Category: theatre

“Stage combat has more in common with a combination of ballroom dance and stage magic than it does with any actual fighting discipline.”

“Perhaps because Yorick was such a lauded character in the play, individuals have long expressed an interest in posthumously taking on the role.”

The directors of the St. James Theatre, David Gilmore (artistic) and Guy Kitchenn (executive), ” will step down on 23 November when their contracts expire. They plan to create a new independent production company. Executive producer Robert Mackintosh (brother of Cameron) will remain at the helm of St James.”

National Theatre executive director Nick Starr: “The problem is that the commercial theatre is so unresponsive to the audience. They are coasting along in largely outdated buildings, with outdated cost structures and desperately unfair distribution of the profits among those who create the value.”

“Starting next year, Stratford plans to record three to four productions each season for distribution in movie theatres in Canada, the United States and around the world.”

“In a draughty industrial building in the heart of Birmingham, four actors and a director are trying to do the impossible: turn The Anatomy of Melancholy, one of the sacred monsters of English literature, into a stage show that clocks in at a little over two hours. Where on earth do you begin?”

“It might be the artifice, or it might be the egos. But everyone from Bernstein to Simon Gray agrees: musical theatre is a nightmare to produce.”

“Such spiraling expenses have put the role of the creative producer in jeopardy, said Mr. Prince, who holds a record 21 Tony Awards, as producers are increasingly sought as investors, there to provide financial support. But creative producers play an important role in developing shows, from finding new material to hiring the right director. Losing people who know how to handle that part of the business is a dangerous prospect, he said.”

“It isn’t every day you spot the Almighty in the East Village, but on Tuesday I sat directly behind Stephen Sondheim, the reigning deity of musical theatre, at a performance of Fun Home … Engrossed as I was with the action onstage, it was impossible to watch without imagining it through Sondheim’s eyes. … But that’s because it’s often hard to watch any modern musical without considering his pervasive influence on the genre, as if Sondheim is perpetually perched in Row H of the artists’ minds.”

“Broadway has always been a gamble for its producers; but now it has become a multi-armed bandit for those wanting to spew winnings out of them. It’s one thing for the producers who’ve taken those upfront risks; but another entirely for those who’s only investment has been to buy the tickets in the first place, and then furiously mark up.”