Local theatres are increasingly “playing safe” with their programming, resulting in more one-night events, fewer week-long runs and a significant drop in opera, ballet and contemporary dance, the findings of a new report reveal. - Arts Professional
“A King Lear and two Othellos are in repertoire in major Kyiv theatres; there is also A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the capital, a Hamlet, a Macbeth and a Romeo and Juliet.” And there’s the Ukrainian Shakespeare Festival in Ivano-Frankivsk, which Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins went to visit. - The Guardian
“It has traditional skills and tricks and excitement, but instead of being a traditional succession of acts it’s a completely theatrical experience: a rollercoaster of a show.” Then there are the foxes that sneak in at night and steal costumes. - Irish Times
"It’s organized chaos at rehearsal for The Color Purple on a recent afternoon at the Goodman Theatre downtown,” but “director Lili-Anne Brown looks on with expert calm.” - Chicago Sun-Times
"There was a group of writers who were part of something called the New York Theatre Strategy; Sam Shepard and Lanford Wilson and Terrence McNally and Julia Bovasso and Irene Fornes, and they were all upset because no one would do their work Off-Broadway. So they said, “Will you co-produce with us?" - American Theatre
“Meadow, 78, has served as artistic director of Manhattan Theater Club since 1972, and by her own count has produced or presented more than 600 shows” — not to mention presiding over the nonprofit’s astounding growth — “making her one of the most prolific and successful figures in the American theater.” - The New York Times
He’s the guiding hand behind Tom Hiddleston’s offbeat Rome, Nicole Scherzinger’s revelatory, Tony-winning Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and Rachel Zegler singing “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina” to passersby from the balcony of a London theatre. But his unorthodox tactics aren’t always that successful. - The Guardian
More than a pandemic-era stopgap, fiction podcasts are now emerging as a legitimate artistic medium. With Australian audiences increasingly turning to audio content for news, entertainment and escapism, it’s no surprise that creatives are responding in kind. - ArtsHub
“Jennifer Bielstein is leaving her role after seven years on the job, opening one of the top leadership positions in Bay Area theater as the industry continues to absorb pandemic aftershocks. … In Houston, she'll be managing director to another Bay Area expat — Artistic Director Rob Melrose.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
“When Stephen Sondheim visited the Library of Congress in 1993, he saw something that stopped him in his tracks. Mark Horowitz, a senior music specialist, had prepared a selection of historical scores from its collection — including works by Brahms and Rachmaninoff — to show the acclaimed composer and lyricist.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
A military hero turned civilian leader, a rigid strongman, weaselly senators, demagoguery, class dynamics (not to mention an interfering mother) — these things are perennial issues in the news (and advice columns). So why don’t theatre companies present it as often as even Julius Caesar, let alone Macbeth or Hamlet? - The Guardian
“The Odeon of Herod Atticus recently opened the 70th season of the annual Athens Epidaurus Festival, a cherished tradition for many Greeks. But this edition marks the last before the theater that’s more than 18 centuries old shuts down for maintenance and restoration work that is expected to last at least three years.” - AP
For 10 years, “To Protect, Serve and Understand,” was an acting troupe born out of the killing of Eric Garner in 2014. It paired seven officers with seven civilians, and the group went through acting exercises meant to help both sides see each other’s humanity and to create “a theater of empathy.” - The New York Times
“Stages have been brimming with large-scale and high-resolution videos, deployed not simply for scenery but also as an integrated narrative tool. It is all made possible by the growing availability, affordability and stability of the cameras, computers, projectors and surfaces that are utilized as part of today’s stage sets.” - The New York Times
