Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

Vote on Hawaiian Tax Incentive Bill Tonight

A legislative bill could be passed in Hawaii tonight that would lead to a huge expansion of entertainment production in the state. According to The Wrap, the bill proposes a 40 percent tax credit for shooting in counties with a population under 700,000 and a 25 percent credit in counties of more than 700,000 with a $25 million cap on each project. If passed, it would also pave the way for the construction of two $200 million production complexes and begin a training and advancement program for local crew members. There is a midnight deadline to approve the bill.

SAG Foundation Programs Expand in New York City!

The Screen Actors Guild Foundation has announced expansion of its programming, with greater availability of its services to New York actors.  Since 1985, the non-profit Screen Actors Guild Foundation has celebrated actors with free programs that assist, educate and inspire Guild members in their careers, lives and communities.

 "The expansion of Foundation programming in New York will create exciting opportunities for SAG actors.  We look forward to delivering excellent programming on their behalf,” said Sallie Weaver, Interim Executive Director of the SAG Foundation.

From inviting established professionals to share their experiences to honoring the importance of learning, the SAG Foundation is there for you.  All programs are open to SAG, AFTRA and Equity members.  Sign up today on the SAG Foundation website (www.sagfoundation.org) to receive event notifications and begin participating, volunteering and contributing to a cause that celebrates actors and the lives they lead.

Compact But Compelling

Musical Theatre of Los Angeles, which in 2006 began staging bare-bones versions of hit Broadway musicals in 99-seat theaters, recently staged a concert to benefit the group’s future endeavors.

The impressive troupe has thus far staged the likes of Ragtime, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Cabaret , Chess, and other classics in L.A. venues, resourcefully bypassing spectacle and lavish production values to focus on the sheer talent of its members.

The one-night event, held at the miniscule Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks on April 25, was directed by Robert Marra, with music direction by Greg Haake. Accompanied by a crackerjack five-piece band, actor-singers offered numbers from MTLA’s past efforts.

Fox Pulls Hurricane Episodes; 'Priscilla' Going National

• In the aftermath of this week's storms and fatalities, Fox has pulled from the schedule a much-advertised crossover event involving a hurricane affecting "Family Guy," "American Dad," and "The Cleveland Show." The Hollywood Reporter has the story.

• "Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical" will begin a national tour next fall. The first city and starting date have yet to be announced. Read the details at Playbill.

• Redbox, the kiosk DVD rental company, will begin offering video games on June 17. According to Los Angeles Times, though a DVD is $1 per night, Redbox will charge $2 per night for a video game.

• The Times also said HBO will begin offering its subscribers free access to HBO Go content on Apple's iPhone and iPad as well as Android mobile devices.

Heat Wave

 
The touring edition of the hit Broadway dance show Burn the Floor  is currently in a brief run at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre. This attempt to bridge the somewhat elitist form of dance theater with the more popular genre of feel-good Broadway fluff is a harmlessly engaging if scarcely unforgettable enterprise. Matching performers and the sensibility of TV’s hit phenomenon So You Think You Can Dance (including alumni thereof—Anya Garnis, Pasha Kovalev, Robbie Kmetoni, Janette Manrara, Karen Hauer) with a wide variety of high-energy dance styles, the production seems determined to wow even the most jaded among us into submission.

HBO Needs Festival-Goer Extras for 'Treme' Season 2 Music Festival Shoot in New Orleans

Mark Ruffalo's Directorial Debut Opens Today

 
So maybe "Fast Five" isn't your thing--you could do worse than check out "Sympathy for Delicious," which is pretty much the antithesis of a high-octane, big summer blockbuster. The small indie drama marks the film directorial debut of Mark Ruffalo, who was kind enough to talk to us in this cover story from last week. The film tells the tale of a paralyzed DJ (played by Christopher Thornton, who wrote the script) who finds he has the power to heal others--just not himself. Ruffalo also appears as a empathetic (and, since he's Ruffalo, unintentionally sexy) priest.

The story behind the film is almost as dramatic as what you see on screen. Ruffalo and Thornton spent 10 years getting the movie made. At times, people offered to finance the film if Ruffalo cast a "name" actor in the lead. But Ruffalo stood by his friend, who was paralyzed in a fall while rock climbing, almost 20 years ago. Even when the film was completed and screened at Sundance, the drama didn't end. At first, horrible reviews came out savaging the picture, before other critics lept to its defense.

The film opens today in NY and L.A.; check here for more info. It expands to Washington D.C. on May 5, and hopefully some other cities after that. It's a film that deserves to be seen.

--Jenelle Riley

2011 Drama Desk Awards Nominations Announced

The nominations for the 56th annual Drama Desk Awards, which honor outstanding Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions, were announced Friday by former Drama Desk winners Audra McDonald and Liev Schreiber. The Broadway musical "The Book of Mormon" and the Broadway revival of "Anything Goes" garnered 12 and 10 nominations, respectively, the most by any shows this season. The Public Theater’s production of "The Merchant of Venice," which starred Al Pacino, followed with seven nominations.

Read the story at BackStage.com

Pictured: Liev Schreiber (Photo: Getty Images)

Falco Out, Turner In

 
How annoying! After I predict Edie Falco would be nominated for a Leading Actress Tony in "The House of Blue Leaves," the Tony Eligibility Committee rules she is a Featured Actress--which is in line with her classification by the Drama Desk but not by the Outer Critics. That leaves a slot in my Leading Actress list. It's either going to be Kathleen Turner in "High" or Cherry Jones in "Mrs. Warren's Profession." Both have closed, but "High" closed more recently. So I will give Falco's place to Turner. I still predict Nina Arianda of "Born Yesterday" as the winner. Falco's strongest competition will probably be Judith Light of "Lombardi."

(Photo: Edie Falco in "The House of Blue Leaves": Joan Marcus)

--David Sheward 

Tony Predictions

 
Now that the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama Desk have announced their nominees, it's time to make some Tony predictions. The major difference between these award groups and the Tonys is that the OCC and the DD include Off-Broadway while the Tonys are strictly for Main Stem fare. That means shows that played Off-Broadway last season like "The Scottsboro Boys" and "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" are not eligible for the first two awards, but will be up for Tonys. This could put a wrinkle in some categories like Best Musical where I think "Scottsboro" will be remembered. Here are my picks in the major categories. The nominations will be announced on Tues. May 3, followed by the nominees press event on Wed. May 4. I'll be there with my handy (but now obsolete) flipcam.

Best Play: "Good People"; "Jerusalem"; "The Motherf**ker with the Hat"; "War Horse."

(The dazzling spectacle of "War Horse" should edge out the competition and cross the Tony finish line first.)