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
"I suggested to the Culture desk’s editors that it might be interesting if we sent a reporter and photographer to every opening, chronicling these moments of hope at a time of challenge. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.” - The New York Times
Artistic Director Joseph Haj: "While I believe that the Guthrie is faring well in relative terms … it is important to acknowledge that the Guthrie is not immune to these industry-wide challenges.” - MPR
"At a moment when regional theatres and foundations are cutting funding, particularly for new-work development, Rhinebeck has become a beacon of just how much is still possible with limited resources.” - American Theatre
That is, the actors playing the costumed characters at California’s Disneyland have voted to join Actors’ Equity. The workers "often endure injury and discomfort due to the physical nature of their jobs,” including aggressive, intentional injuries popularized on social media. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The thing is, “Stereophonic’s cast recording is not pretending to bring the album from the show’s universe into the real world. It delivers finished versions of the songs sparking intense power struggles on stage — which you learn throughout the course of the play are being relegated to album outtakes.” - Vulture
"Spring 2024 saw a frenzy of new shows opening in the face of two formidable obstacles: costs that have nearly doubled over a decade and an audience almost 20% smaller than it was pre-pandemic. … As the Jazz Age attests, bubbles can be fun." But this one may soon burst. - Vulture (MSN)
“In the past, there seemed to be more movement from L.A. and the Bay Area to OSF, especially in terms of artists, so it’s an exciting moment to have a greater conversation and relationship between Seattle and this theater.” - Seattle Times
To put it bluntly, a subsidy meant to support commercially risky work like A Strange Loop or Stereophonic or a revival of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People shouldn't be going to Phantom and The Lion King as well. - The New York Times
