Tampa Theatre + Broadway News

Carrollwood Players to Stage British Sketch Comedy GOOD EVENING, 7/21-29

(6/18/2013) - Come see GOOD EVENING! This hilarious British sketch comedy opens this Friday, June 21st, at Carrollwood Players for a special two week run as the final Additional Mainstage Production of the 2012-2013 season. Good Evening by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore is directed by Jim Russell and Amy Ragg and runs June 21st to 29th, 2013.

Carrollwood Players Kicks Off Summer Comedy Theater Camp Today

(6/17/2013) - Carrollwood Players kicks off its Summer Comedy Theater Camp, running today, June 17 - 28 and July 8 - 19, 2013.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 6/16/2013

(6/16/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 6/16/2013 for Tampa

BroadwayWorld Special Coverage: SUMMER STAGES - Our Picks for Summer's Best Around the World!

(6/14/2013) - As the summer days near, BroadwayWorld rounded up our worldwide community - from Australia to Spain, California and beyond! - to bring you our top picks for the best of summer theater in each of our main markets! Looking for the best of the summer venue and production offerings in your area? Let's hear from a sampling of the BroadwayWorld experts!

Tom Simmons to Take the Stage at Side Splitters Tonight

(6/13/2013) - Experiencing a Tom Simmons show is like watching your best friend entertain you with today's top headlines and issues. He has appeared on Comedy Central, Showtime, BET, NBC, and has written for numerous comedians.

Michael O. Smith and Suzanne Stark Set for THEATER CHAT, 6/12

(6/11/2013) - Join Jimmy Ferraro and Brenda Martin every Wednesday from 12:35 to 1:00 PM Eastern Time for 'Theatre Chat and This 'n That!' ...the show that features a variety of talented people in the arts and all-around wonderful citizens doing wonderful things - that's where the 'this 'n that' comes in! This week's show features conversations with: Actress and Singer, Suzanne Stark, who is currently appearing as Mother Abbess in 'The Sound of Music' at Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis and who started her career in the very same show; and Broadway, Film and Television star, Michael O. Smith, who discusses his illustrious career and recent one-man show on the life of Theodore Roosevelt.

BWW Reviews: STAGEWORKS 2013 - A Showcase for Newbies

(6/11/2013) - Tampa Bay, Florida is the setting for all eight short plays, presented this past weekend, at Stageworks in Tampa. Scripts were submitted from all over central Florida; and were evaluated by a panel of judges. The participating artists received only an honorarium; donating their talents to the production. All of the plays were produced by StageWorks with minimal set pieces and props. This was an exceptional opportunity for area playwrights and 'showcase for newbies'.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 6/09/2013

(6/9/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 6/09/2013 for Tampa

Gorilla Theatre Kicks Off Playwrights for 2013 Young Dramatists' Project Today

(6/7/2013) - Changes are afoot in the Young Dramatists' Project. For the first time in 13 years of production, Gorilla Theatre has solicited scripts by young authors from the entire state of Florida, not just the immediate tri-county area as in the past. With the help of the State Thespian Society, YDP received one-act scripts from as far away as Panama City and Fort Lauderdale. Three were selected from this group and three were selected from the tri-county entries. Over 40 entries were received this year in all.

Photo Flash: Sneak Peek at Stageworks Theatre's TAMPAWORKS, Opening Tonight

(6/6/2013) - TampaWorks is an evening of short plays set in Tampa Bay area locations. This year's TampaWorks is totally a Stageworks production. Playwrights from all over central Florida submitted scripts. The submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges, who chose eight short plays for the production. The production is being sponsored in part by Tucker/Hall, The Tampa Chamber Of Commerce and The Tampa Downtown Partnership. All Artists participating will receive an honorarium so are basically donating a substantial portion of their time and talents. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at this year's productions below!?

TampaRep Cancels Tonight's TAMPAWRIGHTS II Show Due to Bad Weather

(6/6/2013) - Due to the threat of tornadoes and additional rain, tonight's performance of TampaWrights II has been cancelled.

BWW Reviews: Noah Racey's PULSE at Asolo Rep

(6/6/2013) - From the opening breath of this 90-minute dance musical, you'll be wrapped in the artistry that is true American song and dance.

StageWorks' TampaWorks 2013 10-Minute Play Winners Staged Now thru June 9

(6/6/2013) - StageWorks has announced TampaWorks' 10-minute play winners. The winning productions will be staged tonight, June 6-9, Thurs-Sat at 8PM and Sun at 3PM.

TampaWorks Presents 8 Playwrights, 4 Directors, 26 Characters and a Celebration of Tampa

(6/5/2013) - This year, TampaWorks has eight plays, eight playwrights, four directors, twenty six characters combined to create an evening of fun and intriguing situations, all around the Bay Area! The audience will travel to a Hyde Park bungalow, St. Petersburg, outside of a church on the bayou in Tarpon Springs, all over Tampa, the cafe bar of the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, the Manatee viewing center and be a part of the Gasparilla festivities.

Ed Asner Appears on THEATRE CHAT AND THIS 'N THAT Today

(6/5/2013) - Today, June 5th, seven-time Emmy Award winning star, Ed Asner (Lou Grant on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Lou Grant') will be interviewed on 'Theatre Chat and This and That' from Brooksville, Fla.

Jake Johannsen and Tom Simmons to Take the Stage at Side Splitters, 6/6

(6/4/2013) - A self-confessed raconteur of weird stories, it's no wonder that Jake Johannsen is one of David Letterman's favorite comics. With over 40 Letterman appearances under his belt (not to mention a handful of LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, THE TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno, and Politically Incorrect gigs) Jake is no stranger to late night television.

Ed Asner to Appear on THEATRE CHAT AND THIS 'N THAT, 6/5

(6/3/2013) - This Wednesday, June 5th, seven-time Emmy Award winning star, Ed Asner (Lou Grant on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and 'Lou Grant') will be interviewed on 'Theatre Chat and This and That' from Brooksville, Fla.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 6/02/2013

(6/2/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 6/02/2013 for Tampa

Carrollwood Players Announce 2013-14 Season: NOISES OFF, NUNSENSE, & More!

(5/29/2013) - The Carrollwood Player have announced their 2013-14 season, featuring nine shows, and two additional musicals. Check out the full schedule below!

TAMMY PESCATELLI from Last Comic Standing Performs at Side Splitters Comedy Club, 5/30-6/2

(5/28/2013) - Comedian Tammy Pescatelli is the kind of woman you wish was your sister or your best friend. Like a good sister, she's always ready with a good joke or lively quip. Tammy learned her funny skills growing up in a large Italian household outside of Cleveland.

Florida Studio Theatre's Education Department Wins A Pay It Forward Award From The Patterson Foundation

(5/28/2013) - Florida Studio Theatre is pleased to announce its Education Department has received a Pay it Forward award from the Patterson Foundation. The award was received on May 10th and is entitled "Technology Pioneer." The award acknowledges that Florida Studio Theatre is among the first Arts and Cultural institutions to utilize Safari Montage Live technology as an education resource.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 5/26/2013

(5/26/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/26/2013 for Tampa

West Coast Players Theatre Presents AIN'T RETIREMENT GRAND Musical Revue, Now thru 5/26

(5/24/2013) - A hilarious musical revue titled Ain't Retirement Grand plays in Clearwater for one weekend only starting today, May 24. The lighthearted show pokes fun at retirement in Florida. The songs and patter cover the full range of topics that concern the over-55s -- wills, doctors, pets, early-bird specials, and 'getting up off the couch occasionally.'

BWW Reviews: LEND ME A TENOR Hits a High Note

(5/22/2013) - If you want to have fun and laugh yourself silly... Go see the Carrollwood Players production of 'LEND ME A TENOR'! You will be glad you did!

TampaWorks Lineup Announced

(5/21/2013) - TampaWorks is an evening of short plays set in Tampa Bay area locations. The first edition took place in June, 2012. It was a production of the Stagewrights playwriting group and its sponsoring organization, Stageworks Theatre.

Black Coffee Staged Reading Series Debuts Saturday

(5/21/2013) - The Devil Takes Care of His Own depicts the last night on earth of the notorious Charlie Wall, who dominated Tampa criminal enterprises, including the bolita lottery, from the 1920's until rivals forced him out of business in the Forties. He thereafter became the 'elder statesman of Tampa vice,' testified before the Kefauver Senate Crime Committee in 1950 and was murdered in his home in west Tampa in April, 1955. The Dream Bar, the setting for the play, was the last place the talkative Charlie Wall went carousing on the night of his death.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 5/19/2013

(5/19/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/19/2013 for Tampa

BWW Reviews: AMERICAN IDIOT - A Sad, Pathetic View of a New Generation

(5/19/2013) - The entire cast and musicians are multi-talented and the production values are innovative. On opening night, when the curtain went up, the cast was welcomed by screams, howls, and cheering, by a throng of teenagers...

Straz Center Welcomes AMERICAN IDIOT Tonight

(5/17/2013) - American Idiot, Green Day's explosive Broadway hit called 'wonderfully raucous' and 'emotionally charged' by the New York Times, will play the Straz Center in Tampa from tonight, May 17-19, 2013. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.strazcenter.org or call 1.813.229.STAR.

Tommy Mara and Tom Hansen Set for THEATRE CHAT AND THIS 'N THAT, 5/15

(5/14/2013) - Join Jimmy Ferraro and Brenda Martin every Wednesday from 12:35 to 1:00 PM Eastern Time for 'Theatre Chat and This 'n That!' The show that features a variety of talented people in the arts and all-around wonderful citizens doing wonderful things - that's where the 'this 'n that' comes in.

Gorilla Theatre Announces Playwrights for 2013 Young Dramatists' Project; Kicks Off 6/7

(5/13/2013) - Changes are afoot in the Young Dramatists' Project. For the first time in 13 years of production, Gorilla Theatre has solicited scripts by young authors from the entire state of Florida, not just the immediate tri-county area as in the past. With the help of the State Thespian Society, YDP received one-act scripts from as far away as Panama City and Fort Lauderdale. Three were selected from this group and three were selected from the tri-county entries. Over 40 entries were received this year in all.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 5/12/2013

(5/12/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/12/2013 for Tampa

Carrollwood Players Welcomes Back NINE AND NUMB Tonight

(5/10/2013) - Carrollwood Players welcomes back Nine and Numb tonight and Sat, May 10 and 11, 2013.

STAGE TUBE: Sneek Peek at Asolo Rep's PULSE

(5/9/2013) - Extending this season's hot streak of productions that make bold artistic statements, Asolo Repertory Theatre presents Noah Racey's Pulse. A song and dance celebration that harkens back to the golden age of hoofing, Pulse is written, conceived, and choreographed by Broadway song and dance man Noah Racey in collaboration with Broadway director and two-time Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun. Pulse opens on Thursday, May 23 with an 8 p.m. curtain. Opening night will be preceded by two preview performances on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. and May 22 at 8 p.m. The show runs through June 16, 2013 in Asolo Rep's Mertz Theatre located in The FSU Center for the Performing Arts. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at rehearsals below.

Carrollwood Players to Welcome Back NINE AND NUMB, 5/10-11

(5/7/2013) - Carrollwood Players welcomes back Nine and Numb on Fri and Sat, May 10 and 11, 2013.

Choreographer Randy Slovacek and Actor Peter Clapsis Set for THEATRE CHAT AND THIS 'N THAT, 5/8

(5/7/2013) - This week's show features choreographer Randy Slovacek, who after just finishing working on 'Hello Dolly' in NYC, is mounting another production of 'Chicago' at the Sacramento Music Theatre in California; and actor Peter Clapsis, who discusses his latest role in the Eastern United States Premiere of 'Behind the Gates' with the Jobsite Theatre Company at Tampa's The Straz Center.

BWW Reviews: BEHIND THE GATES - SHALOM! and Shalom

(5/7/2013) - The essence however of 'BEHIND THE GATES', is not just about Jews or the Jewish culture per say, but about family and self-discovery. We can all relate to this. You don't have to be Jewish to understand and appreciate where the heart lies in this piece, in what could appear to some, as a controversial work.

StageWorks Announces TampaWorks 2013 10-Minute Play Winners, Staged 6/6-9

(5/6/2013) - StageWorks has announced TampaWorks' 10-minute play winners. The winning productions will be staged June 6-9, Thurs-Sat at 8PM and Sun at 3PM.

Now Playing Onstage in Tampa - Week of 5/05/2013

(5/5/2013) - Upcoming Shows - Week of 5/05/2013 for Tampa

Carrollwood Players to Offer Summer Comedy Theater Camp, June-July 2013

(5/4/2013) - Carrollwood Players announces its Summer Comedy Theater Camp, running June 17 - 28 and July 8 - 19, 2013.