TDF Stages Archive

Even folks who aren't in the business of theatre tend to remember their very first live show: The vivid colors and sounds they saw opened up a whole world of undreamed-of possibilities. For those who were lured into a life on the wicked stage, though, that "first time" has a special magic. That's the kind […]

The spring weather may be holding back its full glory from New Yorkers, but three of the city's preeminent dance companies are putting youth and innovation centerstage with 1.2.3. Festival , a biennial presentation by Taylor 2, ABT II and Ailey II, at the Joyce Theatre. These troupes are the more intimate touring companies of […]

If you ever happen to find yourself in a tussle with actor Gideon Banner, know two things: He's likely to remain remarkably calm about it, and he's almost certainly going to file away the experience for future use. "It's a writer's difficulty, and actors can be prey to it, too," admits Banner, who plays a […]

"Please don't use the Fraggle Rock photo!" Julie White pleads, referring to a particularly bug-eyed picture which The New York Times has been running, showing her in character in Liz Flahive's new comedy/drama From Up Here (at Manhattan Theatre Center's City Center through June 8). As unflattering as it looks, the so-called "Fraggle Rock" moment […]

Ever want to sit back and watch a novel? Elevator Repair Service, a cutting-edge troupe known for fashioning stage works from "found" materials not originally intended for the theatre, has recently made great American books their specialty. And we're not talking about traditional adaptations: The troupe's seven-hour epic Gatz (not yet seen in New York […]

Boyd Gaines may not be the first actor you'd think of to play the part of Herbie, the vaudeville talent agent and put-upon romantic doormat for Mama Rose, in the backstage-musical classic Gypsy , currently at the St. James Theatre in an open run. "I certainly wasn't the first person I would think of," admits […]

Danny Burstein has an acting secret he uses in every role, including his latest turn as scheming Seabee Luther Billis in Lincoln Center's rapturous revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific . "I have this thing I do where I imagine that every character I play is the smartest person in the room in any […]

Karen D. Taylor still vividly remembers her very first play. Her mother took her to see Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, starring Pearl Bailey. "I was so fascinated by all this live action going on onstage, I was just hooked," recalls Taylor, a Queens native who now works as a grant writer for nonprofit arts organizations, […]

"It takes quite a lot to jar people into action," says Joanna Gleason, the Tony-winning actress now starring as a jailed radical in Willy Holtzman's play Something You Did (at Primary Stages through Apr. 26). Gleason is talking about how hard it is for performers associated with one kind of material–in her case, musical theatre–to […]