"Hana S. Sharif, artistic director of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and a former staffer with organizations in Hartford, Boston and Baltimore, takes over from Molly Smith, who is retiring after a quarter-century in the top job at one of the nation's cornerstone regional theaters." - MSN (The Washington Post)
"Maugham is a deeply deceptive dramatist. His plays look as if they are dated old crowdpleasers, yet often challenge conventional ideas. … This is the man who in For Services Rendered … wrote a blistering attack on the ruinous aftermath of the first world war and a society unfit for heroes." - The Guardian
The economic viability of graduate programs is becoming an increasingly complicated question. The majority of MFA theatre programs offer tuition remission, housing, and stipends, but with inflation ramping up, the cost of supporting students is rising. - American Theatre
“There’s been a drag on finances for some time,” Muse said, noting the problems had not been addressed over a multi-year period. “There were mistakes that were made … It (the festival) was run as a mom-and-pop operation, and there’s nothing wrong with that when it works.” - Ashland News
"For centuries, skilled Iranian storytellers known as Naqqals have transfixed audiences in traditional coffeehouses" - but it was always an art by men, and for men only. Gordafarid "is the first known female Naqqal to have learned the craft the traditional way." - Los Angeles Times
Ruby Aiyo Gerber to her mom: "For so long, I rebelled against wanting to be a writer, fearing that admiring any part of you was to be forever in your shadow. I had a lot of fear when starting the collaboration." - The New York Times
World Premiere Wisconsin was born in 2019 with three goals - connecting theatres, raising national awareness, and commissioning new work. Then came the pandemic, and "a fourth festival goal was added: to communicate a positive story ... during a critical phase of recovery and rebuilding." - American Theatre
"A former student alleges that then–artistic director Mitchell Nestor 'raped and sexually assaulted' her in the early 1970s. The lawsuit … names the school and late founder Lee Strasberg's wife, Anna, as defendants. Nestor is believed to be deceased." - Vulture
"The updated categories are: Outstanding Leading Performer in a Play, Outstanding Leading Performer in a Musical, Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play and Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical. Each of these categories will have twice as many nominees as the former categories (and) will have two winners each." - Broadway News
Change Your Mind, by the collective Say Nothing and Leave, "fashions a psychological experiment. ... Answer some questions, take a 'pill' that looks suspiciously like a common candy, don some goggles and headphones, undergo a procedure, and poof! You can 'delete' the most noxious aspects of your personality." - San Francisco Chronicle
"Duty managers are also equipped with bodycams, which – along with the training – often helps to lower the temperature when customer interactions become heated." - The Stage
"The owners of 54 Below, a popular forum for both Broadway stars and rising performers and composers, say they intend to raise close to 20 percent of an annual budget approaching $10 million from supporters ... to offer discounted tickets and subsidize artists' production costs (and) livestreaming." - The New York Times
"The defamation lawsuit Paradise Square producer Garth Drabinsky filed against Actors' Equity has been dismissed with prejudice. … Drabinsky sued the union, claiming defamation, after it placed him on its 'Do Not Work' list following his production of (the musical on Broadway)." - The Hollywood Reporter
The author of the Pulitzer-winning Fat Ham was one of a trio of revolving artistic directors who succeeded Wilma cofounder Blanka Zizka in 2020. When Ijames departs this summer, Lindsay Smiling will join Morgan Green and Yury Urnov as co-artistic directors. - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
"I got the gig of a lifetime. There's no other way to describe it," says Richard Poole, who's been a member of the ensemble, playing small roles, for almost 25 years. - NPR
