“Artistic director Alden Ehrenreich turned a historic 1906 Pacific Electric Railway power station into an artistic playground with hipster vibes, alluring music, a younger-than-usual audience and high-end soap in the bathroom.” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
The South Carolina New Play Festival (SCNPF) announced that it will move from a summer-only festival to a year-round festival with a summer and winter season. - Greenville Business Magazine
Overall the industry gross rose 24 percent and attendance 15 percent thanks to the addition of the two new shows, as well as the rebound from Halloween and marathon weekend. - The Hollywood Reporter
Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, the last project by the late songwriter of Spring Awakening, began previews Off-Broadway in late September in the converted former venue of Sleep No More and had been scheduled to run through New Year’s weekend. - Playbill
Some of the first Black theater companies in the country were in South Side Chicago, and the scene flourished into the 1970s. Then, for economic and systemic reasons, the drama mostly dried up. Now, with some fresh talent and an influx of grant money, a revival is tentatively emerging. - WBEZ (Chicago)
A non-Equity production of The Music Man is currently running at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre, and quite a bit of SoCal’s theater community is unhappy about that. But a cast member says they’re treated well, and CTG artistic director Snehal Desai he didn’t have much choice in this case. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
I would argue that everything you need to know about life can be found in “The Sound of Music.” Quite an expansive claim, but I have good credentials for making it. As a child actress, I played the bookish Brigitta von Trapp for three years in a touring production of the musical. - Washington Post
The Debut doesn't come out until December 11. But there are many others in the "subgenre of theater-centric movies in which the characters are mostly amateurs creating stage magic (they hope)." - The New York Times
“The musical, inspired by the titular Cuban band, took home five Tony Awards in 2025, including a special Tony for its onstage band. While the show is closing in January, producers say it is on track to recoup before closure. … In 2027, the musical will open in London’s West End.” - The Hollywood Reporter
Director Milo Rau’s documentary staging of the trial of Pelicot’s husband, who repeatedly drugged her and invited men to rape her, will be produced and livestreamed by the Young Vic, with a cast including Kate Winslet, Brian Cox, Indira Varma, Tobias Menzies, Rosie O'Donnell, Suzy Eddie Izzard, Juliet Stevenson, and others. - WhatsOnStage (UK)
With their Broadway debut a smash hit, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik expected their next musical, Nero (about the Roman emperor), would go far But, after a 2006 production in San Francisco, the piece got nothing more than workshops and showcases for producers. At long last, Nero is having its London premiere. - The Guardian
His most famous play, Waiting for Lefty, is getting a major Off-Broadway revival; Awake and Sing! is opening on Broadway next month; Golden Boy just finished a London run with movie star Josh O’Connor in the lead. Why is Odets having a moment now? Helen Shaw has some ideas. - The New York Times
The theaters are smaller. The tickets are lower, but you still often have big casts. You have to pay the musicians. And you may not have to make a million dollars to make your nut, but maybe you have to make half a million or 400 grand. That's still a lot of money. - NPR
Lyndon Laveaux is one of around 400 scare actors working at the Queen Mary's Dark Harbor in Long Beach. He plays the Captain, the undead master of ceremonies. “I just love it,” he says. “It's like an adult summer camp and I appreciate the fans, I appreciate this community.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
After an interesting and very messy experiment with programming and organization in 2025 and going dark for summer 2026 (not to mention a tumultuous few years before that), the festival has given up its planned expansion into year-round activity, shrunk its full-time staff to three, and is planning a smaller 2027 event. - BroadwayWorld
