Spotlight On Plays returns 10/14 with Patti LuPone, Morgan Freeman, Laurie Metcalf, Laura Linney & More

[Jordan Catalano]

There's some excellent plays in this group, I'm VERY excited about "Boston Marriage" - I love that one. This series is so well done, so I'm thrilled to have 7 more of them to look forward to and at only $5 each (or more, since it's pay what you can) it's a great deal.

Link

[Owen22]

Paul Mescal in This Is Our Youth and Constance Wu in Vanya are my anticipated Zoom-theatre porn!

[Alex Kulak2]

Paula Vogel tweeted about this lineup and she is not a fan...

https://twitter.com/VogelPaula/status/1313987440621883393

[LightsOut90]

it is insanely tone-deaf

 

two plays by David "The left is killing America and god bless Trump" Mamet and Neil "No theater will touch his work" LaBute 

 

yikes

[Jordan Catalano]

So what is Vogel going to do about it? Is she doing readings? It’s not like these 7 readings have some monopoly on the market - anyone can do these. If she’s not happy, have her make some phone calls and set up a zoom call and broadcast it - honestly right now it ain’t that hard.

[Tag]

^She's busy hating on Twitter from her couch.

[Jordan Catalano]

Complaining about these readings is ridiculous and lazy on the part of someone who can actually provide the content they’re saying they want to see.

[LightsOut90]

She has been for several months and has two more coming up, really not hard to do a google search 

http://paulavogelplaywright.com/bardatthegate

[Alex Kulak2]

I can't stand people who say they "hate" David Mamet or any other playwright for that matter. David Mamet has done nothing to Paula Vogel besides write plays she chose to read and didn't like.

[LightsOut90]

Because Mamet is a bigot and a misogynist who literally today rambled some insane nonsense about how the left is afraid of Trump and how they are destroying the country...why are we still giving such promenant space to someone whose last relevant play was 20 years ago especially after we just spent 6 months yelling about representation in the theater? 

Also what basis do you have for what personal and professional interactions they have had? are you a mind reader? 

[Jordan Catalano]

LightsOut90 said: "She has been for several months and has two more coming up, really not hard to do a google search

http://paulavogelplaywright.com/bardatthegate"

 

Well first off I had no idea these happened so there would be no reason for me to google, even if you think you “got me there”. Also, since she’s doing her own thing why is she mad that other people are doing theirs, too? As for the Mamet stuff these are being produced by one of Mamet’s friends so that explains that.

 

 

[LightsOut90]

Because she is actually per her mission statement trying to curate under produced plays and under represented writers. For one of the most powerful producers on Broadway to in 10 pieces not select one by a single women is a red flag and for only one to be by a non-white writer is wildly tone deaf considering the conversations being had in the last 7 months

 

and it wasn't a gotcha it was showing how rude you are being by assuming she has been lazy and ridiculous when she HAS been doing exactly what you accuse her of not, shes not doing this on an ego trip like Jeffrey Richards is. That line up is some of the hackiest and boring and milqtoast play choices (outside of Barbecue which in terms of Roberts plays is by far his weakest) and its is incredibly disconcerting that this is one of the guys who is going to "save Broadway" save it for who? I don't want Broadway saved if this is the same boring noise we are going to come back to

[Jordan Catalano]

Really not sure why you want to start a fight over something so ridiculous but if you or anyone else don’t like this lineup of shows you can simply not pay money and not watch them and you’ll be just as complete a person as you were before you knew they were happening.

[LightsOut90]

Its only ridiculous to you because you are clearly not impacted by being under-represented and your ignorence is very disappointing dude 

 

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Again - we are talking about zoom readings of plays. If these were shows taking up actual real estate it would be an argument maybe worth having but this is ridiculous.

[LightsOut90]

You really think he doesn't have the rights for some of these titles ready for a Broadway revival? or as the original producer of them he doesn't benefit in some way by featuring them....

also while it is "only zoom readings of plays" think of how high profile readings like this affect script sales, potential licensing for other Zoom readings, potential other oppritunities for the writers being presented 

you have boiled all this down to a very simple level without really considering what sort of message it sends when again one of the biggest producers on Broadway programs like this...it comes across as ignoring what people have been saying for months about under-representation on Broadway, this guy can producer or get pretty much anyone to do his plays and this is the material? No Anne Washburn, no Brandon Jacobs Jenkins, no Martyna Majok, Bess Wohl?

I mean really RACE? and its a big flag when it is missing Kerry Washington and James Spader.... 

[LightsOut90]

And one other point...

Stuff like this sucks the oxygen out of the room, seriously who else is getting these press releases run on freaking Deadline? It crushes space for smaller companies and organizations to be visable and promoted

[Jordan Catalano]

Damn you really got feelings about zoom readings being done to benefit The Actors Fund. Don’t know what else to tell you other than don’t watch since they bother you so much.

[LightsOut90]

Jesus you really are as miserable as you are ignorant, complete and totally

[Jordan Catalano]

Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you but didn’t want to be a nasty f*ck.

[Wallman2]

Glad to see that three women directors are involved in the seven plays....that's not a bad percentage. Of  course, that's probably not good enough for Ms. Vogel who'd like 7 out of the 7.   I like the selection of plays, it's diverse and represents some of our best writers.  These are Benefits for the Actors Fund,  and because they are Benefits the selections are probably tailored to secure the widest audience.  I am especially looking forward to seeing  the original company of "Time Stands Still" again- they were so marvelous.  Donald Margulies is one of our undervalued playwrights.

[Wesman702]

Even a little bit of the wit and intelligence of "The Best Man" will be welcome in this campaign season. Love the cast- Malkovich, Freeman, Rashad, Quinto, Broderick...wonder who Stacy Keach and Reed Birney are playing. And I think Vanessa Williams should be wonderful in this. It's too bad Gore Vidal didn't write more plays-- wish I could have seen "An Evening With Richard Nixon", a play which didn't have a long life at the Shubert Theatre in the 70's.
I happen to think the slate of plays is well-chosen--- hope the Actors Fund does well with this.

[Anakela]

I think the NYT headline is a little disingenuous, to claim 'more' when the original number was zero, (yes I know it's technically 'more' ), but there are now four spring 2021 readings of plays by women. 

More Plays, More Stars and More Women in Latest ‘Spotlight’ Series