“BECTU and Equity and professional associations for stage managers and lighting and sound practitioners have argued that ‘excessively long working hours’ are leading to ‘burnout and serious mental health issues’.” How long are these hours? Up to “15 to 18 hours per day, six days per week.” – The Stage
Category: theatre
Britney Spears, The Musical?
The show will have its world premiere this fall in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. Previews begin in October. The show’s story centers on classic fairytale princesses like Cinderella and Snow White learning that being happy ever after may take some work. – Washington Post (AP)
Actors Theatre Of Louisville Appoints Artistic Director
“After a nationwide search that began in 2017, Actors Theatre of Louisville has found its new artistic director — Robert Barry Fleming, a Kentucky native who was previously working as associate artistic director of the Cleveland Play House. Fleming will replace Les Waters, who announced his departure from the organization after leading it for seven years.” – Inside Louisville
In Gaza, A Theatre Revives Itself Amidst The Wreckage
ASHTAR Theatre had made its home in a Gaza City cultural center that was destroyed last August in an Israeli airstrike (launched to retaliate for rockets from Gaza fired at Beersheva). Nevertheless, they persist: ASHTAR members have been continuing the theatre’s work, throughout the territory and literally on the ruins of its old home. – American Theatre
Edinburgh Fringe Teams Up With Kickstarter
As part of the collaboration, Kickstarter will offer a series of incentives to companies using the platform to crowdfund their show, including support for artists before and during the festival through online videos about fundraising and one-to-one coaching. – The Stage
Broadway Gets A Tech Startup Accelerator
Alongside venture capital firm Exponential Creativity Ventures and tech training company IT Mentors, the Shubert Organization is launching a startup accelerator that will provide companies with funding, training and the ability to test products in Broadway theaters or within the Shubert ecosystem. In exchange, the Broadway Tech Accelerator will take an equity stake in each company. – Broadway News
Tracing A Passion For Theatre To The Performance That Sparked It All
Theatre can be magical, yes – but if you work in the theatre,”it’s easy to forget what compelled us into the profession in the first place. It can be lost amid the realities of the job at hand, chasing the next opportunity and our familiarity with the things that enthralled us once upon a time. It is also easy to forget what a personal experience theatre can be, where actors walk out of stage doors every night to waiting fans. It’s an experience that cannot be replicated by movies and television.” – The Stage (UK)
The Saga Of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Adds A New Chapter As Publisher Of Older Play Sues Harper Lee’s Estate
The older production, familiar to millions, is the one threatened by the Broadway play and planned national tour. The problem? Too many agreements. “The latest dispute, over whether and when the Sergel adaptation can be staged now that the Sorkin adaptation exists, pits an agreement Ms. Lee signed with Dramatic Publishing in 1969 against one she signed with Mr. Rudin in 2015.” – The New York Times
Tony Kushner And Heidi Schreck Talk About ‘What The Constitution Means To Me’
TK: “I’ve always been a little skeptical of the notion that there’s something sort of shamanistic or medicinal or restorative about theater in a kind of mysterious way, but I really felt that [the play] was that. And every time I went back, I left feeling more hope about the survival of our democracy.” New York magazine theater critic Sara Holdren does a Q&A with the two playwrights about Schreck’s hit, which Kushner has seen three times (so far). – New York Magazine
Despite Putin Crackdown, Russian Stage Directors Are Putting Up Audacious Productions
“Directors with whom AFP spoke describe a paradoxical atmosphere in Russian theatre, in which pressure from authorities co-exists with a burgeoning of opportunities. Actress and director Marina Brusnikina says that despite a push by conservatives for ‘going back to tradition’, Moscow’s contemporary theatres are ‘teeming with life. … You can get access, you can experiment. Even with this terrible situation with Kirill [Serebrennikov], we are still working normally.'” – Yahoo! (AFP)