Mark Simon News

Michael Sterling (Creator/Executive Producer) and Barbara Van Orden (Sponsor/Co-Executive Producer) proudly presented the critically acclaimed and highly anticipated LA's Next Great Stage Star competitions. The 2015 season began this weekend with its launch last Sunday, January 5th, in North Hollywood, CA. at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal. Scroll down for photos!

The Daily Mail reports that Simon Russell Beale and Mark Strong will lead the cast for Radio 4's new drama VICTORY, helmed by Richard Eyre and based on Harold Pinter's screenplay adaptation of Joseph Conrad's 1915 novel.

Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area, has set Sunday, December 14, 2014 as auditions for its 9th consecutive year of LA's Next Great Stage Star, it was announced today by Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling Publicity and Production in Los Angeles, CA.

Watch Mark Haddon and Simon Stephens as they talk about bringing the National Theatre production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME to Broadway. In the fifth and sixth segments in a six-part series, Haddon and Stephens continue their discussions about adapting the best-selling book into a stage play and bringing the play from the West End to Broadway.

Join Mark Haddon and Simon Stephens as they talk about bringing the National Theatre production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME to Broadway. In the second, third and fourth segments in a six-part series, Haddon and Stephens continue their discussions about adapting the best-selling book into a stage play and bringing the play from the West End to Broadway. Watch below!

Watch Mark Haddon and Simon Stephens as they talk about bringing the National Theatre production of THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME to Broadway. In this first segment in a six-part series, Haddon and Stephens talk about the decision to adapt the best-selling book into a stage play. Check it out below!

The Music Center celebrated 12 teen performing artists and four teen visual artists at The Music Center's 26th Annual Spotlight Awards during a finale performance on Saturday, April 26, 2014, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Hosted by Oscar-nominated actor, musician and author, John Lithgow, the awards show culminated The Music Center's year-long free recognition and scholarship program for Southern California high school performing and visual artists. A first place and runner-up were named in each of eight categories, including ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental, jazz instrumental, two-dimensional art (works of art with height and weight, but no depth, using drawing, painting, computer generated or mixed media) and photography (black/white, color and digital). This year's top performing and visual artists were awarded more than $100,000 in cash scholarships with $5,000 for students selected as first place finalists and $4,000 for runners-up in each category; five honorable mentions in each category received $250.

Jennifer Kranz, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles majoring in Theatre and minoring in Musical Theatre, emerged victorious Sunday, February 16th as LA's Next Great Stage Star® 2014 produced and presented by Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed concert supper club in the greater Los Angeles area.

Jennifer Kranz, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles majoring in Theatre and minoring in Musical Theatre, emerged victorious Sunday, February 16th as LA's Next Great Stage Star® 2014 produced and presented by Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed concert supper club in the greater Los Angeles area.

And the winner of the 8th annual LA'S NEXT GREAT STAGE STAR talent competition is Jennifer Kranz, a senior at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles majoring in Theatre and minoring in Musical Theatre. On Sunday, Feb 16th, Ms. Kranz and 19 other talented young professionals sang their hearts out for the coveted prize. As winner, Ms. Kranz awarded a cash prize of $1000; an upcoming paid headlining concert engagement at Sterling's Upstairs; a vocal demo recording session from Tom Griep's Audition Trax; a photo session with Isaac James Creative; and is already in the process of scheduling meetings to be signed and represented by one of the lucrative competition's Equity Agent/Judges as the first step toward a professional career in musical theatre, television and film. Scroll down for photos from the competition!

The 2014 season continues this weekend after its launch last Sunday, January 5th, in North Hollywood, CA. at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal.

LA's Next Great Stage Star® 2014 sings in the New Year beginning Sunday, January 5 at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed concert supper club in the greater Los Angeles area.

Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal, the most critically acclaimed, award-winning supper club of its kind in the greater Los Angeles area, has set Sunday, December 15, 2013 as auditions for the 8th consecutive year of LA's Next Great Stage Star®, it was announced today by Executive Producer Michael Sterling of Michael Sterling & Associates in Los Angeles, CA. "Our annual auditions in search of 10 men and 10 women between within the ages of 18 and 28, is highly anticipated by the hierarchy of those in the business of presenting Los Angeles Broadway musical theatre. We couldn't be more grateful to our professional colleagues and select corporate entities for their consistent support of Stage Star since its inception eight years ago."

Hosted by Good Day New York's Rosanna Scotto, Top Comediennes performed at The Friars Club in NYC to Benefit Women Survivors of the Rwandan Genocide. The SHOP-SHMOOZE-LAUGH event benefited the fair-trade jewelry initiative of SAME SKY (founder Francine LeFrak), an organization that offers employment to women living with HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea has been nominated for Best Hotel of 2013 by Virtuoso, the leading luxury travel agency network which selects the Best of the Best each year and announces the results at the annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, August 11 - 16.

Sam Wilhelm is totally animated as he describes how Four Seasons Resort Maui is going all out this fall to give couples an experience of a lifetime. "Couples rule, that's our motto, so we've put the focus on activities and special services tailored to twosomes of all ages and interests," says the director of the concierge team. Best of all, he points out that the weather is great during the fall months and guests can take advantage of the resort's special value rates-added to which there is no resort fee.

Comedy, absurdity, history, tragedy, baseball, courtroom drama, nostalgia and music: there's not a lot that the American Century Theater's upcoming 2013-2014 theatrical season doesn't have.

If the walls of the Friars Club could tell their stories the history of show business would come to life. Luckily this history is accurately retold and chronicled by each generation of Friars. Friar Historian Bruce Charet, a member of the Board of Governors and Friar Mark Simone Admissions Committee Chairman started the evening off by telling the overflow audience in the Milton Berle Room that "Tonight the Friars is the Copa"!

The cast has been set for the world premiere of the powerful, intense new play 'The Royale' by Marco Ramirez. Directed by Daniel Aukin, 'The Royale' delivers a knock-out punch with its vivid depiction of a man fighting for his place in history. 'The Royale' begins previews tonight, April 28, opens May 5 and performances continue through June 2, 2013.

BWW TV's Michael Sterling and Jerry Evans of the JLE Media Group were on hand to produce exclusive television coverage for Broadway World at the Finale of LA's Next Great Stage Star 2013 which broke all previous years attendance records during its six week run at Sterling's Upstairs at The Federal in the NoHo Arts district of North Hollywood, CA January 6 through February 10. Check out the video below!