Odds & Ends: Andrew Barth Feldman to Co-Host the 10th Annual Roger Rees Awards & More

Here's a quick roundup of stories you might have missed recently.

Andrew Barth Feldman to Co-Host the Roger Rees Awards
The Broadway Education Alliance has announced that the tenth annual presentation of the Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance, a celebration of high school musical programs, will be held on June 1 at 7:30PM ET on BEA’s YouTube channel. Roger Rees Award winner, former Dear Evan Hansen star and Broadway.com vlogger Andrew Barth Feldman will host the ceremony alongside NY1's Frank DiLella. This online event will feature New York area high school students in multiple musical numbers, including an opening anthem “As Long as There Is Love” from the Broadway production of Mrs. Doubtfire. A panel of Broadway professionals, including Mrs. Doubtfire star Rob McClure, will announce the Best Actor and Best Actress high school performers in the Greater New York region during the show.

The 24 Hour Plays Announces COVID & Incarceration Edition
The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues is collaborating with several arts and advocacy organizations, including the Broadway Advocacy Coalition and the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School, to feature real stories from those currently and previously incarcerated, their families and the advocates serving them during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, playwrights will be paired with individuals who are currently or formerly incarcerated and advocates to hear their stories, either from live calls or previously documented material. The playwrights will then be paired with actors from TV, film and Broadway to write, rehearse and record monologues released in 24 hours. “COVID & Incarceration” will air on May 12 on IGTV; from 6PM ET on, the new monologues will be published, one every 15 minutes. Writers include Lemon Andersen, Hilary Bettis, Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, Jordan E. Cooper, Emily Mann, DeRay Mckesson, Nsangou Njikam, and Liza Jessie Peterson. Actors will be announced at a later date.

NYC's Shetler Studios Closes After 30 Years
Shetler Studios is closing as a result of financial hardship caused by the coronavirus crisis. "The path to recovery is simply too steep for our small company," reads a statement the company's founder and owner Ron Shetler and Managing Artistic Director Robin A. Paterson shared on the Shetler Studios Instagram. For 30 years, the space, located on Broadway and West 54th Street, provided rehearsal space to the New York theater community.

Norm Lewis to Perform on Memorial For Us All
Tony nominee Norm Lewis is slated to perform on May 17 at 6PM ET on Memorial For Us All. The regular Sunday broadcast offers its viewers unity, comfort and healing through music. Anyone who has lost a loved one during the COVID-19 pandemic is invited to submit the name of a friend or family member to be honored on the broadcast. More than 300 community members from New York City and beyond have submitted names. Names can be submitted here.

Long Wharf Theatre Announces Staged at Home Virtual Gala
Long Wharf Theatre has announced that its 2020 gala is going digital. Staged at Home will be a star-studded benefit concert, featuring performances from Broadway stars, including Laura Benanti, Stephanie J. Block, Matthew Morrison, Robin De Jesús, Norm Lewis, Kelli O’Hara and Bryce Pinkham. The event will begin on June 8 at 6:30PM ET with a half-hour pre-show, including a five-course dinner party, red-carpet showcase and video chat room preceding the concert. Tickets will go on sale May 11 at 10AM ET.

P.S. Watch this video of the Riverdance casts around the world showing appreciation for essential workers.