In January 1999, the Critics Choice Awards presented "Saving Private Ryan" with its top prize of best picture. The film's director, Steven Spielberg, took the stage and proclaimed of the org…
As befitting its name, the American Cinematheque keeps the art form of film running in theaters. The non-profit, founded in 1984, showcases 1,500 films a year, programming year-round at thre…
Unless you're a hardcore Disney fan, you probably don't remember the short-lived attraction "The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter." A theatrical experience that ran briefly in the 1990s in…
 "Sunday in the Park With George," "Nine," "Red": Stories about artists and the process of making art have long fascinated theater audiences. This season's Tony nominations add new tales …
In April 2023, Snehal Desai took on the mantle of Artistic Director for Center Theatre Group (CTG), one of the world's largest and most prestigious theater companies. Though he became active…
It's the first week of April, and Netflix vice president of stand-up and comedy formats Robbie Praw is severely under the weather. He's just a month out from the launch of the second Netflix…
Since 2000, Variety has been naming its annual 10 Comics to Watch " and watching them go on to impressive careers. We decided to invite a few notable alumni who happen to be performing at th…
Comedy constantly shifts and changes, and tenets that might have applied years ago are also on the move. Variety spoke to some comics about everything from social media to cancel culture to …
How do you play someone as notorious as Vladimir Putin? It would be easy to telegraph his cruelty, to turn him into a mustache-twirling villain. Or to give over entirely to caricature, w…
Solo shows can be a blessing and a curse; they can be some of the most amazing theater you've ever seen… or an overindulgent trainwreck. Comedian Kate Berlant has somehow managed to captur…
Jenny Hagel is "obsessed" with giving people advice " whether people ask or not. "I'm sure it's everybody's least favorite thing about me, but I can't stop," she admits. "It's like a facial …
Comedian Hannah Berner, who was named one of Variety's "10 Comics to Watch" for 2023, is set to record her first comedy special for Netflix. The hour-long special will be taped in Philadelph…
It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since the original "Mean Girls" movie tried to make fetch happen. Tina Fey's adaptation of Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 book "Queen Bees and Wannabe" becam…
"Ferrari" director Michael Mann sees similarities between Enzo Ferrari and Adam Driver, the actor playing him in their new film. Hitting theaters Christmas Day, "Ferrari" focuses on a pivota…
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley's Acting Up newsletter " to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page…
A few years ago, Alexis Scheer wrote a play and, by her own admission, figured "it was a little too crazy and weird and nobody would do it." So she had her own theater company, Off the Grid,…
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley's Acting Up newsletter " to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page…
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley's Acting Up newsletter " to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page…
Cillian Murphy quite literally wandered into acting. At the age of 20, he walked up to the door of the Corcadorca Theatre Company in his hometown of Cork, Ireland, and knocked. He told the p…
We're in a new age of comedy thanks to diversification by brick-and-mortar clubs and social media, which has leveled the playing field for talent. There is not, however, a direct correlation…
The Improv turns 60 this year and, despite the spontaneity that the name might suggest, there's a methodical plan to grow the comedy organization. In 1963, founder Budd Friedman opened t…
In days of yore, the best opportunity for a stand-up comedian to break out was to be tapped by Johnny Carson's team for a "Tonight Show" slot. Getting invited to the couch afterward was a wh…
Since 2000, Variety has been honoring 10 Comics to Watch at Just for Laughs Montréal. This year's choices will be feted at a cocktail reception and a panel discussion July 29 before perform…
It's not unusual to see a musical based on a movie or TV show or even a comic. But "Rogers: The Musical" might be the first one created from a throwaway joke in a TV show spun-off from a fil…
As they say in "Into the Woods": It takes two. And not just in "Into the Woods." The 2023 Tony nominations remind us several times over that sometimes an actor's role is so closely tied …