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THEATRE

How Los Angeles’ Fountain Theatre Is Responding To The End Of Roe

"Performer Christina Hall reminded the crowd that all three of the justices appointed by former President Trump had promised at their confirmation hearings that they would not overturn precedents set by previous courts. 'And then they did!' Hall shouted. 'Liars!' replied an audience member." - Los Angeles Times

What Theatre Can Do In The Face Of A Country Removing Rights From Its People

And what 1776 looks like now. "In the aftermath of the striking down of Roe v. Wade, I was forced to rethink. Were the words that the cast spoke and sung hollower than they’d been 2½ weeks ago?" - Washington Post

How Paris Theatres Are Dealing With Moliere At 400

"Does Molière, the 17th-century comedy master and doyen of French playwrights, really still have the power to surprise? As France celebrates the 400th anniversary of his birth, a flurry of new productions suggests that he can." - The New York Times

Only One Broadway Show Is Keeping Its Mask Requirement

Circle in the Square's American Buffalo will require masks through the end of its run. It's the only Broadway theatre left "not operated by a large company or a nonprofit organization, so its decisions are not tied to those of a bigger entity." - The New York Times

The Mind-Boggling Logistical Challenge Of This Theatre Company’s New Plays

The same 14 cast members in three plays at three different theatres, all running at exactly the same time. Happy 50th, Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. - The New York Times

We Don’t Boo At Theatre Anymore. Are We Missing Something?

It’s curious that booing is absent from modern theatre, because it’s as old as European drama. The earliest reports of audience booing were recorded at the annual festival of Dionysus in Athens where playwrights competed to win prizes for their efforts. - The Spectator

Can We Cut Poor Old Polonius A Break?

"Polonius isn't a good father. Good fathers don't make good drama. But he's a good character, more complex than critics usually recognize. Polonius is a single father struggling with work-life balance who sadly chooses his career over his daughter's well-being." And his pompous speeches? Big ol' dad jokes. - JSTOR Daily

Australia’s Busy Alt-Circus Scene Tries To Bounce Back (Ahem) From The Pandemic

It's an inventive — and animal-free — bunch of troupes with names like A Good Catch and Gravity and Other Myths.  But they're not big or rich, and the combination of local lockdowns and the inability to tour overseas hit them hard. Now they're hard at work on a revival. - ArtsHub (Australia)

London West End Theatre Ticket Prices Rise 20 Percent Over Pre-Pandemic

In 2022, the average cost of the most expensive tickets available for West End productions is £140.85, up 21.3% on 2019. The increase has been driven by new productions, with the average top price for long-runners falling over the same period. - The Stage

What’s Behind The Closing Notices For Long-Running Broadway Musicals?

Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, and Tina did solid business before the pandemic.  Yet with tourism to New York City still down, they've struggled since reopening, when they found themselves in competition with not only hot new shows (The Music Man) but also institutions like Wicked. - The Hollywood Reporter

The Bind Facing Black American Playwrights: How Do You Offer Deliverance, Or Even Hope, While Still Reflecting Reality?

"How can these stories end? What does deliverance look like in a world in which the odds are stacked against these Black characters, and at a time when, post-Black Lives Matter and post-George Floyd, artists are being held newly accountable for portraying Blackness responsibly?" - The New York Times

The Purpose Of Comedy?

Comedy is a social corrective exposing the gap between what is (injustice, poverty, environmental disaster) and what some think it ought to be (fairness, equal opportunity, gentle breezes). This gap, which may be history’s largest mass case of cognitive dissonance, remains our omnipresent duality. - The Conversation

As Of July, At Broadway Theatres, Masks Will Be Optional

"In a statement, Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, said audience members were still encouraged to wear masks, but would not be required to beginning July 1. The policy will be re-evaluated on a monthly basis going forward." - Gothamist

Cut Our Funding In Favor Of The Regions, Says UK’s National Theatre, And We Won’t Be Able To Tour The Regions Anymore

"Cutting us back because of where our postcode is will have a direct and negative effect on the nationwide work that this move is designed to address," said NT director Rufus Norris. "It will have the exact opposite effect of their stated intention." - The Guardian

Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre Is Being Renamed. But First We Should Remember Atkinson

For close to 62 years, the Brooks Atkinson Theatre has stood on West 47th Street, so it did 34 years previously as the Mansfield. On June 9, 2022, its current owner, the Nederlander Organization announced that this fall it will be renamed in honor of the distinguished performer Lena Horne. - Theatre Scene

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