Spotlight
Stories that deserve your attention
Splitting the 'Wicked' movie into two parts is dumb and will fail
“It was announced that the upcoming ‘Wicked’ movie will be split into two installments with the first coming out in 2024 and the second a year later. Given the combination that the musical itself is shorter than three hours and the track record of movie musicals at the box office, this decision is dumb and will ultimately fail.”
'A Bronx Tale' is a garlic-scented love letter to NYC
“The show is a living, belting reminder that the one thing that unites all New Yorkers is our unshakable love/hate relationship with our city, that everyone belongs here even when it feels like no one belongs here, that every street corner is the setting for a hundred thousand stories written by a hundred thousand authors.”
Is a 'Chess' revival headed to Broadway?
“Yesterday, Tim Rice tweeted that he was headed to New York to discuss his 1984 Cold War rock musical he created with ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.”
NH theatre teacher charged with sexually assaulting a student
“In 2016, Bridgette Doucette-Howell was one of 8 finalists for Teacher of the Year in New Hampshire. Now, just six years later Doucette-Howell faces prison over charges of sexually assaulting one of her students.”
James Nederlander Still Donating Thousands to GOP
“Despite the public backlash from within the theatre industry in 2020, that hasn’t stopped James Nederlander from giving money to GOP politicians and PACs as recently as November 2021.”
The Gender Pay Gap in Professional Theatre
“When people are happy to work, their work will be better. When people have their access needs met, they will be more likely to return to the workplace. Enough is enough, we are entering a new era for theatre where we define what we need, not the other way around.”
High School cancels production of 'Be More Chill' after one performance due to content
“After one performance of “Be More Chill”, school administrators at a high school in CA moved to cancel the remaining performances due to the “mature content” in the show.”
Directors of Inclusion in Theatre Need to be more than Symbolic Positions
“I need every theater organization that hired positions like mine over the past couple of years to understand that there was a real need for these positions to exist, and we must be allowed to do the work that is necessary.”
Auditioning: The Danger of Confidence Becoming Complacency
“To those who feel assured in their ability to land parts, don’t get too comfortable and never forget your position as an artist constantly striving for a deeper truth. To those who feel overlooked and forgotten, take care of yourself and do not allow criticism and self-doubt to erode your passion.”
Latest casting controversy with 'In The Heights' reveals work needed from regional theatres
“This past week controversy erupted at a regional theatre in Virginia over a Caucasian actress who was cast as Vanessa in their production of ‘In The Heights’. While on the surface this looks like another example of whitewashing, what actually transpired at Mill Mountain Theatre exposes deeper casting issues that all regional theatres should take notice.”
Whither the American Theatre?
“It seems to me that too much of America's current approach to the theatre experience seems bent on exploiting our differences rather than our shared values; it seeks to focus on our grievances toward "the other side" for dramatic controversy and effect, rather than attempting to explore the means of discovering common ground.”
What Shall I Tell White People Who Want to Write About Black Tragedy? Don’t.
“That is what I will tell you. Don’t write about it. Don’t do it. It’s not your story to tell. What you SHOULD write about is white complacency, white ignorance, and the white guilt around being a bystander and not lifting a finger to change the tide of racialized violence.”