American Theatre

American Theatre magazine stands out as the only general-interest publication in the U.S. dedicated to the world of theatre. Established in 1984 by the innovative arts organization Theatre Communications Group, the magazine debuted with a cover featuring the renowned playwright Sam Shepard, who sported a cowboy hat. Released ten times a year, American Theatre now reaches an estimated audience of 50,000, primarily made up of theatre professionals. The magazine delves into various theatrical trends, events, and profiles of stage artists from diverse backgrounds. It also addresses economic and legislative matters impacting the arts sector. While American Theatre primarily focuses on the extensive network of professional, non-profit theatres in the U.S., it rarely covers commercial, amateur, or university productions. The magazine does not provide reviews of performances but does critique theatre-related literature. International theatre highlights and significant productions, both domestically and abroad, are featured in sections like “Critic’s Notebook,” “Currents,” “First Person,” and “Global Spotlight.” Additionally, five times a year, readers can enjoy complete scripts of major new American plays, paired with thought-provoking interviews with the playwrights.

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English

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#563634

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#178410

Arts and Entertainment/Performing Arts

#439

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Kitchen Sink Drama in ‘Dhaba on Devon Avenue’

1 week ago | americantheatre.org | Rob Weinert-Kendt

What goes into the recipe for a new play? For Dhaba on Devon Avenue, now in its belated premiere in a co-production by Chicago’s Writers Theatre and TimeLine Theatre (June 19-July 27), playwright Madhuri Shekar stirred in a helping of immigrant history, a dash of Chekhov, a pair of local actors she wanted to write for—and a to-die-for saag grilled cheese sandwich a friend once made for her.
We Came. We Saw. Now What?

1 week ago | americantheatre.org | Gabriela Furtado Coutinho |Kelundra Smith

Calendar year 2020 will be remembered in history books for the death and disruption wrought by the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. But perhaps that year’s most lasting cultural impact stems from the terrible moment when the world watched a police officer in Minneapolis, unimpeded by fellow cops, kneel on the neck of an unarmed Black man named George Floyd for eight minutes and 46 seconds, killing him.
Soul-Searching: We Don’t Have to Do It Alone

3 weeks ago | americantheatre.org | Rob Weinert-Kendt

One reason people turn to religion, it is often thought, is for comfort in tough times. There’s certainly ample truth in that, as many who have lived through grief or recovery can attest. That’s not primarily why I personally attend church and maintain a connection to organized religion, despite—or perhaps because of—regular fluctuations in the status of my faith.
On the Street Where He Lived: Terrence McNally Way Unveiled

4 weeks ago | americantheatre.org | Rob Weinert-Kendt

The great American playwright Terrence McNally lived on 9th Street in New York City’s Village for 24 years, many of them with his husband, theatre producer Tom Kirdahy, until McNally died of Covid in early 2020.
Funny, With a Little Teeth: 2 Playwrights on the Lineage and Lens of Molière

4 weeks ago | americantheatre.org | Rob Weinert-Kendt

It’s never the wrong time for Molière, of course. But is it possible that our current era of DOGE and MAGA, of brazen corruption and camp Americana, is uniquely suited to the acerbic social satires of the 17th-century farceur who gave the world a veritable shooting gallery of schemers, hypocrites, and narcissists as colorful as they are contemptible? Two new productions in New York City take the spirit if not the letter of Molière as their guiding light.
Youth Arts Programs: Stages of Belonging and Becoming

4 weeks ago | americantheatre.org | Daniella Ignacio

In a nation where the arts and education are under attack, it’s more than vital ever for young people to have opportunities to explore the arts with organizations that offer after-school learning, especially low-income and diverse populations that may not have the opportunity otherwise.
AT Education Monthly: ‘Lessons From My Teachers,’ Classroom Moments, and More

1 month ago | americantheatre.org | Allison Considine

I just returned from Sicily, where I happily ate my weight in pasta, swam in the Ionian Sea, and soaked in the sights—including the ancient Greek theatre in Taormina. Built in the third century B.C. to hold 10,000 spectators, the amphitheatre offers panoramic views of the sea and Mount Etna. Can you imagine being a young artist performing there for the first time, with that backdrop and crowd size?
Diversity and Its Discontents: It Was Never About the Money

1 month ago | americantheatre.org | Kelundra Smith

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I had the pleasure of seeing four new plays. My long weekend started on a Thursday with Karen Zacarías’s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence at Arena Stage, directed by artistic director Hana S. Sharif. This lavish manners play regaled the audience with elaborate costumes and juicy tête-à-têtes for more than three hours.
Unkindest Cuts: How Theatres Are Managing the Loss of NEA Funds

1 month ago | americantheatre.org | Cara Joy David

This piece was originally written for and posted on BroadwayWorld. It is republished here with permission. Theatremakers have a “show must go on” spirit. So it’s no surprise that the vast majority of the more than 40 artistic leaders I spoke to in the last two weeks believed they would find a way to survive even without promised National Endowment for the Arts funding. But it won’t be easy.
‘Endlings’ Makes New Waves at Hedgerow Theatre Company

1 month ago | americantheatre.org | Daniella Ignacio

The New York Theatre Workshop production of Celine Song’s debut play Endlings closed on March 12, 2020—a casualty of Covid-19 lockdowns. Five years later, Song’s play about three elderly Haenyeos (sea women) is making a comeback with a regional premiere at Philly’s Hedgerow Theatre through June 1, where the production has acquired fresh topicality as well as a new approach to its movement design for a piece that dives deeply into immigration and assimilation.