In the wake of the real-sex-and-violence scandal that led to the collapse of Chicago’s Profiles Theatre in the summer of 2016, actors Lori Myers and Laura T. Fisher “responded to what they and so many other insiders knew by methodically creating a 30-page working document” – titled Not in Our House – “[that] any company can sign on to: guidance in how to create safe working environments, what to do if an actor gets too physical onstage, or if a director suggests a cast member should go home with him (or her) to work on ‘chemistry.'”
Category: theatre
London Theatre Axes Play Because It’s Too ‘Highly Conflictual’ During Anti-Sexual Harassment Campaign
“The Royal Court Theatre has shelved its planned production of Rita, Sue and Bob Too after The Guardian revealed its original co-director Max Stafford-Clark had been forced to step down after allegations of sexual harassment. The play, which tells the story of two teenage girls who have a sexual relationship with an older married man, has been on a UK tour … Royal Court’s artistic director, Vicky Featherstone, has been a leading figure in the drive to combat sexual harassment in the industry.”
Neil LaBute, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, And Other Playwrights On How They Think Of Audiences
Hudes: “If you write solely to suit the audience, you’ll be chasing your tail. That being said, I study them very closely – where they laugh, where they lean in, where they ‘go fishing’ in their minds.”
LaBute: “I want to get close to them and make them feel the events in a real way – to break the fourth wall, to look them squarely in the eye, and challenge them to leave, but force them to stay.”
Jesse Green And Paul Rudnick Dish Gay Theater Past, Present, And Future
“During the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, there was a rise in plays about gay life that addressed issues of identity, homophobia and the decimating AIDS epidemic. Plays like Boys in the Band, The Normal Heart and Angels in America shattered taboos and brought gay characters into the mainstream. Many of these groundbreaking plays are now returning to Broadway, but will they hold up a generation later?” (audio)
The Latest Pre-Broadway Tryout Town: Edmonton (Edmonton?)
“The road to Broadway has rarely been this cold.”
The Most Likely Place To Get A Parking Ticket Is London’s Theatre District
Theatregoers and shoppers who parked illegally in Westminster – which includes the West End – amassed a total of 125,727 parking charge notices between July and September 2017, the data suggests. This amounts to almost a quarter (23%) of all fines issued in London during the period.
British Pantos Change Routines This Year
Turns out that, in the wake of all of the sexual harassment accusations, at least one sketch just isn’t that funny. However: “Do you believe you are going to come to the Palladium and see Dick Whittington and not have a joke about dick? That would be a sad day I think, as you can’t get too hung up on it.”
Hurricane Harvey Left Houston’s Theatres ‘An Unholy Mess,’ But Things Are Looking Slightly Brighter Now
Whew, yuck: “Dead fish lay in the street. A foul brew of bayou water and sewage had surged into the Theater District — for the first time ever — and gushed into their elegant performance buildings.”
Broadway Broke Box Office Records In 2017. But…
Though rich in new American plays and gussied up revivals, Broadway this year often felt like a letdown, taking fewer risks and reaping fewer rewards.
Theatregoer Punched In Face For Asking Fellow Audience Member To Stop Using Cell Phone
Adam Gale, a New York producer, was attending A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic in London, asked a woman sitting nearby to stop using her phone several times during the first act and ultimately called an usher. Come intermission, says Gale, her boyfriend hauled him out of his seat and hit him in the face with a fist. Old Vic staff refused to call the police.