SCHENECTADY — Proctors has announced the new dates for eight postponed productions from two previous Key Private Bank Broadway Series at Proctors seasons; the dates of three other previously scheduled shows are still to be determined. 

The Key Private Bank Broadway Series lineup at Proctors starts roughly 45-60 days later than a typical fall-to-spring cycle, which is “a good thing” according to Proctors Collaborative CEO Philip Morris. “The touring industry can’t come back until we can seat audiences near or at capacity. The economics won’t work otherwise. All projections suggest we should be able to return to full capacity by December,” Morris said in a statement. “And it goes without saying we will be fully compliant with all state and federal safety guidelines to assure patron safety.” 

Key Private Bank Broadway Series at Proctors schedule:

SUMMER – The Donna Summer Musical Dec. 7-12, 2021; Come From Away Jan. 25-30, 2022; The Prom March 1-6, 2022; Dear Evan Hansen March 22-27, 2022; CATS May 3-8, 2022; My Fair Lady May 17-22, 2022; Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird June 14-19, 2022; Mean Girls June 28-July 3, 2022. 

“Hadestown,” “The Lion King” and “Pretty Woman: The Musical” will all be rescheduled. 

At other Proctors Collaborative venues, announcements are forthcoming. Proctors, theREP and UPH are partners in the Proctors Collaborative. 

Tickets for concerts and other events for the third and fourth quarter at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs are expected to go on sale by summer.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Home Made Theater will be presenting a seasonally themed event, Spring Fling, on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2. There will be two performances each day, at noon and 2 p.m.

The hour-long, family-friendly event will feature singing, dancing, scenes, and monologues, performed by cast members of Home Made Theater productions past. Selections will include “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” from Oklahoma, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy, and a dance number by members of the Tango Fusion dance company.

Space is limited to 75 attendees per performance. Tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased in advance. There will be no tickets sold at the door.

The event will be held outdoors in the field adjacent to the Spa Little Theater in Saratoga Spa State Park. Audience members are asked to bring their own blankets or chairs. Expect to have your temperature taken and to fill out a brief health screening questionnaire, or for faster check-in, bring your Excelsior Pass if you prefer. Masks will be required.

Tickets can be purchased on Home Made Theater’s website, www.HomeMadeTheater.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Albany Symphony’s “Haydn and Schubert” Concert will be livestreamed in real time at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24 from Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. 

The concert will feature exemplary works by beloved classical composers as well as the award-winning Violin Concerto No. 2 by George Tsontakis, and the latest premiere by ASO American Music Festival alumna Tanner Porter. There will be a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. and a post-concert question and answer session with artists for season subscribers.

The 2020-2021 season continues through the American Music Festival in June. Concerts will be live and virtual, with the ability to purchase access online at www.albanysymphony.com or by calling the Albany Symphony Box Office at 518-694-3300. Subscribers are also invited to attend a pre-concert chat and a post-concert, real-time “talk-back” session with guest composers, soloists, and Maestro Miller.

SARATOGA SPRINGS – In a joint decision by Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) and New York City Ballet (NYCB), SPAC has announced that due to the ongoing health and safety concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines mandated by the State of New York, NYCB will not return to its summer home in Saratoga Springs with the full company this July.

Instead, a small group of NYCB dancers and musicians will present NYCB On and Off Stage, an intimate, up-close look at selected excerpts from the company’s extraordinary repertory of ballets. This series of educational programs has never before been presented for Saratoga audiences.

NYCB On and Off Stage is slated for six shows from July 14-17 and will feature two special presentations. All shows will be hosted by a NYCB Principal Dancer who will introduce the excerpts and provide insights on each ballet.  

SPAC and New York City Ballet have also confirmed that the traditional residency engagement with the full company will be presented in 2022 from July 12-16. 

The NYCB On and Off Stage presentations will be offered in compliance with the current guidelines from the Governor to ensure the health and safety of artists, audience members and staff. As required by New York State, all attendees of the series will be required to show either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72-hours of the event. 

NYCB On and Off Stage will showcase two distinct programs suitable for audiences of all ages including an “All Balanchine” presentation, illuminating the expansive repertory of Founding Choreographer George Balanchine with excerpts from masterworks including Apollo, The Four Temperaments, Agon, Jewels, and Who Cares?, and a program entitled “Short Stories,” exploring beloved narrative ballets like Firebird, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Western Symphony, Fancy Free, and The Concert.

Both programs will feature an ensemble of 15 New York City Ballet dancers in costume performing excerpts from the Company’s world-renowned repertory, with live musical accompaniment provided by pianists from NYCB.

This new format represents an innovative and safe way to bring dance to the community, while adhering to carefully mapped out, socially distanced seating and rigorous COVID protocols both in SPAC’s public spaces and backstage.

“While we will miss the big, lush productions for which City Ballet is renowned, the safety of the artists, audience members and staff is our greatest priority,” said Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC, in a statement.

“When thinking about SPAC and re-opening, in addition to considering the audience members in our public spaces, we also have to make certain that the backstage, dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces and stage are all safe. This would not be possible with the complete NYCB organization of nearly 100 dancers, 62 orchestra members in the pit and the many production crew members and staff members backstage, as is necessary for a full-scale NYCB engagement. Bringing this new format to SPAC for 2021 ensures that we will be able to effectively create a safe environment for all,” Sobol said.

The full schedule is as follows:  WEDNESDAY, JULY 14 @ 7:30 PM – Short Stories; THURSDAY, JULY 15 @ 2 PM – All Balanchine; THURSDAY, JULY 15 @ 7:30 PM – Short Stores; FRIDAY, JULY 16 @ 7:30 PM – All Balanchine; SATURDAY, JULY 17 @ 2 PM – Short Stories; SATURDAY, JULY 17 @ 7:30 PM – All Balanchine.

The presentations will all be approximately 75 minutes long with no intermission. Each program will be hosted by a beloved NYCB Principal Dancer who will be retiring from the company during the 2021-22 New York Season – Maria Kowroski will host the Short Stories presentation; and Gonzalo Garcia will host the All Balanchine presentation

Ticketing information:   

SPAC Members will have early ticket access depending on membership level, beginning on May 3. Tickets for the public will be available to purchase on May 10. Designated pods of two will be allocated and reserved for ticket buyers in the amphitheater, while designed pods of two and four will be available on the SPAC lawn. Amphitheater tickets start at $80 per pod, which seats up to two people. Lawn tickets are available to purchase for $60 for a two-person pod, or $120 for a four-person pod. Single tickets will be extremely limited and available starting at $40 for the amphitheater and $30 for the lawn. Advance ticket purchases are strongly advised as ticket availability will be limited. If available, tickets will be on sale on the day of, but are subject to an additional fee. 

COVID-19 Safety & Protocols:

 SPAC will be adhering to all mandated NYS guidelines and therefore all attendees are required to show proof of a completed vaccination no sooner than 14 days prior to the event or a negative 72-hour COVID-19 test. In addition, attendees are required to complete a health screening questionnaire and pass a mandatory temperature check prior to entry. Guests are required to wear a face mask at all times, regardless of proof of vaccination or negative test. Guests are permitted to bring factory sealed water bottles and essential personal items only. Restrooms will be available with social distancing and enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols in place in accordance with recommended guidelines.

For proof of vaccination, either a vaccination card or NYS Excelsior Pass is acceptable, according to a SPAC spokesperson. Visit spac.org for more details.   

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It wasn’t prompted by a premonition of a global shutdown of live music due to a deadly pandemic, but the fact that the timely, existential refurb of the venerable Caffè Lena included a better-than-needed(?) audio upgrade and multi-camera video installation was, nonetheless, prophetic. 

At this writing, fourteen months from the onset, we’re not out of the woods, but we have started to let small, pre-screened patrons into the rarified air, (literally), that has, even in the throes of COVID-19, continuously echoed with live music for more than 60 years.  The streaming, the suddenly commonplace connection that allowed our gregarious nature to find digital refuge, will continue. 

Purists may argue that the experience, the visceral, touchy/feely, sing-along, chocolate chip, in-person version is diminished by being teased out over the internet.  I prefer to think that the two, very unique, experiences form a complimentary new hybrid. 

Being physically present has layers of sensory stimuli that we are still unable to produce remotely; the natural sound, of course and the aromas and the lights, the clamor and the camaraderie, the exchange of energy between audience and performer, the afterglow and the merch… did I mention the cookies?  But the music, the words, the melody and harmony, the pluck of a string and beat of a drum, the poetic truth that stirs our souls and imaginations and taps our toes cannot complete its journey from thought to pen to paper until its performance reaches some ears, and the more ears, the better. 

From coast to coast, Canada to South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, Caffè Lena’s concert streams are broadening the outreach of the venue’s dedication to the art while expanding the fan base of some of the world’s finest musicians.  And…in a more perfect world…when it’s safe, perhaps some of those new, streamer fans in Brazil or Senegal or Kuala Lumpur will find their way to Phila St.  We have cookies.

Joel Moss is a Grammy Award-winning record producer, Saratoga Springs resident and the Caffè Lena streaming producer and archivist.

ALBANY — The second half of April features a quartet of Capital Repertory Theatre virtual play readings with several actors known to theREP audiences as well as works by young playwrights. 

The series includes the dramatic short play, “Third Grade” by Dominique Morisseau airing April 14-17; the classic “Alice in Wonderland” in an adaptation co-created by theREP’s Producing Artistic Director Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill and Associate Artistic Director Margaret E. Hall; airing April 21-24; a sneak peek of a new play, “American Fast” by 2020 Next Act’s winning playwright Kareem Fahmy on April 28; and readings of theREP’s Young Playwrights Contest top 10 finalists’ short plays on April 29.

Each event will be livestreamed on the Collaborative Studios’ YouTube channel and through the Collaborative Studios app on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. And two – “Third Grade” and “Alice in Wonderland” – will be available on demand at openstagemedia.org/video-on-demand for several days after the premiere. 

The readings are free, but there is a suggested donation of $15 to benefit the theatre’s new play development work. 

ALBANY — The Theatre Program of the University at Albany’s Department of Music and Theatre will premiere a digital movie musical titled Love & Other Destinations, which explores the triumphs and tragedies of love in all its forms. 

Partnering with Broadway and New York talent and featuring theatre majors and musical theatre minors, Love & Other Destinations is written by composer Brad Ross and lyricist Michael Cooper.  It can be viewed online on April 22 at 8 p.m., April 23 at 3 p.m., April 24 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and April 25 at 2 p.m. Admission is free but virtual seats must be reserved in advance at www.albany.edu/musicandtheatre/theatre-productions.

For further information, contact the Theatre Program office at 518-442-4200 or theatre@albany.edu.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Home Made Theater will hold open auditions this month for their July/August production of New Jerusalem by David Ives, directed by Dianne O’Neill. 

Auditions will be held through Zoom on Sunday, April 18 and Monday, April 19 from 7-9 p.m. All roles are open to actors of all ethnicities and gender identifications.

Baruch de Spinoza is a young merchant and the heir apparent of Saul Mortera, the chief Rabbi of Amsterdam. When the city accuses Spinoza of atheism, he is summoned to the synagogue to defend himself. Spinoza’s best friend, his sister, and the woman he loves are all drawn into the controversy, a historical event that shook up not only the entire Jewish community of Amsterdam, but changed Spinoza’s and Mortera’s lives—and all of Western thought—irrevocably. The play is a re-imagining of the interrogation and eventual excommunication of the young philosopher on July 27, 1656. In this eloquent and masterful drama, David Ives attempts to open the temple doors and let us listen in on a dispute whose philosophical and political echoes still reverberate today.

Production dates are Sunday, July 25 at the Congregation Shaara Tfille in Saratoga Springs, and Sunday Aug. 1 at the Congregation Beth Shalom in Clifton Park. There will be two performances each day. Rehearsals will start on Sunday, June 13 and will run Sunday through Thursday evenings.

Appointments for the Zoom auditions will be required. Excerpts from the play for audition purposes will be provided upon sign-up for a time slot. For a detailed flyer with character descriptions, or to sign up for an audition time, visit Home Made Theater’s website, www.HomeMadeTheater.org. For questions call 518-587-4427.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs Public Library, Saratoga Book Festival, and Home Made Theater present “Mark Harris in Conversation with Audrey Kupferberg,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 22. 

In “Mike Nichols: A Life,” author and journalist Mark Harris offers the first full-scale biography of the celebrated film director, stage director, and improv comedian. Harris interviewed over 250 people for this book, including Elaine May, Meryl Streep, Stephen Sondheim, Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Tom Hanks, Candice Bergen, Emma Thompson, Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Lorne Michaels, and Gloria Steinem. In it, he gives an intimate and evenhanded accounting of success and failure alike; the portrait is not always flattering, but its ultimate impact is to present the full story of one of the most interesting, complicated, and consequential figures the worlds of theater and motion pictures have ever seen. He will be joined in conversation by film historian and WAMC commentator, Audrey Kupferberg.

Harris is the author of Five Came Back: A Story of Hollywood and the Second World War, and Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood, which was named a notable book of the year, by the New York Times and the American Library Association. 

This online program uses the Zoom livestreaming platform. It will require access to a computer, mobile device with the Zoom app installed, and/or a phone for audio-only access. Registration with an email is required in order to receive information on how to connect. The email will be sent three hours prior to the scheduled start time of the program. Register a: sspl.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Showcasing his new full-length album “Blame it on Love,” Jeff Brisbin will stage a formal listening room setting 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 at Putnam Place.

The live event, which will include a slew of special guests, will also serve as a benefit fundraiser for BAR PEOPLE, to help support the local music scene affected by the pandemic. 

Capacity is very limited and tickets are $15. Reserve tix in advance at putnamplace.com. For more information about Jeff Brisbin and his music, go to: jeffbrisbin.com.