Spotlight
Stories that deserve your attention
Fans Should Refrain From Singing During the 'Wicked' Movie
“As excitement builds for the upcoming Wicked movie, a pressing concern has emerged: will theater audiences respect the cinematic experience or will the urge to belt out Defying Gravity be too much to resist? To those planning to attend: please, do not sing during the movie.”
High School Officials Suspend 'The Laramie Project' Production Hours Before Curtain Rises
The school district stated that the reason for postponing the performances was “to better prepare our audience and the public for the seriousness of the play’s content.”
Santa Rosa High School Theatre's "Dog Sees God" Will Be Allowed to Perform, with restrictions
“Following the uproar over their decision to cancel Santa Rosa High School’s production of “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead”, the school district is reversing course and allowing it to be staged at the school, but only for audiences 16 and older.”
Why We Perform Spring Awakening
“The message that Spring Awakening sends is that whatever you're going through, whoever you are, whoever you love, it's okay. It's all part of growing up. And that message is so crucial to developing teenagers.”
The question that every prospective student should be asking programs but aren’t
“Will I have the opportunity to understudy and/or swing on a mainstage production, and will you teach me how to do it?”
School District Cancels High School Play After Obscenity Complaints
“News is coming out of CA where a school district has canceled the remaining performances of a high school theatre production after they received complaints that the show contained obscene material.”
Changes I Would Make to the Tony Awards
“Here are some of the key updates I'd like to see the Tony Awards make to keep this storied tradition as inclusive, forward-thinking, and impactful as the art form it celebrates.”
High School Theatre Director Accused of Secretly Recording Student
“Last month police arrested Francis Anonia, the former chorus teacher and Director of Visual and Performing Arts at Parkland High School in PA. He's accused of secretly recording video of a student while he changed clothes.”
Nine Times Musical Theatre Nodded Toward Polyamory
“I recently caught a song, on a cast recording that I rarely listen to, that seemed to be about, whether the writers knew it or not, polyamory. Musicals were teaching me about ethical non-monogamy before I had had much of a chance to even be monogamous.”
Nazi Demonstrators Harass Community Theatre Production of "The Diary of Anne Frank"
“There are reports coming out of Michigan where a group of demonstrators carrying Nazi flags appeared Saturday night outside a community theater performance of the "The Diary of Anne Frank".”
Theatre Seemingly Encouraging "Brown Face" for West Side Story Production
“A local dinner theatre is facing backlash for an audition notice for their upcoming production of West Side Story. In the ad, along with encouraging all ethnicities to audition, the notice also encourages those “who can believably play Latinos” to also show up. Many online are accusing the theatre of either encouraging “Brown Face” or opening the door to “whitewash” this production.”
Nicole Scherzinger’s Apparent Trump Support Raises Justified Questions
“Scherzinger's seeming support of Trump isn’t just a political stance; for many, it represents a betrayal of the very values that make the Broadway community a safe haven for those who have felt marginalized elsewhere.”