Set in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, the Ahrens and Flaherty musical tells a new story as found objects are transformed to make music.

The Jeff Awards, celebrating excellence in Chicago-area Equity theatre, will be given out Oct. 15. A dozen new plays or adaptations are in the mix, pointing to Chicago as a continuing breeding ground for new work. The nominees for work seen between Aug. 1, 2011, and July 31, 2011, include Brian Dennehy, Amy Morton, Tracy Letts, Robert Falls, Harry Groener, Liz McCartney and more.

Nominations for the Jeff Awards, celebrating excellence in Chicago-area Equity theatre, were announced Aug. 21. A dozen new plays or adaptations are in the mix, pointing to Chicago as a continuing breeding ground for new work. The nominations address work seen between Aug. 1, 2011, and July 31, 2011, produced by 55 organizations.

Disney's hit Broadway musical Newsies is getting a makeover in an all-new Italian production, which is set to premiere Oct. 31 in Milan. The Italian-language staging will feature the work of a new design team.