Artist and advocate during the AIDS crisis dies at 84

Artist and advocate during the AIDS crisis dies at 84

Larry Kramer Photo by David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons   Larry Kramer, a fiercely passionate playwright, screenwriter, and advocate whom many credited with jump-starting the response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in America, has died in Manhattan. He was 84 and less than a month from his 85th birthday. His husband,...

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This theatrical experience allows you to safely ‘travel’ around the world.

This theatrical experience allows you to safely ‘travel’ around the world.

  Photo by PopUp Theatrics June Romero awaits you in Miami.   By AARON KRAUSE In a matter of hours, you can laugh in Miami, sing “Happy Birthday” in Paris, and kick some butt in Singapore. To zoom from one destination to another, you don’t need a passport, a suitcase...

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Online exhibition showcases the lone artist, performer

Online exhibition showcases the lone artist, performer

Self Portrait in Barber Chair, 1989 © The Al Hirschfeld Foundation. All rights reserved. www.AlHirschfeldFoundation.org     There is an art to being alone. And at least when it comes to the theater, few have captured that art on paper better than the legendary Al Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld (1903-2003) was an...

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National award-winning play shows “How the Light Gets In.”

National award-winning play shows “How the Light Gets In.”

  By AARON KRAUSE “It’s about finding the courage to reach each other during the darkest and most difficult times,” said the winner of a national new play award for her piece, How the Light Gets In. From her description, it sounds like playwright E.M. Lewis penned her award-winning play...

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‘It’s theater in your living room’ — and it’s live

‘It’s theater in your living room’ — and it’s live

      Photo by Brian Love Jason Weiss, founder and artistic director of No Pants Theatre Company.   By AARON KRAUSE “Shhhhhh! It’s about to start!,” someone commented in eager anticipation of No Pants Theatre Company’s production of Samuel Garza Bernstein’s drama, If You Are Reading This. Most likely,...

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The show goes on with the Drama Desk Awards

The show goes on with the Drama Desk Awards

While the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing have yet to announce a new date for the Tony Awards, the Drama Desk Awards will air at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 31. However, due to the pandemic, this year’s edition will not feature a traditional ceremony. Instead, the public will...

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Theater is continuing through the pandemic

Theater is continuing through the pandemic

While theaters are opening back up, there are still ample opportunities to watch plays and musicals virtually. Here is a list of such opportunities, as well as live, in-person productions with COVID safety measures in place. The Irish Repertory Theatre in New York City will virtually present George M. Cohan...

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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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Creating scenes of intimacy safely, seamlessly and convincingly on stage

Creating scenes of intimacy safely, seamlessly and convincingly on stage

  Photo by Kiaa Janell Spencer Landis as Usnavi and Lauren Horgan as Vanessa appear in a scene from Measure for Measure’s production of In the Heights. Obviously, the scene required a moment of intimacy, which Intimacy Choreographer Nicole Perry staged.   By AARON KRAUSE Even before the current strain...

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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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