There’s a lot more to say about the way Lynn Nottage and Paula Vogel, and many other playwrights, get treated by an East Coast theatre establishment. “We know that the tension between minority playwrights and critics is not a new problem. It’s a very old problem, one made newly urgent by biased reviews of productions by women and playmakers of color this season.”
Category: theatre
‘Theater Audiences Are A Key Partner In The Work Of A Democracy,’ Says Director Diane Paulus
“The act of showing up is a civic ritual with great power. The ancient Greeks knew this. In their theaters, which seated over 10,000 people, audiences wrestled collectively with stories of utmost importance to the state. … However, I think that audiences’ most important political power stems from a slightly different concept. …”
Having No Home Stage Liberated The National Theatre Of Scotland
“For little more than a decade, [the company] has been a theatre ‘without walls’. If you want to see an NTS show, you have to find it first. The idea takes a little getting used to, but the absence of a building is fundamental to how the organisation operates. Far from being a limitation, it can be artistically liberating. This company is shape-shifting. It can be what it wants.”
The Jimmys Are Like Tony Awards For Teens On Broadway
The Tony-winning star of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ admitted this year that he has been addicted to watching the Jimmys since he was younger than some of the contestants. “The Jimmys take over Broadway’s Minskoff Theater for one sparkly Monday night each June, transforming the set of ‘The Lion King’ into a showcase for 74 of the nation’s most talented theatrical hopefuls.”
The 45-Year-Old Bay Area Theatre That Developed ‘Angels In America’ Is Folding
Wow, no thanks, California tech companies, not to mention voters: “Eureka’s dissolution after many decades is a result of several factors, including rising overhead and the high costs of maintaining its aging facility. Additionally, following the defeat of Ballot Measure S in November 2016, San Francisco Grants for the Arts (funded by the city’s hotel taxes) declared that it could no longer offer grants to performing arts facility providers.”
Ousted Director Of Shakespeare’s Globe To Start Her Own New Theatre Company
“Emma Rice is to form a new theatre company when she steps down as artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe next year. The company, called Wise Children, will be based in the South West of England and will work with venues through a series of residencies to create ‘innovative ensemble theatre’ that will then be toured nationally and abroad.”
‘Lack Of Professional Attitude And Practices’ Causing Serious ‘Talent Drain’ From British Theatre: Study
“A damning review of workforce practices in commercial and not-for-profit theatre has painted a picture of a sector being undermined by low pay, a damaging culture of overwork, poor treatment of freelance workers and a lack of long-term strategic thinking.”
Star Of Central Park ‘Julius Caesar’ Tells What It Was Like
Corey Stoll, who played Brutus: “It felt as if we were acting in two plays simultaneously – the one we had rehearsed and the one thrust upon us. The protesters never shut us down, but we had to fight each night to make sure they did not distort the story we were telling. At that moment, watching my castmates hold their performances together, it occurred to me that this is resistance. … In this new world where art is willfully misinterpreted to score points and to distract, simply doing the work of an artist has become a political act.”
Pay-To-Be-Reviewed Website For Edinburgh Fringe Backs Off Plan, Says It Was ‘A Fishing Trip’
“The edfringereviews.com site proposed to charge companies £50 for a review during the fringe under the slogan ‘It is not about the reviewer it is about your show’. The site, which does not have any reviews on display, now says that the concept is ‘more complicated than we thought’, and that it will introduce the scheme in 2018. A spokesman for the site has told The Stage that the proposal this year was a ‘fishing trip’ to see if there was any interest in what he was offering.”
Pro Theater Workers In U.S. Still Disproportionately White And Male, Says Actors’ Equity Study
“Women and minority actors and stage managers are getting fewer jobs and often wind up in lower-paying shows than white male theater artists, according to a new study … based on an examination of employment data for shows that opened between 2013 and 2015.