Category: theatre

Shows That Won’t Let You Back In If You Leave Make It Hard For Physically Challenged People

Sitting through a show of that length might seem manageable enough if you’re young and in good health, less so if you have a medical condition like Crohn’s disease or other hidden disability, you’re pregnant or you’re experiencing the menstrual equivalent of the elevator scene in The Shining. If someone leaves during a performance, it’s usually because they don’t have much of a choice. – The Stage

What A ‘Narrative Performance’ Is – And What It Can Do For An Audience

Helen Shaw breaks it all down: “Our critical function operates differently with the storyteller than with scene-player, because we immediately wonder about truthfulness. … The narrating performer demands the close involvement and even participation of her audience, and so our belief and ability to be persuaded (and betrayed) are her main tools.” – Vulture

Why Did The Public Shut Down A Climate Activist’s Play Early?

The show, The Truth Has Changed, tells of Josh Fox’s anti-fracking work and what he describes as “incessant harassment” from the gas and petroleum industries. Fox says the issue was the content of his show; he is the show’s writer, actor, and co-director. The Public begs to differ, saying that the show was shut down following Fox’s refusal to abide by the Public’s Code of Conduct – and, more specifically, “a series of verbal abuses to the staff.” – The New York Times

When Neurodiverse Actors Make A Play Better

“When it comes to acting, neurodiversity — a term embraced by many people with intellectual, social and other disabilities arising in the brain and nervous system — involves more barriers and engages more prejudice than even physical challenges do.” Jesse Green writes about one case where an actor changed his conception of autism (perhaps it’s a sort of dialect) and another where a performer with Tourette’s syndrome seems “an ideal interpreter” of one of Beckett’s most challenging scripts. – The New York Times

Intimacy Coordinators Are Making Sex Scenes Sexier As Well As Safer

On stages and film/video sets alike, the practitioners of this new profession help actors feel secure physically and emotionally — which, naturally, help the actors do their jobs better. What’s more, the intimacy pros are able to choreograph and describe the movements to be done better than directors can. Writer Lizzie Feidelson reports on how exactly they work. – The New York Times Magazine

Is Our Theatre Training System Broken?

“If we don’t reinvent drama training to reflect the different needs of students from much more diverse backgrounds – and that includes those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds – it’s like holding the door open so that they can get in the room, then blaming them when they leave quickly because they feel uncomfortable or can’t afford to stay.” – The Stage