Director Pitr Strait and Torn Out Theater, who made headlines with a nude all-female Tempest in 2016 and a nude all-male Hamlet last year, will unveil a mixed-gender cast in The Rover by 17th-century English playwright Aphra Behn, one of the first women to make a living in that profession.
Category: theatre
Will The Success Of “Waitress” Lead To More Women-Led Theatre On Broadway?
“My takeaway was that there was great excitement, and almost a sense of relief, to see women being offered these roles,” Sara Bareilles says of “Waitress.” “And the most exciting thing is looking at the next generation of composers, book writers, directors and choreographers now that there’s this wonderful network of women in the industry.”
Unintended Consequences? New UK Knife Law Could Impact Theatre
The Offensive Weapons Bill, which is currently going through parliament, includes a section that would make it an offence for a seller to deliver a bladed product to a residential address. Knives required by fight directors or stage managers as props for sets would no longer be able to delivered to these addresses, which he said would create difficulties for the industry.
How Should Critics Write About Actors’ Bodies? Or Should They Do It At All?
Natasha Tripney: “It’s part of a critic’s remit after all to look at what’s before them actively and analytically. But if this discussion is to take place, it needs to be with the awareness that while an actor’s body is their art, their tool, it is also not something they slip off at the end of a performance like a dress.”
What Do Younger Gay Men Make Of ‘The Boys In The Band’? The Times Sent A Couple Of Them To See It
“I truly didn’t know Boys in the Band from The Boys From Brazil.” Zachary Woolfe (33, classical music editor/opera critic), Matthew Schneier (34, reporter/critic for Styles), and Wesley Morris (42, critic-at-large) talk about the play and movie (which only Morris had ever seen or read before) with Stuart Emmrich (63, editor, seen it all).
Legal Suits Settled In Soulpepper Theatre Co-Founder Harassment
Four actresses sued Albert Schultz and Soulpepper in January, alleging he groped them, exposed himself, pressed against them or otherwise behaved inappropriately. Schultz resigned hours after Kristin Booth, Hannah Miller, Diana Bentley and Patricia Fagan held a news conference to lambaste him and Soulpepper. A lawyer representing the four woman also confirmed Wednesday that the “matters have settled.” They added that they have no further comment. The woman have said previously that the company’s failure to deal with their repeated complaints about Schultz had prompted them to go public.
Facebook Scammers Target Edinburgh Fringe Performers
A member of the company told The Stage she was contacted by a woman through an Edinburgh Facebook group, who said she had two rooms available at £400 each and a friend had a further three rooms. The theatre company paid the money and a deposit up front. After this, they received a message from the woman who said she was in Ukraine and her bag had been stolen, asking the theatre company to transfer her money to come back to the UK. At this point, the company realised they had been scammed, and contacted Action Fraud, which is investigating the case.
Theatre Company Decides To Cut Shows, Open Adult Trade School On Converted Bus Instead
“Award-winning Slung Low theatre company is known for staging epic outdoor theatre productions around the UK. Now it’s decided to cut back on the number of shows it makes and set up a ‘community college’ teaching astronomy, cooking and decorative blacksmithing. Artistic director Alan Lane said it was ‘the most useful and most interesting’ thing they could do with their subsidy.”
Completely Out Of Hand: Visiting A Ventriloquists’ Convention
Elisabeth Vincentelli meets the 525 performers (and even more dummies) at the Vent Haven International Ventriloquist Convention, held at a Kentucky Holiday Inn near the Cincinnati airport and (not incidentally) the world’s only museum dedicated to the art form.
UK Claims For Tax Relief Were Sharply Up Last Year
Theatre tax relief was introduced in 2014, offering qualifying productions a reduction in corporation tax of 20%, or 25% if they were touring. It is among a suite of tax incentives offered by the Government to the creative industries, with other beneficiaries including film, video games and high-end television. Last year there were 910 successful claims for theatre tax relief, with both large and small productions benefiting. About half of the relief awarded (£39m) went to claims for over £500k, of which there were 40. At the other end of the scale, more than a third of the claims (330) were for amounts of less than £10,000.