Category: theatre

The city government’s choice of Tate Modern art msueum director Chris Dercon for the job “has laid bare long-simmering worries about the direction of Berlin’s arts scene. … Critics say that officials are forsaking an artistic tradition of locally produced, politically and aesthetically unconventional programming. Instead, they see an effort to redraw the theater’s mission to make Berlin a more attractive and marketable destination for tourists and for the internationally minded millennials who have moved into many of that city’s trendiest districts.”

“The play Queens of Syria is a chance to put a human face on the worst humanitarian disaster since the second world war. … The play, directed by Zoe Lafferty, has changed over time as the cast has shrunk to 13 women” – from up to 50 during the original workshops in the Suyrian refugee community in Amman – “and personal circumstances have moved on.”

“Negotiations to resolve a minimum wage dispute between Actors’ Equity Assn. and members of the theater community have failed and the parties are headed to court … At the center of the lawsuit is Equity’s 99-seat theater plan, which calls for owners of theaters with fewer than 100 seats to pay Equity actors minimum wage for rehearsal and performance time.”

“Liberty Theaters L.L.C., which owns the building and used it until January as the Union Square Theater, is reconstructing the four-story hall as a six-story office building, marketed by Newmark Grubb Knight Frank as 44 Union Square. The auditorium space will be demolished. A two-and-half-story glass dome will be erected on the rooftop.”

“Yes, it’s conceived and written by Miranda, with Music Director Alex Lacamoire who is Cuban, but the music is mostly rap and a mixture of Broadway shows tunes and other styles. Some argue the music is influenced by Latina/o rhythms. The immigrant theme is salient, but not specifically Latina/o. Does it really matter?”

“The person’s sanity most important is yours. In an ideal world it would be fantastic if we could all be great friends and there was never tension in the rehearsal room. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.”

“For Elizabeth Swados, being nominated for four Tony Awards in one year while still in her 20s – for Runaways, in 1978 – led to success in an unexpected direction. Or, rather, in several unexpected directions.”

“The winners received $10,000 toward their college educations and a chance to audition for acceptance and a scholarship to the Tisch School of the Arts at N.Y.U. Finalists and other award winners got $2,500 scholarship grants. To make the cut, each student first won a competition as the best male or female high school performer in one of 31 regions. More than 1,000 schools and 50,000 students competed for honors.”