AmericanTheaterWeb Original News & Reviews

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Hope all is well!

Best,

Andy

Old habits die hard. Without setting an alarm, I was up at 5:20 this morning, ready to do the news. As you probably know though (see this post), yesterday's news post at 8pm EST was the last for me an AmericanTheaterWeb. I'm taking a few days off before heading up to the O'Neill Center's National Critics Institute and before I start my new job at TheaterMania on July 13.

When I start at TM, you'll find a lot of the same sort of regional coverage that you've come to expect from ATW and I hope you'll be visiting frequently and often. Until then, TheaterMania is a terrific place for news and reviews – not just about New York theater, but about theater around the country – so drop by www.theatermania.com for your daily updates.

Thanks for your support, encouragement and enjoyment of AmericanTheaterWeb over the past 11 years.

Best,

Andy Propst

It's weird. When I started AmericanTheaterWeb back in 1998, I really couldn't have imagined the journey that it and I have been on over the past 11 years. It's really remarkable not only how time flies, but also how much the 'net has changed since I sat down and thought "Gee the web needs a place where theater from around the country and in all of its forms needs to be celebrated."

And now, it's time for me to announce that the curtain will be coming down on ATW July 1 as I prepare to move on to a new position at TheaterMania.

At TheaterMania, you'll find that a lot of what you've come to expect from me will continue – I'll be aggregating news stories from various urban centers for the site's regional sections and I'll be working on original news items about productions and events outside of the New York metropolitan area. Additionally, I'll continue to review shows in NYC – from Broadway to off-off-Broadway.

I'll begin at TheaterMania on July 13. In between now and then, I'll be finishing a move – finally getting settled after the upheavals of the past year, and heading to Connecticut to the O'Neill to participate as a mentor at the National Critic's Institute for a few days. Rather than letting ATW slide quietly and sadly into the night while all of this happens, I've decided that the final day of news will be on June 30. In between now and then, you may notice some slowdowns because of personal obligations, but there will be news each morning until then, as you've come to expect.

Let me close by saying thank you to everyone for their extraordinary support of the site over the past 11 years. As I said at the top, the site and I have been on an amazing journey together, and I'm hoping that you'll join me in the next phase of my professional life by dropping by TheaterMania to get your daily fill of news from around the country.

I'm using today to clean, go through email and prep things for changes that will be happening in my world over the next month or so As I've done the inbox, I've come across two things I'd like to share:

* Chess in Concert - the recording (a two-disc set, single highlights one, or DVD) hits stores next week. If you can't wait, here's a link to a video of Josh Groban singing "Anthem" ...

'Anthem' by Josh Groban

* Designer Spotlight: Creating the Modern Stage - the Morgan Library and Museum, in conjunction with its exhibit of historic scenic designs will be hosting this special panel on June 23 @ 6:30pm. Moderated by New York City Opera dramaturg Cori Ellison, the panel discussion will feature scenic design Ming Cho Lee (co-chair of the design department at Yale School of Drama, designer original production Hair), lighting designer Jennifer Tipton (NYCB and Paul Taylor Dance Company), and scenic designer Michael Yeargan (South Pacific, Light in the Piazza), who are set to discuss the creative process as well as the challenges they face when transforming sketches into fully realized productions. For further information, visit: www.themorgan.org, or call 212-685-0008, ext. 560.

---- Andy Propst

Finally got to watch Ovation TV's Mr. Prince documentary which debuted on the cable channel last weekend just before the Tony Awards were handed out.

The documentary, which has been produced and directed by Sara Feldmann Sheehan and Bobby Sheehan, covers Prince's career from its beginnings to the present day. The first two segments of the show concentrate The Phantom of the Opera (it's fascinating watching him give notes to the Broadway company earlier this year) and Sweeney Todd (some great footage of productions other than the original Broadway cast). "Prince" then looks backward to his early work and forward – to the new "Paradise" musical that he producing. This latter segment really is the jewel in the documentary. There are clips of his meetings with the show's designers and clips of Kate Baldwin and Shuler Hensley rehearsing a number from the show.

If you've not caught Mr. Prince it will be shown on Ovation a number of times on Saturday, June 13 alongside other Broadway-related fare, such as a documentary about the making of "Phantom" and the movie versions of Cabaret and A Chorus Line.

For more information, visit: www.ovationtv.com.