In celebration of Steppenwolf's 40th anniversary and John Mayer's new book, Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago: In Their Own Words, Donald Liebenson profiles the celebrated theater company for Vanity Fair magazine. Some of the famous actors who are in the Steppenwolf ensemble include co-founders Jeff Perry, Gary Sinise and Terry Kinney, as well as Joan Allen, Laurie Metcalf and John Malkovich. The article highlights the history of Steppenwolf as well as its influence on American theater: “What Steppenwolf Theatre Company has...

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This month, Miami City Ballet made its debut at New York City's David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center, which is "huge," reports Ana Sofía Peláez for NBC News. Goldstar members raved about this NYC performance in their reviews: "Fabulous, electrifying dancing!" wrote one member, and "I was blown away by the program with superb dancing, music, and astonishing production and choreography," wrote another. Since 2012, Miami City Ballet has been led by artistic director Lourdes Lopez, a former principal dancer...

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"Nostalgia works," writes Gil Kaufman in Venues Today. "Just look at your local amphitheater's summer lineup and it's clear that there's still a huge appetite for the sounds of yesteryear." Kaufman continues that Universal Attractions Agency knows this well, and after seeing success with the 70s Soul Jam series and the 90s remix tour, it has launched the I Love The 90's Tour, which has already made stops last month in Reading, Penn., and Los Angeles. The tour includes a rotating...

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What started as an art project turned into a blog site, and then an official website, a TED talk, multiple books, museum installations and a live show on tour, PostSecret: the Show, coming to Pantages Theater at Broadway Center for the Performing Arts in Tacoma on April 1. Frank Warren, a former suicide hotline counselor, started it all in 2005 by requesting people mail their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard to his home address. He posts them...

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The Blue Man Group has been performing their innovative show for 25 years and is still going strong. Inc.com recently did an interview with one of the the creators, Phil Stanton, and his colleague Bill Swartz, to learn more about how they stay creative after all this time. You can read the full interview here, and check out the advice they had for other innovators below: "What advice do you have for others wanting to think outside of the (blue) box? Swartz:...

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Selling tickets and spreading the word about your events on social media isn't always easy -- anyone who's ever done it can tell you that. But there are ways to effectively use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the rest of the gang to your advantage. One organization who's (pardon the pun) rocking out on social media is House of Blues. Their CMO John Behling recently appeared on the Marketing Superstars podcast to share how they do it. Click here to listen to...

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Miami City Ballet is celebrating its 30th anniversary -- and it's got a lot to be thankful for. Robert Gottlieb writes, "Not only are ticket sales rising but, against the national trend, subscription sales are sharply up: clearly, Miami is liking what it’s seeing." Read all of Gottlieb's Observer article for a quick overview of Miami City Ballet's history, what makes it such a uniquely happy and generous environment and its future plans, including the staging of a new, original...

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Joffrey Ballet's production of The Nutcracker, Robert Joffrey's beloved classic with the Chicago Philharmonic, will take the stage one last time for its final season, from December 4 to 27, at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre. One of Chicago's most popular holiday traditions now in its 28th year, Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker has won the Goldstar National Nutcracker Award -- the only award honoring live performances of the holiday classic -- twice. How does a production win the Nutty? Goldstar members rate the...

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Jim has written about how important it is to make great work for children and “get ‘em when they’re young.” Seattle Children’s Theatre, under the leadership of artistic director Linda Hartzell since 1984, is a great example of an organization that's doing both. According to this Seattle Times article, Seattle Children's Theatre is "one of Seattle’s theatrical jewels," which has "become a major force and innovator, introducing generations of children to the wonders of professional theater." Hartzell told Seattle Times theater...

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Steppenwolf Theatre Company has a new artistic director, and she officially starts on September 14. Anna D. Shapiro is a Tony winner, professor at Northwestern University and has directed a string of Broadway hits -- Of Mice and Men (with James Franco), This Is Our Youth (with Michael Cera) and Fish in the Dark (with Larry David). Read more here about Shapiro and her plans for Steppenwolf in Christopher Borrelli's Chicago Tribune article. Got a comment or question? Join the conversation...

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