Theatre

Peter Brook posited that any empty space in which one actor walks as someone else watched could be a theatre. The next year, Samuel Beckett wrote a play with no actors. And onward the idea has gone, from Punchdrunk shows, to Enda Walsh’s Rooms and the Royal Court’s Dismantle This Room, in which 15 audience members do precisely that. – The Guardian

There is of course a long history of interaction between the British and Irish theatres, and this looks certain to continue into the future — however Britain’s relationship with the EU (and thus with Ireland) evolves in the years ahead. – Clyde Fitch Report

Two years ago, the actors of the Powszechny Theater in Warsaw had to barricade themselves inside their building against conservative Catholic protesters angry about their production The Curse, about the suxual abuse of children by priests. This year, the company is following up with a staging of Mein Kampf. No wonder its slogan is “Theater that gets in the way.” – The New York Times

“The Late Late Show” host previously emceed the annual theater awards show in 2016, and won the Tony for best actor in a play for his performance in “One Man, Two Guvnors” in 2012. – Variety

“Nataki Garrett, currently serving as acting artistic director for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, will take the reins in August … The announcement ends a nearly yearlong search following Rauch’s February 2018 announcement that he would step down from the post — also this August — for his new artistic directing job at the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Performing Arts at the World Trade Center in New York City.” – The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR)

The stealthy stink bomber struck during tryouts for the “Magic Mike” musical at Pearl Studios at 500 Eighth Ave. on Feb. 26, and again on March 6 at the Ripley-Grier space down the block. “There was a lot of disbelief,” said actress Eunice Bae of the first incident, when she saw a show rep slip on something on the floor. – New York Post

Tracy Letts, who was one of the performers in playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s Nassim, didn’t get a rehearsal ahead of time (no actor does), and he was a bit worried he might cry while acting – because, he says, “in the time we’re living in right now, most people I know walk around trying not to cry most of the time. And the show touches on a lot of things — storytelling, language, transcending borders, connection — and connection with anybody is moving.” – The New York Times

Dang, Chicago. Here’s the story’s start, when actors get to the theatre, but the set doesn’t: “The cast arrived at the theater and got into costume. No wrestling ring. It’s 5 p.m. and getting dark. Still no ring. Calabrese and Mayberry started looking for a plan B, and fast. ‘We gotta do something,’ Calabrese said. A U-Haul truck was a rented, a ring was found in Villa Park — delivery not included — about an hour away in evening traffic. In the rain.” (Now wait for the part where the set doesn’t fit into the elevator.) – Chicago Tribune

Well, for one thing, it could encourage actors (stage managers, lighting crew members, etc.) to job-share. Also, with professionals, idea: “We need to make sure we are not rehearsing into the evenings and we don’t need to rehearse every night.” – The Stage (UK)

The show, called The Pinks and the Blues, “developed by the activist troupe Merak, triggered intense scrutiny from local authorities who saw it as a dangerous and subversive activity promoting ‘hatred against men and non-traditional family relations.'” The teens in the theatre troupe were also questioned by police. – Global Voices

“For the past 15 years, [Jason Eagan] has been the remarkably well-connected, stealthily low-profile, principal creative force shaping the innovative Off-Broadway incubator Ars Nova. … He’s the guy who plucked an obscure Billy Eichner out of one Manhattan basement and an unknown Lin-Manuel Miranda out of another; who discovered the alt-cabaret comedian Bridget Everett at midnight at a karaoke bar; who looked upon the glorious excess of Dave Malloy’s nascent War and Peace musical, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, and said, in effect: ‘More.’ ‘Keep going.’ And ‘Yes.'” – The New York Times

“Jewish theatre artists have been central but often unidentified.” (Harold Pinter, Janet Suzman, Antony Sher, David Lan, Tracy Ann Oberman, Nicholas Hytner, …) “Is this an immigrant people’s anxiety around unwelcome attention? ‘We’re a self-effacing community,’ says playwright Samantha Ellis, ‘we’re afraid to put our heads above the parapet.'” – The Guardian

“Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, [Canadian researchers] report how 15 method actors, mainly theatre students, were trained to take on a Shakespeare role – either Romeo or Juliet – in a theatre workshop, and were asked various questions, to which they responded in character. They were then invited into the laboratory, where their brains were scanned in a series of experiments.” – The Guardian

“BECTU and Equity and professional associations for stage managers and lighting and sound practitioners have argued that ‘excessively long working hours’ are leading to ‘burnout and serious mental health issues’.” How long are these hours? Up to “15 to 18 hours per day, six days per week.” – The Stage

The show will have its world premiere this fall in Chicago at the James M. Nederlander Theatre. Previews begin in October. The show’s story centers on classic fairytale princesses like Cinderella and Snow White learning that being happy ever after may take some work. – Washington Post (AP)

“After a nationwide search that began in 2017, Actors Theatre of Louisville has found its new artistic director — Robert Barry Fleming, a Kentucky native who was previously working as associate artistic director of the Cleveland Play House. Fleming will replace Les Waters, who announced his departure from the organization after leading it for seven years.” – Inside Louisville

As part of the collaboration, Kickstarter will offer a series of incentives to companies using the platform to crowdfund their show, including support for artists before and during the festival through online videos about fundraising and one-to-one coaching. – The Stage

Alongside venture capital firm Exponential Creativity Ventures and tech training company IT Mentors, the Shubert Organization is launching a startup accelerator that will provide companies with funding, training and the ability to test products in Broadway theaters or within the Shubert ecosystem. In exchange, the Broadway Tech Accelerator will take an equity stake in each company. – Broadway News

The older production, familiar to millions, is the one threatened by the Broadway play and planned national tour. The problem? Too many agreements. “The latest dispute, over whether and when the Sergel adaptation can be staged now that the Sorkin adaptation exists, pits an agreement Ms. Lee signed with Dramatic Publishing in 1969 against one she signed with Mr. Rudin in 2015.” – The New York Times