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Post by Jan on Feb 1, 2018 12:11:05 GMT
The AD and deputy AD obviously have better things to do with their time this year. Still get paid I suppose. Not that refreshing to see Bijan “Damned by Despair” Sheibani unaccountably given something to direct. Has he ever directed anything good ? I enjoyed his production of The Kitchen at the NT a few years ago. Speaking of which, I wonder what Tom Brooke is up to these days? Disliked The Kitchen, disliked Emil and the Detectives. He even managed to botch Pinter’s “Moonlight” at the Donmar. Rupert Goold, Beijan Sheibani, Blanche McIntyre and NatalieAbrahami all coincidentally have the same agent. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 12:59:26 GMT
Oh this all sounds very promising. Definalty want to see dance nation but the other two main shows are more a maybe depending on if I can fit it in and casting. Really wanted another Icke show and also was hopeful American psycho would come back as didnt they say it would return soon.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 13:13:29 GMT
Icke is doing Oedipus in Amsterdam from April - I'm assuming that may turn up at the Almeida later in the year.
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Post by dani on Feb 1, 2018 14:14:58 GMT
I wonder what Tom Brooke is up to these days? Great stage presence, but he seems to have been mainly doing TV recently. Next for him is Jed Mercurio's Bodyguard on BBC1. |
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Post by Jan on Feb 1, 2018 14:36:28 GMT
Icke is doing Oedipus in Amsterdam from April - I'm assuming that may turn up at the Almeida later in the year. I was expecting someone to point out he's transferring Mary Stuart too. Goold is having a second go at directing a film as far as I'm aware - his first go a couple of years ago sunk without trace. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 1, 2018 15:28:15 GMT
Where to start.
The Almeida is adopting the fad of having a clear focus on female writers, which is fair enough, if the play they present is quality, for me the pass mark on whether a play should be presented should only come down to one factor and that is one of merit, if this happens to be 95% female that fulfil this, so be it and I will be happy to see all 95%. So the new play presented has me a bit suspicious that it fulfils a tick box, rather than greatness.
So disappointing announcement, however I am looking forward to Machinal.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 15:33:17 GMT
Ella Hickson is a writer who has worked at the Almeida before, Sophie Treadwell's play is relatively legendary, and Clare Barron's play is an award winner. It's slightly disturbing that you seem to have genuinely concluded they were all programmed purely because the writers are female rather than because they might actually be any good. Also, we've gone for DECADES without viewing all-male-writer seasons with suspicion, surely you can go for a mere seven months with an open heart and mind?
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Post by zahidf on Feb 1, 2018 16:09:35 GMT
Ella Hickson is a writer who has worked at the Almeida before, Sophie Treadwell's play is relatively legendary, and Clare Barron's play is an award winner. It's slightly disturbing that you seem to have genuinely concluded they were all programmed purely because the writers are female rather than because they might actually be any good. Also, we've gone for DECADES without viewing all-male-writer seasons with suspicion, surely you can go for a mere seven months with an open heart and mind? Yeah, especially as the Almeida has been ATROCIOUS in the past with regards to female writers
Assuming its just political correctness seems somewhat unfair
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 16:45:19 GMT
Sometimes people are so used to the status quo being massively slanted in their favour that any slight movement in a more equitable direction feels like it's going over the top in the other direction - so they assume ulterior motives for it.
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Post by martin1965 on Feb 1, 2018 17:44:42 GMT
Hahahaha! I love it when people find something to moan about when presented with what looks like a genuinely refreshing season, it's nice to know there's always consistency on TheatreBoard, and I do love a good laugh. Well its not refreshing for me im afraid. Still saves me some money i guess. |
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Post by profquatermass on Feb 1, 2018 19:06:13 GMT
Struggling to remember if anyone has called the programming of dead white males a fad...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 20:27:22 GMT
I remember Stephen Daldry and Ian MacNeil's NT production of Machinal with Fiona Shaw. The Almeida blurb is pretty spot on so, if that doesn't interest you, I suggest you don't go. I saw that production and had forgotten all about it. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2018 20:36:06 GMT
An extract from one of those scripts suggests the writer has poor editorial skills. Given that the extract has been chosen to attract an audience I wonder what the rest of the play is like. And yes I am banging on about the need for dramaturgs again. Hope I am proven wrong because this is an interesting set of plays overall.
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Post by Jan on Feb 1, 2018 20:54:20 GMT
Sometimes people are so used to the status quo being massively slanted in their favour that any slight movement in a more equitable direction feels like it's going over the top in the other direction - so they assume ulterior motives for it. As an audience member having a male director and a male playwright doesn’t slant anything massively in my favour, I could not care less, there is no benefit to me at all. Likewise I am not bothered if both are female. All I’m bothered about is if their work is good or not. I am truly gender neutral. A couple of these directors are not much good in my experience so I find nothing refreshing in the fact one is female and one is not white. Anyway, as all three directors and the AD are middle-class, privately educated, and Oxbridge educated (and have the same agent) they aren’t doing that much for the cause of diversity. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Feb 1, 2018 21:19:00 GMT
As the press release says "it's a clear focus on female writers" and I also said I don't care if the playwrights are 95% female, as long as it is good, the pass mark should always be on quality, not sex, theatre is leaning that way at the moment, so what's controversial about saying that quality should be the governing factor, when staging a play?
Oh one moment I did also say I am looking forward to seeing Machinal, as it is one of the most famous plays written and published.
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Post by zahidf on Feb 1, 2018 23:13:15 GMT
As the press release says "it's a clear focus on female writers" and I also said I don't care if the playwrights are 95% female, as long as it is good, the pass mark should always be on quality, not sex, theatre is leaning that way at the moment, so what's controversial about saying that quality should be the governing factor, when staging a play? Oh one moment I did also say I am looking forward to seeing Machinal, as it is one of the most famous plays written and published. You referred to it as a 'fad' which is a negative and slightly sneery way of looking at it. Makes it sound like a temporary, insincere thing. Also, why do u think quality will suffer? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 0:09:28 GMT
An extract from one of those scripts suggests the writer has poor editorial skills. I am puzzled by this comment. How are you able to deduce this? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 0:38:22 GMT
An extract from one of those scripts suggests the writer has poor editorial skills. I am puzzled by this comment. How are you able to deduce this? Okay...my honest opinion is that the extract is not very well written. I didn’t want to be impolite. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 8:22:06 GMT
I am puzzled by this comment. How are you able to deduce this? Okay...my honest opinion is that the extract is not very well written. I didn’t want to be impolite. You can see the strength of the writing even from the very short extract of Machinal. The writer is either gifted or spent a lot of time honing each sentence. There is no evidence of this in the other extracts. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 8:22:18 GMT
I am puzzled by this comment. How are you able to deduce this? Okay...my honest opinion is that the extract is not very well written. I didn’t want to be impolite. You can see the strength of the writing even from the very short extract of Machinal. The writer is either gifted or spent a lot of time honing each sentence. There is no evidence of this in the other extracts. |
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Post by popcultureboy on Feb 2, 2018 8:27:32 GMT
As the press release says "it's a clear focus on female writers" and I also said I don't care if the playwrights are 95% female, as long as it is good, the pass mark should always be on quality, not sex, theatre is leaning that way at the moment, so what's controversial about saying that quality should be the governing factor, when staging a play? Oh one moment I did also say I am looking forward to seeing Machinal, as it is one of the most famous plays written and published. I guess what's controversial is you stated the new play they've programmed has you suspecting it's pandering to the gender gap and ticking a box, rather than it might legitimately be good, and that's why it's been programmed. A quick google would have unearthed some great reviews of it from when it was on at Playwright's Horizons. Did you suspect any pandering when Albion was shoehorned in to the previous season? Did that strike you as being programmed for some box ticking? Did you think it might not be any good because a man had written it? Do you now see why your choice of phrasing was a little careless? |
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Post by n1david on Feb 2, 2018 9:46:47 GMT
I am puzzled by this comment. How are you able to deduce this? Okay...my honest opinion is that the extract is not very well written. I didn’t want to be impolite. Is this an extract from the finished play, or an early draft, or just something that was written to advertise what is currently a work in progress? Is it by any means certain that the text in the publicity blurb will actually be in the finished play? |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 10:18:59 GMT
I don't care if the writer, the director or the complete production team are all women so long as there are some hotties in the casts.
And Matthew Needham of course.
#HottiesToo
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 12:09:48 GMT
Okay...my honest opinion is that the extract is not very well written. I didn’t want to be impolite. You can see the strength of the writing even from the very short extract of Machinal. The writer is either gifted or spent a lot of time honing each sentence. There is no evidence of this in the other extracts. Must be a real boon to be able to successfully judge whether a play/playwright is decent or not based on an isolated extract. |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2018 13:32:51 GMT
Must be a real boon to be able to successfully judge whether a play/playwright is decent or not based on an isolated extract. Oh, I think judging someone on the smallest bit of information you have is the only way to do it quite frankly. When you start to know more about them it becomes much harder to do and I do so hate having to back down or eat my words. |
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