Category: theatre

Theatre productions heading to Broadway used to be able to open quietly out of town and work the kinks out. No longer. The web has changed it all. “This torrent of gossip, news, amusing tidbits, and reviews – most of them unfiltered, unverifiable, and true – in chat rooms and on bulletin boards at sites such as playbill.com, broadway.com, and talkinbroadway.com, is throwing producers and the reporters covering them for a loop. Why? For the same reason the Web has turned every other industry inside out: It’s democratized something that used to be the exclusive purview of an entrenched elite, and the entrenched elite ain’t happy.” – New York Magazine

“While many on the West Coast see Broadway as a monolithic entity 3,000 miles away, “Broadway” is really about the people who create the shows – and it’s those creators who came to Los Angeles at their own expense because they wanted to be part of this conference. Their presence wasn’t simply to share anecdotes and professional expertise, but to stimulate West Coast musical theater writers and encourage us to keep creating new shows.” – Los Angeles Times

A new biography claims that Shakespeare was a highly regarded actor and that he thought of himself as “doing a little writing on the side.” – The Independent (UK)

Recent productions at London’s National Theatre bring up questions about the role of the artistic director. Trevor Nunn recently spent a lot of time “fine tuning” another director’s production of “Romeo and Juliet.” But critics are beginning to ask – shouldn’t the artistic director be out developing new talent and bringing it into the theatre rather than fixing broken plays? – The Independent (UK)

Critics commonly trash Disney for its commercialism and bland focus. So many were surprised when “Lion King” showed up on Broadway a few seasons ago and turned out to be an artistic success. Now Disney’s into theatre in a big way, and there are reasons beyond just money. “Disney’s interest in theater may also be due in large part to the fact that people who know and love theater are running the show.” – Los Angeles Times

Director Joe Mantello and actress Mary Louise Parker talk about “acting, directing and audience members who snack during performances.” – New York Times

Every 10 years since the 1600’s the residents of Oberammergau have performed a passion play. “This year, more than 2,000 locals, almost half the village, will give 100-plus performances to half a million visitors. Qualifications for participants are severe. If you weren’t born here, you must have lived here for 20 years, or ten if you marry a lifelong resident. Until 1990, rules for women were even more rigid. Actresses had to be unmarried and under 35.” – New Statesman

Playwright Harold Pinter will make his acting debut in one of his own plays as part of a ten-play Pinter-fest coming to Broadway. – Theatre.com

“Entertaining,” “instructional,” “celebratory,” or “cathartic,” at least in the opinion of one riled performing arts professor. The solution? “We should refuse to sit and watch the same old masquerade, the same old plays, the same old actors. We need to kill the theatre off so that new performance can have room to grow.” – The Guardian

New Jersey’s Crossroads Theatre Company has closed down. The Tony Award-winning company, one of the nation’s most prominent black theaters, announced its decision Monday. “The bottom line is that we are in great debt – $1.7 million to $2 million in debt.” – Philadelphia Inquirer (AP)