Daniel Durant News

The latest feature films world premiering at the upcoming Festival include: Beyond Utopia, playing in the U.S. Documentary Competition section; Earth Mama, Flora and Son, and Past Lives, playing in the Premieres section; and Stephen Curry: Underrated, playing in the Special Screenings section. Check out more information now!

Deaf West Theatre is again partnering with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind for the third annual National Deaf High School Theatre Festival, a hybrid-virtual and in-person educational theatrical competition for young Deaf actors across the United States.

Hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro will walk out to “Sweet Lovin’” by Sigala & Bryn Christopher. Throughout the evening, each couple will perform one final ballroom dance style and one final Latin dance style (that they've not yet performed) as they battle it out for scores and votes in hopes of earning a spot in the finale.

Hosts Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro will walk out to “Night Crawling” by Miley Cyrus ft. Billy Idol. Team Wicked will dance to “The Witches Are Back” from Hocus Pocus 2 and Team Scream will dance to “Heads Will Roll” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Other song performances include Taylor Swift, Måneskin, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and more.

 Today, GLAAD, the world's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, announced participants wearing purple or going purple online for Spirit Day in a united stand against bullying and show of support for LGBTQ youth.

The evening will kick off with an electrifying opening number to “Sway” performed live by Michael Bublé and featuring our female pros choreographed by Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy. Judge Derek Hough will also take to the ballroom floor on “Michael Bublé Night” to give a special performance to “Higher” with his fiancé Hayley Erbert.

Stars’ Stories Week” kicks off its two-night event with “Most Memorable Year.” The 12 remaining couples will perform routines that best represent the most impactful years of their lives. The two-night event continues with “Prom Night” featuring the 11 remaining couples performing dances to hits that bring them back to their high school proms.

Watch a video of Wayne Brady and his partner, Witney Carson, dance to 'Wait For It' from Hamilton on Dancing With the Stars. The theme of the episode was 'Disney+ Night,' in which the remaining contestants immersed themselves in songs from Disney+ titles, also including Mary Poppins, Hocus Pocus 2, The Greatest Showman, The Muppets, and more.

The 13 remaining couples immerse themselves in the magic of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and more for an unforgettable “Disney+ Night” full of dazzling performances. The night will feature music from Hamilton, High School Musical: the Musical: the Series, Encanto, Mary Poppins, The Greatest Showman, Mary Poppins, The Muppet Show, Hercules, and more.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of James Bond on the silver screen, the 14 remaining couples will perform dances to iconic songs from the James Bond franchise for week three of the mirrorball competition. “Bond Night” will open with a special pro performance to “Live and Let Die” by Paul McCartney & Wings.

The professional dancers will kick off “Elvis Night” with a high-energy performance to “Also Sprach Zarathustra” / “Don’t Be Cruel” choreographed by Jemel McWilliams. The evening will be split into three chronological acts, each exploring a different period of Elvis’s career: from his early days in rock music, through his Hollywood era.

Wayne Brady, Jordin Sparks, and more will be joined by a Real Housewife, a Bachelorette and a drag queen superstar, and more in season 31 of Dancing With the Stars. Fan-favorite pro dancers Mark Ballas and Louis van Amstel will also make a return to the ballroom. Check out the complete list of contestants and their professional partners below!

Last night, Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF, LA) kicked off Oscar® weekend with its highly-anticipated cocktail party presented by sponsors Max Mara, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, and Heineken, with additional support from Major Partners IMDbPro and Tequila Don Julio. The party honored all 60 women, in front of and behind the camera, who have been nominated for an Academy Award® this year. 

Vendôme Pictures and Pathé Films has announced they are partnering with Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre (DJ Kurs, Artistic Director) to develop the stage musical adaptation of the Academy Award-nominated, smash hit film CODA. The film also made history being the first predominantly deaf cast to win the coveted ensemble prize at the SAG Awards.

Yesterday, March 11th, the American Film Institute (AFI) celebrated the 2021 AFI AWARDS honorees with a star-studded invite-only luncheon in Beverly Hills. AFI also revealed its official rationales (below) for all 23 honorees, providing the cultural and artistic context to mark these outstanding creative endeavors as the year’s notable milestones.

Deaf West Theatre is partnering with the Utah Schools for the Deaf and Blind and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Sunshine 2.0 for the 2022 National Deaf High School Theatre Festival, an educational theatrical competition for young Deaf actors across the United States.

Apple Original Films today announced that audience favorite “CODA” will be re-released in theaters for a limited theatrical run following its history-making Academy Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture. The film's star, Troy Kotsur, is the first Deaf male actor to ever be nominated for an Oscar.

Republic Records and Apple Original Films have teamed up with Deaf West Theatre (David Kurs, Artistic Director) to release the official music video for the single “You’re All I Need To Get By (Duet Version)” from the CODA “Soundtrack from the Apple Original Film” today.

Ahead of the premiere, BroadwayWorld had the chance to speak to Heder about how the film came to be, how she ended up casting actors from famed theater Deaf West, and how working on a bilingual set became part of her artistic routine.

Written and directed by Siân Heder, “CODA” was presented in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and became the first film to be honored with an unprecedented four awards at the festival.