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About Last Night

TT: Fifteen books in fifteen minutes
Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.

Artsy Schmartsy

The Skylight Board issues a statement
This was posted on The Skylight's website late in the day. Read. Think. I'll discuss later:

Createquity.

AFTA Convention Wrap Day 1
It's late, so I'll be brief. Seattle is very, very pretty. Went to the Creative Economy: By Design advance workshop today to learn about creative community building with Meri Jenkins, Tom Borrup, Craig Dreeszen, and Maren Brown. Here were the major notes and takeaways for me:

Dog Days

Are You Talking About Today or Tomorrow?
Monday was a big day for arts policy and data wonks. We got two major arts focused reports from the federal government and substantial media coverage for both. The NEA released its 2008 Arts Participation survey findings and the Department of Education released the NAEP Arts Report Card.

Econmic Revitalization for Performing Artists

And the Survey Says...
Performing artists know that their community is underserved. They can feel it, taste it, hear it, see it, smell it!!! But, a thread that keeps coming up in our ERPA panel events is that in order for things to change, policy makers need numbers, facts, data, etc. in order to better serve the arts community.

Everything I Know I Learned from Musicals

August Osage County to Close June 28th
Regular readers will recall that, despite the title of my blog, I do make occasional forays into non-musical theater. By recent count, in fact, my musicals-to-plays ratio for Broadway theater was about 3 to 1.

Extra Criticum

It's All About the Ensemble: Which Law & Order Cast Worked Best?
One major key to the success of the original Law & Order series is the intangible known as "ensemble." Which of the following combinations of core actors do you think resulted in the best chemistry? Register your vote (with explanations,...

Parabasis

Trying to Answer DevilVet's Questions

The Playgoer

David Hare: Man of the Moment
Well whatever one might have thought about Stuff Happens or his occasional first-person "monologues" (like the recent--and unreviewed!--Berlin/Wall, which I missed), you gotta give David Hare credit for staying current.

theatre notes

Bits everywhere
Ms TN is showing signs of wear and tear. (Not the usual ones that are to do with aging gracelessly, which would be ok...) Anyway, what with leaving things in taxis, almost reviewing half a play and various other symptoms of distraction, it's clear that I've failed

Visible Soul

Visceral Reactions
Since yesterday's post, I found myself thinking about J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I remember having such a visceral reaction to reading it. When finished reading the last word of the last page of that book, I threw it against the fall and screamed "Fuck You!"

 

Artsy Schmartsy

A press release from The Skylight
I was just forwarded this press release regarding Skylight doings. All is clear now, right? (Ironically stated, of course):

Some more from someone kind of excited about change at Skylight
I hope we all come to feel the same way Heidi Mains does. This was a message I got from Heidi via Facebook:

A point of clarification about recent staff downsizing at The Skylight
I posted info that in addition to the elimination of the several positions at The Skylight, making mention of a key box office position. I was a little off base on my info. Here are some clarifying remarks from Kristin Godfrey, Skylight's Marketing Director:

SCOOP: Skylight Subscribers Are Uniting!
A group of Skylight subscribers (some of them loooooong time subscriber, let me tell you) are organizing a group effort to cancel their subscriptions to The Skylight in light of the news of the perceived short sighted decision by the Board of that company to restructure the management of Skylight without a clearly articulately plan on why that is a good idea.

The Critical Condition

Will “Killer Hair” be the Greatest Movie of the Decade, or the Century?

The Halcyon Blog

Fight Jam 2
Calling all Chicago stage combatants and fight directors: Local hero, sword-maker (and Halcyon member) Greg Poljacik is heading up monthly stage combat "jam sessions" here in Chicago.

Interchanging Idioms

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Performs The Magical Music of Disney
Big screen images accompany musical selections from Disney classics

The Playgoer

In the Company of Neil LaBute
David Ng at LA Times claims there's more than meets the eye behind MCC's recent cancellation of a new Neil LaBute play next season. Just when many here have been wondering if MCC had any other raison d'etre other than to give Monsieur La B a carte blanche platform for anything he scribbled... it looks like a falling out has ensued over the aftermath of the unsuccessful (and just shuttered) B'way transfer of Reasons to be Pretty.

The Producer's Perspective

Favorite Quotes Vol. XXI: the first of many from Mister Abbott
I just finished reading George Abbot's autobiography, so expect a few Favorite Quotes from him in the coming weeks. Frankly, I could put half of the book up here, the writer/producer/director had so many great things to say. He is the original Mr. Broadway, working on more than 100 Broadway shows. And it's no coincidence that this prolific director tutored another prolific director, Mr. Hal Prince.

The Rob Kozlowski Chicago Theater and Vintage Film Medicine Show

Adventure Stage Chicago's 2009-2010 Season
The children's theatre specialists at Adventure Stage Chicago have announced the company's 2009-2010 season. I confess I don't follow this sort of thing nearly as much as I should. The season consists of two plays, the first an adaptation of Lois Lowry's book Gossamer and the second a musical version of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic called The Ghosts of Treasure Island.

Sh-K-Buzz

* NEXT TO NORMAL Broadway Cast Recording Hits Number 1 On Billboard Cast Album Chart
* Gavin Creel & HAIR Cast Members To Guest On SIRIUS XM Live on Broadway Tonight!

Superfluities Redux

Upcoming: Visions de l'Amen
Beginning at noon today, tickets will be available for Sarah Rothenberg and Marilyn Nonken's performance of Olivier Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen at the Baryshnikov Arts Center next Wednesday, 24 June, at 7.00pm. Though tickets are free, reservations are necessary; starting at noon you can call Ticket Central at 212.279.4200. Seating is limited, and there is a two-ticket limit per caller. Act quickly; tickets will likely be gone by the end of the day today.