The latest episode of Three on the Aisle, the podcast in which Peter Marks, Elisabeth Vincentelli, and I talk about theater in America, is now available on line for listening or downloading.
In this month’s episode, Peter, Elisabeth, and I take a closer look at the problem of sexual harassment in American theater. Says the Three on the Aisle web page:
The hosts had discussed sexual harassment in theatre on our third episode, but driven by recent news, they circle back to the matter in this fifth installment. For Teachout, the firing of Long Wharf Theater artistic director Gordon Edelstein hit close to home: Edelstein had directed productions of Teachout’s play Satchmo at the Waldorf and was slated to direct it again at Houston’s Alley Theatre (which has problems of its own, with artistic director Gregory Boyd retiring abruptly days before allegations of harassment, sexual and otherwise, surfaced publicly). Marks, Teachout, and Vincentelli bring up interconnected issues, including the perennial lack of female directors and playwrights in the Alley’s slate; the need for proper channels to handle grievances; and whether it’s possible to continue admiring the art of a tainted man….
In the second segment, we discuss after-show talkbacks, which are becoming an increasingly ubiquitous part of the American theatrical experience (one of us dislikes them intensely, while the other two are generally pro-talkback). Then we wrap things up with a podcast-ending segment in which each of us talks about shows that we’ve seen and liked—or hated— in recent weeks.
To listen, download the fifth episode, or subscribe to Three on the Aisle, go here.
In case you missed any of the first four episodes, you’ll find them all here.
Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.