Spotlight
Stories that deserve your attention
A Love Letter to Community Theatre Volunteers
“Look at the person handing you your program, or dimming the house lights, or selling you a raffle ticket to raise funds for new lighting equipment. Say thank you. Mean it.”
Reflections on Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar This Easter Weekend
“Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar couldn’t be more different in tone or style, but both take on the story of Jesus with something rare: gentleness. No fire and brimstone. Just questions. Humanity. Music. And maybe that’s why they still matter.”
Happy Birthday, Gavin Creel
“Happy birthday, Gavin. We miss you. We celebrate you. We still hear you singing.”
No Stage, No Excuse: Jacksonville University Abandons the Arts
“You don’t get to market yourself as a place of discovery, growth, and personal development while simultaneously telling your artists they don’t matter.”
The Most Underrated Broadway Musical Revivals of the Past 25 Years
“These revivals maybe didn’t run long, or win big, or trend on theatre social media —but absolutely deserve more love.”
Does Anyone Remember 'Rent Remixed'? Because I Do...
“Rent Remixed wasn’t a revival. It wasn’t a reinterpretation. It was more like a chaotic rebranding — a glossy, Auto-Tuned, glow stick-fueled clubland version of the East Village. “
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter Are Coming to Broadway in 'Waiting for Godot'
“The dynamic duo best known for playing Bill and Ted, everyone’s favorite time-traveling slackers, are trading in their phone booth for a barren tree and the bleak existential ramblings of Samuel Beckett. And I, for one, could not be more excited.”
Reviewing Community Theatre: How Honest Is Too Honest?
“The best community theatre reviews I’ve read meet the work where it is. They acknowledge the context. They don’t compare a local production of Chicago to the Broadway revival, but they also don’t pretend like it’s immune from critique.”
A Critic Misses the Point: A Response to Robert Hofler’s Take on 'John Proctor is the Villain'
“If you find yourself unable—or unwilling—to meet this moment in theatre, maybe you’re not the one who should be writing about it.”
Phantom Reborn: My Hopes for the Immersive ‘Masquerade’ Experience in NYC
“I hope Masquerade doesn’t just replicate the Broadway version of Phantom in a new setting. I hope it reimagines it. Deepens it. I want this version to haunt me, not just entertain me.”
Can You Sue Your Theatre Program for Not Casting You?
“I was recently made aware of a situation where a student has threatened legal action against their university’s theatre department. Their claim? That they were denied an equal education because they were never cast in a single production during their years in the program.”
Why Leslie Odom Jr.’s 'Hamilton' Return Is Worth Celebrating
“Leslie Odom Jr. returning to Hamilton as Aaron Burr this fall? That’s not just a wink. That’s a standing ovation before the curtain even rises.”