It’s long been one of the abiding amazements of the British theater that not only can its practitioners do what they do to a generally very high standard, but they can also explicate their craft - make that art - with unerring eloquence and grace. All of which helps to explain a packed house on a recent Sunday [...]
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On the Aisle
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SIMON SAYS
24 Jun 2009 | 8:46 am -
TOTALLY F***ED
14 May 2009 | 2:16 amWell, that got your attention, I trust. The reference, of course, is to a song title from the multi Tony Award winning musical Spring Awakening, which this week confirmed news that had been making the rounds for some time now: the West End transfer to the Novello Theatre is closing May 30 after barely two months, [...] -
TONY TIME
5 May 2009 | 8:40 amSo, the nominations for the 63rd annual Tony nominations are now out there, and once again they speak with a distinctly British accent - as will many of the likely recipients June 7 in what may well be, and hardly for the first time, a love affair between Broadway and the theatrical motherland. You thought Alan [...] -
A LOTTA NIGHT MUSIC
26 Apr 2009 | 4:31 pmWhat do you do on a Saturday night - not in any way alone, as the Stephen Sondheim song lyric has it, but in the company of what would seem to be half the West End? Last night, at the Prince of Wales Theatre’s subterranean Delfont Room, the answer was obvious: hear Hannah Waddingham sing. Life, [...] -
CRACKING THE WHIP
22 Mar 2009 | 9:00 amBritain has some very brave senior actors, though you wouldn’t necessarily know it if you followed the British critical community. On March 18, Judi Dench, now 74, opened on the West End for the first time in three years to play the mother of the title character in Yukio Mishima’s Madame de Sade. General exultation [...]
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Playbill.com : News
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Boggess and Karimloo to Star in Phantom Sequel, Love Never Dies
3 Jul 2009 | 10:08 pmRamin Karimloo and The Little Mermaid's Sierra Boggess, who have both starred in various incarnations of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, will head the cast of the sequel to that international hit. -
It's "A Capitol Fourth" July 4 on PBS
3 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmEmmy and Golden Globe Award winner Jimmy Smits, who made his Broadway debut in Anna in the Tropics, hosts the 29th annual broadcast of the PBS special "A Capitol Fourth" July 4. -
Today in Theatre History: JULY 4
3 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pm1898 Birthday of actress Gertrude Lawrence (1898-1952), longtime acting partner of Noel Coward (Private Lives, Tonight at 8:30) and star of musicals by the Gershwin brothers (Oh, Kay!, Lady in the Dark), who would have her greatest success with her final show, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, in which she originated the role of Mrs. Anna. -
Flaherty, McDonald, Menzel and West Side Story Featured on Macy's 4th of July Celebration
3 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmThe Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Celebration, featuring the work of Tony winner Stephen Flaherty and the vocals of Audra McDonald and Idina Menzel, is held on the Hudson River July 4. -
D'Andrea and Klein's Einstein Project Opens at Berkshire Festival July 4
3 Jul 2009 | 9:00 pmThe Berkshire Theatre Festival staging of The Einstein Project, starring Tommy Schrider and James Barry, opens July 4.
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TheaterMania.com
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Philly Improv Theater to host Bonerama Festival
3 Jul 2009 | 2:31 pmPhilly Improv Theater (PHIT) will host Bonerama, a three-night festival of funny women, July 16-18. The festival will showcase sketch and improv performances by some of the funniest female performers in the region. It will open with the improvised comedic docudrama, The Real Housewives... -
Kids Spotlight: DC Metro Kids Spotlight: July '09
3 Jul 2009 | 12:52 pmEnjoy the Adventure Theatre staging of the classic C. S. Lewis novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (July 10-23), part of the Capital Fringe Festival. Follow the story of four adventurers who step through a wardrobe door and into Narnia, a frozen land enslaved by the White Witch. -
Kids Spotlight: Florida Kids Spotlight: July '09
3 Jul 2009 | 12:24 pmEnjoy an evening of spectacle when Cirque du Soleil brings Saltimbanco to The St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa (through July 5), and the Germain Arena in Estero (July 8 - 12). Named from the Italian "saltare in banco," which literally means "to jump on a bench." It explores the urban experience in all its myriad forms. -
Kids Spotlight: LA Kids Spotlight: July '09
3 Jul 2009 | 12:18 pmThe Orange County Performing Arts Center will present all the fun of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (July 7-19), or for some Shakespearean zing, Actors' Gang presents Cymbeline the Puppet King (Media Park in Culver City, July 25-August 30), a hilarious and free event. -
Kids Spotlight: Las Vegas Kids Spotlight: July '09
3 Jul 2009 | 12:14 pmEnjoy the hilarious competion of a spelling bee in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (July 10-26), now playing at the Las Vegas Little Theatre. Watch six young people, overseen by grown-ups who barely managed to escape childhood themselves, try to compete with each other as well as four audience members for the title of best speller.
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NYT > Theater
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An 84-Year-Old Wisecracker Keeps Trucking
3 Jul 2009 | 10:47 pmThe Broadway legend Elaine Stritch says her small role in “The Full Monty” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in suburban Millburn, N.J., has been an inspiration and a blast. -
Theater: In London, Stagings Where 3 Dimensions Aren’t Needed
3 Jul 2009 | 10:46 pm“Send in the cartoons” seems to be the new mantra of the National Theater as multiple productions blend animation and other visual effects with traditional stagecraft. -
Theater Listings: July 3 — 9
2 Jul 2009 | 10:58 pmSelective listings from theater critics of The New York Times. -
Theater Review | 'Speedmouse': Two Nimble Australians: Much Talk, Many Antics
2 Jul 2009 | 8:29 pmIn their theatrical lark “Speedmouse” the affable Australian doofuses known as the Umbilical Brothers practice a chaotic brand of unadulterated silliness. -
An Appraisal: A Stage for Social Ego to Battle Anguished Id
2 Jul 2009 | 7:46 pmThe productions of the German choreographer Pina Bausch, who died on Tuesday at 68, always and immediately made a striking impact as theater.
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Theater News
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BLACKBIRD At Victory Gardens Biograph Theater Opens 7/3
4 Jul 2009 | 3:24 pmWith Blackbird, William Petersen, former star of CBS-TV's CSI, returns to the theater where he first earned his Equity card to tackle a role that echoes his earliest work on Chicago's stages playing morally damaged characters in In the Belly of the Beast, The Night of the Iguana, and Flyovers. -
Recession adds to challenges for suburban arts
4 Jul 2009 | 11:16 amWhen he hired Itzhak Perlman as artistic director of the Westchester Philharmonic in 2007, Joshua Worby thought he'd hit a grand slam. -
Asphyxia Likely Killed David Carradine
4 Jul 2009 | 6:58 amShare + Jul 3, 2009 3:00 pm US/Eastern 1 of 5 Actor David Carradine arrives at the premiere of The Weinstein Company's "Hell Ride" held at the Egyptian Theater on July 31, 2008, in Los Angeles, Calif.. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images 2 of 5 Daryl Hannah, Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman and David Carradine pose during a photo call for the film ... -
Welcome to Obamacare Theater
4 Jul 2009 | 2:55 amThe White House sure likes to put on a show. Fresh off its joint stage production with ABC News , the Obama administration broadcast another health care propaganda play this week under the guise of a citizen "town hall." Chicago consigliere and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett managed the floor and human props for Obama. -
Theater festival adds Sunday night specials
3 Jul 2009 | 10:44 pmIn a nod to the struggling economy, organizers of the Contemporary American Theater Festival are now offering two budget-friendly alternatives.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber News and Blogs
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Andrew reveals that Michael Jackson wanted to play the Phantom
2 Jul 2009 | 4:00 pmThe singer finds a connection on a visit to the show on Broadway -
Iâd Do Anything Finalists star in the West End
28 May 2009 | 4:00 pmNiamh Perry, one of the finalists in the BBC show Iâd Do Anything, has been cast as Sophie in Mamma Mia. -
Mark Cook on the Eurovision final
17 May 2009 | 4:00 pmOur Euroblogger Mark gives us his final thoughts on Eurovision 2009... -
A great Eurovision result
15 May 2009 | 4:00 pmJade and Andrew celebrate an impressive Eurovision placing -
Andrew in Moscow
13 May 2009 | 4:00 pmAndrew and Jade get ready for the Eurovision final...
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Backstage
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Actress Karen Dyer Is Pretty 'Evil'
4 Jul 2009 | 3:05 amOk, it's not "Hamlet." But Karen Dyer has added a solid credit to her resume -- as well as creating a fantasy figure for thousands of gamers -- as the voice and screen capture image of Sheva Alomar, a character in the bestselling video game "Resident Evil 5." -
Spotlight on Bernie Telsey
2 Jul 2009 | 3:15 amThat casting office, Telsey + Company, is responsible for finding the actors for many of the shows currently on Broadway, including "9 to 5," "Next to Normal," "Rock of Ages," "Blithe Spirit," "In the Heights," "Wicked," and "South Pacific." -
How Have Your Supposed Imperfections Helped Your Acting Career?
2 Jul 2009 | 1:40 am"I carry 80 extra pounds on my 5-foot-4-inch frame, and I'm a 'saleable' actor because I embrace all of me. It's a good thing auditioning for a studio pilot with A-listers. So I don't get offended when the sides call for 'a tank of a woman.'That's me!'" -
Keeping Paice
2 Jul 2009 | 1:34 amBackstage at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where "39 Steps" is playing, actor Jill Paice points to a rack of costumes, including shoes and hats. She's explaining what's involved in those quick costume changes, which are an integral part of the show. -
Keeping Paice
2 Jul 2009 | 1:34 amBackstage at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where "39 Steps" is playing, actor Jill Paice points to a rack of costumes, including shoes and hats. She's explaining what's involved in those quick costume changes, which are an integral part of the show.
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Backstage
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Behind the Bullseye
2 Jul 2009 | 2:19 amA zany ritual occurs on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, where dazed Target shoppers and employees grovel at the altar of commerce and behold with awe the sacraments of shopping. -
Life on a Desert Island
1 Jul 2009 | 2:17 amImagine Les Stroud's "Survivorman" repurposed for the "Dora the Explorer" crowd and you have a clear picture of "Life on a Desert Island." -
Speedmouse
30 Jun 2009 | 4:30 amWritten, directed, and performed by David Collins and Shane Dundas, "Speedmouse" is a wonderfully wacky fusion of mime, slapstick, and standup comedy. -
Phèdre
27 Jun 2009 | 2:35 amTheater and film combine in an exciting synthesis in NT Live's first presentation, Jean Racine's "Phèdre." -
Twelfth Night
25 Jun 2009 | 5:49 am"If music be the food of love, play on." Director Daniel Sullivan takes the first line of "Twelfth Night" seriously by infusing his delightful production of Shakespeare's oft-produced classic with as many gorgeous notes as possible.
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Backstage
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Actress Karen Dyer Is Pretty 'Evil'
4 Jul 2009 | 3:05 amOk, it's not "Hamlet." But Karen Dyer has added a solid credit to her resume -- as well as creating a fantasy figure for thousands of gamers -- as the voice and screen capture image of Sheva Alomar, a character in the bestselling video game "Resident Evil 5." -
Spotlight on Bernie Telsey
2 Jul 2009 | 3:15 amThat casting office, Telsey + Company, is responsible for finding the actors for many of the shows currently on Broadway, including "9 to 5," "Next to Normal," "Rock of Ages," "Blithe Spirit," "In the Heights," "Wicked," and "South Pacific." -
How Have Your Supposed Imperfections Helped Your Acting Career?
2 Jul 2009 | 1:40 am"I carry 80 extra pounds on my 5-foot-4-inch frame, and I'm a 'saleable' actor because I embrace all of me. It's a good thing auditioning for a studio pilot with A-listers. So I don't get offended when the sides call for 'a tank of a woman.'That's me!'" -
Keeping Paice
2 Jul 2009 | 1:34 amBackstage at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where "39 Steps" is playing, actor Jill Paice points to a rack of costumes, including shoes and hats. She's explaining what's involved in those quick costume changes, which are an integral part of the show. -
Keeping Paice
2 Jul 2009 | 1:34 amBackstage at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where "39 Steps" is playing, actor Jill Paice points to a rack of costumes, including shoes and hats. She's explaining what's involved in those quick costume changes, which are an integral part of the show.
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Backstage
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Insanity
2 Jul 2009 | 12:02 amRemember the one about the man believed to be crazy and the associated themes—pondering the questions of who is truly "crazy" among us and whether passion and individuality can be mistaken for derangement? -
Kill Me, Deadly!
1 Jul 2009 | 11:56 pmPlaywright Bill Robens, who previously focused his satiric lens on classic Charles Dickens ("A Mulholland Christmas Carol") and Irwin Allen disaster flicks ("The Poseidon Adventure: The Musical" and "The Towering Inferno: The Musical") now goes after film-noir private-eye melodramas, with rib-tickling results. -
True West
1 Jul 2009 | 1:04 amIs it possible this Sam Shepard piece deserves the label of "theatrical warhorse?" Considered gritty and cutting edge at the time of its 1980 premiere, this tale of two brothers, complete opposites, who collide head-on, seems somewhat pedestrian in this day and age. -
Saint Joan of the Slaughterhouses
1 Jul 2009 | 1:00 amBrecht's play was undoubtedly meant to provoke. Under the direction of Michael Rothhaar, this production of it does so, indeed. -
The Voysey Inheritance
1 Jul 2009 | 12:57 amThe story is timely, although it probably always has been. The rich get richer—by their indifference or their scheming—and in this case they also have the babies.
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BroadwayWorld.com Featured Content
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'FACESPACE' Opens As Part Of 2009 MITF 7/18
4 Jul 2009 | 5:58 pmFaceSpace, written by Talia Gonzales & Bisanne Massoud, will be part of the 2009 Midtown International Theatre Festival. The show, produced by Lucky Penny Productions, in Association with The 7th Sign Theatre Productions, will open on Saturday, July 18th & run for six performances at the MainStage Theatre, 312 West 36th Street. This Premiere Production will be directed by Daniel Winerman. Lighting Design is by Jana Mattioli. -
July 4th Breaking News: Liza's At the Palace to be Filmed at MGM Grand in Las Vegas this September
4 Jul 2009 | 3:50 pmBroadwayWorld.com has learned that the Tony-winning (for Best Special Theatrical Event) "Liza's At the Palace" will be filmed this September at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas at the resort's Hollywood Theater. More details will be announced shortly, it's expected that the filming will contain all of the material she performed during her sold-out, Broadway run. -
Crown City's THE APPLE TREE Keeps Extending!
4 Jul 2009 | 1:45 pmThe Apple Tree book, music & lyrics by Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock additional book by Jerome Coopersmith directed by Gary Lamb (I), William A. Reilly (II), Matthew J. Williamson (III) choreography by Gary Lamb and Bradley Michael Crown City Theatre @St. Matthew's Church on Camarillo in NoHo through July 27 -
Photo Flash: The First Annual JIMMY Awards
4 Jul 2009 | 1:43 pmNederlander Alliances, LLC and Pittsburgh CLO, co-producers and founding partners of The National High School Musical Theater Awards, presented the first annual Jimmy Awards in a ceremony held last night at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University. The Jimmy Award is named in honor of legendary Broadway theater owner and producer James M. Nederlander. The award features an illustration of James M. Nederlander drawn by world renowned artist Al Hirschfeld. -
Warren, Lowe, Thomas, and More Celebrate AMERICAN ANTHEM LIVE 7/4
4 Jul 2009 | 11:39 amOn Saturday, July 4th, Upright Cabaret presents "American Anthem, a celebration of American song" starring Broadway's Jennifer Leight Warren and a all-star cast at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club, which will weave a tapestry of American song with great stories and classics that you know and love!
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Jane Fonda
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Tweets on 2009-07-04
4 Jul 2009 | 12:25 amhttp://twitpic.com/9671x - Ted Turner, riding through Livingston, Montana as the Grand Master of the annual Livingston July 4th rodeo. T … # -
Rilke “Letters to a Young Poet”
3 Jul 2009 | 11:20 am“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart And try to love the questions themselves. Don’t search for the answers, Which could not be given to you now, Because you would not be able to live them. Live the questions now, Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer” Rilke “Letters to a Young Poet” -
Tweets on 2009-07-03
3 Jul 2009 | 12:25 amGoing to spend more time posting things for the Facebook group. If you have not joined go now, http://www.facebook.com/janefonda # -
PATTI LUPONE
30 Jun 2009 | 8:00 pmI finally met Patti Lupone. You can’t be on Broadway for long without knowing her legendary status. I had never seen her in anything but she sent me flowers when I was nominated for a Tony Award and we have been emailing. She and Mandy Patinkin are performing in L.A. At the Ahmanson Theatre. A new and compelling compilation of show tunes. She knocked me socks off—and about 3000 other people. I invited her, her husband and son to join me, Carrie Fisher, Richard Perry and my son and daughter-in-law for dinner after the show. Patti turns out to be a real mensch…easy to be with,… -
Tweets on 2009-06-30
30 Jun 2009 | 12:25 amTheologian Jim Nelson, “Human sexuality is God’s way of calling us out of separation and loneliness into communication and communion.” # RT@keyinfluencer @janefonda thanks 4 being our 1st client. Here’s official launch release http://pitch.pe/16705 >CONGRATS GUYS, SAW CNN #
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Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage
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No Longer A "Yes (Wo)Man"
4 Jul 2009 | 9:55 amI did something really stupid last week. I mean, it was just plain idiotic. I've been beating myself up about it, sleeping restlessly and wishing I hadn't been so ambitious. How many times can I slap myself on the head in penance? Answer: not enough. Turns out, that stupid thing I did? (And believe me, it was dumb.) It may have been the smartest stupid thing I've ever done!I started a new internship, of sorts, last week. Remember my tales of Mr. Awesome? Oh man, as much as I want to use real names so you'll realize… -
Moving and Shaking
4 Jul 2009 | 9:47 amHave you ever wondered how tours get around? I just found out. I don't know why I haven't thought about it before, but there is an awful lot of stuff that needs to get from place to place rather quickly. Our set takes up 3 large crates! These are the kind that travel on those large ocean freighters and are unloaded in massive ports. Our show was sent out weeks before our arrival. Within countries, this jigsaw puzzle travels on the back of three semi trucks. I do not envy the crew's job! It is currently after midnight on Saturday and all of our luggage… -
Open: Play w/ Audience
4 Jul 2009 | 8:33 amAn Inspector Calls opened this Wednesday, and during each energy filled evening since I'm reminded and taught more clearly than ever that the work on a play is only beginning when the 1st curtain goes up, and an audience rides on the story for the first time. We performed our best show yet last night, not because it was clean or glossy, but because we were taping into the real life of the play and bouncing things hard off one another. If I was aware of one thing in addition to what was happening moment to moment on stage, it was what was happening moment to… -
Searching for 'Asian' Debra Winger...
3 Jul 2009 | 10:17 pmThe other night I finally watched a documentary film that I've been wanting to watch for years, 'Searching for Debra Winger'. It's a documentary by Rosanna Arquette about the challenges working women in the entertainment business face; while aging, being full-time mothers, etc. I remember the buzz about this film when it was premiering back in May 2002. I didn't quite have those concerns back then. After about the first hour, where every actress that is interviewed in the film has been seen and has voiced her opinion on why Debra Winger would have left the business in her… -
Opening Night
3 Jul 2009 | 8:15 amI have waited over three months for this moment. After two weeks of rehearsals, 7,500 miles, dozens of misplaced props and set pieces, stressful power issues, and an iron language barrier, not an ounce of Disney magic was lost in our opening of Winnie the Pooh to a crowd of 1,500. Moments like this are what I live for. One of my responsibilities in the show includes entertaining the audience with a pre-show. About fifteen minutes before the show begins, my trio stumbles on the stage. The whole point is that we are busy dusting the stage when we notice a huge crowd of people. We then descend…
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Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage
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Happy 4th, Y'all!
3 Jul 2009 | 2:17 pmHere are a couple of interpretations of "The Star Spangled Banner". Which version do you prefer? Or are there other versions you like better? -
Overnight Movies: "In the Ring"
2 Jul 2009 | 3:30 pmIn the Ring - Another Great One From Instant Films 26! from Instant Films on Vimeo. A couple times a year, I participate in Instant Films, a film festival where short movies are written, shot, edited, and premiere in the course of 48 hours. It's an adrenaline rush and nice to actually get out there and make some art, as opposed to just talking about doing something. The results can vary from unwatchable to brilliant, but because of the condensed timeline, they usually fall somewhere in between. This particular festival was wedding-themed and on Friday night at 8 p.m., a group of 8 writers… -
So Many Friends Gone
2 Jul 2009 | 2:43 pmThe deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett on the same day last week overshadowed the recent passings of many other figures in the entertainment industry--innovative choreographer Pina Bausch whose work has been seen around the world and in Fellini's And the Ship Sails On; Oscar winner Karl Malden; velvet-voiced baritone Harve Presnell; impressionist Fred Travelena; actor T. Scott Cunningham; TV pitchman Billy Mays; and the screamingly funny Mollie Sugden ("Are you free, Mr. Peacock?"). I have memories of many of these people. Travelena… -
Broadway Dims the Lights for Karl Malden
2 Jul 2009 | 2:28 pmThe marquees of Broadway theatres will be dimmed for one minute at 8 p.m. tonight, July 2, in honor of the late Karl Malden, who died yesterday at age 97.Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said in a statement:"Karl Malden's performances in some of Broadway's most legendary original productions in the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s showcased his talent and set a standard for excellence on stage. He made an lasting impact on Broadway and in other mediums throughout his career that will continue to live on." Malden made his Broadway debut in 1937 with a… -
Neil Patrick Harris to Host Emmys
2 Jul 2009 | 1:54 pmVariety reports that Neil Patrick Harris is "cutting a deal" to host the 61st annual Emmy Awards, which will air live on CBS Sept. 20, 2009. NPH -- who stars as Barney Stinson on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother -- hosted the Tony Awards last month to rave reviews (and higher-than-usual ratings). It appears the actor is becoming a centerpiece for the network: The Tonys also aired on CBS, and HIMYM is moving to the 8 p.m. "anchor slot" on Monday nights, beginning the night after the Emmys Watch video of Harris' closing number from the 2009 Tony Awards: Harris also…
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Blogway Baby
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FAIL BLOG!
3 Jul 2009 | 10:05 amYou've got to be carefully taught... If you need a good laugh, check this out. Happy long weekend! -
EVERY LITTLE STEP
2 Jul 2009 | 12:28 pmOne singular sensation of a movie! Last night I went to the Landmark Harvard Exit movie theatre in Capitol Hill to see EVERY LITTLE STEP, the documentary about casting the revival of A CHORUS LINE. FIrst of all, the Landmark Harvard Exit is one cool movie theatre! I'd never been before, and I almost drove right by it. The Landmark Harvard Exit is an old woman's club turned movie theatre. From the theatre's website: The theatre is located on a quaint, tree-lined street at the north end of Broadway, at Harvard and Roy on Seattle's Capitol Hill. The building in which The Harvard Exit currently… -
WINNIE THE POOH AT YOUTH THEATRE NORTHWEST!
1 Jul 2009 | 4:16 pmEeyore is going to steal the show! I'm very excited to see WINNIE THE POOH at Youth Theatre Northwest because my youngest daughter Trinity will be playing Eeyore! Opening night is next Friday July 10, so get your tickets now! From the Youth Theatre Northwest Press release: Youth Theatre Northwest (YTN) commences it’s 26th Season and Summerstock program with a magical adventure into the lush 100 acre woods with a stage adaptation of the beloved story Winnie-the-Pooh. Winnie-the-Pooh is a fat little bear who would like to drift peacefully through life, humming tunes and stopping… -
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
1 Jul 2009 | 11:45 amHere's to Canada, eh! And a special shout out to musicals (not an exhaustive list by any means) written by Canadians - TWO PIANO FOUR HANDS, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES, BILLY BISHOP GOES TO WAR, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE and of course, PLANE CRAZY! Okay, and a special shout out to one of my favorite Canadians -- Wolverine! -
INDIANA WANTS ME, EH?
21 Jun 2009 | 7:44 pmBelieve it or not! I just found out that one of my fav songs, Indiana Wants Me,was written and performed by a Canadian songwriter R. Dean Taylor. According to the Summer 2009 edition of SOCAN's Words and Music magazine, R. Dean Taylor was the Motown Records first white artist to score a No. 1 hit! From Words and Music: In the early 1960s Canadian songwriter R. Dean Taylor found himself at the right place at the right time: in Detroit working for Motown Records. He quickly earned a reputation as one of the label's best writers and producer, co-penning smash hits such as All I Need (for the…
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The Wicked Stage
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"The Avocado Monologue"
1 Jul 2009 | 2:33 pmLaurie and Atkinson, in top Black Adder form, from a Comic Relief sketch. -
It's Ragtime Again
1 Jul 2009 | 12:31 pmBest. News. Of. 2009. -
The Other Side of Summer
1 Jul 2009 | 11:32 amI'd heard rumblings about this from friends in SoCal, but Harold Meyerson's new piece puts it all together re: the economic devastation in my former home state, which looks ever less attractive as a possible future home state:[Gov.] Schwarzenegger is proposing to end welfare, not just as we know it but altogether, and to throw 1 million children off the rolls of the state's healthy families program. But the consequences of closing the deficit simply through cutbacks will be felt by more than the poor.That sucks hard enough, but here's the kicker that has more than one L.A. couple I know with… -
Deadly vs. Alive
30 Jun 2009 | 8:41 amI have to second Isaac on today's "must read": Gus Schulenberg's post at Flux on quality, values, and criticism, triggered by the recent National Summit for Ensemble Theatres. Isaac focuses on Gus's last point, about better ways to share criticism among artists, but having a critical mind myself, I responded most to Gus's first item, in which he wades into the thorny thickets of arguments over objective "quality" and value and keeps his wits about him:I think the primary reason we have trouble talking about quality is we so often confuse it with value. Artistic quality is excellence in an… -
The Wonders of Understatement
30 Jun 2009 | 8:08 amTotally off-topic, but I've been devouring David Blight's Yale course on the Civil War and Reconstruction (downloadable here for free), and I heard him read from Jourdon Anderson's famous letter of 1865 today. Jourdon was a former Tennessee slave who was about a year into a newly free life in Ohio when his old master, Col. P.H. Anderson, wrote to him to ask him to return to work. His response is devastating--fascinating, wickedly ironic, stunning, ultimately moving. Jourdon begins with a polite ambivalence:I got your letter and was glad to find you had not forgotten Jourdon, and that you…
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Jersey Boys Blog
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Star-studded Jersey Boys Opening Night in Melbourne!
4 Jul 2009 | 1:47 pmLuke Dennehy of the Herald Sun notes that after much talk and anticipation, the award-winning musical Jersey Boys has finally arrived in Melbourne! The hype surrounding last night’s star-studded opening is part of a wider resurgence of the musical genre, which is enjoying patronage not seen since the days of the 1980s mega-musicals. The guest [...] -
Jersey Boys Melbourne Opens TONIGHT!
4 Jul 2009 | 8:41 amPhoto Credit: JB Tech-Half, Jersey Boys Australian Press Launch, Las Vegas 2/3/09 From BroadwayWorld.com: Bobby Fox, Scott Johnson, Glaston Toft and Stephen Mahy star in JERSEY BOYS - The story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Broadway’s multi-award winning musical opening in Melbourne’s Princess Theatre TONIGHT. Rehearsals began in Melbourne this past April. Previews started [...] -
WRAL Video Interview with Joseph Leo Bwarie!
3 Jul 2009 | 9:19 pmVisit WRAL to watch a fun interview with Joseph Leo Bwarie, who talks about what it’s like to play the singer with one of the most recognizable voices in music history, Frankie Valli; the “Frankie Camp” experience; his amazing castmates; and lots of behind the scenes stories! -
National Tour Jersey Girls on a Backstage Tour and Interview!
3 Jul 2009 | 4:01 pmRenee Marino plays Mary Delgado, Frankie Valli’s first wife the national tour of Jersey Boys. “The costumes in the show are endless,” Marino said. “It’s a girl’s dream…we get to play dress up.” Visit WRAL.com for a fantastic backstage tour and interview with the Jersey Girls of the national tour: Renee Marino, Denise Payne, and Katie [...] -
Jersey Boys to Perform on ‘A Capitol Fourth’ on PBS Tomorrow Night!
3 Jul 2009 | 1:34 pmCelebrate Independence Day with the JERSEY BOYS! Yes, JERSEY BOYS cast members from Broadway, Chicago, Las Vegas, and national tour companies will be performing on ‘A Capitol Fourth’ tomorrow night between 8:00-9:30PM ET on PBS!
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Parabasis
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I'll Admit it, I'm Obsessed
4 Jul 2009 | 9:53 amWith Sarah Palin's Adios Amigos speech, that is. I always felt like Sarah Palin off the cuff had about all of the coherence of a spam e-mail for discount cialis, but the amazing thing is that speech she gave was prewritten (by her, the announcement was so abrupt her aides didn't have time to write it) and it still comes across like the insane ramblings of a spam e-mail filtered through babelfish.And the last line is a classic:In the words of General MacArthur said, "We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction." That's only one of many… -
Remember When I Said
3 Jul 2009 | 8:34 pmRe: Mark Sanford that the worst thing in American Politics right now seems to be rising star/standard bearer/presidential hopeful for the Right (and particularly the Christian Right)?Seems I was more right than I thought:(h/t Matt) -
Just When I Thought I was Out... Sarah Palin Dragged me Back In
3 Jul 2009 | 2:48 pmJust when you think politics couldn't've gotten all that much stranger this week... Sarah Palin announced that not only is she not seeking reelection... she's resigning??"Once I decided not to run for re-election, I also felt that to embrace the conventional Lame Duck status in this particular climate would just be another dose of politics as usual, something I campaigned against and will always oppose," Palin said in a statement released by her office.One of two possibilities. First, there's some real hidden dark secret type reason she's resigning… -
Congrats and Well Wishes to the Weinert-Kendts!
3 Jul 2009 | 11:52 amOn the arrival of their new addition, their son Oliver!I've been texting back and forth with Rob today and he said he didn't have internet access so it was okay for me to blog about it!Happy 4th of July everyone, I'll be back... Sunday. At the earliest. -
Our Thoughts Today...
2 Jul 2009 | 9:10 amAre with Scott Walters, having just found out from his blog that his father recently suffered a stroke and passed away.
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theatre notes
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Amateur journalism
1 Jul 2009 | 2:58 pmI see the chairman of News Ltd, John Hartigan, has some harsh words for bloggers. In an address to the National Press Club yesterday, he claimed that "amateur journalism trivialises and corrupts serious debate", and that only well-trained professional journalists wrote reliable news. (This, I am sure, has nothing whatsoever to do with News Ltd's launch of its blog-style commentary website The -
Pina Bausch
30 Jun 2009 | 3:06 pmI just woke up to the sad news that Pina Bausch has died at 68. Her tours of Australia had an electrifying influence on Australian theatre and dance, among many others inspiring Meryl Tankard (whose latest work is on at Malthouse at the end of the year). George Hunka has a memoriam here.Update: David Jays recalls his first encounter with the work of Pina Bausch.On a brighter note, it's -
Pinter
29 Jun 2009 | 6:52 pmMy review of the MTC production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party was in yesterday's Australian. Lots more to think about, and I hope I get a chance to do so (time is in short supply in Ms TN's world): on the one hand, how liberating to see these excellent Indigenous actors on the MTC stage; on the other, how disappointing that their talents are not fully exploited. It's an intelligent -
Review: The Man from Mukinupin
24 Jun 2009 | 12:38 amDorothy Hewett would have been amused. Last Tuesday, Ms TN high-tailed it to the Sumner Theatre to see The Man from Mukinupin. I turned up to what I thought was the pre-show scrum, wondered why no-one was checking tickets at the theatre door (how odd, I thought, and shrugged, dismissing the thought), and sat down to enjoy the show. Which I did.On my way out, still vibrating with Hewett's lyrical -
Circus Oz
23 Jun 2009 | 3:36 pmMy review of Circus Oz's fab new show, Barely Contained, was in Monday's Australian.
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The Theater Loop
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Let’s hope sci-fi flop that is 'Earth: TTFN' departs forever
4 Jul 2009 | 3:00 amTHEATER REVIEW: "Earth: TTFN" ½ star Through Aug. 9 at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.; Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes; Tickets: $24-$30 at 773-404-7336. Any time you find yourself at a show where the script is written... -
An 'L' of a good place to put a real Chicago theater
2 Jul 2009 | 1:56 pm(A CTA train passes westbound over Lake Street in this Tribune file photo.) In the new movie “Public Enemies,” John Dillinger’s girlfriend Billie Frechette hangs out in an apartment just a few feet from the “L” tracks. Of course she... -
'Hollow Lands' packs the American experience into tiny Steep Theatre
1 Jul 2009 | 10:11 amTHEATER REVIEW: "The Hollow Lands" ★★½ Through Aug. 1 at Steep Theatre, 1115 W. Berwyn Ave.; Running time: 2 hours, 55 minutes; Tickets: $18 at 312-458-0722 and www.steeptheatre.com. With Jeremy Fisher (from left), Jonathan Edwards, Boyd Harris and Peter Moore.... -
Up next at Second City e.t.c.: 'Studs Terkel's Not Working'
1 Jul 2009 | 9:31 amThe Second City has set both the typically edgy title and the date for its forthcoming revue in the e.t.c. theater. "Studs Terkel's Not Working," which the troupe says is intended as an homage to the late, great Chicago author,... -
Goodman cancellation infuriates head of Austrian festival
30 Jun 2009 | 8:55 amThe Goodman Theatre's decision to cancel its planned fall production of "Joan D'Arc" has sparked an international flap. Cutting the show from the Goodman's schedule has provoked a furious response from Airan Berg, the artistic director of the performing arts...
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The SF Bay Area Theatre Blog
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Follow Ray to London
2 Jul 2009 | 11:42 amBay Area theatre dude, Ray Renati, who often sends me tips and link, may be the self-proclaimed "oldest dude" to ever do a summer internship with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, but his midlife crisis (kidding! kidding!) is our gain because he's going to blog about it, of course.And here's his first post: R.A.D.A., London and London Theatre.I'm going to enjoy following his journey. -
Hits are in the air...for the Magic and San Jose Stage
18 Jun 2009 | 4:35 pmApparently Bay Area theatre goers enjoy attending theatre in May/June, because today I received two different emails about shows being extended past their original runs:1. San Jose Stage Company is putting on a show that sounds...interesting...to say the least, namely:THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICALMusic and Lyrics by David NehlsBook by Betsy KelsoMay 27 - July 5, 2009 There's a new tenant at Armadillo Acres, and she wreaking havoc all over Florida's most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, the stripper on the run, comes between the Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her… -
Broadway coming back to San Jose
11 Jun 2009 | 7:56 amTeam San Jose, the city organization that books the San Jose Center for Performing Arts, announced a partnership with the Nederlander organization to bring national tours of Broadway musicals back to San jose for the 2009-2010 season.You can read all about it in the Merc.While I'm glad, in general, to get more theatre to San Jose, it's still a shame for local actors and workers. Their inaugural season does look fun...including Spamalot, Avenue Q and Spring Awakening, any of which I would see.But will future seasons be as current and interesting, or will we be back to tours of Sound of Music… -
Are you watching the Tony's tonight?
7 Jun 2009 | 8:28 amYet another year goes by in which I saw NONE of the nominated performances or productions. :(I just spent all of last week in NYC and didn't have a spare evening to catch a show. I got some low-down from one of my local buddies about his thoughts (loved Hair, loved Alice Ripley).The New York Times has a special Tony section, including a run-down of who has the best odds of winning.Also, wrote a little post over at my green blog about how they're trying to "green" Broadway and the Tony Awards. If you're into the green movement at all, it's an interesting look at how even an old institution,… -
Guess who I just saw?
31 May 2009 | 4:27 pmWhy, Ms Patti LuPone sitting in first class as I boarded a Virgin America flight to NYC!I did actually catch her eye (my staring, doubtless) and came theesclose to simply saying "I love your work" or "I'm a big fan", as opposed to saying "Oh my God, I saw you play Evita when I was like 14 years old, and you were so awesome!!!!"But I kept quiet.When I sat down, back in my seat many rows away in Coach, I did ask the guy sitting next to me if he knew who Patti Lupone was.Turns out, out of probably 200 people on that plane, I was sitting next to someone who works for her. Color me red-faced. he…
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Penny Plain, Twopence Colored
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Opera in 10 Minutes
2 Jul 2009 | 11:14 am -
Festival Review
1 Jul 2009 | 2:00 amA German review (translated here) of the recent toy theatre festival in the Netherlands... -
Puppet Avant Garde
27 Jun 2009 | 3:12 pmI spent this past week visiting an amazing friend in the wilderness of Minnesota. It's so far off the beaten path, that they are not on Google maps, and it's on purpose. They live in a dome house by their own design, he farms1, she does...well, just about everything. She is a multidisciplinary artist. Trust me, this woman works hard. She's the hardest workin' woman in show business, at least that's my opinion. Anyways, she's damned talented, that's for sure.I know those of you out there that come here for toy theatre are starting to think, what is this post about?! Well, it's about puppets,… -
Toy Theatre Evolution
31 May 2009 | 1:21 pmChange. It's a good thing.At least that's my personal opinion. It makes life interesting, challenges us.Toy theatre is currently undergoing a huge revival as well as evolution. One such recent example (albeit only one among many) was Sandow Birk's animated film adaption of Dante's Inferno.Another is the currently-in-production of the classic The Corsican Brothers. The man behind it all is Nigel Peever, who among his many talents includes being an actor. How he finds the time for all this is beyond me, but we can be thankful he does, because I can tell it will be an amazing piece of… -
Three Days in May
28 May 2009 | 6:52 pmCatch the highlights of the recent festival here...Wow, there was even a toy theatre adaption of my all-time favorite comic saga, Krazy Kat & Ignatz Mouse!
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one playwright. one blog.
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Friday photo rescue
26 Jun 2009 | 9:01 amFrom Total Eclipse 2009 (our annual benefit), this is a reading from Jeffrey Sweet’s play The Action Against Sol Schumann, presented as part of the 2010 featured playwright selection process and featuring ensemble members Steven Fedoruk, CeCe Klinger, Nora Fiffer and myself. The process is almost complete – we’ll have some exciting news to announce by mid-July … -
Separation/Insulation
21 Jun 2009 | 4:16 pmIn preparation for our forthcoming show SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, now in rehearsals, I had gone through many reviews of the John Guare play; and many had referenced THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES by Tom Wolfe. “Transcendent…magical…a masterwork that captures New York as Tom Wolfe did …” as Frank Rich wrote in his review of the play. So, I set forth to my local bookstore and picked up a copy of the Wolfe satire. There is maybe a difference of a few years between when both plot lines take place, but the main themes and ideas are shared. The issue of class, race,… -
Watch scenes from A Song for Coretta
19 Jun 2009 | 11:08 amStagechannel.com has two video clips of scenes from A Song for Coretta – click the images below to watch. In the first scene, Zora (Niccole Thurman) interviews Helen (TayLar) about her memory of Mrs. King: click image to watch video In scene two, Helen (TayLar) and Keisha (Kristy Johnson) have a hard time seeing eye to eye across the generation gap: click image to watch video -
Friday photo rescue
19 Jun 2009 | 10:47 amFrom the currently-running, Jeff-Recommended A Song for Coretta by Pearl Cleage – I promise the whole show isn’t this sad, but this moment between Keisha (Kristy Johnson, left) and Mona Lisa (Kelly Owens) is beautiful: -
A Song for Coretta is Jeff Recommended!
16 Jun 2009 | 7:48 amI received an email yesterday morning from the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee – a week after winning two awards at the 2009 ceremony, we’re already in the running for next year. Congratulations to everyone involved!
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The Next Stage
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Heading for home
3 Jul 2009 | 1:00 am -
“Hey. Actors. Suck it up.”
2 Jul 2009 | 2:26 amThis post has been a long time coming. It’s one I really wanted to write a few weeks ago, but I was so mad, so red-faced incensed at the time that I couldn’t dare sit down at the computer and spit out the vitriol I was gargling with. So I waited to cool down. Which I have, but not much. My thanks to Ottawa actor/teacher/blogger Kris Joseph for writing the post that the above title is lifted from. I’m very tempted to reprint the post in its entirety here, I believe it’s that important. Instead I will urge you to head over to Kris’ place and check it out, and… -
A welcome to The Room
24 Jun 2009 | 3:06 pmA great company web site. Somewhere on it you’ll find a set of posted rules. The first rule is: In the room, things are being made. The fourth rule is: In The Room no one can say for sure what these things will be until they are done, because making things is a kind of magic, and magic can’t always be controlled. I like the sound of this already. Congratulations to Brendan, Christopher, Geoffrey, Natasha and Ian. Welcome to the world. We’ll be watching for your uncontrollable magic from the left side of the country. -
This One Goes to Eleven: Sally Stubbs
24 Jun 2009 | 2:04 amSally is an award-winning playwright and teacher-director of theatre with, by and for young people and a performer who loves to clown. She is completing a graduate degree in writing at the University of Victoria with master playwright Joan MacLeod. Hers is a strong local voice, and a proud addition to the interview series. 1. In one word, describe your present condition. Immersed. 2. In as many words as you’d like, describe the present condition of the Vancouver theatre scene. Way back I made a choice to work with young people as a theatre educator. It meant I did my own theatre work… -
Kick-starting your Social Marketing program
23 Jun 2009 | 3:25 amA year and a half ago I met a firecracker of a theatre publicist. Her name was Rebecca Coleman. Still is, actually. She was, at the time, busy making a name for herself in the independent arts scene here in Vancouver. A trained actor, a theatre geek, and a single mom, she was springboarding off of her passion in order to generate a steady income to raise young Michael. And, being a workaholic, she was doing just fine at it. Better than fine, actually, she was crushing it. She was attacking her new career with a voracity that you couldn’t help but notice. I sure couldn’t anyway,…
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Theatre is Territory
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Michael in Primetime @ Toronto Fringe
1 Jul 2009 | 11:10 amThe pitch: Michael is the next contestant on the newest reality TV series “Reality” – a show that takes young, good looking but incredibly troubled men out of their natural environment and forces them to face the realities of their existence. With the help of mom, a significant other, a scientific genius, a commercial about depression, a detective and 10 other people, Michael discovers there’s more to life than eat, sleep, poop, mate and die. More info here: Enlightenment Theatre. We advertise your Toronto Fringe show for free: Check it out. -
The Room is now open
8 Jun 2009 | 11:40 amBrand new theatre company. Brand new website. If you’re interested, you can also download our press release (PDF), here. It’s fun, too. -
Free advertising for your Fringe show
2 Jun 2009 | 2:20 pmAnybody got any good Fringe Festival postcards? How about sending a jpg here with a 25- to 75-word story about why they look the way they do. We’ll run it in this space along with a link to your website if you want. Any takers? -
Hello theatrosphere
19 May 2009 | 7:06 amWhat can we do better today? -
Theatre posters that don’t suck
1 May 2009 | 2:10 pmYou know what’s amazing about the Soulpepper posters, besides everything? It’s how they take human bodies and replace the head with something that’s not a human head. It’s a simple idea that helps bring cohesion to the brand across multiple production campaigns. From the ‘night mother poster. From the Glengarry Glen Ross poster. So, what’s the big idea behind your next production campaign?
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The Playgoer
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Ohio Theatre Update
2 Jul 2009 | 8:07 amNo, not the state. The downtown NYC alt-theatre fixture.After facing near-foreclosure, looks like they're hanging on for at least another year. "Speaking for myself, notwithstanding everything that’s happened in the past year, I’m basically upbeat about things,," he tells Time Out, while also previewing this summer's installment of the always-anticipated Ice Factory festival. -
What? A Panel About Theatre Blogging?
2 Jul 2009 | 5:51 amWednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!Another panel discussion of blogging, theatre, and the interwebs. Featuring yours truly, Parabasis' Isaac Butler, and Time Out's Helen Shaw. Moderating us (though not to the point of moderation, I hope) will be the Times' Erik Piepenburg, who I must say has done an outstanding job giving the paper's theatre page a real web presence, with nifty features like the "slideshows."So come to CUNY next Wednesday, July 8 at 6:30. And be ready to rumble.Meanwhile, you can check out the latestissue of American Theatre for a transcript of a similarly-themed CUNY panel… -
Karl Malden
1 Jul 2009 | 2:11 pmMalden as Mitch. Definitive.Not to make this Obituary Central here, but Karl Malden has now passed, and I find it amazing to think what a link he was, at 97, back to a great theatrical heritage. Known from movies, of course (and American Express commercials), remember too that he was the original Mitch in the play Streetcar (not just the film) and also had a brief role in the original 1937 Golden Boy in the Group Theatre, with which he apprenticed.Rest in peace Mladen Sekulovich of Gary, Indiana... -
NEA Update
30 Jun 2009 | 10:39 amHouse of Representatives has ok'd a nearly-10% increase for NEA funding. (up to a whopping $170 mil.) Now over to the Senate.Where's Rocco? And where's Al Franken??? We kinda need that 60th vote now... -
Pina Bausch
30 Jun 2009 | 7:50 amGerman choreographer Pina Bausch, one of the world's foremost figures in dance-theatre (and who basically defined that genre over the last quarter-century) has just died at 68.
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nytheatre.com
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Save on Tickets to Back to Babylon
2 Jul 2009 | 7:08 ama close-knit circle of Long Island townies struggle to define themselves—Save $5 -
Save on Tickets to The Elephant Man - The Musical
2 Jul 2009 | 7:08 ammusical comedy/parody; the Elephant Man becomes the star of Broadway musical—Save 20% -
Save on Tickets to Claire and the Ornithological Shadow
2 Jul 2009 | 7:08 ama shy young woman meets a magical shadow figure—Save 20% -
Save on Tickets to Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
2 Jul 2009 | 7:08 aman unauthorized look at what happens to the Peanuts characters when they grow up—Save $3 -
Review: Caucasian Chalk Circle
1 Jul 2009 | 10:01 pmA maid named Grusha, played by Rachel Jablin, whose performance emanates sweetness, finds a child abandoned by her mistress, the Governor's Wife, played by Rachel Schwartz with despicable nose-in-the-air affectation, after an overthrow of the Governor's government. Grusha has the "terrible temptation to do good," and decides to care for the orphan. Her journey throughout the play is one where she must often choose between her own life's good and the good of the child. She comes to love the child that is represented by a small sack with a metal circle as its head, not merely as a burden, but…
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theatreminima journal
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Organum
Of the spirit. The Christian conception of fleshed word as a means of access to spirit (through the bodied god, his sacrifice, rituals such as the eucharist in which flesh is taken into flesh; though Christianity is not alone in this conception, it is among the most recent Western exemplar) finds unique aesthetic equivalence in theatre. Here it is the actor and dramatist who explore these roads to access, as does a musical performer, who allows a musical composition to pass through her body (without the body, even that of the synthesizer operator or the composer in a recording studio,… -
Organum
The theatre is my representation. There is no more certain knowledge, once achieved, than this: that the theatre, like the world, is a re-presentation of objects and events that I assemble in my consciousness, and mine alone, for each individual's consciousness is his or her autonomous possession. I witness a theatrical event from my own personal physical perspective, seeing the stage and its arrangements of bodies, objects and events from a unique physical and perceptual vantage point. It is true that I am a body among bodies, placed within a collective audience, but this does not mitigate… -
Organum
For Marilyn These works are a series of acts best comprehended in groups or as a continuity. Except as a created revelation, a new experience, they are without value. It is my desire that they be kept in groups as much as possible and remain so. ... So I am in the strange position of seeking an environment for the work and the small means wherein I'll be free to continue the "act." Houston's Rothko Chapel is a small unremarkable building set just off a suburban corner, adjoining a series of plain, low houses and a college campus. Within it, however, is a world entirely itself, as real as the…
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The Musical Reviewer
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The Tonys!
7 Jun 2009 | 5:12 pmPosted from: The Musical Reviewer, Unauthorized use Prohibited. fingerprint: 80186a5a72b699f8366c57a4c35ba6ca Wow, what an opening! By the way, I’m going to try to live-blog this…stay tuned as the show continues, and I continue to update this post. Stockard Channing! Rizzo forever! She’s amazing, as always. Shrek looks interesting, indeed. I love the Duloc “toy” dancers. I wish they’d have done a song that fully featured Sutton Foster — love her! Angela Lansbury SO deserved the Tony for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play — and… -
Glee premieres on Fox tonight!
19 May 2009 | 6:03 pmPosted from: The Musical Reviewer, Unauthorized use Prohibited. fingerprint: 80186a5a72b699f8366c57a4c35ba6ca The “preview event” pilot episode of the new Fox musical series, “Glee,” premieres tonight from 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT. “Glee” tells the story of a high school glee club, with Matthew Morrison starring as the eager music teacher. Other musical theatre stars will be appearing, including Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked, “Pushing Daisies”), Victor Garber, Deb Monk, Lea Michele (Spring Awakening), John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys), Jessalyn Gilsig… -
2009 Tony Awards Nominations Announced!
5 May 2009 | 9:40 pmPosted from: The Musical Reviewer, Unauthorized use Prohibited. fingerprint: 80186a5a72b699f8366c57a4c35ba6ca The nominees for the American Theatre Wing’s 63rd Annual Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards were announced this morning (May 5) by Tony Award winners Cynthia Nixon (Rabbit Hole) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights). The Tony Awards are the most prestigious awards in the theatre world. Who do YOU think will win? (The Tony nominations ceremony can be viewed at the Tony Awards website.) The nominations took place at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time at the New York Public Library… -
Billy Elliot performance on The Early Show, May 5
4 May 2009 | 10:14 pmPosted from: The Musical Reviewer, Unauthorized use Prohibited. fingerprint: 80186a5a72b699f8366c57a4c35ba6ca The three young men who alternate in the title roll of Billy Elliot, from Billy Elliot the Musical, will be appearing on CBS’ “The Early Show,” Tuesday, May 5, sometime between the hours of 7-9 a.m. (Eastern and Central). Kiril Kulish, David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik alternate in the roll, but will perform side by side in the one of the show’s impressive song dance numbers, “Electricity.” Who: Kiril Kulish, David Alvarez and Trent Kowalik, the three… -
Cast of Hair revival recreates iconic moment at Ed Sullivan Theater
30 Apr 2009 | 8:57 pmPosted from: The Musical Reviewer, Unauthorized use Prohibited. fingerprint: 80186a5a72b699f8366c57a4c35ba6ca The revival of the 1960’s musical Hair recently returned to Broadway, opening March 31 at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Tonight the cast of Hair will recreate a historic and iconic moment as they perform at the Ed Sullivan Theater on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Why so historical? The original Broadway cast of Hair performed at the Ed Sullivan Theater 40 years ago, on March 30, 1969, with variety show host himself, Ed Sullivan. The original cast performed a…
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THE BARKSDALE BUZZ
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Rubbing Elbows with the Tony Elite
26 Jun 2009 | 8:06 amPosted by Lizzie HollandThis year, I was fortunate enough to be able to volunteer for the 63rd Annual Antoinette Perry Awards. Last year I attended as a paid ticket holder, and through that experience I learned that is was possible to be a thing called a “seat filler."Many people wonder what this job actually entails. Well, there is a group of about 200 people of all ages who know someone (or -
New Friend Grady Bowman Does the Tonys
14 Jun 2009 | 5:33 pmPosted by Bruce MillerOur college-bound theatre enthusiast, Lizzie Holland (see the previous blog entry), was not the only one whooping it up at the 2009 Tony Awards. Our new friend Grady Bowman (pictured to the right with his Tony-winning director, Stephen Daldry) was there too, performing on stage with the cast of Billy Elliot, and cheering on his company-mates as the ten Billy Tonys began -
And the Tony for Best Whooper Goes To...
8 Jun 2009 | 3:56 pmPosted by Bruce MillerLike many of us, Lizzie Holland—a rising freshman at Dickinson and one of the more enthusiastic theatre lovers in the Barksdale / Theatre IV family—watched the Tony Awards last night. Like many of us, she whooped and hollered when a particular performance or show biz moment met with her approval. Unlike any of the rest of us, her whoop has been preserved for posterity on the -
Harnessing Honaker
23 May 2009 | 8:42 amPosted by Bruce MillerFirst of all there’s the pronunciation. You put the emphasis on the first syllable—just like you would expect. But the first syllable rhymes with “bone,” not “don.”Then there’s the matter of the second and third syllables. You say them just as if you were talking about an “acre” of land, with the “a” getting more emphasis than the “ker.”So it’s Hone’-ake’-er, with each -
How Old is 39 in Hollywood?
19 May 2009 | 7:31 pmPosted by Bruce MillerThose of us who haven’t been 39 in, say, a couple of decades or so, remember that 39 was the age that the masterfully droll comedian Jack Benny chose to remain throughout the second half of his life. 39 is, in many ways, the last stand of eternal youthfulness.39 is also the age of Herb Tucker, the central male character in Barksdale’s current production of I Ought To Be In
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Blurred Clarity
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Worship Supplies
3 Jul 2009 | 4:55 amI was at an audition last week in a church and whilst I was waiting to be seen I saw a large cupboard which had the following sign on the front...Worship supplies?This made me very curious, what was inside this metallic haven I wondered? Perhaps some mini-Christs, or the communion flesh and blood, a cupboard full of crucifixes or even God himself, waiting to be brought out, dusted off and to strut his stuff for the awe stuck minions?Curiosity got the better of me and I jemmied the cupboard open, committing a minor felony in the process and all was revealed to me...Tea, bottled water,… -
True...True...
2 Jul 2009 | 2:36 am -
OMG! The White House is Gay!
1 Jul 2009 | 2:42 amI understand that the previous eight years of Bush set the bar for even a slightly left-of-centre White House very, very low indeed.Basically the bar is flat on the ground, perhaps even slightly submerged in the soil...it's a gimmie.In my links you'll see the official White House blog, I visit every day and check in on what the Obama administration is up to, reading policy and watching videos.The brief time that Obama has been in charge has already shown sweeping changes, this is a very different administration to the last one but I think that the sheer weight of change is being… -
I was on in Edinburgh
29 Jun 2009 | 3:35 amYou may recall that last year I got my first feature film role, it went on to have it's world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this year and went down very well indeed by all accounts.'My Last Five Girlfriends' got featured on NBC New York who had it as one of their picks, the London Evening Standard highlighted it as the next possible Slumdog Millionaire and it picked up some great reviews here, here and here. Even Monsters and Critics liked it.From the success at Tribeca it secured distribution with Media 8, which should hopefully mean that it will be winging its way to your local… -
The Horror of Iran
26 Jun 2009 | 1:44 amI have kept silent on the terrible situation in Iran because, quite frankly, I don't have an answer, or a 'take' or really an idea of what should be done and the best way for us, as in the West, to respond.Should we merely make vocal claims of support, shouting across the Elburz Mountains to be dismissed as interfering Westerners, sowing seeds of selfish regime change and perhaps scuppering the chance for some level of reform? Or should we engage in diplomatic tit-for-tats, discuss sanctions and shake our heads disapprovingly at the way the protesters are being suppressed so violently, when…
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On Stage Lighting
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Dance Lighting - Introduction
23 Jun 2009 | 12:27 pmA guest post from Lucas Krech, a Lighting Designer with a passion for lighting dance performance. An great introduction to dance lighting that looks at some history, theory and the use of side light in particular. Dancers live in light as fish live in water. The stage space in which they move is their aquarium, their portion of the sea. Within translucent walls and above the stage floor, the lighting supports their flashing buoyance or their arrested sculptural bodies. The dance is fluid and never static. Designing for the dance has been my most constant love. I have designed the decor as… -
Is Something Wrong With U and I?
11 Jun 2009 | 4:50 amA quick look at the past, present and future of user interfaces (UI) in lighting console design with the question “Are we actually doing it right?” So, there we were in the middle of a series of tutorials on the Cham Sys MagicQ when something unexpected happened. Something totally out of the blue. A rumour went around that some students in Bath had used the MagicQ PC and PC Wing as part of a recent show – and didn’t like it! They didn’t get on with it and eventually gave up and swapped it for another controller. The other controller was (wait for it) a Pulsar Masterpiece! -
MagicQ Part 2 - Controlling Fixtures and Recording Memories
8 Jun 2009 | 2:20 amIn Part 2 of our Cham Sys MagicQ tutorial series, we’ll take our work from Part 1 – Getting Started and continue to build a show. This session covers the handling of fixture data, programming looks and chases and understanding effects. We will also look at laying out the MagicQ to playback our show – in this case, a three piece band set to be operated “on the fly”. Note about programming: The MagicQ is a programmer based console, where data is entered into the programmer and then dumped into a scene or chase step. A programmer style desk records in a different way to an Output… -
MagicQ Tutorial - Getting Started
20 May 2009 | 2:02 amMagicQ tutorial Part 1 takes it from the top. An anti-quick start guide, we take it slow so as not to miss the scenery. If you can already use the MagicQ a bit, you should still read this tutorial as it is specially designed to show you the useful stuff that you might not find on your own and covers good workflow for all programming. If you have never really used a a Cham Sys console, this tutorial is going to work for you too. You might like to take a look at Introduction to the MagicQ which takes a tour around the desk . This tutorial is intended to be easy to follow with only a version of… -
Lighting Designer for the 21st Century
13 May 2009 | 3:42 amA look at lighting design in the new millennium and how the lighting designer’s job has been changed by market forces and a growing entertainment industry. As stage lighting has moved from the theatre and into the commercial world, the title “Lighting Designer” moved with it. Theatre job titles and the “system” that grew throughout the 20th century still remains largely intact (unlike many of the theatres). Richard Pilbrow’s excellent book Lighting Design – The Art, The Craft, The Life describes the world of a 20th century lighting designer in detail. Newer parts of our…
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'kül
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metaDRAMA: On Sounding Cool
1 Jul 2009 | 1:25 pmCongratulations, Brick. Your Anti-Depressant Festival has successfully anti-depressed me, mainly by reminding me how many good companies there are out there. At the same time, it's also made me more aware of a potential bias on my blog, one of under-representation. The following is an attempt to address that:------------------------------------------------------------------Dear Artist,Are you involved in a new, full production--as a writer, director, actor, stagehand, &c.--that you think is good? Is it running for at least a week (four performances)? If so, feel free to send me… -
...and the fear cracked open.
1 Jul 2009 | 12:08 pmAccording to that old chestnut, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." According the wisdom found in Beckett's old peanut, "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." According to Will Wolf and Terri Garrett, a pair of theatrical nuts, it's "Try everything," or at least it seems that way in their charmingly lo-fi, potentially autobiographical love story, ...and the fear cracked open. Terri's neuroses and Will's depression are represented not just seriocomically, but through home movies, animation, puppets, mask-work, fantasy, symmetry, metadrama, and even a musical number. When the… -
Adventure Quest
30 Jun 2009 | 3:53 pmPhoto/Kimberly CravenNot to let the grue out of the box, but Adventure Quest, a gleefully insane MS-COMEDY parody of Infogrames/Sierra-era video games is a post-modern hit. It's a complex, next-generation action-romance, hiding out in 8-bit form. It could fit on an eight-inch floppy, but the ideas are ten feet tall and firm. Even if you've never played a work of "interactive fiction" before (modern, freeware examples found here), Richard Lovejoy's homage is so endearingly specific and Adam Swiderski's direction is so well .EXEcuted that you won't need a walkthrough to get the most of these… -
Telethon
25 Jun 2009 | 2:17 pmPhoto/Carl Skutsch A werewolf, pirate, clown, skeleton, and fairy princess walk into a Dunkin' Donuts. (Well, two of them are in wheelchairs, and one's on crutches). Not only have you not heard this one before, but it quickly becomes apparent--around the time that Shelly loosens her lockjaw grip on a Blow Pop to quietly announce "[My dad] said he was sorry that guy raped me"--that under the cute costumes and the clever banter, Kristin Newbom's Telethon isn't kidding around. It's a Clubbed Thumb production (the final third of their 2009 Summerworks series), so it is of course "funny, strange,… -
#9
24 Jun 2009 | 4:12 pmPhoto/Ryan JensenIt's an almost impossible task to theatrically represent the dangers of Internet life in a way that does not diminish either them, or the play itself. Using a tabbed, ADD-riddled narrative leaves us with nothing to connect to, as does filling that show with anonymous relationships and emotionless, overshared information. Thankfully, Waterwell's musical approach to material gives them an edge (honed through years of collaboration), in the sense that even a wild miss would be wildly entertaining. #9, their latest production, is entertaining, but the challenge they're up against…
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Theater Talk's New Theater Corps
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This Isn't Paradise
26 Jun 2009 | 4:55 amRichard Hymes Esposito uses This Isn’t Paradise to focus on the uphill crawl toward success in the real estate business. Set at a boutique midtown agency, twentysomething male brokers log fourteen-hour days as they sign new clients and argue with landlords. But just as they can’t sell their twelve-plus percent fees to their clients, neither can the show sell itself to the audience.Elizabeth -
The Roses on the Rocks
19 Jun 2009 | 2:07 pmA play about a teenage Latina prostitute confronting her dead pimp’s wife is a flawed yet surprisingly tense and moving study of love and power, despite what the synopsis makes it seem.Reviewed by Ryan MaxA 14-year-old, HIV positive, brassy Latina prostitute confronting her dead pimp's wife is either the premise for the year's edgiest comedy or most melodramatic tear-jerker. Luckily, in the able -
Fifth of July
18 Jun 2009 | 3:00 pmLanford Wilson’s Fifth of July has no shortage of laughs and dramatic revelations of secrets and personal turmoil. Despite the 1970s setting, featuring sex, love, drugs, and anti-Vietnam War sentiments, director Peter Jensen’s revival presents a wonderful, soap opera-like glimpse into the life of an ostensibly normal Missouri family that is relevant even today.Image: Courtesy of T. Schreiber -
Punkplay
12 Jun 2009 | 10:18 amPunkplay, the first of three plays in the “summerworks” festival at the Ohio Theatre, is an exciting, ferocious new play by Gregory Moss, transcending its subjects of punk, the 80s, and adolescence to form a kind of intense and meaningful fever dream, an ode to individuality and, for all adults struggling to make sense of their youth, a nostalgic and insightful look back. (Zegen and Anfanger, -
Pound
11 Jun 2009 | 5:26 pmAnyone who decides to write a play about or take on the role of the Modernist poet Ezra Pound, a clandestine homosexual who openly made anti-Semitic and anti-American comments, certainly has his work cut out for him. William Roetzheim’s one-man show Pound and lead actor Jeff Berg takes on this complicated literary figure at one of the most complicated times of his life. With the help of his
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The Theatrefolk Weblog
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On Vacation
1 Jul 2009 | 6:00 amCraig and I are taking some time off from the Blog. Like….. the month of July. Hey, it’s summer time. You don’t really want us locked up in the office do you while the sun shines? Hmmmm, don’t answer that. We know that a little brain break, along with some rest and relaxation, will have us primed and pumped for more continuous blog posts. We’re pretty pleased that we’ve been able to keep this up and we’re already looking forward to August. See you then! Related posts:Theatrefolk Facebook Page Are you a -
International Thespians Festival – Don’t blink
29 Jun 2009 | 12:00 pmAaaaaand another International Thespians Festival is over just like that! I turned around and it was Saturday. When did that happen? Some final thoughts…. Related posts:International Thespians Festival – Shop Talk The studenMy video hates the heat too – International Thespians Festival Ok, so I sInternational Thespians Festival – The Best Thing One of the -
Spread the Love: Mmmbeth by Allison Williams
29 Jun 2009 | 6:00 amThis week we spread the love for Mmmbeth by Allison Williams. Recorded live at the 2009 Florida State Thespian Conference. Can’t see the video? Click here. Transcript Hi! Welcome to this week’s Spread the Love. This week we are talking about Mmmbeth. Mmmbeth. Not the other thing that it is called, because we don’t do that, we call it ‘The Scottish Play’ or Mmmbeth which of course this is an adaptation of The Scottish Play by Allison Williams our intrepid Shakespeare adaptor and we just so happen to have her here, isn’t that funny, here at the Florida State… -
International Thespians Festival – Shop Talk
27 Jun 2009 | 6:00 amThe students of West Billings High School performed Drop Dead Juliet at the International Thespians Festival two years ago, and I’ve had a great time this year talking to a number of them; they’ve performed a lot of our plays. One student, Keri, used Wait Wait Bo Bait as a Forensic piece and I talked to her about it after a workshop… Related posts:My video hates the heat too – International Thespians Festival Ok, so I sInternational Thespians Festival – The Best Thing One of theInternational Thespians Festival – Don’t blink Aaaaaand a -
International Thespians Festival – The Best Thing
26 Jun 2009 | 4:17 amOne of the best things when I go to conferences is meeting teachers and students who have directed or been in my plays. It thrills me to hear them talk about how the shows have gone and their experience. Yesterday, a student just happened to over hear my name and came running over to the table – he had directed a production of Emotional Baggage and his concept was so cool I had to share it…… Related posts:My video hates the heat too – International Thespians Festival Ok, so I sInternational Thespians Festival – Shop Talk The studenFace to Face My Writing
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Fringe Famous
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CAN YOU BE MURDERED BY A FRINGE SHOW? A few trailers are up for...
3 Jul 2009 | 11:19 pmCAN YOU BE MURDERED BY A FRINGE SHOW? A few trailers are up for the first (second) ever Fringey Awards. Some of them are pretty good, some of them are pretty not, and one of them — specifically the one produced for a show called GRRL! — is just a little bit creepier than Children of the Corn. Seriously. I watched it once and I’m totally convinced that I now have only seven days to live. -
FRINGE! OMG! FRINGE! If you felt a strange tingling sensation...
2 Jul 2009 | 10:01 amFRINGE! OMG! FRINGE! If you felt a strange tingling sensation while sitting at your desk yesterday afternoon, don’t worry. It wasn’t a stroke*. It was just the Minnesota Fringe Festival’s 2009 website/schedule going live. It’s purdy. Go! Search! Schedule! * If you’re Matthew Foster, it may have been a stroke. -
If you occasionally read FringeFamous, I’m assuming you...
1 Jul 2009 | 9:17 amIf you occasionally read FringeFamous, I’m assuming you regularly check out MN Playlist. But just in case you’re stupid, here’s a nice little interview they did with the Old Log’s Don Stoltz. Stoltz might be 114 years old, but he’s a theatre person you can actually listen to because he’s just a regular guy. He wears a scarf only if it’s cold outside. Another plus for this video? It’s only 6 minutes long instead of the 30-minute blowhard drone-a-thon that MN Playlist usually releases. Hopefully, this will become a trend and not just another TC theatre community Stoltz… -
FRINGE IT UP, MOTHERF@#KERS! Don’t forget: you send us a...
19 Jun 2009 | 9:29 amFRINGE IT UP, MOTHERF@#KERS! Don’t forget: you send us a digital copy of your postcard for the upcoming Minnesota Fringe Festival, and we’ll post it on FringeFamous.com sans snarky comment. Rad. Email your submission to Author@FringeFamous.com. We’ll start posting a week or two before the festival. -
SEE. THIS. SHOW. Okay, like I’ve said before, we hate...
15 Jun 2009 | 10:26 amSEE. THIS. SHOW. Okay, like I’ve said before, we hate reviewing shows. Hate it. It’s just the worst. That’s why we only do it once a year — at the Fringe Festival. However, occasionally we will see a show that is so kick ass, so weirdly awesome, so ultra-sexy that we simply must endorse it. Walking Shadow’s Robots vs. Fake Robots is one of those shows. I know, I know…I’ve slurped Walking Shadow before. But they consistently do great stuff, so back off! The pic above (which I digitally stole from one of the actors’ Facebook pages) shows three of the…
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London Theatre Blog
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The Glass Mountain
18 Jun 2009 | 7:27 amIn a coach ploughing its way across a darkened continent, a young baker fantasises about his future in a new country. A girl scrambles up a ladder to the top of a glass mountain, perched precariously between one life and another. The Glass Mountain, a work-in-development from Trestle Theatre, mixes the outline and images of a traditional fairy tale with the stories of modern-day Polish migrants. Combining half-abstracted physical storytelling, Eastern European story-singing, and robustly accessible character comedy, the piece explores the uncharted territory between the heroic quests of myth,… -
The Mountaintop
17 Jun 2009 | 7:03 amIn this imagining of Martin Luther King Jr’s last night alive, award-winning young American playwright Katori Hall boldly combines hard historical fact and in-depth character study with a comparatively barmy supernatural twist. It’s a volatile concoction that could corrode the credibility of a lesser play, but which instead provides an already dynamic production with a surging second-stage boost. The man in the King’s shoes is David Harewood, who seems to be aiming for a career playing inspirational black leaders (he’ll soon appear on TV as Nelson Mandela). Harewood… -
S-27
15 Jun 2009 | 7:19 amWinner of the 2007 Protect the Human Playwriting Competition, S-27 by Sarah Grochala is inspired by the experiences of photographer Nhem En, painter Van Nath, and the testimony of Khmer Rouge survivors. In what was once a classroom, teenager May photographs prisoners. Starved and brutalised, they enter by one door and leave by another, beyond which lie inescapable horrors. Oddly, however, the set of Stephen Keyworth’s production contains no practical doors. This design choice follows Grochala’s instruction that we should never see the prisoners’ actual exit, but it also undermines her… -
The Moon The Moon
10 Jun 2009 | 2:57 amThe Moon The Moon explores, with harrowing psychological realism, our ability to harm one another even with the best of intentions. Attempting to cure the Man (Jon Spooner, who also directs) of a suicidal malaise, the Young Woman (Suzanne Ahmet) and the Older Man (Tim Chipping) progress, always with a genuine desire to do good, from an over-anxious suicide watch to drugging, incarceration and worse. The Moon The Moon explores, with escalating surrealism, the blurred relationship between perception and reality. His memory and identity fractured by grief, the Man must choose between his human… -
Ajax
8 Jun 2009 | 4:28 amAjax is a tragedy of aftermaths, beginning the morning after a furious and devastating bloodletting. Enraged by a slight to his honour, Ajax attempts to murder the Greek military commanders camped outside Troy. But maddened by Athena he instead turns his sword upon their sheep and cattle, and then, in humiliated shame, upon himself. The First World War setting of Jack Shepherd’s naturalistic production makes it all seem frighteningly possible. In a dingy field hospital, shell-shocked and dying soldiers, and the women wearily tending them, provide the appalled, grieving and feverishly…
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Groundling
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Links for 2009-07-03 [del.icio.us]
4 Jul 2009 | 12:00 amBest Practices For Effective Design Of “About me”-Pages Full of lively examples and tips for making your About Me page a winner. Op-Ed Columnist - Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com Probably the defining moment in Sen Obama's campaign ... meeting Jed Bartlet! -
Links for 2009-07-01 [del.icio.us]
2 Jul 2009 | 12:00 amWordPress/Thesis Tutorial: Custom ‘Coming Soon’ Page — berchman.com Another in the series of great Thesis tutorials from the terrific Thesis community. Rave over. -
Professional theatre: how can you tell?
26 Jun 2009 | 11:46 pmA disclaimer for context: I am Chairman of the Board of Queensland Theatre Company, so I do move in territory often inhabited by what one blog commenter elsewhere rather unkindly, though I hope with witty intent, called ‘old arts farts.’ Ya gotta laugh. But I also move as an audience member/supporter in the perhaps less pungent air of the wider Brisbane theatre community. And then there is the higher education sector of professional arts education and training – another area I know a lot about, having recently retired after 21 years in that field. I thought I was in… -
Links for 2009-06-19 [del.icio.us]
20 Jun 2009 | 12:00 amClay Shirky's Internet Writings All gathered in one place. Lots of reading and insights from a knowing and prolific web-adventurer. -
The secret of the social media revolution “… a lot more amateurs than professionals”
19 Jun 2009 | 7:44 pmThe insights of Clay Shirky are always worth reading, watching, or listening to. He’s as knowing as he is prolific. This video via TED says it all. Welcome to the revolution – you’re right in the middle of it.
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The Sill
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See Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed online, LIVE this Thursday at 7:55PM!
16 Jun 2009 | 1:42 pmArs Nova is boldly going where no Off-Broadway theater has gone before! This Thursday we'll be offering a LIVE video broadcast of our latest show, Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed for FREE at arsnovanyc.com. Simply visit our site at 7:55 PM to watch the complete show piped directly from the Ars Nova Theater on 10th Ave to your own Mac or PC. A lot of folks have been curious as to why we would broadcast a currently-running show for free in the middle of its scheduled run. Here's a few reasons: We want as many people as possible to see John Dixon and Matt Sax in action. These guys are incredible, and… -
Behind the Scenes at Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed!
10 Jun 2009 | 10:03 amJoin Jason as he ventures backstage at Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed to check in on the guys as they get ready for the world premiere of their new show at Ars Nova! -
You know you're a rock star
26 May 2009 | 10:39 amRock Star Karaoke NYC will host their new Thursday night event at Canal Room (285 W Broadway)! Come on down and rock out with us! The party starts at 9:30pm (doors at 9:00pm). Visit ROCKSTARKARAOKENYC.COM for more info. -
Mel & El: Behind the Scenes Volume 2
6 May 2009 | 11:28 amMore behind the scenes footage from the making of Mel & El: Show & Tell! It's all about the music! Come see how it all turned out - now through May 30th! Click here for info and tix! -
Mel & El: Behind the Scenes Volume 1
28 Apr 2009 | 3:26 pmJason goes behind the scenes to bring you a sneak peek look at Mel & El in rehearsal! Performances begin Wednesday, May 6th! Click here for info and tix!
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Cambiare Productions
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Share and Share alike
1 Jul 2009 | 2:49 pmI need for you to sit down. What I’m going to say is shocking, and may ultimately be disillusioning for many of you. I am not now, nor have I ever been, one of the cool kids. I know. I know. Take a minute. When we first start talking to a cast in the first handful of rehearsals I always expect to be found out. I expect them to roll their eyes and suck it up for the 6 weeks they’re stuck with us. So it’s always a mild surprise when they don’t storm out and declare us frauds and go tell all their friends at a Cool Party somewhere. We’ve had the first three rehearsals now for Orestes. -
Creative Ecology
26 Jun 2009 | 2:21 pmAndrew Taylor’s presentation in Austin on June 24th. Considering the Creative Ecology View more presentations from bolzcenter. www.cambiareproductions.com -
In cheerier news?
25 Jun 2009 | 2:24 pmIf you want to feel better about the mid-range future, look to the more controllable near-range future: One month to Orestes. Gabriel Luna and Steffanie Ngo-Hatchie Photo by Will Hollis Snider www.cambiareproductions.com -
It’s not transparency if you don’t talk about failure
25 Jun 2009 | 1:04 pmOn May 1, I submitted Cambiare Productions’ first City of Austin Project II grant application. Project II being the first stair step on the way to larger City funding in the future. Today down at Austin City Hall was the peer review council’s public comments on the application. It didn’t go well. This isn’t to say we will receive no funding. This is to say that the application was poorly written and confusing to them in places, and fails on some important (to them) criteria. Let me step back and say, the process is really great, even with a negative outcome for us, I think every arts… -
The Summer Family
22 Jun 2009 | 10:07 amEveryone has been notified to the good or the bad, and we can mention our cast, some thoughts from a (now) cast member on his audition notes, and one lesson I forgot about until this morning. First, out of a ridiculously talented group of people, who made the decision making process head wringing for poor Will, our cast for Orestes is as follows: Orestes - Gabriel Luna Agamemnon - Derek Kolluri Klytaimnestra - Karina Dominguez Iphigenia - Steffanie Ngo-Hatchie Elektra - Molly McKee Helen - Smaranda Ciceu Voice of the People - La Tasha Stephens Menelaus - Travis Bedard New cast member…
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HOLLYWOOD ACTOR PREP BLOG
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Boy With Absolutely Terrible Stagefright
4 Jul 2009 | 2:09 pmIf you are an actor, you know this feeling. Stagefright, true performance anxiety [video]. Please share with other actors... [[...Just a partial post. If interested in seeing the entire post, & media...CLICK on the TITLE.]] -
Joe The Actor…Poised To Be A Household Name
1 Jul 2009 | 7:00 pmThis actor's full name: Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I saw him in '500 Days Of Summer' at the LA Film Fest. My iPhone photo of the actor, with Zooey Deschanel, his romantic interest......In the movie that is poised to be this summer's big love movie...The freshest summer love movie yet. [Trailer + his own... [[...Just a partial post. If interested in seeing the entire post, & media...CLICK on the TITLE.]] -
There Was An Actor Prize At The LA Film Fest
30 Jun 2009 | 8:44 pmCongratulations to actor Shayne Topp, for getting the prize for outstanding performance in a narrative, at the LA Film Festival 2009. And for getting a prize for acting...and, for shining in a chick flick, that is deeper and more individual than your usual chick flick. It's cool of you too,... [[...Just a partial post. If interested in seeing the entire post, & media...CLICK on the TITLE.]] -
Winning Films :: The LA Film Festival 2009
28 Jun 2009 | 9:40 pmThe L.A. Film Festival Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature went to Cyrus Nowrasteh's 'The Stoning of Soraya M.' It was a beautiful film, and brutal...I set up interviews with some of the actors, and the director, so stay posted for that... [view trailer] [[...Just a partial post. If interested in seeing the entire post, & media...CLICK on the TITLE.]] -
Reminder :: An Actor Is A Dignified Thing To Be
24 Jun 2009 | 10:43 amI thought that I would be able to blog throughout the LAFF, I do apologize. …Just isn’t time. I have quite a few informative posts, nearly ready to pub online; so next week should be a good time to look at Hollywood Actor Prep often. That’s a heads up. For actors, the problems... [[...Just a partial post. If interested in seeing the entire post, & media...CLICK on the TITLE.]]
