Category: theatre

“Dark clouds of recession are gathering over Broadway. Producers, after a drink or two, admit raising money is becoming very difficult. One complains that backers who regularly used to cut checks for $200,000 have all but vanished.”

Tommy Sheppard, director of the Stand, has hit out at the four operators which make up the stand-alone Edinburgh Comedy Festival, accusing them of overcharging for tickets to help fund increased marketing costs.

“Theatre and performance have always played a vital role in breaking down society’s taboos and kicking against the status quo. And in this respect the desire to shock is an entirely laudable one. But there are good ways and bad ways to do this, and too often the work on the fringe falls in to the latter category.”

“A huge majority – 90% – of those polled have refused to accept the deal and demanded that producers improve their offer.”

“Across the Washington area, attendance has flatlined for years, but in the past four years, sales at the Olney have doubled. This sturdy and sometimes aggressive programming might be a bit of a well-kept secret, even though Olney’s affinity for challenge extended to hosting the politically driven Potomac Theatre Project for 10 years, through 2006. The reasons for this lack of attention? History and geography.”

“Some theaters are currently dark, but that’s because no producer in his or her right mind would consider an opening in August when local auds want to be outside enjoying summer heat and tourists want known quantities — not previews of shows they know nothing about. And it’s not as if the current state of affairs is terminal.”

Every few years, with depressing regularity, a hit Broadway musical makes the leap to the big screen and goes splat! Or thud. Or zzzzz.

Philadelphia has some grand old theaters and a thriving local theatre scene. So “why can’t our successful local companies simply use our wonderful existing theaters? Because what they need today is out of sync with yesterday’s grand playhouses. Size is a big issue.”

The Public Theater has chosen as its new executive director Andrew D. Hamingson, who from his perch at the Atlantic Theater Company helped usher “Spring Awakening” to Broadway

The agreement keeps control of the company in the hands of founder Guy Laliberte, putting to rest for now speculation that the troupe would be sold outright.