The curtain came down for the final time marking 156 performances of Topdog/Underdog for Alley resident company members David Rainey and K. Todd Freeman. The two actors took their last bows on Sunday, May 9th at Hartford Stage in Connecticut. For Rainey and Freeman, the journey of working on Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize winning drama began at Steppenwolf Theatre as a co-production with the Alley Theatre.

After performances in Chicago, the tour took Rainey and Freeman back to Houston and then through Dallas and Hartford. David Rainey was gracious enough to grant Theatreport an interview via e-mail a few days before closing the show. And what follows is a reflection on the challenges and experiences he had with the tour…

The American Theatre Wing's 58th Annual Tony Award nominations were announced Monday, May 10th. Hugh Jackman will host the Tony's for the second time on Sunday, June 6th from New York City's Radio City Music Hall and CBS will telecast. And the nominees are...

Boy Groove
By Chris Craddock
Music and Lyrics by Aaron Macri
May 18th – July 10th 2004

Theater LaB presents the U.S. premiere of a Canadian Fringe Hit. A look at the rise and fall of a boy band. From auditions to fame, celebrity romance, drugs, scandal and beyond this musical spoof is a stomachache-funny, bulls-eye satire - from the opening dance. The contemporary music scene is fair game and nothing is left unskewered – manufactured boy bands, record executives, rappers, famous and infamous chart climbers and the pervasive American need for celebrity status...
Read Chron. Review!

Fringe Festival key to many performers' careers
Nigel Hatton, Star Tribune

Published July 27, 2003 STAG27

The Minnesota Fringe Festival lasts only 10 days each summer, but for many performers the event is the key to year-round stage action. Success in front of a Fringe audience can boost a career.

"I look at the Minnesota Fringe Festival as a place to take artistic risks and try out new material," said Edina native and New York City resident Rene Foss, a 1999 and 2000 festival performer who returns this year. "There are people coming from all over. You have an opportunity to meet other performers, see what other people are doing. There's a plethora of creativity."

Shakespeare and Modern Audiences
We came across this image, and then we found the article...couldn't resist...especially given recent discussions (and of course the pic).

"If Shakespeare were alive today, there's no telling what his place in pop culture might be. Musically, he might be another tattoo-branded Eminem or Tupac Shakur, scribbling out reams of rhymes on barroom cocktail napkins (but with a decidedly broader world view). If he gravitated toward TV...

From the Denver Post 07/07/03

For those who don't know, the Houston Press has decided to remove all Community Theater listings from its paper. Their "justification" is that there is not enough space and you can find them online on their website. How very tragic! The very community that supported this paper and made it successful is being slapped in the face.