Latest news with #Daigneault
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Under Daigneault's leadership, SpeakEasy spoke to, and for, many
Last year, Daigneault, now 60, Daigneault has both witnessed and helped to bring about the growth of a robust midsize theater scene. But as he leaves, he's worried about the precarious financial situation midsize theater companies find themselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. (Watertown-based New Repertory Theatre closed two years ago.) Advertisement 'Post-COVID has been the hardest,' said Daigneault. 'Audiences got in the habit of staying home, so they're not going out anymore. Or they're older and still afraid of the health risks. It's been much more of a struggle to sustain ourselves since we've gotten back from COVID.' Advertisement 'The funding community in this city needs to step up and value the art,' he said. 'A $100,000 grant to a midsize theater company is transformative.' He added: 'The midsize theaters need to band together to find ways to bring new audiences to the theater. It's a challenge that we are all facing, so we should get together to figure out how to solve this.' He spoke by phone from the home in Connecticut that he and his husband, the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey W. Mello, bought when Mello was named Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut several years ago. Daigneault's modus operandi at SpeakEasy was a blend of vision and pragmatism. Whether it was a drama, a comedy, a musical, or a combination thereof, he displayed a gift for finding directors, actors, and designers who matched the material. Daigneault with "An American Daughter" playwright Wendy Wasserstein, left, who visited SpeakEasy in October 1998 during the show's run, which Melinda Lopez, right, directed. Courtesy SpeakEasy staged contemporary works that varied in style and subject matter, but had in common a certain polish and vitality, and, sometimes, the ability to start conversations. A 2002 production of 'Bat Boy: The Musical,' about a half-bat, half-boy who falls in love with a girl in a small town in West Virginia, generated so much buzz in Boston that SpeakEasy brought it back for a second run in January 2003, and then for a third run in April 2003. From the start, Daigneault envisioned SpeakEasy and other midsize and small companies as an antidote to what he calls 'museum theater,' in which 'you're watching the show as if it's in a kind of display case, and you're not feeling a connection with what's going on onstage.' With that in mind, Daigneault kept an eye peeled for shows first produced on Broadway, such as Advertisement Karen MacDonald and Paul Daigneault at rehearsals for "Pru Payne" in October of 2024. Nile Scott Studios What animated him for more than three decades, Daigneault said, was the chance to 'mak[e] art to create community,' telling the stories of 'people who are othered or disenfranchised' while not being 'so didactic and preachy that they're not entertaining.' He points to SpeakEasy's January co-production with Front Porch, directed by Simmons, of free of charge, to 'solve racism.' 'It was super-entertaining, but it also punched you in the gut,' Daigneault said. 'I've never been a warrior,' he said. 'But I've been a warrior through the art that I produced. I've never had a formula. Just trying to listen to my gut.' He grew up in Marlborough and Sandwich, graduated from Boston College in 1987, and then spent several years in New York City, where he struggled to land directing jobs. 'I got frustrated, and said 'Forget it, I'm going to go back to Boston and start my own theater company,'' he said. That's what he proceeded to do, along with several friends, including actress Kerry Dowling. Brainstorming names during an apple-picking excursion, they came up with a name drawn from the Prohibition era. 'It was the idea that a speakeasy is where you needed to know the password,' said Daigneault. 'It was underground. That it was cool to be there, that whole idea. The name is saying something.' Advertisement The company's first production was a musical about the turbulent teenage years titled 'Is There Life After High School?' SpeakEasy established a niche for itself that was summed up in the tagline: 'Staging Boston Premieres.' But it was a challenge. In those early years, the actors were paid a small stipend, and Daigneault was not paid at all. 'I had no business experience,' Daigneault said. 'I didn't know how to raise money. I didn't know how to budget. I was learning all of these things as I was going along. We started off really grass-roots, really doing shows that I wanted to direct. Over time, it morphed into what we know today.' 'At first, it was really about us young artists getting a chance to do our work,' he added. 'As far as theater goes, Boston was known as an out-of-town [Broadway] tryout place, and mostly commercial touring productions. I just felt there was a hole here of contemporary shows that were a mirror of our society.' Paul Daignault leads an audience talkback with Richard Kramer and the cast of SpeakEasy Stage Company's production of Kramer's "Theater District" in October 2005. Craig Bailey/Perspective Photo A turning point for SpeakEasy, in Daigneault's view, was the 1995 production of Paul Rudnick's 'Jeffrey,' a comedy about a gay man who swears off sex in the middle of the AIDS epidemic, but finds that vow difficult to fulfill. 'Jeffrey' drew more media attention than SpeakEasy had previously enjoyed. Since then Daigneault has consistently made space on SpeakEasy's stages for stories of gay life, such as Advertisement 'The biggest change is that there's a community of theaters and artists,' Daigneault said. 'I can see my favorite actors at SpeakEasy and then I can see them at the Lyric and at Greater Boston Stage Company, all in one season. Sometimes there's real competition in terms of licensing the shows or getting the actors that you want. But we've been able to foster excellence because excellent artists have chosen to live and work here.' He's been one of them. Now he's starting a new journey. Literally. Daigneault has visited 35 of America's 63 national parks. '28 to go!' as he put it in an email. And he plans to continue teaching musical theater at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. But he's also looking forward to the most protracted period of inaction and relaxation he's ever had. 'It's time,' Daigneault said. 'I could do rehearsals for the rest of my life. I love it, love it, love it. But it starts to wear on you, the funding [challenges], the day-to day.' 'I wanted to make sure that the people who are at SpeakEasy are finding joy in it — much like I did in 1992 — and can take the company to a whole new level.' Don Aucoin can be reached at
France 24
10 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Thunder ready to play for all the marbles - Gilgeous-Alexander
"The way I see it, we sucked tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, said after the Thunder's bid to close out the Pacers ended in a 108-91 defeat in Indianapolis. Averaging more than 30 points per game in the Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 21 to go along with four rebounds, two assists and eight of the Thunder's 21 turnovers. "Some of them I think was carelessness, not being as focused, not being engaged," he said of the Thunder's uncharacteristic turnovers. "They played harder than us tonight as well. When a team plays harder, they turn the other team over." Gilgeous-Alexander's eight turnovers were more than his seven baskets, but Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the defeat was on the entire team. "First of all, credit Indiana," Daigneault said. "I thought they obviously earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. "That's the story of the game. They went out there and attacked the game. "From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic," Daigneault added. "It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn't one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game." Gilgeous-Alexander admitted that the chance of clinching the franchise's first title since it relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 was "definitely in the back of our minds. "Now, we didn't play like it at all," he added. "That's why the night went the way it did. We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that." But he didn't think he and his Thunder teammates -- who ousted the Denver Nuggets with a lopsided game-seven win in their Western Conference semi-final series -- needed to find something new. "I don't feel like I have to do anything other than just be the best version of myself," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I think that goes for everyone else in the room. We just have to bring what we bring to the table, what we've brought to the table all year. "One game for everything you ever dreamed of," he added. "If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It's that simple." © 2025 AFP
GMA Network
10 hours ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
NBA Finals: Thunder ready to play for all the marbles — Gilgeous-Alexander
The Oklahoma City Thunder "sucked" in a sloppy, lopsided game six loss to the Indiana Pacers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said, but he's confident they have what it takes to claim the title in game seven. "The way I see it, we sucked tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, said after the Thunder's bid to close out the Pacers ended in a 108-91 defeat in Indianapolis. Averaging more than 30 points per game in the Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored just 21 to go along with four rebounds, two assists and eight of the Thunder's 21 turnovers. "Some of them I think was carelessness, not being as focused, not being engaged," he said of the Thunder's uncharacteristic turnovers. "They played harder than us tonight as well. When a team plays harder, they turn the other team over." Gilgeous-Alexander's eight turnovers were more than his seven baskets, but Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said the defeat was on the entire team. "First of all, credit Indiana," Daigneault said. "I thought they obviously earned the win. They outplayed us for most of the 48 minutes. "That's the story of the game. They went out there and attacked the game. "From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic," Daigneault added. "It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn't one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game." Gilgeous-Alexander admitted that the chance of clinching the franchise's first title since it relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 was "definitely in the back of our minds. "Now, we didn't play like it at all," he added. "That's why the night went the way it did. We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that." But he didn't think he and his Thunder teammates -- who ousted the Denver Nuggets with a lopsided game-seven win in their Western Conference semi-final series -- needed to find something new. "I don't feel like I have to do anything other than just be the best version of myself," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I think that goes for everyone else in the room. We just have to bring what we bring to the table, what we've brought to the table all year. "One game for everything you ever dreamed of," he added. "If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It's that simple." — Agence France-Presse elated content
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Young Thunder falter and now face ultimate test: NBA Finals Game 7
Young Thunder falter and now face ultimate test: NBA Finals Game 7 Show Caption Hide Caption Shaq talks NBA Finals matchup and NBA on TNT Shaquille O'Neal joins Sports Seriously to talk about all things NBA and his upcoming Netflix docu-series 'Power Moves'. Sports Seriously The young Oklahoma City Thunder have absorbed lessons all season – in success and in failure through 82 regular-season games and 22 playoff games. The lessons for the Thunder after six NBA Finals games against the Indiana Pacers are clear. Clearer than ever. Winning closeout games in the conference final round is one thing; winning closeout games in the NBA Finals is another, much more demanding thing. The Thunder need to take the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy because the Pacers aren't going to give it up easily. They're going after it just as hard. The 2025 NBA Finals get a Game 7 because Tyrese Haliburton (and his one good leg) and the Pacers destroyed the Thunder 108-91 in Game 6 Thursday, June 19. 'From our standpoint, it was uncharacteristic,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'It was disappointing. It was collective. It wasn't one guy. Just we were not where we needed to be on either end of the floor for much of the game. We have to be a lot better before Game 7.' It was one of those games where the margin was not indicative of the beating the Pacers delivered. The Thunder were miserable across the board, but don't be fooled either. The feisty, admirable Pacers had a significant role in Oklahoma City's inability to score or defend. 'Obviously it was a very poor performance by us,' Daigneault said. 'But there's two teams out there. I want to give Indiana credit for the way they defended, the way they competed in the game, the way they played all the way around. They had a lot to do with it." If the Thunder want to win the franchise's first championship since moving to Oklahoma City from Seattle in 2008, they know they can't have a similar performance. Twenty-one turnovers leading to 19 Pacers points won't get it done. Shooting 26.7% on 3-pointers and allowing 15 made 3s won't get it done. Falling behind by 22 at the half and 30 by the end of the third quarter, going scoreless for a nearly seven-minute stretch at the end of the second quarter and start of the third, and eight turnovers by 2024-25 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't do the job. Gilgeous-Alexander didn't hide from the result. 'We got exactly what we deserved, what we earned. We have to own that," he said. As dominant as Oklahoma City has been this season, it's also easy to forget it is the second-youngest team to play in the Finals in the past 70 seasons. This group is playing in their first Finals together, and Daigneault just coached his 32nd career playoff game. Sunday is the 20th Game 7 in Finals history, and the first since Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Golden State in 2016. For the Thunder, there are encouraging internal and external signs. The home team is 15-4 in Finals Game 7s, including 4-1 in the past 30 seasons, and the Thunder defeated Denver in Game 7 at home in this season's Western Conference semifinals. They lost two consecutive games just twice during the regular season and have not lost two consecutive playoff games this season. They respond to losses. 'It's a privilege to play in Game 7s. It's a privilege to play in the Finals,' Daigneault said. 'As disappointing as tonight was, we're grateful for the opportunity. We put in a lot of work this season to be able to play that game at home, which is exciting to be able to do it in front of our fans. 'Obviously disappointed tonight. But we'll regroup, get back to zero, learn from it with clear eyes, like we always do. Get ourselves as ready as we can be to play Game 7 on Sunday.' The biggest test is Sunday in a winner-take-all game. 'The way I see it is, we sucked tonight," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "We can learn our lessons. We have one game for everything, for everything we've worked for, and so do they. The better team Sunday will win. ... "One game for everything you ever dreamed of. If you win it, you get everything. If you lose it, you get nothing. It's that simple."
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Thunder coach made no excuses for young team's dreadful Game 6 effort
Thunder coach made no excuses for young team's dreadful Game 6 effort The Oklahoma City Thunder are on the brink of completing one of the best seasons the NBA has ever seen with the first championship in franchise history. But despite their tremendous accomplishments to this point of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Thunder still show us their youth and glaring inexperience now and then. That much was clear in a blowout 108-91 Game 6 loss to the Indiana Pacers that honestly wasn't even as close as the final score appears. After a competitive first quarter, the wheels came all the way off for the Thunder. They wound up with 21 turnovers as a team while finishing with just 14 assists (they only had four assists over 30 minutes into the game!). Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had just 21 points and contributed eight of those turnovers on his own. His running mate, Jalen Williams, got viciously dunked on by Pascal Siakam during the key sequence of the night and was kind of a non-factor otherwise. Meanwhile, T.J. McConnell was creating havoc all over the place. SIAKAM WAS FEELING IT: Fans thought the Pacers forward looked "possessed" before Game 6 Essentially, every mistake the Thunder made in the halfcourt was immediately punished by a Pacers squad that was ready to pounce. I mean, when guys like Ben Sheppard are making buzzer-beating 3-pointers off of crazy bounces, you know it's not your night: In other words, whatever possibly could go wrong for the Thunder inevitably and eventually did. They looked every part of a team that knew it could win the NBA title by winning Thursday night and, at a certain point, was rattled by that reality. The Thunder are not the first team to experience those types of jitters with the Larry O'Brien Trophy hanging in the balance, and they definitely won't be the last. That's just how championship-caliber basketball works sometimes. In his postgame press conference, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was asked about his team's inexperience with an NBA Finals closeout game being put on full display. Rather appropriately, Daigneault refused to make any such excuses for his players while giving full credit to the Pacers for sending this epic series to Game 7: Of course, these Thunder have proven to be one of the more precocious NBA teams we've ever seen. Every setback or failure they've experienced to this point has seemingly been a worthwhile learning experience. They usually don't make the same mistake twice, which is a credit to their resilience and overall team discipline. It's arguably the biggest reason they've gotten this far. Sunday night's Game 7, with the NBA championship now on the line for both squads, will be the toughest test Daigneault's Thunder have ever faced. Full stop. The good news? They have a chance at redemption after getting the "bad closeout Finals game" out of their system.
