ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

THEATRE

“Hamilton” Has Now Become A Sims-Style Video Game

"In the Hamilton Simulator, players use their own avatars as they rub shoulders with the musical's characters through 10 levels set during the Revolutionary War. It starts at the New York docks and the goal is to free the city from the British yoke" — using the musical's songs as weapons. - AP

How The Freewheeling Edinburgh Fringe Deals With Cancel Culture

"When you look back at what the fringe has turned out, surely a wee bit of it somewhere can be allowed to upset. It's an open access Fringe, the most famous open access Fringe in the world. The other parts of the Fringe are going along fine. - BBC

Why Save The Current Form Of American Theatre? We Need A New Model

For theater, as we know it, to have any future at all, a new economic model must take its place, founded on a simple principle: fund artists directly. Then let the artists produce their own work, rent their own venues and pay their own collaborators. - Washington Post

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Says It Needs To Raise $3 Million To Stay Open

The company, which is considered one of the Bay Area's leading professional theatres and has won the special Tony Award for regional theatre, already postponed this summer's new musical. Executive director Debbie Chinn says TheatreWorks must secure the $3 million by November. - MSN (The Mercury News, San Jose)

Aaron Sorkin’s Stage Version Of “To Kill A Mockingbird” May Be Staged Anywhere, Rules US Federal Judge

"(The court) determined that production of the Sorkin version … did not infringe on any interest held by the Dramatic Publishing Company, which contended that its (Christopher) Sergel script was the only one (permitted) in most theaters not part of Broadway, the West End or a national tour." - The New York Times

The Books Being Turned Into Plays

“I love the way that one art form can light the flame for another. It doesn’t diminish the original … there’s a whole lot of compression that absolutely has to take place, but that doesn’t mean a reduction. It’s creating a new thing.” - Sydney Morning Herald

American Theatre’s Existential Crisis

The play’s the thing that’s now in danger. America’s love affair with the stage – embodied by Lincoln and fellow presidential theatregoers such as Bill Clinton – is on the rocks. From coast to coast, the regional theatre movement is facing the biggest crisis in its 75-year history. - The Guardian

New York’s Highest Paid Theatre Artistic Directors

There are several other ways to look at this. You could look at all the top compensated executives. You could view executive compensation in relation to revenue and/or expenses. - Broadway World

Minimalist Set Design Is All Over Broadway These Days

"At its best, minimalism ignites the audience's imagination, making theatergoers active participants instead of passive consumers. … But practicality may also be driving minimalism's appeal. Building a set on Broadway has only gotten more expensive." - T — The New York Times Style Magazine

Even Really Successful Writers, Actors, Designers, Can’t Make A Living In The Theatre

Actors who book multiple plays a year. Writers with rave reviews. Award-winning designers. These people are performing at a professional level while living like hobbyists, putting together a mishmash of odd jobs outside their art to provide for themselves while anxiously waiting for a next gig that may or may not come. - Toronto Star

Only One Person Came To See Her Edinburgh Fringe Show. She Tweeted Sadly About It. And Then …

"There was one person in my audience today when I performed my one-woman play, 'Sunsets' at #edfringe. It's fine, isn't it? It's fine …?" tweeted Georgie Grier with a tearful selfie. Then social media worked the magic it sometimes does. - CNN

Amazing (And Rare) Turnaround: “Funny Girl” Revival Makes Back Its Investment

Michele, whose reputation had been tarnished by allegations that she had behaved poorly to co-workers on “Glee,” worked tirelessly to transform the way people saw both her and “Funny Girl,” and became the toast of the town. - The New York Times

Maybe We Ought To Expect More Complexity In Our Theatre?

The problem arises when melodramatic simplicity makes its way into a play without elaborate spectacle, and instead claims to present a realistic view of society. That’s when people start complaining about being “lectured at” or “hit over the head.” - Theatre Ideas

A Stolen Van Equals A Canceled Run For A British Show In Development For Two Years

"The play 5 Years, which took about two years to produce and features unique hologram technology, was set to be staged in Nottingham and Sheffield. Founder of the company Beck Gadsby estimated she had lost £30,000, saying it was 'absolutely devastating.'" - BBC

Meet New York Magazine’s New Theatre-Critic Tag Team

"Alongside longtime entertainment reporter Jackson McHenry … will be Sara Holdren, a theatre director who stepped into the job for a brief, blazing tenure from 2017 to 2019. … I spoke to McHenry and Holdren about their shared role, the responsibility of critics, and the challenges the field is facing." - American Theatre

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