Can funding struggling theatre help solve our disconnect? Sarah Ruhl: "We are facing a public health emergency—and we need funding from the National Institutes of Health immediately. Let’s treat theatre as a proven method to stem the tide of debilitating isolation in this country.” - American Theatre
For Hello, I’m Dolly (some of us would get tickets simply based on the title), “the star is writing new songs to go along with some of her past hits and co-writing a stage story inspired by her life.” - The Guardian (UK) (AP)
For over 20 years, co-founders Bob and Anita Farley successfully ran the company in an inner suburb of Atlanta, and they made plans to pass the reins and retire 18 months apart. But Bob suddenly died, and his successor as artistic director left town before starting the job. Then came the pandemic. - ArtsATL
Seattle’s ACT Contemporary Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare Company — two of the city’s most enduring theater companies — may soon become one entity, the companies announced Wednesday. - Seattle Times
"'Every year our expenses go up at least five percent, if not more, because we so outpace inflation,' says Ken Davenport, producer of the Neil Diamond musical A Beautiful Noise. 'So flat is terrible.'" - The Hollywood Reporter
Are subscriptions in free fall, and if so, what does that mean for the continuing health of theatres? Are subscriptions still a viable model, for either audiences or companies? - American Theatre
"(Hallie) Flanagan and her colleagues made theater an important expression of the American democratic experiment through force of will, passion, and ingenuity. And although that experiment was destroyed through a mix of reactionary perfidy and liberal wimpiness, the meaning of its story is not solely contained in its ending." - The Atlantic (MSN)
For every rave like Entertainment Weekly's ("jaw-droppingly gorgeous from start to finish"), there's a critique like this from The New York Times ("too often a misguided attempt to resuscitate the show breaks its ribs"). Director Rebecca Frecknall and stars Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin consider why. - The Washington Post (MSN)
One nonbinary Black actor who played Belle says, “I was really encouraged to do my own interpretation, ... and I got to have a say in my costumes—like, I wasn’t in a blue dress, I was in a blue jumpsuit, and wore red Doc Martens boots.” - American Theatre
The three "have offered one another couches to sleep on and airfare for auditions. They write and produce music and musicals together. They hype up one another before callback auditions, promote the others’ gigs on social media and cheer wildly from the mezzanine during performances.” - The New York Times
The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, originally planned for 2020, is back - and “longtime collaborators playwright Alani Apio and artistic director Harry Wong III saw an opportunity to realize a shared dream 30 years in the making: to simultaneously stage all three plays in Apio’s The Kāmau Trilogy.” - American Theatre
That women directors are leading all three Shakespeare productions at the festival this season signifies an important shift for the company, which for decades favoured men over women for prestigious directorial opportunities. - Toronto Star
There are several factors behind the proliferation of live video in theatre. Partly, it is just because directors have been excited to explore the creative opportunities it offers. - The Stage
Repeating items over and over, called maintenance rehearsal, is not the most effective strategy for remembering. Instead, actors engage in elaborative rehearsal, focusing their attention on the meaning of the material and associating it with information they already know. - Nautilus
"Casting, casting, casting is the obvious answer," writes Charles McNulty, "though there’s a bit more to it than that." Friedman and star Jonathan Groff explain. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
