Audiences

On Being Unreasonable

Dr. Kirsty Sedgman’s new book, On Being Unreasonable: Breaking the Rules and Making Things Better, examines our age of division and how we can be unreasonable for the right reasons. Born of a lifetime of studying theatre as a window into larger social questions, Sedgman argues that audience behavior is the canary in the coal mine of greater societal concerns, and the subject of her first book, The Reasonable Audience: Theatre Etiquette, Behavior Policing, and the Live Performance Experience. Sedgman discusses how despite our wishful thinking, we’re not in a post-pandemic landscape; the rise of the relaxed performance movement; the vital importance of carefully navigating sometimes competing truths and wrestling with the complexities of our divided age; and the value of getting into what Congressman John Lewis called “good trouble.” (Length 19:03)

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By austin, ago

Red Fox Theatre

Playwright Ellen Margolis (left )saw the Red Fox Theatre production of Catch of the Day (short-listed for Best Musical at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe) and the experience of seeing it was as wonderful as the show itself. Ellen discusses how all the extra-theatrical elements combined to make a magical evening at the theatre even more so, and shares insights into the nature of crazy fish stories, excellent marketing materials, local hand-held guidance, uniting the audience through the power of a Van Morrison singalong, tales of Fungie the Dolphin, kindred reduced spirits, worldwide Fringe experiences, and further adventures within the comedy industrial complex. (Length 19:09)

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By austin, ago

Completing The Canon

Many people talk about it but Stan and Debbie Rea have actually done it: They’ve seen all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays live onstage (plus Two Noble Kinsmen and Edward III, if you count them) and they’re well on their way to doing it a second time. Stan and Debbie tell us how they did it and what they discovered along the way, including the fun of getting into different conversations with plays and their directors; the difficulty of bagging the three Henry VI plays; how different actors change the impact and meaning of the canon; the pride of seeing the plays while not reading them; the importance of adjusting your expectations; the frustrating necessity of resetting the Bard-O-Meter; the perils of driving in New York City; the value of supporting your community; and finally, the dramatic importance of Shakespeare’s most famous role, the Attendant to the King of France. Recorded on August 15, 2019, seventeen years to the day since Stan and Debbie saw The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (the RSC abridgment, not the entire canon)! (Length 21:32)

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By austin, ago