News around the Newsroom

So the Firehouse opened “Great American Trailer Park Musical” last night and tonight’s the big “Annie” opening at the Empire. As always, things are hopping in the theater world!

But my attention has been distracted by a couple of things: 1) a stupid spring cold that had me unconscious under the influence of some fabulous meds most of yesterday and 2) news of some shake-ups in the arts editing world. On that second item: Brandon Reynolds, the Arts and Culture editor at Style announced his eminent departure today. He’ll be moving out to the left coast sometime around the end of June. I also caught wind of a rumor that another major print player in town will be looking for a new Arts editor soon. These changes, plus all of the moving and shaking at the T-D, means there’s going to be all sorts of possibilities for new directions in arts coverage in the near future. Something to keep in mind.

But before we get too deep in to that, I should offer a (too) brief huzzah in honor of Mr. Reynolds for his tenure at Style. Brandon is a great writer and always added a wonderfully wry twist on much of his coverage, putting some of the best headlines over my theater reviews ever. He also had a great view of the arts scene in general. He wasn’t always hip to what was going on in the theater world but, after much berating by Ms. Burruss, he actually went out to see a few shows and was always supportive (with appropriate levels of discernment) of theatre-related story ideas thrown his way. He also weathered my occasional rants with great patience and understanding – probably the one thing I will be most grateful for in my memory of his time at the helm.

Please join me in wishing Mr. Reynolds the best of luck in his future endeavors. And start tucking away those “I knew him when…” stories for after his name starts showing up in the credits for major motion pictures…