Submitted News

Harmonia Chamber Singers to Begin 14th Season; Robert Duerr to Serve as Music Director

/ cheriemessore

Robert Duerr was named Music Director of the Harmonia Chamber Singers as the group begins its 14th season.

“We’re thrilled to have Robert join us,” said Robert Pacillo, the founder and executive director of Harmonia. “Robert comes to Harmonia with tremendous passion for choral music, and a wealth of experience in conducting choral groups around the world. He is renowned for his innovative approach to concert programming and his ability to lead choruses to new heights. This will be an incredible season for Harmonia and our audience.”

Duerr has a lengthy list of accomplishments in the choral world, including founding the award-winning Pasadena (California) Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, and conducting the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera. A prize-winning organist, Duerr holds multiple degrees from the University of South California. Locally, he has conducted the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Chautauqua Symphony, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, and the Greater Buffalo Opera. He is also currently the music director of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral Choir.

Harmonia’s 14th concert season begins Sunday, October 27 with “My Spirit Sings: The Many Voices of Buffalo,” at 2:30pm in Assumption Church, 435 Amherst St., Buffalo. Duerr says, “This is a musical homage to our vibrant, diverse community. The program will include selections by Italian, German, Irish, and Polish composers, representing Buffalo’s traditional music cultures. We’ll also honor ‘new Buffalonians’ by including selections sung in Somali and Spanish; music from Palestrina and Bach to Takach and Ortiz to celebrate our region’s rich cultural make up. This will be a powerful reflection of the beauty of cultural harmony.”

Tickets are $15 and are available online at www.harmoniacs.org or at the door one hour before the performance.

Harmonia Chamber Singers make choral music emotional, exciting, educational, and an inspirational experience for the singers and listeners across a broad spectrum of musical styles. In addition to four annual concert series, Harmonia serves the next generation singers and audiences by mentoring young singers through educational outreach workshops and concerts.

Theresa Caputo Live! The Experience From TLC’s Long Island Medium BY POPULAR DEMAND, 2ND AND FINAL SHOW ADDED!!

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

Theresa Caputo, from TLC’s hit show, Long Island Medium, will be appearing live at Shea’s Performing Arts Center on Saturday, November 23rd at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 24th at 3pm. Theresa will share personal stories about her life and explain how her gift works. She will deliver healing messages to audience members and give people comfort knowing that their loved ones who passed are still with them, just in a different way. Tickets for the November 23rd show are on-sale while tickets for the just announced 2nd show on Sunday, November 24th go on-sale Friday, August 30th at 10am and can be purchased at sheas.org, 800.745.3000 or the venue box office. Tickets start at $39.75 (plus applicable service charges) and are subject to change. Purchasing a ticket does not guarantee a reading.

 

Starring Buffalo Announces ’19-’20 Season at Shea’s 710 Theater

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

STARRING BUFFALO, a not-for-profit arts organization that brings together Broadway’s best performers, Buffalo’s top theater professionals, and talented area students to create unforgettable theatrical experiences, is proud to announce its second season. The organization will present the beloved tongue- in-cheek comedy “Little Shop of Horrors” in the fall, and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Tony Award-winning smash “Evita” in the spring. Both shows will be presented at historic Shea’s 710 Theater in downtown Buffalo.

ABOUT LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

Tickets are now on sale for LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, November 1-2 at Shea’s 710 Theater (By phone at 716-847-1410 or online at sheas.org.) This deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin) is one of the most popular shows of all time, and has been devouring the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years.

The cast of LITTLE SHOP will feature visiting Broadway stars Matt Doyle (The Book of Mormon, Spring Awakening, War Horse) as Seymour, Lindsay Nicole Chambers (Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots) as Audrey, and Brandon Espinoza (Spongebob Squarepants, Gypsy, Les Miserables) as The Dentist, alongside Buffalo area star Dudney Joseph Jr (Artie Award – La Cage Aux Folles) as the evil plant Audrey 2. Buffalo’s Dominique Kempf, Alex McArthur, and Cecelia Monica-Lyn will be featured as the Urchins, sharing the stage with nearly 100 Western New York singers, dancers, and musicians.

As part of Starring Buffalo’s educational mission, students from Newfane, Fredonia, and Lockport high schools and the University at Buffalo’s Zodiaque Dance Company have been chosen to participate in LITTLE SHOP under the guidance of Starring Buffalo Artistic Director Drew Fornarola, music director Alison d’Amato, choreographer Jeanne Fornarola, and production stage manager Susan Forbes. STARRING BUFFALO events offer Buffalo audiences unrivaled access to the world’s greatest theater artists, while providing Western New York students the chance to learn from, work
alongside, and be inspired in both master class and concert environments. The organization launched in 2018 with THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME starring Broadway’s Ben Fankhauser (Newsies, Spring Awakening) and Dan’yelle Williamson (Memphis, The Lion King), and is excited to move into its new home, Shea’s 710 Theatre, for the 2019-2020 season. Artistic Director Drew Fornarola says, “we look forward to bringing two of the most treasured shows in the musical theater canon to Buffalo this year, and to continue to foster collaboration between Buffalo’s outstanding professional theater talent and Broadway’s biggest stars. We are also thrilled to be moving to Shea’s 710 Theater, a place that has long represented our dual goal of providing both the highest quality theatrical and educational opportunities for Western New York.” For additional information and tickets please visit StarringBuffalo.org or Sheas.org.

‘DEAR EVAN HANSEN’ ANNOUNCES $25 DIGITAL LOTTERY FOR EVERY PERFORMANCE

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

Buffalo, NY – Described by the Los Angeles Times as a “cultural phenomenon,” Dear Evan Hansen comes to Shea’s Buffalo Theatre from May 14 to 19. The production today announced that it will host a digital ticket lottery offering fans the chance to purchase a limited number of $25 tickets available per performance. Fans should visit www.luckyseat.com/dearevanhansen to enter.

The digital lottery for the Tuesday, May 14 performance will begin accepting entries at 11 a.m. Friday, May 10. For all other performances Wednesday through Sunday evening, the lottery will open two days before the performance. All lottery entries in Buffalo will be accepted until 9 a.m. EST the day before the performance.

Fans who have been selected will be notified daily via email and can then purchase up to two (2) tickets at $25 each. The ticket lottery will continue on a rolling basis for every performance in the engagement. All entrants are encouraged to follow Dear Evan Hansen on Instagram (@dearevanhansen), Twitter (@dearevanhansen) and Facebook (@DearEvanHansen) for additional lottery news and information.

Entrants must be 18 years or older. A valid, non-expired photo ID that matches the name used to enter is required for pickup. Seat locations awarded by the lottery are subject to availability. Additional details and times will be announced in each tour city by the local theatre box office prior to the engagement. Additional lottery requirements can be found at www.luckyseat.com/dearevanhansen.

Kavinoky Theatre announces 40th Season of Shows!

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

 

The 2019/2020 Season!

Hairspray

September 6  -October 6
Music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman & Shaiman
Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan
Based on the John Waters’ film.

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird

November 8  -December 8
Adapted by Aaron Sorkin

The Bridges of Madison County

Jan. 10  -February 2
Based on the novel by Robert James Waller, book by Marsha
Norman, music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

Indecent

March 6 -29
(In collaboration with the Jewish Repertory Theater)
by Paula Vogel

The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful

May 1 -24
by Charles Ludlam

 

The Brazen-Faced Varlets present The Secretary by Kyle John Schimdt

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

Ruby runs a small-town gun company that aims to protect women by helping them protect themselves. With products like The Bridesmaid, The Babysitter, and The Mallwalker, each of the company’s guns is named after a woman who used a gun and saved a life–more often than not, her own. When an elderly secretary at the local high school confronts a threat in her office with six bullets, Ruby responds by naming her latest gun after the reluctant hero: “The Secretary.” But as production begins on The Secretary, guns start going off all around town–and no one’s pulling the trigger. THE SECRETARY is an offbeat comedy about safety, survival, and guns for a world that’s up in arms.

Featuring: Heather Fangsrud, Stefanie Warnick, Davida Tolbert, Jeannine Giffear, Jamie Nablo, and Caroline Parzy-Sanders and directed by Lara D. Haberberger with costume design by Rachel Maggs.

Performances are at the Alleyway Theater’s Cabaret Space entrance off of Main Street.

Show times: 3/29, 3/30, 4/5, 4/6, 4/13 at 8 pm and 4/14 at 2 pm.

Ticket Prices: 3/29 and 3/30 Pay-What-You-Can, all other performances $15 students/seniors and $20 general admission.

For information call (716) 598-1585 or email us at brazenfacedvarlets@yahoo.com.

Kavinoky replaces ‘Mockingbird’ with ‘1984’

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

The Kavinoky Theatre is sad to announce the cancellation of its production of To Kill a Mockingbird (March 8 th -31 st ). In its place we are proud to present: ‘1984’.

Adapted for the stage by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan, this adaptation of 1984 stands out as one of the most unique and disturbing takes on a book that sadly never seems to lose
its relevance.  Fresh, tight, and horrifying…it’s a deadly chilling piece for dangerous times. Kyle LoConti directs.

The theatre is happy to announce that every actor that was cast in “To Kill a Mockingbird” will either appear live on stage or onvideo/audio in our replacement production of 1984.

These actors include Chris Avery, Aleks Malejs, Shanntina Moore, John Profetta, Robyn Baun, Johnny Rowe, Xavier Harris, Steve Jakiel, Paul Maisano, and Patrick Moltane. Appearing on Audio/Video are Brian Mysliwy, Pamela Mangus, Abby Marella, Isabella Bindemann, Simon Mysliwy, Isaac Fesmire, Teddy Hibbard, Caden Frank with Peter Palmisano and BethanyBurrows.

There will be one pay-what-you-can preview performance Thursday March 14 th at 7:30 p.m. with opening night on Friday, March 15 th . 1984 runs through Sunday, April 7th. Show times
are as follows: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The gala opening night performance will be held on Friday, March 15th
at 7:30 p.m. and includes a reception with the cast following the performance. PLEASE NOTE: There is no performance Friday, April 5 th due to our annual fundraiser the Kavinoky Kabaret (go to KavinokyTheatre.com for details). Tickets for 1984 are $45.00, with discounts available to seniors, students, military, and groups. For tickets, call (716) 829-7668 or visit kavinokytheatre.com.

Contact information: Loraine O’Donnell, (716) 829-8141 or odonnell@dyc.edu

Tony Award Winner Laura Benanti Performing at Shea’s Black-Tie Gala

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

Laura Benanti

Shea’s Performing Arts Center is proud to announce that Tony Award-Winning actress Laura Benanti will perform at Shea’s Black-Tie Gala on Saturday, April 27, 2019.

Tony Award-winner and five-time Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti is a highly celebrated stage and screen actress, currently starring on Broadway as Eliza Doolittle in Lincoln Center’s revival ofMy Fair Lady. Before that, Benanti was most recently seen onstage in Steve Martin’s hit Broadway play, Meteor Shower.

“Laura Benanti is a dynamic and impressive performer who continues to charm Broadway audiences,” said Michael G. Murphy, President of Shea’s.  “We are thrilled to have someone of her exceptional talent perform at Shea’s Gala – this will be an evening Buffalo won’t want to miss.”

Other Broadway roles include Amalia Balash in She Loves Me (Tony and Drama Desk Award nominee), Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy opposite Patti LuPone (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Tony nomination, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards winner), Into the Woods (Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle nominations), In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play, The Wedding Singer, and Nine (starring Antonio Banderas). Other distinguished theater performances include Perdita in The Winter’s Tale at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Anne in A Little Night Music at the L.A. Opera, Eileen in Wonderful Town, and Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella, both for City Center Encores!

Her television credits include recurring and guest appearances in Younger, The Detour, Supergirl, Law & Order: SVU, Nashville, The Good Wife, Elementary, Nurse Jackie, The Big C, NBC’s The Sound of Music Live and as First Lady Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Shea’s is also proud to announce that Jon Dandes will join us for a second year as Gala Chair along with Dr. Raul and Toni Vazquez as co-chairs for the Shea’s 2019 Gala.

Jon Dandes is the President of the Buffalo Bisons and President of the Canalside Management Group.   Jon is a long time and enthusiastic supporter of the WNY theatre community and has previously served as Chair of Shea’s Gala and Curtain Up!

Dr. Raul & Toni Vazquez own and operate G-Health Enterprises, which consists of GBUAHN, GBUIPA, and GBUACO (the Greater Buffalo United Accountable Care Organization).  G-Health Enterprises has over 450 participating providers and serves more than 7,600 members in the Western New York area.  Toni Vazquez also serves on the Board of Trustees of Shea’s Performing Arts Center.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be collaborating again with Shea’s for another exceptional Gala,” Dandes said. “Shea’s is an integral part of Buffalo’s cultural resurgence and continues to offer high-caliber performances that bring Broadway star power to Buffalo – and Laura Benanti will be no exception.”

The annual Black-Tie Gala, sponsored in part by Ticketmaster, is the single most important fundraising event for Shea’s Performing Arts Center.  For more information on attending, or to become an Honorary Sponsor, call 716-829-1170.  And you can follow the excitement leading up the event and the evening-of April 27, 2019, by using #SheasGala2019 on social media.

 Springville Center for the Arts presents Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor”

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

The cast of “Laughter on the 23rd Floor.”

Laughter on the 23rd Floor focuses on Neil Simon’s own early career experience as a junior writer of Sid Caears’s “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour: and provides an intimate look of the cackles and chaos behind the scenes of writing and producing a hit comedy show during the 1950’s golden age of television.

An ensemble cast of characters modeled after Simon’s co-workers, hysterically compete for the affection and attention of the star of the show, Max Prince. during his ongoing battles with NBC.

The show’s cast features Rick Manzone of Springville, NY as Max Prince (inspired by Sid Caesar), Arron Fisher, of East Aurora, NY as Lucas, (inspired by Neil Simon himself), Cory Golabek of Springville, NY as Milt Fields (inspired by Carl Reiner), Brian Kujawa of Springville, NY as Val Slotsky (inspired by Mel Tokin), Charles R. Weber of Springville, NY as Brian Doyle (inspired by Tony Webster), Matt Walter of Lancaster, NY as Kenny Franks (inspired by Larry Gelbart), Erin Bellavia of Williamsville,NY as Carol Wyman (inspired by Lucille Kallen & Selma Diamond), Mark J. Mendola of West Seneca, NY as Ira Stone (inspired by Mel Brooks) and Ally Catalano of Eden, NY as Helen.

Directed by Matt Boyle with Assistant Directors Claire & Maggie Boyle and co-produced by Jennifer L.S. Weber and Heather Svalina.

Performance dates are February 28th through March 1-2, 15-16 at 7:30 pm and Sundays, March 3 & 17 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students & seniors and $8 for a group of 15+ people. To order tickets, go online at springvillearts.org/sca or call (716) 592-9038.

Harmonia Chamber Singers Kicks Off New Season with Holiday Concerts

/ Buffalo Theatre Guide

Harmonia Rehearsal

Harmonia Chamber Singers will present Christmas by Candlelight, the group’s annual concert of holiday music, Saturday, December 15, 7:30 pm At St. Joseph University Church, 3269 Main St, Buffalo (purchase tickets at online at EventBrite Dec 15.

The same program will be repeated Sunday, December 16, 4:00 pm, at Ss Peter & Paul Church,5480 Main St., in Williamsville.(purchase ticketsonline at EventBrite Dec 16.)

Advance tickets are available online and are strongly suggested. Tickets will also be available at the door, beginning  one hour before each concert.

Christmas by Candlelight includes choral pieces by Mendelssohn, Sweelinck, and Stacey V Gibbs, and distinctive Christmas Carol arrangements by Ola Gjeilo and Matthew Culloton. A featured work will be an original setting of Silent Night by Western New York composer Stephen Shewan. Contemporary seasonal works for choir, harp and oboe by Stephen Paulus and Steve Heitzeg will be featured as well, in addition to the a cappella works, Lockport Stage Works has designed custom lighting for both venues to create a visual mood to support the lush and lovely music

This year’s Christmas by Candlelight is the first concert series under the direction of music director, Norman Zogaib. “Norm is an outstanding choral director, and we’re honored to bring his passion for this art form to Harmonia and our audiences,” says Harmonia Founder and Executive Director, Robert Pacillo.

This season’s sponsors include the Cullen Foundation and Pacillo’s Fitness Gear.

For more information on Christmas by Candlelight and the rest of Harmonia’s 13th concert season, visit. www.Harmoniacs.org.