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THEATRE

“Transformative” $22 Million Gift To Canadian Theatres

The money – gifted in sums from $125,000 to $1.5-million, to both big institutions and smaller independent theatre, mostly based in Toronto, all but one in Ontario – is earmarked for a pair of broad purposes over the next two years: theatre production and marketing. - The Globe & Mail (Canada)

Not Every Device Shakespeare Used Makes Sense After 400 Years.  How Do Today’s Directors Work Around That?

"Unfamiliar language, outdated ethics, baffling behaviour? We've become used to sifting racism or sexism in these texts – but what other problems give people pause in rehearsal or performance? ... Where do audiences and creatives stub their toes on Shakespeare's plays?" - The Guardian

What’s The Hottest Theatre Piece In Brooklyn This Fall? An Installation Inspired By Noah’s Ark

The Antwerp-based collective FC Bergman bringsto BAM a work titled 300 el x 50 el x 30 el (the dimensions of Noah's Ark as described in scripture), "an ambitious hybrid of theater, installation and live video, with an elaborate set that recreated a rural settlement onstage." - The New York Times

Netflix Settles Its Copyright Suit Against Bridgerton Musical

Netflix sued in July, alleging that Emily Barlow and Abigail Bear had infringed on its copyrights by putting on a for-profit stage show at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The service argued that their conduct “stretches ‘fan fiction’ well past its breaking point.” - Variety

Theatre Across America Is Changing (Because It Has To)

 "I think it's time for us to re-imagine. Seventy-five years of doing it the same way is a long time." - NPR

Lynn Nottage Is The Playwright Most Produced In The US This Year

And her play Clyde's, a sequel of sorts to Sweat, the most produced play. "On the Top 20 Most-Produced Playwrights list, she is tied with the prolific Lauren Gunderson with a whopping 24 productions each." - American Theatre

“If We Want To Preserve It, We Need An Intervention”: Five Suggestions For Repairing The Broken Edinburgh Fringe

Is it too expensive?  Too inaccessible for performers without money?  Too crowded?  Too concentrated?  Just too damned big?  With so many people saying the Fringe is spinning out of control, a panel of five regulars offer suggestions for fixing the Scottish capital's massive event. - The Guardian

Is Broadway Really Changing?

The number of people of color who were in this past season was just staggering to me. But that’s not the question. The question is, was this a systemic change, or was this a one-off? That is the only thing that matters. - American Theatre

Reinventing Long Wharf Theatre: Brave New World?

The theatre’s leadership insists that they’re not setting out to create a new theatre from scratch, but rather to build on Long Wharf’s legacy. - American Theatre

The Future Of American Regional Theatre: Out Of Buildings?

Earlier this year, we came to a decision that was years in the making: to leave our current home of 57 years and venture out across our city and region as an itinerant theatre company that will partner with local organizations and venues to bring productions closer to all people. - American Theatre

The Royal Shakespeare Company Names Two Artistic Co-Directors

Daniel Evans, artistic director of the Chichester Festival Theatre, and Tamara Harvey, artistic director of Theatr Clwyd in North Wales, submitted a joint application for the RSC job, start work in Stratford-upon-Avon in June of next year. - The Guardian

Painting Stage Scenery The 17th-Century Way

Historical stagecraft expert Wendy Waszut-Barrett paints backdrops and wing pieces with the same material that European craftsmen used four centuries ago: distemper paint, made simply of pigment and glue.  Here's a report on how she fabricates and deploys the paint and on the advantages it offers. - Early Music America

Reason To Close: Broadway’s “Phantom” Has Been Losing $1 Million/Month

The show has earned $1.30 billion during its impressive Broadway run, according to the Broadway League, and has played an astonishing 13,733 performances with over 19 million tickets sold. But the show has "struggled to recover" since COVID and is losing some $1 million a month. - MSN

Why Cameron Mackintosh Is Willing To Let ‘Phantom’ Go, At Very Long Last

"As a veteran of long-running shows, I’ve found there comes a point with the greatest show where the only thing you can do is to tell people it isn’t going to be there indefinitely." - The New York Times

How ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Got A Life

As the musical closes, the production team says they're proud of the work that the musical has done to bring teen mental health forward in pop culture. And they give tribute to the twin sisters who saw the show, everywhere, hundreds of times. - American Theatre

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