American Theatre

The executive director of TYA/USA, Sara Morgulis, makes the case for building the audiences of tomorrow by serving them and their needs today and highlights community-building initiatives across the country. 

From the fall 2026 print issue: The in-demand director Sammi Cannold chats about her upcoming musicals in Southern California, what theatre can learn from Olympic ceremonies, and the wild art that captivates her. www.americantheatre.org/2026/10/27/p...

In staging a new opera by Mizzy Mazzoli, based on George Saunders’s popular novel, the busy director known for her “minimalist maximalist aesthetic” and being a “master of curating chaos” has brought along some frequent collaborators, as well as plenty of life-and-death questions.

Do you have an upcoming world premiere? We want to hear from you! Submit to our new form for submissions if you have a new work premiering in the U.S. to be included in What Else is New, our monthly roundup of world premieres.

Poured my whole soul into this piece for @americantheatre.org I'm forever grateful to the Iranian artists who shared their words and experiences as we navigate deep anger and grief.

Our latest awards roundup highlights Victoria Clark, who received the Sarah Siddons Society Award; Onyekachi Iwu, winner of Vineyard’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award; Joriah Kwamé, the Stephen Schwartz Award winner; the L.A. New Play Project winners, and more. www.americantheatre.org/2026/10/22/s...

As Soul Rep Theatre Company’s SPUNK opens this week in Dallas, we look back on this fascinating cover story from 1990 about a moment in which Zora Neale Hurston, the queen of the Harlem Renaissance, had a theatrical comeback.   https://f.mtr.cool/l48ys9z4wy

Read Smauel Buggeln's essay on non-literal casting, then read our new book of plays from The Cherry Collective! www.bloomsbury.com/global-theat...

Ithaca, N.Y.’s Cherry Arts produces new international plays in translation in a smaller market. Its artistic director, Samuel Buggeln, argues for a practice they've employed: non-literal casting.

The 3-day Terrence McNally Festival in Austin will include readings of five new American plays, an academic symposium, and a revival of McNally’s landmark play CORPUS CHRISTI by the Rude Mechs.

In our summer 2026 print edition, Iranian theatre artists share how they are creating (or not) while holding space for grief, solidarity, and hope amid ongoing war.

In this month’s education newsletter, Allison reflects on Milo Cramer’s musical vignettes of former students he tutored and rounds up what teachers hope their students remember the most about them.

Even masters once made rookie mistakes. In an excerpt from seasoned Shakespeare teacher Scott Kaiser’s new book, he recounts his youthful stab at one of the Bard’s great villains, and what he’s since learned.

A newly launched lab at Lincoln Center Theater supported by the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation will support the work of James Ijames, Martyna Majok, Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, and others.

A new annual festival of performances of Thornton Wilder’s play THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINER will be launched this holiday season and be seen across theatres, high schools, and colleges nationally. www.americantheatre.org/2026/10/13/t...

From the fall 2026 print edition: Regan Linton reimagines Roosevelt as an openly disabled role model in FDR'S VERY HAPPY HOUR, an immersive new play now running at Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

GOOD TIME CHARLIE, Ryan J. Haddad’s first full ensemble play at the Public, tells the bittersweet intergenerational story of the theatre-loving gay relative who helped nurture his stage love—and paved the way for him. www.americantheatre.org/2026/10/08/p...

A nonprofit turnaround specialist makes an evidence-based case for spinning off mission-driven new work from theatres’ board-supported mainstage programming. www.americantheatre.org/2026/10/07/n...

This month in theatre history: A notorious play draws protests, a theatre impresario expands his empire, Off-Off-Broadway mainstay La MaMa ETC gets its start, and more.

Novid Parsi, the author of an intriguing meta-play THE LIFE YOU GAVE ME, the full script of which appears in our Fall 2026 issue, talks about its inspirations and its unique form with director Kimberly Senior. 

In celebration of Spiderwoman Theater’s 50th anniversary, this global festival brings Indigenous artists to NYC, featuring work from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Minneapolis.

Declining full season subscriptions look like a shift in what patrons want. Look closer, and it’s usually a shift in what we’ve been selling them, says Nave Strategies principal J.L. Nave. 

Our second awards roundup this month includes the Ming Cho Lee Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Terrence McNally Award, the cell's newest artist-in-residencies, and more!

As Red Bull Theater’s production of HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE a The Public Theater starts this week, look back on our People to Watch interview with actor/writer Jacob Ming-Trent from last year.

According to Stage Raw’s Steven Leigh Morris, in assessing the state of Southern California’s sprawling theatre scene, contradictions emerge between struggle and success, and the draw of new plays. In any case, theatre hasn't died. 

Theater Alliance, IN Series, and 4EYE Film Center will lead and share Revada Arts Center, a new arts hub and gathering space designed in the spirit of solidarity economics.

In his check-in on Atlanta theatre, ArtsATL editor-at-large Jim Farmer reports on field-wide and region-specific challenges: changing audience behavior, dwindling philanthropic support, a space scramble, and pushes for equitable theatre.

Associate editor Daniella Ignacio's report from the D.M.V. area shows that local theatremakers are surviving and striving, from programming that taps into the political zeitgeist to more spaces dedicated to new work, and speaking out.