Welcome to the Green Room’s newest series, What We’re Reading, in which we’ll share with you some of our favorite articles about theater and performance from all around the internet this week. 

“Nine Thoughts on Theater Awards” by Robert Kaplowitz for HowlRound is a great piece written in response to the Tony Committee Ruling Heard ‘Round The World, which is ironic because you generally need sound design to hear things. Kaplowitz, a Tony-winning sound designer himself, writes about what awards mean to him and what they mean to theater more generally. From the piece:

Theater awards matter because theater vanishes. Paintings, sculptures, novels, and poems can last for centuries, or millennia. And, while scripts live on, productions themselves last only as long as that magical assemblage of actors, stagehands, musicians, stage managers, craftspeople and front-of-house staff are together. 

Whatever your opinion on the committee’s recent ruling, this article is worth checking out.

In “Not Just Another Coming Out Story,” Playbill’s Whitney Chitwood chronicles her interview with Maggie Keenan-Bolger, playwright (and sister of Celia and Andrew). In it, Keenan-Bolger talks about her theater work within the LGBTQ community and talks about representation and musical theater. On why 2014 Pulitzer finalist Fun Home was so affecting, Keenan-Bolger says:

In a way, [theatre] is removed enough from people’s personal lives that they can talk about the characters as they might not be able to talk about themselves quite yet.

It’s a great interview, and as Pride Month continues, it’s important to think about the ways theater can represent everyone in its audience.

In “Three Things Broadway Can Learn From The World Cup,” producer Ken Davenport turns the World Cup into tips about theater writing and the theater industry. Whether you’re sick of all the sports talk around you or if you happen to be interested in sports and theater (gasp!), this article is a creative and fun way to think about the overlaps between the two.

Okay, this one’s not an article, but very much worth reading: The List, compiled by The Kilroys. That #parityraid hashtag you’ve probably seen all around twitter? Yeah, this is what it’s all about. The List is a compilation of the 46 most-recommended plays by female writers, put together to demonstrate to artistic directors around the country that gender parity is necessary as they plan their upcoming season. It’s a great resource (and a great reading list!). I’d love to see a musical theater edition next year, too!

Have an article you think we should check out? Leave it in the comments below! 

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