Red Harlem Readers

Free video course on becoming a Broadway/Off-Broadway Producer and Investor

Click this link for a FREE video course on what is needed to become a Broadway and Off-Broadway producer and investor. Hosted by entertainment attorney Bruce Lazarus.

Producers and investors learn the ins and outs of the Broadway deal. The first six video segments are devoted to acquiring the rights to a play or musical and raising capital to develop the show for commercial production. Each video reviews the deals and contracts needed to develop a show including the Producers’ Joint Venture, the Author(s) Option/Production Contract and the Limited Liability Operating and Subscription Agreements for Accredited Investors. 

Also included on the site is a series of audio interviews with Broadway industry professionals. 

UpDate (11/29): Bruce Lazarus named Executive Director of Samuel French plays. Lazarus will oversee company strategy, marketing and business affairs. 

Lazarus has been an active professional within the theatre community for over 25 years. As an entertainment attorney he has represented numerous theatre artists and producers including the original off-Broadway production of BLUEMAN GROUP. As the Director of Business and Legal Affairs for Walt Disney Theatrical Productions his responsibilities included the Broadway productions and international tours of THE LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and AIDA. He also produced several Broadway and off-Broadway plays including the Tony Award nominated Best Play of 2003, SAY GOODNIGHT GRACIE and the Lucille Lortel Award winning Best Play of 1997, SHAKESPEARE’S R&J. Lazarus lectures frequently on various aspects of the entertainment industry. 

“We are excited to add such an exceptional professional to our team,” said Nate Collins, President of Samuel French. “Bruce’s experience and insight will help us further our goal of being the ultimate resource of dramatic literature and information for authors and producers.”

Lazarus said “Samuel French matters- we matter to those who create, study and love theatre and to the future generations who will create, study and love theatre. I am honored to be working side by side with the dedicated and passionate staff at Samuel French. We make theatre happen, worldwide, everyday!”

About Samuel French

Samuel French was founded in 1830, has offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and London, and retail bookstores in Hollywood , California, making it the oldest and largest publisher and licensor of stage plays and musicals in the world. Their extensive catalogue of over 10,000 plays, musicals and industry related books can be found at www.samuelfrench.com.  

Call for Plays

In February 2013, The Theatre Project is proud to present Cold Reads, a new play development lab. Featuring 4 new plays by 4 playwrights in reading workshops over the course of 4 weeks, Cold Reads workshops and promotes contemporary theatrical productions. The Theatre Project's Cold Reads Series seeks to develop these 4 new plays and produce them both Off and Off-Off-Broadway. For each reading workshop, the audience and a panel of industry judges will vote on plays in Cold Reads. At the end of February the winning play is selected. Both the winning play and the three plays get to grow in different developmental tracks. 

The Winning Play 

The winning play will receive a 5 month Development Spa with an Off-Broadway Limited Engagement at The historic Players Theatre. 

The 3 Plays 

The 3 additional plays from Cold Reads will be developed and featured in our Off-Off-Broadway Micro Festival.

Deadline is December 20, 2012 

Send Scripts to Development@TheTheatreProject.org 

Corcoran & Dorsey's GONNE/YEATS 12/13 - 16th (St. Louis)

Please click to enlarge and then 

right click and open in new tab.

Click image then to enlarge.

AAPEX's Jaz Dorsey and Dennis Corcoran 

premiere 

GONNE/YEATS 

at the Firecracker Press

December 13th thru the 16th

in association with the

Black Mirror Theatre Company

St. Louis

Hi. My name is Dennis Corcoran. I am the founder of a small, local (STL) theatre company, The Black Mirror. We are putting on a special program in mid-December at The Firecracker Press entitled Gonne/Yeats. It is what my collaborator, Jaz Dorsey, calls Literary Cabaret. 

In a nutshell, the program focuses on the lives and relationship of Maud Gonne (McBride) and William Butler Yeats using his poetry, episodes from her life and some music/singing of Loreena McKennitt. Our aim in developing this piece is to stimulate awareness of and interest in Maud Gonne, a singularly remarkable character in her own right. 

I hope you can join us - and that you will spread the word among your students and colleagues who might find Yeats' poetry and the life of this special woman, Maud Gonne, of interest. The venue, Firecracker Press, is both intimate and unique. We staged Samuel Beckett's KRAPP'S LAST TAPE there last year to fabulous reviews, both for the program itself as well as the choice of venue. 

Seating is limited. The cost is a suggested $10 donation, making it financially accessible to all. Go raibh míle maith agaibh agus beannachtaí. 

Dennis

ETA's GOT THE BLUES with Soul Man Otis Clay 12/10 (Chicago)

The Blues is center stage at eta during the 2012-2013 season. Featuring Mainstage productions infused with the blues, an exhibition highlighting blues images by four distinguished photographers, scholarly panel and post-performance discussions and live blues performances, eta's got the blues. 

In a season of "Resurrected Works and Reclaimed Music" focusing on great African American writers and Blues music the current Mainstage show is "Ceremonies in Dark Old Men," the powerful 60s drama by Lonne Elder III. Directed by Vaun Monroe, the play is often compared to A Raisin in the Sun for its then contemporary examination of the disintegration of a Black family in the midst of the great social revolution in America. Shows run at 8 pm Friday and Saturday; 3pm Sunday through December 23, 2012. General admission is $30 with student, senior and group rates. 

Two of Chicago's leading blues artists perform during the monthly "Music Mondays" series. Soul Man Otis Clay brings his powerful brand of blues to the stage during the December 10th "Music Mondays" showcase. One of the premier deep soul, blues and gospel singers working today, Clay celebrates the release of his new CD "TRUTH IS." On January 14, 2012 Chicago's own Ambassador of Chicago Blues, Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues perform. Show time is 7-10 pm on the second Monday of each month. Admission is $10. 

On display in the eta gallery is an exhibition presented in conjunction with iRock Jazz. The "All Blues Photography Exhibit" features photos of blues entertainers by Farrard Ali, John Broughton, Foster Garvin and Javet Kimble. The show is up through December 23, 2012 during regular weekday business hours and during Mainstage performances. 

 eta Square 
 7558 S. South Chicago Avenue 
 773-752-3955 
 ww.etacreativearts.org

COTTON CLUB PARADE returns to New York City Center thru Sunday

Amber Riley picture from Helene Davis Public Relations.

This musical revue marks Amber Riley's (Mercedes from "Glee") Broadway debut. To learn more about this musical revue about Duke Ellington's years at the Cotton Club during the 20's and 30's, please watch the video below which showcases the dancers.

Red Harlem Readers

Last performance of Ernie Silva's HEAVY LIKE THE WEIGHT OF A FLAME this Saturday 11/17 (LA)

To purchase tickets, please click here.

For more info, please click here.

Blackboard Reading Series: AM I WHITE? by Adrienne Dawes 11/12 (NYC)

NEXT Blackboard - 

Monday, November 12, 2012

7:30pm

AM I WHITE? 

By Adrienne Dawes 

Directed by Kevin R. Free 

Playwright - Adrienne Dawes

When Neo-N* terrorist Wesley Connor returns to prison after a failed bomb plot, he is confronted with the two identities that threaten his position within the White Order of Thule most: fatherhood and his own mixed race heritage. Inspired by the true story of Leo Felton and Erica Chase, Am I White? travels between linear narrative, recurring dreams and minstrel show nightmare to discover if a singular self exists in post-modern, “post-racial” America. 

$10 Suggested Donation 

Reserve your seats by clicking here. 

~wine served~ 

 RSVP: info@blackboardplays.com

Call for Plays

University of the Arts New Play Festival 

Deadline: Nov. 9th 

The New Play Festival at the University of the Arts intends to cultivate artists through developing their plays and musicals. It also provides an invaluable opportunity for our students to work with professionals in new play development. This January, we will develop 1 new full-length play and 1 new musical at the University. 

Selected pieces will be given rehearsal time in our studio spaces as well as two staged readings in the 230-seat Arts Bank Theater at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The New Play Festival will be held between January 21st-February 3rd, 2013 at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. 

We will provide: 

• Travel and Housing (as required)  
• Modest per diem 
• Rehearsal Time and Performance Space 
• Actors / Directors / Music Directors 
• Public Staged Reading

Please submit the following materials to newplaysfestival@uarts.edu: 

FOR A PLAY and MUSICAL:

1) A brief synopsis of the show including time period and number of scene locations. 

2) A character breakdown including: age, sex, and a short description of each character. 

3) Development goals for the project. 

4) A developmental history of the play, no submission should have received a full production. 

FOR A MUSICAL (we welcome large casts) we will also need: 

5) CD or mp3 files of three songs along with sheet music (lead sheets are acceptable) 

*Please send all files in PDF format. For more information contact: newplayfestival@UARTS.edu 

To discover more opportunities, please click here.

A "Tip o' the backward Kangol" to Aurin Squire for this information.

Fun in the White House! 11/7 (Nashville)

CABARET ALERT: 

"Efficiency is doing things right; 

effectiveness is doing the right things." 

 -- Peter Drucker 

FUN IN THE WHITE HOUSE 

Growing up to be the president 

Isn't that what American meant 

It doesn't matter, poor or rich 

Good Guy or a Son-of-a-Bitch! 

Oh we'll have Fun in the Whitehouse, wait and see 

It's just the right house for you and for me. 

We'll Party away international gloom 

Smoking a doobie in the Oval Room. 

c. 1988 by Jaz Dorsey 

SOME PEOPLE just won't give up! Such is the case with Nashville's very own Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates, O. McDonald and Rick O'Shea.  Join us as O & O (as they like to call themselves) accept America's call to the White House, Wednesday, November 7, 7:00 pm in Cabaret/theatre @ ArtLightenment 2012 - www.artlightenment.com.  

Chinks and Polacks, Wops and Spics 

All get involved in politics. 

We may not like it, but what can we say. 

We're Victims of the American Way.

Red Harlem Readers

Call for Screenplays

The following is this week's call for screenplays from InkTip.com: 

Company C ** We are looking for completed, feature-length biopic scripts dealing with the life and times of legendary activist Angela Davis. Please note we are only interested in biopic scripts, not fictional scripts. Budget is open. Both WGA and Non-WGA writers may submit. For more information on gaining access to this lead, please see www.InkTip.com/pnews.php. 

Company D ** We are looking for completed feature-length thriller scripts with a female African American lead role. Please note this is for a specific actress who plays 20s to 30s, and we are not looking for material with a female co-lead, we are only interested in scripts where the lead role is specifically female and can be played by an African American. Budget will not exceed $1.25 million. WG and non-WG writers may submit. For more information on gaining access to this lead, please see www.InkTip.com/pnews.php.

It's rare that we see calls for African American scripts so take advantage of this if you have what the producers are looking for. Please note that to access the info, you will have to subscribe to the weekly newsletter ($50/4-months).