THEATRE

LA Theatre Is Ailing. What To Do?

Lofty and pragmatic in equal measure, these leaders are reconstituting Los Angeles’ theater culture, fighting for the survival of nonprofit theater in America and shaping the future possibility of the art form, here and beyond. - Los Angeles Times

Major Off-Broadway Theater Settles Discrimination Lawsuit Over Discount For Ticket-Buyers Of Color

“’Playwrights Horizons regrets that Mr. Lynch felt excluded because of his race,’ the theater said in the six-sentence statement issued by both parties. The statement did not specify whether the theater paid any money to Mr. Lynch, but said (the parties) 'have agreed to resolve the matter out of court.’” - The New York Times

Head Of UK’s National Theatre Wants To Bring More Of India To Its Stages

Indhu Rubasingham remembers the long lines when she brought Bollywood legend Shabana Azmi to the NT in 2000. “You can put people on this stage and that means something to different communities. It is like a beacon, and it opens its doors for different audiences depending on what you put on the stage.” - Variety

This Los Angeles Project Brings Veterans In Long, Close Contact With Shakespeare

A new venture in Los Angeles brings the Shakespeare Center and local veterans together for a year-long learning and writing experience. They perform today, and the program is billed as “written by the Ensemble of Veterans In Art & US Vets in collaboration with William Shakespeare.” - LAist

New Job For Actors Is, As They Say, A Trap

“If you’ve got strong creative instincts, the ability to authentically portray emotion, and are capable of staying true to a character’s voice throughout a scene, there’s a job listing calling for your experience.The catch: ... You’d be using your talents to train an AI model.” - The Verge

The Musician Actors Of Hades And Other Broadway Shows

“Putting bands and musicians at the center of theatrical storytelling can give it a special immediacy and urgency, not least by reconnecting a form that can have a tendency to be stultified and overly formalized to its original music-making impulses.” - American Theatre

70 Years Into Their Partnership, Maltby And Shire Are Still Writing Revues

Lyricist Richard Maltby Jr. and composer David Shire met as Yale freshmen and have collaborated ever since, creating the musicals Baby and Big and the revues Starting Here, Starting Now and Closer Than Ever. Their new show, About Time, grew out of a performance they gave at their 65th Yale reunion. - TheaterMania

Barack And Michelle Obama Are Now Broadway Producers

Higher Ground, their production company, is one of the main backers of this spring’s 16-week run of David Auburn’s Tony- and Pulitzer-winning play Proof, starring Don Cheadle and Ayo Edibiri (in their Broadway debuts) and directed by Thomas Kail, who staged Hamilton. - Variety

Costs To Produce Theatre In Britain Have Doubled In The Last Ten Years

The annual Theatre in the UK report from the Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre says that, despite soaring attendance, many theatres in Britain are expecting to post operating deficits — because, as costs have risen, ticket prices have not been raised so as not to drive away audiences. - The Stage

Broadway Is Now So Expensive That American Plays Are Debuting In London Instead

“The message I’m getting,” says the chief at one respected theatre in the British capital, “is that to come to London, hire a theater like ours, pay for the flights and accommodations for the U.S. creatives and casts, it still works out cheaper.” - The New York Times

Quentin Tarantino Has Written A Theatre Farce For The West End

The stranger-than-fiction truth is that Tarantino has written an original, old-fashioned British farce, in the door-slamming, trouser-dropping, mistaken identity vein of Brian Rix or Ray Cooney. - Daily Mail

It’s Such A Brutal Time For Both Theatre And Arts Journalism

So what’s an NYT theatre critic to do? “There are so many things beyond our control ... but somewhere amid all the hubbub, someone is making something, and you need to pay attention.” - The New York Times

How The Musical Suffs Emerged From The 2016 Election

“To me, a great protagonist for a musical is somebody who wants something so desperately, who is going to be relentless to the point of recklessness. … Alice lived until 1977. She was the author of the Equal Rights Amendment. She never stopped.” - Boston Globe

One In Five Broadway Theatergoers Is Going Alone

“Nearly 20% of Broadway theater tickets are now being purchased by solo attendees — double the rate from just a couple of years ago, according to audience data for the 2024-25 season from the Broadway League.” And one theater owner, ATG Entertainment, is tapping into that crowd with a “Solo Seats” initiative. - NPR

What Will Happen To DC Theatre Without A WaPo Theatre Critic?

The Washington Post's theatre critic chair sits empty after layoffs, leaving D.C.'s robust theatre scene wondering who's watching—and whether anyone still cares. Local companies now face the existential question: make art for critics, or just make art? — American Theatre

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