Edward Hall, who founded the all-male Shakespearean specialist Propeller Theatre Company, is the brother of actress/director Rebecca Hall and son of Royal Shakespeare Company founder Peter Hall. Edward succeeds the Chicago troupe's founding director, Barbara Gaines, who departed last month after 37 years. - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
So how do we avoid this catastrophe? Just as in other areas of recent American life where entire industries were imperiled — banks, the auto industry — this crisis requires federal intervention. - The New York Times
What worries me more than money at the moment is the spiritual pall hanging over the theater community – a simmering angry paralysis mirroring our city’s wandering at anchor over its mixture of astonishing wealth, desire for social justice, and more and more people living in tents. - Post Alley
"'Writing jokes will be one the very last tasks AI will be able to do convincingly and effectively,' predicts Conan vet Matthew Broussard. 'Meaning, against all logic, I chose the career with the most stability.'" - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
Yet it’s hard to shake the suspicion that Orientalist kitsch was integral to the show's commercial appeal. Remove the defamiliarizing frisson of the exotic and you have, essentially, a love triangle with an immigration paperwork angle. It’s still a heart-rending tale, but is it as much of a spectacle? - The New York Times
The nuclear apocalypse comedy will be adapted by Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Death of Stalin) and will star, and be directed by, Sean Foley. Said Iannucci, "In these sad times, what better way to cheer the nation up than a stage show about the end of the world." - BBC
"As the North American tour of Funny Girl gets ready to hit the road beginning Sept. 9 following the Lea Michele-led musical's closing on Broadway, the tour has received backlash after casting newcomer Katerina McCrimmon in the lead role of real-life Jewish vaudeville star Fanny Brice." - The Messenger
Earnest and ridiculous in equal measure, Theater Camp makes clear that places like AdirondACTS are microcosms of magical weirdness. The film isn’t just a starry-eyed ode to the wonders of theater; it’s a look at how following one’s passions requires immense support. - The Atlantic
A French musical based on a Hugo novel, but still. "A song debating the merits of the printing press at the top of Act II after a cliffhanger Act I ending? (I guess they had to leave at least one trademark Hugo tangent in there!)" - The New York Times
The options for renovating Portland's not-at-all-earthquake-safe, landmark-in-downtown big hall aren't great. Now, the city is checking out ideas for a new site, "which would allow continuous operations at the Keller Auditorium until the new facility is completed." Hmmm. - Oregon ArtsWatch
Never fear, Europe. Though the language itself seems to have invaded every corner of France, an announced focus on English this summer at the Avignon (theatre) Festival turned out to be mildly interesting at best. - The New York Times
"'We have had so many conversations with our upper management about the issues we are trying to fix, and once it became clear that they would not budge on these issues, unionizing became the obvious choice,' said Ella Fent, Drunk Shakespeare United union leader." - American Theatre
Says artistic director Oskar Eustis, "Our audience is down by about 30 percent, we have expenses up anywhere from 30 to 45 percent, and we have kept our donor base, but it's static. Put that all together, and you get budget shortfalls — big budget shortfalls." - The New York Times
"The so-called Bus & Truck Touring Agreement pertains to IATSE crew members working on tours presented by (four corporations which) are not Broadway League producers. As part of the new agreement, IATSE said it had won the right for single occupancy housing while on the road." - The Hollywood Reporter
The Stratford Festival has come a long way in 70 years but the story of how racialized artists began to get a foothold and carve out creative space for themselves both onstage and backstage is a theme that has been omitted from the various historical narratives written about the festival over the years. - Aisle Say
