At the Helm

Back Stage spoke with an executive producer and/or showrunner from one new fall show on each broadcast network to see what actors can look forward to.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Ken Orsatti, Longtime SAG Executive Director, Dies at 78 by Daniel Holloway

Ken Orsatti, who served as national executive director of the Screen Actors Guild for almost two decades, passed away Aug. 31 at West Hills Hospital in West Hills, Calif. He was 78 years old…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

NY Review: "It Must Be Him" by David Sheward

Clichés and stale jokes pervade this sitcom of a play from Emmy-winning TV veteran Kenny Solms. Peter Scolari, Alice Playten, and Bob Ari valiantly attempt to add dimension to their car…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

'Mad' for the Women by Sarah Kuhn

"Mad Men" may be named for the guys, but the show's women rule the roost. The characters are beautifully written, but these women's masterful and nuanced performances make them come to life.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Cheers to Her by Sarah Kuhn

Jane Lynch is not Sue Sylvester. Yes, this is tough to imagine, given how thoroughly she inhabits the towering inferno of a cheerleading coach on "Glee."

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Aimee Howard... Got the Part! by Sri Gordon

Careful preparation and her ability to "use the space" helped Aimee Howard land the role of Gittel Mosca in William Gibson's classic two-hander "Two for the Seesaw."

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Shia LaBeouf Offers 'Most Bang for the Buck' by Paul Bond

For the second straight year, Shia LaBeouf is the actor offering the biggest bang for the buck, according to a Forbes list released Monday.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

An Evening With...'Sad Happy Sucker'

Please join Back Stage for a Q&A with producer Jenna Fischer, director Sean Gunn and playwright Lee Kirk following the Sept. 4 performance of "Sad Happy Sucker."

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Taking Charge by Janelle Tipton

For five years, Kyra Sedgwick has thrilled viewers with the glee of swiftly served justice as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, head of the LAPD's Major Crimes Division, on TNT's hit proce…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Four Actors Bite into 'Shark Night 3-D' by Borys Kit

David Ellis, who directed "Snakes on a Plane" and two installments of the "Final Destination" movies, and producer Mike Fleiss are assembling their cast for the horror pic "Shark Night 3-D."

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Zsa Zsa Gabor Returns to Hospital by Zorianna Kit

Zsa Zsa Gabor returned to the hospital on Tuesday for being "not responsive," her spokesman said, following a series of health-related setbacks since breaking her hip in July.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

SAG Health Plan Increases Eligibility Minimums by Daniel Holloway

Changes to the Screen Actors Guild health plan have been announced, and more are on the way. In an online notice this week, the trustees of the SAG health plan announced that they intend to…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Hedda Gabler by Andy Propst

Both the strengths and weaknesses of director John Gould Rubin's production of "Hedda Gabler" come into sharp relief in this ultra-intimate environmental staging that unfolds in the parlor o…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

An Error of the Moon by David Sheward

Historical drama becomes lurid soap opera in Luigi Creatore's "speculation" on the brothers Booth.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Reviewed by David Sheward

Playwright-director Layon Gray has an interesting subject in the formation of an African-American women's baseball team in the 1940s, but he settles for a retread of A Soldier's Play.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

One Thumb Out by Marc Miller

Playwright Tom MacLachlan knows stagecraft and has imagination, but he hasn't organized them into a coherent theatrical statement.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Evan O'Television in Double Negatives by Mark Peikert

Every cliché of a Fringe Festival offering is on full display in this unfunny, boring one-person show.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Friends Like These by Marc Miller

"I like you." "Why?" Not a deathless exchange, yet as rendered with multileveled subtext in Gregory Crafts' "Friends Like These," it pierces and resonates.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

For the Birds by Gwen Orel

Blue Wren Collective, founded by the authors of "For the Birds," aims to develop artistic collaboration between Irish and American artists. Unfortunately, their play's setting in the two cou…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Vinnie Vidivici by Marc Miller

Vince Santoro's one-man show plays like its raison d'être is that the author had a lot to get off his chest, and this was cheaper than therapy.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Cats Don't Grin by A.J. Mell

François Carré's two-hander is clever, to be sure, but perhaps more interesting to think about afterwards than to experience in real time.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Standing Up: Bathroom Talk & Other Stuff We Learn from Dad by David Sheward

Playwright-performer Tracey Conyer Lee skillfully ricochets from standup comedy to kitchen-sink drama in this solo show.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

23 Feet in 12 Minutes by David Sheward

You may think you've already heard everything there is to know about Hurricane Katrina. But 23 Feet in 12 Minutes, written by Mari Brown and performed by Deanna Pacelli, transforms a five-ye…

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

When Lilacs Last by Erik Haagensen

Writer-director Tony Devaney Morinelli's play began life at a private high school. In the Fringe it is being put forward as a professional production. It's not.

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑

Dear Harvey by Erik Haagensen

Dear Harvey does play as if the idea were to create an educational piece for students, but author Patricia Loughrey's interviews and intimate reminiscences with Milk's family and colleagues …

SOURCE: Backstage at 5:58pm on May 25, 2015☆⚑