by Mark G. Auerbach
Nick Burrage of Westfield in Cats national tour.
Westfield’s Nick Burrage to “Swing” in “Cats” National Tour
Westfield native Nick Burrage has been cast as a swing in the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, which plays Hartford’s Bushnell January 29-February 3.. For the Burrage family, history repeats itself. Nick’s brother Josh, currently in the national tour of A Bronx Tale, made his Broadway debut in Cats.
A swing learns and covers a half dozen or more chorus and small parts and is one of the most difficult and demanding roles in the musical theatre. A swing can go on for injured or vacationing dancers nightly.
A 2012 Westfield High School graduate, Nick trained at New England Dance Center, under the direction of Loree Cloud. He attended Marymount Manhattan College where he attained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. While at MMC, he performed works by Paul Taylor, Bill T. Jones, and Aszure Barton. He has also trained with the Martha Graham School, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, and Springboard Danse Montreal. Post-college, Nick danced for the New York City based contemporary ballet company, Emery Lecrone Dance, where he performed at Jacob’s Pillow, as well as the Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival (2015, 2017). He danced in the Kenzo by H&M Fashion show (directed by Jean-Paul Goude, choreographed by Ryan Heffington), and has performed in workshops/music videos by Jeffrey Denman, Chip Abbott, Josh Prince, and Lorna Ventura. Nick was most recently seen touring the US with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.
For details on Cats at The Bushnell. https://bushnell.org/cat.
Of Note
WAM Theatre donates a portion of the box office proceeds from their fall Main Stage production to agencies that benefit women and girls locally, nationally, or internationally. The success of their production of Holland Taylor’s Ann, starring Jayne Atkinson, enabled the company to present their largest donation ever, $15,000 split evenly between The Denise Kaley Fund and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts’ 2018 Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI). Since its founding in 2010, WAM Theatre has now donated more than $56,500 to 15 non-profit organizations. For details: www.WAMTheatre.com
Taneisha Duggan
Breaking Barriers, a new partnership initiative between Aetna and TheaterWorks, announced their new Fellowship program providing opportunity for female directors of color in theater. The only one of its kind, the fellowship addresses the lack of parity in artistic leadership positions in the theater, particularly as it relates to women-identifying people of color. Taneisha Duggan as the inaugural recipient of the 2018 Breaking Barriers Fellowship. Taneisha is an actor, director, producer and arts administrator. She began her performance training at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. She has appeared on regional stages in Connecticut and New York, including TheaterWorks
Peter Francis James, who got rave reviews as The Chorus in Hartford Stage’s Henry V, is Broadway-bound in the new play Hillary and Clinton, by Lucas Hnath. Laurie Metcalf and John Lithgow play the Clintons; James plays Barack Obama. The play begins previews in March. .
Michael McKiernan of Theaterworks on ArtsBeat Radio
Keep in Mind.
Arts Beat Radio airs every Friday at 8AM, on 89.5fm/WSKB. On November 23, Michael McKiernan from Hartford’s Theaterworks, chats about new downtown arts activities in Hartford, and travel writer Max Hartshorne talks about The Hilltowns. Start your weekend with ArtsBeat Radio. Tune in live on the airwaves, on Comcast ch. 15, or www.wskb.org
Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman brings his A Joyful Christmas to Springfield Symphony Hall, November 24, as part of his 22nd annual holiday tour. Brickman is one of pop-music’s most fascinating success stories. He jumped from a career as a jingle writer of famous tunes for advertising, to reviving the romantic standard of the popular song. His first album release was 1995’s “No Words,” and he’s gone on to sell eight million albums worldwide. For details: 413-788-7033 or www.citystage.symphonyhall.com
Anna Bemis of Enfield, CT performs with the Springfield Youth Sinfonia.
The Springfield Symphony Youth Orchestras perform at Belchertown High School on November 18. The two ensembles, Springfield Youth Sinfonia (an introductory orchestra that develops ensemble skills), and the Springfield Youth Orchestra (an advanced orchestra that cultivates standard orchestral repertoire) have offered performance opportunities for young musicians in WMass. Tickets at the door. For details: 413-733-2291 or www.springfieldsymphony.org.
The Laramie Project, Moises Kaufman’s and the Tectonic Theater Company’s response to the horrific slaying of Matthew Shepard some twenty years ago, is a powerhouse of a theatre piece. The Whitney Center for the Arts in Pittsfield presents the drama November 30-December 2. The first of December would have been Shepard’s 42nd birthday. For details: 413-443-0289 or www.thewhit.org.
Beauty and The Beast, Disney’s stage adaptation of its popular film, will be presented by two area companies this month. The musical features music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. Of note, Terrence Mann, artistic Director of CT Repertory Theatre’s Nutmeg Summer Series in Storrs, originated the role of The Beast on Broadway The Opera House Players perform the musical through November 25 at the Enfield Annex, formerly Fermi High School. For details on that production: http://www.operahouseplayers.org/beauty-and-the-beast-2018/ Longmeadow High School’s Senior Class also performs the musical,, November 15-16 at 7PM and November 17 at 1PM at the high school on Grassy Gutter Road. Tickets at the door. For details: https://lhs.longmeadow.k12.ma.us/home
Hartford Symphony Orchestra presents Tchaikovsky’s Firsts, November 30 through December 2 at The Bushnell. Carolyn Kuan conducts; Szymon Nehring is the piano soloist, and the all-Tchaikovsky program includes the Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Piano Concerto No. 1, and Symphony No. 1. For details: 860-987-5900 or www.hartfordsymphony.org.
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Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio. Mark produces and hosts ArtsBeat Radio for 89.5fm/WSKB.
