Welcome
John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
SOUNDBITES 2023 seeks 10-minute musicals
Theatre Now defines a 10-minute musical as any piece that can be performed in
max. 10min, has a beginning, middle, end story arch, and includes music. Having
produced over 70 pieces, we want musicals that are diverse, current, test the
musical form and communicate a well-crafted story. We accept musicals across
all styles and genres, as well as consider foreign language and/or bilingual
scripts. We strongly encourage submissions from female writers, BIPOC and
LGBTQ+ writers.
***
The Phoenix Theatre Company’s 25th Annual Festival of New American Theatre will
run April 7, 2023 – April 23, 2023. The 2023 Festival will feature both curated
and submitted works including: one play reading, two musical readings, one
musical workshop, the Composer Lyricist Cabaret featuring two artists, and the
Choreography Lab which will set movement to musical material featured in the
festival selections. All eligible submissions are welcome and we are actively
seeking submissions from artists with an Arizona connection.
***
The Stonecoast Review: A Multi-Genre Literary Journal
We seek work from both emerging and established writers. The goal of the
Stonecoast Review literary journal is to publish innovative and deeply resonant
literature that embodies our core values of justice, awareness, and
exploration. Just like the Stonecoast program, we promote work that runs the
gamut from poetry to popular fiction, including everything in-between. We pride
ourselves on placing the work of writers from all backgrounds, genres, and
styles, onto the same stage. The Stonecoast Review is edited by students and
alumni from Stonecoast’s low-residency MFA Program in Creative Writing through
the University of Southern Maine.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** BRITISH ROYALTY ON STAGE ***
As embodied by an unimpeachably authoritative Ms. Mirren, this second Elizabeth
II is betraying just enough emotion to make her embraceably human but not
enough to embarrass anyone, not even the woman she’s playing.
And for those whose sympathies are troublingly divided between the monarch and
the common people, this production suggests that the Queen may at heart be “a
good Labour woman.” That at least is the conclusion of Prime Minister Harold
Wilson (a folksy Richard McCabe, an audience favorite), who says, “Deep down,
you’re not just happier with the normal folks, you’re one of us.”
Directed with restrained flair by Stephen Daldry, and designed with a
voyeuristic elegance by Bob Crowley, “The Audience” seems destined to reign in
the West End as an exercise in reassurance for uncertain times. It’s a sort of
starched-bosomed nanny of a play, offering the artistic equivalent of nursery
food and equally digestible history lessons.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/theater/reviews/the-audience-in-london-stars-helen-mirren.html
***
The play that provides the springboard for Mr. Hawthorne's triumph is by Alan
Bennett, who is arguably the best playwright in England whose major works
remain unproduced in the American theater. "The Madness of George
III" is not one of those major works, but it would be silly to complain
too much about a play that gives audiences a chance to savor an unforgettable
performance. And it's easy to see why "George III," in its original
Royal National Theater production directed by Nicholas Hytner, has been sent on
American tour while tougher Bennett works like "Single Spies" and
"Talking Heads" have been limited to piecemeal presentation on public
television. With its 18th-century pomp and circumstance, large cast, flourishes
of Handel and opulent rustle of costumes, "George III" is more
readily marketable as the sort of Broadway entertainment the Colonies are
thought to prefer.
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/17/theater/review-theater-the-madness-of-george-iii-creating-a-lovable-george-iii.html
***
In Hamilton, King George terrifies his servants, laughs maniacally, and
threatens to "kill your friends and family to remind you of my love."
However, the real George III was not nearly as bumbling or evil as the musical
depicts. Despite experiencing relatively slow mental development as a child,
George III was precocious as a teenager. At 12, he suddenly became heir
apparent to the British Crown after the death of his father, George II, and he
was coronated at the age of 22.
More...
https://screenrant.com/hamilton-musical-king-george-changes-differences-missing/
***
Most of Shakespeare’s history plays surround the Plantagenet Kings: Richard II,
Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI Part 1, Henry VI Part 2,
Henry VI Part 3, and Richard III. I learned early on three important concepts
for success in reading these plays: First, a character could be referred to by
his name or his title, so in the case of Richard, a character might refer to
his first name, or to his title of “Gloucester”–the land where he ruled as
Duke. Secondly, medieval England operated under primogeniture, which
meant that the estate and titles passed to the oldest male heir in the family.
Finally, English ruling families reused names a lot–there are Richards, Henrys,
and Edwards all over this family tree! With these rules in mind, let’s dig into
Shakespeare’s Plantagenet kings. (And a disclaimer: This is not meant to
embrace all of the intrigues and nuances of English history or Shakespeare’s
plays, but it is a starting point for understanding the complex history
Shakespeare was working with.)
More...
https://blog.stageagent.com/shakespeares-history-plays-unraveling-the-kings/
***
To Washington's National Theatre one night last week Anna Eleanor Roosevelt took
Secretary of the Treasury & Mrs. Henry Morgenthau Jr. to see Helen Hayes as
Victoria Regina. So charmed was Mrs. Roosevelt by Actress Hayes' performance
that when the play ended, she stood up in her box, clapped for five curtain
calls. Next day she had Miss Hayes in to the White House for luncheon and at 3
p. m. Actress Hayes hurried back to her hotel suite in high excitement,
canceled half a dozen appointments, summoned a beautician to fix her bobbed
hair. That evening by special invitation she went back to the White House for 8
o'clock dinner and the glittering Diplomatic Reception which followed. Clearly
Helen Hayes had made a profound impression upon the Presidential family. And
critics who watched her Washington tryout forecast another hit for her when
Victoria Regina opens on Broad way this week.
Victoria Regina, For those who make a hobby of Actress Hayes' career, Victoria
Regina can be considered a sort of retrospective exhibition of some of the
memorable parts she has played on her way up to the top during the past 17
years. Scene 1 represents the entrance hall at Kensing ton Palace early one
morning in 1837. Lord Conyngham, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop of
Canterbury have come to rouse William IV's niece out of bed, tell her of her
uncle's death and her succession to the Throne of England. Suddenly Actress
Hayes appears, long locks falling to her shoulders, a night dress sweeping the
floor. She receives the news without a word, but by some alchemy of gesture and
expression, manages to convey in full the young queen's terrific bewilderment,
anxiety and delight. Those who saw Miss Hayes a good 16 years ago as the
extraordinary dream-child in Dear Brutus could almost hear the echo of her
plaintive cry, "I don't want to be a might-have-been!"
More...
https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,848403,00.html
Helen Hayes and Vincent Price in Victoria Regina
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/helen-hayes-as-queen-victoria-and-vincent-price-as-prince-news-photo/526899010
***
“On the eve of the beheading of her court favorite and rumored lover, the Earl
of Essex, Queen Elizabeth was entertained with a royal command performance by
Shakespeare and his company (of Much Ado About Nothing). Longing for
distraction, the Queen visits her stables where the actors are lodged for the
night. There she finds the man who plays Shakespeare’s leading ladies (here as
Beatrice), and in their passionate confrontation, the actor and his Queen come
to shocking revelations about sexuality, identity and love.” (from the press
notes)
That simple summary thrives as we meet the quirky 17th Century thespians led by
William Shakespeare (played understated by Kevin Gudhal) and the rag-tag actors
that included a drunkard, an old man living in the past and a quirky seamstress
and a dying actor more woman than man. When the queen arrives, Ned is her
outspoken opponent since his eminent death from the pox allows him the freedom
to say whatever comes to his mind. The debate rages on as the two engage in
verbal debate. Elizabeth hides her female side as a mechanism for sovereign
survival – ruling as a man works for her. Ned has played woman all his life in
Shakespeare’s plays and as a gay man feels more comfortable as a woman.
More...
https://chicagocritic.com/elizabeth-rex/
***
Everyone likes secrets, especially dramatists. So it’s no surprise that the
unraveling of the mysteries of the current Queen Elizabeth’s famously
undocumented weekly meetings with her prime minister proved audience catnip in
Peter Morgan’s fictional “The Audience” starring Helen Mirren. But playwright
Moira Buffini got there first with “Handbagged,” a 2010 short about the queen
vs. Margaret Thatcher, since expanded into a full-length comedy that just
bagged an Olivier Award. Pin-sharp performances and Buffini’s fleet and
delicious script ignite Indhu Rubasingham’s highly enjoyable West End transfer.
Not content with mere neat impersonations of the two stateswomen who were
heavily rumored to have had a difficult relationship, Buffini upsets
expectations with a smart dramaturgical trick. Audiences settle into the
opening niceties of Marion Bailey’s devastating embodiment of the queen (the
grim set of her mouth, the arm held tight to the waist with fluttering fingers)
meeting Stella Gonet’s braying and loftily hair-sprayed Mrs. Thatcher. Then up
pop younger, contrary versions of themselves, played, respectively by firmly
well-bred Lucy Robinson and, with uncanny precision, a magnificently
patronizing, breathy Fenella Woolgar.
More...
https://variety.com/2014/legit/reviews/west-end-review-handbagged-1201158243/
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Sundog Theatre seeks plays set on the Staten Island Ferry
New and original, one-act plays about our favorite boats, the Staten Island
Ferries.
10-25 minutes in length and set on the Staten Island Ferry (Note: not performed
on the Ferry).
Set in a contemporary time period. Strong priority will be given to plays with
2 characters, however, 3-character plays will be considered. No special set
pieces other than benches or railings found on the Ferry, limited and easily
accessible props/costumes, and no special sound or lighting.
***
One-Act Submissions for CapitalQ Theatre Festival
We are interested in plays at all levels of development from playwrights of all
levels of experience. What we are looking for is an exciting story surrounding
the queer experience that begs to be performed on stage. Our goal is to aid
playwrights in presenting the story they are excited to tell on stage, with
whatever resources they find valuable. We are especially interested in a myriad
of stories about the LGBTQ+ experience and are hoping our festival’s
representation accurately represents the diversity in our community.
***
The Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival honors new American plays that
provide dynamic performance opportunities for college-aged actors.
The festival endeavors both to recognize playwrights for their outstanding work
and to provide a resource for universities across the country to identify
dynamic plays with robust roles for college-aged actors for production at their
institutions. The festival features both a full-length and short play division.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** SOUND DESIGN ***
The Old Vic Theatre in Bristol, England, is spending this year celebrating its
250th anniversary. And they're doing something pretty dramatic. They're taking
a cue from their predecessors, by reviving some of the antique ways of
producing sound effects for the stage.
For this summer's production of King Lear, the theater is using technology from
the 18th century to create effects for rain, wind and thunder. Using
old-fashioned wooden wheels, wooden gutters and wooden balls, they can recreate
the sounds of a thunderstorm.
It starts with wind. "It's like a wooden wheel and a handle on the side of
it," says the theater's artistic director, Tom Morris.
"That's cutting-edge 18th-century sound technology," Morris says.
Next is rain.
It "bizarrely looks like a sort of enormous, ancient, upside-down airplane
wheel made entirely of wood," he says.
But the show-stopper is way up in the rafters, above the stage. There's an
attic space that looks like an ancient barn. A gutter system in the roof runs
the length of the audience, about 25 yards across. It's made of a single plank
on all three of its sides, built from 1766 pitch pine.
They call it the Thunder Run.
More...
https://www.npr.org/2016/01/24/464102357/british-theater-showcases-special-effects-from-18th-century
***
There’s an old saying, invoked by Abe Jacob, one of the forefathers of modern
theatrical sound design, that everyone in theatre knows two jobs, their own and
sound design. While that statement may be a comic exaggeration, it gets at the
frequent confusion surrounding sound designers and what it takes to do what
they do.
The confusion may be understandable, as the field remains among the newest
distinct design disciplines in theatre. The job title “sound designer” didn’t
even appear on Broadway until more than midway through the 20th century. Jacob
is one of the first two men to receive the credit, for his work on Jesus Christ
Superstar in 1971. (Jack Mann received the title in 1961 for Show Girl.) For
context, lighting design, also a relatively new designation, only became a Tony
category in 1970.
More...
https://www.americantheatre.org/2019/07/02/hearing-the-difference/
***
On Broadway, the field of sound design has long been dominated by men and
lacking in diversity.
But this season, sound designer Twi McCallum made her Broadway debut with
“Chicken & Biscuits” and likely became the first woman of color to design
sound on Broadway. One day after it opened, “Is This a Room” made its debut
with Sanae Yamada, who is also a woman of color, as co-sound designer.
One major roadblock to reaching these milestones, according to McCallum, has
been making connections with the right people.
“A lot of directors who have been doing this for many years have a core group
that they go to,” McCallum said. “And it’s really hard to break into that group
to give that slot to somebody else.”
More...
https://broadwaynews.com/2021/11/08/broadway-sound-designers-break-new-barriers/
***
Gareth Owen is an acclaimed British sound designer whose portfolio includes
many of the world's biggest musical theatre spectaculars, including 'Disney's
Hunchback Of Notre Dame,'Sister Act', 'Hairspray', and 'Disney's Little
Mermaid' to name just a few.
Impressively, Gareth also received the prestigious Olivier Award two years
running for his Sound Design contributions on 'Memphis' and 'Merrily We Roll
Along'. As many of our readers fall into the rock and roll sound engineer
category, we caught up with Gareth to discuss how sound in the theatre world
differs from the more widely understood world of live music.
How did you get started, and what drew you to sound design over other areas of
the audio industry?
"One of my early ambitions was to be a lighting engineer. My father was a
teacher and he looked after the lights at a local school; I have distinct
memories of sitting behind an old lighting desk moving faders while he focused
lights.
My parents advised against a career in lighting (wisely in hindsight), and
suggested accountancy or medicine. Ignoring them, I embarked on a sound
engineering career — initially in rock n' roll. As my experience grew, I
realised that theatre was a much bigger technical challenge and that if I
wanted to be truly the best sound engineer I could be, I needed to master the
theatre art form. My break into theatre came when I was asked to cover sound on
the Blues Brothers West-End musical at The Whitehall Theatre. I didn't have any
money at the time, so I made friends with the band, purchased a tent, and lived
in their garden for ten weeks while I mixed the show. Great memories, and the
rest is history, as they say."
More...
https://www.shure.com/en-US/performance-production/louder/gareth-owen-interview-theatre-sound-designer
***
What happens in a theatrical production when the script calls for a “mob” but
you have only a small cast of actors? Sound Designers to the rescue!
This past spring, Michigan State University Department of Theatre Sound Design
instructor Lucas Nunn collaborated with a Voice Over class comprised of the
2021 MFA Acting Cohort and led by Assistant Professor of Acting, Voice, and
Speech Deric McNish. They recorded in the lobby of the Wharton Center for
Performing Arts to create “walla walla”, also known as crowd noises, for our
Spring production of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
More...
https://theatre.msu.edu/news/anatomy-of-a-sound-cue/
***
'Hamilton' Is Revolutionizing the Art and Science of Broadway Sound Design
The sound designer for the celebrated Broadway musical sits down with
Motherboard for a wide-ranging interview.
Hamilton, the Broadway juggernaut about "the ten-dollar founding
father" Alexander Hamilton, is expected to dominate this Sunday's Tony
Awards during a televised ceremony in which the cultural phenomenon has been
nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards.
There is little doubt among Broadway insiders that the Tonys will be the latest
triumph for the most universally celebrated musical to hit the Great White Way
in decades. The only suspense now is just how much hardware the Hamilton cast
and crew will carry home.
The creator and star of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has already been honored
with a MacArthur "genius" grant and a Pulitzer Prize. The musical's
Platinum-selling original cast recording won a Grammy Award and peaked at
number one on the Billboard Rap charts. Miranda, along with his cast-mates and
principal creative colleagues, were feted at a White House ceremony during
which First Lady Michelle Obama called the show the "best piece of art in
any form that I have ever seen in my life."
More...
https://www.vice.com/en/article/mg73pq/hamilton-is-revolutionizing-the-art-and-science-of-broadway-sound-design
***
Seeing “Sound House” and “This Is the Color Described by the Time” is a bracing
reminder of what most other shows do not do. The two plays, presented in
repertory at the Flea Theater explore a sense that too often falls by the
wayside onstage — sound.
Going to the theater, you would be forgiven for thinking only sight matters.
Sound design is a stepchild that’s neglected at best, abused at worst. The mud
coming out of speakers at too many Broadway shows, supposedly the apex of
stagecraft, is appalling.
Vision — ahem — is lacking when it comes to theatrical sound. Everybody knows
you need to have it, but too many productions do not care all that much. Can
the audience hear what the actors say? Good enough! What about playing songs
during scene changes? My, what an inspired device! Are singers properly miked?
Bring on the Tony! (Or not: It took until 2008 to have awards for sound design.
The category was eliminated in 2014; it will be back for the 2018 edition, but
voting will be restricted to a subset of expert voters — as if everyone else
doesn’t have functioning ears.)
More...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/26/theater/sound-house-this-is-the-color-described-by-the-time.html
