*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
To celebrate the vitality of classical themes in new work, PAC invites
playwrights to submit for consideration for our third annual New Ventures Play
Festival. The theme for the plays is The Evolution of Human Rights
5 plays of no more than 10 minutes each will be selected for a staged reading
during our festival taking place in June at the Proscenium Theatre at the
Drake.
***
Over the next two years InterAct will commission three plays to be written
about and with Philadelphia communities that are under-represented on local
(and national) stages.
The first of the three Philly Cycle commissions will focus on the city’s
community of African American Muslims, which numbers around 200,000. We are
seeking U.S.-based playwrights who would be interested in spending time in
conversation with this community and telling a singular story that centers this
community.
***
Currently Seeking 10-Minute Plays & Monologues for Smith & Kraus
Publications
• Monologues must be from plays. They cannot be stand-alone pieces.
• They must be from plays produced between April 2022 and July 2023.
• Staged Readings performed live or virtually will be accepted only if the
readings occurred in the above-mentioned window will be accepted.
• Monologues should be from 1-3 minutes long.
• Monologues should be active pieces that work well for auditions.
• Please include a descriptive blurb containing a brief summary of the play;
the name/age of the character; to whom the character is speaking, and the
dramatic context of the scene.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** TRANSLATING PLAYS ***
How does one translate “Hamilton” into another language? That was the challenge
facing Sera Finale, a rapper-turned-songwriter, and Kevin Schroeder, a seasoned
musical theater translator, when they were asked to collaborate on a German
version of the show — the first in a language other than English.
The project turned out to be just as complicated as they had feared: complex
rhyme schemes, elaborate wordplay and so many songs. There were drafts and
demos and revisions; a member of the “Hamilton” music team, Kurt Crowley,
learned German to help coordinate the process, and ultimately Lin-Manuel
Miranda, the show’s creator, had to approve or reject each line.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/theater/hamilton-translation-german.html
***
I began translating plays in 2002. I was a jobbing actor, euphemistically
“resting,” and looking for a way to stay creative and to make use of my
languages degree. So I went to the London Instituto Cervantes (the Spanish
cultural center), found their library, headed for its tiny theater section, and
plucked a title out from the shelf. It was Primavera (Springtime) by Julio
Escalada, a Spanish actor, playwright and, today, professor of playwriting at
the RESAD, Spain’s royal academy of dramatic art. I liked the feel of the
play—a restless farce of interwoven love triangles—and I translated it. Then,
since I had a translation, I figured I may as well do something with it, so I
contacted Julio and sought his permission to produce the play at the Finborough
Theater, an off-West-End above-a-pub venue famed then and now for its
commitment to new work.
More...
https://wordswithoutborders.org/read/article/2016-12/december-2016-translating-theater-feature-william-gregory/
***
American audiences don’t get access to many contemporary plays originally
written in another language despite the burgeoning number of talented
playwrights in the US and around the world who are creating work for the stage
in languages other than English.
Traditionally, classic European plays such as those written by Moliere, Henrik
Ibsen and Anton Chekhov are the only works regularly presented. There’s an
ongoing fear that Americans won’t be able to relate to or understand
transcultural and international work. There’s also the question of how much all
this costs.
One of the ways to help change hearts and minds is the indispensable effort of
translators who work in the theater. Their work is often unsung and
misunderstood.
More...
https://witonline.org/2022/08/08/finding-meaning-in-translating-words-and-culture/
***
In the globally interconnected community in which we exist, translation has
become a part of our daily life. We listen to songs whose lyrics we have to
look up in order to sing, we watch movies that have been subtitled, and we read
books written in languages we cannot even begin to understand. That is all to
say, translation surrounds us, and we must navigate a world that depends on it.
However, I always thought about translation as a solely linguistic endeavor
that transformed one language into another and failed to see it as a process
that also bridges chronological divides. These divides are apparent when
thinking of ancient texts. Still, these did not quite count in my head since,
well, no one speaks Latin or ancient Greek beyond an academic setting, and the
translation of these texts is not only helpful but necessary for people to
access them. The chronological divides that I would encounter through the
process of translating “Los novios aburridos”, a short play written and
published in Spanish in 1817, were much subtler, though.
More...
https://blogs.library.jhu.edu/2022/08/meet-our-freshman-fellows-elena-echavarria-on-translating-an-untranslated-spanish-play-2/
***
What’s the difference between translating non-fiction and translating plays?
When you translate non-fiction, you have to put yourself in the shoes of French
readers. It is the context of the reader you need to consider, the context of a
reader who does not know Martinelli. For Aristophane dans les banlieues.
Pratiques de la non-école, I sometimes eliminated passages that contained
references that would have been meaningless to French-speaking readers, but I,
of course, always discuss this first with the author, with whom I can luckily
work very closely. I also added a chapter on Martinelli’s experiences in Kenya
with the non-school, basing it on an interview I had done with him. At the end
of the book, I translated and published Noboalphabet, a text that is essential
if you want to understand the Teatro delle Albe – it is a sort of guidebook in
which Marco speaks poetically about his idea of theatre and the principles (but
also “non principles”) that guide his search.
More...
https://www.newitalianbooks.it/translating-theatre-interview-with-laurence-van-goethem/
***
Yale University Press is pleased to join with all those who celebrate
International Translation Day on September 30, 2022 to recognize and appreciate
the vital role that translators play in cross-cultural understanding and the
peaceful exchange of ideas.
We particularly wish to salute translators of literature, who enable great
works of literary art to reach readers who might not otherwise have access to
them.
A mission-driven commitment to literature in translation
In 2007, Yale University Press established the Margellos World Republic of
Letters series, named for Cecile and Theodore Margellos, the generous donors who
inspired and empowered it. In the decade and a half since then, this
passionately mission-driven publishing endeavor has brought to the
English-speaking world the work of dozens of leading literary artists and
thinkers from Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
Margellos titles celebrate the spirit of International Translation Day all year
round, as they stimulate international discourse and creative exchange.
More...
https://yalebooks.yale.edu/2022/09/30/celebrating-international-translation-day-2022/
***
HAMLET in French
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb_voCqu250&t=324s
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*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
***
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Suits and Sage Magazine open for submissions
Looking for plays and monologues 15 page or less: no excerpts
To be published in the November issue of the bimonthly virtual publication
***
The Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF) is seeking theatrical works (plays,
musicals, and solo performances) for its 21st season to be held in Spring 2023
in New York City.
DUAF supports diverse, new, and emerging voices from America’s burgeoning
multicultural landscape. Over 200 playwrights have participated in DUAF and
some have gone on to greater success on Broadway and have claimed top prizes
such as Pulitizer, Tony, and Obie awards and nominations.
Submission Categories:
Short-length play (under 45 minutes)
Full-length play (not exceeding 70 minutes)
***
Women Playwrights Series (WPS)
Plays presented in the developmental WPS program are finalists in the Susan
Glaspell Award Competition, and are under consideration for full production in
a subsequent season at the Centenary Stage Company, the professional theatre in
residence on the campus of Centenary University. Due to COVID-19, this
opportunity may be delayed.
Playwrights selected for the workshop process will receive a $200 honorarium.
Additional funds for travel and housing is available for one playwright each
season.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** THE LIFE & TIMES OF THEATER CRITICS ***
Modern tradition mandates that theater critics attend a specific performance
set aside for press invitations. On and off Broadway, the nights for review are
usually a few of the final preview performances, before opening night. As I
often explain, opening night is virtually never the production’s first
performance; some shows on Broadway run in previews for a month or more before
inviting critics. In Washington, owing to the relative brevity of most
engagements, the convention varies from company to company, but the “press
night” and opening night — a designated evening after only a few previews —
often coincide.
Most of the time, the powers that be leave a critic to his or her own devices.
But on some rare, misguided occasions, I’m aware of overeager attendees who
have somehow managed to secure seats all around me. Guffaws at every punchline
and standing ovations that start before the chorus comes on for its curtain
call are their tells.
More...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/i-watch-plays-for-a-living-the-most-dramatic-moments-arent-always-onstage/2019/04/17/bce54ed0-5f94-11e9-bfad-36a7eb36cb60_story.html
***
I went to see a play for the second time recently and changed my mind about it.
If that sounds like an innocent statement in itself, it is surely a mea culpa
for a critic who delivered a damning star-rated judgment the first time around.
Or is it? The production was Ryan Calais Cameron’s For Black Boys Who Have
Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, which is currently at the Royal
Court. I reviewed it in October 2021, when it was first mounted at the New
Diorama theatre, and I was unequivocally disappointed. All the more so because
I was sure I was going to like it, having been blown away by Cameron’s previous
drama, Typical, streamed during lockdown. That play drew on the last day in the
life of Christopher Alder, and I was so moved by its story, so exhilarated by
its language, that it took me several cups of tea to calm down afterwards.
More...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/may/03/theatre-criticism-views-change-and-so-do-plays
***
Making people happy... being a positive influence... that’s the mentality that
I brought to the table when I began writing entertainment reviews for Chicago’s
Northwest Herald in 2017. I set out to be a champion of the arts. I set out to
celebrate the people involved in putting on a show while providing an
informational service to the people reading the reviews to see if they want to
buy tickets.
Honesty is important. So, I vowed that I would never lie and say a bad
production was good or a terrible performer was great. However, that doesn’t
mean I need to concentrate so much on flaws.
Sure, there may be some questionable casting or a less than magnificent set. If
it needs to be pointed out, I will – but politely.
Actors, directors, set designers, costumers – all the people involved in
putting on a play – are just that: people. They have feelings. It is not my job
to hurt their feelings. Even criticism can be done in a way that doesn’t
emotionally injure anyone.
More...
https://lifeandtimesofrikkileetravolta.wordpress.com/2022/04/25/anatomy-of-a-theatrical-review-does-a-theatre-critic-have-to-criticize/
***
When does criticism become a form of verbal abuse?
MARCO: When the feedback is directed to the person and not about his/her work,
then it becomes a form of verbal abuse. The use of offensive language also
qualifies as abuse. It is important for directors, theater teachers, and artist
managers to give informed comments to help improve the work or challenge the
artists to grow, based on their expected output and not because of personal
prejudices. Equally important is the actors/artists’ maturity to listen and
accept feedback, dissect the motivation behind it, and see it as an opportunity
to improve.
TEETIN: When you can clearly see that the intention of the remark is not to
help someone improve on something, rather to intentionally inflict pain. More
often than not, it tends to be too personal or even below the belt. When you’re
a recipient of criticism, you are somehow pointed toward what is expected of you,
you get an idea of what you can work on. When you’re a victim of verbal abuse,
you don’t really get anything out of it other than trauma. You’re
directionless.
More...
https://mb.com.ph/2022/03/01/in-theater-when-does-criticism-become-too-much-to-a-point-that-it-is-verbal-abuse/
***
GREEN
Comedy is more personal than tragedy. I laughed and laughed — no doubt in part
because of the performances but also for the very reason you were disappointed:
It didn’t try to explain itself. Also, it gave us characters, most of them Black
and Latino, without a white filter, which for me was a pleasure and a relief.
Also a pleasure and a relief: The characters (spoiler alert) escaped their
purgatory. Which is not to say I don’t understand your criticisms; I find them
useful because one person can only absorb one idea of a play at a time. I
wonder if you feel the same way, or whether it’s just annoying when we
disagree?
PHILLIPS
What you say about comedy being more personal is exactly right. I had issues
with the allegory to begin with, and because it’s so prevalent, I was looking
for other dimensions or nuances to latch onto but was just left with the
element of the play — the main element — that I found unappealing.
But I never find our disagreements annoying! At first I found them unsettling.
I’m not sure if you still get the anxiety I do — that you’ve missed something
that your fellow critics haven’t, and that must be the root of the
disagreement, that you’re just wrong. Now I find our disagreements informative.
Like with your review of “Clyde’s,” you pointed out the same problems I had
with it, but while those issues couldn’t redeem the show for me, for you there
was more to it. What’s most important to me there was that we saw the same
things and just had different responses.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/05/theater/live-theater-critics-debate.html
***
It’s a warm Saturday evening sometime in the early 1990s.
I’m standing at the foot of that marble staircase in the lobby of Herberger
Theater Center, surrounded by other drama critics: Betty Webb from The
Scottsdale Progress, Chris Curcio of The Arizona Republic, the Mesa Tribune’s
Max McQueen, Phoenix Gazette columnist Christopher McPherson. It’s
intermission, and we’re talking about anything but the first act of the play
we’ve just seen – maybe something by August Wilson, or an umpteenth production
of Cabaret, or some kicky new musical from Actors Theatre. There’s an unspoken
rule among us: We don’t share notes at intermission. We chat instead about the
weather, groan about deadlines. We admire one another’s shoes.
Looking back, I wonder: Did we really work as full-time critics? Did people
actually care what we had to say?
More...
https://www.phoenixmag.com/2022/07/07/gone-critic-gone/
***
New York Magazine/Vulture Job Posting for a Theater Critic
WHAT YOU'LL DO
• Review approximately 120 to 150 shows a year
• See many more than that, to keep up
• Provide short recommendations of promising productions throughout the year,
especially for seasonal previews and the To Do pages of our biweekly print
magazine
• Offer suggestions for the Approval Matrix
• Join in planning for any theater-related coverage, both for Vulture and the
print magazine
WHO YOU ARE
Although we (obviously) are looking for someone who is passionate about
theater, and we expect (also obviously) that many applicants will have written
a lot about theater, we don't require that you have been a drama critic! If you
are a movies or TV or economics or food writer who is also an enthusiastic
theatergoer, let's hear from you. Ditto if you are a playwright or director who
cannot keep your opinions to yourself. The only unbreakable requirement is that
you live close enough and have enough schedule flexibility (not to mention
sitzfleisch) to be in a theater seat 200-plus nights per year.
More...
https://www.showbizjobs.com/jobs/new-york-magazine--theater-critic-new-york-magazine-and-vulture-in-new-york/jid-rze003
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