Category: theatre

“Who wants to go out to a theatre when you can call up anything on your smartphone?”

“Lawyers for the producers of Rebecca sued Marc Thibodeau, the show’s former publicist, in State Supreme Court on Tuesday for defamation and breach of contract and fiduciary duty, claiming that he scared off an 11th-hour angel investor whose money might have enabled the show to go on.”

Sorkin was to write the book (his first) for the show, expected to open next season, and had already put in considerable work, but he is withdrawing for scheduling reasons – i.e., he says he can’t juggle the musical with writing the scripts for his TV series The Newsroom and his Steve Jobs biopic.

Mixing pragmatism with imagination, Wall Street Journal critic and columnist Terry Teachout, who made his debut as a playwright in 2012, cited the oft-repeated figure that 75% of all Broadway shows fail financially. Then “why do people produce on Broadway?” Teachout asked. “Because it’s fun.”

“I’m now planning to leave in 2015 and am determined to raise £20million by then as an endowment fund to make the theatre fit for the 21st century. We can then use the £20million to give us £1million-a-year income to help refurbish the theatre – like more ladies loos and more bar room.”

“Overall sales increased by 0.27% to £529.7m, with audiences up 0.56% to 13.99 million on 2011’s totals.”

“The Providence Performing Arts Center … has designated a section of its theater for ‘tweet seats’ since last spring. Located in the back two rows to avoid distracting patrons, the seats are free for those who promise to live-tweet a performance.”

“The Shaw Festival’s audience may have shrunk in 2012, but the southern Ontario theatre company has ended up in the black after two years of large deficits thanks to a “right sizing” that reined in expenditures.”

“As a trainer I can see where the artist or work of art is, I can look at the goals of said work (or artist) and I can help develop a plan to move closer to the goal.”

“Now, participation is far more open, an artist or a theater can be an individual member of the international association, or you can participate through networks of researchers or playwrights. In the future, people will have far greater choice.”