"Theater Talk," the popular theatre-related talk show seen on PBS in New York City and Boston, has been awarded a TAP Plus grant from the Theatre Development Fund. With the money, "Theatre Talk" will take four of its episodes and close-caption them for deaf and hearing impaired audiences. The shows will then be broadcast on Channel Thirteen/WNET on Aug. 20 in a two-hour block.
The four featured episodes are:
• A conversation with actress Elaine Stritch
• "Remembering David Merrick," with producer Emanuel Azenberg, librettist Mark Bramble, and biographer Howard Kissel
• "The State of Theatre 2000," Part I, a special panel featuring Roundabout Theatre Company artistic director Todd Haimes, playwright Warren Leight, theatre columnist Jesse McKinley, producer Daryl Roth, critic John Simon and librettist Peter Stone
• "The State of Theatre 2000," Part II
"Theatre Talk" is hosted by Susan Haskins and New York Post columnist Michael Riedel.
TDF's Theatre Access Program (TAP) was created with the New York State Council on the Arts to provide the physically disabled with access to the performing arts. The program aids not only the hearing impaired, but the blind, partially sighted, the wheelchair-bound and people who have trouble climbing stairs. --By Robert Simonson
