THEATRE

South Africa’s Daring Anti-Apartheid Theatre Turns Fifty

“Even the fact that audiences were made up of Black and white South Africans mingling together was unheard of in a city where the law separated areas and people by race.” - NPR

This Poem Was Banned One Hundred Years Ago. Now, It’s Onstage

“A narrative poem full of sex, drugs and violence, it tells the story of a crazy gathering hosted by a beautiful vaudeville singer named Queenie and her crass clown performer boyfriend, Burrs. The poem’s jazzy syncopated rhythms make it as lively and unpredictable as the action.” - The New York Times

Why Two Emmy-Winning Stars Of The Bear Are Experimenting On Broadway

“'There’s nobody I’d rather go to battle with,’ Bernthal said fervently of his co-star. And ‘if we do go down,’ Moss-Bachrach said, laughing, ‘it’ll be spectacular.’” - The New York Times

The Lion King Lyrics Legal Battle Is Unfolding Before Our Eyes

So … does the opening line really mean “Look, there’s a lion; oh my God”? Or is all of this just a big GoFundMe scam? - Vulture

Friday Was World Theatre Day

To celebrate, theatre makers give video messages. Willem Dafoe (a founding member of the Wooster Group) in his message: “Our challenge as theatre-makers is to avoid the corruption of theatre solely as a commercial enterprise dedicated to entertain as distraction.” - American Theatre

Why Are London Theatre Tickets So Much Cheaper Than Broadway’s?

West End theater tickets are regularly less expensive than on Broadway, even for the same shows. Last year, the average West End ticket price was about $81, while last season the average Broadway ticket price was roughly $129. - The New York Times

Trinity Rep Names A New Artistic Director

Meredith McDonough, formerly associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville and, before that, director of new works at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, takes the helm at the Providence company as of August 3. - The Providence Journal

How Can We Make Theatre Touring More Environmentally Friendly?

At the moment, theatre companies undertake a range of sustainability practices, including reusing set pieces in different shows and ethically sourcing and constructing sets. -ArtsHub

One Of Chicago’s Leading Black Theaters Was Secretly Dissolved By Its Board, Say Actors

“’We were never notified,’ said Monifa Days, co-founding ensemble member (of Congo Square Theatre Company). ‘Our lawyers were never notified. How we found out was we would just do searches in the state’s database about where our status was ... and that’s how we found out.’” - WBEZ (Chicago)

Chicago’s Raven Theatre Chooses Steppenwolf Veteran For Producing Artistic Director

“Jonathan Berry, a longtime Chicago director and former artistic producer at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, will take the helm at Raven Theatre, a 43-year-old off-Loop Chicago theater that operates a busy, two-stage complex in an Edgewater building that once housed a grocery store.” - Chicago Tribune (Yahoo!)

“I Miss The Amateur Spirit” — Willem Dafoe On His Theatre Programming At The Venice Biennale

“His goal (is) to platform voices that many audiences won’t be familiar with — and to push back against a theater landscape he feels has lost its edge. ‘Professionalism has flattened its soul,” he said. ‘It can feel polished to the point of sameness.’ … His program ... (will) favor cracks over polish.” - The Hollywood Reporter

Producers Throw Playwright Out Of Rehearsals Weeks Before Broadway Opening

The show’s producing team told the playwright, Stephen Adly Guirgis, that he was no longer welcome at rehearsals after tempers flared on Friday between Guirgis and Mark Kaufman, who runs Warner Bros. Theater Ventures, an entity that is among the play’s lead producers. - The New York Times

New York Theatre Settles Case Of “Ticket Discrimination”

Theaters have experimented with “Black Out” nights intended to attract patrons of color. At issue in the lawsuit was whether a discount offered as part of the Playwrights event was discriminatory. - The New York Times

Steppenwolf Theater Can Finally Restart Its New Play Program

“(A) grant (from the Stephen Sondheim Foundation) will go toward rebuilding Steppenwolf’s Scout program, which supports new works by emerging writers and was shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Steppenwolf has developed and launched more than 130 plays in its 50-year history.” - WBEZ (Chicago)

Theatre Has Kept On Creating And Recreating Antigone, Over 2500 Years

Why? “Antigone isn’t wrestling with a prophecy. In her story, fate is what one powerless girl makes it, and right action is possible, as long as we don’t fear the consequences.” - The New York Times

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss