The History Play That Got Away
Oregon Shakes’s history-play commissioning project may not have funded the founding fathers hip-hop musical everyone’s talking about, but their slate so far is pretty revolutionary anyway.
Stories by Rob Weinert-Kendt
Rob Weinert-Kendt is editor-in-chief of American Theatre. He was the founding editor-in-chief of Back Stage West and writes about theatre for the New York Times, Time Out NY, and the Los Angeles Times. He studied film at USC and is a composer member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop.
Distilling ‘Hee Haw’ Into ‘Moonshine,’ a Musical with More Than Just Hayseed Har-Hars
Bookwriter Robert Horn, along with Nashville song pros and director Gary Griffin, aims for the heart as well as the humor of the TV variety chestnut.
Me Vs. Them: How I Got Schooled on a Gender-Neutral Pronoun
Who knew that grammar was a front in the battle for fuller gender expression? Well, duh.
Let’s Be Realistic: Can Theatre Beat Film at Recreating Life?
The native language of theatre is artifice, but as Annie Baker’s ‘John’ proves, it doesn’t always feel that way.
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Musical
The American musical is in fine shape, both its brand-new and revival corps. This wasn’t always the case.
Bill Rauch’s Oregon Trail, and Mine
Why I’ve avidly watched the work of Cornerstone’s founding artistic director and of Oregon Shakes, both separately and together.
Greg Reiner Named Director of NEA’s Theatre Programs
The former administrator for Tectonic Theater Projects and Classic Stage Company will manage both theatre and musical theatre grants for the endowment.
Pro Tip: ‘Amateur’ Is Not a Putdown
The difference between arts professionals and the rest of us isn’t about money but about dedication.
Re: the ‘Re’ in Theatre
Why do we spell it ‘theatre’? As with many questions of language, there’s a simple answer but not a ‘right’ one.
On Darko Tresnjak’s Calendar: More Love, Murder, and Musicals
From obscure classics to populist musicals and thrillers, Hartford Stage artistic director Darko Tresnjak is in the midst of a killer career.
