John Lahr, New Yorker theater critic, wrote a piece on Julie Taymor’s frustration with the process of creating a new theatrical work in the era of instant feedback, Twitter, and focus groups. It’s a great piece, full of historical perspective on the role of audience (that is to say, amateur)...
I’m not sure who coined the expression “boob tube” but its implication has always been clear to me: people who watch TV are boobs, simpletons, and lack common sense. Even as a kid, I never really understood this characterization of TV viewers because it was with TV that I first...
The Follow Friday posts are back! We look at communities remembering their own stories and pulling together to give to the arts, philanthropy from donors and from theatre companies themselves, playwrights living in towns small and large. We also look at theatre companies working together and, well, working at all....
A few weeks ago, I felt like a time-traveling documentarian. My theatre company, Glass Mind Theatre, decided to host a 360 Storytelling event, as developed by 2amt. We went with the theme of “The One” to celebrate our first official season. A few company members – not including myself –...
Please. If you are a board member, artist, or employee of a theater company, understand that most people are not visiting your website because they like you, or because they want to like you. First and foremost, they are visiting your website for information. All the glossy photos, taglines, and...
So you’re at the Humana Festival of New American Plays and you’ve got a few minutes. You’ve seen the art, you’ve looked at the gifts, you’ve had a beer. Maybe you’re in the mood to play a game. Maybe you’re looking for something to engage audiences at your own theatre...
Live from the stage of Actors Theatre of Louisville, a panel discussion about festivals and community. From the Humana Festival of New American Plays to the IdeaFestival, Louisville, Kentucky, is home to a growing variety of high-profile festivals that celebrate the arts and culture, reflecting the joy of conversation and...
Supply, Demand, and Quality in the American Theater Or, Just What Are We Supplying? NEA chair Rocco Landesman’s comments at the recent Arena Stage New Works convening – that we have a supply and demand issue in the American Theater, and that we should consider decreasing supply – has started...
The New York critics have weighed in, so what’s left? What I haven’t heard mentioned in articles and reviews about Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark is that, in 2011, for a mega-musical of this kind, Broadway is just an out-of-town tryout. Instead, the producers’ goal is to have a show that will eventually...
