Author: Christy DeSmith

“David Lynch meets Mother Goose”: That’s the vision Hardcover Theater’s writer/director Steve Schroer has for his new play, inspired by an obscure Victorian fantasy called The New Mother. This source material was written for children—it’s a fable that warns, with rich imagery and plenty of fright, against being naughty. And yet Schroer insists his play…

The red nose, that mark of chronic inebriates everywhere, was long ago appropriated by theater performers in Europe seeking a visible symbol of their humility. And believe it or not, the town drunk went on to serve as the muse of a million clowns (those working outside the parade and birthday-party circuits, anyway). In order…

In 2004, the Guthrie Theater offered to send a favorite playwright, Julie Marie Myatt, to wherever in the world she wished to go, just so long as her travels inspired a new play. Myatt chose Cambodia. Once there, she immersed herself in the sex trade, interviewing child prostitutes and even volunteering for organizations trying to…

The Burning House Group was once the darling of the local theater scene, a collective of talented young performers forged in the crucibles of such dearly departed companies as Eye of the Storm and Margolis Brown. Today, the troupe is best remembered for its hit ’97 production Knock Knock, which was an uproarious farce with…

By commissioning five pieces of original music, each of which is to be accompanied by some form of electronic media, the Southern Theater is hitting upon a big trend in the contemporary composition business. As of late, composers of all stripes have sought collaborations with video and performance artists, thus adding an element of spectacle…