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THEATRE

A New Wave Of Old Performers At The Edinburgh Fringe

“This year offers a ‘brigade of old gits’, as the actor Andy Linden says, some of them veterans such as Miriam Margolyes, who first performed there with Cambridge University Footlights in 1963, and others remarkably making their debuts in their 70s and 80s.” - The Guardian

The Strange Things That Broadway Fans Send To Stars With Their Fan Mail

“A customized black track suit. Papier-mâché Little Shop of Horrors fly traps. Friendship bracelets in a range of colors and designs. … Fans are combing stars’ Instagram feeds and TikTok reels for clues to their favorite snacks, their astrological signs and even the names of their pets.” - The New York Times

Can’t Get Enough? Portland OR Plans Two Large Venues For Broadway Musicals

The evolving plan to build two Portland-owned performing arts centers capable of staging touring Broadway shows has cleared two early hurdles. - Oregon Arts Watch

The Bubble Art Taking The Edinburgh Fringe By Storm

Performers are delighting crowds with bubble blowing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, using a mixture of dish soap, water and lube — and occasional acrobatics. - The New York Times

Another Bay Area Theatre Company Lays Off Staff And Vacates Its Venue

“Aurora Theatre Company announced in May that it was suspending production next season, Bay Area theater fans have feared the worst: permanent closure of yet another beloved institution. On Monday, Aug. 11, Artistic Director Josh Costello shared that the company was taking decisive steps toward disbanding.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

Ambassador Theatre Group Is Looking To Buy TodayTix

“ATG, which owns dozens of theatres across the UK and has produced recent versions of Cabaret and Pretty Woman, is likely to line up against US bidders for TodayTix, which brought paperless tickets to London and also owns the Secret Cinema events company.” - The Sunday Times (UK)

What Happens When Ventriloquists Gather

Their hearts were in vaudeville. But we were all in Kentucky. Side by side by side, we stood near the entrance of the Vent Haven Ventriloquist ConVENTion — the annual international hajj for ventriloquists — where dummies condomed nearly every right arm. - n+1

Standup Comedy In English Is Developing An Entire Circuit In Mainland Europe

“(This is) in part because European cities are teeming with foreigners who use English as a lingua franca and want to connect through laughter. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many people who had been stuck at home watching Netflix comedy specials and YouTube clips suddenly craved a live experience.” - The New York Times

Meet The One Actor Who’s Been In “Hamilton” For Its Entire 10-Year Broadway Run

“Thayne Jasperson … IS still thrilled to be in the room where it happens, finding new ways to make sure starring in a pop culture phenomenon doesn’t become just another job. It’s a running joke that he’s moved into the building. Fans predict he’ll haunt the place one day.”- The Washington Post (MSN)

How Artists Are Using AI At This Year’s Edinburgh Fringe

It is an uncertainty that haunts the AI-themed plays on this year’s Edinburgh fringe. It also accounts for their apocalyptic mood. Do we even have a future, they all seem to ask, or are we bequeathing it to the machines? - The Guardian

Renovation Of Central Park’s Delacorte Theater: What Exactly Got Fixed?

There’s not a lot (other than a slightly more welcoming exterior) that will look different to an average theatergoer.  However, the facilities backstage had become dilapidated enough that some performers refused to work there; that’s been remedied, and the technical equipment has been upgraded as well. - The New York Times

Ten Years Of “Hamilton” — And The “Hamilton Effect”

“Little on Broadway looks the way it did on Aug. 6, 2015, when Hamilton opened; that’s what happens when a show runs 10 years, sells more than four million tickets and earns more than $1 billion — not counting tours, international productions and the 2020 movie.” - The New York Times

Britain’s National Theatre To Slash Staff At Its Commercial Arm By 70%

“National Theatre Productions is the commercial arm of the National Theatre, created to oversee touring productions and West End transfers of NT shows. ... The NT plans to reduce (NTP's core team of 24) by 70% to just seven by the end of the restructuring period.” - The Stage (UK)

Intoxicated Raccoons And Malaria Ponds: Actors’ Tales of Shakespeare in Central Park

“Covered in blood, soaked by rain, adorned with crowns and capes: … ‘There’s nothing more magical,’ Oscar Isaac said. We spoke to actors, directors and others about their memories of working en plein air. These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.” - The New York Times

This Theatre In Upstate Wisconsin Survives, And Thrives, On Local Lore, And Cheese

At Northern Sky, “There’s kind of an ownership because you saw shows about people that you know, Midwesterners.” Some of them, like Lumberjacks in Love and Guys on Ice, even translate outside of the state. - The New York Times

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