There remained no shortage of quality work presented at the fringe, but its own aesthetic had changed over this time, contributing to making it feel less conducive for West End and commercial productions. - The Stage
Less than a week after news broke of Mandy Greenfield's departure from the Williamstown Theater Festival following reports of poor working conditions, co-founder Julianne Boyd has announced her retirement (on good terms) from Barrington Stage Company. - The New York Times
Chris Jones: "Contrary to the way it has sometimes been reported, Steppenwolf has not added a theater to its portfolio so much as replaced an inadequate one with a superior facility in a different configuration." - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
Students complained of a script they felt made light of sexual assault victims and contained inappropriate language and stereotypes that made cast members uncomfortable. - Chicago Sun-Times
The move comes after a Times investigation, published in September, in which 25 current and former festival workers alleged that WTF exposed them to repeated safety hazards and a toxic work culture. - Los Angeles Times
The female comics in the trenches of the club circuit say it remains a realm of "blatant misogyny" — and that #MeToo has only complicated their struggle not to be harassed. Part of the reason is built into the very structure of the industry. - The Hollywood Reporter
The high-profile revival of the Sondheim musical was to be directed by Terry Gilliam (yes, from Monty Python), who has made some, er, controversial remarks (such as declaring himself "a black lesbian in transition"). Sondheim himself is said to be furious. - inews.co.uk
You may not know of Concord Theatricals, but in the past five years, it has bought up Samuel French, Tams-Whitmark Music Library, and rights to the shows of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Its majority owner — for now — is Michigan's state pension fund. - Forbes
The Lucille Lortel Awards will honor outstanding lead performer and outstanding supporting performer in a musical and in a play, thus cutting the number of acting awards almost in half (a single category is being added for outstanding ensemble). - The Hollywood Reporter
Joshua Jay: "In my craft, unlike filmmaking, I have to find the intersection of suspense and surprise, and that's difficult. In a two-hour movie, you get to alternate. You can have some surprises and lots of suspense, but in a magic show you have to have them together." - Salon
Really, it's the same things as with any other theater: good actors with good material matter more than special effects. As Halloween approaches, Alexis Soloski talks with actors at two notable attractions about what works. - The New York Times
In Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart, Lily Janiak finds some lines that shed bright, painful light on why some people would refuse a vaccine that demonstrably saves lives. - San Francisco Chronicle
"Come Fall in Love — The DDLJ Musical, based on the Indian filmmaker Aditya Chopra's 1995 hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which has become a cultural touchstone of contemporary Bollywood, will open during the 2022-23 season." - The New York Times
So much celebration ensued - and, well, perhaps for good reason. "The show, which opened on Broadway in 1988 and has never closed, takes its first post-pandemic bow not just as a monied buttress for the industry, but as a symbol for Broadway’s own endurance." - Variety
One of Come from Away's former leads, Chad Kimball, "claimed he was terminated 'wholly or partly' because of his religious beliefs." - The New York Times
