News

SAG-AFTRA: Foreign Royalties Suit 'Completely Without Merit'

SAG-AFTRA said Friday a second lawsuit over its foreign royalties program is "completely without merit." "We will vigorously respond in the appropriate forum in due course," the union said in a statement. Ed Asner, a former SAG president, and close to a dozen other former union board members have filed ...

The Cannes Diary: May 24

Note: Film critic Tim Grierson is attending the Cannes Film Festival for the first time. For Backstage, he’ll be filing occasional diary entries about his thoughts and impressions of the granddaddy of all film festivals.

Upcoming Auditions: May 23-June 20

Backstage knows you have a busy schedule of meetings, auditions, callbacks, rehearsals, performances, and shoot dates coming up, so we're here to help!

The Cannes Diary: May 23

Film critic Tim Grierson is attending the Cannes Film Festival for the first time. For Backstage, he’ll be filing occasional diary entries about his thoughts and impressions of the granddaddy of all film festivals.

Backstage Predicts the 2013 Tony Winners

We’ll learn the winners during the June 9 Tony Awards broadcast on CBS, but for now, here are our best guesses at whom we’ll be toasting on awards night.

Best of the Week Ahead: May 23–29

“Hannah Arendt” at Film Forum; “Balanchine Festival Red”; a Q&A with Tony nominee Billy Porter; the Elton John installment of Birdland Jazz’s “The Pop Show”; and “The Scottsboro Boys” at the Ahmanson Theatre are some of the things we’re looking forward to this week.

Asian-Americans Given Film Opportunities With 72 Hour Shootout

Playwright David Henry Hwang, ABC executive director of casting Marci Phillips, and Fox Entertainment Japan producer Dan Smith are among the judges for this year’s Shootout competition, in which filmmakers have three days to complete a five-minute-long short.

The Drama League Opens Downtown Theater Center

Located in Tribeca, the brand-new Drama League Theater Center will offer artists and audiences ways to enjoy being part of the theatrical community.

The Television Fallout From the Upfronts

With the television networks’ schedules finalized, we look at the trends (stars! supernatural dramas!) of the slate of upcoming new shows.

SAG-AFTRA Applauds Ruling In Image Use Lawsuit

SAG-AFTRA applauded a federal court ruling that resurrected a suit by a former college football player against video game publisher Electronic Arts. The union, which believes the suit could help its members retain control over the commercial use of their images, said it was "very gratified" the Third Circuit Court ...