Which new plays will receive top national awards?

Which new plays will receive top national awards?

By AARON KRAUSE Six finalists for a prestigious national new play award share in common at least one timely theme, according to a new plays committee chairman. Specifically, The American Theatre Critics Association’s Lou Harry said that “a yearning for connectivity — and astute awareness of the challenges to forging...

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Renowned playwright Terrence McNally dies at 81

Renowned playwright Terrence McNally dies at 81

By AARON KRAUSE SARASOTA, Fla. — Five-time Tony Award recipient Terrence McNally, the world-renowned playwright who received the Tony Awards’ Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre honor last year, died March 24 in Sarasota. He was 81 . Photo via Wikimedia McNally succumbed to complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by...

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‘Black Theatre is for everyone’

‘Black Theatre is for everyone’

      By AARON KRAUSE WINSTON SALEM, N.C. — Larry Leon Hamlin, the late founder of The National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., would likely have described the 2019 event using a favorite word he coined – “marvtastic,” a combination of “marvelous” and “fantastic.” Indeed, ticket sales were...

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 ‘She Shorts’ empowers, delights  

 ‘She Shorts’ empowers, delights  

    Photo courtesy of Thinking Cap Theatre and City Theatre An intense scene plays out in Webster’s Bitch, one of several pieces comprising the inaugural presentation of She Shorts.   By AARON KRAUSE FT. LAUDERDALE — Looking back, the all-around beneficial collaboration seemed inevitable. To begin with, throughout its...

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Panel: Despite challenges, live theater is here to stay

Panel: Despite challenges, live theater is here to stay

(from left) Eyring and Long By AARON KRAUSE WEST PALM BEACH — America’s regional theaters feature “extraordinary artistry,” a high-ranking advocate told a southeast Florida audience recently. In particular, “so many phenomenal writers” exist, producing “so much wonderful new work,” Theatre Communications Group Executive Director Teresa Eyring said during a...

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Head of new South Florida theater company hopes to produce experimental work

Head of new South Florida theater company hopes to produce experimental work

  Thomas Bazar (Photo by Isabel Bazar)   By AARON KRAUSE DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Like any artistic head of a theater company, Thomas Bazar wants his new troupe, A Band of Actors, to become “more vibrant, more visible.” But it did not take long for the organization, one of...

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Prolific theater artist finds a welcoming permanent working home in Wilton Manors

Prolific theater artist finds a welcoming permanent working home in Wilton Manors

  Larsen  (Photo by Christian Caroll)   By AARON KRAUSE For renowned theater artist Ronnie Larsen, “the roots are setting very deep” in Wilton Manors. “It just feels right to stay here,” said the 50-year-old affable man. Larsen has worked in theater in a variety of capacities for most of his life....

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New universally-relevant McKeever play receives strong world premiere

New universally-relevant McKeever play receives strong world premiere

(Photo by George Wentzler) Mr. Parker (Michael McKeever) and Justin (Samuel Maya) enjoy a playful moment in the world premiere production of Mr. Parker. WILTON MANORS, Fla. — You don’t have to be gay to find resonance in Mr. Parker, a funny, touching play receiving its world premiere at Island...

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New City Players’ strong, new production is a work of art

New City Players’ strong, new production is a work of art

(Photo courtesy of New City Players) (From left) Ryan Maloney, Joey De La Rua and Timothy Mark Davis appear in New City Players’ production of Yasmina Reza’s Art   FT. LAUDERDALE — It’s funny how someone buying a white painting can nearly destroy long-lasting friendships. If you want to experience...

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Partnership between Cincinnati theater companies should appeal to Bard, history buffs

Partnership between Cincinnati theater companies should appeal to Bard, history buffs

(Photos courtesy of Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati) Othello (William Oliver Watkins) tries to reason with Iago (Nicholas Rose) to no avail in Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s production of Othello. At right are cast members of Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of Red Velvet.   CINCINNATI — Theater...

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