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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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
Off-Broadway 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 […]
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The Unexpected King of Cartoon Music
Directors Chances are you're familiar with Raymond Scott's music… you just don't know it. The 20th-century American electronic music pioneer composed many of what became animation's most infamous tunes, even though he didn't write them with Bugs Bunny in mind. Director Jon Levin was humming one of Scott's melodies, " Powerhouse ," when a friend […]
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Turning an Elevator into an Entire World
Designers Directors Two days into rehearsals for Lift at 59E59, director John Marshall III got stuck in an elevator. Most people entombed in a metal box might feel alarmed, claustrophobic, or at the very least, concerned. Instead, Marshall was thrilled. "I think the people running the building probably thought I was crazy," he says. "I'm […]
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The Rhythm of Grief
By RAVEN SNOOK Though not a tuner, brownsville song (b-side for tray) has a musical sensibility. Hip-hop frequently blares from the speakers, and the characters deliver impassioned speeches that often sound more like lyrics than lines. In fact, the searing soliloquy that opens Kimber Lee's new drama at LCT3's Claire Tow Theater features a chilling […]
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WATCH: Meet Mint Theater Company
Get to know Mint Theater Company, which breathes new life into lost or neglected plays.
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This Caftan Tells a Hundred Stories
Broadway Designers Cynthia Nixon's caftan is a fabulous fashion statement, yes, but it's also an emblem of how costumes enhance the storytelling in Roundabout's current Broadway revival of The Real Thing . The caftan—a glorious black-and-white number with a paint-splatter pattern and matching shirt underneath—operates on several layers at once. For one thing, it tells […]
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He’s Singing About His Home
tweets about theatre at @PataphysicalSci . Follow TDF at @TDFNYC .
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The Twyla Tharp Ballet We Nearly Lost
Susan Reiter covers dance for TDF Stages.