Category: Leadership & Culture
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5 Alternative Places to Secure Play and Musical Rights
When community theatres, schools, and nonprofit organizations start planning a season, the conversation often begins with two major licensing companies: MTI and Concord Theatricals. While both offer extensive catalogs of popular titles, the play and musical rights can quickly strain a production budget. The good news? They’re not the only option. If your theatre is…
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The Choreopoem: Evolution, Theory, and the Future of a Radical Form
The choreopoem is not merely a relic of the 1970s Black Arts Movement; it is a living, breathing apparatus for liberation. To understand its power is to understand how it dismantles the Western “well-made play” and replaces it with a multidisciplinary fusion of poetry, dance, and music that expresses the nuances of marginalized existence. The…
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Seven Ways to Shine Up Your School’s Shows
Curtain Up What makes a piece of educational theatre successful? For starters, it is important that theatre educators remind themselves that, ultimately, everything they do is about the student experience. This does not mean that school productions can’t have a certain level of polish, and students can have complete confidence in what they’re doing onstage. No matter…
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Honoring Veterans in Theatre
Theatre and military service may seem like two very different worlds, but both rely on discipline, teamwork, adaptability, and trust. Across community, educational, nonprofit, and professional theatre spaces, many veterans continue to serve their communities through storytelling, creativity, and collaboration. In this post, we’re highlighting six veterans who have made an impact in theatre both…
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How to Give Better Feedback to Young Artists
Recently, my son asked me to help interpret feedback that he received on a short film he submitted to a contest. Some comments were specific and useful, grounded in what he actually created and what a young filmmaker can realistically do. Others were far less clear. One in particular stood out: “The performer does not…
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10 Simple Steps To Sensory-Friendly Performances
From professional regional theatres that cater to families like Imagination Stage to the Minskoff Theater on Broadway, theatre organizations and companies understand that theatre for all is crucial, and there is no place for a lack of audience accessibility in the performing arts. On October 2, 2011, the Theatre Development Fund launched its Autism Theatre…
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The Production Calendar: A Living Document
Whether you’re part of a multi-disciplinary arts team or a solo drama teacher at a small school, one way to reduce stress throughout the year is to spend some time on your production calendar. The calendar is never actually done. Think of it less like granite and more like sandstone; solid enough, but shaped by…
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Creating Inclusive Theatre For Everyone: Moving Beyond Statements to Practice
Theatre has long been described as a mirror of society. At its best, it reflects humanity, its struggles, and the stories that shape communities. Yet historically, that mirror has not always reflected everyone. For many artists and audiences, theatre spaces have felt exclusive—sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally—but exclusionary all the same. That reality is exactly why…
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What is World Theatre Day?
Every year on March 27th, theatre artists and audiences around the world celebrate World Theatre Day. Established in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), this international day highlights the cultural importance of theatre and its role in bringing people together. World Theatre Day serves as both a celebration and a reminder. Theatre is not…
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Prevent Phone Use During Live Theatre
There’s nothing quite like the shared energy of a live performance. Unfortunately, one of the biggest disruptions in modern live performance is phone use during the show. One recent example took place on Broadway during a performance of Hand to God, where an audience member tried to use a fake outlet onstage to charge his…