Category: theatre

“That Shakespearean model, with its focus on kings and the high-born, is wedded, one might argue, to the Great Man theory of history. Commoners must fight for space on Shakespeare’s stage—and it’s not obvious whether the drunkards and prostitutes who populate the tavern where Prince Hal escapes the burdens of court, for instance, serve as rehearsals for responsive sovereignty, critics of royal ideology, or comic baggage to be shed on the way to the throne.”

“Having already struck gold by developing its Transformers brand into a series of four films, which collectively have grossed $3.8 billion (all figures U.S.) worldwide, Hasbro hasn’t ruled out bringing any of its brands, which include Play-Doh, Stretch Armstrong and My Little Pony, to Broadway.”

“Blame it on Midwestern bingo culture. Or maybe it’s a long tradition of immersive, unpretentious theatergoing involving cold beer and ornery nuns. Whatever. Whether card, video or board, Chicago is a thriving hub for theater based on or inspired by games. In many cases, shows are games.”

“The departures come as Alberta’s oil-reliant economy is suffering – and all that that implies for arts organizations: corporate funding, individual donations and subscription and ticket sales. The loss of the two veterans at a time of financial unrest may add to a feeling of instability, but what’s waiting in the wings could instead be exciting.”

“We are regularly asking for local businesses to fund our work as sponsors and then we take the funds raised and distribute them elsewhere through corporate and online spending. Local arts organizations have to start taking seriously the role they play in the development and strength of their own local economies.”

“The original film paints a bleak picture of deeply unhappy people working blue-collar jobs and passively hoping for, rather than actively seeking a way out of their circumstances. The musical gives the source material a bright coat of Broadway paint with an upbeat and gorgeous pop score.”

“In mask theatre the old can be young again, while the youthful can play the old. Gender, too, is up for grabs. It’s also an economically advantageous art form: a small company can play many characters. There is a strange alchemy about mask theatre. The ancient Greeks recognised its power and contemporary audiences seem increasingly drawn to a form that until recently was dismissed as a wee bit fusty.”

“I feel like out of every kind of performance I’m involved in, theater is still the best way to communicate a story to a group of people. I think there is so much value in putting myself through the very difficult experiences of the character eight times a week because I think it communicates — on a macro-level, the human condition, and on a micro-level, third-generation malaise, self-loathing, the fear of immigrants usurping positions of power from hegemonic cultures like mine.”

“In murky, frightening times like these, that is the most essential thing theater offers an audience: a brief community, connecting us to one another in larger, lasting ways.”

“Although skeptical about religion and its repressive demands, Williams maintained an open mind when it came to spirituality, believing that sex could lead one to God perhaps even more directly than sublimation and sacrifice.”