We need to address an issue within training for the performing arts in the United Kingdom. In England, Northern Ireland and Wales right now, you must pay tuition fees to go to a university, which means, any actors, directors or writers who wish to study a BA must have the money to afford this course or else look for a scholarship. In Scotland, the government funds the majority of our courses, which means that you would think that working-class students within the performing arts within Scotland would have a better chance to get the training they deserve.

Well you're wrong.

This past summer, the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival made its debut on the New York independent theatre scene. Only a handful of productions were accepted into the festival. Among these productions was Saving Stan, a full-length drama written by veteran author/playwright Gary Morgenstein. Now, just a few months after its premiere, Mr. Morgenstein is looking to the play’s future, as a staged reading of an updated version of the play planned for November 15th at the Dramatists Guild approaches. Over this past week, I was offered the chance to talk a tiny bit with Mr. Morgenstein about his play, his creative process behind it and its upcoming reading.

Fuck you, Kevin Spacey. You too, Louis C.K.

In recent weeks, with the number of people speaking out against those who have sexually abused them, we are seeing who their perpetrators are. While no one would probably call Harvey Weinstein or James Tobeck beloved icons, Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K. are on an entirely different level. 

These two men were Gods in their respective industries and idolized by many within them. 

While the Tony Awards aren't for another seven months, news surrounding the awards ceremony is already making waves. The first round of Tony eligibility decisions have been made and many of them seemed obvious. However, one big shocker was that the recent and controversial production of 1984 will be left off the ballot completely. 

Just about an hour outside Sacramento, CA sits Vacaville. A somewhat small town, their performing arts epicenter resides at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre. The venue, which opened in 1993 has hosted a slew of events and concerts such as Debbie Reynolds, Lou Rawls, The Smothers Brothers, Boyz II Men and George Winston. It also plays host to a number of local events such as Vacaville Ballet Theatre Company, Solano Community Symphony, Vacaville Concert Society and Dixon Dance Studio's annual recitals. 

It’s important to think about who is on screen but also who is in the audience. For deaf moviegoers, it’s not fair to watch a hearing person playact real pain and hardship they have to go through every day. At the same time, hearing audience members lose out on a correct representation of deaf people and deaf culture, especially since our depiction in media is already scant. For people who don’t have much contact with the deaf or others within the community who communicate using ASL, films like “Wonderstruck” are their only windows into our life. To have our experiences, culture, and language represented by a hearing person who is not fluent in ASL is a disservice to both deaf and hearing audiences alike as well as personally devastating to me.

We attend the theatre to be enchanted, entertained, and to view some real, raw talent. Most importantly, from the moment the first act begins, we expect to be taken away into another world and not to return to reality until intermission.  However, because anything can happen during a live performance, it’s not unlikely that the illusion will be compromised before the house lights come up. Flubs—an inevitable fact of theatre, live broadcasts, and any medium with an audience— can either create an even more special memory or completely ruin the experience.

We've all been there, spent £40 on a ticket to enjoy a night at the theatre and some idiot decides to ruin a show, by talking throughout the performance, pulling out their mobile phone and basically just ignoring theatre etiquette. But, is it happening all too often now?

Most young actors, including myself when I was one, go into an audition intent upon showing them that they can play “that” character.  They meticulously familiarize themselves with the play and, if a musical, the score, and memorize the sides they’ll be reading which may have been sent only that morning.  Preparation is all.  How can you decide what to sing for your audition if you aren’t familiar with the musical style of the show you’re auditioning for?  Are you really going to sing a song from In the Heights if you’re auditioning for Carousel?  If you have no experience with or training in commedia dell’arte, then you’d best bone up on it before your audition for Servant of Two Masters.

Listening to a David Yazbek score will always take you someplace. Whether it's the blue-collar grit of Western NYThe Full Monty) or the elegant style of the French Riviera( Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), there is, arguably, no better composer at transporting an audience than Mr. Yazbek. With each song, he immerses the audience in the show's setting. You can feel the rhythms and beats of the cities, taste their flavors and see both their beauty and scars.

With The Band's Visit, Mr. Yazbek has taken those skills to a new level and I have a feeling that he will transition from one of the most underrated composers today to one of its most celebrated.