It's 2019, and we have a lot of issues. Theatre and art are rightfully being accepted and respected as part of the conversation about our feelings and the problems themselves, as well as changing policy and, well, the way we live.

In reaction to the news and national events, we open up our computers, and we create; we gather our friends, and we create; we get on stage, expose our guts, and we create. We create plays and work that responds to this new world we're in, the very one we attempt to change through art and creation.

That's awesome. Really, it's awesome. But it also could potentially create some issues.

Community TheatreChristopher PetersonMay 5, 2019Liz Lydic

Director Downfalls #1 - Poorly Worded Casting Calls

As an actor in community theatre in a city in Australia I come across some… interesting directors. As a director of youth theatre I’ve definitely made a blunder or two. Thus I watch and analyse directors I work with in order to improve my own practice. This series will explore the various downfalls I’ve experienced or witnessed and how to fix the situation. In part one we’re looking at casting calls. These have needed to evolve over the years to move with the times. Unfortunately, we have directors in community theatre (and probably professional too) that haven’t kept up.

Austrailia, Community TheatreChristopher PetersonFebruary 19, 2019Michelle Ezzy

An Open Letter to Theatre Parents

Dear Parents,

Your child just came to you and said they wanted to major in theatre in college. Now this might seem scary to you. I'm here to tell you that you that's it's ok! It's ok to be scared. However, you should take into consideration in how your child is feeling. Your child is taking a risk. And it is a wonderful risk filled with fun times, new experiences and so much stress. Your child is going to need you now more than ever! Their worst fear right now at the moment is telling YOU! The last thing they need to hear is your protests and attempts to persuade them into a new major.

Community TheatreChristopher PetersonJanuary 24, 2019Gianna Principe

Should Theatre Boards Be Eliminated?

Recently I involved myself in an online controversy by making derogatory comments on the boards usually fastened to theatres. Some board members responded in a fury. One said that boards do the best they can with what they’re given. Theatre, he reasoned, “(I)s a dying art form.”

Now regardless of whether board members work hard, a problem exists when someone attached to a theatre thinks that the art is dying. And this indicates a widespread problems with U.S. theatres.

Community Theatre, Regional TheatreChristopher PetersonJanuary 15, 2019Charles Lupia

$carcity in the Arts

For a medium built on community, collaboration, and connection, I fear I am experiencing and witnessing a lot of scarcity minded behavior in the theatre. As I travel and direct around the country I am seeing more and more artists, myself included, being asked to work for less and less compensation. Worse so than that what often people report to me or I hear from potential employers is that as much as they would like to hire someone, they just don’t have the resources. “We accept volunteers!”

Community Theatre, Broadway, High School Theatre, CollegeChristopher PetersonJanuary 12, 2019Shea King

New Year’s Resolutions for the Theatre Community

For many people, the beginning of a new year also marks the time of year in which people try to come up with resolutions, in the hopes that these specific goals in their lives will have been achieved by this time next year. Those of us who are highly active in theatre most likely have already come up with such resolutions related to theatre. However, there might be a few additional ideas for resolutions that some of us might not have thought about and should be willing to consider to make their year in theatre even better than last year.

So without further ado, here are just a few New Year’s resolutions – in no particular order – for all of us in the theatre community to consider…

Community Theatre, High School Theatre, ObservationsChristopher PetersonDecember 31, 2018Anthony Piccione

Political Literacy in the Theatre

So frequently in my rehearsal rooms, or in my classrooms, I hear theatre artists decry politics. There seems to be an idea that one must learn their craft in a hermetically sealed bubble, lest the influences of the banal and mundane workings of the outside world impose themselves upon the art. In the theatre, though, nothing could be farther from the truth.

The fact is that ALL theatre is political. The Public Theatre’s Oskar Eustis has said that it can be no coincidence that theatre and democracy were invented in at the same time. He says “I think that theater is the democratic art—it's no mistake that they were invented in the same city in the same decade. It's the proper place to exercise democratic virtue, for the contesting of different points of view, identifying with other people, what citizens need”.

Please Support the Arts

Community TheatreChristopher PetersonSeptember 25, 2018Liz Chirico

Shows I'd Love to See Gender-Swapped

Recently Newsies announced that its rights are open for community theaters to perform. What made this announcement even more special was the knowledge that part of the Newsies ensemble could include females. (Someone needs to give me a couple years to have my baby and get back into tapping shape so I can be in that ensemble but I digress.)

In the community theater world, there’s always talk of gender swapping within shows and roles. This is the first major production I’ve heard of which explicitly allows for the inclusion of females into what has been traditionally a male ensemble. I want to look at some other shows and roles that might benefit from a male to female gender swap. Granted this is just a wishlist, knowing that doing anything like this would require permission first.

Observations, Community Theatre, BroadwayChristopher PetersonAugust 28, 2018Liz Chirico

"Feels Like Home..."

The sense of adrenaline floods you in an instant, with bodies flying past you as they check just one last time that everything is in the right place. The crew tightens all of the ropes lined up against the wall without a second glance towards the actors while the racks and racks of costumes are triple checked by the changers as they try to remember the order of each scene.

Community TheatreChristopher PetersonAugust 8, 2018Shelby Taylor

Issues at Broadway's "Chicago" All Too Familiar When It Comes to Bullying in Theatre

After spending 22 years in a cast of a Broadway show, one deserves a curtain call worthy of that achievement. It could be a standing ovation during the final bow. Or a backstage celebration. Or parting gifts from the cast, creative and producers.

But instead of being recognized for a rare achievement in New York theatre, Jeff Loeffelholz ended his own life with a mixture of painkillers and alcohol.

What led Jeff to this point is going to be the subject of investigations by multiple organizations and their results could lead to a complete reshaping of working conditions in professional theatre.

While Jeff's alleged treatment behind-the-scenes at Chicago is horrific, for many other performers, it's all too familiar.

The Case FOR Theatre Competition and Festivals

As adults, is it 'cool' to hate competitive theatre festivals and events? Is it in our moral DNA to say it's not right to judge art?' Does our stance change if we are also thrilled by it, and would we have a different point of view if we were the ones winning?

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