Holiday Media Bonanza

I feel I’ve been playing catch up since I’ve been back from L.A., missing out on some of the big celebrity news (some of it summarized in this CBS news piece). Alicia Keys joining the ranks of producer should be a boon for those wanting more female perspectives and younger energy in the big-time professional stage world.

One of my NEA fellows was a bright and talented writer / editor named Grace Suh who has done a lot of thinking and writing about gender issues in theater. You can see some of that thought in this piece about the theater gender gap and this one where she asks some prominent theater people about this question.

Grace was also our go-to person for all things Julie Taymor. If you are interested, you can check out her coverage of Taymor’s time out in LA in this piece, arguably more comprehensive than this NYTimes piece on the recently embattled director.

There was plenty of local news to ponder, as well, and shows like “Pirates of the Chemotherapy” that I almost forgot were going to happen. Luckily, the T-D did some good work in reporting on that production.

And for other interesting reporting, you can check out Matt Miller’s interview with “King Lear” director, James Alexander Bond in today’s GayRVA. I particularly appreciate that Mr. Miller asked about the sexuality in his production (which I commented on in this space yesterday)and Mr. Bond's thoughtful response.

And to whet your appetite, Mr. Porter promises more coverage than his normal 3 minutes at his blog today. Check back to see some real analysis from someone who thinks about theater with more depth and experience than I’ll ever have.

Personally, I’ll be spending the long holiday weekend with family, getting too much sun and drinking too much beer. I hope you have a fine celebration of your own and manage to fit in attendance at a local show while you’re at it!