Category: theatre

Producing new work in small theaters makes it possible. But what happens when demand for the work grows? “So the Donmar is not just thinking outside the box, but producing outside of it now, too – and it could have a galvanising effect on the way the West End works.”

Lombardo, 49, is artistic director of the New Repertory Theatre. The $2 million-a-year institution recently moved into its own theater complex at Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown, Mass., just outside of Boston. San Jose Rep has a $5.9 million budget for 2008-09.

“It seems that it has only been relatively recently that the environment has become a concern for theatremakers. Perhaps this is not surprising. The science and politics involved tend to feel quite abstract and the consequences of climate change still feel far off, so it can be difficult to humanise all this in a way that will work on stage. So how, then, do you best tackle this issue?”

The best place to be a street performer: “North America, because people there embrace the circus culture and live performance, and they’re used to tipping. In the U.K. they’ll pay if you make them laugh. In Australia, where tipping isn’t a common practice, you have to put on an exhibition of great skill before they’ll part with money. You can earn a lot in Japan, but it costs so much to live there, it’s almost not worthwhile. Canadians are generous and kind…”

“Brian Colburn, managing director of the Pasadena Playhouse in California, has been hired as the new manager of Seattle’s Tony Award-winning Intiman Theatre. Colburn, who has worked at Pasadena Playhouse since 1997, will replace Intiman longtime former manager Laura Penn, who left earlier this year to head up the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers union.”

“Theatre in this country is currently preoccupied with a cult of virginity, with new plays premiered and discarded in rapid succession; far more than it is in nurturing a contemporary repertoire that will sustain modern playwriting long-term. This is a shame: our theatre is the envy of the world, and has a back catalogue of contemporary plays more valued overseas than they are here.”

“A Broadway revival of Godspell, the 1971 Stephen Schwartz pop musical, has been canceled because the producers came up short on the show’s $4.5 million capitalization. An uncertain economic outlook has made many Broadway investors skittish.”

It’s an ambitious project – the company will present A-list actors. “Astonishingly, they will be presented at Donmar, not West End, prices – with 130 seats a night at £10 and a top price of £32.50. This is possible only because every actor involved has agreed to take £750 a week, which is up on the Donmar’s normal salary of £415 but well below commercial rates. It means that far from being a moneyraiser, the theatre will have to sell 80 per cent of the 750-seat auditorium every night to break even. The economics are, frankly, barmy.”

“Producers report some investors would now rather hold onto their money rather than pony up for a risky Rialto show, and many worry that the usual September downturn in ticket sales will be particularly brutal this year. But others in the industry respond that the economy is only one factor among several to consider — and even a downturn can have a silver lining.”

“Virtually all musicals of any vintage or scale have long been dependent on orchestrators for their aural color and character. Imagine “Mamma Mia!” on a lone guitar or “The Phantom of the Opera” on piano. Mel Brooks may be a brilliant writer and director, but without Doug Besterman’s orchestrations, his music for “Young Frankenstein” would sound bland. The same is true of countless Broadway scores through the years.”