Theaters across America seem to be running fewer shows than they did pre-pandemic, but much of the work they’re doing is by Lynn Nottage.
annual survey by american theater Nottage’s sandwich shop comedy “Clyde’s,” which has run at least 11 times this season, will become the nation’s most-produced play, according to the magazine, which took place this year for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The survey also found that 24 of his Nottage plays are planned for production this season. This ties her to the title of America’s Most Produced Playwright and longtime favorite in local theater Lauren Her Gunderson.
“Clyde’s,” which opened late last year to a well-received Broadway production starring Uzo Aduba, features former prison-time characters, mixes laughter and social commentary, and Nottage Pulitzer Awarded twice. The winner seemed to appeal to those programming theatrical seasons. The Arden Theater Company in Philadelphia, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and the Center Theater Group and Theaterworks Hartford in Los Angeles present plays.
“‘Clyde’s’ just came right in. It has a multi-ethnic cast, it tackles issues of incarceration and racial tensions. It’s comedy, it’s so smart, it’s from a Pulitzer winner.” said editor Rob Weinert Kent. He is the chief of American He Theater and an occasional contributor to the New York Times. “It’s a comedy, but it doesn’t look away from the world.”
In an email, Nottage said he was pleased the play was winning audiences.
“‘Clyde’s’ is a play about people trapped in marginal space. It’s also about community, healing, creativity, mindfulness, forgiveness,” she said. I am really very humbled to be back on the most produced list.
Not surprisingly, the finding that fewer works are performed is troubling. Artistic directors across the country say they’re slowly bouncing back after the pandemic shuts down as audiences haven’t returned to pre-pandemic numbers.American Theater’s list is based on a survey of theaters that are members of Theater Communications Group I’m here. In the 2019-20 season, respondents reported plans to stage 2,229 full-run shows. This season saw only 1,298 audio and streaming shows added to Broadway for the first time.
A survey that counts both plays and musicals and excludes Shakespeare’s works and variations of A Christmas Carol (because there are more works than all others) shows more diversity than in the past. The plays produced are by writers of color, and his 10 of his 24 most produced playwrights are writers of color.
Notably, although composers are not tracked in the survey, productions using Stephen Sondheim’s songs have skyrocketed in popularity since his death last year, with at least 19 productions planned nationwide. (In New York, “Into the Woods,” which was performed on Broadway this summer, “Maryly We Roll Along,” which was performed at the New York Theater Workshop this winter, and next spring. There are three “Sweeney Todd” productions on Broadway.)
After “Clyde’s”, other most popular shows include Nottage’s play “Sweat.” After Nottage and Gunderson, the most produced playwrights are Matthew López, August Wilson and Dominique Morisseau.A full list can be found at americantheatre.org.
Update: After publishing its findings on Friday, American Theater Magazine has revised its list to reflect new information. As a result, season diversity stats have been updated in this article.