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07/15/2021 12:01 AMAbbreviated Yale Season: The Yale Rep will reopen in January 2022 and offer a three play season. The first show since March 2020 is a comedy Today Is My Birthday, Jan. 27 to Feb. 19, followed by Choir Boy, which includes a cappella performance, from March 31 to April 23. The season ends with Between Two Knees, described as the first play written by the acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe, The 1491s,. It runs May 12 to June 4. Tickets will go on sale in the fall. For more information visit yalerep.org.
Ivoryton Changes: After Equity announced changes in its regulations (see below), Ivoryton Playhouse said that vaccinated audience members will not be required to wear masks, though they can if they wish. The theater will still use social distancing. Its first production, Murder for Two, runs through Sunday, Aug. 1.
From Outdoor to Indoor: Playhouse on Park has had to relocate its new Connecticut Shakespeare Festival from Auerfarm in Bloomfield to the Playhouse in West Hartford. Apparently, the farm is not permitted under zoning regulations to host such events. The schedule remains the same. A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs through Saturday, July 17 and Into the Woods from Wednesday, July 28 to Sunday, Aug. 22. The two Theatre for Young Audiences productions will also be at the Playhouse: Shakespeare 4 Kids: Dream Scheme through Sunday, July 18 and Snow White from Saturday, July 31 to Sunday, Aug. 22. The lobby and patio will open two hours before each performance. Also, ticket holders can pre-order meals to enjoy on the theater’s patio. For tickets and information, visit PlayhouseOnPark.org or ConnecticutShakespeareFestival.org.
Tuition Free: Thanks to a $150 million contribution from producer and philanthropist David Geffen, students entering Yale School of Drama will not have to pay tuition. This makes Yale the first tuition-free drama school in the U.S. The school has been renamed the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University. In 2005, an anonymous donor allowed Yale’s School of Music to become tuition-free.
Equity Changes: As the pandemic changes, theaters and Equity, the actor’s union, have announced additional changes in safety guidelines. Some relate specifically to the casts and staff which now include guidelines for “fully vaccinated” companies with eased testing requirements. Audience members do not need to be masked with a fully vaccinated company, though specific theaters may continue to use precautions as they see fit.
Bushnell Gets Funding: Hartford’s Bushnell Theater has received $5.75 million through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants program to help the theater recover from the pandemic. The Bushnell will reopen in the fall. It features tours of Broadway shows as well as concerts and lectures. It is the performing venue for the Hartford Symphony.
Sharon Playhouse: If you want to explore northwestern Connecticut, plan to schedule a visit to Sharon Playhouse, which is offering a number of drive-in concerts and patio cabaret performances. The cabaret series offers both dinner and brunch options. The best way to see what is happening and when, since it is changing, is to visit SharonPlayhouse.org.
New York Notes: The revival of The Music Man has a new lead producer after the departure of disgraced Scott Rudin. Kate Horton is now executive producer of the show, which stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster and that begins previews in December. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will reopen on Broadway, but with a big change. The show was originally in two parts; now it has been rewritten to be a single show. In part, the change will allow for commercially feasible tours. The show reopens on Broadway on Nov. 16. Norm Lewis and Michael Urie will star in the comedy Chicken and Biscuits, a family comedy/drama, which begins performances on Broadway on Sept. 23. Ephraim Sykes has withdrawn from the cast of MJ, the Michael Jackson Musical scheduled to begin previews in December. Sykes was to play Jackson, but scheduling conflicts made it impossible. Broadway newcomer Myles Frost is taking the role.
Karen Isaacs is an East Haven resident. To check out her reviews for New York and Connecticut shows, visit 2ontheaisle.wordpress.com. She’s a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle, New York’s Outer Critics Circle, the League of Professional Theater Women and the American Theatre Critics Association.