Reading Race Through Shakespeare, and Vice Versa
Two books come not to bury the Bard but to bring his writing down to the common ground we share.
Stories by Wendy Smith
Arin Arbus: The Core of the Play’s the Thing
Known for her lively, no-gimmick stagings of Shakespeare with Theatre for a New Audience, the director is branching out with ‘Des Moines.’
How to Bring Together a Small Town Divided by Murder: Put on a Show
The director of a new HBO documentary about an overturned conviction in a Nebraska burgh staged a climactic episode in which a community theatre production manages to heal local divisions.
The Given Circumstances of ‘The Method’
In tracing the development of the predominant acting approach of the 20th century, Isaac Butler makes the case for its far-reaching influence.
Jesse Berger: Being Jacobean
His Red Bull Theater puts its emphasis on the language in both its core texts and beyond.
Ivo Genius: Director, Adaptor, Auteur
A new book looks at Ivo van Hove’s thoroughgoing process, which is as much about distillation as direction.
The Actors Studio at 70, Estelle Parsons at (Almost) 90
The legendary Method company is still home, she says, for those who want to dig deep and surprise themselves.
The Bard in Africa: A Proof Test of Universality
Western colonizers thought Shakespeare proved their cultural superiority, but a new book explores what his plays have meant to the colonized.
Theatre: Blockbuster Business or Art Form? 2 New Books Diverge
Michael Riedel and John Lahr both summarize decades of reporting on the business—and the art—of show.
Women in Mind: The Muses That Moved Williams and Shakespeare
Tina Packer tracks the Bard’s growth via his female characters, and James Grissom tracks down divas who alternately inspired and frustrated Williams.
