Mondays are Dark

It's a varied reading list this week: enjoy!

Merit Vs. Math
The Artful Manager examines the current struggle between arts funding and the need for government to cut spending.

...it's not necessarily that the programs up for cuts aren't successful (at least, according to the rhetoric), they're just swimming in the tiny 'discretionary spending' puddle that's politically expedient to cut.

Ultimately, arguing about the merits of the project won't help; we need to work to lower the cost of the "untouchable" budget items to make room for other causes, including the arts.

Fire from the Sky
The Miami Herald sits down with The Promethean Theatre Company as the troupe enters its seventh season.

The Davie-based troupe is poised to begin its seventh season this weekend with the world premiere of Juan C. Sanchez’s The Bearded Lover, a play about three fire-scarred sisters set in small-town Cuba in 1953. This is Promethean’s third world premiere by its resident playwright, underscoring its commitment to new work and a particular writer. But at the same time, the story of Promethean’s founding, evolution and nimble survival during such lean years for all small arts groups is also an inspiring drama.

Penumbral
While we wait for the reviews to come out, The Fort Lauderdale Theatre Examiner tells us about Eclipsed, which opened Thursday at The Women's Theatre Project.  It was The Herald's Stage Pick last week.

Say, Anybody Seen Nick?
If you've been wondering what South Florida actor Nick Duckart has been up to, The Naples News Stage Door reports that he's been cast in the Gulfshore Playhouse production of Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.

A Weekend of Women and Song
Broadway World tells us about RESPECT, playing at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts,  while The Miami Herald tells us about Ella, playing at The Parker Playhouse.

Celebrity Bartenders?
Palm Beach DramaWorks reports that it is holding an interesting fundraiser; a Celebrity Bartending event.  So who'd they get?  Well, click through and find out.

But Wait, There's More!
Tiles, Mosaic Theatre's Blog reports that the company has been selling out shows... But Wait, There's More: they've added performances to the schedule to give you an opportunity to see it!   But Wait, There's Still More: playwright Martin Casella was so impressed with the notices that he re-arranged his schedule to see the show.  Now how much would you pay?  But Wait, There's More: he's agreed to participate in a talkback after the show, before he flies out that evening.

Speaking of Critics
The Naples News Stage Door notes that South Florida critics might have liked the national tour of West Side Story a little bit more than the Southwest Florida contingent did when it played in Fort Myers.

Don't Feel Like a Twit about Twitter
Do you feel like you "don't get" Twitter?  Are you wondering how to effectively make use of this microblogging tool?  The Minnesota Playlist has a great article about how to get Twitter working for you.

...for theaters who are not only in the business of putting on shows, but in the business of audience building (all of you, right?), social media is a miracle for anyone with little to no PR budget. Social media offers free, direct access to the audience you already have as well as to the potential audience members. Like actors to free food, theaters should flock en mass to social media.

Michael Hall Returns
The Palm Beach Post reports that Michael Hall returns to The Caldwell Theatre to direct Next Fall.  The Tony-nominated play by Geoffery Naufft started previewing on Sunday, and will open this Friday, February 25.

Hall had seen (the play) by chance when it was off-Broadway. Frequent Caldwell actress Pat Nesbit had suggested it, because she once toured the country with Naufft in Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues.
“So we went, not knowing anything about it,” recalls Hall. “At intermission, we just kind of looked at each other, saying, ‘Wow, this is wonderful,’ and Hall began trying to acquire the performance rights for the Caldwell.

BroadwayWorld gives us the cast list, the design team, and more about the play, and Michael Hall:

"It is a play that I have such a passion for and when you combine that with the dream cast I was able to assemble, it's just a perfect scenario to come back to."

A good script, a powerful cast, and Michael Hall; sounds like a winner to me.