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THEATRE

The Oliviers Award Fiddler On The Roof, Benjamin Button, And A Play About Roald Dahl

John Lithgow, who won best actor, “thanked the audience for ‘welcoming me to England’ and said ‘it’s not always easy when you welcome an American into your midst,’ highlighting that this moment was ‘more complicated than usual’ for” US-UK relations. - The Guardian (UK)

After Winning An Olivier, Lesley Manville Calls For Funding For The UK’s Regional Theatres

“Repertory theatres are not funded properly any more. ... I’d love to see regional theatres given more funding. When I was starting out, it was amazing. You could go anywhere. It was a real training ground.” - The Guardian (UK)

How Betty Boop Made It To Broadway

“Betty, who arrived just a decade after American women won the right to vote, was always working, and she often had jobs that were adventurous.” - The New York Times

The Forgotten Transgender Riot Of 1966, Now An Immersive Theater Work

“For decades, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, in which gender nonconforming patrons of a late-night Tenderloin eatery stood up to chronic police harassment — smashing the diner’s windows, destroying a patrol car, setting a newsstand aflame — went untold.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

London’s West End Ticket Sales Plateaued In 2024

SOLT’s update on attendances for 2024 shows that 17.1 million attended performances – the same as in 2023. When compared with 2019 – the year before theatres shut due to the pandemic lockdowns – attendances are up 11% (from 15.3 million). - The Stage

Shaw Festival Gets $35 Million From Ontario To Rebuild Crumbling Theatre

The festival, located where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario on the US-Canada border, had planned to close the century-old Royal George Theatre permanently. Now the provincial government has pledged C$35 million to reconstruct the venue — with more physical stability, updated facilities and expanded seating. - Toronto Star

City Of San Francisco Withdraws $500K Grant To African-American Shakespeare Co.

“The city (government) has pulled $500,000 of Dream Keeper Initiative funding previously awarded to African-American Shakespeare Company with ‘no explanation,’ according to its founder. Executive Director Sherri Young … started the theater company in 1994 to provide actors of color more opportunities to perform in the classics.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Hugh Jackman Signs Up For Affordable Theatre

Audible Theater is teaming up with Together, a new accessible-theater initiative led by megastar Hugh Jackman and superproducer Sonia Friedman, for an eight-week series of programming at Off Broadway's Minetta Lane Theatre this spring. - TimeOut

The Unpredictable Power Balance Between Othello And Iago, And How Actors Have Pulled It Off

“Othello is Shakespeare’s only major work in which the hero and antihero are given equal weight. … As the Shakespeare scholar Harold Bloom summed up the dichotomy: It is Othello’s tragedy, but it is Iago’s play.” Ben Brantley considers 13 Othello-Iago pairs, going back nearly a century. - The New York Times

What To Say To A Friend After A Rough Theatre Performance

Basically, lie (unless you’re a critic, in which case say nothing until the review). One actor: “It takes incredible amounts of bravery to be vulnerable enough to offer yourself to an audience, whether screen or stage. I’m proud of anyone who dares.” - The New York Times

Seattle University Plans To Destroy A Theatre In Order To Raise A Museum

“Members of SU’s theater community argue that the Lee, a relatively new building that opened in 2006, is an irreplaceable part of the school’s creative ecosystem that shouldn’t be razed to accommodate a glitzy, donor-driven project.” - Seattle Times

The Origin Story Of “Maybe Happy Ending”

“This intimate spectacle (was) already a hit title in Asia for years. ... The Times spoke separately with members of the musical's cast and creative team about developing the standout show in Asia, witnessing its remarkable rise to Broadway acclaim and pulling off an ending that fascinates audiences.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Two Big Seattle Theatres Join Forces

This pairing is the latest in a series of major deals between local arts and cultural organizations, including the merger of ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company, as well as Seattle University’s acquisition of Cornish College of the Arts. - Seattle Times

Living Legends Of Avant-Garde Theatre: The Wooster Group At 50

“Classic writers — Chekhov, Racine, Eugene O’Neill, Gertrude Stein — have been resurrected in conversation with a tumultuous, shape-shifting present for an astonishing 50 years. … In the late 1970s, these shows … were the ones that the coolest of experimental theatergoers swooned over, gossiped about.” - The New York Times

George Clooney “Good Night, And Good Luck” Breaks Broadway Box Office Record

“Two weeks after the Denzel Washington- and Jake Gyllenhaal-led Othello broke the record for top gross in one week by a Broadway play, the George Clooney-led Good Night, and Good Luck has broken that record to become the top grossing show on Broadway with $3.3 million last week.” - Playbill

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