Welcome
John William Tuohy lives in Washington DC
I adore B&W photos
Karol Kállay. Filled with Light, New York. 1965
Ray K. Metzker. Valencia, 1961.
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Broom Street Theater in Madison, Wisconsin is working on a multi-year short
play project to try and make sense of states. Every summer for the next
several years, we're going to run a short play festival based on the states.
Our inaugural festival was in 2023.
Here's how it works:
You're from a state. You passed through a state. You left a state. You love a
state. A state left its mark on you.
Write us a short play. Something to do with that state.
This summer, we're looking East. We're accepting plays about these states, and
especially looking for plays by denizens (or former denizens) of these states:
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
***
The Centenary Stage Company, a professional theatre in residence on the campus
of Centenary University in Hackettstown, NJ is accepting submissions for the
Women Playwrights Series (WPS) and Susan Glaspell Contest.
The WPS is a developmental program dedicated to providing a working forum for
the unique and under-served voice of women writing for the theatre today. Each
season 3 new plays are selected for a collaborative workshop process, with a
professional director and actors, which takes place in a brief rehearsal period
of approximately 1 week, allowing time for the playwright to hear and adapt
their work with other professionals. The process culminates in a presentation
of the work for the general public as part of the series, giving CSC audiences
larger exposure to new work, as well as offering the playwright an opportunity
to get feedback from the audience during the development process.
***
The 2024 WATERWORKS Festival is now accepting submissions
~ CATEGORIES ~
EMERGING ARTISTS
For writers and writing teams 16 to 25 years old
DEBUT ARTISTS
For writers and writing teams over 50 years old.
UNSTAGED WORKS
No age restrictions for writers or writing teams.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** WHY MUSICALS? ***
In the fall of 2015, the original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton: An
American Musical was released. This was the first ever broadway recording to
reach the top 100 on the Billboard rap charts. It was a success that was
unheard of for any musical.
With this success, musicals have become central figures in our culture.
Hamilton has become the catalyst that blew them into the limelight. They
have become entertainment for people of all ages as they have become more
accessible with cast recordings becoming available via streaming services and
recordings being published.
Then, in 2016, the Hamilton Mixtape brought focus to the problems of modern day
America. Starting in December of 2017, Hamildrops, a service that provides new
Hamilton content every month, lead to 2018 being dubbed the “Year of Hamilton”
A song narrating Benjamin Franklin’s life, Ben Franklin’s Song, and a music
video for “Wrote My Way Out” from the mixtape were some of the popular early
releases from the content creators, who include the writer and original star of
the Broadway production, Lin-Manuel Miranda.
More...
https://standard.asl.org/10311/culture/impact-of-musicals-on-culture/
***
This, says Boag, is something that’s universally human. It’s why dance and
music can connect us when words alone can’t, or language barriers get in the
way. It speaks to us on a deeper level – and this ability to connect and
express emotionally through movement and music is something we develop as
children, long before we learn to intellectualise or articulate these things.
“Think of how we communicate with our children when they’re non-verbal, in a
sing-songy voice. And how we learn our ABCs: we sing them,” says Boag.
So, there you go; it makes sense that kids will sing songs from their favourite
musicals to within an inch of their life and watch those movies on repeat. I,
like many, haven’t grown out of it.
More...
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/linmanuel-miranda-birmingham-city-university-hamilton-broadway-elsa-b1875343.html
***
From The Beggar’s Opera to Avenue Q., musicals have commented on social issues
for as long as there has been musical theater in America.
People have always gone to the theater expecting to be entertained. What do you
find interesting about theater which talks about social and political issues as
entertainment? Why do you think we have such a long history of doing this? How
does this relate to our first amendment right of freedom of speech?
Avenue Q broke many barriers in terms of subject matter for musical theater.
Can you think of a subject matter that has not yet been addressed by musical
theater that now could be? Do you think there is a subject that might still
present challenges as a tale for a musical venue or that would still be
considered taboo for musical theater? How do you think we benefit by examining
these difficult subjects through the lens of story, song and dance?
There will always be issues of huge social importance to face; wars, poverty,
injustice to name a few. At the community level there are also always topics of
contention between people or groups like budget issues, environmental concerns,
bullying and the like. What do you think might happen if your school, or
community (or family) got together to put on a musical to deal with pressing
issues you are facing? Could this be a way to learn about and talk about a
difficult topic in a creative and maybe even a humorous or light hearted way?
More...
https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/theater/musical-theater-in-america/
***
As in many subcultures, musical theatre lovers have secret handshakes that allow
us to recognize each other. Say you are speaking to a group and out slips the
phrase, “And things being as they are…” If, before you can utter another
syllable, someone emphatically interjects, “The back of the police station is
out!”, you know you are with your people.
We are a relatively tiny group that glories in our smallness, who can recite in
our sleep every nuance of every lyric from every great cast album. Arcane
trivia spills from us like charm from Robert Preston. Kevin Daly, a theatre
connoisseur on Twitter, has become something of an artist in this form of
classic musical speak. He punctuates some of his funniest comments with, “This
is for about six of you” or, “I was very popular in high school, can you tell?”
He presides over a universe that worships lady deities of a certain age: Bea
Arthur, Dorothy Loudon, Barbara Harris, Barbra Streisand, Imelda Stanton, Chita
Rivera, and of course Angela Lansbury, the one and only Mame (Daly is still
incensed that the costumes weren’t acknowledged by the1966 Tony nominating
committee). One day he might observe, “Sigmund Romberg didn’t have to go that
hard when he composed the ‘French Military Marching Song’ for The Desert Song.
More...
https://www.americantheatre.org/2023/01/30/is-the-musical-progressive/
***
If you have never been or seen a Broadway musical show, then you don’t know
what you are missing. For those that haven’t, they may think that these events
are overrated or not for them. Others may feel as though nothing beats seeing a
movie. However, these 6 reasons why Broadway musicals are so great, may change
your mind.
Before you say “what’s so special about Broadway”? or “what makes a live
musical show so popular”,? there are few things you need to know. Do keep in
mind that if the show you want to see is very popular, you may have a hard time
getting a ticket. Most performances are sold out days or weeks in advance.
Also, Broadway shows can be expensive, depending on the seats and show you see.
Still, it is still an experience which can be worth it and will last a long
time. Although these are some of the top reasons why theater or Broadway shows
are so popular and great, there are many others.
More...
https://blog.ambient-mixer.com/benefits/6-reasons-why-broadway-musicals-are-great/
***
“Here Lies Love” is hardly the first musical to be rooted in dark history.
“Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” looks at the life of the seventh US President,
satirically depicting his deadly campaign to drive Native Americans out of
their land.
“Cabaret” is set in Weimar Berlin, on the eve of the rise of Hitler, and more
recent productions feature heart-stopping visual references to the concentration
camps where 6 million Jews were systematically murdered. “The Sound of Music”
is about a family’s flight from Austria ahead of its annexation by the Third
Reich.
“Allegiance” highlights the experience of Japanese Americans who were
unconstitutionally uprooted from their homes and incarcerated in camps during
World War II. And in “Assassins,” Stephen Sondheim manages to upstage his
earlier “Sweeney Todd” by making a musical focused on real-life murderers and
attempted murderers of American presidents.
Each of these, like “Here Lies Love” and “Evita,” have also been accused of
insensitivity and bad taste for turning tragic events into hummable,
choreographed spectacles. Each has been attacked for simplifying, romanticizing
or outright misrepresenting facts in their efforts to make history into
entertainment.
And yet, there’s also the reality that these entertainments often push
audiences with limited awareness of these real-world events to become
interested in them and investigate them further.
More...
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/07/opinions/here-lies-love-philippines-marcos-broadway-yang/index.html
***
There
is nothing…and I mean NOTHING like a song that you can sing along with at a
full belt, no matter how bad a singer you are. Broadway songs are mostly built
for this kind of thing. It all began with Ethel Merman, balls afire, sending
that big sound (sans microphone) over an entire orchestra of musicians. We all
want to be Merman. We want to be heard. How many of you have belted “Defying
Gravity” and were so caught up in the belting that you were pretty sure you
would fly at the end of the song? Deny it if you like, but your rubber ducky
audience and shampoo bottle microphone tell us otherwise!
More...
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*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Now in its 35th year, NAMT’s Festival of New Musicals is the cornerstone of
NAMT’s mission to be a catalyst for nurturing musical theatre development and
production. Every year, we feature eight musicals in short presentations for an
audience of over 700 industry professionals. We look for new musicals at all
stages of development from the broadest possible range of voices.
***
SheNYC is the City’s premier festival showcasing new, original works by
gender-marginalized writers, composers, & directors.
Musicals – musicals of any size, shape, and form are welcome to apply. Just
keep in mind that 2-hour run time limit. You can submit a show that runs longer
than that in its current form, as long as you’re okay with making some trims
for the festival.
Plays – again, plays of any size, shape, and form are welcome to apply!
***
great weather for MEDIA seeks flash fiction, short stories, dramatic
monologues, and creative nonfiction for our annual print anthology. One prose /
creative nonfiction piece, two if both under 500 words. Maximum word count:
2,500. Please include the word count on the first page.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site
at https://www.nycplaywrights.org
***
*** CATHARSIS ***
The goal, the telos, of theater, as set out in Aristotle’s Poetics, is
catharsis. Aristotle emphasizes this point in his summarizing section, “What
has been said” at the beginning of Poetics. As Belfiore states, “The definition
of tragedy, the conclusion… include[s] the final cause (telos) of tragedy, and
Aristotle’s phrasing, ‘Accomplishing katharsis,” suggests that Katharsis is
this final cause’”(158). In his definition of tragedy, which he considered the
only worthy form of performance, Aristotle stated that tragedy would “Effect
through pity and fear, the purification of such emotions” (23). Acknowledging
that catharsis is the goal of theater demands that we interrogate the term,
which has been contested and debated by scholars since Poetics was rediscovered
in the Renaissance. For a proper evaluation of the ways in which The Theater of
Cruelty as laid out by Artaud shares this desired effect, we must come to an
understanding of what Aristotle actually meant by a cathartic theater.
More...
https://bostonexperimentaltheatre.com/artauds-aristotelian-overture/
***
Aristotle. He knows a lot, right? And if you choose to believe Aristotle, then
you must believe all the mechanics of tragedy that Mike is about to lay on you.
This week, we're looking at Aristotle's rules for the basic elements of
theater, and how those can be used to bring about catharsis, the emotional release
triggered by onstage trauma. You know you love the catharsis.
VIDEO:
https://pbswisconsin.org/watch/crash-course-theater/tragedy-lessons-from-aristotle-wviqal/
***
As a performer turned director, Mitchell recalls the first time he felt a
calling to be on stage. He was in eighth grade and touring Scotland as a member
of his middle school’s production of Cole Porter’s "Ain't
Misbehavin’." The experience was mind-opening and solidified in him the
desire to pursue a career in musical theater.
Since then, he attended Florida A&M University, performed in powerful plays
like author Alice Walker’s stage adaptation of "The Color Purple,"
and ultimately received a Bachelor of Arts in theater. Shortly after, he began
teaching elementary school theater and directing throughout Tallahassee. The
journey he took his first time directing helped to shape his approach to arts
education.
Although he was only 28 while directing high school students in the production
of playwright Samm-Art Williams' "Home," he knew he could tell
stories through theater. “I’m a teacher. I tell people I'm not training actors.
I’m not training technicians. I’m training another generation of theater
appreciators,” says Mitchell. Currently, he teaches kindergarten to 5th-grade
musical theater at Apalachee Tapestry Magnet School of the Arts.
Mitchell’s process is one that values the actor. He likes to think of himself
as an “actor’s director” whose primary goal is guiding actors toward
discovering their character and story. The catharsis chased by actors and
audiences alike is one Mitchell relies on to help push the story forward.
For Mitchell, the intimacy shared between the audience and the actors leads to
such a catharsis, and as a director, he feels honored to share in such a
moment.
More...
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/entertainment/things-to-do/2023/07/21/director-chases-catharsis-with-james-baldwins-the-amen-corner/70440340007/
***
As I watched Broken Theater unfold, all of these emotions felt almost too
accessible. Waves of anxiety, love, and bitterness crashed over me. I thought
it was all going to fall apart. It never did. The stakes among the creators are
high, personal but shared. Broken Theater is a gift that the actors, musicians,
and dancers gave each other under the watchful eye of Smith, who for the past
decade has forged a reputation for creating rich tents for others. Watching
Broken Theater, I felt wrung out by some ancient ocean. Catharsis is a rare
medicine. I swam out of the theater bathed in it—smiling like a maniac baptized
in love.
More...
https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2023/06/13/broken-theater-american-modern-opera
***
When I go to the theater, the search for catharsis is the same, but the result
is more discouraging. I find even less catharsis at the theater than I do
online. And this time, the problem isn’t me. The Internet is flooded with
cathartic content and can deliver it in an instant. Anyone with a smartphone
carries catharsis in their pocket. It has theatre hopelessly outmatched.
As such, the best shows that I have seen in Chicago no longer focus on enacting
a private catharsis. They’ve gotten out of that game altogether. Instead, they
seek to create a communal catharsis, one in which the barrier between the actor
and the audience is broken down, and the experience is shared freely, back and
forth between them. It’s something that can only be created IRL, the one place
the Internet still can’t quite reach.
More...
https://magazine.art21.org/2015/10/13/long-live-catharsis/
***
The purpose of catharsis can be transformational, or its purpose can be to
reconcile the individual to the status quo, the consensus view of reality.
That’s why Brecht wanted his audiences to experience the Verfremdungseffekt
instead of catharsis. He wanted them to look askance at the consensus view of
reality, the status quo, and ask why it was like that.
Some rituals are intended to be transformational. Their purpose may be to
accustom the participant to their new status in life (which is the case with
rites of passage), or it may be to awaken them to new ways of looking at the
world, in which case it is more like the Verfremdungseffekt (distancing
effect), which provides a new perspective on life.
More...
https://dowsingfordivinity.com/2020/05/18/theatre-and-ritual/
***
An act performed on stage is not that straightforward. Though the protagonist
may resolve their problems by the end of the play and vent all their negative
emotions during the process, there is an audience that can feel them too. The
theatre is a curious place. The stage and the seats represent two complementary
worlds: fiction and reality.
Catharsis is a process which connects the two. It is a wave
of emotion that spreads across the audience. The term means ‘purification’ or
‘purgation’, and refers primarily to pity and fear. Aristotle was the first to
mention it in his acclaimed work Poetics, and believed that if the audience
could actually release all the negativity along with the character, they would
be able to cope better with similar situations in life. Since Aristotle did not
provide any definition of the term catharsis or describe it in detail, we may
come up with our own explanation. We could possibly conclude that the portrayal
of a character then was not so much about the narration of a story as it was
about imparting a lesson to the spectators. They were to actually feel
catharsis in its true sense, for the actor was feeling it intentionally all the
while.
Although the term ‘catharsis’ has been defined many times over the centuries,
it seems that catharsis is, till date, viewed by most as a process experienced
during a performance, a play or dance, or even while watching a movie. The
COVID-19 pandemic witnessed a novel kind of catharsis - a purgation of the
negativity that had bottled-up during the lockdown. A study shed light on a
trend that gathered pace during the pandemic. People preferred to watch films
or TV series that dealt with epidemics, contagions, or viruses. It is somewhat
counterintuitive that individuals chose to watch movies or TV series that
discussed the very pain they were going through themselves. But viewing a similar
situation on screen served as a means of an emotional release for the growing
audience. The spectators could project their fears and uncertainties onto the
movies or TV series which not only depicted but also suggested possible
solutions to the situation they had to face in real life, albeit
unrealistically.
More...
https://www.monkprayogshala.in/blog/2022/6/3/catharsis-purgation-pleasure-or-a-precautionary-measure
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