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THEATRE

Why Promising Young Actors Are Leaving The Theatre

As someone who's monitored the performing arts industry for decades, I've seen dozens of talented, up-and-coming artists leave the profession. Or rather, I likely haven't seen them. They've just disappeared, quietly pursuing other work away from the spotlight. - Toronto Star

In The Writers Strike, An Unscripted Tony Awards Was The Best In A Long Time

Ironically, the script-free ceremony was one of the most soulful Tony Awards in history, because there were no intermediaries brought in by the network to check off boxes that executives deemed necessary. - Los Angeles Times

The Tonys Started At The Right Time On Paramount Plus, But

They were the 2022 version, not this year's show. Since Ariana DeBose hosted both, that added to the confusion. "The problem, it turns out, stems from confusion over Paramount+ subscription levels." Or from CBS never bothering to explain the distinction, of course. - Los Angeles Times

In These Tonys, Two Nonbinary Actors Made History

Alex Newell became the first out nonbinary actor to win a Tony, for their performance in Shucked - "and less than an hour later, Some Like It Hot star J. Harrison Ghee became the second for their lead performance as a musician on a journey of gender discovery." - Washington Post

And The Tonys Go To

Kimberly Akimbo for new musical, Leopoldstadt for play, and Topdog/Underdog for play revival. The whole list is at the link. And Ariana DeBose hosted it all without a script. "In the end the telecast aired without pickets, without scripted banter and without a hitch." - The New York Times

Tony Nominees On The Co-Stars Who Made Them Better

Corey Hawkins was nominated "for leading actor in a play alongside co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The duo played brothers in Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog. 'We had to trust each other implicitly, because there’s no other lifeline on that stage.'" - Variety

How Do Broadway Photographers Get Those Perfect Still Shots?

Rehearsal, of course. And then, one photographer of a thousand Broadway shows says some of her favorite shots are never seen. "It's not just reporting what the show is. It's like what's going to sell the show, too. So, it's not a totally pure aesthetic." - NPR

The Tonys Almost Didn’t Happen, So You Better Watch And Appreciate Them

And here's when and how. - Washington Post

Hamilton Casting, But Make It Backstage

"The Representation, Inclusion, & Support for Employment (RISE) Theatre Directory is meant to serve as a resource for theater producers, directors and other managers across the country and promote the hiring of more underrepresented producers, crew members and theater employees." - The Hollywood Reporter

How The Blue Man Group Made Performance Art Mainstream

"In response to the ever-growing anxiety around technology, they conjured up characters who were eager to learn and discover the tactile world around them. ... The trio imagined a show that would capture the feeling of a painting come to life, full of vibrant colors and pantomime." - Mental Floss

The Fresh Urgency Of Telling Queer Stories On Stage

Why are new plays about historical trans and queer folks important? "These queer stories give us reassurance that we’re not alone now, and we haven’t ever been alone. These stories remind us that queer people have always been and will always be a part of humanity." - American Theatre

Why The Public Theater Dropped The Under The Radar Festival (And What Happens Next)

Oskar Eustis, the Public's artistic director, said proudly that bringing Under the Radar to the theater was "the first artistic choice I made" in his then-new job. Yet the pressures that led the Public to stop hosting the festival are serious, and they aren't going away. - The New York Times

Lessons From The First Revivals After Sondheim

I think it’s not an accident that after his passing, the gravitational pull toward his work and what he left us with, and the way it has changed us as artists, is so strong. I also I think it’s not an accident that they’re happening at the particular societal moment that we’re in. - American Theatre

This Year’s Tonys Could Be Weird

As if coaxing people back to the theater wasn’t difficult enough — weekly Broadway ticket grosses are still millions of dollars short of pre-pandemic levels — the ceremony has had to adjust to labor strife of a magnitude that will affect what viewers see Sunday night. - Washington Post

This Year’s Theatre Olympics Are Especially Fraught, Shot Through With Europe’s War And Tensions

"At the heart of the 10th festival stands the divisive figure of Attila Vidnyánszky, artistic director of the Theatre Olympics and director of the National Theatre in Budapest" — and a strong supporter of Viktor Orbán. And, of course, the Russian invasion of Ukraine looms large. - The Guardian

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