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THEATRE

Britain’s Oldest Working Theatre To Get $41 Million Renovation

St. George’s Guildhall, located in the Norfolk town of King’s Lynn and dating from 1445, and the surrounding buildings and courtyards are to undergo a £30.5 million restoration and development.  The venue’s original stage floor, on which Shakespeare is believed to have once performed, was uncovered earlier this year. - BBC (MSN)

The NYT Is Replacing Its Theatre Critic. So What Is Needed?

Diversity matters. So does excellence. And the future of theatre criticism at the Times should reflect both. So what kind of critic do we need now? - Onstage Blog

Why Did This Film Studio Buy An Off-Broadway Theatre?

The company says it plans a wide-ranging slate of programming, prioritizing theater — Cherry Lane describes itself as the birthplace of the Off Broadway movement — but also featuring comedy, music and film. - The New York Times

Making The Gisèle Pelicot Trial Into Theatre

“The three-hour performance (at the Avignon Festival) has been created by Milo Rau, the Swiss director and playwright acclaimed for his theatre interpretations of court proceedings, including the Moscow trial of the Russian punks Pussy Riot and the trial of the Romanian despot Nicolae Ceaușescu.” - The Guardian

“Gypsy” Starring Audra McDonald Will End Broadway Run Early

The revival, which was nominated for five Tony Awards but won none, had been expected to run until at least Oct. 5; it will now close on Aug. 17. - The Hollywood Reporter

Williamstown Theater Festival Is Back From The Brink With A New Plan

“This summer, the ... latest leadership team has opted for a radically new and risky reboot: Instead of a summer-long season with two shows at a time, the company is leaning into the ‘festival’ part of its name, offering eight shows simultaneously, but only for three long weekends.” - The New York Times

The Most Talked-About Director In British Theatre

“Theatre is controversial again and it’s happened, surprisingly, in an Andrew Lloyd Webber revival” — the Evita in which Eva Perón sings to the crowd on the street — “at the London Palladium. ... And those buzzy shows that you heard about were probably directed by the same guy as this one: Jamie Lloyd.” - GQ

It Might Be Time To Revive This Forgotten Pulitzer Prize-Winner’s Plays

“Gale didn’t coin the term ‘think global, act local,’ but that’s what Sodality does: Gale’s stories imagine an anti-capitalist vision of ‘sodality’ that could extend across the world, if only women were in charge.” - LitHub

Can The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center Survive?

The venerated, invaluable theatre incubator is facing, like so many performance-related sites, money trouble. - The New York Times

The Avignon Festival Copes With Ever-Increasing Temperatures

Days over 100°F are no longer rare, with serious effects on audiences and workers. … Recent changes include eliminating performances between 2:00 and 5:00 p.m., the hottest hours, … (and) a new rule for international artists: If you’re coming from overseas, you must have other touring dates in Europe. - The New York Times

Bay Area Theatres Are Folding. The Theatre Landscape Is Collapsing

"We, in the nonprofit theater world, rely on a model that is really not working for anybody. It wasn’t working before the pandemic. The warning signs were there. Nonprofit theater relies on subscribers and grants to invest in a season before it opens." - KQED

Oscar Wilde’s Forgotten Play About Russian Revolutionaries

The 1879 play Vera; or, The Nihilists is about a young woman and her band of radicals who plan to kill the tsar. Its 1881 London premiere was cancelled after Tsar Alexander II was actually assassinated, and the play has been neglected ever since. - The Guardian

Abrupt Leadership Change At Minneapolis’ History Museum

Richard Thompson, who joined the playhouse in January 2023, has been a mainstay of Twin Cities theater for decades, including directing shows at the Children’s Theatre Company and Penumbra Theatre. - The Star-Tribune (MSN)

Disgraced Producer Scott Rudin’s Return To Broadway Is Set

Four years after he “stepped back” from “active participation” in theater following media articles detailing his long history of abusing his staff, Rudin is producing (with Barry Diller) this fall’s Broadway transfer of Samuel D. Hunter's Little Bear Ridge Road, directed by Joe Mantello and starring Laurie Metcalf. - The Hollywood Reporter

Denver’s Theatre By And For Disabled Actors Is Hit Hard By GOP Cuts

“I know some arts organizations and some nonprofits are taking their DEI statements off their websites because they're afraid. And if we do, then it's our entire mission.” - NPR

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