London The Hunger Games Play Will Get New Cast for 2nd Year

Playbill: May the odds be ever in the favor of the new slate of actors readying to join The Hunger Games stage play in London's West End! The world premiere stage adaptation of the first novel in Suzanne Collins' epic, dystopian book series will get a new cast for the second year of its run at the purpose-built, in-the-round Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre.

Zama Magudulela Will Join THE LION KING Tour as Rafiki

www.broadwayworld.com: The North American tour of Disney’s The Lion King will welcome Zama Magudulela as Rafiki. Magudulela will begin performances on Tuesday, January 13 in Sacramento at the Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center, where the award-winning musical begins a three-week return engagement on Wednesday, January 7 and plays through Sunday, January 25, 2026.

Cast Away: Casting Directors’ Challenges Amid the Great Contraction

AMERICAN THEATRE: It’s no secret that arts workers are facing unique difficulties right now. In April, the Writers Guild of America reported that over 1,300 TV writing jobs were lost in the 2023-24 season, with 37 percent fewer episodic series in production compared to 2022-23. TV and film productions are increasingly moving abroad to bring down costs.

Stage Manager Bryan Bauer Says Typical Recasting Model Doesn't Hold True for Oh, Mary!

Playbill: It's been an exciting few years for Bryan Bauer, the production stage manager for Cole Escola's megahit Broadway comedy Oh, Mary!, which continues to play to sold-out crowds at the Lyceum Theatre. Bauer has been with the Mary Todd Lincoln-themed farce since its record-breaking, much-extended Off-Broadway bow at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and was an integral part of the transfer uptown, where the cast is currently led by Tony winner Jane Krakowski, Drama Desk nominee Cheyenne Jackson, and Tony nominee John-Andrew Morrison.

Casting directors of ‘English,’ ‘Boop!,’ ‘Buena Vista Social Club’ and more receive nominations for Artios Awards

www.broadwaynews.com: The Casting Society (CSA) has announced nominations for the 41st annual Artios Awards. The winners of the 40th awards, which honor achievement in casting in theater, film and television, will be named at concurrent ceremonies at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, the Edison Ballroom in New York and a London venue to be announced, on Feb. 26, 2026.

2,400 People Sign Letter Decrying Maybe Happy Ending Casting Decision

Playbill: Maybe Happy Ending's decision to replace lead actor Darren Criss with Andrew Barth Feldman has continued to provoke responses throughout the theatre community. The latest: an open letter written by Tony Award winner BD Wong and signed by over 2,400 people, many of them theatre artists, including two-time Tony winner Donna Murphy, and Tony winners Francis Jue, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Ali Stroker.

Identity-Conscious Casting

HowlRound Theatre Commons: In 2014, Lavina Jadhwani, a text-based director and adaptor in Chicago, wrote a piece for HowlRound about color-conscious casting after directing a production of Duchess of Malfi. In the years since, Lavina has shifted to using the term “identity-conscious casting,” because she believes identity contains multitudes and race is just one part of that. In this conversation, Lavina sits down with Victor Vazquez, founder and casting director of X Casting NYC, to chat about the realities of casting in theatre, moving beyond the concepts of color-blind and color-conscious casting, and more.

Casting Controversy with 'Little Shop' Leads to Anti-Whitewashing Policies at University

OnStage Blog: Last month, furor erupted within the theatre department at Bowling Green State University in OH over the casting of its production of “Little Shop of Horrors”. The controversy arose when the director of the production cast three white actresses as understudies for the roles of Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, known as the “urchins”.

Vigilance Theater Group adds spooky new voice to Pittsburgh immersive theater scene

Theater Reviews + Features | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper: Sean Collier is known for a lot of things —– he’s a writer, comedian, and host of both radio and podcast shows. Now he adds another credit to his resumé: theatrical producer.

Collier, along with Dana Custer, Ariella Furman, and Renee Rabenold, co-founded the Vigilance Theater Group, a new addition to the already vibrant Pittsburgh immersive theater scene. Beginning on November 7, the newcomers present their first show, Hollow Moon.

Hamlet Is the Latest Chicago Shakespeare Theater Role that Didn’t Go to a Local

Chicago magazine | Arts & Culture October 2018: Last week, Chicago Shakespeare Theater announced that Raúl Esparza will play the title role in its three-month run of Hamlet next spring, to be directed by the theater’s founder and artistic director, Barbara Gaines. Esparza’s casting is notable for a few reasons. First, he’s a terrific actor — on Broadway, with four Tony nominations to his name, and on television, where he’s built a following on Law & Order: SVU. Second, he’ll be among the older performers of the modern era to act as Shakespeare’s prince. Those who land the role usually fall within the age range of mid-twenties to late thirties; Esparza turns 48 this month.

Perspectives In Prison Theatre: Interview With Bruce Levitt And Lorraine Moller

The Theatre Times: From Shakespeare to devised work, theatre has long been practiced by those who are incarcerated. Rob Pensalfini, author of Prison Shakespeare, cites that drama “in a prison context goes back in written record almost a century, or over two centuries if we include the Australian convict theatres of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries (Jordan, 2002).” Whether it is for recreation or rehabilitation or a combination of both, the impact of theatre in prisons is a positive one and demands closer investigation.

Equity urges action after disappointing Willy Wonka casting decision

MEAA: Equity is dismayed at a decision by the producers of the upcoming musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to cast an overseas performer in the lead role of Willy Wonka.

Equity President Chloe Dallimore says the casting of an American performer in the role of Willy Wonka highlights the need for an industry-wide foreign artists’ agreement to cover musicals.

“Seinfeld,” “Breaking Bad” and beyond: “CinemAbility” explores Hollywood and disability

Salon.com: Directed by Jenni Gold and packed with celebrity interviews, "CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion" tells a Hollywood story that has long been overlooked — namely, how the film industry's depictions of various physical and mental disabilities has profoundly shaped how the rest of the world treats individuals with those disabilities. From individuals of small stature and those in wheelchairs to the protagonist of "Forrest Gump," "CinemAbility" explores how the entertainment industry has taken advantage of the disabled for a quick buck and yet also furthered the cause of spreading compassion and acceptance.

Review: Genderqueer 'R + J'

The BroadwayBlog: Is this Shakespeare, or Switchblade Sisters? One would be excused for the confusion in the opening scenes of Hypokrit Theatre Company and Access Theater’s staging of a female, genderqueer rendition of R + J. Brandishing a knife nearly as sharp as her cheekbones, Tsebiyah Mishael as Tybalt opens the action on the Bard’s most famous tragedy by facing off with a soldier from the Montague clan after hurling a foul gesture her way, saying, “I serve as good a woman as you.” A thrilling fight scene ensues.

Drury Lane Does Not Have A Casting Problem

rescripted.org: Drury Lane does not have a casting problem.

Drury Lane has an institutionalized racism problem. As does Marriott. As does Paramount. As does just about every non-PoC centered theatrical institution in this city. To place the problem at the feet of casting is to blame the symptom rather than the cause.

Men and Women and Non-Binary People On Boats: Exploring New Styles of Gender Diversity

HowlRound Theatre Commons: Transgender people are sort of having a moment right now. Many of us are finally feeling confident enough to assert ourselves in public spaces. Our representation has never been better in TV and film. (I’m not saying it’s good, but it’s never been better.) And I’ve noticed a small but mighty community of transgender and non-binary theatremakers grow over the past year, both online and especially in my home community of Boston, Massachusetts.

Shane Black Apologizes Once More Over Casting a Sex Offender

io9.gizmodo.com: At last night’s LA premiere of his new film, The Predator, director Shane Black finally spoke in public about the ongoing controversy concerning his decision to cast his one-time friend, Steven Wilder Striegel (a convicted sex offender), in the movie without informing the cast or studio.

The Elephant Man Casting Facing Backlash from Activists

The Mary Sue: The BBC is currently facing criticism for their casting choice in the current remake of The Elephant Man, where Stranger Things‘ Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) will play Joseph Merrick.

Merrick’s story has been frequently adapted, most well known in David Lynch’s 1980s movie The Elephant Man, starring Anthony Hopkins, with Jon Hurt as Merrick. In film, television, and plays, Merrick has been played by actors who are able-bodied.

Scarlett Johansson Leaves Her Role in ‘Rub & Tug’

www.vulture.com: After a wave of backlash came crashing down on Scarlett Johansson for taking the role of a trans man in the film Rub & Tug, the actress has departed the film and issued the following statement to Out magazine.

Daniella Greenbaum’s gender stereotyping tantrum over Scarlett Johansson’s trans role is a con.

slate.com: Daniella Greenbaum must think we’re pretty stupid. She’s the author, for example, of “Women Do Not Need the Equal Rights Amendment,” an essay that appeared in Business Insider in June and includes the sentence “It might not be woke to acknowledge that there are differences between men and women, but this is fact of life.” She’s also having a highly public tantrum as the intellect behind a nasty, disingenuous little column that BI published and then removed from its site on July 6, which defended the right of Scarlett Johansson to play transgender brothel-owner Dante “Tex” Gill in a forthcoming project and casts everyone who has objected to this casting as “the social justice warrior mob.” (Johansson withdrew from the project entirely Friday afternoon.)