Why Do We Gravitate Towards Comedies or Drama?

When people sit in a theater and watch a show, they usually do it for the entertainment or sometimes just to get away. It’s an escape for a lot of people. It could be a concert, musical, play or even a cabaret show. Regardless of what it is, it adds something that’s maybe missing in a person’s life. So, there is definitely that personal aspect to theatre that a lot of people might forget about. There is always reasoning behind our choices.

The two distinct types of productions that automatically come to mind for me are comedies and dramas, and people usually gravitate towards one or another, or sometimes both. They’re polar opposites, but I love that range between the two and think it’s amazing that theatre produces these two categories and provides that range. You can literally see shows based on what kind of mood you’re in and I think this is another reason people gravitate towards live theatre, similar to films.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonAugust 30, 2018Cristina D'Almeida

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

Unauthorized Production of "Coco: The Musical" Means Schools Still Don't Understand Copyright or Don't Care

Recently, it was brought to OnStage Blog's attention that, yet again, a foreign school has performed unauthorized material. This seems to be a common occurrence as in the past year we've seen schools perform productions of Hamilton, The Book of Mormon and Bombshell with music from the TV show Smash all without having obtained permission.

What makes these occurrences even worse is that they are often supervised by teachers or adults who should know better. When this happens, they are failing their students and putting their schools at risk of ever obtaining permission for future productions.

The latest example comes from the Polytechnic University of The Philippines(PUP) where their theatre organization, the Molave Theatre Guild, just wrapped production on their musical adaptation of the Pixar film, Coco. Here are some of their promotional materials of the show.

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonAugust 28, 2018copyright infringement, Chris Peterson

Broadway Performers are Amazing People to Meet, As Long As You're Not a Jerk

I can name on one hand the amount of Broadway personalities that feel they belong on the pedestal fans put them on. Because most don't, that's what makes their interactions with their fans so genuine. So it's on the fans to understand and appreciate that(which most do) and not to be jerks.

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonAugust 18, 2018Chris Peterson

Why BBC Three's #MeToo Short Film is So Important

While scrolling through the glorious world of Facebook, I stumbled upon a new comedy short film which is produced by BBC Three and Rebel Park Productions. This short film featured Catherine Tate, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Welsh, Felicity Jones, Gemma Chan, Emelia Clark , Wunmi Mosaku, Stacy Martin, Katie Leung, Lena Headly, Tom Hiddleston, Florence Pugh and directed/written by Jessica Swale.

This film features actresses auditioning for a new role, and being coxed by the audition panel to be more sexy, more smiley, more white, wear make-up and basically radiate sex appeal for a part which doesn't need that. Watch the film below this article.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonAugust 11, 2018Lewis Baird

Keep Going, and Be Proud That You Haven’t Given Up

For everyone who is deeply involved in the theatre community – whether you’re an actor, a playwright, a director, a technician, a designer, etc. – I’m sure there’s been at least one time when you’ve questioned whether you were good enough, when you worried that you might not have a bright future in the arts, or when you wondered if maybe you should just give it all up. It’s something that even the best of us have always experienced, and if you haven’t already, there’s a chance you will, at one point or another.

Personally, I’ve had these feelings on many past occasions, during my high school and college years. Frequently, I doubted to myself whether I had what it takes to make it to where I want to be in 5 or 10 years, and whether or not I should even bother to keep going. I still know some people today, who seem to be going through this phase of uncertainty right now, and I’m sure others who are reading this might be, as well.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonJuly 30, 2018Anthony Piccione

Body Shaming Apparently Isn't Beneath NY Times Theatre Criticism

Last year, Chicago Sun-Times theatre critic, Hedy Weiss, was rightfully criticized for her review of Mamma Mia where when mentioning the costume design, she said the following:

"Theresa Ham’s character-defining costumes make the most of the many “real women” figures on stage, just as the gold and silver spandex outfits outline the perfect bodies of the terrific chorus dancers"

Obviously, the fact that Weiss made a point to emphasize "real women" figures as opposed to the "perfect bodies" of the dancer, was met with harsh backlash and accusations of body shaming.

Observations, New YorkChristopher PetersonJuly 25, 2018Chris Peterson, New York Times

"To the Lady on My Right" : Appreciating Understudies & Standbys

For those who don't know, understudies and standbys are the individuals who know the roles of other actors in the event that that actor cannot make the performance. While there are some notable differences between the two titles, their mission is to seamlessly step in to the character’s shoes so that the show may go on at the caliber it would have should the originally cast individual be the one on stage. They must quickly establish chemistry with their scene partners, and this task alone is no easy feat.

These individuals are rock stars and deserve more credit than the disgust they are often met with upon their tiny flyer at the front of the playbill. Whether it's Ohio State University alumnus Sifiso Mazibuko (a standby at Hamilton: An American Musical in London), or a high school understudy for Rizzo in Grease, these people have to know their scripts, learn countless vocal parts, and master quick changes, so it’s a privilege to have their energy on stage for your performance.

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonJuly 20, 2018Cassie Smith

True Open-Mindedness in Art

Okay, let me start this by saying that you, whoever may be reading this, may very well be offended by the words I'm about to say. I do, however, think it is fair to say that anyone who preaches open-mindedness in art will agree with me. Warnings and cautions aside, let me get right into this.

True open-mindedness means hearing or seeing something you may completely disagree with but rather than immediately rejecting or objecting the ideas, you are perceptive to them. You may consider them, engage in fair conversation about them, maybe even compare them to your current set of beliefs. It's a great concept when utilized accurately, especially in the setting of a piece of art.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonJuly 20, 2018Sarah Cagle

If the New York Post's "My Fair Lady" Piece Felt Like a Hit-Job, It's Because it Was

on July 5th. You can click here to read it.

All caught up? Good. Hopefully, as you were reading it, a couple of questions began to form. But one that should definitely be raised is, "Was this article necessary at all?"

I understand Reidel's methodology here. It's not every day one gets permission to publish extremely-candid quotes from one high-profile star bashing another. So clearly, from Reidel and the Post's point of view, there is a story to tell and clicks to get.

But from my point of view, the whole article feels like a well-orchestrated hit on a show's leading lady by portraying her as either a selfish diva or a fragile performer, incapable of meeting the demands of a lead role on Broadway. Even if either were true, the fact that this has gone public is wrong and is certainly a violation of the unwritten rules of being in a Broadway cast: You don't air your dirty laundry in public, especially not to the press, especially not to Michael Riedel.

My Experience at the “Tenth Planet”: An Exclusive Look at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity

#TenthPlanet

Normally, if someone were to use this hashtag, one might think that it’s some sort of Doctor Who reference. (At least, that’s what I noticed later on, after I started using it, myself.) This year, however, this hashtag has taken on a whole new meaning, in reference to the 10th anniversary season of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, New York’s premiere socially conscious and eco-friendly theatre festival, founded a decade ago by arts professional Glory Kadigan, and led this year by Producing Artistic Director Shaun Peknic, who is at the helm of one of the most passionate and enthusiastic festival staff teams you’ll find in New York, which his overseeing dozens of bold new shows from various genres.

Observations, New YorkChristopher PetersonJuly 6, 2018

The Balancing Act of Being Both a Playwright and a Critic

I love playwriting, and the creative rush I get from writing so many plays – and often, seeing them produced – is practically what I live for. I’m also a theatre critic, and thus have the chance to see a diverse range of shows and offer my analysis and opinions of them. Depending on which person you talk to, if they’re familiar with my writing, they might know that I’m a playwright and a critic, but they may know me better for being one over another. There also may be some who know me only as a playwright, but have never read any of my reviews; or perhaps they’ve seen my past reviews of shows, but are totally unfamiliar with my work as a playwright.

ObservationsChristopher PetersonJune 29, 2018Anthony Piccione

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