DiCaprio, Depp, Sandler Top Forbes List of Highest-Earning Actors

In a curious twist that certainly differs from the typical results, its turns out that two actors who are well-respected for their respective talents — Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp — top this year’s list of highest-earning Hollywood actors, according to Forbes.  The list covers the estimated earnings of the actors after consulting “agents, lawyers, producers and other industry insiders to come up with an estimate for what each actor earned between May 1, 2010 and May 1, 2011.”

DiCaprio — who ranked #5 on the list last year — swiped the top position from Depp, who topped the list last year, at $77 million and $50 million respectively.  DiCaprio’s top spot is cemented by appearing in two major hits, Inception and Shutter Island. DiCaprio has yet to appear in a film in 2011 (his only 2011 film is October’s J. Edgar), so it’s unlikely he will be in the top spot again next year.
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Broadway Open Call for “Godspell”

OPEN CALL AUDITIONS FOR THE UPCOMING BROADWAY REVIVAL OF THE LANDMARK ROCK MUSICAL SET FOR THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011

AT THE ACTORS CHAPEL, 239 WEST 49TH STREET

10 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

PREVIEW PERFORMANCES BEGIN THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011
AT BROADWAY’S CIRCLE IN THE SQUARE THEATRE;
OPENING NIGHT IS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7

GROUP TICKETS (10+) ON SALE NOW!
CALL TOLL FREE 1-855-DAY-BY-DAY

SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING MONDAY, JULY 11

WWW.GODSPELL.COM

Think you’ve got what it takes to perform in a great big Broadway show?  Here’s your chance! On Thursday, July 7, 2011, open call auditions for the first-ever Broadway revival ofStephen Schwartz‘s landmark rock musical GODSPELL are set to begin at 10 a.m. at The Actors Chapel in midtown Manhattan (239 West 49th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue). Auditions will continue until 5 p.m. Telsey + Company, the casting office for GODSPELL, is seeking musical theatre perfomers with strong singing voices and comedic ability, ages 16-30. All ethnicities and types are welcome. All auditionees should prepare 16 bars of a pop song of contemporary musical theatre song, to be sung a capella. Bring a photo and resume stapled together. “GODSPELL has an incredible tradition of launching the careers of tomorrow’s stars,” said producer Ken Davenport. “Martin Short, Victor Garber, Gilda Radner, Jeremy Irons and Geoffrey Rush all appeared in Godspell early in their careers. The upcoming Broadway production of GODSPELL will without a doubt launch the next generation of stars, and I want to make sure that everyone who has ever had a dream of being on Broadway has the chance to be seen.” For more information on the Thursday, July 7 open call auditions, please visit www.godspell.com. *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   * Directed by Daniel Goldstein and choreographed by Tony Award nominee Christopher Gattelli (South Pacific), GODSPELL is scheduled to begin preview performances onThursday, October 13, 2011 at Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway at 50th Street). Opening Night is Monday, November 7 (7 p.m.). GODSPELL reunites Daniel Goldstein — making his Broadway directorial debut — and the designers of their critically-acclaimed 2006 Paper Mill Playhouse conception in a new production that has been completely re-imagined for the Circle in the Square, one of Broadway’s most intimate, unique and versatile houses. GODSPELL features scenic design by David Korins (Passing Strange, Bridge and Tunnel), costume design by Miranda Hoffman (Well), lighting design by Ben Stanton(Angels in America) and orchestrations by Michael Holland (Hurricane). Conceived and originally directed by John-Michael Tebelakwith music and new lyrics by Academy and Grammy Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin),GODSPELL has continued to electrify audiences throughout the country since its original New York premiere in May 1971. GODSPELL‘s Tony-nominated score features instantly recognizable hits including “Day by Day,” “Turn Back, O Man,” “Learn Your Lessons Well, “Prepare Ye the Way,” “Light of the World” and many more. One of the most popular musicals in the world, GODSPELL originally ran for more than 2,600 performances in New York and spawned successful touring productions in major U.S. cities, a 1973 motion picture adaptation and countless international engagements for the past 40 years. The new Broadway revival of GODSPELL is produced by Ken Davenport and The People of Godspell.  Complete casting will be announced soon. For more information and updates, visit www.Godspell.com.

TICKETING AND PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE *   GODSPELL will play Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre (1633 Broadway at 50thSt.). Beginning Thursday, October 13, the weekly preview performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8 p.m. Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Beginning Tuesday, November 15, the regular performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. Wednesday matinees at 2 p.m. Thursday and Friday evenings at 8 p.m. Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.   Tickets are $125.00 for all performances except Saturday evenings, which are $135.00 (all prices include a $2.00 facility fee) and are available by calling Telecharge.com at 212-239-6200 beginning Monday, July 11. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Circle in the Square Theatre Box Office beginning Monday, September 19.  Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (closed on Sundays). Group sales (10+ tickets) are now available by calling toll-free 1-855-DAY-BY-DAY (1-855-329-2932). [* Performance schedule and pricing are subject to change at any time.]

 

STEPHEN SCHWARTZ (Music and New Lyrics) has contributed music and/or lyrics to Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker’s Wife, Working (which he also adapted and directed), Rags, Children of Eden and the current Broadway hit, Wicked. He collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on the English texts for Bernstein’s Mass and wrote the title song for the play and movie Butterflies Are Free. For children, he has written songs for two musicals, Captain Louieand My Son Pinocchio. For films, he collaborated with Alan Menken on the songs for Disney’sEnchanted as well as the animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dameand wrote the songs for the DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt.  His first opera, Séance on a Wet Afternoon, premiered with Opera Santa Barbara in the fall of 2009 and was recently presented by New York City Opera. A book about his career, “Defying Gravity,” has recently been released by Applause Books. Under the auspices of the ASCAP Foundation, he runs musical theatre workshops in New York and Los Angeles, and is currently the President of the Dramatists’ Guild. Mr. Schwartz has recently been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Other awards include three Academy Awards, four Grammy Awards, four Drama Desk Awards, and a tiny handful of tennis trophies.  Those interested can find more information at www.stephenschwartz.com.

JOHN-MICHAEL TEBELAK (Concept and Original Direction) was 22 years old when Godspell hit New York.  It was his first brush with the New York theatre, but by no means his first venture into theatrics.  His theatrical career started when he “walked into a theatre at the age of nine and stayed there.”  Mr. Tebelak originally conceived of Godspell as his Master’s Thesis project at Carnegie-Mellon University in 1970. All of the original cast members contributed to the playful script that evolved under John-Michael’s direction. Subsequently, he directed productions of Godspell at La MaMa Theatre in February of 1971, the Cherry Lane Theatre (opening May 17, 1971), the Promenade Theatre, and on Broadway.  Tebelak co-authored the screenplay for Godspell (1973) for Columbia Pictures with David Greene.  Mr. Tebelak was dramaturge forthe Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City, and wrote and staged liturgical drama there. He died of a heart attack at the age of 36 in April 1985.

DANIEL GOLDSTEIN (Director) is the director of The Unauthorized Biography of Sarah Brown(Goodspeed/Broadway Across America) and Artificial Fellow Traveler with Ethan Sandler, as well as an upcoming production of God of Carnage at Huntington Theater Company next year. As a writer, his musical Unknown Soldier (written with Michael Friedman) will be at the O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference, summer 2011.  Recent projects include The Ride (NYC commercial), Golden Boy (Juilliard), Annie (St. Louis MUNY), Clear (O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference), True West (Williamstown Theater Festival), Miss Margarida’s Way (Bay Street Theater, with Julie Halston), A New Brian at the Toho Theater in Tokyo, Mary’s Weddingat the Two Rivers Theater, a highly praised revival of Godspell at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Sinan Unel’s The Cry of the Reed at the Huntington Theatre Company, Beau Willimon’s Lower Ninth at the Flea and SPF, the Off-Broadway commercial production of the hit Fringe Festival musical Walmartopia, Kenny Finkle’s Indoor/Outdoor at the DR2 and SPF, Falsettos and Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Huntington Theatre Company, But I’m a Cheerleader at the New York Musical Theater Festival and Bathsheba Doran’s Living Room in Africa at Gloucester Stage. He has served as the Associate Director for All Shook Up! and Fully Committed and the Resident Director for the First National Tour of Mamma Mia!. He is a graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in Performance Studies.

CHRISTOPHER GATTELLI (Choreographer). Broadway: South Pacific (Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Sunday in the Park with George, The Ritz, Martin Short – Fame Becomes Me, 13, High Fidelity and the upcoming revival ofFunny Girl. Off-Broadway: Altar Boyz (Lucille Lortel Award, Joe Callaway Award, Helen Hayes Award, Drama Desk Nom.); Bat Boy: The Musical (Lucille Lortel Award); 10 Million Miles; Adrift in Macao; tick, tick…BOOM!; I Love You Because; How To Save the World…. West End: South Pacific; Sunday in the Park with George; tick, tick…BOOM! National/International Tours: Altar Boyz, Godspell, Grease, Pooh’s Perfect Day (World Premiere) Disney Theatricals. Regional: Little Miss Sunshine (La Jolla Playhouse), Kander and Ebb’s All About Us (Westport Playhouse), The Baker’s Wife (Paper Mill Playhouse), Me and My Girl (Goodspeed Opera House), Tom Jones – World Premiere (North Shore Music Theater), O. Henry’s Lover (Goodspeed-at-Chester).  As director: world premiere of Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas at Goodspeed Opera House;Chance and Chemistry: A Tribute to Frank Loesser at The Minskoff Theater starring Sir Paul McCartney, Jo Sullivan  Loesser, Art Garfunkel, Hugh Jackman, Chita Rivera, Audra McDonald, Judy Kuhn, and more, including Elmo from “Sesame Street;” Radio Girl at Goodspeed’s Norma Terris Theater; Departure Lounge at The Public for SPF’s Summer Series. Other favorites include: Broadway concerts of Hair with Jennifer Hudson, and Chess with Josh Groban, choreographed for “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” for three seasons, and the opening number for the 2000 Tony Awards. Upcoming: Silence! The Musical at Theater 80 on St. Marks, World Premiere of Disney’s Newsies at Paper Mill Playhouse and the new revival of Funny Girl.

KEN DAVENPORT (Producer). Broadway productions include Oleanna starring Bill Pullman and Julia Stiles, Speed-the-Plow, Will Ferrell’s You’re Welcome America, Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury and 13. He also recently released These Magnificent Miles: On the Long Road with Red Wanting Blue, a documentary on one of the top unsigned rock bands in the country. Ken is the only independent producer to have had three shows running simultaneously Off-Broadway-Altar Boyz, The Awesome 80s Prom and My First Time. He was featured on a national commercial for Apple’s iPhone, named one of Crain’s “Forty Under 40,” and was dubbed the “P.T. Barnum of Off-Broadway” by The New York Times. Ken created and developed a smartphone app called AT THE BOOTH™, which gives a listing of available shows at the famed TKTS® booth in Times Square. AT THE BOOTH™ has been featured on Entertainment Weekly‘s Must List and called “Ingenious! The best thing to happen to New York theater since, well, the introduction of the TKTS® booth!” Combined, Ken’s productions have grossed more than $100 million worldwide and are being produced internationally in over 25 countries including Germany, Mexico, France and Korea. Current projects include bringing the first ever revivals of both Godspell and A Few Good Men to Broadway, adapting the novel and film Somewhere in Time into a Broadway musical, and his latest creative collaboration MissAbigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating and Marriage!. He also runs a number of theatrical websites including Broadway’s #1 social networking site, BroadwaySpace.com, which has just launched the Broadway board game Be A Broadway Star, recently seen on the Today Show. His blog,TheProducersPerspective.com, has been featured in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, The Gothamist and more. He has written articles for Forbes, Mashable, Imedia and others.  For more information, visit www.DavenportTheatrical.com.

Harry Connick, Jr. Coming Back To Broadway

HARRY CONNICK, JR. RETURNS TO BROADWAY

in

ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER

A NEW BOOK BY PETER PARNELL
BASED ON THE ORIGINAL BOOK BY ALAN JAY LERNER

MUSIC BY BURTON LANE & LYRICS BY ALAN JAY LERNER

RECONCEIVED AND DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MAYER

OPENING FALL 2011 ON BROADWAY

 

(New York, NY – Tuesday, March 1, 2011) Grammy and Emmy Award winner, Tony Award nominee and multi-platinum recording artist Harry Connick, Jr. will star in a reimagined production of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER opening fall 2011 on Broadway at a theatre to be announced.  The delightful Tony Award nominated score by Burton Lane (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics) is enhanced by classics from their film scores for On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) and Royal Wedding (1951).  With a new book by Peter Parnell based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner, the musical is reconceived and directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer. Further casting and creative team to be announced shortly.
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How To Feel Confident And Give Great Auditions

HOW TO GIVE GREAT AUDITIONS BY CHANGING YOUR FOCUS!

Hello fellow actors!

I’m thrilled to be able to share my years of experience as an on-set and stage actor and over 15 years of teaching and coaching actors. Some of the topics I’d like to cover include; how to have sexual chemistry at auditions and on set, the secret to playing bad guys, cops, lawyers, FBI, judges and prostitutes; how to break down audition scripts; how to get more depth and vulnerability as an actor and much, much more!

For my first column I’d like to address:

How to feel confident and have a great time at your auditions.
The incredible technique I’m going to share with you is based on the work of Jerry  and Esther Hicks, who introduced the secrets of the law of attraction years before the huge success of the video and book, The Secret.

According to Esther and Jerry Hicks we are always either focusing on what we want or what we don’t want. When you’re unhappy, nervous, angry, etc it’s usually because you are focusing on what you don’t want. “I don’t want to be lonely, I don’t want to have so few auditions, I don’t want to be poor”, etc. The secret to shifting your mood in general and specifically when you audition is to focus on what you do want and how you DO want to FEEL at your auditions and on set.

So here’s a simple process for preparing for an audition:

First, imagine yourself on the way to an audition for a part you really want. try to focus on how you are feeling.

FOCUS ON HOW YOU ARE FEELING
Usually if you’re honest, you’ll say, for example…I feel nervous, I feel excited. I feel anxious. I feel like I’m not even right for this role. I feel unprepared, etc.

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Behind the scenes of the Old Globe’s new musical, “Sammy”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:03 — 2.1MB)

Tommy. Thoroughly Modern Millie. Jersey Boys. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

What do these shows have in common? They all started out in San Diego and went on to be smash Broadway shows.

The new musical Sammy will not be any different (at least I hope so). I was invited to watch a rehearsal and I have to tell you, what I saw was fantastic. When I see great theater, it makes me jealous…only because I wish I were a part of the show and this was no exception. I wish I could have weaseled my way into watching the whole show!

Sammy is based on the life of Sammy Davis Jr. and stars Obba Babatundé. The part fits him like a glove and I’m looking forward to seeing the whole performance from start to finish.

The show runs from September 19th-November 8th!

To order tickets, click here.

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Send Your Stuff! Pilot 'A Million Hits'

A Million Hits is an AFTRA pilot.

Synopsis: A buddy comedy about 2 teenage boys who make funny videos to post on-line and their quest to get a million hits. The boys want want fame, fortune, and hot chicks.

JOEY PAUL CASTING
HOLLYWOOD CENTER STUDIOS
1040 N. LAS PALMAS
BLDG 26 1ST FLOOR
LOS ANGELES, CA 90038

Taylor Lautner back as Jacob Black in `Twilight' sequel

Taylor Lautner will be back to morph into the monstrous Jacob Black in the “Twilight” sequel “New Moon.”

There was talk that a bigger, buffer, more menacing actor might play the role when the sequel hits screens come Nov. 20 but not now.

Apparently, the millions of screaming teen girls caused enough of an uproar that they almost forced the producers into re-hiring him.

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