“‘Oh, I hope it holds together,’ he fretted the other morning, between rewrites and rehearsals of In-Zoom, his new 10-minute play. Performed by Irwin in New York and Christopher Fitzgerald, in North Carolina, it will have its livestream premiere Thursday evening on the website of [San Diego’s] Old Globe [theater].” The Tony- and MacArthur award-winning clown talks to Laura Collins-Hughes about how he’s putting it together. – The New York Times
Category: theatre
Research: The Conditions Under Which Audiences Say They’ll Return To Theaters
What will it take to make people feel confident enough to return to going to shows? – American Theatre
With Theatres Shuttered, Broadway Stars Put On Their Own Audio Plays
“These shows have been assembled, wholly or in part, by stage actors in isolation. Some … have considerable voice-over experience. Others have little or none. … We spoke to performers about recording at home, building a role through phonemes alone and whether audio drama can replace live theater — for now, anyway.” – The New York Times
It remains unclear when Broadway might reopen. Many industry officials believe it will be considerably later than Labor Day. The practical effect of Tuesday’s announcement is that box offices and authorized ticket sellers should now refund or exchange tickets for shows through Sept. 6. – The New York Times
This May Be The First US Theater To Call Off Its 2020-21 Season Due To COVID
In place of a regular mainstage season, Theater Latté Da in Minneapolis will expand its “Next” workshopping program, “making public the shows it is developing for the future, keeping writers, actors and other artists busy creating work even though it’s not certain when it will be shared with audiences.” – Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Will The High School Shutdown Derail Theatre And Other Performing Arts Careers?
For students at performing arts schools, the lost senior recitals, plays, dance recitals and more are not just about losing the opportunity to share performances with family: This is their careers on the line. One 18-year-old playwright and director: “The environment in theater is nice because you have a lot of voices together, and everyone was working on this cool project and it felt really great, and I felt that we were all in sync with the vision. … Without that to look forward to working on every day, it makes the days very glum.” – Los Angeles Times
In The UK, Equity Calls For Much More Support For Self-Employed Creatives
Most theatres won’t reopen until 2021 (if they can even open then), says the leader of Equity. “While it may be possible for some sections of the audiovisual industry to go back to work in the coming months, health and safety issues such as social distancing provide complex challenges to a sector where audiences are an integral part of the experience. We anticipate that the majority of theatres, pubs, comedy clubs and other live entertainment venues across the country will not start to open their doors until early next year – if indeed they manage to survive until then.” – The Stage (UK)
The Theatre Is Empty, But On Its Abandoned Set, A New Show Is Going On
An art installation called Caretaker will run on the Royal Court’s stage until the theatre reopens. The show “is a livestream of the theatre’s uninhabited main stage, with intermittently broadcast ‘witty, playful and supportive audio messages’ accompanying the Shoe Lady set.” – The Guardian (UK)
Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater Pitches A 2021 ‘Mini Season’ Starting In March
The Guthrie’s leadership had envisioned various scenarios as lockdown orders arrived. But “now, as the ripple effects of the coronavirus health crisis are felt throughout the economy, and the eagerness of folks to return to large gatherings in enclosed spaces has understandably plunged, the Guthrie has announced a season start well after any of those alternatives and offered a stark budgetary forecast, amending earlier projections.” – American Theatre
UK’s National Theatre Will (Offer To) Pay Actors For Plays Streamed During Corona-Crisis
“The ‘nominal’ payment will apply to all the productions the National has been streaming on YouTube since early April. The venue said it was up to the artists whether they chose to accept it.” – BBC