“The violence in Greek tragedies is a form of therapy and education for the audiences both then and now, Doerries argues, a communal response to suffering. The violence in many of the contemporary American plays I’ve been seeing, by contrast, is intended as a form of entertainment, a thrill ride.”
Category: theatre
How Much Should A Theatre Worry About Offending An Audience?
“Instead of censoring or sanitizing content that “might offend,” theatres should look at such works as opportunities to engage their audiences in critical public discourse about important issues in the play, because if we approach theatre as something that should be feared or approached cautiously, then we’ve robbed it of it’s power before the actors have even said a word.”
Do Our Theatre Reviews Have A Racial Bias Problem?
“Reading these reviews just after following reports from the Americans in the Arts and Theatre Communications Group conferences, which demonstrated a genuine desire on the part of arts institutions to address diversity and inclusion, I worry that if the arbiters of art continue to judge work based on retrograde social views, it will only slow progress in the field that, as it is, has already been too long in coming.”
Can An Algorithm Really Tell Us If A Play Is Authentic Shakespeare?
The case of Double Falsehood and the search for “function words.”
The Kremlin Is Not Cool With A Play About Oscar Wilde
“A plan to stage an American theater company’s gay-themed play in Moscow, with support from the United States government, has stalled amid tensions between the two nations and at a time of Kremlin hostility toward homosexuality.”
Time For A Disloyalty Card For Theatres?
“It could be a way to grow audiences, possibly across the commercial and subsidised sector, the big subsidised houses and smaller venues, for the benefit of all.”
The Next Hot Musical Will Probably Be ‘Downton Abbey’ (Yep, For Real)
“There might be some Elgar, there might be some jazz of the periods. Some of the actors will likely recite. We’ll have a screen. We may have the music live to several scenes. Julian may be the host. I’d say it’s a 75 per cent chance it will happen.”
In Hungary, ‘Independent’ Theatre Isn’t Quite As Independent As It Sounds
“Life is rife with lack of understanding, lack of tolerance, and a persistent impatience that has become a part of our everyday lives. The campaign against independent theatre companies led by the right-wing government has lasted for half a decade now. Though this issue seems to be a local concern, it reflects the general situation and the mental condition of the whole country.”
Exploring Pornography On Stage
No, we don’t mean live sex shows. This is all about a spate of recent plays about the effects that widely available porn is having on our society.
New Theatre Launches To Feature Older Actors
The company, Frontier Theatre, has been founded by James Roose-Evans, who set up the acclaimed Hampstead Theatre in 1959. “There is a huge bank of actors in their 60s, 70s and into their 80s who become invisible, particularly actresses. Their talent is being wasted. This set me thinking: ‘What can I do?’”