One of the reasons that Rudin's extreme mistreatment of his employees went unreported for so long was his insistence on having everyone he worked with, including Equity members in his productions, sign NDAs. So the actors' union is now reviewing how and when they're used more generally. - Dance Magazine
"Shakespeare and Shakespeare's Globe will always be viewed by some as fundamentally conservative because, on one level, they exist as symbols of England's past glory. The fact (that) it is a forward-looking modern theatre therefore inevitably comes into conflict with its existence as a patriotic symbol." - The Stage
"On Wednesday ... Matt Shakman announced he will step down from his role in February (and) will program the company's 2023-24 season before he departs. He ... said it was getting trickier to balance his work in theater with his film and TV endeavors." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
Jesse Green: "Efforts to improve diversity onstage and backstage have too often come without the support necessary to help new hires succeed. Culturally specific theaters may face an existential crisis if their function gets co-opted by change. And ... traditional audiences, feeling disoriented, sometimes resist." - The New York Times
Yes – there's nothing else like it. "But to defend it, we need to reform it. ... The fringe is unregulated, wonderfully so, you might say, when it's working. But – spoiler alert – laissez-faire only takes you so far. The lack of anyone to take responsibility is a problem right now." - The Guardian
As one of the UK’s most commercially successful theatre-makers, Ayckbourn might seem an odd figure to focus on. He is not cutting-edge; he is never going to convert an alienated inner-city youth to the joys of theatregoing. But he is also a local hero, who has earned the loyalty of his public by staying loyal to them. - The...
Rising Tide Theatre co-founder George Dzundza (The Deer Hunter, Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy) says "Theater is a blood event." While movies are set in stone, he says, "If you go to a play, you are a director of sorts. You have a direct, visceral response." - Oregon ArtsWatch
Or not. Many new productions "essentially take his work for granted —both in the sense that, sure, Shakespeare is foundational, indispensable even, and in the sense that yeah, he’s just there, like, whatever." - American Theatre
In its 75th anniversary year, the return of the Fringe sees lower crowds - probably virus-related; possibly also related to fewer reviewers discussing shows. But venue costs, and accommodation costs for casts and crews, are soaring, further threatening the festival. - The Stage (UK)
The Exit Theatre — the stalwart Tenderloin venue with three small theaters and a cafe, home of the San Francisco Fringe Festival — is closing its Eddy Street doors by the end of 2022. - San Francisco Chronicle
Says one, "You can get away with most things if you're smart and funny. If you (aren't), then you're just an asshole on stage. That's when you get these lazy comics who are, like: 'Oh, too far for you?' If you had sharper writing, you could make it work." - The Guardian
Last summer, Elisabeth Vincentelli traveled to Creede, Colorado to see how Creede Repertory Theater was holding up through the ups and downs of the pandemic. Last month, she went back to see the company's return to full operation. - The New York Times
Criss Henderson’s departure, which had not been widely anticipated, is part of a great wave of resignations and retirements in the Chicago theater community, which has seen recent artistic and administrative leadership departures at the Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater and many others. - Chicago Tribune
Why did I even want to be an actor? It was a question I hadn’t thought to ask myself; the dream had calcified in my bones too long ago. Childish reasons, in my case. Excitement, praise – hunger for fame, even. I know now that the life of an actor would suit me very badly. - The Guardian
"You may not know her name, but (Kate) Berlant is influential in comedy circles, and her digressive style stands for everything that a scripted autobiographical play doesn't. And she is having trouble wrapping her head around it." - The New York Times
