ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

THEATRE

Broadway’s Return Is Earning A D-Minus In Gender And Sexual Orientation

Honestly, Broadway, Mrs. Doubtfire? (But that musical, filled with outright transphobic tropes, isn't alone in its missteps.) - American Theatre

Circus Oz, Australia’s World-Renowned Troupe, Is Closing Down

The government agencies that provide 75% of Circus Oz's budget told the company that it must revamp its board and governance or lose funding. The Company Members (anyone who performed with it for at least three years) rejected that demand by a 3-to-1 margin. - ArtsHub (Australia)

In Germany, Stage Directors Rule, But It’s The Actors Who’ve Been Keeping The Theaters Running

"One of the main reasons theater here has been able to rebound after repeated closures is that Germany effectively has a standing army of actors, most of whom continued to receive most of their salaries during the monthslong stretches when stages were dark." - The New York Times

The Venue For New York’s Shakespeare In The Park Is Getting Its First Overhaul Since 1962

The structure of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is deteriorating, and the renovation had been expected, before the pandemic, to run from 2020 to 2022. Revised plans have now been submitted, with construction to start next fall. - Gothamist

Sondheim’s “Assassins” And American Gun Culture

"In Assassins, the gun serves not as a tool of self-defense … but as an instrument of self-expression and self-realization. The assassins, who saw themselves as the 'good guys with guns,' are, in a perverse way, the epitome of American individualism." - The Conversation

The Sondheim Musical The Tributes Haven’t Been Mentioning

Assassins — "It wasn't exactly a flop, but it's not exactly celebrated, either. … The songs are just as catchy, melodic, and surprising as most Sondheim, … but is there ever a good time to mount a musical in America about assassins?" - Salon

Belarus Free Theatre Forced To Flee Homeland

While co-founders Natalia Kaliada and Nikolai Khalezin had to leave Belarus in 2011 and are settled in London, other members of the company continued to clandestinely stage political dramas in Minsk and other cities — until this latest crisis and crackdown. - The Guardian

The Best Theatre Of A (Weird) 2021

If theater matters differently than television and film it’s not just because you have to leave your home to be part of it, but also because you have to enter someone else’s. - The New York Times

Covid Cases Among Cast Members Forces Moulin Rouge In London To Cancel Performances

"It makes Moulin Rouge! The Musical the first major show in months to have to cancel because of Covid among its cast." - The Stage (UK)

Making Theatre That Reflects A Contemporary Obsession With Film

Ivo van Hove's passion for movies has affected everything about his direction, from the use of video on stage to the themes he pursues. - The Guardian (UK)

Attempting To Turn Around A Troubled Theatre In Berlin

The VolksbĂĽhne kept an East German spirit alive in a reunified Germany, until its longtime director was fired in 2017. Since then, there have been three other artistic directors, including one accused of sexual harassment. Can the newest AD change the trajectory? - The New York Times

Theatre Freelancers Have Had A Hard Time During The Pandemic

Gigantic surprise, right? On the other hand, a study found that in Britain, "Freelancers have also been networking and organising and built up a sense of solidarity as they felt the government and the public were not necessarily valuing what they do." - BBC

Will Theatres In Ireland And Britain Make It Through Panto Season?

Maybe, but without kids onstage: "We would usually have four teams of 10 children under 12, and four teams of four teenagers rotating through the season, and ... we would be opening the cast up to too much risk." - Irish Times

NBC’s Live “Annie” Was “Pleasant”

You probably tuned in to NBC’s “Annie Live!” for one reason: to see if it would be a train wreck. - Washington Post

Dominique Morisseau On Why She Pulled Her Play “Paradise Blue” From The Geffen Playhouse

"I felt in this situation that everybody's wellness was not considered. The theater makers that were causing the harm were being centered over the people who were being harmed — and those who were reporting harm were told to wait it out and endure it." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)

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