The Blue Moon Theatre, 13 West Ave, Woodstown, NJ, will present
Directed by Stacy Bachman
By Oscar Wilde
A country gentleman named Jack maintains a double life in London as Ernest to escape the responsibility of being guardian to his niece, Cecily, and to pursue the desirable Gwendolyn. After telling his friend Algernon about his double life Algernon takes a page out of Jack’s book and creates his own alter ego, Bunbury, to avoid social engagements. As the four lives become intertwined a series of hilarious misunderstandings of deception and mistaken identity ensue in this farcical satire of Victorian society.
at the Blue Moon Theatre, 13 West Ave. Woodstown, NJ 08098
Wilmington Drama League’s next mainstage production is “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” by Tennessee Williams, March 6-15, 2026. Set in the Southern plantation home of Big Daddy Pollitt, a wealthy cotton tycoon, the play examines the relationships among members of Big Daddy’s family, primarily between his son Brick and Maggie “the Cat”, Brick’s wife.
Some plays demand more. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one of them. Tennessee Williams requires an ensemble grounded in truth, vulnerability, and courage. This cast has embraced the work fully… diving deep into discovery and playing every moment honestly. It’s an honor to shape this Pulitzer Prize–winning classic with such a committed group of artists. Come witness it.” – Director Allyson Sands
Acting Without Boundaries, Jr. (AWB, Jr.) is a theater group for young performers with physical disabilities. They will stage The Great Race: The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac , an original adaptation of the folktale of the Chinese Zodiac written by Maria Ceferatti and one of AWB’s high-school actors.
Acting Without Boundaries, Jr. (AWB, Jr.) is a theater group for young performers with physical disabilities. They will stage “The Great Race: The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac” on March 29, 2026.Photo by David Evan McDowell
As part of its 2025-2026 Season, The Old Academy Players is proud to present Tiny Beautiful Things,a dramatic comedy by Nia Vardalos, Canadian actress and screenwriter.
Vardalos starred in and wrote the romantic comedy film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. In 2016, Vardalos adapted Cheryl Strayed’s beloved book, Tiny Beautiful Things, and starred in the sold out run of the play at The Public Theater in New York, directed by Thomas Kail.
If You Go
The Old Academy Players’ 551st production will run March 6-22, 2026; Friday and Saturday performances at 8 pm and three Sunday matinées, March 8th, 15th, and 22nd at 2 pm.
Old Academy Players is located at 3544 Indian Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129. Parking for all performances is free.
About The Old Academy Players
The Old Academy Players has provided continuous community theater entertainment since 1923 and is a non-profit community theater in East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Constructed in 1819, the Old Academy building has been the OAP home since 1932. Old Academy Players is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Most notable alumni include Tony Award-nominated actor Robert Prosky and Hollywood icon, Grace Kelly. Support is provided by the “Philadelphia Cultural Fund”.
Walnut Street Theatre (WST) continues its 217th season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance”. Directed by WST’s Producing Artistic Director, Bernard Havard, this production begins previews Feb. 24, opens March 4, and continues through March 29 on the Walnut’s mainstage.
In Edward Albee’s “A Delicate Balance”, on an otherwise uneventful night, long-time friends arrive at the front door unannounced and terrified and ask if they can stay. An unexplained fear has gripped them, and they have turned to old friends as their first and last resort. What will they do? Edward Albee won the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes for this American classic, an absorbing look into the everyday hopes, fears, and secrets we all so delicately balance.
The show features an exceptional cast of Walnut favorites. Alicia Roperportrays Agnes, a woman who acts as the fulcrum for keeping her family in control and balanced through her role as wife, sister, and mother. Paul L. Nolan brings to life Tobias, Agnes’ husband who clings to self-control and his marriage like a habit. Grace Gonglewski takes on the role of Claire, Agnes’ alcoholic younger sister who sees the cracks that exist in the relationships but who seems to care nothing for social politeness. Wendy Scharfman and Peter Schmitz play Edna and Harry, respectively; the couple are friends of Agnes and Tobias’ who ask to stay with the family due to an unnamed terror in their own home. Rounding out the cast is Alanna J. Smith as Julia, Agnes and Tobias’ emotional daughter who has come home after leaving her fourth failed marriage.
If You Go:
Previews begin Feb. 24, 2026 and the show runs through March 29, 2026. Open captioning will be available for the Sunday, March 8, 7pm performance.
The 2025-26 Season concludes with 1776 The Musical.
Walnut Street Theatre at 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 PHONE: 215-574-3550
Colonial Playhouse presents “The Play That Goes Wrong” March 6-22, 2026.
Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this Olivier Award–winning comedy is a global phenomenon promises to leave you laughing.
“Spring Awakening,” with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Duncan Sheik, explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood. It’s a fusion of morality, sexuality and rock and roll inspired by a book by Frank Wedekind Cloe Sierka directs the show.
If You Go
Performances March 6, 7, 8*, 13, 14, 15*, 2026
Evenings at 7:30 PM – *Matinee at 3 PM
Note the new performance location: Twentieth Century Club, 84 S. Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, PA 19050
The Irish Heritage Theatre announces its March production Conor McPherson’s “The Weir”.This is the first time that the company is tackling a play by this esteemed, award-winning Irish playwright.
The play is set in a rural Irish Pub where locals swap spooky and humorous tales of ghosts and folklore to impress a newcomer, Valerie. She then shares her own tragic story, revealing a shocking trauma that bonds the group. Exploring themes of isolation, missed connections, and the supernatural in everyday life while blending chilling suspense with warm, witty banter, Conor McPherson’s popular and critically acclaimed play is directed by Peggy Mecham.
The cast features Aidan McDonald, Brian Rock, John Cannon, Oliver Donahue, Rob Hargraves, and Kirsten Quinn.
If You Go
The show runs from March 13-29 at Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey St. Philadelphia 19103.
Friday, March 13 (Preview) at 7pm
Saturday, March 14 (Audience Preview) at 2pm
Saturday, March 14 (Opening) at 7pm
Sunday, March 15 (Performance) at 2pm
Thursday, March 19 (Performance) at 7pm
Friday, March 20 (Performance) at 7pm
Saturday, March 21 (Performance) at 7pm
Sunday, March 22 (Performance) at 2pm
Thursday, March 26 (Performance) at 7pm
Friday, March 27 (Performance) at 7pm
Saturday, March 28 (Performance) at 7pm
Sunday, March 29 (Closing) at 2pm
Tickets are $15 (Previews, Students, and Theatre Industry), $20 (Seniors) and $25 (General Admission)
‘Down At The Borderline,’ the title track from the fourth installment in VinceGill‘s ‘50 Years From Home’ EP series on MCA, was released today
By Steven Brodsky
Enjoy “Down At The Borderline”:
From a news release:
NASHVILLE, TN – February 13, 2026 – The guitar on the cover of Down At The Borderline says everything about the fourth installment in VinceGill‘s 50 Years From Home EP series on MCA.
It’s a white 1953 Fender Telecaster that Gill bought for $450 in 1978 from Del City Music in his native Oklahoma, and it’s been Gill‘s main guitar ever since. “It’s real special,” he remarks. “I’ve got several other old Fender Telecasters, but that one just suits my hands, suits my ears. Everything about it is kind of a huge part of my entire catalog of playing guitar over all these years.” Testifying to that status is the worn finish on the guitar’s body.
Instruments featured on the cover of each EP are from Gill’s personal collection. For Down At The Borderline he chose his iconic 1953 Telecaster.
It’s appropriate, then, that the six new songs on Down At The Borderline, as well as “Liza Jane” from his 1991 album Pocket Full Of Gold, feature plenty of six-string rockin’ and more of an uptempo demeanor than its three 50 Years From Home predecessors. “There’s a little more zip on this EP,” Gill agrees, “some more guitar playing. Some of the earlier EPs have been singer-songwriter songs, not a ton of whittling around on the guitar. These songs are fun to stretch out a little bit on and just play some guitar.”
Down At The Borderline leads off with its title track, a rockin’, Cajun-flavored tune co-written with Liz Rose about a joint in Thibodaux, Louisiana where “they play the Zydeco and wrestle alligators,” with a sawdust floor and a shuffleboard table, as well as a matron, Mable, who keeps “a loaded pistol in her beehive hair.” The female voice on the song, meanwhile, is none other than country superstar Lainey Wilson, a proud native of Baskin, Louisiana. “Once I set it in Thibodaux I asked Lainey to come sing on it. She graciously said yes, and she killed it!,” Gill says. “I didn’t know if she’d be up for that; it’s hard to get somebody when they’re knocking it out of the park like she is, but she did, and I love the sound of our voices together.”
“Releasing a song with VinceGill is truly a dream come true,” states Wilson. “I’ve had the chance to get to know him over the past few years and share the stage together, so being able to finally make music together means the world to me.”
Gill wrote “Never Saw It Coming” with Stephan Hogan, who he met while judging a guitar contest in Los Angeles. They stayed in touch, and when Hogan moved to Nashville, Gill invited him to do some songwriting together. “He’s very talented. I’m gonna root for him,” says Gill.
Gill has been carrying the Bakersfield-flavored “Pink Cadillac” with him since 2023. He owns a red 1973 Cadillac Coupe de Ville himself but had no problem taking a little creative license with the song. “On some of these songs I’m not trying to write War and Peace or anything; they’re just fun,” he explains. “Not every song needs to be serious.”
The chugging “Come Back” is another co-write, with Harper O’Neil. “She’s a young artist who’s incredible,” Gill says, “a great, soulful singer who’s starting to make some noise in town.” The song is marked by what he calls a “brainiac move” by fellow guitarist Tom Bukovac; “The solo that happens was Tom, and I wound up playing an octave higher and then a harmony to that. That’s a great-feeling track.”
The slow-paced tear-jerker “Love Died” is a collaboration with longtime friends the Warren Brothers and upstart Preston Cooper. Wendy Moten sings on the track as well, much to Gill‘s delight; “It’s some of the best singing you’ll ever hear when she cuts loose.”
Gill revs things back up for “Whole Lot of Cowboy Left in Me,” a rocking and defiant statement of purpose that features CMA Musician of the Year Paul Franklin’s stone country steel guitar. “I’m not much of a cowboy,” Gill, who co-wrote the song with Josh Thompson, fesses up. “I’ve got some boots and all, but I’ve never done much horseback riding or any of that stuff.
Nevertheless, he convincingly captures the authentic character of the song’s narrator. “I understand it very well. I grew up in Oklahoma; that’s where the National Finals Rodeo was held every year, before they moved it to Vegas. My family grew up on farms, and I played in so many honky tonks, so many bars, and I’ve been around so many of those characters. So, it was natural for me to write about ‘em.”
It’s appropriate that Down At The Borderline would close with Gill’s guitar-slinging 1991 hit “Liza Jane.” This EP follows the previous 50 Years From Home volumes I Gave You Everything I Had, Secondhand Smoke, and Brown’s Diner Bar.
Gill recently announced dates for his upcoming summer tour, which culminates in a 6-night residency at the historic Ryman Auditorium. He will continue to tour with the Eagles as well. Last month it was announced that Gill will be awarded the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize, an honor presented by American Prairie. He was also recently presented with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Complete tour information available HERE.
Posted 2-13-26
Vince Gill to receive the 2026 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize
By Steven Brodsky
…The 2026 Ken Burns American Prize will be presented to Vince Gill by American Prairie “in celebration of the indomitable American spirit.”
Congratulations to Vince Gill!
The naming of Vince Gill for this honor was announced yesterday in the following news release:
NASHVILLE – January 15, 2026 — American Prairie is proud to announce that Grammy Award® winner and Country Music Hall of Famer Vince Gill, one of the most celebrated musicians and songwriters in American history, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Ken Burns American Heritage Prize. Gill will be formally honored May 6, 2026.
Named in honor of America’s most revered visual historian and filmmaker, the Ken Burns American Heritage Prizewas created by American Prairie to recognize individuals whose achievements have advanced our collective understanding of America’s heritage and the indomitable American spirit of our people. Nominees for the annual Prize consist of visionary artists, authors, educators, filmmakers, historians, and scientists. The candidates are chosen by a National Jury of distinguished leaders who represent communities across the country and share a common appreciation of America’s heritage. Past Prize recipients include David McCullough, Maya Lin, N. Scott Momaday, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Chin, Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, and Sylvia Earle.
Gill’s career spans more than four decades and reflects a rare combination of musical excellence, humility, and authenticity. His songs—marked by emotional honesty, masterful musicianship, and deep respect for tradition—have become part of the fabric of American life.
“Vince Gill is most deserving of this prize, and he represents the enduring power of American music to tell us who we are,” said Ken Burns, award-winning filmmaker and namesake of the Prize. “Like the prairie itself, his songs are shaped by patience, humility, and a deep respect for the people. I know what it is to be formed by the spirit of a place—how it asks you to listen closely, to honor what came before, and to submit, in the best sense of the word, to something larger than yourself. Vince has done this throughout his life and work, and in doing so, he has given us a truer understanding of our shared American heritage.”
Gill’s lifelong reverence for American roots music, combined with his generosity as a collaborator and mentor, has made him a unifying figure across genres and generations. From bluegrass and country to gospel and rock, his influence reaches far beyond charts and awards, embodying the enduring power of music as a shared national language. One of the most popular artists in modern country music, Gill achieved his big breakthrough in 1990 with “When I Call Your Name,” which won both the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single and Song of the Year awards as well as a Grammy Award® for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. In total, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, 22 Grammy Awards®, and 8 Academy of Country Music Awards. In 2025, he was presented with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, which is awarded to an iconic artist who has historically contributed to the growth of the Country Music genre. Prior to that in 2009, he was given the President’s Merit Award from the Recording Academy recognizing Gill’s significant contributions to music and shaping of the culture.
American Heritage Prize is an incredible honor and what inspiring company to be in,” said Vince Gill upon learning about his selection. “The work American Prairie is doing to preserve America’s Great Plains is invaluable, and I’m grateful to be able to contribute to their efforts in any way I can. Over the years I have had the opportunity to collaborate and become good friends with Ken, and that in itself has been a great experience. This new relationship is one I’m very much looking forward to.”
An exceptionally talented songwriter, Gill’s compositions earned him entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and in 2014 the prestigious BMI Icon for his indelible influence on generations of music makers. Throughout his career, he has released 21 albums, sold over 30 million albums, and charted 45 singles. In 2022, Gill was inducted into the Musicians’ Hall of Fame. In 2017, Gill was asked to join the Eagles on tour and continues to be a part of that historic band.
2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Gill leaving home to pursue a music career. To honor that milestone, he signed a lifetime contract with his record label, MCA, and is releasing an EP series of brand-new music every month for a year, titled 50 Years From Home.
In 2026, American Prairie celebrates 25 years as a 100% donor-funded organization working to connect, conserve, and share Montana’s Northern Great Plains – one of the last remaining temperate grasslands in the world. Grasslands are a vital yet vanishing biome and they play a huge role in our planet’s health. Across the globe, less than 2% of temperate grasslands have been permanently conserved, making them the least protected biome on Earth.
American Prairie’s strategy is simple: we purchase private land to strategically connect fragmented public lands, creating a collaboratively managed network of protected prairie. Each new land acquisition creates critical wildlife corridors and ensures the longevity and biodiversity of a vital biome.
About American Prairie
American Prairie’s vision is to create a vast and collaboratively managed prairie destination that serves as a fully functioning ecosystem for wildlife, and offers visitors permanent access to the landscape that shaped our nation’s character. American Prairie offers visitors an opportunity to learn about and connect with nature on a truly grand scale. Learn more at americanprairie.org.
About Ken Burns
Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost 50 years. Since the Academy® Award-nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The War, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Prohibition, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, The Vietnam War, Country Music, The U.S. and the Holocaust,The American Buffalo, Leonardo da Vinci; and most recently, The American Revolution.
Future film projects include Emancipation to Exodus, and LBJ & the Great Society, among others.
Ken’s films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including 17 Emmy® Awards, two GRAMMY Awards, and two Oscar nominations. In September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy® Awards,
Ken was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In November of 2022, Ken was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
About Vince Gill
One of the most popular artists in modern country music, Vince Gill is famous for his top-notch songwriting, world-class guitar playing, and warm, soaring tenor, all wrapped up in a quick and easy wit. Gill achieved his big breakthrough in 1990 with “When I Call Your Name,” which won both the Country Music Association’s (CMA) Single and Song of the Year awards as well as a Grammy Award® for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. In total, Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, 22 Grammy Awards®, 8 Academy of Country Music Awards, and in 2025, he was presented with the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1991, Gill was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and in 2007, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A gifted songwriter, Gill’s compositions earned him entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and the prestigious BMI Icon award in 2014. Throughout his career, he has released 21 albums, sold over 30 million albums, and charted 45 singles. In 2022, Gill was inducted into the Musicians’ Hall of Fame. Always considering himself a musician above all else, Gill has been a part of some iconic bands, including Pure Prairie League, The Notorious Cherry Bombs, and The Time Jumpers. In 2017, Gill was asked to join the Eagles on the road, and he continues to be a part of that historic band’s tour. 2025 marked the 50th anniversary of Gill leaving home to pursue a music career. To honor that milestone, he signed a lifetime
contract with his record label, MCA, and is releasing an EP series of brand-new music every month for a year, titled 50 Years From Home.
Posted 1-16-26
Remembering Dan Fogelberg
By Steven Brodsky
… who passed away eighteen years ago on December 16, 2007, with a song of his that succinctly and effectively conveys liquefying of emotion with these words: “the snow turned into rain”:
On or near Christmas and New Year’s Eve, many people will experience liquefying of emotion (regardless of external weather conditions).
Posted 12-16-25
Harry Chapin, who was an extraordinary humanitarian, songwriter, performer, and recording artist, made the world ‘a better place to be.’
By Steven Brodsky
… Harry Chapin was born on December 7, 1942.
In commemoration of Harry Chapin’s birthday, let’s listen to the highly empathetic portrayals of the song characters in “A Better Place to Be”:
Harry Chapin passed away on July 16, 1981 at 38 years of age as the result of a car accident.
Posted 12-7-25
On Paul Simon’s 84th birthday
By Steven Brodsky
… Happy birthday wishes go out to Paul Simon!
Paul Simon was born on October 13, 1941.
In little towns and elsewhere, songs penned by Paul Simon have deeply resonated with many of us for decades.
Posted 10-13-25
A certain kind of chill
By Steven Brodsky
Firewood Photo by Steven Brodsky
… will be experienced by some people this time of year.
Primal is the need for “warmth” on cold autumn and winter nights.
… The verse is Isaiah 64:6. As translated in the King James Version, the verse reads: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”
I’m writing about Leonard Cohen’s “If It Be Your Will” and Billy Joe Shaver’s “If You Don’t Love Jesus.”
Most people who’ve heard the songs haven’t encountered the verse directly (and most of this column’s readers haven’t heard the Billy Joe Shaver song).
In the Leonard Cohen song, Isaiah 64:6 is alluded to in the line: “In our rags of light, all dressed to kill.”
In the Billy Joe Shaver song, an allusion to the verse appears as: “Take your rotten rags of righteousness and stuff ’em up your self.”
Jelly Roll’s (Jason DeFord’s) opening statement at a Senate committee hearing
By Steven Brodsky
Thank you, Jelly Roll!
Posted 1-12-24
In tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett
By Steven Brodsky
… I’m pleased to share links to a nearly one-hour phone interview that Clay Eals did with Jimmy Buffett on October 26, 2000 for Clay’s book Steve Goodman: Facing the Music.
