Repeating items over and over, called maintenance rehearsal, is not the most effective strategy for remembering. Instead, actors engage in elaborative rehearsal, focusing their attention on the meaning of the material and associating it with information they already know. - Nautilus
"Casting, casting, casting is the obvious answer," writes Charles McNulty, "though there’s a bit more to it than that." Friedman and star Jonathan Groff explain. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
“It’s one of the great roles in musical theater, and I’ve always thought maybe some day I could try it,” she said. “It scares me to death, but I certainly feel old enough now, and having experienced motherhood, perhaps I have what is needed to dive in.” - The New York Times
Co-producers meaning, in this case, the many individuals who provided or raised money to run the production — and these days, it takes a lot of them to get a show onto Broadway. The organizers say there's insufficient time to get all of them safely onstage; nevertheless, some are mightily miffed. - Broadway Journal
Critic Elisabeth Vincentelli reports that audiences being moved to actual tears (and, yes, even wailing on occasion) has become surprisingly commonplace this season — and it's all because of the way the scripts and cast are connecting with viewers. - The Washington Post (MSN)
"During the audition process, as characters recited certain lines over and over, Adjmi realized the play had become autobiographical. At one point, he felt physically sick. … Even now, Adjmi said he has a hard time watching the play, comparing it to 'having people watch you take a shower.'" - The Hollywood Reporter
"Shields got 2794 votes, vs. 1940 votes for stage manager Erin Maureen Koster and 834 for Chicago-based actress Wydetta Carter, according to a tally shared with Broadway Journal. Shields hasn’t served in Equity’s governance, unlike Koster and Carter, who continue to have top positions in its volunteer leadership." - Broadway Journal
"The misogyny has far outweighed the disability discourse. There was potential for ... a vital discussion around disability justice – which as an organisation (Shakespeare's Globe is) engaged in. But the level of hate and anger towards me was dangerous. Bad things happen to people when this stuff is allowed to run rife." - The Guardian
The seven-time Tony and five-time Olivier nominee (he's won one of each) will step down in September of 2026, concluding an 11-year tenure that has seen the Old Vic present 25 world premieres and transfer multiple productions to the West End and Broadway. - Playbill
The reason for the return to larger-cast shows gets at the heart of what makes the 89-year-old company unique. OSF is one of the biggest nonprofit theaters in the U.S., but it’s based in Ashland, Ore., which has a population of just over 21,000 — about one-sixth the size of Berkeley. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
"Founded in 1973 as an avant-garde theater project committed to local actors, the Wilma has been renowned for its experimental, boundary-pushing work. ... It is the first theater in Pennsylvania to win the award, which ... includes a grant of $25,000." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Nadia Fall, currently director of Theatre Royal Stratford East, will take over from Kwame Kwei-Armah next January 1. The Young Vic first opened in 1970 as an offshoot of the Old Vic featuring younger artists; today it's an important company in its own right. - The Guardian
Playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and director Zhenya Berkovich have been imprisoned for a year for their staging of Finist, the Brave Falcon. Putin's government argues that the script justifies terrorism; the defendants say the piece is a cautionary tale and observe that the production was underwritten by the Russian Culture Ministry. - AP
To be more precise, there is a play about creating a play about the incident, which made headlines worldwide and got the choreographer fired from two posts. The piece, titled The Dog Poop Attack and currently at the Theatertreffen festival in Berlin, is making rather a splash. - The New York Times
It feels a bit like the Roaring '20s - appropriate since the current Broadway season also features a musical adaptation of "The Great Gatsby." And like the '20s, there are signs of a looming crash. - NPR
