542 stories by "Mark Blankenship"
Why a director avoids realism in The Atlantic’s “Harper Regan” It’s easy to imagine a realistic production of Harper Regan, the new Simon Stephens play. As she travel…
Off Broadway and off-Off Broadway New York is practically exploding with new plays and musicals this fall. You could go to the theatre eight times a week for two months and still not see eve…
Hello TDF Stages readers, Did you know there are theatre companies producing shows entirely online? Our friends at [Breaking Character], the online magazine of Samuel French, Inc., have just…
Australia Feels Like Home — Most of the time, I could almost feel the distance between Australia and my everyday life. I was there for my honeymoon—I just flew back to New York o…
The All For One Festival creates a culture of solo theatre Can a theatre festival invigorate or even sustain a larger artistic culture? That question is implicit in fests like FringeNYC and …
Jennifer Hurlbert finds what costume designers need She almost sounds like a theatrical superhero. Without leaving New York, Jennifer Hurlbert contributes to the costume designs of shows acr…
A Preview of the Fall Season Do you feel that crackle in the air? It’s not heat lightning or a power surge from your neighbor’s air conditioner. It’s Broadway’s fall …
Jane Greenwood prepares her costume designs Since 1963, Jane Greenwood has designed costumes for over 100 Broadway shows, earning 17 Tony Award nominations and a place in the Theater Hall of…
Andrea Lynn Green tackles two of his characters at once Welcome to Building Character: TDF Stages’ ongoing series about actors and how they create their roles — We don’t kn…
The Mobile Shakespeare Unit brings the Bard to unlikely places Richard III might hit you differently if you’re a prisoner, watching the violence unfold just a few feet from your cell. …
Hello TDF Stages readers, Ken Ludwig is one of the masters of modern stage comedy, boasting hits like Lend Me a Tenor and Leading Ladies. And now he’s writing a regular column for [Bre…
An actor preps for Shakespeare in the Park’s “Into the Woods” It takes a certain kind of art—and a certain kind of artist—to suit the Delacorte Theatre. A grand…
Natalie Venetia Belcon navigates years of revisions to “The Last Smoker in America” Welcome to Building Character, TDF Stages’ ongoing series about actors and how they crea…
In “Fela,” Melanie Marshall makes unexpected use of her voice Welcome to Building Character, TDF Stages’ ongoing series about actors and how they create their roles Funmila…
Gabra Zackman, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, and the Joy of Repertory Theatre Just by itself, The 39 Steps is a challenging job for an actress: A low-tech, high-energy spoof of Hitchcock’…
Lincoln Center Theater learns how to use its brand new space It’s a rare and terrifying honor to direct the first play in a new theatre. Just ask Anne Kauffman, who’s helming Slo…
The funny-sincere choreography in Triassic Parq — Apparently, it takes a village to make a dinosaur dance. Even though Kyle Mullins is credited as the choreographer for Triassic Parq, …
How “The Bad and the Better” Blends Wild Humor and Crime Drama Is it okay for a serious detective drama to include a slo-mo dance break? Playwright Derek Ahonen raises that quest…
Recently, TDF’s Stage Doors programs took hundreds of students to a special matinee of Broadway’s Peter and the Starcatcher. Many of the students had never been to the theatre be…
“The Hunchback Variations” creates absurdity without a director Sitting at a simple black table, Beethoven drinks his water with precision, pausing for a moment before he puts hi…
“The Bad Guys” finds dark humor in manliness —- The Bad Guys might seem like a realistic play, telling the story of good old friends at a backyard barbecue. But underneath …
This Saturday, the American Theatre Wing will recognize Theatre Development Fund’s groundbreaking Open Doors program with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. (Tony Honors are g…
The director of “Murder in the First” finds the human story in awful crimes Even when he’s not in a scene, he’s on stage for most of the play. Curled on his prison ma…
The Brick’s new festival asks provocative political questions The Brick Theater’s summer festival may be exposing the limits of America’s voting system, but that’s al…
Hello TDF Stages readers, Ken Ludwig is one of the masters of modern stage comedy, boasting hits like Lend Me a Tenor and Leading Ladies. And now he’s writing a regular column for [Bre…
