Theatre Chat on NPR

Here's a 30 minute discussion on WNYC's Leonard Lopate show between Paula Vogel, Bartlett Sher, and Denver Theatre Center's AD Kent Thompson on What's the Deal with Regional Theatre??? Or something like that.

Mildly interesting. But I'm torn. On the one hand, yay for Lopate even devoting this much air time to a theatre discussion in the mainstream media not promoting "Grease." These are three smart, formidable theatre artists who--though quite successful and well known to theatre geeks--are not household names. On the other hand: how do you have a 30 minute discussion about regional theatre vs New York without ever broaching the difference between nonprofit and commercial economics? (i.e. never defining whether "New York theatre" just means Broadway, and never clarifying that most "Off Broadway" is nonprofit.)

But I guess I found it more valuable than Mike Daisey, who likens the conversation to "listening to the activity director on the aft deck of the Titanic discuss what we'll be working on during this first exciting translatlantic journey."