by Doug Dreisbach | Aug 13, 2019 | ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
Hype Man is one of Actors Theatre of Louisville’s production for the 2019-2020 season. The hip-hop centric drama touches on issues of race, class and music. Here’s what playwright Idris Goodwin had to say Actors’ resident dramaturg, Hannah Rae Montgomery.
Hannah Rae Montgomery: What inspired you to write Hype Man?
Idris Goodwin: On a basic level, Hype Man is about a band. It’s a workplace drama, the business just happens to be rap music.
Hype Man is the latest of my “break beat plays.” I made a commitment, starting with How We Got On (which premiered in the 2012 Humana Festival), to write a series of plays about hip-hop. And I don’t just mean that the plays feature rap. They’re also investigating how the invention of hip-hop has affected America, our relationships to one another around issues of race, and the importance of this music for young people trying to find a voice. Hype Man addresses questions like: what does it mean to be an ally? If you’re participating in an art form that came from protest movements and represented the disenfranchised, do you have a responsibility to honor those roots?
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by Doug Dreisbach | Jul 24, 2019 | ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
Labor Day barbecue menus haven’t even been planned yet, but already we’re ramping up for Halloween. The U.S.’s second-favorite holiday (spending for it falls behind only our spree at Christmas) seems to get our attention earlier each year. And if you live in Louisville, the first whiffs of pumpkin spice means one thing: Fifth Third Bank’s “Dracula” is stirring, ready to storm from the cave for a flight and a bite at Actors Theatre of Louisville.
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by Doug Dreisbach | Jul 16, 2019 | ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
May I confess here that my relationship to Johnny Cash has always been a bit on the cold side? I grew up in the ’60s in a home where Hee Haw was forced on my pre-teen self the way some kids were routinely dosed with cod liver oil. Neither leaves a pleasant taste when you’re 6 and would rather suck on Dum Dums and turn the dial to whatever is on Channel 41.
In fact, no one who might have appeared on either side of Grandpa Jones’ reciting the components of the night’s dinner menu, or who might sit in for a robust interlude of picking and grinning, stood much chance of being endeared to me.
“Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash” reminds me of how much I’ve missed over the years.
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by Doug Dreisbach | Jul 8, 2019 | ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE, Uncategorized
Are you ready for this summer to get hotter? Actors Theatre of Louisville has just the ticket—or two, so you can favorite theatergoer with you—with “Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash.” The musical review presents the best known and loved songs by the Man in Black.
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by Doug Dreisbach | Apr 16, 2019 | ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
Inspired by the New Voices Playwriting Residency, the New Voices Young Playwrights Festival is fully produced by Actors Education and the Professional Training Company. By harnessing the wildly creative resources under its roof, Actors Theatre Education provides an opportunity where young people of all backgrounds are invited to see plays and make plays. (more…)
by Doug Dreisbach | Mar 11, 2019 | ACTORS THEATRE OF LOUISVILLE
Robert Barry Fleming will join Actors Theatre of Louisville as Artistic Director. The appointment was announced Monday by Mac Thompson, President of the Board of Directors, and Managing Director Kevin E. Moore. Fleming comes to Louisville by way of Cleveland where he serves as Associate Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House; previously, he was the Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. His tenure at Actors Theatre begins June 1, 2019.
Fleming will be the theatre’s fifth Artistic Director, joining a lineage of distinguished leaders who have guided this nationally-recognized theatre. He comes to the appointment with a varied portfolio and substantial experience as an artistic leader, producer, director, choreographer, performer, teacher and coach. Fleming is also a native Kentuckian raised in the state capitol of Frankfort, about an hour from Actors Theatre in downtown Louisville. (more…)
Hype Man is one of Actors Theatre of Louisville’s production for the 2019-2020 season. The hip-hop centric drama touches on issues of race, class and music. Here’s what playwright Idris Goodwin had to say Actors’ resident dramaturg, Hannah Rae Montgomery.
