“To my mind, though, all is not well when a dramatist has become so thoroughly cynical that his world-view only makes artistic sense when served up under the licence of wild larkiness.”
Category: theatre
Actors’ Equity At 100
Actors’ Equity Association was born to fight the appalling working conditions actors faced – no pay for weeks of rehearsal, having to buy their own costumes, etc. – in early 20th-century New York. Over the next hundred years, the union bargained successfully with generations of producers, spread across the US, and was at the forefront of social issues from segregation to HIV/AIDS.
Singing Along With Cicely Tyson On Broadway
Early in the second act of the current revival of Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful, Tyson’s Carrie Watts stands up and starts singing the old hymn “Blessed Assurance”. And the audience, especially at Sunday matinees, joins right in.
A Money-Back Guarantee Could Create Space For Exploration
“Offering a money-back guarantee isn’t the same as a theatre apologising for a show, and it may well help to build audiences and encourage a taste for more ambitious productions.”
Civic Theatre, Where Everyone Is, Or Could Be, An Actor
“MDR’s works can look like interactive street art, or theatrical ice-breaking, or social work, but they’re all about coaxing people to act out an ideal of social relationships. The question is always how far people really want to go in that direction.”
Will Theatre Go The Way Of The GOP?
“Is what we have merely a leadership problem? Do we–like the Republicans–simply need a few more nonwhite leaders who share our values and can perpetuate our current systems? Does anyone know if Marco Rubio enjoys new play development?”
Longtime Village Voice Theatre Critic Axed
“Michael Feingold, 67, began writing for The Village Voice in 1970. His columns are known for the erudition and understanding of theatre history, both ancient and modern, and how current plays fit in with that continuum. Aside from John Simon, Feingold probably possesses more first-hand knowledge of New York stage history than any other currently working theatre critic.”
British Equity Worries About Increase In Nudity Requests
“Fears have been raised [by the actors’ union] about the increasing number of acting jobs that require nudity, and the possibility that actors refusing to take their clothes off at castings are being denied work.”
L.A.’s UnCabaret At 25
For a quarter-century, “it’s been a place to hear unvarnished, rough-edged ideas being tried out … It brought in funny people from the huge Hollywood talent pool … and freed them to talk about things in their own lives.” Founder Beth Lapides’s key instruction to performers: “When you get onstage, do the material that, if you don’t do it, your head is going to explode.”
Scotland’s Oldest Theatre is Saved
“The Theatre Royal in Dumfries, which has been in operation for more than 200 years, has been given £455,000 by Dumfries and Galloway Council. The grant … will allow the theatre to be refurbished and additional facilities installed.”