"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
I will miss this show so much. I loved the critics forums and looked forward to them each year. However, I appreciate that Susan Haskins wanted to keep it about the art. Thank you 25 years of great discussions, Susan!!
Ugh. I hope Patrick, Michael, Jesse, and Elizabeth can still come together every now and then to discuss the season. Loved this show....
In our millions, in our billions, we are most powerful when we stand together. TW4C unwaveringly joins the worldwide masses, for we know our liberation is inseparably bound.
Signed,
Theater Workers for a Ceasefire
https://theaterworkersforaceasefire.com/statement
This is a statement from Susan Haskins: (from the Theatre Talk Facebook Page)
A STATEMENT FROM SUSAN HASKINS follows:
On Thursday, I voted in the New York State primary and after I scanned my ballot, Brian, the poll watcher, asked me when Theater Talk was coming back in the fall. “It’s not,” I told him and I realized that I just broke the story that I had yet to share with almost anyone else.
As many already know, we left our longtime studio, CUNY TV, at the end of last season. The new Interim Executive Director there no longer felt comfortable giving our independent production a berth at CUNY TV without taking over editorial and creative control. That didn’t work for us, so we moved on.
Over the past few months, my co-Executive Producer Steve Doloff and I looked for a producing partnership elsewhere that offered us both great production services we could afford and that essential creative and editorial control. Nothing we explored fit the bill.
However, as the summer progressed, I realized that I could also step back from doing a weekly program and instead take advantage of Theater Talk Productions’ archive. We have amassed a remarkable twenty-six and a half years of conversations with theater greats and the time has come to focus on doing something more special with them beyond making them available on YouTube at www.theatertalk.org.
It has been my privilege to create the weekly Theater Talk for so long, including 22 years on Thirteen/WNET and 11 seasons nationally distributed by Executive Program Services in a producing partnership with CUNY TV. People tell me that the series made a difference and I like to think that is true. (Also, it was an honor to be nominated for three NY Emmys over the last four years and to win one in 2017 as the “Best Interview/Discussion Show.&rdquo
We are grateful to all who supported us both with their funds and others with just caring so much about the program. I’d like to extend special appreciation to director/actor Stephen Ahern who made it possible for Michael Riedel and I to begin this work in the first place on public access television back in 1993.
My thanks also goes to all my other cohosts: Jesse Green, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Jason Zinoman of The New York Times, Michael Musto of NewNowNext, Adam Feldman of TimeOut New York, actor Julie Halston, Donna Hanover of Arts in The City, playwright/producer Warren Leight, Jan Simpson of BroadwayRadio, as well as Gordon Cox of Variety and Nancy Giles of CBS News Sunday Morning. Theater Talk succeeded because of the intelligence and wit they brought to the series all these years (as well as the glorious efforts of our production crew at CUNY TV).
Working in the theater is a labor of love. I am lucky (to quote the musical [title of show])to have been and still be “Part of It All.”
Thank you, Susan
PS “The Best of Theater Talk” will continue on WNET/WLIW through the last week of October.
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
Oh my God, with a million different outlets, someone must be able to pick this show up. With Reidel or without, we need a weekly show about the theatre.
This really bums me out. I loved watching Theatre Tallk, particularly the season previews and wrap-ups.
"Oh look at the time, three more intelligent plays just closed and THE ADDAMS FAMILY made another million dollars" -Jackie Hoffman, Broadway.com Audience Awards
Not to sound demeaning or condescending, but if Broadway.com can produce daily and weekly episodes of their series, surely someone can help find Theater Talk a new home. Even if it were in the smallest possible way by being a podcast or something. I looked forward to these, especially the season previews, wrap-ups, and the Tony-related episodes.
I'm sad to see this go, but Riedel's presence was essential to the show. He could be obnoxious or worse on occasion, but usually he behaved himself, and most importantly he knew how to drive the conversation. Haskins and her talented co-hosts could not do that this past year. (And it's especially hard when there are 3-4 guests + 2 cohosts...that's a lot of people trying to talk during a 20-minute time period.)
God, if all we have left is The Frank DiLella Show Starring Frank DiLella, we're screwed.
Suggesting YouTube or Broadway.com take on their show omits a key factor: those are both revenue-based. Broadway.com produces content solely to drive business to their ticket-selling arm. And producing on YouTube, they'd have to take on advertising to produce the show or put it on that YouTube Red, unless they find a benefactor willing to put up the cost. YouTube might be a better fit, but they'd have to justify the cost when who knows who'd be willing to take that on.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008