PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Union Service"

For 12 weeks, Paden Fallis posed one question each week to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds in an effort to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working processes. In this second series, an expanded group of actors explores where their art fits into the larger cultural context. ACTORS’ ROUNDTABLE: UNION SERVICE If the opportunity arose, would you consider being an elected official in either actor’s union—Equity or SAG/AFTRA? My interest is this: would the work as a union rep reward you in your ability to advocate for your fellow actors’ rights, or would it take you further away from your craft, as you became more invested in the business and politics of acting, and less in the artistic pursuit? Give it a shot. - Paden Fallis, Performing Arts Contributing Editor

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PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Consensus"

For 12 weeks, Paden Fallis posed one question each week to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds in an effort to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working processes. In this second series of 12, an expanded group of actors explores where their art fits into the larger cultural context. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: CONSENSUS I saw an interview with a world-famous comic, and he said that if he tells the same joke in four different cities and gets a good response in each city, then he knows he has a good joke. I, on the other hand, think that consensus is a mortal enemy of art. Me or the world famous comic? Your thoughts, please. - Paden Fallis, Performing Arts Contributing Editor

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PHOTOGRAPHY: Jordan Matter's 'Dancers Among Us' Book Earns Applause

Last fall, stated’s Thomas V. Hartmann interviewed photographer Jordan Matter and got an inside look into his “Dancers Among Us” project, both in words and pictures. As you’ll see in the video above, the project captures professional dancers in extraordinary moments in otherwise ordinary situations.

Three years in the making, Workman Press has just released Dancers Among Us: A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday, a print compilation of Matter’s photos. As Matter shares on his his blog, it’s been getting quite a warm reception, reaching #1 on Reddit, #1 in “Individual Artists” (and #54 overall) on Amazon.com, and picking up coverage from ABC World News, CBS’ The Insider, and others.

Congratulations to Jordan on his success with Dancers Among Us. Be sure to check out our full interview and photoshoot on stated and purchase the book at Amazon and other booksellers.

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PERFORMANCE: The Actors' Roundtable: "Talkbacks"

For 12 weeks, Paden Fallis posed one question each week to a group of professional working actors from a variety of backgrounds in an effort to dig a bit deeper into their artistic working processes. In this second series of 12, an expanded group of actors explores where their art fits into the larger cultural context. ACTOR’S ROUNDTABLE: TALKBACKS A “talkback” of sorts happened on January 5th, 1935 in New York City. The Group Theatre was performing Clifford Odet’s Waiting for Lefty to an unsuspecting audience. As Group member Harold Clurman recalls in his book, The Fervent Years, this performance was an event “to be noted in the annals of American theatre.” Actor and audience became one, as the audience hung on every word, shouting their approval, applauding, whistling, and cajoling as they became caught up in the show before them. They left the theatre unified, inspired by what they had just seen, eager to enact change in the world around them.  We have talkbacks today as well. From where I stand, they are soulless, contrived, and add nothing to the experience. However, they have become a staple in modern theatre. If there is a show, there must be a “talkback” scheduled afterwards for the patrons to ask any and all questions of the actors and design team. These talkbacks appear to be with us until the bitter end. So, help me here. How do we fix talkbacks? Or, do they need fixing? - Paden Fallis, Performing Arts Contributing Editor

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Scenic Designers' Roundtable: Images of Magnificence

			Over the course of four weeks, scenic designer David Gallo will pose one question each week to a group of some of the top designers working in theatre and entertainment today. The hope is to scratch beneath the surface to glean some insights into these working artists’ artistic processes. SCENIC DESIGNERS’ ROUNDTABLE: IMAGES OF MAGNIFICENCE The great American designer Robert Edmund Jones challenged the youth to “keep in your souls some images of magnificence”. What have you done or seen lately that filled your soul with magnificence? - David Gallo, Performing Arts / Design Contributing Editor

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