Category: theatre

“They are rarely interviewed. Few people outside theatre, film and TV know who they are. Yet casting directors rank among the most influential operators in show business. … So who are they, and what do they do?”

“When there are blockbuster shows in town, other productions can benefit from a trickle-down effect of interest and excitement; it’s not a case of one hit precluding the chance of another. But in the harder, leaner economy that has emerged over the last few years is a Darwinian mode of ruthlessness emerging among the punters?”

“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.”

“Because of a tie vote, the judges for the 2013 Obie Awards, announced on Monday night, chose two winners for best new American play: Lisa D’Amour’s dark comedy Detroit and Julia Jarcho’s triptych Grimly Handsome. Other Obies included playwriting awards for Annie Baker (The Flick) and Ayad Akhtar for Disgraced, which won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.”

“How does an independent theatre producer ever get started?” After all, without a track record, why would investors or creative professionals sign on with you? Stage One is a start-up fund that takes a chance on young producers and their projects.

Vonnegut’s play Make Up Your Mind had only one brief staging in 1993, because the author couldn’t settle on a final script. (He left behind a dozen versions.) Now there’s finally a performing edition, courtesy of playwright Nicky Silver, who says that Vonnegut “was the perfect collaborator. He is a genius, and he is dead.”

“If we’re a young, innovative, energetic theatre company that is trying to do the best work that we can, why wouldn’t we back our work with something like a money-back guarantee? Are we going to be so afraid of people disliking our work that we will, in fact, lose money on it?”

“Latino writers are asked to write ‘rice and beans’ plays about immigration, drug cartels, and the working class. That expectation assumes we’re all the same, and–most problematically for me–it creates a theatrical culture of inauthenticity. There are amazing Latino playwrights writing about these subjects; they’re true and important to them. But when you force me to do that, you’re perpetuating a lie.”

“Eighteen voyageur canoes, each holding nine audience members and a guide, paddled the 13-mile theater route.”

“The victim was leaning against a window about 2:50 p.m. when he tumbled out onto the ornate limestone marquee just before the start of the matinee performance of ‘The Nance,’ starring Nathan Lane, officials said.”