The 2016-17 Broadway season was chock full of new musicals, but the 2017-18 season is looking a bit. By my count, as of right now, it looks like there will be about six new musicals this season which is less than half of what we got this past year. 

While it's a small group, there are some that stand out as sure fire Tony favorites, with David Yazbek's The Band's Visit leading the pack. 

I have always said that theater is my home, but the props department is like my room within my home. After trying out a few different aspects of the production team, I felt in love with props (by accident) and found that being the props master best utilizes my skills and creativeness. To read a script and not make a prop list is really weird to me and when I am not the props person for the show that I am working on, I really do miss it.

Fresh off his success with “Hello, Dolly!”, I believe director Jerry Zaks should set his sights on “The Music Man”.

He’s got the perfect track record. Back in 1992, Mr. Zaks directed a revival of “Guys and Dolls” which, like the current “Dolly!”, was a smash hit. Both productions garnered four Tony awards—including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Leading Actress.

Coincidence? Not for a director with a knack for revivals from “Anything Goes” to “La Cage Aux Folles”.

I’m a college theater major in a relatively small liberal arts college in Syracuse, NY. On my campus, we have two theater companies: the staff run, and the student run. The staff run has predominantly professors as directors and designers (occasionally students are used as assistant designers), and students make up most (if not all) of the cast and crew. On the other hand, there is the student run theater company. Everyone from the executive directors, to the directors, actors, crew, designers, etc. is a student (we still have faculty moderators, but they mostly make sure we manage the space, funds, and supplies properly). The faculty run company usually uses our larger stage space, and the student run uses the smaller, more intimate, space.

Like all designing, it is a double-edged sword. On one hand, no one has ever designed for this show before, so you know it will look unique. On the other hand, no one has ever designed this show before, so you are setting the precedent.

So let’s talk about some of those struggles of designing for a totally new show.

Now more than ever we need the performing arts. We are living in uncertain times and I believe one of the best ways to protest our current state of affairs is via the arts!  We especially need to make it accessible to our youth. Rebel Verses Youth Arts Festival is doing just that. Starting July 27th and going through August 5th - Developing Artists, in a new collaboration with Vineyard Theatre, gives youth theatre companies the opportunity to work with well-known people in the industry and develop new works.

Daphne Rubin-Vega, best known for originating the role of Mimi in Rent, and playing Magenta in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, is the spokesperson for Rebel Verses Youth Arts Festival.

Theft and vandalism is unfortunately a familiar foe for those involved in theatre.  Everyone in the performing arts has had something stolen, broken, or otherwise disrespected. It is a terrible feeling, and it is one that the staff at A-Z Theatrical is currently experiencing.

A-Z Theatrical Supply and Service Inc   is a highly respected supply in the Kansas City Metro. With 50 years in business, they are a crucial part of the performing arts in the Midwest They offer a wide range of services, including thousands of costumes, lighting, rigging, and full show packages.  They also have a full-scale scenic and design studio, and offer large prop rentals such as the replicas of Grease Lightning and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

This morning, OnStage Blog posted a column reporting on a theatre in New Hampshire that appeared to be moving forward with a production of 'Gypsy' without having obtained the rights to do so. 

However, within an hour of the story being published, we were presented with further evidence, which proved that the documents and statements we received were false.

I've got a bone to pick. This Great Comet controversy started as, well, ridiculous. And it's only escalated it something that hindered far more than it helped. So my question is this:

Was it worth it?

Late-July is usually the time of year when teachers start to put together their lesson plans, order supplies and decorate classrooms. But Martha Pfeiffer won't be doing anything of that. Because after 29 years of teaching, Ms. Pfeiffer is out of a job. While news of an unemployed teacher is, sadly, not rare these days, what makes Ms. Pfeiffer's situation unique is the events that led to her resignation. What follows is a story about tolerated bullying at a high school, the loss of a beloved teacher and LGBT students facing the reality that they no longer have a much-needed advocate.