"Performers are split on how to respond to turbulent times in a way that entertains audiences. After the BBC's cancellation of (a) long-running satirical panel show, the public appetite for political comedy is in question." Several comics say they're now simply too angry about politics to be funny. - The Guardian
The measures included "will ensure pay transparency, a safe working environment, late-night safety, and anti-harassment and discrimination policies. ... In the months ahead, we'll be reaching out to venues and promoters across the country and seeking to work with them to make the Charter the industry standard." - Yahoo! (Press Association UK)
"Laughter at your own expense — unleashed when you need it most — can heal what ails you, keep your ego in check and even speed your path to enlightenment." - Los Angeles Times
"There is no doubt that this is a violation of copyright. Not only did RGV Productions and The Door Christian Fellowship Ministries of McAllen not obtain rights to perform the show in its entirety, but also didn’t receive permission to change the text." - OnStage Blog
The UK's arts access card for disabled audience members has been delayed until 2024. In the meantime, "It's the Wild West out there for disabled consumers. There's no consistency." And "During the course of the research, a number of theatres agreed their websites were confusing." - BBC
Julie Benko, who replaced Beanie Feldstein at 26 performances before being tapped to take over between Feldstein and Lea Michele, "has established herself in theater-loving circles as a performer worth seeing." - The New York Times
For decades after WWII, Oberammergau "resisted calls from prominent American and European intellectuals to tone down the play’s classic anti-Semitism. The Jewish people continued to be portrayed as a bloodthirsty mob" and much worse. Now, it's very, very different. - The Atlantic
"What matters now is whether this community can rebuild itself with fewer takedowns and more inclusion, less intramural finger-pointing and more outward-facing togetherness. Above all, end the canard that you can only reform an organization by ripping it apart, at least until it offers you a paycheck." - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
New local laws that limit Airbnb-style short-term rentals and encourage students to keep their apartments over the summer are good for the city's permanent residents, but prices for temporary accommodations in August have soared as a result — high enough that the Fringe festival could become unviable. - The Guardian
Princeton University has thrown away the practice of traditional auditions and have introduced “Try On Theater Days,” replacing high-intensity auditions with educational workshops as a means to cast performers and stagehands for the school’s seasonal productions. - American Theatre
They've all been heroes over the past year, often stepping in at the last minute to keep the show going on after a cast member tests positive for COVID or is otherwise ill or unavailable. But the jobs are not the same. - Broadway Direct
"In return for the privilege of scraping by in a field they love, they are commonly expected to endanger themselves physically and emotionally." Long hours, exhaustion, even severe injury. Post-pandemic, some are insisting that it doesn't have to be this way. (Others insist it does.) - The New York Times
"Alan Paul, the associate artistic director of the Shakespeare Theater Company in Washington, will ... (take) over the nonprofit theater company in Western Massachusetts known for producing notable new musicals and popular revivals and helping turn the Berkshires into a cultural oasis." - The New York Times
"The Stage Directors and Choreographers Society is seeking to enforce payment of (more than $140,000 in) owed royalties, fees and pension and health contributions to the musical's director, Moisés Kaufman, choreographer Bill T. Jones, and three specialty choreographers who worked on the production." - The Hollywood Reporter
