Arts Reporting: On Selecting the Season by Adam Roberts, Austin Chronicle, September 13

Adam Roberts collates comments from Andy Berkovsky of City Theatre, Don Toner of Austin Playhouse, Bonnie Cullum of the Vortex Repertory, Ann Ciccolella of Austin Shakespeare, Ken Webster of the Hyde Park Theatre, Ryan Crowder and Nathan Jerkins of Penfold Theatre, Dave Steakley of the Zach Theatre, Norman Blumensaadt of Different Stages and Long Center managing director Paul Beutel:

The Play's the Thing

Nine local directors on the secrets of season selection

by Adam Roberts, Fri., Sept. 14, 2012

So says the book of Ecclesiastes (and the Byrds), "To every thing there is a season." In the theatre, the turning of these seasons can tell us a lot: about theatres and their directors, venues and their audiences, experiences and their reception. Last spring I asked nine directors throughout Austin about the process by which they select their seasons' offerings, the challenges they face during that process, and whether hindsight really is 20/20 – even in programming for theatre. Some of these leaders helm companies that have been around for a lifetime, while others steer much younger organizations. Two will open new venues this season, while others produce itinerantly every year. Point is, Austin's theatre scene is as wide and varied as its geographical layout. Those same variables, though, make for a contextual adventure into the programming minds behind each new season.

Read more at the Austin Chronicle. . . .