“It all felt so good. The comfort of self-mythologizing, of thinking of ourselves as a nation of revolutionaries — delicious.” But, ouf, times have changed. - Seattle Times
"Many theater lovers are hoping that (Matthias) Lilienthal’s appointment marks the end of a prolonged period of turmoil at the Volksbühne, which … in recent years has been plagued by scandal and tragedy, as well as vicious conflicts about its creative direction." - The New York Times
Funding cuts and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have pushed the venue towards fewer plays with extended runs, often featuring a high-profile name in order to fill seats – a move which Hare decried as “terrible impoverishment”. - The Guardian
What's more, the four Miller tragedies that usually get performed have some funny parts as well (at least if the production is good). Yet, writes on scholar, "critics and audiences just do not know how to accept or understand Miller the comedian." - JSTOR Daily
The Iranian-American playwright says she was inspired "by a lifetime of seeing people treat my parents, who speak English as a second language, as lesser-than because they had accents, and the way that they were perceived as less human and as people that don’t hold full personalities." - Variety
Just Stop Oil demonstration interrupted a performance of The Tempest at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Actor Sigourney Weaver sat aghast as protesters walked on stage and fired a confetti cannon, holding placards and announcing politely: “We’ll have to stop the show, ladies and gentlemen, sorry.” - The Conversation
The leaders of four London theatres, including the National Theatre and the Young Vic, along with theatres in Sheffield, Liverpool, and Wales, talk about their goals. - The Guardian
“Hell’s Kitchen, a coming-of-age show inspired by the adolescent experiences of Alicia Keys and fueled by her music, won a Grammy Award on Sunday for best musical theater album.” Keys is composer and lyricist for the songs on the album. - The New York Times
As commercial theatre recovers from the holidays, experimental theatre is amped up. "January is this incredible crush of everyone doing everything all the time, and by the seat of everyone’s pants." - The New York Times
ACT, founded in 1965, has a fiscal year 2025 operating budget of $6.8 million while Seattle Shakespeare Company, founded in 1991, has a current operating budget of $2.5 million. The new company’s fiscal year 2026 budget is still in development. - Seattle Times
"The musical was to have been staged at Leeds Playhouse from 11 April to 11 May before touring to Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester. … The new musical was adapted by playwright Zinnie Harris and composer Louis Barabbas, and was to have been directed by Leeds Playhouse’s artistic director, James Brining." - The Guardian
On Monday evening, two members of the group Just Stop Oil climbed onstage at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, fired a confetti cannon, stopped Sigourney Weaver (Prospero) mid-scene in The Tempest, and, amid boos, displayed a sign reading “Over 1.5 Degrees is a Global Shipwreck.” - The Standard (London)
Weyni Mengesha will depart as of August 31 after seven years in the post. A statement said she is leaving in order to focus on her family and her freelance directing career. - Canadian Press (MSN)
The third scene of Eureka Day depicts a board meeting at a private school in Berkeley (!) after a student gets mumps. The board does it town-hall style, with a running feed, shown upstage, of the insane comments the online attendees put in the chat box. Yikes. - The New York Times
