We are thrilled that all shows in our 2010-2011 season go on sale today at 10 a.m.! Tickets are available by visiting our Box Office, calling (860) 987-5900 or visiting www.bushnell.org! Details for all there shows are available by clicking here - what are you looking forward to the most?

Don't forget - the first-ever Bushnell Filmmakers Forum is right around the corner!

The Bushnell Filmmakers Forum (BFF) will be held on the weekend of August 13-14, and will focus on the art, craft and business of filmmaking and provide for intellectual exchange among feature filmmakers of today and tomorrow. Participants include Alex Rose, producer of the Oscar-winning movie Norma Rae; Howard Baldwin, producer of the Oscar-winning movie Ray; literary manager Peter Miller, president of PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc.; George Norfleet Director, Connecticut Film, TV and Digital Media Office; screenwriting instructor Peter Fox of Tripeg Studios and The Inside Track Screenwriting Workshop; Martha Coolidge, director of the film Rambling Rose; and Ida Ziniti, Paradigm agent.

Schedule:
The BFF begins Friday evening with cocktails and a meet-and-greet opportunity, followed by a screening of the film Rambling Rose followed by a Q&A session with director Martha Coolidge.

The Saturday itinerary features workshops on directing, pitching your screenplay, creating characters, writing a movie for the big screen, a screening of Ray and a Q&A with Howard Baldwin, a screening of Norma Rae and a Q&A with Alex Rose, and a dinner and panel discussion on “The Business of Making the Film.” Saturday also includes optional 10 minute one-on-one appointments with your choice of one of the following: Martha Coolidge, Peter Miller, Alex Rose, or Ida Ziniti (subject to availability).

If you are an aspiring filmmaker, you will not want to miss this!! Click here for more details!

With Porgy and Bess wrapping up its run last night, we have also wrapped up the 2009-2010 season! From The Lion King to August: Osage County to David Garrett to Bill Cosby to Dixie's Tupperware Party, this past season had something for absolutely everyone! So tell us: what was your favorite show this season, and why?

Thank you for supporting The Bushnell in the 2009-2010 season, and we look forward to seeing you hear next season!

The 75th anniversary production of the American masterpiece Porgy and Bess opened last night here at The Bushnell, and is running through Sunday! Are you coming to the show? Please let us know what you think in comments.

Big casting news for the national tour of NEXT TO NORMAL, which comes to The Bushnell March 29-April 3, 2011:

Alice Ripley, who received the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning NEXT TO NORMAL, will reprise her acclaimed performance in the musical’s 36-week multi-city North American tour, launching November 23 with a six-week engagement at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. NEXT TO NORMAL will make its Connecticut premiere at The Bushnell March 29-April 3, 2011, as part of The Hartford Financial Services Group Broadway Series. Single tickets will go on sale August 23.

We are very excited to bring Alice Ripley and NEXT TO NORMAL to Hartford next season! Will you be coming to the show?

We are excited to announce that the first Bushnell Filmmakers Forum (BFF) will be held on the weekend of August 13-14. The BFF will focus on the art, craft and business of filmmaking and provide for intellectual exchange among feature filmmakers of today and tomorrow. Participants include Alex Rose, producer of the Oscar-winning movie NORMA RAE; Ho...ward Baldwin, producer of the Oscar-winning movie RAY; literary manager Peter Miller, president of PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc.; George Norfleet, Director of the Connecticut Film, TV and Digital Media Office; and screenwriting instructor Peter Fox of Tripeg Studios and The Inside Track Screenwriting Workshop. Additional participants are expected.

SCHEDULE:
The BFF begins Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. with cocktails and a meet-and-greet opportunity, followed by a screening of a film (title TBD) followed by a Q&A session.

The Saturday itinerary, with registration at 9:00 a.m. and the conference beginning at 9:30 a.m., features workshops on directing, pitching your screenplay, creating characters, writing a movie for the big screen, a screening of RAY and a Q&A with Howard Baldwin, a screening of NORMA RAE and a Q&A with Alex Rose, and a dinner and panel discussion on “The Business of Making the Film.” Saturday also includes optional appointments with literary agents/managers, including Peter Miller.

CONFERENCE FEES ON OR BEFORE JULY 15:
$50 - Friday only (cocktails and screening)
$325 - Saturday only (workshops, screenings, and dinner)
$350 - Full conference Friday and Saturday

$30 - Optional: A limited number of literary agent/manager appointments are available on Saturday. These appointments are available to full conference attendees only. The fee for an agent/manager appointment is in addition to the conference fee. Appointments are granted in the order that registrations are received.

CONFERENCE FEES AFTER JULY 15:
$50 - Friday only (cocktails and screening)
$375 - Saturday only (workshops, screenings, and dinner)
$400 - Full conference Friday and Saturday

$40 - Optional: A limited number of literary agent/manager appointments are available on Saturday. These appointments are available to full conference attendees only. The fee for an agent/manager appointment is in addition to the conference fee. Appointments are granted in the order that registrations are received.

SCREENING ONLY FEES:
(For those who want only to attend the film screenings and post-show Q&A sessions)
$25 each or $60 for all three.

REGISTRATION:
To register visit the BFF event page on bushnell.org and download the registration form.

We hope you join us for this exciting new venture!

Check out this phenomenal review of SOUTH PACIFIC, which is running at The Bushnell through Sunday, April 25 - and then get your tickets to this must-see show! (And don't forget to let us know what you think here on our blog.)

Click here for the review.

The 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Revival, South Pacific, begins its run here at The Bushnell tonight! This Rodgers & Hammerstein classic was stunningly reinvented by Lincoln Center Theater, and we are proud to bring it to Hartford. The beloved score's songs include some of the best in American musical theater - "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "There is Nothin' Like a Dame," and so many more - you won't want to miss it!

Let us know what you thought of the show!

We are excited to announce the final show in our 2010-2011 Bushnell Broadway series! THE WIZARD OF OZ will be coming to The Bushnell January 18-23, 2011!

There truly is no place like home as the greatest family musical of all time, the wonderful WIZARD OF OZ, twists its way across the country into Hartford! The entire family will be captivated as they travel down the Yellow Brick Road and beyond with Dorothy, Toto and their friends the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in this lavish stage production, featuring breathtaking special effects, dazzling choreography and classic songs. A spectacular celebration of the iconic 1939 MGM film, THE WIZARD OF OZ will blow you away from the moment the tornado touches down and transports you to a dazzling art deco Oz, complete with munchkins and flying monkeys. Don’t miss the chance to travel Over the Rainbow and experience this national treasure on stage.

Here is the full 2010-2011 Bushnell Broadway Series:
BLUE MAN GROUP, October 26-31, 2010
Irving Berlin’s WHITE CHRISTMAS, November 16-21, 2010
THE WIZARD OF OZ, January 18-23, 2011
SHREK THE MUSICAL, February 15-20, 2011
NEXT TO NORMAL, March 29-April 3, 2011
HAIR, April 26-May 1, 2011
WEST SIDE STORY, May 24-29, 2011
Let us know what you think!

We have two more shows to announce for the 2010-2011 Bushnell Broadway Series - and here is one of them! NEXT TO NORMAL, which won three 2009 Tony Awards, will be coming to The Bushnell March 29-April 3, 2011!

From the director of Rent comes NEXT TO NORMAL, an emotional powerhouse of a musical with a thrilling contemporary score about a family trying to take care of themselves and each other. Winner of three 2009 Tony® Awards including Best Score, NEXT TO NORMAL is the most talked about new show on Broadway having recently been chosen as “one of the year’s ten best” by major critics around the country. The New York Times calls NEXT TO NORMAL “a brave, breathtaking musical. A work of muscular grace and power. It is much more than a feel-good musical; it is a feel-everything musical.” Rolling Stone raves, “It is the best musical of the season – by a mile. It’ll pin you to your seat.”

Will you be coming to the show?