"In Assassins, the gun serves not as a tool of self-defense … but as an instrument of self-expression and self-realization. The assassins, who saw themselves as the 'good guys with guns,' are, in a perverse way, the epitome of American individualism." - The Conversation
Assassins — "It wasn't exactly a flop, but it's not exactly celebrated, either. … The songs are just as catchy, melodic, and surprising as most Sondheim, … but is there ever a good time to mount a musical in America about assassins?" - Salon
While co-founders Natalia Kaliada and Nikolai Khalezin had to leave Belarus in 2011 and are settled in London, other members of the company continued to clandestinely stage political dramas in Minsk and other cities — until this latest crisis and crackdown. - The Guardian
If theater matters differently than television and film it’s not just because you have to leave your home to be part of it, but also because you have to enter someone else’s. - The New York Times
Ivo van Hove's passion for movies has affected everything about his direction, from the use of video on stage to the themes he pursues. - The Guardian (UK)
The Volksbühne kept an East German spirit alive in a reunified Germany, until its longtime director was fired in 2017. Since then, there have been three other artistic directors, including one accused of sexual harassment. Can the newest AD change the trajectory? - The New York Times
Gigantic surprise, right? On the other hand, a study found that in Britain, "Freelancers have also been networking and organising and built up a sense of solidarity as they felt the government and the public were not necessarily valuing what they do." - BBC
Maybe, but without kids onstage: "We would usually have four teams of 10 children under 12, and four teams of four teenagers rotating through the season, and ... we would be opening the cast up to too much risk." - Irish Times
"I felt in this situation that everybody's wellness was not considered. The theater makers that were causing the harm were being centered over the people who were being harmed — and those who were reporting harm were told to wait it out and endure it." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
The creator of Hamilton says the show's filmed version o on Disney+ has only increased demand for tickets to the staged production. (If only all shows could be hits like that one …) Lynn Nottage's new play, Clyde's, is streaming as well and could offer more data. - Playbill
You can't say that the country is humorless, but the Modi government's laws can have people fined or jailed on mere accusations (even false ones) of insulting the nation or religion, and Hindu nationalists egged on by Modi's party disrupt performances and threaten comedians. - BBC
Sales are down by a third from 2019, and research indicates that many audience members remain wary of attending while COVID case numbers are high. As with Nutcracker for American ballet companies, English theatres depend on panto income to help finance the rest of their seasons. - BBC
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban, members of every Broadway show up right now, and many, many other people gathered "on the red stairs above TKTS in Times Square" to sing the composer's "Sunday." - Variety
