An America of Color and Complication in ‘The Great Jheri Curl Debate’ and ‘Mushroom’
New plays at East West Players and People’s Light illuminate the collisions, and occasional solidarity, among people of color in a white-dominated culture.
Features
Poetry in Motion: How Steven Hoggett Turns Movement Into Theatre, and Vice Versa
His new dance-theatre piece with Alan Cumming, ‘Burn,’ is another showcase of the approach to movement language that has made all Hoggett’s choreography so distinctive.
Jocelyn Bioh: ‘African Comedy’ Is Not a Contradiction in Terms
The writer of ‘School Girls’ and ‘Goddess’ writes stories American theatres haven’t seen before but that audiences immediately recognize.
This Month in Theatre History
September sees the beginnings of theatre in the U.S., the openings of major theatres on opposite coasts, a starry ‘Godspell’ reunion, and the start of a Chicago festival of Latino theatre.
John Beasley Is Ready for the Role of a Lifetime
Broadway-bound for the first time at 79, working actor Beasley feels that his role in ‘The Notebook’ came along at just the right time.
Gimme Some Truth, or Make ’Em Laugh?
From goofy musicals to meaty and instructive dramas, 4 shows stand in for the disparate ambitions and uses of theatre.
Why Keep Doing Shakespeare? Maybe That’s the Wrong Question
From the Public Works ‘As You Like It’ to upstart crow’s ‘King John’ at Oregon Shakes to ‘Mother Lear’ at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Bard remains powerful currency; it’s how it’s spent that matters.
Ambition Amid the Angst: The High School Theatre Program Tim Ortmann Built
By taking his young charges and their talents seriously, this extraordinary director made Niles North Theatre exemplary, both in production values and educational value.
You Couldn’t Say No to Myrna Salazar
An irresistible advocate of Latine theatre artists, the founder of the Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance paved the way for so many of us, and did it with love, grit, and grace.
Conversation Starters: How Robert Egan Put Ojai Playwrights on the Map
Roughly equal parts joy and rigor have characterized his 20-year tenure as artistic director of this influential new-play incubator.
