“With the fringe cancelled this summer, Edinburgh hopefuls are eyeing 2021 – but will it be back next year? And if so, what will it look like and what size will it be? Artists and fringe leaders tell Lyn Gardner about the value of the festival and how this could be a chance to remake it for the future.” – The Stage
Category: theatre
Turning The Edinburgh Fringe Virtual
“For the first time in its 73-year history, the Edinburgh Fringe will not take place as an official live event in 2020. But this has not deterred companies and venues from developing creative online solutions. They speak to David Pollock about adapting to the pandemic, crowdfunding and the appetite for change in the sector.” – The Stage
Theatre’s Overlooked Casualties Of The Pandemic: Publicists
Says the co-director of one London theatrical PR firm, “At the end of the day, we are not the people putting on the shows, but we make a crucial contribution. What we do is bespoke, skilled and comes with specialised knowledge often honed over many years. We are the translators between the artists, the journalists and the people on the street.” – The Stage
Unemployment In UK Theatre Up By Two-Thirds In Just A Few Weeks
“Job losses at theatres across the UK have jumped from 3,000 to 5,000 in less than a month, according to figures from the Bectu trade union. The job losses include redundancies of permanent employees and layoffs of casual staff.” – The Guardian
Is Standup Comedy Theatre?
Standup comedy is not created purely by the performer, but as a collaborative production between the performer, the audience, the venue and the promoter. In the same way a theatre is arranged to support dramatic performance or a gallery is lit to display paintings, so too must a standup comedy gig be presented in such a way that it contextualises the performance to come – the iconic image of the single microphone on a stand in a spotlight is evocative of standup comedy without anything needing to be said. – The Conversation
Smart: This Theatre Signed Up For Pandemic Insurance Before The Pandemic
About three-and-a-half years ago, Tim Jennings, the executive director and CEO of the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, decided to undertake some risk analysis alongside his CFO. He looked at potential problem areas, and at concerns that might arise throughout the course of an ordinary season of theatre, and came to a shrewd conclusion: The festival should take out an insurance policy against the threat of a pandemic. – National Post (Canada)
Coming Soon: Salvador Mundi, The Musical
“Salvator Mundi!” The Musical, announced by Tony Award-winning production company Caiola Productions, will chronicle the tale of Leonardo da Vinci’s Renaissance-era portrait of Jesus, presumed lost for hundreds of years and only rediscovered this century. – CNN
Tokyo’s Kabuki-Za Theatre Has Reopened
Blocked off seats, reduced capacity, and musicians wear masks and face shields, with dancers keeping far apart as they perform onstage. – BBC
What Is A Broadway Producer’s Moral Responsibility?
Arvind Ethan David is one of very few Broadway producers of color, and he (famously) gave a TED Talk comparing his path to becoming a U.S. citizen to his path producing the show Jagged Little Pill. After Broadway shut down and after George Floyd was murdered, he had to do something. “As a writer, I needed to write something about this moment. And as a producer, I knew I could put something together. And so that’s how it literally came out that night with a bunch of friends. A bunch of producers of writers, and actors of color, being depressed and angry, and texting each other.” And #WhileWeBreathe was born. – Token Theatre Friends
The Shutdown Kills A Young Cabaret Theatre Near Indianapolis
Though the theatre tried hard to attract smaller, socially distanced crowds as it reopened in June, no one was ready to return to an indoor space, and tickets didn’t sell. The now common refrain for small arts venues: “Founder Chris Tompkins said that paying the lease and other bills for upkeep was impossible with no income.” – Indianapolis Star