CCTP is proud to commission a new comedy from John Cariani, the author of the hit comedy ALMOST, MAINE. This riotous new work follows the hapless story of two wildly different brothers in a gas station in northernmost Maine. at 7 Highfield Dr. Falmouth, MA 7/24-7/26 8pm CCTP is dedicated to the development of new American plays. This year from July 10-Aug 2 professional playwrights directors and actors will come to Falmouth to develop and perform staged readings of new works. The audience is invited to discuss the play after each performance. www.capecodtheatreproject.org

The world premiere musical of "Dangerous Beauty" is a blend of passion, poetry and politics with an original score inspired by the best of Renaissance, rock 'n roll and classical music. This is the fifth full production to be developed by Northwestern University's American Music Theatre Project (AMTP).

Performances will be held from July 25 through Aug. 17 at the Ethel M. Barber Theatre, 30 Arts Circle Drive, on the University's Evanston campus. (The official press opening is Aug. 1.) The production also is the third presentation of Northwestern's Summer Music Theatre Festival 2008.

"Dangerous Beauty" features book and verse by Jeannine Dominy, music by Michele Brourman, lyrics by Amanda McBroom, direction by Sheryl Kaller and choreography by Robert La Fosse. It was inspired by the scholarly book "The Honest Courtesan" by Margaret Rosenthal and the 1998 New Regency motion picture "Dangerous Beauty" screenplay by Dominy.

"'Dangerous Beauty' is the perfect challenge for our development initiative," said AMTP Artistic Director Stuart Oken. "It combines history, culture, music and dance into a seamless blend of unconventional theatricality."

Set in the city of Venice as the Renaissance gives way to the Inquisition, "Dangerous Beauty" tells the tumultuous tale of Veronica Franco, a notorious courtesan and 16th century poet who recognized that only as a courtesan could she retain access to an education and a place in the cultural and political life of her beloved city.

The stage production will feature two remarkable actresses with ties to the Chicago area. Northwestern alumna Jenny Powers has had major roles in the Broadway productions of "Little Women" and "Grease." Hollis Resnik, an eight-time Joseph Jefferson Award winner, has performed on virtually every major stage in Chicago.

Four other professional actors in the 17-member cast are Jeffrey Baumgartner, Peter Kevoian, Peter Oyloe and Chris Sullivan. The balance of the cast is made up of students in the Northwestern Music Theatre Certificate Program, including Nina Dante, Rebecca Davis, Seth Dhonau, Anna Eilinsfeld, Jefferson Grubbs, Jason Heymann, Laura Huizenga, Tate Jorgensen, Jessica Kingsdale, Emma Rosenthal and Chris Strauss.

The AMTP core funding sponsors are Barbara and Garry Marshall, John and Patricia Shields and William Donnell. The "Dangerous Beauty" senior honorary producers are Christine Meyers; and Susan Dietz, Paula Holt, Barbara Manocherian and Tara Smith. "Dangerous Beauty" honorary producers are Marian and Richard Bott and Barbara Whitman and David Carlyon. "Dangerous Beauty" junior honorary producers are Beverly and Staman Ogilvie.

Book and verse author Jeannine Dominy's screenplay "The Honest Courtesan" was her first to reach production, released in 1998 by Warner Bros. as the film "Dangerous Beauty." Dominy was a finalist for The Don & Gee Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for her original screenplay "God's Mistress" that also won a Laurel Screenwriting Award and is being produced by Tiara Blu Films. Dominy writes for numerous studios and independent film companies. She is working on the project "Peony" for Everest Productions and "Newtonian Casino" for Trademark Films.

Composer and Northwestern School of Music alumna Michele Brourman is a winner of the Johnny Mercer Award for "Emerging American Songwriter." Her songs have been recorded by Olivia Newton-John, Michael Feinstein, Donny Osmond, Cleo Laine, and others. They also have been featured in television and film. She composed the dance and incidental music for "Working" on Broadway. Brourman and lyricist Amanda McBroom have written songs for 12 animated features for Universal Studios, garnering nominations for ANI and DVD Premier Awards. As a pianist, Brourman has played for diverse artists, including Bernadette Peters and Bob Dylan.

Lyricist Amanda McBroom came to the attention of the public when Bette Midler's version of McBroom's song "The Rose" hit number one worldwide in 1979. She won a Golden Globe award for Best Song in 1980. Her compositions have been recorded by artists Judy Collins, Barbara Cook, Barry Manilow and The Manhattan Transfer. She composed songs for the television series "Cop Rock." She has recorded eight compact discs on her own label, Gecko Records, and has performed in concerts at celebrated venues worldwide, including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and, most recently, at the Adelaide Fine Arts Centers in Australia with Michele Brourman. Her first original musical, "Heartbeats," has been performed around the country, including the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, and her original one-woman musical, "A Woman of Will" opened off-Broadway in October 2005.

Director Sheryl Kaller most recently directed "The Alarm" by Frank Pugliese at New York Stage and Film. Additional credits include "The Molly Maguires," music and lyrics by Sid Cherry and book by Bill Strzempeck, at the Berry Center for the Performing Arts (in New York); "Adrift in Macao," music by Peter Melnick and book and lyrics by Christopher Durang at Primary Stages; "Jayson With A Y" by Darci Picoult at The New Group; and "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," music by Alan Menken and book and lyrics by Howard Ashman at The New York Theater.

Choreographer Robert La Fosse has danced for American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet as a principal dancer. Throughout his career, he performed in works by Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Bob Fosse and Twyla Tharp. He also starred in the Broadway productions of Bob Fosse's "Dancin'" and "Jerome Robbins' Broadway," for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. He has choreographed more than 75 dances for the ballet, opera, ice skating, film and television. For musical theater, he has created the dances for "Carousel," "Lady in the Dark" (Barrymore Award nomination), "Splendor," "Anyone Can Whistle," "A Child's Garden," "Positive Me" and "Pippin," which he also directed.

Six additional artists round out the "Dangerous Beauty" creative team.

Costume Designer Virgil Johnson, a Northwestern professor emeritus whose work has received acclaim for numerous Chicago, regional and international theatre productions, is the recipient of three Joseph Jefferson Awards and the 2001 Michael Merritt Award for design and collaboration

Set Designer Collete Pollard recently received her MFA in scenic design from Northwestern and has taught design at Columbia College. Her designs have been seen at Chicago theatre companies, including The House Theatre of Chicago, Next Theatre and Steppenwolf.

Lighting Designer Michelle Habeck is the 2002 recipient of the Michael Merritt Emerging Artist Award and her lighting design credits include such theatres as Center Stage, Alliance Theatre Company, The Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, The Court Theatre and Lookingglass Theatre, among others.

Musical Director Doug Peck is a Northwestern alumnus with numerous Chicago and regional theatre credits. He received the Joseph Jefferson Award for "Man of La Mancha" (Long Wharf Theatre and Court Theatre) and also has received four Joseph Jefferson nominations, a Jeff citation and an After Dark Award.

Sound Designer Josh Horvath is the recipient of a Joseph Jefferson Award for "Electricidad" at The Goodman Theatre and also has received four Jeff nominations. He currently teaches sound design at Northwestern.

Fight Choreographer Matt Hawkins' recent credits include "Richard III" for Strawdog Theatre. His fight choreography for "Curse of the Crying Heart" at the House Theatre of Chicago received a Joseph Jefferson nomination (2005).

"It's wonderful to have a group of distinguished artists take up residency at Northwestern for AMTP projects, but it is even more exciting for us when it is a homecoming for our alums -- like composer Michele Brourman and our leading lady, Jenny Powers," said AMTP Executive Director Dominic Missimi.

Under the leadership of Oken and Missimi, AMTP is dedicated to nourishing the vitality of American music theatre through the development and production of new musicals by music theatre's leading artists; increasing opportunities for education and training with Northwestern's theatre, dance and opera programs; and initiating a broad range of interdisciplinary research projects. AMTP was introduced in May 2005 by Northwestern University's School of Communication, in collaboration with the School of Music, Kellogg School of Management, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and the Graduate School.

Single tickets to "Dangerous Beauty" are $30 for the general public; $27 for seniors 65 and older and Northwestern faculty and staff; and $10 for students.

For ticket information, call (847) 491-7282. Online ticket sales are available at http://www.tic.northwestern.edu/tickets.php.

The sins of the parents leave a lasting impression, as shown in Lisa Dominique's semi-autobiographic solo work A PERFECT SPECIMEN OF FEMININITY. Written and performed by Dominique, this comedy/drama is as uncomfortable as it is hilarious, cataloging the parental abuse, adolescent angst, and subsequent rebellion of a young woman who runs from a distorted family life only to find herself drawn to the same dysfunctions in her love life. Poignant and bittersweet, the show is directed by Matt Hoverman and begins performances on July 24th at Stage Left Studio, located at 438 West 37th Street, as part of the Ninth Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival.

For Lisa, a Queens girl carrying the weight of a tragic and unhappy marriage between her Sri Lankan father and Trinidadian mother, the answers to life's questions are nowhere to be found. Forced to turn her feelings of isolation and fear inward, she comes into young adulthood riding a wave of depression, anxiety, low-self esteem and self-destruction. While Lisa finds her own special clique of "dysfunctionals" to hang out with in high school, more often than not she's compulsively tearing it up - from shoplifting and underage clubbing, to seeking revenge on the one "who failed to live up to his function."

Dominique plays multiple roles in this look back at her turbulent youth, including a physically abusive father with a pornography fetish and a psychologically manipulative mother whose greatest joy is being able to pass for white. Add in her high school hooligans: a wild, self-obsessed Italian beauty; a blonde-haired, blue eyed walking sexual fantasy; and a girl obsessed with the late Brian Jones, former lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, and you've got the makings of serious trouble.

From the moment where she died inside to a progression of gradually uncovered truths, Lisa struggles to find a way out of her home and her own self-hatred to reach a place where she can begin to become something more than her parents' legacy. Told with sensitivity, humility, grit, and a tremendous sense of humor, Lisa takes you on the ride of her life to find a kind of perfection that can only come from within.

Lisa Dominique (actress/writer) has been working steadily in New York since finishing a two-year Meisner Program with Richard Pinter of the Neighborhood Playhouse. She has appeared in several industrials, commercials, films (including the lead in the independent film Crazy Street) and off-Broadway productions (such as the lead in the Public Theatre's Family Portrait). She is a former member of the bi-coastal improv group The Improvables and has also performed her stand-up act all over the metro New York area. She has been developing A Perfect Specimen of Femininity with Matt Hoverman for the last year. The play premiered at the Wonder Woman Festival in December 2007 on Solo Sisters Night. She is currently working on the screenplay version.

Matt Hoverman (director) is an award-winning playwright (2006 FringeNYC Award for Best Playwrighting), actor (Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, The Acting Company, Late Night w/Conan O'Brien) and a director/teacher of solo shows. Through his popular "Create Your Own Solo Show" Workshops, Matt has midwived the creation of and/or directed over a hundred solo shows since 2001, including the 2005 FringeNYC Best Solo Show Award-winner, Bridezilla Strikes Back by Cynthia Silver. This summer alone, 4 of his students are performing their solo shows in the FringeNYC, 3 are in the Midtown International Theatre Festival, 2 are in the Manhattan Rep Summerfest, 1 is in the Estrogenius Sola Voce Festival, 1 is in the Six Figures Theatre Company's Artist of Tomorrow Series, 3 were in the Emerging Artists "One Woman Standing" Festival and 1 was in the EAT "One Man Talking" Festival. For more info: www.CreateYourOwnSoloShow.com

Running through July 27th, A PERFECT SPECIMEN OF FEMININITY will be performed at Stage Left Studio, located at 438 West 37th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues), Suite 5A, as part of the Ninth Avenue Midtown International Theatre Festival. Show times are Thursday, July 24th at 6:30pm, Saturday, July 26th at 6pm and Sunday, July 27th at 4:30pm. Tickets are $18.00, $15.00 for students and seniors. Reservations: 212-279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com. Information: www.midtownfestival.org.

The multi-MAC Award-winning singer Lina Koutrakos is bringing back "Torch," her darkly modern re-interpretation of the classic torch song, for a two-week engagement at The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, beginning Thursday July 24. Rekindling her partnership with music director Rick Jensen, the combustible Koutrakos, whose kudos collection includes awards for both singing and
directing (she got a Best Major Artist MAC in 2007), performs "Torch" Thursday and Friday July 24 & 25, and Friday and Saturday August 1 & 2, all at 7:30pm.

Directed by Mark Waldrop, the smolderingly passionate "Torch" played the Metropolitan Room on various late-nights over an 8-month stretch last year. In "Torch" Koutrakos, who plays clubs like Joe's Pub and BB King Blues Club with her eponymous blues-rock band, rubs together her vast piano bar experience (she began to hone her talents in the early 80's) with her new identity as an earthy
blues-rock goddess for the baby boomer set. The sparks that result are sultry, intelligent and illuminating.

"Torch's" smoky song list includes edgy, downtown interpretations of theclassics "You Don't Know Me," "Night Moves," "My Foolish Heart," "The Man That Got Away," among others.

The "Torch" music charge is $20, and there is a two-drink minimum. Currently rated "Best of New York" by New York Magazine, the Nightlife and Bistro Award-winning Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, celebrated its second anniversary in May. For reservations call 212/206-0440. For information visit www.metropolitanroom.com.

Due to an abbreviated rehearsal period with the show’s full company, Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director; Ellen Richard, Executive Director) will move the opening night of Richard Nelson’s Some Americans Abroad to Thursday, July 24, to allow for a longer preview period. Directed by Gordon Edelstein, the production is currently in previews at Second Stage Theatre (307 West 43rd Street, just west of Eighth Avenue). The original opening night was Tuesday, July 15.

In SOME AMERICANS ABROAD, a group of partying American college students and their idealistic professors embark on a literary tour of England. With a crammed itinerary and barely enough time to digest the sites, the students’ behavior devolves from appreciative to appalling while the professors confront the emptiness beyond their idealism in this comedy about what it means to make choices and stick with them.

SOME AMERICANS ABROAD features Emily Bergl, Tom Cavanagh, John Cunningham, Fiona Dourif, Halley Feiffer, Enid Graham, Cristin Milioti, Pamela Payton-Wright, Anthony Rapp, Corey Stoll, and Todd Weeks.

The production has scenic design by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Jennifer von Mayrhauser, lighting design by Donald Holder, and original music/sound design by John Gromada.

SOME AMERICANS ABROAD will be performed at Second Stage Theatre (307 West 43rd Street, just west of 8th Avenue) on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7:00pm, Wednesday – Saturday at 8:00pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00pm, and Sunday at 3:00pm. Tickets are available by calling the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or online at www.2ST.com.

For more information, please visit www.2ST.com

JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, will soon place a new block of tickets on-sale. Audiences may plan for the season ahead as tickets for the holiday block of performances October 14, 2008 – January 11, 2009 go on-sale to the public Friday, July 25 at 10 a.m. Tickets are available by calling the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at Broadway In Chicago box offices (18 W. Monroe, 24 W. Randolph St. and 151 W. Randolph St.), at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including Carson Pirie Scott stores, Hot Tix, select Coconuts and fye stores) or online at ticketmaster.com.

Presented by Broadway In Chicago and TheatreDreams, JERSEY BOYS, now playing at the Bank of America Theatre (18 W Monroe St), premiered in Chicago on October 5, 2007 and became a resident production on February 27, 2008.

Directed by two-time Tony® Award-winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS won both the 2006 Tony® Award for Best Musical and the 2007 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Recording, and continues to break box office records on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre since opening in November 2005. JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award® -winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

JERSEY BOYS is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

A new block of tickets for performances October 14, 2008 – January 11, 2009 will be available to the public starting Friday, July 25, 2008 at 10 a.m. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Please note the following holiday scheduling: 2 p.m. matinee performances will be held Friday, November 28; Friday, December 26; and Friday, January 2, and there will also be a 7:30 p.m. performance on Monday, December 29. There will not be a 7:30 p.m. performance on Thursday, November 27; Wednesday, December 24; Thursday, December 25; or Thursday, January 1.

Tickets for JERSEY BOYS range in price from $30 - $110. A limited number of premium seats are available. Tickets can be purchased at Broadway In Chicago Box Offices (18 W. Monroe, 24 W. Randolph St. and 151 W. Randolph St.), through the Broadway In Chicago Ticket Line at (312) 902-1400, at all Ticketmaster ticket centers (including Carson Pirie Scott stores, Hot Tix, select Coconuts and fye stores) or online at ticketmaster.com. Groups of 20 or more should call (312) 977-1710. To search best available seating for upcoming performances, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com/BestSeats.

Rush tickets ($25) go on-sale at 10 a.m. the day of each performance. Ten (10) front row seats are available at the Bank of America Theatre Box Office (18 W. Monroe) only. As many as forty (40) additional seats, subject to availability at select performances, are made available online at Ticketmaster.com and at the Bank of America Theatre Box office. Rush ticket limit is two (2) tickets per patron and all seats are limited view.

For more information on JERSEY BOYS, go to www.JerseyBoysChicago.com or www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

The “106.7 Lite fm Presents Broadway in Bryant Park 2008” series continues with the casts of Avenue Q, Phantom of the Opera, Pure Country, Mamma Mia! and In The Heights performing on Thursday July 17th, 12:30 pm at Bryant Park Lawn, 6th Avenue between 40th & 42nd St, NYC. Presented by Bank of America, this FREE lunchtime series takes place over six consecutive THURSDAYS: July 10, 17, 24, 31 and August 7, 14. The FREE annual event will be hosted by WLTW’s on-air personalities and feature live performances from the hottest on and off-Broadway shows! Log onto www.1067litefm.com for the performance listings, schedule updates, and the chance to win FREE Broadway tickets!

Scheduled for July 24th: The Lion King Vanities Hairspray For Colored Girls Godspell

A.M.L. Entertainment  is proud to present a post-show Talk-Back with special guest moderator Cindy Pierre. Cindy Pierre is a reviewer for Theater Talk's New Theater Corps, Talkin' Broadway, and her recently launched blog, The Stage is the Place ( Http://thestageistrheplace.blogspot.com). The Talk-Back will immediately follow the July 25th, 8:00 pm performance of Anthony Michael Laura's "The Third Step" at The American Theatre of Actors. Playwright and director Anthony Michael Laura and the cast will join Cindy Pierre on stage for a discussion, followed by a Q&A with the audience.   
 
The Third Step: Performances begin July 24, 2008 at 8:00 pm at The Sargeant Theater at the American Theater of Actors. The American Theater of Actors is located at 314 West 54th Street in NYC. Tickets are $18.00. Reservations can be made by calling 516-983-2791.
 
Tickets online at: www.myspace.com/thethirdstepplay
 
The Third Step is a story of family, hope, and coming to terms with  life. The drama is set around a young girl who awaits the results of a grave disease and is being driven crazy by her overtly controlling mother Wendy. As her father tries to hold the house together, Wendy invites the entire Wilson family home to cheer Natalie up. As  themes of jealousy, family values, and infidelity are explored, they find the only solace they have is each other.  The Third Step takes us on a humorous and poignant journey with a family that we can only be glad isn't our own.
 
Anthony Laura, playwright and director, has written, produced and directed several short and feature films that have been featured in the New York Independent Film and Video Festival. His film credits include E-mail My Heart, Choice or Consequence, and Schitzo, starring Marcienne Dwyer. Along with his film credits, he has recently written, produced and directed The Confession which premiered in January at American Theater of Actors with a successful run.

A.M.L. Entertainment: We at A.M.L. Entertainment produce quality theater and film for the community by working with talented actors and industry professionals. Our goal is to put forth the best productions possible. In addition, we are proud to maintain a friendly relationship with our audiences and industry. In the end, our company feels, it is all about the audience feeling as is they are part of the production.