Five years after "The Greatest Show on Earth" closed down (it said) permanently, performers are being recruited and rehearsals and logistics are being planned for a 50-something-city tour to begin in September of next year. And it's confirmed: there will be no animals. - The New York Times
It's not only that "theater is a team sport." It's not just that some shows (this season, for instance, Six and Take Me Out) simply don't have lead roles. It's that even star turns can't truly sizzle if the rest of the cast isn't cooking, too. - The New York Times
"Depicting the life, persecution, death and resurrection of Jesus, ... the oldest continuous running amateur theatre production in the world will open on Saturday with a 103-performance run until October ... after having been thrown off its usual schedule by two years owing to the latest pandemic." - The Guardian
It's no coincidence that Punchdrunk has begun collaborating with Pokemon Go creator Niantic. The company's work offers the same promise as virtual reality: At its best, it can fool you into believing you've been transported to another world. - CNET
At Pasadena's A Noise Within theatre, it took the production team "five months to design and construct the makeshift pool for the production’s run." Luckily, the production manager had worked "in pool service." (This is L.A., after all.) - Los Angeles Times
Toossi on previews of English at the Atlantic Theater: "The terror of an audience coming was, like, definitely something I wish I had been prepared for. But also, something I think you can only learn by having an audience coming!" - NPR
In 2018, the facility — a former curling rink-turned-theatre — underwent a $72-million demolition and reconstruction, a project completed in 2020. However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic's health and safety measures, the theatre's reopening was delayed until this week. - CBC
The musical, which has been posting middling box office numbers during the industry’s crowded spring season, will end its run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on May 29, producers announced. - Deadline
Angie Belcher, comedian-in-residence at Bristol University (yes, really) and founder of the practice Comedy on Referral, has already had a successful NHS-funded course for trauma survivors, and she's about to start one in London for men at risk of suicide. - The Guardian
"A couple of recent high-profile physical attacks on comedians ... have left some comics wondering if the stage is becoming less safe, and have led some clubs and venues to take steps to beef up their security at comedy shows." - The New York Times
Even with understudies and swing performers, The Rep had to cancel 15 out of 49 total shows due to the quantity of cases and people involved. That’s about a third of the total run. - Milwaukee Magazine
Just a day after incredulity and scorn over £400 ticket prices (double those of Hamilton) hit social media and then news outlets, seats in the stalls are now listed at £175 ($216), with seats that had been £350 ($432) and £300 ($371) now £150 ($185) and £125 ($154). - The Guardian
While liberals lost their way doing “Orange Man Bad” comedy during the Trump administration, a new ecosystem emerged of right-wing comedians—on podcasts, YouTube, and, yes, Fox News—that’s been growing increasingly popular. - Fast Company
The £400 price for the revival of Mike Bartlett's play Cock, featuring Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey, isn't advertised. Some poor guy ordered online and found himself paying £920 ($1,134) for two seats — that's £400 plus a £60 processing fee per ticket. The producers' response? Supply and demand. - Time Out (London)
Colbert, who performed at the Old Town theater in the 1990s, will chair the board. He said in a statement Monday that his recruits “all believe that comedy is better off with a vital Second City. - Chicago Sun-Times
