U.S. by State

Michael Moore talks about finding the spirit of Free Southern Theatre in Junebug Productions, and his awaking of the urgency found in the community for socially activated theater.  

Allison Vanouse writes about Pavement, an adaptation of the 1991 film, Boyz N the Hood at Jacob's Pillow Dance.

Cripple Creek Theatre has partnered with other organizations in order to better sustain their company in a world that no longer solely depends on traditional fiscal support.

I spoke with several individuals who possess a broader view of the arts in New Jersey to get a better perspective for myself and for the New Jersey City Series. Here are some thoughts from leaders of New Jersey theater that should illuminate some further context for theater-making here.

Theater J, whose mission is to produce plays that are politically engaged and thought provoking, as well as personal, passionate, and entertaining, could not have selected a better play for the current moment.

Dan Swern gives a historical overview of New Jersey's cultural identity and arts access. 

As a New Jersey actor, artistic identity cannot be completely detached from New York. This does not dismiss that there is a pride and ownership in being a New Jersey actor.

Holly L. Derr writes about different all-female productions of Shakespeare's plays and how this opens up further opportunities for discussion about gender, relationships, and the timelessness of the stories.

Desi P. Shelton looks at how she ending back at home in Camden, NJ challenged her to start her own theatre company to illuminate the experiences around her.

New homes can be found when opportunity makes you pick up and leave comfortability.  EM Lewis writes about opening up to new communities in order to embrace opportunity.

Mara Isaacs sheds light on the dynamics placed upon New Jersey's theatre scene and explains how she was able to move forward and create a new model of theatre-making.

An introduction into the examination of what it means to be “local” or be in the “community” inspired by people’s experience to find home in one to two neighborhoods.

Boston is a sports city. It also is an arts city. Allison Vanouse takes a look at the similarities including how both mediums and how they share time and space principles.

Josh Sobel investigates the relationship between critics and Chicago's theatre community.

Is ensemble a group of people working together over a long duration? Is it a non-hierarchical organizational structure? A way of being and working together with a shared sense of priorities?

I think about paradoxical needs this experience embodies—for community and solitude; structures and flexibility; stability and change—and the need for all of it, simultaneously, in our lives, our practices, our field.

In the following Around the Teapot series, three writers reflect on “Adventuring Together: Ensembles, Collectives, Laboratories & Networks,” a weekend-long gathering of performance artists and scholars, from across the U.S. and Europe, held in Los Angeles. 

The world has gone dark, and no one will ever watch The Simpsons again. This is where Anne Washburn begins Mr. Burns: a post-electric play.

Adara Meyers gives an overview of her artistic journey navigating as a producer and playwright.