There was a time not so long ago when the future of the Broadway play was in serious doubt. The threat hasn’t gone away, and Tony voters shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to honor true playwriting excellence. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
“There are a lot of really beautiful shows that just are never going to attract the audience, and/or support the budget, that you increasingly need to put on a flashy Broadway show.” So? Commercial theatre returns to Off Broadway. - The New York Times
Director Jamie Lloyd, who’s brought Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, and Nicole Scherzinger to Broadway, says, “It’s about creating an event rather than just a theater piece.” - Washington Post (Yahoo)
The physical preparation is truly its own full-time job. Red light therapy, vocal therapy, physical therapy, a trainer, two hours of warm-up, three people to set her wig and sew her into her first costume … and then Megan Hill is on. - The New York Times
After a record $3.8 million shortfall on a $32 million budget in fiscal 2023, the Guthrie has made a dramatic turnaround. For fiscal 2024 (which ended last Aug. 31), the company’s deficit on its $29.6 million budget was only $85,578, far lower than the anticipated $1 million gap. - The Minnesota Star Tribune
We’re currently “embedded in the fourth industrial revolution” and points out that, like in previous revolutions, there is always a period of disruption and “disconnect” that follows the advent of a new technology. - The Stage
“Regularly staged behind large Plexiglas sheets that forced the audience to watch reflections of themselves perceiving the show, the plays had mesmerizing ways of generating momentary amnesia in viewers. It was far more than just spacing out." - Artforum
"After a weekend of seeing four very different plays at four unique theatres, the word that hung in my mind was diversity. So many people have talked, trained, cried, pushed, borrowed, and begged for the theatre to be a place of multitudes. That's why the sociopolitical tumult of the current moment is especially piercing." - American Theatre
Virginie Despentes: “I attend a lot of plays, and I realized that theater audiences are very curious. They really show up, even for demanding or radical works, which made me want to try it. I feel good when I’m in a theater — and these non-virtual moments feel important nowadays.” - The New York Times
The hope among ACT staff members, both past and present, is that, as this entity prepares to launch, ACT’s artist-focused legacy continues on through this murky transitional period into a new, united future. - Seattle Times
Charles McNulty looks at the history of L.A. Theatre Works, which has drawn on Hollywood’s extraordinary talent pool to perform and record audio drama, both before an audience and in a studio, and broadcast it on public radio. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
This season, Arden has given Broadway its most surprising and heartwarming new musical, “Maybe Happy Ending.” The show, which originated in South Korea, is a futuristic rom-com about two robots nearing the end of their life cycles. - Los Angeles Times
We can be confident technological forces beyond our control shall soon enough ensure the emergence of an altogether more “relatable” Bard for those so inclined — fittingly diverse in origin and speaking with a Bolton accent. - The Critic
