the week of september 14-18, 2020
the one where everyone announces their fall programming
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virtual theatre
The greatest Constitution Day gift: Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me will be available on Amazon Prime next month. The Broadway production was filmed by Marielle Heller and is part of a new overall deal between Schreck and Amazon Studios.
The Philly Fringe Festival is “predominantly virtual” this year, with online, outdoor, and socially distanced events from now until October 4th. I’m not a huge fan of Zoom theater, but if there’s anyone that can convince me otherwise, it’s Trey Lyford, Geoff Sobelle, and Steve Cuiffo, so I’ll be watching Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars.
The British site-specific theatre company Dante or Die released User Not Found, an immersive video podcast about what happens to our online identities after we die, designed for smartphones with headphones. (This is a digital adaptation of their intimate sold-out live show; I tried and failed to score a ticket to it at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe.)
assorted news
Miranda Haymon is the new Resident Director of Roundabout Theatre Company, and Cristina Angeles is a new associate artist. I met Miranda once for coffee when they were in DC and THEIR MIND. A well-deserved appointment for a brilliant artist.
The 2020 Doris Duke Artist Awards were announced. The theatre recipients were director Michael John Garcés and playwright Dael Orlandersmith; both received a cash prize of $275,000.
2021 season updates
Berkeley Rep added three virtual works to their upcoming season, including Raúl Esparza and Lisa Peterson’s The Waves in Quarantine: A Theatrical Experiment in 6 Movements, Hershey Felder: A Paris Love Story, and Place/Settings: Berkeley, a collection of ten short works inspired by events in the writers’ own personal histories. Audience members will receive a mailed package to accompany an audio presentation that will bridge the gap between virtual and immersive theater.
The Vineyard announced new digital and outdoor performances, with a potential return indoors in 2021. The line-up includes Lessons in Survival, an ongoing digital piece conceived by Marin Ireland, Peter Mark Kendall, Tyler Thomas, and Reggie D. White; Bill Irwin’s street performance The Busking Project; and three possible indoor performances in the spring: a return engagement of Lucas Hnath’s Dana H. with Deidre O’Connell, the world premiere of Tori Sampson’s 1967 Oakland-set This Land Was Made, and the world premiere of David Cale’s solo show Sandra.
The Public Theater announced its fall digital programming. Offerings include a four-part radio play of Anne Washburn’s Shipwreck (I missed this at Woolly because I was in rehearsal so I’m thrilled to consume it in any format), Samora Pinderhughes and Jack DeBoe’s Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears, a broadcast of Kiki & Herb: Seeking Asylum!, and the Public Forum’s summit Creative Activism: A Day of Art, Ideas, and Action on September 23rd.
Round House Theatre announced its 2020-21 season with digital plays, an online festival, and three in-person shows in the spring. Programming includes the Leila Buck’s interactive American Dreams; The Work of Adrienne Kennedy: Inspiration & Influence, a four-week festival (presented in association with McCarter) celebrating the playwright; and the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s The Catastrophist.
Baltimore’s Everyman Theatre will present six digital events and six in-person productions. The season includes Caleen Sinnette Jennings’ Queens Girl: Black in the Green Mountains; Molly Smith Metzler’s Cry It Out; Angelica Chéri’s Berta, Berta; Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline; Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility; and Robert Harling’s Steel Magnolias.
Syracuse Stage announced a reimagined, entirely online 2020-21 season. The season includes Lanford Wilson’s Talley’s Folly, Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles 1992, Dipika Guha’s Yoga Play, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, and the world premiere of Kyle Bass’ salt/city/blues. The Cold Read Festival of New Plays in March will feature playwright-in-residence Kate Hamill and solo performer Chesney Snow.
Strawdog Theatre in Chicago will present four virtual plays. The line-up includes Kamille Dawkins’ The Four, Titas Halder’s Run the Beast Down, Michael Dailey’s adaptation of Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblin, and How Do We Navigate Space?, a locally created and themed series of video monologues.
Gala Hispanic Theatre will be the first theatre company in DC to reopen for live indoor performances — in October. The first production will be Lope de Vega’s El Perro del Hortelano (The Dog in the Manger), and it will be performed in Spanish with English surtitles. In accordance with local regulations, the company will only sell 50 tickets every night, which is 19% of the house capacity. (Buuut the Phase II recommendations for theaters permit 50 people with physical distancing, so I don’t think actors, crew, and staff are being factored into that count and I think it’s a real problem that none of the local coverage points this out!)
things I read this week
Maya Phillips on Theatre for One’s Here We Are, a series of eight-minute microplays written by women of color that pair one actor with one audience member.
Tatiana Isabel Gil, Micah Rosegrant, Viviana Vargas, and Ciera-Sadé Wade on how they grew a student-centered anti-racist movement at Boston University
That’s all for this week! My friend Kat recently subscribed and asked how much it cost to include a photo of her dog Oscar in the next edition and folks, IT’S FREE. I look forward to visiting Oscar again once I feel comfortable getting on a plane; see you in 2022, buddy:
This is as wonderful as ever! And about Gala Hispanic theatre - big yikes ://///