TDF Stages Archive
An online theatre magazine
Read about NYC’s best theatre and dance productions and watch video interviews with innovative artists
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How Many Times Would You Forgive Someone?
Heidi Schreck on the moral questions in Grand Concourse — After I saw Heidi Schreck’s play Grand Concourse, I made a mistake. The show left me uncomfortable, so I thought that meant I didn’t like it. But I realized I was wrong: The play, which is at Playwrights Horizons through November 30, is successful because […]
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Why Alessandro Nivola Loves “The Elephant Man”
Welcome to Building Character, our ongoing look at performers and how they create their roles When director Scott Ellis called Alessandro Nivola back in 2012 about playing the part of moralistic Victorian doctor Frederick Treves in a mounting of The Elephant Man at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the actor knew he couldn’t say no. After […]
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This Play Truly Sees the Suburbs
It seems inevitable that at some point in a playwright’s career, the imagination will be tugged homeward toward the people, places, and conflicts responsible for shaping the writer. Look at Eugene O’Neill’s plays set in Connecticut, August Wilson’s in Pittsburgh, Horton Foote’s in Texas. Mat Smart, who was born and raised in Naperville, IL, thirty-five […]
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Did You Notice the Tiny Fireflies?
By MARK BLANKENSHIP There’s no way to see the entire set of Lost Lake. A slightly surreal cabin in the woods, it’s packed with so many objects that it would take hours to absorb them all. And besides, some elements are only visible to the actors—props and pictures tucked behind curtains or just past the […]
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What Do You Think About Straight White Men?
By MARK BLANKENSHIP When you hear about a play called Straight White Men, what do you think it’s going to be? Which cultural and political assumptions do you think it’s going to challenge? Which audience members do you think it’s going to unsettle? Whatever you’re thinking, you’re right: That’s exactly what Young Jean Lee is […]
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How Do You Make Two People Look Like One Person?
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Yes, This Child Has Lived Before
Sarah Ruhl’s new play The Oldest Boy may be filled with a sense of cosmic mystery, but there’s one question that’s not mysterious at all. When the show begins, an American mother is visited by a pair of Buddhist monks who believe her three year-old son, Tenzin, is the reincarnation of their beloved teacher. And […]
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Why Does Mummenschanz Work So Well?
By MARK BLANKENSHIP For over 40 years, Mummenschanz has arguably been one of the most reliable sources of all-ages theatre in the world. With their unique style of mask and prop performance—which uses no speech, sound effects, or even music—they create scenes that are both charmingly abstract and recognizably human. For instance, a creature with […]
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“Major Barbara” Makes Your Moral Compass Spin
By MARK BLANKENSHIP George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara may spin your moral compass until you don’t know where you’re standing anymore. On one hand, it seems impossible to argue with the title character, a Salvation Army worker who’s dedicated to helping the poorest people in London. Barbara is so upright, in fact, that she leaves […]