Thousands of years of history can put a novo-virus in perspective. Continue reading
Category Archives: From the Field
Leigh Bienen Considers Adaptation in Chicago
Augie, Bellow, Frankenstein and Me In 1964 I returned with my family from Kampala, Uganda, where we had lived for two years, and was hired by Saul Bellow to read, answer and categorize some of the letters he received in response to that most epistolary of novels, Herzog. It was Bellow’s second big commercial success, … Continue reading
hang By Leigh Buchanan Bienen
This spring Remy Bumppo, the ensemble centered Chicago theater company with a penchant for complicated language and complex social issues mounted the U.S. premiere of UK playwright debbie tucker green’s ‘hang’ in a run from March 21 to April 29. Note, the playwright prefers the lower case both for her own name and the play’s title. … Continue reading
“Describe the Night” in Houston while Hurricane Harvey Raged – a first hand account of directing under pressure by Giovanna Sardelli
On Tuesday I began packing my bags, which was unexpected since I had arrived in Houston, TX only a week earlier to begin rehearsals on the World Premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Describe The Night. Hurricane Harvey had been raging since Saturday and on Tuesday we’d taken advantage of a brief break in the near constant … Continue reading
A Legend in Her Own Right: Interview with Black-Eyed Susan
Oftentimes, when theater critics or historians talk about Black-Eyed Susan, they speak about downtown impresario Charles Ludlam, founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, with whom she worked and was close friends for twenty years. But she is an icon in her own right, worthy of her own attention and discussion. Born in Shelton, Connecticut, in the middle … Continue reading
Kicking It Grounded Style by Ben Gassman
This post is a response to Jody Christopherson’s recent interview and continues a partnership between HowlRound and the League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW). For many years, LPTW has been publishing an annual magazine, Women in Theatre (WIT). This year they’ve expanded the magazine to include an online format and are collaborating with HowlRound to provide content covering an array of issues and perspectives within … Continue reading
