Author: ATCA

Couple of Critical Controversies

Sarasota’s Asolo Rep was slapped down by Brian Friel for making significant changes in “Philadelphia, Here I Come,” as reported by Jay Handelman (Sarasota Herald-Tribune). In “Who Thinks It’s OK to ‘Improve’ Playwrights’ Work?,” Howard Sherman points out the issues are legal as well as moral and aesthetic. In the debate over...

Young Critics Seminar in Hungary, March 24-29

Any ATCA member 35 or younger is eligible, and there’s still time to join. Most expenses are paid.Deadline to apply is Feb. 15. The International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) has just announced it will hold a Young Critics Seminar in Hungary in two months’ time,...

ATCA/Humana, April 2-6

Registration now open for ATCA’s 40th anniversary conference! If you’d like to be persuaded to attend, read below. Otherwise, go right to these links:Conference Registration and Galt House (Hotel) — or phone them at 800-626-1814 The bluegrass will be extra-blue, the bourbon will be extra-strong and every play will be exciting (we...

Controversies: text changes and play to movie.

Sarasota’s Asolo Rep was slapped down by Brian Friel for making significant changes in “Philadelphia, Here I Come,” as reported by Jay Handelman (Sarasota Herald-Tribune). In “Who Thinks It’s OK to ‘Improve’ Playwrights’ Work?,” Howard Sherman points out the issues are legal as well as moral and aesthetic. In the debate over...

Four dozen top ten lists for 2013

Click below for an index to some (hardly all) “bests” or “top ten” theater lists for 2013, not from just NYC but also Albany, Atlanta, the Berkshires, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Connecticut, Dallas, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, St. Louis, San...

Inducters for Theater Hall of Fame

Liz Smith In yesterday’s column, Liz Smith lists (most of) the inducters for the upcoming Theater Hall of Fame ceremony (Jan. 27): Sarah Jessica Parker, Zach Quinto, Phylicia Rashad, Robert Wankel, Jack Viertel, John Guare and Betty Buckley. They’ll present inductees George Wolfe, Ellen Burstyn, Cherry Jones, Lynne Meadow, Jerry Zaks, Cameron Mackintosh,...

ATCA members Bill Green and Barbara Gross pass away

Theater historian William Green, professor of English at Queens College-CUNY for 52 years, died Nov. 13, age 87. Bill was an active guest at ATCA conferences for many years before someone finally ruled that his writing about Broadway qualified him to join. His chief scholarly work was...

Clara Hieronymus, ATCA founder and 40-year critic for Nashville Tennessean, dies at 100

The doyenne of American theater critics, Clara was one of ATCA’s founders, following Henry Hewes in the central role of executive secretary, 1984-2001. She died Saturday in Savannah, Tenn., according to her daughter-in-law Martha Hieronymus, who told Evans Donnell of ArtsNash, “She went peacefully at home around 9:05 p.m.” Evans first reported...

NCI seeks new director: apply now!

If ATCA has a home, it’s where it was born in 1974, under the copper beeches at the O’Neill Theater Center, home of the annual National Critics Institute. NCI has had just two directors -– Ernie Schier and Dan Sullivan, both founding members of ATCA -– and Dan has...

Spotlight on Broadway

“Spotlight on Broadway” is an ambitious, fact- and people-filled website devoted to the history, architecture and much more of the 40 Broadway theaters. Executives, producers, designers, architects, historians and lots and lots of actors provide video background and anecdotes. Former ATCA chair Jeffrey Eric Jenkins provided historical...