Cindy O'Connor

In an effort to give voice to the global events of 2020, while addressing the need for new musical repertoire during the time of COVID-19, Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive (LAFCI) announces the 2020 New Music Project.

With the conclusion of the 2019-2020 Chicago non-Equity theater season, the Jeff Awards announced the nominees for the 47th annual awards for theater excellence that include 120 theater artists across 21 categories.

What happens to toys after they've been cast out? AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY - AN ODDBALL HOLIDAY REALITY MUSICAL, penned by composer Cindy O'Connor and bookwriter/lyricist Larry Todd Cousineau imagines what later happened to some outcast toys rescued by a certain famous reindeer. After becoming huge celebrities in America, they are re-united to compete in a series of challenges where they must sing, model, design fashion, outwit/outplay/outlast and bake cakes, and of course, dance for their lives, all to prove that they are AMERICA'S BEST or FAVORITE, or LEAST OBJECTIONABLE, or something! The audience will actually determine the results with their votes, meaning every night can be a whole new show!

AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY by Cindy O'Connor and Larry Todd Cousineau, opened on December 3. Donterrio Johnson directs musical by the creators of ALL THAT HE WAS and FLIES!, to play through January 12, 2020.

Holiday classic meets reality show parody in PF&P's mix bag AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY

AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY by Cindy O'Connor and Larry Todd Cousineau, opens tonight (December 3).

Pride Films and Plays present their holiday production - AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY - AN ODDBALL HOLIDAY REALITY MUSICAL, penned by composer Cindy O'Connor and bookwriter/lyricist Larry Todd Cousineau.

Cousineau and guests will sing songs written by Cousineau in collaboration with various composers. Bookwriter/lyricist Larry Todd Cousineau, whose musicals written with composer Cindy O'Connor include the upcoming AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY, this past summer's ALL THAT HE WAS, and 2018's FLIES! THE MUSICAL, will perform SONGS FROM MY HOLIDAY CLOSET - a night of heartwarming and hilarious 'HoliGay' music featuring Cousineau's original songs - on Monday, December 9 in The Broadway, Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway. This festive revue, created by the award-winning lyricist, stars Cousineau, Ashlee Hardgrave, and Musical Director (and Chicago Gay Men's Chorus Artistic Director) Jimmy Morehead (pictured below).

Full cast and crew have been announced for Pride Films and Plays' holiday production - AMERICA'S BEST OUTCAST TOY - AN ODDBALL HOLIDAY REALITY MUSICAL, penned by composer Cindy O'Connor and bookwriter/lyricist Larry Todd Cousineau. The new musical imagines what later happened to some outcast toys rescued by a certain famous reindeer.

The 1993 AIDS-themed musical ALL THAT HE WAS that opened on August 12, earning rave reviews and a Jeff recommendation, will extend its run by one week and will now close on Sunday, September 15.

Pride Films and Plays Executive Director David Zak today announced the remaining productions in the company's 2019-20 season a?" an eclectic mix of LGBTQIA+ themed plays and musicals that will include world, US, and Chicago premieres as well as revivals.

Pride Films and Plays has announced that $5 of each ticket sold for each Friday 8pm performance of ALL THAT HE WAS, the Jeff-recommended musical that opened on Monday August 12, will go toward one of four Chicago-area charities that provides services and advocacy for those impacted by HIV/AIDS.

The 1993 AIDS-themed musical ALL THAT HE WAS is set to open on August 12 at the Pride Arts Center. The writers have crafted a special version of the show specifically for the Pride venue, with new music and a newly revised script.

The Jeff Awards announced today via a special video, a total of 132 nominations in 22 categories for the 46th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards.

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the global leader in rights management, is a proud co-sponsor of the 2nd Annual Future Is Female Concert presented by KCRW in association with Live Nation & The Alliance for Women Composers. This incredible night will highlight the musical works of twelve outstanding women composers, eight of which are BMI affiliates, including Tangelene Bolton ("Jem and Holograms"), Cindy O'Connor ("Once Upon a Time"), Tori Letzler ("Vikings"), Heather McIntosh ("Z for Zachariah"), Perrine Virgile-Piekarski ("Counterpart"), Jessie Weiss ("Liza on Demand"), Ronit Kirchman ("The Sinner"), and ASKA ("Skate Kitchen").

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the global leader in rights management, is a proud co-sponsor of the 2nd Annual Future Is Female Concert presented by KCRW in association with Live Nation & The Alliance for Women Composers. This incredible night will highlight the musical works of twelve outstanding women composers, eight of which are BMI affiliates, including Tangelene Bolton ("Jem and Holograms"), Cindy O'Connor ("Once Upon a Time"), Tori Letzler ("Vikings"), Heather McIntosh ("Z for Zachariah"), Perrine Virgile-Piekarski ("Counterpart"), Jessie Weiss ("Liza on Demand"), Ronit Kirchman ("The Sinner"), and ASKA ("Skate Kitchen").

Listen: Two songs from PF&P's hit show FLIES! The Musical

The Jeff-recommended World Premiere production of FLIES! THE MUSICAL has been extended for one additional weekend, due to popular demand. Originally scheduled to close on June 10, the new musical by bookwriter/lyricist Larry Todd Cousineau and composer Cindy O'Connor will play three additional performances - on Thursday June 14 and Friday, June 15 - and closing Saturday, June 16, all with curtain times of 7:30 pm. The Thursday, June 14 performance is pay-what-you-can for theatre industry members and returning audiences. The musical is performed in The Broadway, Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway.

In a twisted mash-up of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and GLEE, FLIES! THE MUSICAL! follows the drama kids from Lovely Valley Performing Arts Magnet High School. The students are left behind in an abandoned forest preserve during a "research" retreat for an unauthorized teacher-written musical production of LORD OF THE FLIES. Gradually, things turn savage in a couple of unsupervised hours as the plot points of the novel begin to come true one by one, in song, until eventually the kids are "rescued" by an astonished park ranger (who happens to love musicals) but it's much too late for them to go back to who they were before. FLIES! THE MUSICAL! will open on Today, May 11 at 7:30 pm in The Broadway, Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, following previews from May 3-6 and May 10.