Eliminate the distinction between collegiate and professional improv, because there is none. We henceforth reject the label “amateur improvisers.” “Improvisers” is embarrassing enough, we have been told. - The New Yorker
The Federation of Local Festivals and Theaters, formally launched this month at the Avignon Festival, is made up of 17 rural companies started by young theatre grads who "found themselves frustrated with the rigid structure of France's theater world." - The New York Times
Sarah Frankcom has stepped down as director of LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) as the school's trustees investigate "complaints on some aspects of conduct and management style." - The Guardian
Even without the pandemic, 2020 was a difficult year for Second City and the iO Theater, two of Chicago's flagships for improv, and both companies ended up being sold. New owners and artistic directors are hoping to lead a renaissance of the form. - The New York Times
The controversial staging, directed by Ivo van Hove, co-choreographed by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, and produced by Scott Rudin, barely made it past 100 performances (including previews) before the pandemic shutdown last year. - Variety
The antipathy for the commercial sector of the theater, especially from the inside and often fueled by envy or elitism, is far from new. - Chicago Tribune
At the Broadway Rose Theatre in Tigard, Oregon, the founder and managing director is so very done with the pandemic. "We’re a live theater company. I don’t want to do any more streaming. I want live people experiencing a live performance that will different the next night and the night after that." - Oregon ArtsWatch
Playwright Antoinette Nwandu changed the ending of her play Pass Over before its debut as the first show to open since Broadway closed in March of 2020. "I no longer wanted to work on a play that ended with the murder of a Black man. ... I want to focus on life." - The New York Times
No spontaneous performances, no flyers being handed out, not as many shows: Organizers hope the in-person Festival is also missing the Delta variant. - BBC
The survey of 75 leaders also found a need to safely discuss big ideas. "Right now we do not have an ability to have a healthy conversation. … There's fear and apprehension in the field, and we have to figure out how to talk to each other." - Variety
“A week ago, there was great optimism that by Sept. 14 we would be raring to go. Now, I would say there’s cautious optimism, what with the delta variant and the many forms of communication coming out that there’ve been breakthrough cases.” - Bloomberg
Elisabeth Vincentelli visits Creede, Colorado (population 350), isolated high in the San Juan Mountains, to check out the Creede Repertory Theater, which came up when she Googled "most remote theater in the United States" and which has attracted serious stage professionals for 56 years. - The New York Times
It’s a resumption of business — and, for many arts workers, employment — that’s been eagerly awaited and long in coming. But it’s also a balancing act of safety and economics. - Variety
Though its theater season each summer is a must-see in the industry, even that is more inward facing than outward, with only a few performances of each show and no reviews allowed. - The New York Times
In 2020, the worst of a series of bad years for the company, UCB withdrew entirely from New York. Now the Squirrel Comedy Theater wants to operate using UCB's artistic principles while avoiding the business practices that alienated so many members and students. - The New York Times
