Sam Mendes – best known in the US as a film director (American Beauty and the James Bond films Spectre and Skyfall) – said, “I knew I couldn’t marry the time commitment to make a Broadway production with the development of my next projects.”
Category: theatre
Pasadena’s Boston Court Confounds Definitions For The 99-Seat Rule
“The perception of wealth has made the theatre Exhibit A for what Equity apparently thought was wrong with small L.A. theatre: an immaculate venue with acclaimed world-premiere plays that didn’t pay its actors minimum wage.”
Why Is Theatre Casting So White? Laziness, Says British Equity Head
Malcolm Sinclair: “‘The default position if you see a part that has no particular ethnic characteristic, is to presume it is white. Why should you? There are maybe more parts [specifically] for black, asian, south east Asian actors now, but why can’t they be playing all the other parts? … You have to call the people that actually make the decisions to account, which is the producers and directors.”
Plan To Lift A Broadway Theatre 29 Feet – A Sign Of Things To Come?
“As Broadway theatres have begun to pass the 100-year mark, it’s impossible not to wonder how these tourist draws will fare over the long term. As ticket prices continue to rise and make Broadway into an increasingly luxury brand, the beloved but antique interiors may seem increasingly problematic to patrons: steep staircases, small lobbies and tight bathrooms come quickly to mind.”
The Wiz Was A Hit On TV – 11.5 Million Viewers
The 3.4 demo rating is 42% above that earned by last year’s live musical presentation of “Peter Pan” (2.4/7 in 18-49, 9.21 million viewers overall). It wasn’t quite up to the level of “Sound of Music,” which averaged a 4.6/13 in the demo and 18.32 million viewers.
Paris Theatre To Offer English Translations Via Google Glass-Type Device
“The team at Theatre in Paris has announced that it is rolling out special glasses for non-French speakers that send perfectly synchronized translations into the air by the stage.” Says company co-founder Carl de Poncins, “It’s very similar to Google glasses, except the screen is larger and the words are positioned closer to where you’re looking.”
Women Have Been Written Out Of Irish Theatre, And Irish Women Are Not OK With That
“If a nation’s canon is almost exclusively dominated by white male voices, what does that tell you about that nation?”
We Can’t Let Screenings Displace Live Theatre
“There needs to be some comprehensive research that goes beyond the anecdotal and allows both the NT and RSC to have a proper dialogue with those companies affected and with the Arts Council, to find ways to allow audiences and all parts of the theatre ecology – from the giants to the minnows – to thrive alongside each other.”
London’s Theatres Still Exude Magic
“More than 14 million people see shows each year at the 60-odd major theaters clustered around the Soho neighborhood and Leicester Square (known as the West End) and beyond, compared with about 13 million at Broadway’s 40 theaters and tens of thousands more at several major Off Broadway theaters.”
How Can Freelancers Possibly Make A Difference?
“As a freelance artist constantly looking for work, I literally can’t afford to take a stand. If I did, it might mean not getting hired at one of the few theatres in my region that offer a decent pay rate. In this close- knit community, speaking out about my frustrations with lack of diversity in a particular company’s season could get me labeled as a ‘difficult’ actor, and I could never work again.”