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E. Faye Butler begins rehearsals for Arena’s Trouble in Mind
On August 9th, there will be one change in the cast of Arena Stage’s hit show Oklahoma! as one actress moves from the Fichandler Stage to an Arena Stage rehearsal hall, and another steps into her role. [Read more...]
Working in the theatre, you quickly learn that you can’t please everyone all the time. Sometimes audiences steer clear of a show because it looks too dark or upsetting. Maybe the content is offensive, or the story line doesn’t appeal. Sometimes it’s just that strange, sinking feeling that everyone involved, simply put, is trying too hard. [Read more...]
Intrigued by the cultural and racial issues in several productions in this year’s Contemporary American Theater Festival, I found my way back to Shepherdstown, WV for a thought provoking weekend of theatre. Although the notoriously good though uncomfortable and unsettling Race by David Mamet is sold out, Insurgents could be worth a final weekend trip if seen in tandem with another show. [Read more...]
Everyone was waiting to see which shows won the Theatermania Pick of the Fringe Awards. But first, Cory Ryan Frank, officially Audience Services Manager, but we know best as the happy, helpful box office guy, announced the numbers: This year’s festival featured 124 shows, giving 637 performances. Of those, 256 had more than 50% attendance, and 65 were sellouts.
The festival sold just over 27,000 tickets (1509 of them in packages) and 12,635 buttons.
John Burns, representing Theatermania’s Ovation Tickets, presented the audience-chosen Pick of the Fringe Awards:
Best Comedy – Priscilla Dreams the Answer (Nu Sass Productions)
Best Dance – SHE (Verena Lucia) and UPheaval (DC Aerial Collective)
Best Drama – Hamlet Reframed (Grain of Sand Theatre)
Best Experimental - Hugo Ball: The Super Spectacular Dada Adventure (Pointless Theatre)
Best Musical – Cabaret XXX (Pinky Swear )
Best Solo – On the Rag to Riches (Angry Alice)
Best Overall Production – Who’s Your Baghdaddy or How I Won the Iraq War (Charlie Fink Presents)
and the Capital Fringe Director’s Award, chosen by Festival Directors Julieanne Brienza and Scot McKenzie, went to Izumi Ashizawa for her production of iKilL.
Missed the reviews? Catch up on all our reviews here.
And, this morning Capital Fringe posted this final Daily Dose by none other the man who needs no introduction for followers of his Daily Dose, the star of the box office, none other than Cory Ryan Frank!
Saturday’s performance of the original student play, Out of the Shadow, was the culmination of YPT’s year-long Young Playwright’s Workshop. The single performance provided the students the opportunity to perform their play at Capital Fringe.
Out of the Shadow deals with the hot-button issue of bullying in the schools. The student playwrights used monologues, short scenes, poetry, and song to tell the stories of students bullied for race, gender, sexuality, socio-economic status, or just for being different. [Read more...]
American Theatre Wing Interviews