ALL ARTICLES

The new stage adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express was a labor of love for writer Ken Ludwig and director Emily Mann. Read all about their process of bringing this classic whodunit to the stage.

Finding the perfect songs for Perfect Harmony was no easy matter. Initially, the focus was on making sure the songs and lyrics would resonate for each character. But night after night audience members would share how the songs resonated to them: a special dance at the prom, their wedding favorite, or that memorable number they’ve sung at show choir. And that’s what great pop hits are – the shared soundtrack of our lives.

The second in our Passport series, we take you to Thailand for a distinctly Harlem, New York play.

Get ready for the 2020/21 season with these picks from the Concord professional licensing team.

“If the play is played for truth, then humour, humanity and the emotional honesty of the characters will come through.“ Bill Rosenfield shares an insight into writing 46 Beacon.

After going through the long Midwest winters, Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, MN has made a tradition of offering suspenseful family entertainment in the summer months. We chatted with Neal Beckman, one of the actors from the recently concluded run of Agatha Christie’s Rule of Thumb, about the play and the production.

Michael Lochner discusses the design elements for the Alley Theatre’s production of Murder on the Orient Express.

Master of comedy Ken Ludwig does a deep-dive into his newest literary adaptation: The Three Musketeers.

Nearly all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries have a life outside of their existence as books.  The dramatic potential of many of her crime stories are well known by the Queen of Crime herself and by other playwrights.  While some of Christie’s plays are based on short stories or original ideas, over the course of her career, Christie dramatized several of her own novels for the stage. 

David Wood talks about writing for young audiences and young performances, adapting Roald Dahl’s tales for the stage, and working on the West End production of The Go-Between with Richard Taylor.

What is it about musicals like Gypsy, Cabaret, and Mame that seemed to empower the LGBTQ+ community? We sat down with theatre historian Patrick Pacheco to talk all about the musicals that helped us express our pride.

Octavio Solis, born in El Paso, Texas, to two Mexican immigrants, is quintessentially American — except he isn’t. Solis explores the “in-betweenness” of his Mexican-American identity and its impact on his storytelling.

Warner Brown talks about the inspiration and productions of his musical, co-written with David Heneker, The Biograph Girl.

Complete your 2019/2020 collegiate season with this list of four plays perfect for colleges and universities.

The undisputed Queen of whodunits had a few mysteries of her own. Untangle a complex and storied life with ten things you didn’t know about Agatha Christie.

There are many myths surrounding working with actors with disabilities, but it’s much more accessible than you think. We spoke with agent Gail Williamson about how and why to hire these actors for both professional and amateur groups.

Producer Lyle Saunders talks about rediscovering an early musical of Dan Goggin’s: Johnny Manhattan.

Our staff talks about their favorite musicals and plays. This time, our Staff Pick is A Tale of Two Cities.

Suggestions of Alan Ayckbourn shows from UK groups to perform.

Nick Payne, author of critically acclaimed plays such as Constellations and If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, shares an insight into his creative process.

They say to write what you know, and it’s the familiar that inspired Adam Szymkowicz’s new play, Kodachrome. Szymkowicz reflects on grief, love, and his hometown.

An excerpt from the School of Rock Education Guide, all about the history of the music that made us rock.

From The Biograph Girl to Oh What A Lovely War, get to know these classic British musicals from the Samuel French catalogue. Perfect for performance by UK amateur and student groups.

We take you around the globe to the theatres currently performing Concord titles. This time, your passport is to Vienna, Austria for a production of the very American play, The Flick by Annie Baker.

Playwright Peter Quilter chats about his first Broadway play, End of the Rainbow, and its journey to the silver screen in Judy.

Agatha Christie, the Queen of Mystery, wrote many successful plays in addition to her novels and short stories. From 1945 to 1960, Christie adapted four of her best novels featuring Poirot, and turned them into stage plays, none of which have Poirot as a character. Warning: Spoilers ahead!

80 years after the film premiere, and an astonishing 119 years after the publication of the novel, The Wizard of Oz remains a cultural treasure, beloved by millions of fans around the world and celebrated in thousands of live performances every year.  

Several long-lost Christie plays are finally being made available to the general public– and to theater companies looking to put on Christie plays that have previously been seen by only a select few audiences.

What keeps a play fresh? Porchlight Music Theatre seems to have some insight.

How do Neil Simon’s comedies, with their white, mostly middle-class, mostly urban New York Jewish characters, continue to draw audiences across the globe? Why do they hold up for decades after they were written, with nine of his plays surpassing the half-century mark? Dramaturg Susan Myer Silton explores the enduring relevancy of one of the masters of comedy: Neil Simon.

The bond between playwright and actor can be an incredible one. Playwright Crystal Skillman talks with actor Megan Hill about such magical bond.

Take a look inside A 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol with writers Walton Jones, David Wohl, and Faye Greenberg.