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THEATRE

Why Theatre Resonates: What A 19th Century Ibsen Play Has To Say About Today

It would be challenging to find a 19th century drama that speaks as directly to our pandemic-scarred society as this one. - Los Angeles Times

Canada’s Shaw Festival Reports Both Record Revenue And Record Deficit

"The repertory theatre company, based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., reported at its annual general meeting that cost escalations and attendance shortfalls led to it ending the fiscal year in the red, despite bringing in record operating revenues of $36.7-million thanks to its best fundraising efforts ever." - The Globe and Mail (Canada)

When This French Actress Had Trouble Landing Roles, She Made Her Own Play, And Her Own Way

"The production is testament to Blanc’s ability to forge a lasting career in a performance landscape that has often felt hostile to her. … last year, she became the first actress on the core syllabus for all French high school students studying theater." - The New York Times

The Thing New Actors Misunderstand About The Job

Acting coach Howard Fine says that acting is “incredibly tough,” and if it’s not your passion, you better step away. - Slate

Performance Space New York Goes With A Triple-Leader Model

In a performance arts space, why not have three women with an equal vote making major decisions - and figuring out how to fund performance art in a challenging time? - The New York Times

Theatre For A Complex, Multivocal Street In The Nation’s Capital City

“To be able to participate in this project is to not only get to learn more about history, but also to have an outlet for the grief that I feel." - American Theatre

As Space In New York Gets Ever More Expensive, Indie Theatermakers Are Getting More Resourceful

In years past, what used to be called Off-Off-Broadway would take place on small, out-of-the-way stages in storefronts, schools or church basements. Post-pandemic, they're happening in people's living rooms or tiny backyards or on their rooftops. - Gothamist

Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre, Nearly Dead Last Summer, Has A New Artistic Director And A New Business Plan

"The company, which was founded in 1988 by a group of Northwestern University graduates and achieved national fame for its original theatrical works, has been struggling financially since the COVID-19 crisis and has seen its theater production activities dwindle." - Chicago Tribune (MSN)

Texas School District Reverses Course, Will Allow High School Production Of “The Laramie Project”

When school district leaders in the Fort Worth suburb of Keller cancelled the production last month, they gave no specific reason but indicated that they'd prefer something more anodyne than a docudrama about the murder of a gay college student. But, facing resistance, the officials backed down. - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)

The World’s Largest International Comedy Festival, Montreal’s Just For Laughs, Is Cancelled For 2024

"Groupe Juste pour rire Inc. said that it is seeking protection from its creditors as it begins formal restructuring under Canada’s Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act. … The company plans to continue operations in what it called a scaled-down format as it restructures (and) hopes the festival will return in 2025." - AP

From The Creator Of “A Strange Loop,” A Musical About A Vagina Dentata

"If you’re going to musicalize a horror movie, Teeth is a doozy, and a gamble. Darkly comic and at times stomach-churningly gory, it’s a touchstone of feminist body horror and an exemplar … of a rape-revenge film that indicts misogyny and body shame." - The New York Times

Can Buskers Revive Downtown San Francisco?

"The latest effort to breathe life into San Francisco’s struggling Mid-Market neighborhood involves bringing amateur musicians to the streets. The nonprofit Mid-Market Business Association unveiled a new initiative, Busk It!, on Thursday. The project aims to attract local musicians for weekly live performances on the sidewalks." - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Off-Broadway Will Lose Its Theatres Without Support

“If Broadway is sustained by tourists, to use a sweeping generalisation, Off-Broadway is where the locals can be found, given the primarily limited run nature of what is offered. Losing theatres to high rents and redevelopment only contributes to the hollowing out of the city." - The Stage (UK)

Actor Who Uses Wheelchair Sues Shakespeare’s Globe For Employment Discrimination

"Athena Stevens is suing Shakespeare’s Globe for harassment, discrimination and victimisation, claiming she encountered ‘unfavourable' treatment because of her disability while working there” - and since the story first broke, new information about the Globe’s policies may have strengthened her claim. - The Stage (UK)

Wait, ‘Forbidden Broadway’ Is Headed For Broadway?

The newest version of the long-running humorous take on Broadway will spoof many, many Sondheim productions, including the current Merrily We Roll Along, as well as whatever else the current crop of shows tosses into the satirical maw. Will it also spoof itself? - The New York Times

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