Odds & Ends: Shoshana Bean, Samantha Pauly & More Set for Broadway Sings Taylor Swift

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

Broadway Stars to Put Their Spin on Taylor Swift
The Broadway Sings concert series, in partnership with NYC Pride, has announced the lineup for its next original event Broadway Sings Taylor Swift on June 27 at 8PM ET at Sony Hall. The lineup, including Mr. Saturday Night Tony nominee Shoshana Bean, Six queen Samantha Pauly, The Devil Wears Prada-bound star Taylor Iman Jones, Hamilton's Krystal Joy Brown, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical's Ari Groover, Ginna Claire Mason, Jo Ellen Pellman, Noah J. Ricketts and more, will sing new arrangements of the hits of the pop superstar Taylor Swift, accompanied by a 14-piece orchestra. Orchestrations and arrangements are by Joshua Stephen Kartes.

Court Theatre of Chicago to Receive Regional Theatre Tony Award
Court Theatre of Chicago is the recipient of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award. The honor is accompanied by a grant of $25,000, made possible by City National Bank. Now in its 67th season, Court Theatre was founded in 1955 as an outdoor summer theater at the University of Chicago. In 1971, classics professor Nicholas Rudall assumed the role of director and conceived Court’s tradition of translating and adapting classic texts for contemporary audiences. In 1981, Court built its current home, the intimate, 251-seat Abelson Auditorium. Charles Newell, Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director, has led Court since 1994, alongside Angel Ysaguirre, who has been the Executive Director since 2018. “We are thrilled to present the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award to Court Theatre,” said Heather Hitchens, President and CEO of the American Theatre Wing, and Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League, in a joint statement. “Their dedication to fostering local talent, artistry and theater within their community and their impact on a national scale makes it a true honor to highlight their work.”

Gabriel Byrne to Make West End Debut in Solo Show 
Gabriel Byrne’s solo show Walking with Ghosts, adapted from his memoir of the same name, will play London's Apollo Theatre, marking his West End debut. The production, in which he reflects on his life's journey, moving between recollection of childhood in a now almost vanished Ireland to a commentary on stardom in Hollywood and on Broadway, opened at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin in February. Directed by Lonny Price, Walking with Ghosts will run from September 6 through September 17.

LaChanze & Shuler Hensley to Host High School Theatre Festival
LaChanze, currently nominated for a 2022 Tony Award for her performance in Trouble in Mind, and Shuler Hensley, who appears in the Tony-nominated revival of The Music Man, will host The Shubert Foundation’s 2022 High School Theatre Festival for NYC Public Schools on May 23 at 7:30PM at the Winter Garden Theatre. More than 100 NYC public school theater artists will make their Broadway debuts on the night, which returns in-person following the last two virtual festivals and is presented by The Shubert Foundation and the NYC Department of Education Arts Office. The festival celebrates five outstanding high school student productions from the 2021-22 school year, selected from more than 20 productions across the city by professional theater artists and theater educators. This year, student presentations from the following schools will present excerpted scenes and musical numbers: Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts' Into the Woods, Professional Performing Arts High School's Indecent, Curtis High School's Guys and Dolls, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts's Rent and Brooklyn High School of the Arts' Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea. Additional guest presenters include Denée Benton, K. Todd Freeman, Jessica Hecht, Mateo Lizcano and Nathaniel Stampley.

Watch Kristin Chenoweth in the Trailer for Keeper of the Ashes
Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth will be featured in the new true crime documentary Keeper of the Ashes: The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders on May 24. The Hulu film chronicles Chenoweth's connection to a tragedy that happened when she stayed home sick from a Girl Scout camping trip during her childhood. Watch the trailer below.