The Playgoer: The Monday News Roundup

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Monday, August 30, 2010

The Monday News Roundup

by Matt Roberson

- From the "I Guess It's Never Too Late To Make a Musical Out of an 18 Yr. Old Movie" category comes news that producers have finally realized the untapped potential in Steve Martin's 1992 film Leap of Faith, about a circus tent revival preacher/con-man.  (R U still feeling the Spirit?  Then look out for a Scholars Corner posting from me this week regarding my thesis, which is focused on Lee Breuer's Gospel at Colonus).

- The Times has some wonderful pics of the newly refurbished Belasco Theater up right now.

- BIG STORY DEVELOPING: Politics and art are clashing in Israel.  What began as a protest by two Israeli actors, both of whom refused to perform in a new theatre space built in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, has now grown to include over 50 artists.  Adding another layer to this is that the companies are largely government funded. Netanyahu is responding by threatening to withholding government financing from those who participate in the protest. Thoughts on this? Lots of issues here worthy of vigorous blog-debate...

2 comments:

Edward Einhorn said...

That is a big story, about the West Bank theater. And it brings up the question, how much can a government dictate just because they provide funding. The threat to withdraw funding based on the boycott is something that applies to any government funded theater. It's also interesting because the Israeli theater community (like most theater communities) is almost completely on the left, and often Israeli plays are deeply critical of Israeli policies. But this touches a different sort of nerve, it's clear.

Edward Einhorn said...

Update: Americans in theater have signed a petition of support of the Israeli actors, etc: http://angelacorrias.blogspot.com/2010/09/vanessa-redgrave-tony-kushner-and-other.html

I should note, the petition identifies me as the Executive Director of the Association for Jewish Theatre, a position I held until last month. However, for the purpose of the petition, I identified myself as the Artistic Director of Untitled Theater Company #61 and the Artistic Director of the Festival of Jewish Theater and Ideas.