Leah Lane News

Just last night, The American Theatre Wing celebrated 101 Years of supporting strong and fearless voices in the American Theatre with a tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber's unrivaled body of work amassed over five decades. Performers included Tony Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Brandon Victor Dixon, Tony winner and Grammy Award nominee Heather Headley, Tony winner Katrina Lenk, Tony and Grammy nominee Norm Lewis, Webber muse Sierra Boggess, two-time Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative recipient Sydney Lopes, and a mega-band that includes School of Rock alumni Evie Dolan, Ethan Khusidman, Raghav Mehrotra, and Brandon Niederauer.

BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater productions, exclusively streamed ANN, the critically acclaimed play written and performed by Emmy Award winning actress Holland Taylor and directed by Benjamin Endsley Klein, beginning yesterday, June 14. The special screening event was also held last night, and featured the show's star Holland Taylor. BroadwayWorld was in attendance, and you can check out photos below!

It was my honor to join the Chashama Board and host the Chashama Art Party this year. Chashama is known for their outrageous annual gala and art party, and this year was no disappointment. The Gala presented over 150 artists in an immersive labyrinth of installations and performances on June 7th. Highlights included, fire meets art showman, Flambeaux and his gorgeous wax covered troupe, melting and dripping burning candles onto each other and willing patrons, VR masked artists on Toto bidets with keyboards, performers moonlighting as sushi platters, stiletto heeled pole dancers, painters, acrobats, and Harlequin clowns with sparkle and confetti guns. It's a joyous celebration in Times Square; The Chashama Gala and Art Party is like New Year's Eve in June!

The final event in The Dare Tactics 4th Season, 'A Roller Rink Temptation' by Catherine Weingarten, rolls into WOW Cafe Theatre this weekend.

The final event in The Dare Tactics 4th Season, A Roller Rink Temptation, By Catherine Weingarten, will roll into WOW Cafe Theatre May 25-27, 2018. Helmed by Daniella Caggiano, Roller Rink is a coming of age dark comedy romp about six teen chicks at a lesbian roller rink struggling for love in a new and sexiii world. Rootabega (Maggie Metnick*) is super jewy and confused about her sexuality, but luckily one of the rink's employee's, Lemonade (Dani Martineck) is ready to show her around. Poppy (Leah Lane) is finally 16 and her and her BFF Clementine ( Hui-Shan Yong) are super excited to celebrate; too bad a fat, scary, girly repressed secret threatens their friendship. Salmonella (Claire Rose Autran) says she's 'straight' but a chance encounter with an awkward butch artist named Bluebell (Azalea Lewis) complicates everything.

The Drama League (Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Executive Artistic Director) announced the 2018 Drama League Awards Winners on Friday afternoon for Outstanding Production of a Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award.

The final event in The Dare Tactics 4th Season, A Roller Rink Temptation, By Catherine Weingarten, will roll into WOW Cafe Theatre May 25-27, 2018. Helmed by Daniella Caggiano, Roller Rink is a coming of age dark comedy romp about six teen chicks at a lesbian roller rink struggling for love in a new and sexiii world. Rootabega (Maggie Metnick*) is super jewy and confused about her sexuality, but luckily one of the rink's employee's, Lemonade (Dani Martineck) is ready to show her around. Poppy (Leah Lane) is finally 16 and her and her BFF Clementine ( Hui-Shan Yong) are super excited to celebrate; too bad a fat, scary, girly repressed secret threatens their friendship. Salmonella (Claire Rose Autran) says she's 'straight' but a chance encounter with an awkward butch artist named Bluebell (Azalea Lewis) complicates everything.

On Monday, May 14th, six time Tony Award winning producer, Stewart F. Lane was inducted in to the Manhattan Jewish Hall of Fame. The Manhattan Jewish Historical Initiative (MJHI) honors the important and varied contributions of distinguished individuals who have lived and thrived in Manhattan. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer hosted the event, which was held in the historic venue, the Library of The General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York.

Talk a walk down the blue carpet with the cast of Escape to Margaritaville! Escape to Margaritaville opened last night, March 15, at the Marquis Theatre, and BroadwayWorld is taking you inside the big night. Check out photos of the cast of the blue carpet last night!

The 15th Anniversary Reunion Concert benefit celebration of the 2002 Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Thoroughly Modern Millie was presented last night at The Minskoff Theatre. The concert starred two-time Tony Award® winner Sutton Foster, Tony Award® winner Gavin Creel, Tony Award® winner Harriet Harris and other original cast members for a one-night-only benefit to raise funds for The Actors Fund, the human services organization that helps everyone in entertainment and performing arts.

Today, January 21, is Big Hug Day and Broadway casts, crews and fans alike united for a big hug in Times Square. The group hug took place at noon at the Red Steps / Father Duffy Statue in Times Square.

The American Theatre Wing just held its Centennial Gala last night, September 18th, celebrating the power of musical theater in American life over the past 100 years.

"Curtain Up: Celebrating Forty Years of Theatre in New York and London" opened at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center October 31st. The idea for the exhibit was conceived when the Society of London Theatre wanted to create a display in conjunction with London's Victoria and Albert Museum to honor forty years of the Olivier Awards. Doug Reside, who is the curator for the Theatre Division at the library, explained that eventually "those conversations [between SOLT and V&A] started to morph about including us and including the Tony's." From there Reside worked with Anna Landreth Strong, V&A Curator of Modern and Contemporary Theatre and Performance, to create an exhibit that worked on both sides of the Atlantic. To qualify for the exhibit a show must have been nominated for both a Tony Award and an Olivier Award, won one of those nominations, and had a production within the last 40 years. 

Yesterday, May 19, Broadway's brightest gathered at the Marriott Marquis Times Square to celebrate this year's Drama League Awards nominees for Outstanding Play, Outstanding Revival of a Play, Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Revival of a Musical, and the much-coveted Distinguished Performance Award. BroadwayWorld caught the last of the red carpet arrivals and even got a sneak peek inside the ceremony in the Broadway Ballroom and the Marriott Marquis.

Monday night, a kickoff dinner was held honoring the 2017 Directors Project fellows. The dinner took place at the home of Broadway producers and BroadwayHD co-founders Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley. The guest of honor of the evening was Moritz von Stuelpnagel (director of Present Laughter, Hand To God), who is a Directors Project alumnus himself.

This afternoon, Tony Award winning producer Mike Isaacson (The Humans, Fun Home, Bring it On The Musical, Red, Legally Blonde, Caroline or Change) received the Commercial Theatre Institute's Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Theatre Producing. 

After critically acclaimed and award winning productions in Seattle, New Jersey and Boston the new musical, Ernest Shackleton Loves me, officially opened last night, May 7, 2017 at Off-Broadway's Tony Kiser Theatre (305 West 43rdStreet). This strictly limited engagement will play through Sunday, June 11th only.

UMass Lowell alumna, Bonnie Comley, and her husband Stewart F. Lane hosted an evening on broadway to celebrate the university, their latest mega hit, Sunset Boulevard at the Palace Theater and the 10th anniversary of the 500 seat Comley-Lane Theatre. UMass Lowell, Special Advisor, Diane Earl, organized the group of alumni and friends to gather for conversation and dinner at Sardi's before heading to the Palace Theater to enjoy Sunset Boulevard.

Just last night, at sunset the eve of the Inauguration, more than 500 theaters, ensembles and companies, high school and university theater programs gathered across the country to light a light and make a pledge to stand for and protect the values of inclusion, participation, and compassion for everyone - regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

The new musical Back Home Again, featuring songs by John Denver with book by Stewart F. Lane will have a limited run at The Lesher Center For The Arts from January 11-21.