“In the last few months, the requests for either virtual or digital performances from streaming have really dropped off dramatically. They’re still happening, but it’s maybe 10 percent of the requests that we get.” - The New York Times
Christopher Massimine came to the Pioneer Theatre in 2019 after seven years at National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene, where he doubled the budget and oversaw the hit Yiddish production of Fiddler on the Roof. You'd think that would be enough — but Massimine did not. - The New York Times
Working closely with labor unions and other production partners, Christina Alexander will implement strategic procedures related to hiring practices to identify qualified candidates from underrepresented communities. - Playbill
The harsh reality of layoffs and rehiring has sparked much confusion and pain among theatre workers, especially the technicians whose shops have sat empty for over a year and a half but now need to be filled with skilled practitioners. - American Theatre
A (very) recent negative test will also do. But it's not just audiences: "Additionally, all artists, staff, ushers and volunteers will be required to be vaccinated." - Washington Post
Last month in the Bay Area, rumors that the actors in a two-hander were performing unvaccinated in a 99-seat house led to the cancellation of the rest of the run. As theaters reopen and the Delta variant spreads, questions arise about safety and enforcement. - San Francisco Chronicle
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
