Hamlet

What is a pro-shot and how is it different than an adapted film? Pro-shot is an abbreviation for professionally shot, denoting a stage play that was captured in its native habitat: a theatre. In general, a pro-shot seeks to film the exact experience that audience members would have at a live performance of the show, in contrast with a feature film which actually adapts the piece into a new form, including different locations, the removal of theatrical aesthetic, and changes to make the script work as a film as opposed to as a live theatrical show.

This history gives context to the legacies of theatrical dynasties—considered to consist of at least three subsequent generations of theatre creators. In 2026, there is a stigma around any successful professional who follows a parent into their line of work, with this being seen as a pattern of nepotism.

RISING, Melbourne’s winter festival of new art, music and performance, has announced its 2025 program featuring; 65 events, 327 artists, 15 new commissions, 9 world premieres, 5 Australian and 10 Victorian.

Charles Kirsch’s latest Backstage Babble was a fun resurrection of songs from mostly flop shows that quickly failed on Broadway or out of town. The theme was inspired by Joe Allen's “flop wall” of posters from shows that closed in the first week.

Julien's Auctions and Turner Classic Movies has concluded its year-end blockbuster event A WEEK OF HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS. Learn more about the sales here!

Sir Derek Jacobi received the Critic's Circle’s 2023 Rosebowl for Distinguished Service to the Arts. The event took place on November 7th at the National Liberal Club.

Wilder might have written about what would become one of the most famous small towns described in literature, but in fact, fans of the play will never be able to visit Grover's Corners because it is entirely fictional.

The full cast has been announced for the new production of Seán O'Casey's timeless masterpiece, Juno and the Paycock, directed by Tony and Olivier award-winner Matthew Warchus.

The new production of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is set to open on Broadway this fall, featuring a fresh cast and innovative stage design. Get a sneak peek of what to expect from this iconic show.

The Dramatists Guild previously announced that playwright Christopher Durang will receive a Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s ceremony. He will be joined by two additional recipients, George C. Wolfe and Emily Mann.

This time, the reader question was: With The Great Gatsby musicals happening now, are there other examples of musicals about the same subject?

Theatre for a New Audience will present Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending, July 9–August 6 at Polonsky Shakespeare Center. See who is starring, and learn how to purchase tickets!

As rehearsals begin, the Menier Chocolate Factory has announced full casting for the world première of the new musical, The Third Man. Learn more about who is starring in the show here!

As public booking opens, the Menier Chocolate Factory has announced initial casting for the world première of the new musical, The Third Man. Learn more about who will be starring in the show here!

With Marjorie Prime currently running at the company's home base in South London and Funny Girl on Broadway, the Menier Chocolate Factory announced forthcoming programming for 2023. Learn more about the lineup here!

The Greek National Opera has announced its events honoring Maria Callas, the greatest soprano of the 20th century with a series of tributes curated by the Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera Giorgos Koumendakis, taking place from April to December 2023. 

Court Theatre is set to present the third production in its 2022/23 season: Fen by Caryl Churchill; directed by Vanessa Stalling. Fen runs February 10 – March 5, 2023.

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced casting for The Sound of Music, directed by Mark S. Hoebee. The production will feature Ashley Blanchet (Paper Mill’s Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Broadway’s Waitress) as Maria Rainer, and Graham Rowat (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen, Sunset Boulevard) as Captain Georg von Trapp.

Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1938 three-act play OUR TOWN has a superb new iteration now performing at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA through June 4, 2022. Directed by Beth Lopes, the show employs a wonderfully diverse cast, as it re-stages its seemingly ordinary but ultimately impactful vignettes of everyday life.

Crawford again joins forces with pianist Victor Santiago Asunción, and on three tracks with guitarist JIJI, perform a survey of Latin American music that includes works by Leo Brouwer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Guastavino, Manuel Ponce, Egberto Gismonti, and Astor Piazzolla.

Joining Ralph Fiennes (Robert Moses) in the world premiere of David Hare's Straight Line Crazy are Alisha Bailey (Mariah Heller), Samuel Barnett (Ariel Porter), David Bromley (Stamford Fergus), Al Coppola (Walter McQuade), Siobhán Cullen (Finnuala Connell), Ian Kirkby (Lewis Mumford), Alana Maria (Shirley Hayes), Dani Moseley (Carol Ames), Guy Paul (Henry Vanderbilt), Helen Schlesinger (Jane Jacobs), Mary Stillwaggon Stewart (Nicole Sawyer) and Danny Webb (Governor Al Smith).

The Stratford Festival is overcome with grief at the death of Martha Henry, just 12 days after her final tour-de-force performance in Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women. The grief of her colleagues is matched only by their gratitude for her unparalleled contributions to Canadian theatre.

On 15 March 1938, Adolf Hitler announced the “Anschluss”, Austria’s annexation into Nazi Germany, at Vienna’s Heldenplatz to cheers from the crowds. 50 years later, the Schusters, a Jewish family, gather with their closest friends at an apartment near Heldenplatz.

Today (October 30) in live streaming: Find out who made the Top 5 on Next On Stage, Christina Bianco sings at Birdland, and so much more!

BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!