TheaterWeek

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TheaterWeek
TheaterWeek.jpg
Front cover from February 5, 1996
EditorMike Salinas, Bob Sandia and John Harris
Categories Theatre
FrequencyWeekly
Publisher Charles Ortleb
Total circulation
(1997)		56,000 [1]
First issue1987
Final issue1997
CompanyThat New Magazine, Inc.
Country United States
Based in New York City
LanguageEnglish
ISSN 0896-1956
OCLC 16987637

TheaterWeek was a national weekly magazine catering to artists and lovers of theater and cabaret. [2] [3] It covered Broadway, off-Broadway, regional and educational theater with articles that included profiles and interviews of actors, directors and designers, reviews, theater news and behind-the-scenes looks at shows. The magazine was founded and first edited by Mike Salinas. [4] Later, Bob Sandia and then John Harris edited the magazine. [5] Columnists as Peter Filichia, [6] Alexis Greene, Charles Marowitz, [2] Ken Mandelbaum, [1] Davi Napoleon, Leslie (Hoban) Blake, and Michael Riedel were featured. The New York Daily News called the magazine "influential". [7]

Contents

History and legacy

The magazine was published from August 1987 [1] to January 1997, when it closed amid financial struggles. [2] [7] Its columnists went on to write for such other magazines and internet sites as Playbill, InTheater, TheaterMania.com and Broadway.com.[ citation needed ]

The publication was known for having "a heap of wisdom ... by the devoted denizens of Shubert Alley and off-Broadway" and often commented that other theater reviewers had the ability to "make or break" a production, seeing itself as a neutral source in the theater world. [8] The magazine was recommended (along with New York Magazine ) as an essential guide for tourists to theater in New York City. [9] Long-time reviewer Peter Filichia's columns often appeared in the publication. [10]

In 1992, the magazine "blasted" New York Times theater critic Alex Witchel. The editor of TheaterWeek at the time, John Harris, was seeking Witchel's job when it was announced that she was leaving the Times. Harris had tried to get Witchel to work for TheaterWeek years before but was not successful. The pair had reportedly been feuding for some time, and the tone of the article was seen as unfair, and talk of potential legal action over the claims was reported. [11] The penultimate issue of TheaterWeek reportedly "infuriated a lot of Broadway people" when the publisher, Chuck Ortleb, ran an article for his own not-yet-completed play about the AIDS pandemic; Ortleb would use TheaterWeek and his other publications to "[lampoon] a new enemy and [publicize] a new theory, no matter how implausible". Ortleb was reportedly using TheaterWeek to prop up his other two publications (The New York Native and Christopher Street). Ortleb did allow staffers at the magazine a wide degree of freedom compared to his other publications, but Week was in decline near the end; the magazine's circulation fell below 20,000 at that time, and they had difficulty paying their bills and making payroll (some staff members recall not getting paid in over a year or rarely seeing a paycheck clear). [12]

After the magazine closed, its assets were purchased by Playbill . [13]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Simonson, Robert. "TheaterWeek Folds After Ten-Year Run", Back Stage , January 1997, updated November 5, 2019
  2. 1 2 3 Viagas, Robert and David Lefkowitz. "TheaterWeek Ceases Publication", Playbill , January 7, 1997
  3. ↑ Evans, Greg. "TheaterWeek ends its run", Variety, January 7, 1997
  4. ↑ Simonson, Robert. "Journalist and TheaterWeek Founder Mike Salinas Remembered Sept. 25", Playbill, September 25, 2003
  5. ↑ McEntee, Billy. "'A Renaissance Man of Gay Theater': An Ode to Terry Helbing", American Theatre Critics Association, August 2023
  6. ↑ Walker, Jeffrey. "A look at Larry, the Big-Time Broadway Producer in hectic rehearsal", DC Theater Arts, October 14, 2023
  7. 1 2 "News: This Just In...", New York Daily News, January 7, 1997
  8. ↑ Smith, Liz (April 27, 1992). "Times' critic wins magazine's criticism". The Toledo Blade. Toledo, Ohio. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  9. ↑ Bernardo, Melissa Rose (February 3, 1994). "A user's guide to Broadway". The Michigan Daily. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  10. ↑ Walker, Jeffrey (October 14, 2023). "A look at 'Larry, the Big-Time Broadway Producer' in hectic rehearsal". Dc Theater Arts. Retrieved November 6, 2023. [Filichia's] columns and reviews appeared in newspapers, Playbill, TheatreMania, (the now defunct) TheaterWeek magazine, and DC Theater Arts
  11. ↑ Jeannette Walls (August 10, 1992). "Intelligencer: Weekly v. Wetchel: theater of cruelty?". New York Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  12. ↑ Istel, John (February 10, 1997). "HIV-Negative". New York Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Playbill Buys TheaterWeek Assets", Playbill, September 5, 1997


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