Spotlight
Stories that deserve your attention
Five Shows High Schools Should Perform More & Five They Shouldn't
"For high school theaters, right choice of material can engage students and inspire more to get involved. However, choosing the wrong play or musical can result in challenges ranging from overwhelming production requirements to unnecessary administration involvement. Here are five musicals or plays that should be performed more often, as well as five that should be approached with caution."
"Showmances" : Why They Should Be Embraced and Not Frowned Upon
“Does it really matter what the mechanics of affection are? The possible effects of playing fictional lovers on real-world romance are fun to speculate about, but at the end of the day, all that matters is that people are happy together, regardless of how their love blossomed or how long it lasts. Personally, I wish them all the best.”
The Challenges of Balancing Theatre and Family
"As someone who has been involved in theatre for well over a decade, one common theme I have found is an overabundance of young people who work in theatre. This is amazing, don’t get me wrong! But, the realities of mixing those who have families with younger people can sometimes take work."
Stop the outrage regarding "Black Out" performances
“This needs to be celebrated, not criticized.”
Yes, You Can Whitewash 'Little Shop of Horrors', But Please Don't
"It was recently made known to me that, according to licensing material, theatres are actually allowed to whitewash 'Little Shop of Horrors.' But as the saying goes - just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
Snow White, And The Challenge of Writing Women On Screen
"The question of “how to write women” has been floating around the industry since its inception, namely in relation to “how hard it is” or how often it’s not done well."
The Lasting Bonds We Make Doing Theatre
“To me, there is always a specific mental and emotional bond that happens between people when they work on a production together in the theatre world.”
10 Things I Wish My Non-Artist Friends Knew
"This is not my hobby; this is my real job. Just because you don’t see me ‘working’ on my creative career every day, just because I don’t fill out an hourly timesheet and receive a check each week doing it, doesn’t mean I am not constantly working at it."
The impact of intimacy direction/choreography (or lack thereof) on students in educational theatre
“The bottom line is that intimacy professionals need to be a part of shows where intimacy is involved so they can lead students on how to approach intimate scenes in a comfortable way and hone their power as artists in an educational setting.”
4 Reasons Why It's the Perfect Time to Rediscover 'Legally Blonde: the Musical'
“Need a quick pick-me-up? I encourage you to rediscover or take in for the first time one of the most underrated musicals of the last 20 years - Legally Blonde the Musical.”
The Stage's Best Companion: Why Paper Playbills Matter in a Digital World
“Recently, one of the most common cost-cutting strategies for theatres looking to save money is using digital programs over the traditional printed variety. While this may seem like a small, harmless change, it actually hurts the theater-going experience a lot, and I would encourage companies to re-think this change and bring back some paper programs as soon as possible.”
A Timeless Tragedy: Why Romeo and Juliet Still Resonates in Theatre
“What about this play- this particular play- brings us back to reading and performing it over and over? Could it be because the passionate, youthful rebellion that Romeo and Juliet enact all because they want to be together is inspiring to the more jaded adult? Or do theaters perform Romeo and Juliet because it’s an easy sell? “