News | Media:

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USA Today_logoUSA Today's Elysa Gardner talked to Stew and others about the past Broadway season's musical trends (It was the same old songs on Broadway this year)...

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Line Breaks FestivalStew + Heidi played a free concert on April 19th at the fourth annual Line Breaks Festival at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Passing Strange screened at the festival the week before and Stew + Heidi participated in a Q + A on April 20th with Passing Strange castmate Colman Domingo [VIEW POSTER]...

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headcount logoStew was interviewed by Richard Gehr about the state of the union on the HeadCount music + politics blog [READ HERE]...

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the village voice logoStew + Heidi talked to The Village Voice about Making It [PHOTO]...

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new york magazineStew + Heidi were featured in the February 15th issue of New York magazine [PHOTO]...

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The Root logoStew talks to the Root about making Making It (the Root)...

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Making ItStew + Heidi's multi-media concert presentation, Making It, was performed at St. Ann's Warehouse February 17th – 22nd, 2010. Stew was among the 31 recipients awarded a grant from Meet the Composer, which handed out $300,000 for new music commissions (The Los Angeles Times | The New York Times 1 | 2 | BroadwayWorld | TheaterMania)...

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the huffington post logoStew and Spike Lee talked to The Huffington Post about filming the movie of Passing Strange [PHOTO]...

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Great Performances PBSPASSING STRANGE shown on PBS Spike Lee's film of Stew + Heidi's Passing Strange premiered on PBS' Great Performances on January 13th (Great Performances online | Playbill)...

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StewStew + Heidi performed songs from A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Harman Center for the Arts Annual Gala celebrating Shakespeare in Washington, D.C. on October 25th (The Washington Informer) [PHOTO]...

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NY Musical Theater Festial logoA staged reading of Punk Princess written by Yasmine Lever with music composed by Stew + Heidi, took place at the sixth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival on October 14th, 2009 at the Theatre at St. Clement's in New York City (Theatermania | Playbill)....

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Passing Strange began a limited engagement in the Bay Area at Berkeley's Shattuck Theatre and San Francisco's Embarcadero Theatre on October 2nd [VIEW FLYER]...

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Heidi attended the opening of Colman Domingo's solo show, A Boy and His Soul, on September 24th along with Annie Dorsen, Chad Goodridge and de'Adre Aziza (all from Passing Strange) at the Vineyard Theatre in New York City [PHOTO]...

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ps movieSEE PASSING STRANGE THE MOVIE... Spike Lee's film of Stew + Heidi's Passing Strange began a limited engagement at IFC Center in NYC on August 21st with Stew + Heidi, Spike and members of the cast in attendance at select screenings. The film will be available nationwide on cable pay-for-view as the premiere offering of Sundance Selects' Video on Demand (available on Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cablevision, Cox and Bright House) beginning August 26th (Reuters | ABC News | IndieWIRE | Playbill 1 | 2 | Documentary.org | TheaterMania | Broadway World)...
REVIEWS: The San Francisco Chronicle | The Associated Press | The New York Times | The Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert) | The Village Voice | New York magazine | Rolling Stone | BET | IndieWIRE | Variety | The Onion A/V Club | The New York Post | Time Out New York | Newsday | The Huffington Post | FilmCritic

Stew and SpikePRESS | INTERVIEWS: The New York Times | New York Daily News | IFC | New York magazine | The Huffington Post | The San Francisco Examiner | New York Press | Flavorwire | Giant | Essence | NewsOne | TheaterMania
VIDEO
: THE MOVIE TRAILER
INTERVIEWS WITH STEW AND SPIKE: BroadwayTV | Back Stage

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Stew and HeidiOn August 19th, as part of Lincoln Center's Out of Doors concert series, Stew + Heidi presented The Broadway Problem, which consisted of deconstructed Broadway tunes, with cast members from Passing Strange singing back-up. Tanya Tagaq opened the show (The New York Times | TheaterMania | Ghostlight)...

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summer scoops logoOn August 18th, Stew + Heidi joined Bill T. Jones in discussing artistic partnerships in pARTners, part of the Summer Scoops Live with The Wall Street Journal series at the Walter Reade Theater (The Wall Street Journal | GlobeNewswire )...

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new york times logoStew + Heidi talked to The New York Times about working together and upcoming projects
[PHOTO] (Broadway World)...

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Lincoln Center Out of Doors logoThe Asphalt Orchestra (a new marching band developed by Bang on a Can) premiered a new work commissioned for Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary written by Stew + Heidi, called Carlton, on August 5th (also performed August 9th) as part of the Out of Doors concert series. [WATCH ASPHALT ORCHESTRA PERFORM CARLTON AT LINCOLN CENTER] (The New York Times | Playbill)...

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Downtown Film Festival logoThe west coast premiere of Spike Lee's film of Stew + Heidi's Passing Strange screened on opening night of the Downtown Film Festival at the AT&T Theater in Los Angeles on August 12th (The Los Angeles Times | Hollywood Reporter | TheaterMania)...

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wall street journal logoSpike Lee talked to The Wall Street Journal about filming Passing Strange and his soft spot for musicals...

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Stew talked about composing music for A Midsummer Night's Dream and other upcoming projects (Playbill | TheaterMania)...

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Midsummer night dreamStew wrote the score, including six new songs, for A Midsummer Night's Dream for Shakespeare on the Sound, which presents free outdoor summer theater (the production was performed this summer in Connecticut parks). The recording of the music was released on July 21st and has 19 studio tracks performed by Stew (AVAILABLE at CDbaby). Stew has also joined the artistic advisory board of the company (Playbill 1 | 2 | 3 | The New York Times 1 | 2 | The Hour | EURweb)...

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great performances logoPBS has acquired Spike Lee's film of Passing Strange for its Great Performances series. The film will air in 2010 on PBS stations, but producers are also exploring a limited theatrical release for the summer or fall of 2009 (Variety | TheaterMania | Box Office | Broadway World)...

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Tribeca Film Festival logoSpike Lee's film of Passing Strange screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on May 2nd, followed by a conversation with Stew + Heidi and Spike (Tribeca Film Festival | BlackVoices | Playbill | CNN | Hollywood Reporter | indieWIRE | EURweb | Screen Daily)...

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On the April 24th episode of KPCC Public Radio's Dinner Party Download, Stew pondered art vs. reality, Spike Lee and poor white boys with baseball bats. LISTEN HERE...

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breaking the silence logoStew + Heidi performed Pastry Shop in the March 25th concert event Breaking The Silence, Beating The Drum, a co-presentation of the Culture Project and the United Nations. The one-night-only performance was part of the U.N.'s International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Other participants included Bill T. Jones, Liev Schreiber, Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Sarah Jones (the United Nations | the Culture Project | Playbill)...

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sxsw logoThe film of Passing Strange was one of the 108 films screened at the 2009 South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival and Conference in Austin, Texas on March 17th as part of the Premiere Spotlight program. Spike Lee held a Q+A after the screening (Variety | Hollywood Reporter | indieWIRE)...

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New York TimesStephen Holden of The New York Times reviewed Stew + Heidi's March 6th show at Lincoln Center (The Bard of Identity Crisis, Singing About Strangers in Strange Lands). Then Stew reviewed the review (The New York Times | Stew)...

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Stew and Heidi American SongbookStew + Heidi performed at Alice Tully Hall on March 6th as part of the The American Songbook series at Lincoln Center. The band featured the string ensemble Ethel, as well as a horn section and back-up singers Rebecca Naomi Jones, Eisa Davis and de'Adre Aziza from Passing Strange (The New York Times | Playbill | Variety | Broadway.com | Broadway World)...

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Stew moderated a discussion with Spike Lee and the cast and crew of Do the Right Thing! at a Black History Month event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking film at Lincoln Center in NYC on February 26th (NYC Talk)...

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Stew at oakland metroStew, alone and unguarded, played a rare solo acoustic show at the Oakland Metro Operahouse to benefit the Oakland Opera on February 20th, accompanied by Michael Udelson (piano) and Aaron Kierbel (drums) (The Berkeley Daily Planet)...

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New York Times blogger, The Carpetbagger, suggests that Stew should perform at the Academy Awards in 2010
(The New York Times)...

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Stew + Heidi performed 'Keys' at the February 9th memorial for Gerald Schoenfeld, the late chairman of the Shubert Organization (one of the producers of Passing Strange), who died in November 2008 (Playbill)...

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Sundance logoNEWS from SUNDANCE: The film of Passing Strange, directed by Spike Lee, debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on January 16th in the festival's noncompetitive Spectrum Documentary Spotlight program. Stew + Spike talked to The New York Times, Stew spoke to the Sundance Insider and Spike was interviewed by the Associated Press and The New York Times. On Martin Luther King Day, Stew signed copies of the complete book and lyrics of Passing Strange at Dolly's Bookstore in Park City. Passing Strange was developed by Stew + Heidi at the Sundance Theatre Lab in 2004 and 2005 (The Los Angeles Times | Variety | TheaterMania | Broadway World)...
REVIEWS: Boxoffice | Film.com | Variety | Film Threat | Hollywood Reporter | Reuters
VIDEO: Stew on Live @ Sundance 2009 | Spike talks about Passing Strange to AMC and E! Online |
Stew + Heidi at the Sundance Directors Lab (2005, Scenes from the Lab, the Sundance Channel)
PHOTOS: SUNDANCE PHOTOS

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STEW on Obama: Stew discusses Obama in the election issue of The Village Voice, Music for Democracy and in the Sunday New York Times Magazine of February 17, 2008 (Strange Magic)...

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Stew performed Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting in a benefit concert of Elton John's album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on October 20th, along with Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds, John Cameron Mitchell, the cast of Hair, artists from New York theater, and Elton John himself. The concert raised money for The Elton John AIDS Foundation, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Friends in Deed (Playbill 1 | Playbill 2)...

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The Stew Songbook was part of the Joe's Pub free performance series celebrating its tenth anniversary, 10 for the 10th. Artists such as Michael Cerveris, John Cameron Mitchell, Taylor Mac and Penny Arcade performed songs from Stew + Heidi's catalogue on October 12th...

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An article about Stew and Passing Strange appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Beyond Race magazine...

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Rolling StoneDavid Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine chose Passing Strange as one of his Fricke's Picks: Strange Broadway...

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Spike LeeSpike Lee filmed Passing Strange July 19th - 21st; how the film will be released is still to be determined. See a photo from the press conference here (MTV News | Newsday | Associated Press | Reuters | The San Francisco Chronicle | The Washington Times | USA Today | Paste | Contact Music | The New York Daily News | Entertainment Weekly | The New York Times | San Francisco Examiner | UPI | Playbill | Variety | Broadway.com | Broadway World | TheaterMania)...

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The last performance of Passing Strange at the Belasco Theater was the July 20th matinee, closing after 185 performances. Read Stew's July 10th ps notice blog here (The San Francisco Chronicle | The New York Times | Contact Music | Playbill | Variety | Bloomberg.com | Broadway.com | TheaterMania)...

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Amy Goodman interviews Stew on Democracy Now. Watch it here (RealPlayer required)...

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Barry Smolin talks to Stew about Obama, racial stereotypes, punk rock and black republicans among other things for Music for Democracy; read the interview here...

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Future Me, featuring new music by Stew, played SPF (The Summer Play Festival) at the Public Theater July 22nd - 27th...

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The New York Post asks Stew about his first concert...

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The New York Times writes about Heidi in their Public Lives series. Read the article here...

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Stew with TonyStew wins the Tony for 'Best Book of a Musical' and Stew, Heidi and the cast of Passing Strange perform 'Keys' with Adam Duritz introducing the performance. Stew and Heidi (with the band, Eisa Davis and Daniel Breaker) also performed 'Mom Song' at the Visa Signature Tony Award Concert Preview.
Watch: the Tony performance | Stew's acceptance speech | 'Mom Song' at Tony Preview Concert

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Rafael Pi Roman interviews Stew on New York Voices on PBS. Watch it here...

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Stew and Heidi perform 'Work the Wound' on Theater Talk, which aired June 11th on PBS in the New York area. Watch the video of the performance here...

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Stew performs drunk at the Obies according to New York magazine. Watch the video of the performance here...

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Stew talks about music in the theater on MTV News. See the entire MTV News story about rock music on Broadway featuring Passing Strange here...

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Stew is scheduled to play the newly renovated Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center March 6th, 2009 (New York Times)...

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Stew is tied with Anthony Newley and Elizabeth Swados as being the person with the most Tony nominations for a single show (4 nominations) in the history of the Tony Awards...

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Passing Strange was nominated for 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical, with 4 nominations for Stew (Best Book – Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance Lead Actor - Musical and Best Orchestrations) and two nominations for Heidi (Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations) (Tony Awards | The New York Times | Variety | San Francisco Chronicle | San Jose Mercury News | Broadway.com)...

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Stew, Heidi and Passing Strange win multiple Obie, Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards (see Passing Strange Online's News page for details)...

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Stew, Heidi and the Passing Strange cast appeared on The View on May 12th on ABC-TV performing a medley from the show (watch the performance here)...

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Passing Strange will be the first Broadway cast recording to be exclusively available on iTunes before it arrives in stores beginning May 27th, over a month before its targeted July in-store arrival (Playbill | Variety | Broadway.com)...

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Passing Strange song banned from CBS Tony preview special – "We Just Had Sex" had been planned for the telecast, but CBS standards and practices ruled that the song is inappropriate for broadcast television (Variety | Playbill | Los Angeles Times | Huffington Post | The New York Post | Broadway World | Theater Dogs)...

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Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records recorded the original cast album of Passing Strange in front of a live audience on stage at the Belasco Theatre April 14th. Stew and Heidi are the CD's producers (Playbill). The release date is July 15, 2008. See photos from the event here...

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Opening night for Passing Strange: Watch video coverage on Passing Strange Online's Media page. Photos and coverage of the opening and after-party at ESpace can be seen here: Broadway.com | Playbill | TheaterMania | Broadway World

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Reviews for Passing Strange:
The New York Times | Variety | Wall Street Journal | Reuters | USA Today | Newsday | New York Magazine | Entertainment Weekly | The Star Ledger | International Herald Tribune | New York Sun | New York Press | The Record | New York Daily News | The New York Post | Journal News | Chicago Tribune | The Hartford Courant

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Stew Takes a Strange Road to Broadway according to USA Today...

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Stew answers questions in the Sunday New York Times Magazine: Strange Magic...

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Diana Ross visits Stew, Heidi and the cast of Passing Strange; see photos on Broadway.com...

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Backstage writes about Stew's atypical autobiographical journey: The Passing Show...

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Stew was featured as one of Out magazine's Out 100: The Men and Women Who Made 2007 a Year to Remember...

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Cool videos were shot at an open press rehearsal of Passing Strange; see them on Passing Strange online...

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The cast and creative team of Passing Strange met the press during their first rehearsal on January 7th at the New 42nd Street Studios: Playbill | Broadway.com | Broadway World

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Spike Lee encourages theatregoers to go see Passing Strange [see Spike's message]...

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Listen to three new Passing Strange radio spots here featuring Stew, Heidi and music from the play...

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Wednesday WeekThe CD What We Had by L.A. band Wednesday Week featuring Heidi was re-issued January 29th by Noble Rot, the label devoted to preserving great indie-rock albums of the early '80s and '90s. [now available at Collector's Choice | Amazon]

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Passing Strange on Broadway website launches, with songs from the show available for free download...

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Stew was guest DJ on WNYC Radio as part of the Must Have Festival sharing music that has inspired him. Listen here...

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Passing Strange has won four Audelco Awards for Heidi, Annie Dorsen, Daniel Breaker and 'Musical Production of the Year': Playbill | Broadway World | TheaterMania

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Stew was among the 41 people chosen (along with Barack Obama) for Vibe magazine's 'New Power Generation' list ('The Rogue Librettist'). The NPG are people Vibe views as instrumental in shaping the future and changing the world... [see it here]

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Stew and friends (featuring the cast and songs from Passing Strange) + the Negro Problem performed in Central Park's Delacorte Theater September 30th... [click here for photo]

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Passing Strange is moving to Broadway's Belasco Theatre in February 2008 with the original company. Previews begin February 8, opening February 28: Playbill | Variety | Broadway.com | TheaterMania | Broadway World

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Stew and Heidi cover Broadway for the Clash tribute album, The Sandinista Project. Available at: Amazon | iTunes | emusic

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Two unreleased Stew songs available here for listening or download (MP3): Black Men Ski | Pastry Shop

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Passing Strange selected as one of the ten best plays for 2006-2007...

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Stew writes about Passing Strange for Broadway.com's First Person...

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Listen to Stew, Heidi and Passing Strange on the radio (streaming): NPR's News & Notes | WNYC's Spinning on Air | WNYC's Soundcheck

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Counting Crows' Adam Duritz writes a master class overview of Stew and Negro Problem recordings in Issue #3 of his Down the Rabbit Hole online magazine...

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The Village Voice writes about Stew and Passing Strange ('L.A. Rebel in Berlin') [see the Village Voice]...

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Stew and Passing Strange on TV: Video on CBS 5 KPIX San Francisco

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REVIEWS OF PASSING STRANGE AT THE PUBLIC THEATER:
The New Yorker | New York Magazine | The New York Times | Variety | Newsday | The New York Sun | The San Francisco Chronicle (Associated Press) | The Philadelphia Inquirer | The Newark Star Ledger | The Financial Times | Gay City News | The HNIC Report | Theatermania.com | Inner Continental | Bold as Love

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Passing Strange wins Bay Area Critics Circle Award for 'Best Ensemble' [see theatermania.com]...

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Stew and Heidi (with Jon Spurney) performing Black Men Ski at the 2006 TED Conference in Monterey, California can be seen here...

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The Sundance Channel's Scenes from the Lab featuring Stew and Heidi and their film, We Can See Today, from the Sundance Directors Lab of June 2005 can be viewed here...

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Playbill writes about Passing Strange opening at the Public Theater May 1st [see Playbill]...

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The Public Theater announces Passing Strange previews to begin May 1st as part of its 2006-07 season, running through June 3rd [see the Public Theater's website]...

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Counting Crows' Adam Duritz talks about Stew, Heidi and Passing Strange in his blog...

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See PHOTOS from the Berkeley run of Passing Strange...

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Passing Strange brings back the Berkeley cast for the New York run at the Public Theater [see Playbill]...

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LISTEN TO STEW | PASSING STRANGE ON THE RADIO (streaming):
Passing Strange on KALW's Artery | Stew interview on KUSP/NPR's Talk of the Bay | David Gans’ interview with Stew and Heidi on KPFA | Stew interviewed on KUSF's Words on Theater | Stew on KQED's California Report

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REVIEWS OF PASSING STRANGE AT THE BERKELEY REP:
San Francisco Chronicle | Oakland Tribune | KQED Arts & Culture | KTVU | Napa Valley Register | Bay Area Reporter | Berkeley Daily Planet | East Bay Express | SFist | San Jose Mercury News

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ARTICLES ABOUT STEW AND PASSING STRANGE AT THE BERKELEY REP:
Los Angeles Times | Inside Bay Area | San Francisco Chronicle | San Jose Mercury News | East Bay Express

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Stew talks with Berkeley Rep dramaturg Madeleine Oldham about playwriting, songwriting and finding music everywhere on Berkeley Rep's website...

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San Francisco Bay Guardian's Aaron Sankin on Stew and Passing Strange: "There’s nothing that critics love more than jumping on bandwagons (except maybe jumping off them a few months later). So it’s best to take an artist with a boatload of great reviews with a grain of salt. However, sometimes an artist’s reviews are so hyperbolically positive because there’s some fire under all that smoke. Take Stew, for example, who has created a piece of musical theater titled Passing Strange that paints an alternately uproarious and heartbreaking picture of the black experience from suburbia to bohemia. The New York Times said it may be the best thing anyone’s done all year, and Entertainment Weekly gave Stew its 'Artist of the Year' award twice. Now if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get your butt to Berkeley, plant it in a seat, and be wowed by one of this generation’s greatest talents."

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Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced the world premiere of Passing Strange as part of its 2006-07 season, playing October 19th – December 3rd... [see Berkeley Rep's website]

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Stew was Artist-in-Residence at the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts February 20th – March 11th. Passing Strange, Stew and Heidi's work in progress, was developed and performed, along with lectures/discussions...

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Stew was a featured performer at TED 2006: The Future We Will Create... February 22-25 in Monterey, California. The conference featured such speakers and participants as Al Gore, Peter Gabriel, Thomas Dolby, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and the founder of Google... [view photos: 1 2]

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Passing Strange is among recipients of the 2006 Jonathan Larson Award recognizing excellence in new musical theatre... [read the article in Playbill]

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Heidi is composer and musical director of Night and Day, a theater piece by New York avant-garde legend Karen Kandel. The show enjoyed a successful run at Theater for the New City in New York and the project will continue to develop in 2006. The piece is directed by Annie Dorsen of Passing Strange with keyboards by Stew Ensemble member Charlie Zayleskie...

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SpongeBob SquarePants 'Where's Gary' episode featuring Stew's Gary's Song scored huge ratings: highest-rated on all cable for kids in 2005; #1 on all TV for kids for the year behind the SuperBowl. Gary's Song is available on iTunes...

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Stew and Heidi were featured in the summer issue of FilmMaker magazine as two of '25 New Faces of Independent Film for 2005' [see article]...

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Stew has been selected as one of six emerging filmmakers for The Annenberg Film Fellows Program. Through their projects, the Annenberg Film Fellows 'reflect the powerful vision and individuality at the heart of American independent film.' See press releases (Annenberg Foundation | Sundance Institute)...

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Stew was accepted into the Sundance Institute's 2005 Filmmakers Lab where he worked from the screenplay he and Heidi wrote entitled We Can See Today. Read the Sundance Institute's press release

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In other super-cool news, the Sundance Institute's 2005 Theater Lab has honored Stew's theater piece Passing Strange by inviting it back for the second year in a row. Read the Sundance Institute's press release

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Hawk Productions unveils the official website for Jeffrey Winograd's upcoming feature-length documentary film about Stew, What's the Problem?

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The Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program selected Stew and Heidi's screenplay, The Seventy-Third Summer, as one of twelve projects for development at its annual Screenwriters Lab, which ran from January 14-19th at Sundance Village. Read the Sundance Institute's press release...

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Phase 1 of Stew's Sundance Diary now online...

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Stew's song, "Love Like That", was featured on the WB tv show, Everwood, on September 27th, 2004...

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Stew taught a fourth-year solo performance class at Cal Arts during the fall 2004 semester...

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Stew has written a song for Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants – more info to follow...

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Stew and Heidi were at the Sundance Theater Lab July 5th–19th, 2004... See story on Playbill website

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Stew and Heidi featured on WNYC's Studio 360. Listen to: Stew [2004.june.26]

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The New York Times reviews Stew at Symphony Space [2004.february.3]

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NPR's All Things Considered: "Stew Discovers 'Something Deeper'... Musician Stirs Up Sweet Melodies and Sophisticated Lyrics" [2003.november.10]