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to get a warehouse space and make it an immersive thing,” “Hadestown” lead producer Mara Isaacs told Broadway News. “Then what we learned from watching the way audiences responded to the show was that we actually had something that was commercial.” Isaacs has been with “Hadestown” since its beginning. From her first listen of writer Anaïs Mitchell’s concept album, Isaacs knew “it was so innately theatrical. You could see it, you ..read more

In Broadway’s “Harmony,” the Comedian Harmonists sing backup for Marlene Dietrich, meet Albert Einstein in their dressing room after a show and sing with Josephine Baker. But how many of these people did the real-life Comedian Harmonists rub elbows with? All of them, in fact. For starters, the group — then called the Melody Makers — were part of a 1929 revue with Dietrich (as listeners will learn in episode nine of the podcast “Who Were the Comedian Harmonists? The True Story Behind Broadway’s ‘Harmony’”). The relationship with Einstein was a lot more personal. As in “Harmony,” Einstein knew ..read more

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