From universities known for their large and respected theater programs to the college theater underdogs, On Stage writers have walked you through some of the best programs in the country. But what about schools not known for their theater program? Or even schools with very small programs? Are they worth talking about? Of course it depends on what you’re looking for but sometimes you can find great experiences in surprising places and theater departments in non-theater schools are a great example.

College TheatreChristopher PetersonDecember 18, 2018Noah Golden

17 Characters, One Actor: Meet “Baskerville’s” Brian Owen

During the rehearsal process for a play, most actors spend time digging into the psychology and physicality of their character. How do they sound? How do they move? What was their childhood like? For Brian Owen, star of “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” at Long Wharf Theatre, that process is a little more difficult than normal. That’s because he plays 17 distinct characters in Ken Ludwig’s madcap retelling of the famous mystery.

ConnecticutChristopher PetersonFebruary 22, 2018Noah Golden

Avoid the "The-Original Broadway Cast-Did-It-That-Way-Syndrome"

While there has been some positive change in the theater world, there is a growing issue of things staying the same.

For the sake of ease, I’ll refer to it as The-OBC-Did-It-That-Way-Syndrome; that is to say directors forgoing their own artistic input and simply recreating the original Broadway production. It’s an issue I’ve noticed a lot recently, especially at community theater productions or amateur shows. Everything down to the costuming, set, mannerisms and blocking are taken almost 100 percent from the libretto. There is nothing inherently wrong with this – those choices were made with the original creative team and are in the script for a reason – but far too often it impedes directorial creativity and makes the amateur version feel like a pale imitation of the original. The thrill of seeing your child/brother/friend/parent on stage aside, these copycat productions do little but offer the same nostalgia as watching The Wizard of Oz on late-night television for the hundredth time.

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