Recent Essays

For the fourth year, Porsche McGovern shares her research on the gender of LORT theatre designers. In this second installment of this essay, Porsche focuses on region.

Amelia Parenteau explores the importance of the Seuls en Scène French Theater Festival in Princeton, New Jersey, and discuses the themes and productions at this year’s festival. / Amelia Parenteau explore l’importance du festival de théâtre français Seuls en Scène de Princeton, dans le New Jersey, et discute des thèmes et des productions du festival de cette année.

For the fourth year, Porsche McGovern shares her research on the gender of LORT theatre designers. 

Berkeley Rep’s outgoing artistic director Tony Taccone talks with new artistic director of A.C.T. Pam MacKinnon about moving from freelancing to running an institution and vice versa, the language used to talk about a company’s vision, subscriptions as economic foundation of theatre, and more.

Joanna Lugo and Leah Harris use Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions as a framework to speak out about gender inequalities they've noticed in the theatre community, and call on the larger theatre community to fight for gender parity.

Arizona State University student Ricky Quintana talks about taking his education into his own hands—by devising his own show—after a school production was cancelled earlier this year due to unforeseen circumstances.

Parent Artist Advocacy League for the Performing Arts (PAAL) founder Rachel Spencer Hewitt discusses three crucial ways theatres can improve their support for parent artists.

Emily White takes a deeper look at the parallels between artist Artemisia Gentileschi’s sexual assault trial from the 1600s and the trial testimonies of today, all of which is explored in the show Artemisia’s Intent.

Director, dramaturg, and founding AD of Crowded Fire, Rebcca Novick, speaks with Marissa Wolf, the new AD of Portland Center Stage—and former AD of Crowded Fire as well—about knowing when you’re ready for change, leaving communities you’ve helped build, parenting in the arts, and more.

We're hiring for the next HowlRound Fellow! Could it be you? Applications close 31 December!