News
Cappies Nominations Listed; Livestreamed Awards May 19
The South Florida Cappies program honoring student achievement in high school theater and criticism managed to finish its season and vote on the awards despite the challenge of COVID-19 that derailed almost all other chapters. The nominations for students from 24 schools across Broward and Palm Beach counties is listed here.
UPDATED: Zev Buffman, Legendary Local & National Figure, Dead At 89
Nationally-known impresario Zev Buffman, a key figure in the evolution of South Florida theater, died Wednesday. Charismatic with an elfin visage and a slight accent from his origins in Israel, he was known for enthusiasm, showmanship and drive as he developed the Coconut Grove Playhouse and Parker Playhouse, helped develop the modern-day national touring system, and co-founder of the Miami Heat.
SoFla Monologues: A Different Kind Of Room Where It Happens
Across South Florida, 37 artists accustomed to performing in front 1,000 people sat alone in their bedrooms, kitchens, patios, backyards emoting just as earnestly inches away from their laptops. For more than 3 hours Sunday, performers acted monologues written by local playwrights and directed by local colleagues in Theatre Lab’s Online Original Monologue Festival fundraiser to counteract vanished contracts.
League Creates Fund To Help Theaters Pay Laid Off Artists
The South Florida Theatre League has started the South Florida Theatre League Relief Fund, in light of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected live theater workers. The purpose is to help theatre companies provide compensation to artists and other employees that had to be laid off because shows and events were cancelled.
Open A New Window: SoFla Theaters Reach Out Online
South Florida stages are dormant, but the theaters themselves are not. Already, the community is trying to adapt to the exigencies of the current brave new world by offering imaginative initiatives to serve their patrons and their fellow artists. We will update this story as more projects are announced.
One Patron At Arsht’s March 12 Hamilton Reports Later Diagnosis Of COVID-19
A patron attending the March 12 performance of Hamilton at the Arsht Center has subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.
The venue stressed that there have been no other reports connected to any other performances and no other reports of illnesses.
Full List of Rescheduling/Closings UPDATED SUNDAY P.M.
This list of openings and closings is based on information provided primarily by the theaters and venues. It is accurate as of the time of posting, but patrons planning to attend shows that are marked as opening should double check as situations may have changed.
Sunday Update #1: Nearly Every Theater Closed, But Planning Begins Weekend
The Coronavirus is closing some shows in South Florida theater, and causing the indefinite postponement of others, including the eagerly awaited world premiere musical A Wonderful World at Miami New Drama and the Carbonell Awards gala.
Impressive ’20-21 Seasons: Bway In FTL, Actors’ Playhouse, Wick Theatre, Lake Worth Playhouse
Titles announced by more South Florida theaters in their 2020-21 seasons including Broadway in Fort Lauderdale: To Kill A Mockingbird starring Richard Thomas, and Hamilton returns; Actors’ Playhouse doing On Your Feet!, the Emilio and Gloria Estefan bio-musical; The Wick mounting Damn Yankees, and Lake Worth Playhouse with the American epic Ragtime.
’20-21 For Primal Forces, Maltz Jupiter And Headlining Arsht Bway Tours: Hadestown
Another round of 2020-2021 season announcements has arrived with some promising titles — this time from Primal Forces and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre – plus a headline-making offering from Broadway Across America at the Arsht Center: Hadestown.