. . . in the Time of Covid? Where even to begin? I’m happy to say that my colleague and friend Hannah Grannemann has an idea. Starting Wednesday, August 26, Hannah will serve as Guest Editor for my We the Audience blog. Over the next few months, Hannah will facilitate a dialogue with readers on the topic of the audience during this extraordinary interregnum. She’ll lead us by positing a … [Read more...]

Last week in London I was able to see the much discussed Donmar Warehouse production of Bruce Norris’ new adaptation of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. It’s not hard to see why Brecht’s satirical account of the rise of a clownish American dictator would find its moment now, amidst a global wave of unbridled populism and unapologetic me-first-ism. The orange hair is just the cherry on … [Read more...]

To “We the Audience” readers: the essay that follows, including the title, was in final draft form and ready for one last round of editing when the events that began with the fatal shooting of Keith Lamont Scott unfolded in Charlotte. I held off on publishing for a few weeks for obvious reasons. I sincerely hope my use of the term “profiling” will not be seen as inappropriate, given the new … [Read more...]

*This is the fourth and final essay in a series of “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. [For a look at all four essays, start reading here.] Today’s essay focuses on Malcolm Purkey, who, of course, does not actually need an introduction. As a key figure in the anti-apartheid theatre scene in … [Read more...]

*This is the third essay in a series of four “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. Today’s essay focuses on Charlie Jansen and the Butterfly Art Project. Charlie is one of the participating artists in ArtUp’s “Sites of Passage: South Africa” project. My time in South Africa was filled with the … [Read more...]

*This is the second essay in a series of four “We the Audience” posts designed to introduce my readers to the citizen artists working in some of South Africa’s most challenged areas. Today’s essay focuses on Mbovu Malinga, an arts-and-development consultant and free-lance artist, and his work with a variety of Cape Town NGO’s. Mbovu is one of the participating artists in ArtUp’s “Sites of Passage: … [Read more...]

I’ve been away from this blog for several months now, engaged in a variety of the usual pursuits (teaching, lecturing, directing, producing, playwriting) but also traveling to South Africa on a research expedition. I’m back to write about South Africa—an eye-and-heart-opening adventure that took me from Cape Town to Johannesburg to interview an array of inspiring artists who use their skills to … [Read more...]

I returned recently from a keynote-giving junket that took me to Toulouse, France and then to Springfield, Missouri. Some contrast, I know. (Although it should be noted that the food and the hospitality were excellent in both places.) It was an exciting trip filled with opportunities to share my theory of Arts Talk and to learn from a variety of smart and engaged people. On October 15 I … [Read more...]

Our first lucky break came when my old friend, F. Cowles Strickland, founding-director of the Berkshire Playhouse at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, began to drop in on our practice sessions. He asked many intelligent questions which I answered with words that the boys illustrated in movement, a process that gave Strick a double-edged idea. He took me aside one day, and suggested that the boys and I … [Read more...]

In two recent references (“In defense of the quieting of the audience” and “Etudes on Innovation: What the Performing Arts Can Learn From Sports Marketing”) to my publications on audiences, I’ve been described as a historian interested in critiquing the passive nature of contemporary audiences. I truly appreciate the interest in my work. Both Dianne Ragsdale and Mark Macnamara make some … [Read more...]