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Theatre History

There’s so much to be learned from history, and theatre is no exception. If you’re looking to dive into theatre’s past, the Theatre History Podcast is the perfect place to start.

The Latest

Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation
Video
Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation
A talk with Dr. Julius Fleming on his latest book, followed by a discussion with Hillary Miller
Monday 11 March 2024
Opening the Channel with Masi Asare
Podcast
Opening the Channel with Masi Asare
by Masi Asare, Leticia Ridley, Jordan Ealey
28 February 2024
Towards a Sustainable Theatre Model
Essay
Towards a Sustainable Theatre Model
by Scott Walters, Munroe Shearer
27 February 2024
Theatre History Episode # 32
Podcast

Theatre History Episode # 32

Seret Scott Looks Back on the Free Southern Theater

22 May 2017

Michael Lueger talks with director and performer Seret Scott about her work with the Free Southern Theater.

50 Years of Theatre of the Ridiculous
Video

50 Years of Theatre of the Ridiculous

Monday 15 May 2017
New York, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented 50 Years of Theatre of the Ridiculous​ livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 15 May at 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 3:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles).

Theatre History Podcast # 31
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 31

Exploring the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts’s New Jo Mielziner Acquisitions with Annemarie van Roessel

15 May 2017

Michael Lueger talks with curator Annemarie van Roessel about scenic designer Jo Mielziner’s work.

Theatre History Podcast # 30
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 30

Dr. Esther Fernandez Introduces us to the Siglo de Oro Festival at Chamizal

24 April 2017

Dr. Esther Fernandez of Rice University talks about the Siglo de Oro Festival.

Theatre History Podcast # 29
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 29

Short Day’s Introduction to Monte Cristo Cottage with Anne G. Morgan

17 April 2017

Anne G. Morgan, Literary Manager and Dramaturg at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, talks about the Monte Cristo Cottage, Eugene O'Neill's childhood summer home, and the setting of two of his plays.

Black Women Have Theorized Everything
Essay

Black Women Have Theorized Everything

12 April 2017

Sola Bamishigbin and Tia-Simone Gardner look at plays by Lorraine Hansberry and Lynn Nottage with intersecting themes, written at different times in US history.

Reviving Zoot Suit in the Time of Trump
Essay

Reviving Zoot Suit in the Time of Trump

11 April 2017

Carlos Morton discusses the latest revival of Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit, examining its production history and corresponding socio-political events.

Theatre History Podcast # 28
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 28

Digging up Nea Paphos with Dr. Craig Barker

10 April 2017

 Mike Lueger talks to Dr. Craig Baker from the University of Sydney about the history and layout of Nea Paphos, its hidden surprises, and the mysteries that he and his colleagues are still investigating.

 

Blk Womyn
Essay

Blk Womyn

Going Dark!

9 April 2017

The launch of #BLKARTS Presents: Black Womyn Going Dark! a look at the history and legacy of black womyn in the arts.

Theatre History Podcast # 27
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 27

Learning About Ta’ziyeh with Dr. William O. Beeman

27 March 2017

Michael Lueger talks with Dr. William O. Beeman about the Iranian performance tradition known as ta'ziyeh.

Theatre History Podcast # 26
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 26

Jack Viertel Introduces the New York City Center Encores! Revival of The New Yorkers

23 March 2017

Michael Lueger and Jack Viertel talk about The New Yorkers.

Theatre History Podcast # 25
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 25

Exploring Modern Chinese Theatre with Dr. Steven (Siyuan) Liu

13 March 2017

Michael Lueger talks with Dr. Steven (Siyuan) Liu about modern and contemporary Chinese theatre and performance.

Theatre History Podcast # 24
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 24

Exploring Plays About Urban Ireland with Dr. Elizabeth Mannion

8 March 2017

Michael Lueger talks with Beth Mannion about plays depicting urban Ireland.

A Brief History of the Gender Parity Movement in Theatre
Essay

A Brief History of the Gender Parity Movement in Theatre

4 March 2017

Jenny Lyn Bader looks at theatre’s gender parity movement.

Theatre History As a Living Art
Essay

Theatre History As a Living Art

2 March 2017

Educator and theatre artist Alisha Huber discusses her teaching theatre history process.

Theatre History Podcast # 23
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 23

Is It Happening Here? Dr. Paul Gagliardi on the Return of the Federal Theatre Project’s It Can’t Happen Here

27 February 2017

Michael Lueger talks with Dr. Paul Gagliardi about It Can’t Happen Here.

It Happened Here
Essay

It Happened Here

Looking Back on the Revivals of Sinclair Lewis’s Play During the Election of 2016

19 February 2017

Paul Gagliardi, a scholar of the Federal Theatre Project, considers recent productions of It Can’t Happen Here and why the play is resonating with both directors and audiences today.

Theatre History Podcast # 22
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 22

Dr. Mac Test’s New Translation of La monja alfèrez

13 February 2017

Michael Lueger talks with Dr. Mac Test about his new translation of La monja alfèrez, or The Lieutenant Nun.

Theatre DIY Don’ts
Essay

Theatre DIY Don’ts

Don’t Forget to Take Pictures

6 February 2017

In this installment, Ricky Young-Howze discusses the importance of having archival footage of new work, which serves as a historical document.

Theatre History Podcast # 21
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 21

Director George Drance on Calderon’s Two Dreams

6 February 2017

Michael Lueger talks with George Drance about Pedro Calderon de la Barca.

Absurd is “the new Normal” in 2017
Essay

Absurd is “the new Normal” in 2017

Interview with Tina Brock, artistic director of IRC, Philadelphia’s only surreal theatre

3 February 2017

Henrik Eger interviews Tina Brock about how her company is responding to the current political climate in the US, and what she feels that absurdist theatre has to offer.

Jennifer Ashley Tepper; or, The Evolution of a Theatre Historian (and all that followed)
Essay

Jennifer Ashley Tepper; or, The Evolution of a Theatre Historian (and all that followed)

1 February 2017

Jena Tesse Fox talks to Jennifer Ashley Tepper, theatre historian, author of the three-volume series The Untold Stories of Broadway, about her role as Director of Programming at 54 Below, and how the history of Broadway relates to us today.

Theatre History Podcast # 20
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 20

Rediscovering the Lost Lope de Vega Play Mujeres y Criados with Dr. Alejandro Garcia-Reidy

30 January 2017

A conversation with Alejandro Garcia-Reidy about discovering a previously-unknown work by Spanish Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega.

Absurdist Theatre and Resistance
Essay

Absurdist Theatre and Resistance

27 January 2017

Edward Einhorn discusses the relevance of absurdist theatre.

Theatre History Podcast # 19
Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 19

Jeremy Morris on His New Play About Vaudeville Performer Bert Williams, The Top of Bravery

23 January 2017

Michael Lueger and Jeremy Morris discuss Bert Williams.