- Speaking of clowning, Handshake Uppercut opens tonight at 10 pm as part of the Fringe Festival. They were one of Hedy Weiss’ picks (“at least on paper”).

- Frank Rich did an AMA for reddit Thursday and had some thoughts for those trying to pursue theater criticism:

“See as much as you can, including the crap, and write as much as you can, even if it’s for a non-professional outlet, whether a school paper, web site, blog etc. The more you experience of the art itself and the writing of criticism, the better off you are. And I reiterate: see the whole range, not just the good stuff…” He also named the critics that he enjoyed reading as a young person: Kenneth Tynan and Walter Kerr.

- Steppenwolf is giving away street banners from this past season of their plays, so if you were a big fan, get creative. This one says, “Hello. I would look good in a living room, or scaring the daylights out of a guest in a bathroom, maybe.”

Questions? Tips? Email kdries@wbez.org.