Michael Arden | Entertainment News, Photos, and Videos

Michael Arden won his first Tony Award tonight and one moment during his speech was silenced by CBS even though it got a rapturous applause by the audience.

The 40-year-old director won the award for Best Direction of a Musical at the 2023 Tony Awards on Sunday night (June 11) at the United Palace Theatre in New York City’s Washington Heights.

Michael, who started his career as an actor on Broadway, directed the revival of Parade.

During his speech, Michael spoke to the queer community and said, “Growing up, I was called the F word more times than I can remember.” Right at this point, the audio feed went silent.

So, what did he say?

Keep reading to find out more…More Here! »

Annaleigh Ashford just won one of the most prestigious awards in the Broadway community!

The Tony-winning actress picked up the Distinguished Performance Award during the 2023 Drama League Awards on Friday afternoon (May 19) at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Annaleigh beat out 46 other nominees to be the sole performer to be recognized by the organization this year. She won the award for her work as Mrs. Lovett in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd.

Some Like It Hot won the award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, Into the Woods won Outstanding Revival of a Musical, Leopoldstadt won Outstanding Production of a Play, and A Doll’s House won Outstanding Revival of a Play.

Head inside to see all of the people who attended the event… More Here! »

Ben Platt is coming back to Broadway!

The 29-year-old actor won the Tony Award for his work in the musical Dear Evan Hansen back in 2017 and he hasn’t been on Broadway since he left the show over five years ago.

Now, Ben will be returning to the stage in a limited engagement of the musical Parade.

Leading the cast opposite Ben is rising actress Micaela Diamond, who is best known for playing the young version of Cher in Broadway’s The Cher Show. The two actors previously led the New York City Center production of Parade last year.

Click inside to read more…More Here! »

Dez Duron is looking ahead to “Next Christmas” in a brand new holiday song!

The 30-year-old singer was in the Top 8 on the third season of The Voice and he lent his smooth vocals to the new track, which was released on Christmas Eve.

Broadway power couple Michael Arden and Andy Mientus teamed up with songwriter Jackson Teeley to write the song, which was co-produced by Christian Hebel.

“I think this song is equal parts timeless and timely. This is dedicated to anyone who can’t be with the ones they love or whose Christmas is looking a lot different this year. Next Christmas isn’t so far away,” Dez wrote on Instagram.

Michael said, “This was written on lots of brown liquor and gummy bears and is a song about this insane year. It’s about the longing and yearning to be close to loved ones on Christmas when they are miles apart. I hope it brings you some joy this Christmas Eve.”

“A few weeks ago, @michaelarden, @jacksonteeley and I were in our feelings about the coming holiday. This Christmas would be unlike any in our lifetime, but we were choosing to stay hopeful about next year and how much sweeter all of our favorite traditions would feel, having been denied them. We tried to capture that feeling in a song, a new old Christmas tune in the tradition of the classics we grew up with,” Andy said.

Watch the song’s music video, featured company members of The Forest of Arden, below. You can also get the song now on Apple Music or Spotify.

Michael recently directed a filmed version of his inventive A Christmas Carol staging, starring Jefferson Mays. There’s just a little more than a week left to stream it now!

Are you a Broadway fan who has been missing live theater in 2020? Or do you enjoy watching timeless stories be told in inventive new ways? Well, then we have your weekend plans settled!

The highly anticipated live capture recording of A Christmas Carol, directed by Tony nominee Michael Arden, is now available to stream from your own home.

The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge comes to thrilling new life with Tony winner Jefferson Mays playing over 50 roles. This filmed version is based on the acclaimed 2018 production, which premiered at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.

The streaming event will benefit partner theaters all around the United States that have been devastated by the pandemic. Community, amateur, and regional theaters were provided materials that allowed them to market A Christmas Carol directly to their subscribers and single ticket buyers. Proceeds from ticket sales will be distributed accordingly, providing crucial funding during theater’s darkest hour.

Michael said in a statement, “My theater career began when I was a 10-year-old Texan playing Tiny Tim in the Midland Community Theatre production of A Christmas Carol. In a time when theaters and arts workers across the country are in great need, bringing a story that celebrates the power of creativity, community, and our shared humanity is humbling.”

Jefferson is best known for his work in the stage shows I Am My Own Wife and A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. He also has appeared in TV shows like Perry Mason, I Am the Night, and Law & Order: SVU.

Michael launched his career on Broadway as an actor before moving into his current role as a groundbreaking director. He received Tony nominations for helming the recent revivals of Spring Awakening and Once on This Island.

You can purchase a ticket to stream A Christmas Carol right HERE and watch the trailer below!

Tony Award nominated director Michael Arden has created the first-ever immersive, drive-through, and socially-distanced theater piece!

While Broadway is shut down due to the pandemic, Michael gathered lots of his talented friends to join The Forest of Arden Company and they created the theater piece American Dream Study.

The new show, which will be performed in New York’s Hudson River Valley, is a collaboration with a group of actors, dancers, musicians, filmmakers, stage managers, designers, choreographers, and medical professionals. This site-specific theatrical experiment will provide a first-of-its-kind socially-distanced communal experience for the age of COVID-19.

The company-devised piece will be staged throughout the Columbia County towns of Philmont, Claverack, and Harlemville, with audience members receiving instructions on when and where to drive, park and walk via several smart technologies.

“I constantly endeavor to create new opportunities for people to come together in a common space and share experiences. In this new era, that has taken a great deal of imagination and, most importantly, bold collaboration with this remarkable group of artists,” Michael said in a statement. “It has been said that art should be dangerous, but it’s also vitally important that we make it safe. This exploration of our dreams and the American Dream strikes that balance perfectly. We will be testing new methods of theater-making in order to forge a way forward for this ancient and vital art form.”

Among the members of the Forest of Arden Company are Michael‘s husband Andy Mientus, Tony winner Nikki M. James, Krysta Rodriguez, Nick Adams, Kyle Brown, Claybourne Elder, and more.

The theater piece will be performed for an invite-only audience next week!

Matt Bomer and Ruth Wilson will star in the upcoming movie The Book of Ruth, which will be the feature film directorial debut of Tony-nominated director Michael Arden.

The movie, set in 1983, is based on the true story of Ruth Coker Burks (Wilson), “a devout Christian divorcée and single mother from Arkansas who became a champion and caregiver for AIDS sufferers in 1980s America,” according to Deadline.

Matt will play “a handsome new neighbor who turns out to be a gay New Yorker who has fled the city and returned home after the death of his partner to AIDS.”

Michael directed the recent Broadway revivals of Spring Awakening and Once on This Island. He earned Tony nominations for both productions!

“It’s a great honor and privilege to tell this important story about the responsibility one human has to another, especially in a time of crisis,” Michael said in a statement. “As a gay man, I feel that Ruth’s story of empathy in the face of great prejudice and adversary is one so needed in our modern time.”

He added, “It is vital for us to remember that we lost an entire generation to the AIDS epidemic and that so many people, including Ruth, sacrificed their own comfort, station and livelihood to help those in need during this plague.”