“Stars have been no strangers to London stages in the last season, as evidenced by a lineup of Olivier-nominated actors this year that includes Branagh, Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicole Kidman and, fresh off his Academy Award win last night, Mark Rylance.”
Category: theatre
A True Theatre Of Its Community Doesn’t Actually Stop When It Closes For Remodeling
“We’re not setting out to create an exotic cultural safari. It’s a fine line and a challenge … We are not going to disrespect the community by putting them on show, but we do want to remind people of the extraordinary diversity that is here on our streets.”
All An American Musical Audience Wants Is A Good ‘I Want’ Song
“Time has proven that the pre-inciting incident I Want Song is the most successful with audiences. It gives the characters the power to make choices and influence the plot. When the characters are making choices, they are more sympathetic.”
When Audience Accessibility Is Part Of The Art
“Theatres are increasingly making their work accessible for deaf and disabled audiences in a more creative, integrated fashion and are placing issues of access right at the heart of their design.”
Trevor Nunn Directs An American Cast For The First Time
“When he introduced himself to the actors on the first day, he said that he found beginning work with an American cast both exciting and ‘paralyzingly terrifying – maybe I will find that it’s a whole new ballgame.’ By the time a reporter could observe him in rehearsal, though, he seemed to have learned the rules.”
We’re Using A Totally Bogus Standard To Judge The Success Of Musicals
“Where once a musical running one or two years would have been a great success, that achievement has now been devalued. The 1989 production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Aspects of Love was the first time I heard the expression ‘West End failure’ applied to a show that had, in fact, run a very credible 1,325 performances but was being compared to Lloyd Webber’s previous musical, The Phantom of the Opera.”
West End Theatre Box Office Grew Slightly In 2015
“In total, there were 14.7 million attendees to West End theatres, roughly the same as in the slightly longer period counted in 2014.”
‘Theatre Has Been The Last Bastion Of Segregation,’ Says Playwright Lynn Nottage
“You see plays by African American playwrights, by-and-large, have majority Asian or African American cast and are produced either on smaller stages or produced in theatres that are specifically geared towards work by people of colour.”
There’s Another Play That Has Audience Members Literally Fainting
“Five people have fainted watching the graphic scenes of torture, rape and violence in the National Theatre’s latest production while 40 walked out in the show’s first week.”
What’s Wrong With “Hamilton” (And Why It’s Important To Say)
“I and others who have risked critiquing Hamilton in public forums have often been dismissed or denigrated for doing so. Hamilton has received rave reviews almost categorically. I agree with much of this praise; the book, the score, the choreography, the direction, the lighting: it’s all genius artistry. I also yield that a Broadway production that puts so many performers of color to work does constitute a victory. This should be celebrated, but this is not enough.”