Pioneer Theatre Company's Podcast

Playwright Jeff Talbott invites us into the process of adapting a female-centered version of Henrik Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People." Where Henrik Ibsen was focused on the dangers of "compacted majorities," Talbott is focused on the reasons that we've stopped talking to each other. The play is being developed in PTC's Play by Play program and will be read this Friday, March 13th @ 7:30pm and Saturday, March 14th @ 2pm & 7:30pm in the Babcock Theatre. **JEFF TALBOTT (Playwright) Jeff Talbott’s play i was developed in Pioneer Theatre Company’s Play-by-Play Series and subsequently produced by PTC in 2018. His play A Public Education was also seen in Play-by-Play and was a finalist for the 2015 O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Other plays: The Submission (Off-Broadway – MCC Theater; Laurents/Hatcher Award and Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for New American Play; published and licensed by Samuel French); The Gravedigger’s Lullaby (Off-Broadway – TACT/Theatre Row; published and licensed by Dramatic Publishing); Civics and Humanities for Non-Majors (2018 O’Neill Finalist; Montclair State University and last fall at Utah State Univeristy); Joseph Cook (2019 O’Neill Finalist); Three Rules for the Dragon (2017 O’Neill Finalist), How to Build a City, Elliot and All the Stars in the Midnight Sky. He writes musicals with composer Will Van Dyke; as a musical theatre writing team they were finalists for the 2019 Fred Ebb Award. Jeff graduated with honors from the Yale School of Drama.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

For this episode—in conjunction with "Once On This Island"—mythologist John Lundwall, PhD, explains our need for stories with elemental gods, the origin of Haitian mythos, and the image of the Cosmic Tree in "Once On This Island" and beyond. **John Lundwall is the author of "Mythos and Cosmos: Mind and Meaning in the Oral Age," a book that examines myth through oral thinking and oral cosmology. He obtained his doctorate in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate School in Santa Barbara, California and is currently leading an archeo-astronomy project in Fremont Indian State Park. https://www.amazon.com/Mythos-Cosmos-Mind-Meaning-Oral-ebook/dp/B017L4S5BI/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mythos+and+cosmos&qid=1582486755&sr=8-1Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Our first Play-by-Play reading of the 2019–2020 season is "The Anatomy of Love" by Ted Malawer. Mr. Malawer talks about how he gradually makes a play less personal for him and more personal for the characters that inhabit it. **TED MALAWER (playwright) is a recent graduate of the Juilliard Playwriters Program. He has received Lincoln Center’s Lecomte du Nouy Prize and The Kennedy Center’s Blanche and Irving Laurie Award. His theatrical work has been developed and commissioned by T Magazine/The New York Times, The Public, NYTW, Atlantic Theater Company, MCC, and others. TV writer-producer credits include shows for Netflix, Hulu, Showtime, NBC, Freeform and Disney+, where he developed an original pilot. Malawer has also written several novels, including the Mystic City series for Penguin Random House. A former opera singer, Malawer is a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, a graduate of The Juilliard School-Columbia University Exchange Program, and received his master’s from Fordham University. He is currently adapting the novel Red, White & Royal Blue into a film for Amazon, and writing an original musical with Kate Nash and Andy Blankenbuehler.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Next up at PTC is "Mary Stuart" by Jean Stock Goldstone and John Reich (derived from the text of Friedrich Schiller). Director Shelley Butler talks about how she approaches political intrigue, how she prepares for historical dramas, and about the manufacture of narrative in Elizabethan times and today. **SHELLEY BUTLER (Director) recent productions include the world premieres of Lucas Hnath’s A Doll’s House, Part 2 at South Coast Repertory and helming the Japanese premiere of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo. She has developed over two dozen new plays and musicals at companies including Ars Nova, Primary Stages, E.S.T., WP Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center Theatre Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Geva, New York Stage and Film, The Playwright’s Realm, Keen Company, New Dramatists, and the Lark. She spent two seasons as artistic associate in charge of new play development for Hartford Stage and three seasons as artistic associate for Great Lakes Theater Festival. Upcoming: Arcadia for South Coast Repertory.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

PTC's holiday show for 2019 is "The Play That Goes Wrong" by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, and Henry Shields. It's a demanding physical comedy with a lot that goes wrong—as the title implies. For this episode, actors William Connell (Chris) and Ruth Pferdehirt (Sandra) talk about the rigors of comedy—timing, pacing, "riding the wave," and more. They also share their stories of other moments in plays gone wrong…. The outro music is by Trev Lewis/Hagfilms.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Dr. Avery Holton, a 2018 National Humanities Center Fellow from the U of U's Department of Communication, helps you separate fact from fiction in this episode, as we discuss how social media has warped (and sometimes strengthened) the lifespan of facts. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Musical Theatre pros Brent Barrett ("Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular") and Matthew Hydzik (national tour of "Rent") chat about making it in musical theatre, self-care, and saying yes to roles that scare you. Brent and Matt will play Lawrence and Freddy in a concert musical production of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" at PTC on October 18th and 19th, 2019. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Dr. Andrew Nelson from the Film and Media Arts department of the University of Utah breaks down the old movie studio system and the success of tough guy and silver screen icon James Cagney. Pioneer Theatre Company is opening a new bio musical about Cagney and this episode of the podcast provides some background on the early 20th-century films that made the man Jimmy Cagney a star. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Managing Director Chris Massimine about the 2019-2020 Season. Seven main stage plays and musicals, a concert production and three new play readings...it's a busy season, and all the action started this week with the arrival of the cast of "Cagney." Here's a bit about each of the upcoming productions you'll see this season.Outro music by the Dead Tubes Foundation. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Resident Sound Designer Allan Branson about the intricacies of sounding a musical like Grease.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

The Way North is a hopeful yet timely play, set in the Minnesota wilderness. Playwright Tira Palmquist talks about her background, why she decided to set the play in Minnesota, and showcase how timely this play is. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

In our first dual interview, Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Director Mary B. Robinson and Actress Nafeesa Monroe. They talk about "what's your moment before" and other ways they navigated the intricacies of the Pulitzer-Prize winning play Sweat, as well as how pertinent this play remains in American politics.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Vreni Romang, publicity manager at PTC, interviews costume designer Patrick Holt (aka the drag queen Tempest DuJour). Holt talks about his inspirations, his love of "La Cage aux Folles" and why everyone should see "La Cage aux Folles" at Pioneer Theatre Company. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

PTC's Matthew Ivan Bennett sat down with "Once" actress Hillary Porter (“Girl”) to talk about how she “met” the piano and the insanely soulful music she sings in the show.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett sits down with The Fifth Domain playwright Victor Lesniewski about cyber security, Pioneer Theatre Company's Play-by-Play series, and what lead him to writing this timely thriller. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Dialect – or technically accent – coach Sarah Shippobotham chats with PTC Publicity Manager Vreni Romang about what it takes to make an accent for a PTC show. Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley opens November 30 and runs through December 14Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

PTC's publicity manager Vreni Romang interviews musical director Phil Reno on directing "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at Pioneer Theatre Company, and on meeting Stephen Sondheim. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

"Oslo" Director Karen Azenberg speaks to PTC's Matthew Ivan Bennett about her personal connection to the Tony Award-winning play through her visits to the region and her favorite scenes. "Oslo" opens at PTC on Friday, Sept. 14 and continues through Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett sits down with Director/Choreographer Patricia Wilcox, Musical Director/Conductor Helen Gregory and Kathryn Brunner, who plays Sophie Sheridan in our production of "Mamma Mia!," running May 11-26.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett talks to playwright Ellen Simon about "ASS," an upcoming Play-by-Play reading.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett sits down to talk with /i/ Playwright Jeff Talbott about /i/, science fiction, and other fun things. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett talks with Lewin about the thriller genre and workshopping "The Envelope." "The Envelope" will be read as part of our 2017-2018 Play-by-Play season Feb. 2-3.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Musical Director Tom Griffin. No stranger to PTC (he was musical director for PTC's "Oliver!," "It Happened One Christmas," "Peter and the Starcatcher," "Elf" and "A Christmas Carol: The Musical") Griffin did the first and second national tours for “Beauty and the Beast” and works as a conductor at Disney. He took a few minutes to chat about "Newsies" with us. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett meets with the dog, in the night-time, to discuss his (the dog's) thoughts on "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," the Tony-award-winning play kicking off our 2017-2018 season. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Local playwright Eric Samuelsen talks with Matthew Ivan Bennett about his new play, "The Ice Front," and his family’s connection to the Norwegian Resistance against the Nazis.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett talks with David Ivers, a guest director here at PTC and one of the artistic directors at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, about "King Charles III," Shakespeare and why Ivers does what he does.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Join host Matthew Ivan Bennett from Pioneer Theatre Company with Artistic Director Karen Azenberg, discussing the Concert Musical of CHESS and why it resonates so deeply, especially in 2017.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Wendy MacLeod on the creation of "Women in Jeopardy!" opening at PTC on Feb 10 - 25, 2017.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Jeff Talbott about his new play, "i" which is receiving a series of new play readings as part of Pioneer Theatre Company's Play-by-Play.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

PTC's Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Dramaturg Martine Green-Rogers about "Fences" and August Wilson’s esteemed place among American playwrights. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

In this episode of the PTC Podcast, host Matthew Ivan Bennett chats with Park City High School senior, Christian Labertew, who returns to PTC as The Artful Dodger in OLIVER! Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

In this episode of the PTC Podcast, host Matthew Ivan Bennett sits down with playwright Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder of REQUIEM FOR AUGUST MOON, first up in the 2016 – 2017 Play-By-Play series. Ms. Wilder was recently the Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence at Sewanee. She’s worked for Alabama Shakespeare, the Denver Center, CBS, and is a graduate from NYU. Intro/Outro music provided by Dead Tubes Foundation. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Pioneer Theatre Company's Matthew Ivan Bennett also talk with cast members on this month's podcast about the relevance of the play and how it has withstood time to remain one of the most noted plays of American literature: Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

In this episode, host Matthew Ivan Bennett talks with Broadway vet John Jellison (Motown The Musical, Memphis, All Shook Up, Phantom of the Opera, Caroline or Change, Anything Goes, Paul Simon's The Capeman, Titantic, Crazy for You and many more) about THE LAST SHIP, and his role as the moral center, Father James O'Brien. Outro music provided by Dead Tubes Foundation.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Managing Director Chris Lino chat with host Matt Bennett about the upcoming 2016-2017 season at Pioneer Theatre Company. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

PTC's Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews Frank Wildhorn, the creative force, along with lyricist Jack Murphy, behind the North American Professional Premiere of "The Count of Monte Cristo." Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Mary Murfitt, along with Betsy Howie, conceived and wrote the music and lyrics for "Cowgirls," and performed in the original off-Broadway production in 1996. Murfitt visits with PTC's Matthew Ivan Bennett, and talks about how "Cowgirls" came to be. "Cowgirls" opens at PTC on March 25 and runs through April 9, 2016.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Director Mary Robinson discusses "An Inspector Calls," by J.B. Priestley, with PTC's Matthew Ivan Bennett. In turn-of-the-twentieth century England, a prosperous family is gathered to celebrate the engagement of their daughter when a mysterious Inspector arrives to investigate the death of a young woman from the nearby town. None of the family members believe they know the victim, but over the course of the evening the Inspector’s investigation reveals to each of them that they may be connected to the young woman’s life, and death, in ways they never imagined.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

"Two Dollar Bill" has its World Premiere at Pioneer Theatre Company, January 15-30, 2016. Writer T.J. Brady ("Lie to Me," "Army Wives, "Narcos") talks with Matthew Ivan Bennett about the production.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Host Matthew Ivan Bennett interviews award-winning author, John Patrick Shanley about his newest play, "Outside Mullingar" which will hold its regional premiere at Pioneer Theatre Company on October 30, 2015. Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)

Pioneer Theatre Company's 2015-2016 season preview, featuring Artistic Director Karen Azenberg and Managing Director Chris Lino. Interview by Matthew Ivans Bennett.Support the show (https://www.pioneertheatre.org/donate/)