Category: theatre

Christopher Hampton (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Sunset Boulevard,The Talking Cure): “The world is full of people telling you how to rewrite your play. Generally that has a homogenising effect because the advice people give you is based on their experience of other plays. … it all takes away those jagged edges that really cut into the audience.”

“On July 9, less than a month after the Tony Awards, where Hamilton has a record 16 nominations, the contracts of many members of the current company — including Miranda, who also wrote the show’s book and music — will expire, sources close to the production tell The Hollywood Reporter.”

“On Broadway, it has been a year of women: waitresses, shopgirls, concubines, Revolutionary sisters, a literary editor, a morphine addict and many victims of abuse. Is this cause for celebration or despair? Or pie? … Laura Collins-Hughes and Alexis Soloski recently discussed the role of (and roles for) women this year, on Broadway and off. Here’s an edited version of their conversation.”

“Talking to company stage manager Becky Austin in the cafe at the Globe – a building that she refers to as the ‘mothership’ – I began to realise that the whole idea and execution of the tour was not just an amazing logistical exercise, but an extraordinary journey for audiences and performers alike.”

In fact, the most immediately notable aspect of the younger Stratford is that it is becoming a more thoroughly diverse Stratford – just as young Canada is a more diverse country.

“Adding fuel to the long-simmering fire over whether actors working under the 99-Seat Theater Plan are ‘volunteers,’ ‘independent contractors’ or ’employees,’ actress Ann Colby Stocking has filed a complaint … against Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and its producer, Ron Sossi. Her demand is for over $6,000.”

“A set of the first four editions of William Shakespeare’s plays – dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of publishing’ by Christie’s auction house – sold Wednesday for almost 2.5 million pounds ($3.68 million). [The volumes]… were sold as individual lots but all bought by a private American collector.”

“The thing about seeing Hamilton RIGHT NOW at its peak moment is that even before it begins, the entire theater is filled with wonder. Every single person would rather be here than anywhere else in the world. As a sportswriter, I often feel that sort of energy at the biggest events, at the Masters or the Super Bowl or the Olympics, but it’s even more pronounced in this theater. “

“This theatre style usually consists of four-hour-long, high-energy plays featuring loud music, harsh lighting and extravagant props played out on giant stages under open skies.”