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 Podcast # 6

Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 6

Diversifying the Classics with Barbara Fuchs

26 September 2016

Michael Lueger and Barbara Fuchs discuss the plays written during Spain’s theatrical Golden Age, and Barbara’s Diversifying the Classic project, which aims to bring them back into prominence for English-speaking audiences.

Theatre History Podcast # 5

Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 5

Joel Berkowitz on the Yiddish Theatre's Past (and Present)

19 September 2016

Michael Lueger talks with Joel Berkowitz about Yiddish theatre’s historical and present iterations.

Theatre History Podcast # 4

Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 4

You Naughty, Naughty Men: Joshua William Gelb’s New Reimagining of The Black Crook

12 September 2016

Michael Lueger talks with director and librettist Joshua William Gelb about The Black Crook, considered by some to be the first musical.

Theatre History Podcast # 3

Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 3

Eric Swanson Discusses New Musical Edwin: The Story of Edwin Booth

5 September 2016

Eric Swanson and Michael Lueger discuss actor Edwin Booth, the brother of Abraham Lincoln’s assassin.

Theatre History Podcast # 2

Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 2

Like a Boss: 1940s Musicals and the “Boss Lady” with Maya Cantu

29 August 2016

Maya Cantu and Michael Lueger discuss how the musicals of the 1940s saw the emergence of a new figure: the “boss lady.”

Theatre History Podcast # 1

Podcast

Theatre History Podcast # 1

Talking About Drugs (and Theatre) with Max Shulman

22 August 2016

Michael Lueger kicks off a new Theatre History podcast series with an interview with Max Shulman, discussing drugs in American theatre at the turn of the twentieth century.

Raising the Curtain

Michael

Lueger

Essay

Raising the Curtain

An Interview with the Museum of London Archaeology Team Digging Up One of Shakespeare’s Theatres

10 August 2016

An interview between Michael Lueger and MOLA archeologists Heather Knight and Julian Bowsher about the recent excavation of the Curtain Theatre in London.

Zelda Fichandler's Address to the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society in Celebration of the Third Annual Zelda Fichandler Award—October 26, 2011

Zelda

Fichandler

Essay

Zelda Fichandler's Address to the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society in Celebration of the Third Annual Zelda Fichandler Award—October 26, 2011

29 July 2016

The work and life of Zelda Fichandler permeate the values and purpose of HowlRound. She was a significant inspiration for how we imagined our intervention into the theatre. Her rigorous thinking and her visionary artistry will continue to influence how we move forward. We republish her words in honor of her memory and as a celebration of her brilliance.—HowlRound

Rage in Context

Pearl

Cleage

Essay

Rage in Context

23 July 2016

Play recommendations from playwright Pearl Cleage for contextualizing the current anger felt by many Americans.

A Celebration of the Life of Martha Coigney

La MaMa

Video

A Celebration of the Life of Martha Coigney

Monday 11 July 2016

New York City, NY, United States

La Mama Etc. presented A Celebration of the life of Martha Wadsworth Coigney livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at Howlround.TV on Monday 11 July at 3:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:00 p.m. EDT (New York) / 23:00 GMT / 12:00 CEST (Paris). Share your thoughts on Twitter with #howlround, @howlroundtv and follow on @LaMaMaETC. Livestream production by Culture Hub.

Seriously, Calm Down

Nora J.

Williams

Essay

Seriously, Calm Down

A Healthy Dose of #Shakespeare400 Skepticism

11 July 2016

Renaissance scholar Nora J. Williams discusses the #Shakespeare400 celebrations, and the myth that Shakespeare is the “greatest playwright” in the English language.

Reconstructing and Reimagining

David

Levy

Essay

Reconstructing and Reimagining

Noah Diamond and the First Marx Brothers Musical

9 July 2016

David Levy discusses Noah Diamond’s adaptation and revival of I’ll Say She Is, the musical debut of the Marx Brothers.

Talk Travels with a Dilettante: Moscow by John Freedman

Stanislavsky Electrotheatre

Video

Talk Travels with a Dilettante: Moscow by John Freedman

Saturday 11 June 2016

Moscow, Russia

Stanislavsky Electrotheatre in Moscow presented a talk Travels with a Dilettante: Moscow by John Freedman livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Saturday 11 June at 19:00-20:30 MSK/EEST (Moscow) / 18:00-19:30 CEST (Berlin) / 5pm-6:30 p.m. BST (London) / 16:00-17:30 GMT / 12pm-1:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 11am-12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 9am-10:30 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles). Share your comments on Twitter with #howlround.

Thunder in Blunderland

Essay

Thunder in Blunderland

10 June 2016

Rob Orchard writes about Robert Brustein’s career of writing political theatre, and shares an audio recording of a new satirical skit.

But Really, How Was the Play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Michael

Lueger

Essay

But Really, How Was the Play, Mrs. Lincoln?

28 May 2016

In this installment of his Strange Eventful History series, Michael Lueger discusses the assassination of Abraham Lincoln during the comedy Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre, and traces the lives of the actors and producers involved with the show.

WOW Café Theatre

Kathleen

Warnock

Essay

WOW Café Theatre

Celebrating the Beginnings of a Historic Women’s Theatre

24 May 2016

Playwright Kathleen Warnock reports on WOW Café Theatre’s reunion and book launch for Memories of the Revolution, which chronicles the first ten years of WOW Café.

The Holly Woodlawn Memorial

La MaMa

Video

The Holly Woodlawn Memorial

Saturday 14 May 2016

New York, NY, United States

La MaMa in New York City presented the Holly Woodlawn Memorial livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Saturday 14 May at 10:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 12:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 17:30 GMT / 6:30 p.m. BST (London) / 19:30 CEST (Berlin). Share your thoughts on Twitter with #howlround and follow @LaMaMaETC and @HowlRoundTV.

A New Hope for Wayang Kulit

Jenna

Gerdsen

Essay

A New Hope for Wayang Kulit

Peperangan Bintang Re-Awakens Tradition

9 May 2016

Jenna Gerdsen on a reinvention of wayang kulit—the ancient Southeast Asian puppet theatre form.

Why I’m Breaking Up with Aristotle

Chantal

Bilodeau

Essay

Why I’m Breaking Up with Aristotle

22 April 2016

Chantal Bilodeau on writing ourselves out of the pyramid and why she is breaking up with Aristotle.

The Ground on Which We Stand: Diversity and Opportunity in American Theatre, Twenty Years After August Wilson’s Foundational Speech

Princeton University

Video

The Ground on Which We Stand: Diversity and Opportunity in American Theatre, Twenty Years After August Wilson’s Foundational Speech

Monday 18 April 2016

Princeton, NJ, United States

The McCarter Theatre Center and Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts presented The Ground on Which We Stand: Diversity and Opportunity in American Theatre, Twenty Years after August Wilson’s Foundational Speech livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 18 April at 10:30 a.m. PDT-3 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles) / 12:30 p.m. CDT-5 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1:30 p.m. EDT-6 p.m. EDT (New York).

Spalding Gray: A Celebration of his Life and Work

Segal

Center

Video

Spalding Gray: A Celebration of his Life and Work

Monday 11 April 2016

New York, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented Spalding Gray: A Celebration of his Life and Work livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 11 April at 3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 22:30 GMT / 23:30 BST (London). On Twitter, use #howlround to join the conversation.

Could A Play Stop A Demagogue? Theatre and Electoral Politics

Jonathan

Mandell

Essay

Could A Play Stop A Demagogue? Theatre and Electoral Politics

7 April 2016

Have jokey depictions of elections on stage and screen helped cause a joke of a real-life presidential campaign? Jonathan Mandell visits two experimental theatre projects that are tackling this year’s presidential election in serious and intriguing ways.

American Sign Language in Theatre and Its Impact or, Why We Need More Deaf Actors Onstage

Kurs

Essay

American Sign Language in Theatre and Its Impact or, Why We Need More Deaf Actors Onstage

5 April 2016

Series curator DJ Kurs writes about the history of ASL and Deaf actors.

Discussion with Theatre Historian Erika Fischer-Lichte on Theatre, Sacrifice, and Ritual

Segal

Center

Video

Discussion with Theatre Historian Erika Fischer-Lichte on Theatre, Sacrifice, and Ritual

Thursday 31 March 2016

New York, NY, United States

The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center in New York City presented a discussion with theatre historian Erika Fischer-Lichte on theatre, sacrifice, and ritual livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 31 March at 3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 22:30 GMT / 23:30 BST (London). On Twitter, use #howlround to join the conversation.

Theatre Nohgaku Performances and Lectures

Boston University

Video

Theatre Nohgaku Performances and Lectures

Friday 25 March and Saturday 26 March

Boston, MA, United States

Boston University presented Theatre Nohgaku's Performance and Discussion of Noh Music and a Lecture and Demonstration of Noh and Kyogen Performance Styles livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv Friday 25 March and Saturday 26 March. On Twitter, use #howlround and follow @HowlRoundTV.