<p>Movies and television have exploded in the last dozen decades, but neither has been able to take away from the magic of live theater. The medium of Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, and William Shakespeare still thrives, as can be seen by the constant performances of "Twelfth Night" and "Streetcar Named Desire."</p>
<p>The famous names of theater are also an interesting mixture of globally famous and locally lauded. Movie starlet Anne Hathaway appears in a play one day, but the real buzz follows Tony Award-winning actress Julie White's path from performance to performance.</p>
<p>Theater also provides a challenge in our age of "Transformers" special effects and world-wide film shoots-directors and actors must figure out how to envision whole scenes and lives within the space of a single stage. Avant-garde theater exploits this singularity to make edgy, stimulating plays.</p>
<p>Despite this, there is something to be said for the fun, easy joy of musicals which deliver life lessons and catchy songs in only a few hours. As gadgetry and trickery change all entertainment media for better or for worse, plays have the unique ability to both evolve and maintain their old-fashioned appeal.</p>