Read on for some recent theatre headlines and videos you may have missed.
Works & Process Creates "Creatives Bubble Residencies"
The Guggenheim's Works & Process brings a twist to its season format this year due to the pandemic, with seven "Creative Bubble Residencies" taking part in Hudson Valley. Among the myriad artists taking part are Joshua Bergasse, Justin Vivian Bond, Sera Earns, Jamar Roberts, and Omari Wiles. Some products from the residencies will premiere at the ongoing Kaatsbaan Summer Festival in Tivoli, New York, with others being performed outdoors at Lincoln Center and streamed online. Additionally, WNET's ALL ARTS will present a four-part documentary series in early 2021 capturing the artists' journeys and processes.
Intersectionality and Justice: A Discussion
San Diego's Diversionary Theatre will host an online forum titled "Intersectionality and Justice: A Discussion" September 4. The company's latest panel will continue unpacking how intersectionality affects individuals, artists, and groups, how intersecting identities are systematically mistreated on varying levels, and what can be done as individuals and groups to create change in the theatre. Diversionary Artistic Fellow Andrea Agosto will moderate the evening, which will include panelists Kenny Ramos, Kim Heil, Kimberley King, and Jorji Chisam. For more information about the upcoming event, click here.
Erich Bergen: “Don’t Shoot the Messengers”
Waitress and Jersey Boys alum Erich Bergen performed a song about the United States Postal Service and its recent woes—penned by David Javerbaum—during the August 30 variety show United to Save The Vote. The event raised $2.1 million to benefit RepresentUs’ VoteSafe coalition. Check out the tribute to mailmen (and women) below.
National Collaborators Conference to be Held Virtually in October
Theatre artists will gather virtually for the National Collaborators Conference October 9–11. The event features over 25 workshops, including discussions on the art of the indigenous ceremony, sound design for artists and engineers, intimacy choreography for the production team, and finding creativity during the pandemic. The conference is presented by the Stage Managers’ Association and Ohio Valley USITT, with Collaborator Party, Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers, and Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, serving as partners for the conference. Broadway Unlocked produces.
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
The cast of the upcoming Broadway musical MJ, the Michael Jackson bio-musical produced by Lia Vollack and the namesake artist's estate, celebrated the birthday of the late singer with a video August 29. Watch the company dance to the beat of the Jackson hit "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" below. MJ, penned by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and directed and choreographed by Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon, is currently scheduled to begin performances March 8, 2021, at the Neil Simon Theatre, with opening night scheduled for April 15. (The original summer start was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic.) Ephraim Sykes, a Tony nominee for Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of The Temptations, has been tapped to play Jackson.
