Odds & Ends: The Great Comet's Grace McLean Named Lincoln Center Theater Writer-in-Residence & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you may have missed today.

Grace McLean Named Lincoln Center Theater Writer-in-Residence
Grace McLean, who is currently offering a showstopping performance as Marya D in Broadway's Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, is among a select group of playwrights named as writers-in-residence at Lincoln Center Theater! The no strings-attached residency provides a home to new writers with the use of free office space and other resources to enable them to create, hone their craft and continue their creative growth in New York City. McLean's band, Grace McLean & Them Apples, performed in both the 2015 and 2016 Lincoln Center American Songbook series, and they toured Pakistan with the U.S. State Department in 2015. In addition to McLean, LCT is welcoming writers Jaclyn Backhaus, Michael R. Jackson, Christina Masciotti and Korde Arrington Tuttle.

Tony Winner Michael Aronov Lands Recurring Role on The Blacklist
Michael Aronov, whose electric performance in J.T. Rogers' play Oslo earned him a 2017 Tony Award, has secured a recurring role on the NBC series The Blacklist. Aronov will play Smokey Putnam, an expert in the art of logistics who has fallen on hard times. Tune in to the first episode of season five, on September 27 at 8:00pm EST, for Aronov's first appearance!

Stars of Wicked, Waitress & More Help Launch The Broadway Boys' New Album Campaign
The touring vocal group The Broadway Boys have announced the launch of a month-long Kickstarter campaign to fund their latest album, “A New Broadway.” The group aims to raise $30,000 by August 13. Participating in the fundraising campaign's launch recording and video are Broadway Boys Artistic Director Jesse Nager (Motown the Musical) and band members Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton), Nicholas Christopher (Miss Saigon), Jesse J.P. Johnson (Wicked), Matt Deangelis (Waitress), Omar Lopez Cepero (On Your Feet!) and more. The campaign offers incentives such as backstage tours to shows, in-studio visits during the recording and even private performances.



Lilli Cooper & More to Sing from Original Musical Chemical Drive in Concert
Lilli Cooper, who is getting ready to return to Broadway in SpongeBob SquarePants, will appear alongside Broadway veteran Ariana Groover to sing from Janet Krupin's world premiere musical Chemical Drive. The one-night concert will take place on September 1 at 9:30pm at Feinstein's/54 Below. Featuring a book and score by Krupin, Chemical Drive is inspired by the stranger-than-fiction nuclear history her hometown, when the government hired a rock-and-roll band to distract from top secret operations. Chris Fink is set to direct.

Francis Jue & More to Lead World Premiere Play Wild Goose Dreams
Obie winner Francis Jue will appear in La Jolla Playhouse's world premiere production of Hansol Jung's Wild Goose Dreams, set to run at the California venue from September 5-October 1. In Wild Goose Dreams, a North Korean defector who has left her family behind and a lonely South Korean father start an unlikely online romance. Joining Jue in the play will be Yunjin Kim, James Kyson, Carolyn Agan, Julian Cihi, Rona Figueroa, Samantha Wang, DeLeon Dallas, Kyle Hester and Kimberly Monks. Tony nominee Leigh Silverman directs.

Will & Grace Revival Renewed for a Second Season; New Trailer Released!
The much-anticipated reboot of Emmy-winning comedy series Will & Grace has been picked up for a second docket of episodes, according to TV Guide. The show will return for 13 additional episodes in 2018. NBC president Tom Greenblatt also broke the news at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour that the first season of the revival will receive four additional episodes, now 16 up from 12. The show's Emmy-winning original stars (and Broadway veterans) Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally will all be reprising their performances. The first season begins on NBC on September 28. Check out a newly released promo for Will & Grace below!