VIEWPOINTS: The Frugal New York Theatergoer

After getting a sense of how many performances I attend, most people tend to ask: “How are you able to afford it all?” For the record, I am (currently) NOT … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Humanizing the AIDS Crisis Through the Truth-Telling Lens of Theater

One of darkest episodes in recent American history has been the ongoing AIDS crisis, particularly during the panic- and confusion-ridden 1980s and the anguished 1990s. Luckily, since then, life-maintaining drugs … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Space and Perspective Relative to Performance (Part II – Breaking the Fourth Wall, and Then Some)

In the previous installment, I explored how one’s experience of performance can be affected not only by the dimensions of the playing space, but also by one’s physical location within … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Space and Perspective Relative to Performance (Part I – Theatricality and Physical Dimensionality)

On Monday, I had the privilege of seeing the minimalist British band the xx perform up close and personal with 44 other lucky guests at the Park Avenue Armory, one … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: The People’s Shows (But Not the Critics’)

It’s interesting to note that some of the most well-known, longest-running shows in Broadway and West End history were greeted by negative, even hostile, initial notices from theater critics. Yet, … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Hall of Mirrors – Chronicling Drag Culture on Broadway

For decades before Jared Leto won acclaim for his Oscar-winning performance in the film “Dallas Buyers Club”, drag has been prevalent on Broadway.  Drag’s presence in mainstream Broadway owes much … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Theater in the Third Person

I’ve been spending an hour or two each day over the last week watching the recording of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s nine-hour adaptation of Charles Dickens’ sprawling “The Life and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part III)

In this final installment, I celebrate stage designers whose works have transcended conventional stage designs to establish themselves as standalone works of visual art. Many of these stage designers are … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part II)

In the first installment, I explored some instances in which established visual artists have themselves created scenic landscapes for the stage. This second installment further explores the intersection of the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS: Exploring the Intersection of Visual and Performing Arts (Part I)

The stage. What grander canvas can a visual artist ask for? Over the years, its death and rebirth “burning man” allure has intrigued many a visual artist. Unlike the permanence … Continue Reading →