The projects, The 51st State from Arena Stage and an anthology of short videos that Studio Theatre simply calls creative responses to the August 28 March on Washington, “have propelled stage artists in new directions,” writes Peter Marks, “to memorialize galvanizing public events … [with] the fresh lens these companies have been able to train on their convulsed city.” – The Washington Post
Category: theatre
How I Directed A Play From 6,000 Miles Away
Lindsay Posner writes about how, stuck in London thanks to pandemic travel restrictions, he fulfilled his contract to direct Twelve Angry Men in Tokyo, thanks to Zoom and an ace translator and assistant director. – The Guardian
Virtual Theatre As An Opportunity Space
“We’re working with authors, artists and companies we’ve always wanted to and reaching audiences around the world in numbers that would be completely unattainable with previous ways of working. This is our working practice now. It’s not an addition – it is the core.” – The Stage
How Do London’s Theatre Workers Feel About Reopening Before The Virus Is Contained?
Relieved. Worried. Excited. Frustrated. In short, ambivalent. “Performers are constantly living on the edge, even without COVID so now there’s even more pressure than ever to get back to work.” – The Guardian
London’s West End Starts Announcing Reopenings, Even As COVID Cases Rise
The theatrical corporation Nimax announced that it would open the doors of six of its West End theatres, restarting such shows as Six (the pop musical about Henry VIII’s wives), The Play That Goes Wrong, and Magic Goes Wrong at roughly half the usual seating capacity. – The New York Times
Playwright Michael Frayn On British Theatre And The State Of The UK
The European Union was a remarkable human artifact—still is. And for us to smash down our part in it is . . . I suppose you just have to expect that people can’t sustain positive actions for very long. Sooner or later, they just want to behave badly and do something very simple, kick something or hit someone. – The New Yorker
Theatre Sells Cardboard Audience Cutouts For Empty Seats
Since the theatre is only being filled to one-third capacity, the cutouts will fill the remaining seats, and the cost will go toward supporting the theatre. – Broadway World
Rethink: Time To End Playwright Submission Fees
It is exceptionally unusual to find a theatre that charges playwrights to read their script through conventional submissions. But look around at contests, competitions, workshops, residencies and more, and you’ll spot submission charges without having to look too hard. – The Stage
How To Remake American Theater In The Wake Of COVID? Five New York Times Critics Offer Their Ideas
“Things clearly had to change — and with the enforced pause of the pandemic, the opportunity has now arrived in the nick of time. If ever there was a need, and a moment, to fix the theater, this is it. So for the six-month anniversary of the shutdown, The New York Times asked its theater critics … what those fixes might look like.” – The New York Times
20 Stage Professionals Weigh In On How To ‘Revolutionize’ American Theater
“Here, six months after most stages went dark, 20 theater figures — many far from the heart of the commercial sector — offer their own suggestions.” – The New York Times