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Daniel Marmion, Joshua Castille, Jimmy Bellinger, Austin McKenzie, Joseph Haro and Daniel Durant in Deaf West’s "Spring Awakening" (photo by Tate Tullier)

Offscript: Awake & Online

“It’s the bitch of living.” Except not really. In this episode of Offscript, we talk to arts reporter Linda Buchwald about “Spring Awakening” at Deaf West Theatre, which uses deaf actors and sign language to add a new dimension to the Duncan Sheik/Steven Sater musical about teenage desires in 19th-century Germany. Plus our editors argue over gender parity and the politics of representation.

Every other week, the editors of American Theatre curate a free-ranging discussion about the lively arts.

This week’s episode looks back at the online reaction to our lists of the coming season’s Top 11 plays and Top 20 playwrights, especially through the lens of gender parity and racial and ethnic inclusion (topics touched on in recent American Theatre stories, here and here). We also preview Nicole Serratore’s upcoming November issue round-up of intriguing American work at the recent Edinburgh Fringe; Serratore (of Mildly Bitter fame) also contributed a popular Top 10 list from the fest.

In a lengthier peek at a November issue feature, managing editor Suzy Evans sits down with contributing writer Linda Buchwald to talk about Deaf West‘s moving new rendition of the musical Spring Awakening, which incorporates sign language and being deaf into the show’s direction.

Finally, editors Diep Tran, Suzy Evans, and Rob Weinert-Kendt offer recommendations: Diep endorses the Pig Pen Theatre Company’s The Old Man and the Old Moon, the subject of a recent Design Notebook, currently running at New York’s New Victory Theater (and in November at ArtsEmerson); Suzy thinks folks should check out the New York Philharmonic’s concert production of Sweeney Todd, starring Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett (you can watch the broadcast here); and Rob counts himself a fan of the new Roundabout production of Tom Stoppard’s Indian Ink with Rosemary Harris, Firdous Bamji and Romola Garai.

Download the episode here. Subscribe via iTunes or RSS.

 

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