Category Archives: Theatre

VANGUARD

Posted on September 4, 2017 by

I’ve been listening to an oral history of the U.S. Supreme Court.  One section deals with Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis, two of the most distinguished justices in the Court’s history.  Holmes was known as “The Great Dissenter”. … Continue reading →

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MAMET IS RIGHT, UP TO A POINT

Posted on June 12, 2017 by

A recent controversy arose when playwright David Mamet threatened to fine  Outvisable Theatre of Detroit in the event that talkbacks were held after performances of his play Oleanna.  Such a measure by Mamet was heavyhanded, as is so much that … Continue reading →

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SHAKESPEARE’S MUSICALITY

Posted on June 6, 2016 by

A lot has been written over the centuries about Shakespeare’s musicality.  Over one hundred songs with lyrics by him have survived.  We know that as a professional actor in his time, he played musical instruments.  A snide comment made by … Continue reading →

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THE ROCKY MUSICAL

Posted on May 27, 2014 by

Rocky, playing at the Winter Garden Theatre, is one of the major hits of the current Broadway season.  Adapted by Sylvester Stallone and co-librettist Tom Meehan from Stallone’s 1976 film of the same name, it shows that the basis of … Continue reading →

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WATCHING KING LEAR

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

Recently I went to see friends perform in Syracuse Shakespeare Festival’s production of King Lear.  Like so much in art today, this ambitious project was put on with the scarcest of resources.  Many of the cast members had only community … Continue reading →

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STAGE LITERACY

Posted on January 29, 2014 by

As dramatists, we depend on actors.  Acting underlies all theatrical work.  It is good for us to do scenery and lighting, but it is even better to do acting and directing.   By doing this work, we can see how a … Continue reading →

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A NOTE ON MY PLAY GENOGRAMS

Posted on January 8, 2014 by

Sometimes an event is planned: a wedding, a graduation, a party, a football game.  It doesn’t happen.  It gets cancelled.   You try not to think about it.  But you spent too much time before the event mentally rehearsing the things … Continue reading →

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