The Drama Book Show!

In this episode, we talk with Stefan Sittig, director, choreographer, educator, performer, and author of Latinidad in Musical Theatre, about the lasting influence of Latine artists, music, dance, and choreography on the American musical. From Carmen Miranda to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sittig traces a century of Latine contributions through shows including West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, In the Heights, and Hamilton, while exploring the careers of artists such as Chita Rivera and Graciela Daniele. The conversation looks at how Latine artists have moved from being represented through stereotype and appropriation toward owning and shaping their own narratives within musical theatre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with Paige Allen and Stacy Wolf, authors of Feminist Approaches in Musical Theatre, about the relationship between feminism, spectatorship, and the musical theatre canon. Using shows including The Music Man, Evita, Fun Home, and SIX, the book explores how feminist theory can help us understand and analyze musicals, particularly the contradictions of an art form beloved by women audiences while historically dominated by male artists and producers. Joining the conversation as moderator is Jill Dolan, theater scholar, critic, and author of The Feminist Spectator as Critic and Utopia in Performance. Together, they explore how a feminist perspective can reshape the way we watch, interpret, and understand musical theatre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with Robert W. Schneider, artistic director of J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company, producer at 54 Below, and host of Behind the Curtain: Broadway's Living Legends, about his book Queer Musicals. Taking a chronological look at queer musicals from the second half of the twentieth century through today, the book explores how these shows were created, produced, received, and understood within the larger history of Broadway. Schneider traces the evolution of queerness in musical theatre and examines how queer stories moved from the margins toward becoming an increasingly visible part of the art form. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with award-winning playwright Tom Dugan about Irish Goodbye, the first installment of his Jersey Pub Trilogy. Set in a small New Jersey pub on Christmas Eve, the darkly comic play follows a disgraced cop and an ex-beauty queen who take shelter from a winter storm and form an unexpected connection. Joining the conversation are Broadway veteran Mel Johnson, who serves as moderator, and actress Anica Petrovic, who originated the role of Sandy in the Los Angeles premiere. Together, they explore Dugan's play and the people who bring this funny and heartfelt story to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with Deborah Jean Templin, award-winning playwright and veteran actor of theatre, film, and television, about her solo work Unsinkable Women: Stories and Songs From the Titanic. Inspired by Templin's experience touring with the Tony Award-winning musical Titanic, Unsinkable Women explores the lives of nine women who survived the sinking and how the disaster shaped their lives. Through vivid monologues and historical songs, Templin brings their stories to life—from the grandeur of Titanic's launch to the tragedy of the sinking and the strength, hope, and activism that followed. Joining the conversation as moderator is veteran dramaturg, writer, and creative executive Ken Cerniglia, whose Broadway credits include Hadestown and Aladdin. Together, they explore the history, storytelling, and theatrical process behind Unsinkable Women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with Dionne O'Dell, artistic director of the MSU Sense-Ability Ensemble, about The Sense-Ability Ensemble's Guide to Creating Theatre for Audiences That Are Neurodiverse. Part case study and part practical guide, the book explores how theatre makers can create work with neurodiverse audiences in mind—from sensory engagement, live music, and puppetry to design, storytelling, audience interaction, and performer training. Joining the conversation are Sense-Ability Ensemble founding artists Ryan Duda and Evan Hill Phillips, with actor, writer, director, and arts manager Joel Guzmán moderating. Together, they discuss the ensemble's journey and the process of creating more inclusive, interactive, and accessible theatrical experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we talk with performer and longtime voice teacher Carolyn Marcell Elmore about the art and practice of singing. Elmore's career spans opera, classical concert performance, and musical theatre, as both a performer and educator. Her book, Uncovering Your True Voice: A Practical Guide for Singers & Teachers, explores the day-to-day process of discovering, creating, and memorizing the energies and sensations that make up the art of singing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we sit down with Diana Feldman to discuss her book Stuck in a Role: Releasing Trauma in Teens through the ENACT Drama Therapy Method. Drawing on more than 30 years of work in NYC schools, Feldman shares how drama therapy helps adolescents break free from protective roles and reconnect with their authentic selves. Through improvisation, role play, and empathy-driven communication, her method offers powerful tools for educators, therapists, and parents to support at-risk youth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore What This Place Makes Me, a groundbreaking collection of works by first- and second-generation immigrant playwrights of Lebanese, Nigerian, Korean, Bengali, Polish, and Mexican descent. These seven powerful voices illuminate stories of displacement, alienation, and the search for belonging, weaving together narratives that are both deeply personal and universally resonant. We're joined by editor Isaiah Stavchansky—a playwright, actor, and creator whose work has been developed with Williamstown Theatre Festival, Atlantic Theater Company, and The Tank—as he shares the inspiration behind the anthology and the importance of these stories on today's stage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, director, and educator James Ijames about his creative process and the art of making new work. In anticipation of the world premiere of his new play Wilderness Generation at Philadelphia Theatre Company, Ijames joins Nancy Boykin and Kimberly S. Fairbanks for a conversation moderated by PlayPenn Artistic Director Che'Rae Adams. Together, they discuss collaboration, developing new plays, and creating theatre in turbulent times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we celebrate Broadway Poster Art: 1945–1969 by Nicholas van Hoogstraten, a visually stunning tribute to Broadway's iconic posters—from My Fair Lady and Fiddler on the Roof to rare designs for legendary flops. The book offers an insider's look at the artists behind the posters, featuring Al Hirschfeld, David Klein, Fay Gage, and more, along with alternate concepts, rejected designs, and fascinating stories about how these visuals shaped Broadway's identity. Nicholas van Hoogstraten is the author of Lost Broadway Theatres, the award-winning musical Johnny Guitar, and other theatrical works. He created television programs including KTLA Morning News and Private Sessions for A&E, and helped launch the original FX network. He lectures on theater history and owns Triton Gallery, New York City's largest source for vintage and current Broadway posters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore Over the Shoulder: A Freelancer's Guide to Telling Stories and Editing Films by Mark Solomon. Drawing on 30+ years in Hollywood, Solomon shares insider insights from editing iconic films like Shrek, Chicken Run, Space Jam, and the Eddie award-nominated Frankenweenie. His book offers a practical roadmap for crafting unforgettable stories, with lessons on suspense, contrast, cause and effect, and cross-cultural storytelling techniques, alongside real-world anecdotes from a career at the cutting edge of cinema. Mark Solomon is an award-nominated film editor, producer, writer, and teacher who has consulted internationally and taught in the U.S. and U.K., helping aspiring filmmakers master the craft of visual storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In This Episode In this episode, we talk with Ronald “Smokey” Stevens, an award-winning performer, director, choreographer, producer, and founder of Capital City Readers Theatre. A veteran of Broadway productions including Bubbling Brown Sugar, Dreamgirls, and his own Rollin' on the T.O.B.A., Stevens has dedicated much of his career to preserving and celebrating Black theatrical history. His book, The First 60 Years: The History of Afro American Musical Theater & Entertainment, 1865–1930, chronicles the groundbreaking contributions of Black performers, producers, entrepreneurs, and theater owners following emancipation. From the birth of Black vaudeville and the Blues to the rise of Black theatrical entrepreneurship, Stevens shines a light on the artists who forged a path for American entertainment despite the racism and barriers of their time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore Working Together in Theatre: Collaboration and Leadership with Joel Veenstra, Chair of the Drama Department at UC Irvine and a specialist in stage management, improvisation, and collaborative production. Building on the work of acclaimed theatre educator and director Robert Cohen, this new edition examines what it takes to create great theatre together. From playwrights and directors to actors, designers, stage managers, dramaturgs, and crews, we look at how collaboration and leadership can transform an idea into a production—and how artists can harness the power of collective creativity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, acclaimed casting director Joel Thurm shares stories from his remarkable career in Hollywood, chronicled in Sex, Drugs, and Pilot Season. From discovering John Travolta and the Phoenix family to shaping iconic TV shows like Cheers, Taxi, The Love Boat, and The Golden Girls, Thurm offers a witty and irreverent insider's view of the entertainment industry. He also recounts his work on classic films including Grease, Airplane!, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, giving listeners a backstage pass to the boardrooms and executive suites where show-business history was made. Moderator Lou Liberatore, Tony- and Drama Desk-nominated actor known for Broadway, off-Broadway, and television work, guides the conversation and highlights the stories behind Thurm's unforgettable career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with Julie Gilbert about her new book Giant Love, which explores the life and legacy of trailblazing novelist and playwright Edna Ferber. Ferber, a Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote Giant in 1952—a controversial bestseller that sparked outrage in Texas but went on to inspire George Stevens' Academy Award-winning epic starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. Gilbert takes us inside the making of both the novel and the film, from Ferber's battles with Stevens to the casting of Hollywood legends and the behind-the-scenes drama that made Giant an American classic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore My Excellency with presenter and reader Jonathan Cohen, an award-winning poet, translator, essayist, and scholar of inter-American literature, whose work has focused extensively on bringing Spanish-language literature to English-speaking audiences. Cohen is the editor of My Excellency, his edition of William Carlos Williams's translation of the Puerto Rican play, published by Swan Isle Press in 2025. Joining him is actress, voice-over artist, producer, and arts advocate Gy Mirano, whose work spans theater, film, television, and cultural institutions throughout New York. We also look at the remarkable connection between Puerto Rican dramatist Luis Rechani Agrait and American modernist poet William Carlos Williams. Rechani Agrait was one of Puerto Rico's major dramatists of the twentieth century, and My Excellency was first produced in 1940 by the Sociedad Dramática Areyto, an experimental theater company dedicated to developing a distinctly Puerto Rican national theater. Set in an “imaginary country” resembling Puerto Rico during the Great Depression, My Excellency is a political farce about Buenaventura Padilla, an idealistic but naive man who rises to power through a corrupt election. His pompous language, malapropisms, and hilarious mistakes turn the political satire into a comedy about corruption, materialism, and the corrupting power of success. Williams's translation preserves the play's distinctive mixture of popular idiom, nonsense, and verbal invention, bringing Rechani Agrait's political comedy to a new English-speaking audience. Together, Cohen and Mirano discuss the play, its Puerto Rican theatrical history, and Williams's fascinating role as translator—connecting two major literary voices across language, culture, and time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a live podcast recording, talkback, and signing with renowned casting director James Calleri, as he discusses the 9th edition of Acting Professionally: The Essential Guide for the Actor. This updated edition reflects the changing landscape of the acting world, including the impacts of BLM, #MeToo, and the Covid-19 pandemic, while providing practical advice for navigating auditions, representation, and opportunities across stage, screen, and digital platforms. With decades of experience launching the careers of actors like Elisabeth Moss, Adam Driver, Jessica Chastain, and Sterling K. Brown, Calleri shares insider knowledge, career-building strategies, and essential guidance for actors at any stage of their journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Taylor Mac joins us to discuss their latest musical-theatrical work, created with composer Matt Ray and set in ancient Athens on the eve of Socrates' execution. Sentenced to death for “corrupting the youth,” Socrates spends his final hours debating virtue, singing, dancing, and communing with friends, while Plato attempts to record the events. Blending philosophy, history, and theatrical playfulness, the piece celebrates what cannot be written down: the joyous, essential experience of “the hang.” The conversation is moderated by Shayok Misha Chowdhury, an Obie and Whiting Award–winning writer and director who was a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Public Obscenities. His multidisciplinary work across theater, music, poetry, and film has earned numerous honors, including a United States Artists Fellowship and a Princess Grace Award. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we talk with playwright Ellen Abrams, whose work has been produced Off-Broadway at Urban Stages and whose plays have been published by Smith & Kraus and Next Stage Press. Her extensive body of work includes Spark of Life, Closing Time, Lizzie Borden Gets Engaged, Hamlet Investigations, Inc., Giving, and many others, spanning comedy, history, and stories inspired by real people and events. We dive into her play Eleanor and Alice, which brings together two of the most influential women of the 20th century: Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt. First cousins, friends, rivals, and “frenemies,” the two women meet at eight pivotal moments throughout their complicated lives, debating and arguing over their husbands, children, politics, and the state of the world. Through their sharp exchanges, laughter, and disagreements, Eleanor and Alice explores the remarkable lives of two women who found themselves at the center of American history from very different vantage points. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Step behind the curtain with Broadway theatre manager Dan Landon in this episode, talkback, as he discusses his memoir From the Back of the House. Spanning four decades and more than 50 shows, Landon shares backstage stories and encounters with Broadway legends, Hollywood icons, and even U.S. Presidents, offering a vivid portrait of an unforgettable era in theatre history. Joining him is Tony Award-winning actress Priscilla Lopez, who brings her own Broadway insights and moderates a lively discussion about the magic, challenges, and personalities that define life behind the scenes on Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a special conversation presented in partnership with the League of Professional Theatre Women, celebrating the work of five acclaimed theatre artists and authors. Featured guests include playwright Jenny Lyn Bader, playwright and educator Michael angel Johnson, Broadway performer, director, and League President Lynnie Godfrey, theatre historian Alexis Greene, and producer and arts leader Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder. Together they'll discuss their latest books: The Whole Megillah, a witty reimagining of the Purim story; The Goddess of Hygieia, a play about pioneering women Edmonia Lewis and Dr. Harriot Hunt; Sharing Lessons Learned While Seeking the Spotlight, Lynnie Godfrey's reflections on a life in the theatre; Emily Mann: Rebel Artist of the American Theater, a biography of the groundbreaking playwright and director; and Most Of It Was Beautiful, Patricia Di Benedetto Snyder's memoir chronicling the creation of one of America's most influential theatres for young audiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a live podcast recording, talkback, and signing with acclaimed playwright and actor Tom Dugan, as he discusses Wiesenthal: The Life of a Nazi Hunter. This riveting one-person play chronicles the extraordinary life of Simon Wiesenthal, who survived Hitler's SS and dedicated his life to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. Drawing on decades of meticulous research and theatrical expertise, Dugan shares the stories, humor, and courage behind Wiesenthal's remarkable journey, offering audiences an intimate portrait of “The Conscience of the Holocaust” and the enduring fight for justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Hoehler to discuss his book Acting Out: How a Prison Theatre Workshop Broke Free. He shares stories from decades of leading theatre workshops with incarcerated men, mounting full productions, and creating transformative spaces for expression, connection, and growth. The episode also features a live performance by members of the Acting Out company. Richard Hoehler is an award-winning playwright and educator whose work has run Off-Broadway, regionally, and abroad. He founded Acting Out, teaches at HB Studio and Stella Adler, and has led theatre workshops in prisons for over 30 years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we sit down with Eric Simonson to discuss his memoir Between the Lines: Steppenwolf's Seagull and A Reluctant Actor's Journey Back to the Stage. The book chronicles Steppenwolf Theatre Company's bold return from the Covid-19 shutdown with a $43 million new theater and a fresh adaptation of The Seagull. For Simonson—an acclaimed writer, director, and longtime Steppenwolf ensemble member—it meant stepping back onstage after 33 years away. Part diary and part history of the Chicago Theatre Renaissance, the memoir takes us behind the scenes of this landmark production while tracing Simonson's personal battle with stage fright, self-doubt, and rediscovery of the joy of acting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barry M. Putt, Jr. is a playwright and screenwriter whose work centers on identity, resilience, and human connection. His plays and scripts, produced both nationally and internationally, often amplify marginalized voices and explore urgent social themes. Joining the conversation are director Robert Liebowitz, who has helmed more than 100 productions over the course of his career, and cultural consultant Asal Abasian, an Iran-born writer, journalist, and queer feminist activist whose work focuses on exile, gender, and resistance. Omeed's Tapestries follows an Iranian shopkeeper and his partner as they prepare to flee their homeland in hopes of living openly as a same-sex couple. When a devout neighbor uncovers their secret, their future is suddenly threatened. Inspired by extensive firsthand accounts and research, the play examines love, fear, and survival under oppression, while highlighting the universal human desire for freedom and dignity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy- and Artios-nominated casting director Wendy S. Kurtzman joins us to discuss her book, Acting is Your Business: How to Take Charge of Your Creative Career. With over 35 years of experience in film, television, and theater, Wendy shares actionable strategies to help actors take control of their careers, position themselves as CEOs of their own creative businesses, and build lasting professional relationships. This episode offers practical insights into navigating the entertainment industry, from connecting with working professionals worldwide to leveraging tools, worksheets, and insider advice for emerging and seasoned actors alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore This is Not a Dream, a collection of nine ten-minute plays by emerging Ukrainian playwrights capturing stories of connection, resilience, and hope during war. From a soldier reconnecting with his daughter to a young woman navigating life amid conflict, these plays reveal the human cost and courage of everyday lives. We speak with contributors Karina Syrota, Taya Fedorenko, Uliana Klimchuk, and Laura Cahill, founder of Young Playwrights Ukraine, about creating theatre under extraordinary circumstances, mentoring young writers, and sharing Ukrainian voices with the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore the legacy of Zelda Fichandler through The Long Revolution: Sixty Years on the Frontlines of a New American Theater and To Repair the World: Zelda Fichandler and the Transformation of American Theater by Mary B. Robinson. The conversation delves into Fichandler's pioneering work founding Arena Stage, her role in the regional theater movement, and her decades-long impact as an educator at NYU's Graduate Acting Program. Joining the discussion are theater historian and advocate Todd London, and biographer Mary B. Robinson, offering insights into Fichandler's visionary leadership, her collaborations with artists, and her enduring influence on American theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Khalid Y. Long, Associate Dean of Research and Creative Endeavors in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, is a scholar, dramaturg, and author of August Wilson in Context. Aviva Neff, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Denison University, is a director, intimacy coordinator, and scholar whose work explores devised theatre, pedagogy, and equitable rehearsal practices. Their book, Contemporary Black Theatre and Performance: Acts of Rebellion, Activism, and Solidarity, examines how Black artists and activists use performance to engage questions of identity, history, and social change. Featuring essays and conversations with leading scholars and theatre-makers, the collection explores topics such as Black queer identity in playwriting, antiracist pedagogy, and contemporary works by artists including Lynn Nottage and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a live podcast recording, talkback, and book signing with playwright and novelist Matthew Greene as he discusses his debut novel, There's No Murder Like Show Murder. Set in the charming Eastbrook Playhouse, the story follows costume shop head Tasha Weaver as she navigates backstage drama, a theater star's shocking murder, and the challenge of saving her beloved theater from financial ruin—all while trying to catch the killer. Matthew Greene brings a wealth of theater experience to the story, with plays developed and performed from coast to coast, including Thousand Pines, Good Standing, and Gregorian. His insider perspective infuses this cozy yet thrilling murder mystery with authenticity, humor, and heart. Moderator: Geneva Carr, Tony-nominated Broadway and television actress known for Hand to God and CBS's Bull, leads the conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our 100th Episode, award-winning playwright and director David Rigano joins us to discuss his play What We Deserve. Rigano's work includes the award-winning musical You Heard It Here, as well as We Were Wild, Get the Duchess, and Awaken: A Sleeping Beauty Musical, written with his longtime collaborator and brother, Paul Rigano. He also co-created the long-running Ides of March Extravaganza and co-wrote The Holy Cows of Credence South Dakota with Mark-Eugene Garcia. The conversation will be moderated by writer, director, and performer Catie Carlisle, whose plays include 100 Days, That Night, and The Overlap. What We Deserve follows six strangers whose chance encounters repeatedly bring them together in unexpected ways. As relationships form and shift, they grapple with questions of love, fulfillment, and whether the lives they're living are truly the ones they deserve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, legendary playwright Migdalia Cruz discusses her new anthology The Impossible Plays, which features three previously unpublished works alongside reflections from theater luminaries Virginia Grise, Todd London, and David Henry Hwang. The conversation explores Cruz's provocative, essential plays, her creative process, and her insights for emerging playwrights seeking to build a career in the theater. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for a conversation with Julian Novak, author of Men in the Chorus. Inspired by The Boys in the Band, this play blends fantasy and memoir to explore love, mistakes, and self-discovery in the 1970s. Novak reflects on friendship, survival, and the search for belonging through a story that is part confession, part “what if,” and wholly theatrical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Tony Award winner David Lindsay-Abaire, whose acclaimed works include Rabbit Hole, Kimberly Akimbo, Good People, and Shrek the Musical, joins us to discuss his latest play, The Balusters. Recently nominated for five 2026 Tony Awards, including Best Play, The Balusters is a sharp and hilarious satire set within a tightly knit neighborhood association where a seemingly simple proposal—a new stop sign—sparks an all-out community battle. Through wit and escalating conflict, the play explores change, belonging, and what happens when communities evolve faster than the people who live in them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bess Wohl is a Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and filmmaker whose acclaimed works include Liberation, Grand Horizons, Small Mouth Sounds, and Camp Siegfried. Her play Liberation earned Tony nominations, a GLAAD Media Award, and widespread critical acclaim, with productions featured on numerous “Best of the Year” lists. Joining the conversation are celebrated theater artists Jocelyn Bioh and Whitney White, both Tony-nominated creators whose work continues to shape contemporary American theatre on Broadway and beyond. Liberation follows six women who gather in 1970 to form a consciousness-raising group in suburban Ohio, determined to change their lives and the world around them. Fifty years later, one of their daughters looks back to understand what happened to their ideals. Both intimate and theatrical, the play explores feminism, friendship, legacy, and the ongoing struggle to define what liberation truly means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, actress, model, and television personality Patricia Kara joins moderator Cheryl Benton to discuss her new book Dream On…Now Deliver. Drawing from over thirty years in the entertainment industry—including her iconic work on all three versions of Deal or No Deal—Patricia shares hard-earned insights on breaking into show business, building a personal brand, navigating auditions, and thriving as a professional entertainer. With humor, authenticity, and practical advice, she emphasizes resilience, hard work, and the power of mentorship. Cheryl Benton guides the conversation as Patricia reflects on her journey from aspiring teen to seasoned performer, offering invaluable lessons for anyone chasing their own spotlight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore “CRISIS: The Theatre Responds” with Dr. Carol Rocamora, joined by Eleanor Burgess, Antoinette Nwandu, Keith Hamilton Cobb, and Mfoniso Udofia. The book examines how theatre has confronted times of upheaval over the past century—from World War II and apartheid to AIDS, systemic racism, the refugee crisis, and the pandemic—revealing how playwrights and theatres have used art to inspire awareness, action, and change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jeni Jones is a director, actor, playwright, producer, and performer whose 30-year career spans theatre, film, music, and spoken word. Known for her work as a Beckettian actor and director, she has directed productions of Waiting for Godot, Krapp's Last Tape, NOT I, and ROCKABY, and has earned recognition including an NAACP Theatre Award. Her work combines classical theatre with contemporary approaches, including hip-hop and performance art. In this program, Jones explores Samuel Beckett's female-centered works, focusing on NOT I and ROCKABY. Through discussion and a hip-hop-infused demonstration, she examines Beckett's challenging texts and her process for bringing them to life. NOT I, Beckett's intense and rapid-fire monologue delivered by “Mouth,” and ROCKABY, a haunting meditation on memory and mortality, offer a different perspective on the playwright's work while exploring themes of identity, isolation, and human connection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we celebrate To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim, a heartfelt tribute to one of musical theatre's greatest legends, Stephen Sondheim. Emmy winner and Tony and Grammy nominee Liz Callaway is joined by special guest Jim Walton for an evening of stories, music, and reflection on a career deeply intertwined with Sondheim's work. Recorded live at 54 Below, the Grammy-nominated album offers a personal and nostalgic look at Sondheim's legacy and the profound impact his work has had on performers and audiences alike. Liz shares behind-the-scenes memories, celebrates the music that shaped her career, and honors the enduring brilliance of a composer who forever changed the landscape of musical theatre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore Once in the Countryside: A Collection of Plays by Pulitzer Prize finalist Lloyd Suh, a sweeping anthology that brings over 150 years of Asian and Asian American history to life onstage. Through plays like The Chinese Lady, The Far Country, Bina's Six Apples, and The Heart Sellers, Suh blends intimacy, humor, and epic storytelling to illuminate voices and histories too often left out of the American narrative. Joined by editor Christine Mok and special guests including performer Shannon Tyo and Daniel K. Isaac, the conversation dives into the process of shaping this landmark collection, the power of historical storytelling, and how these plays resonate urgently in the present. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into 43 Stages of Grieving: A Comedy, a wildly inventive and deeply human story about a pregnant, dying robot and a human determined to live forever. Forget the idea of just five stages—this surreal, heartfelt comedy explores the countless (and often hilarious) ways we navigate loss, from soft cheese to hard cheese and everything in between. As the pair grapple with an uncertain future, looming motherhood, and the complexities of technology and mortality, they search for meaning in a grief-saturated world. Playwright Micharne Cloughley joins us to discuss the origins of this poignant sci-fi comedy, her expansive theatre career, her work at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with The Civilians, and her transition into television writing on Law & Order: SVU. With projects spanning two continents and multiple genres, Micharne brings rich insight into storytelling, humor, and healing. Learn more at micharne.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore Sappho's Garden, a theatrical meditation on the legendary Greek poet that blends a vivid one-act play with scholarly insight and creative reimagining. Writers Carol Lee Campbell and Domnica Radulescu discuss bringing Sappho's voice into a contemporary theatrical frame, drawing on history, myth, and modern perspectives on gender, identity, and artistic legacy. The conversation dives into their collaborative process, the intersection of scholarship and storytelling, and how this work reclaims and re-centers one of literature's most enduring and enigmatic figures. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we celebrate the launch of Prince Faggot, one of the year's most talked-about and provocative new plays, written by acclaimed playwright Jordan Tannahill. This live conversation explores the play's audacious premise, radical imagination, and fearless interrogation of power, privilege, queerness, and colonial legacy. The discussion is moderated by director Shayok Misha Chowdhury and features reading performances by Mihir Kumar and David Greenspan, with a special musical performance by Arèwa Basit. Together, they unpack Prince Faggot as a poppers-fueled, metatheatrical thought experiment—one that boldly reimagines monarchy through queer and trans lived experience and asks who gets to inherit the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Mark talks with Mara Lieberman about Bated Breath Theatre Company's newest immersive production, Dirty Books, and the evolving world of immersive theatre. Lieberman has served as the company's Executive Artistic Director since 2012, directing and co-writing all of its productions, including Voyeur: The Windows of Toulouse-Lautrec, Chasing Andy Warhol, Unmaking Toulouse-Lautrec, Beneath the Gavel, Freedom: In 3 Acts, The Pride of Christopher Street, and Wild Things. Their conversation explores the creative process behind Dirty Books, an immersive experience inspired by the true stories of 1960s erotic fiction writers who worked under the shadow of America's anti-obscenity laws, inviting audiences into a world of secret bookstores, banned novels, and underground desire where the audience helps craft the story itself. Learn more at maralieberman.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for an engaging conversation and live performance exploring Unlikely Japan and Other Plays, a collection of ten one-act plays written by Neil LaBute over a decade-long collaboration with the St. Louis Actors' Studio. LaBute and William Roth discuss the creation and staging of these diverse shorts, spanning comedy, drama, monologue, and dialogue, while Gia Crovatin performs scenes from the collection. Listeners will gain insight into the creative process behind one-act plays, the challenges and joys of developing new theatrical work, and the unique collaboration between playwright, director, and actors that brings these stories to life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we celebrate artistry that endures with photographer and artist Betti Franceschi, whose book Ageless Dancers captures forty legendary New York dancers—ages 70 and up—in striking portraits that honor grace, intelligence, and lifelong creative expression. Franceschi is joined by featured dancers Ze'eva Cohen, Molissa Fenley, Sandra Lee and Diana Byer and more. Together, they discuss aging in dance, the evolution of the body, and the artistry that deepens over time—offering a moving reminder that creative life doesn't fade, it transforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug's Goddess of the Hunt is a fast-moving comedy about dark secrets in a public world. When grieving Charlie Windsor meets the lively Diana Black-White in a New York bar, they become instant BFFs, much to the shock of his longtime friend, Broadway actor Ed McGrath. Pulled into a whirlwind of secrets, betrayals, and dysfunctional family dynamics, Charlie navigates a world he's unprepared for. This gleefully silly homage to 1960s romantic comedy thrillers—blended with Roman mythology and the modern chaos of social media—had its workshop premiere at the Fresh Fruit Festival and will debut fully at Lab Theater Project in Tampa, Florida. Doug, a two-time O'Neill Semi-Finalist, has had plays produced and developed across the U.S. and London, with work published by Next Stage Press and Smith & Kraus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, veteran producer Julian Schlossberg discusses My First Book—Part 2, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from his six decades in film, theater, and television. Hear his experiences with legends like Peter Falk, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, and John Cassavetes, along with reflections on running his own Castle Hill Productions for nearly 40 years. Moderator Renee Taylor, Emmy- and Academy Award-nominated actor and playwright, guides the conversation, offering insights into the art, business, and humor of a career spent at the heart of show business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into Justin Borak's plays Community Garden and Cabin Chronicles. Community Garden follows Ralph's first volunteer shift at Uptown City Gardens, exploring how tending to a shared green space can cultivate connection, humor, and even love. Cabin Chronicles is a horror comedy where three teens compete to tell the scariest stories while navigating the trials of high school and friendship. The conversation is moderated by Aaron Burstein, highlighting Borak's signature blend of comedy, heart, and personal experience as a Lebanese-American playwright. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we explore Just Another Day, a charming and witty play about a comedy writer and a sophisticated poet in their seventies who meet daily on a park bench to exchange barbs, memories, and reflections on love—if only for that day. We also dive into the remarkable career of Dan Lauria, whose work spans stage, film, and television—from Broadway roles in Lombardi and A Christmas Story: The Musical to iconic TV appearances in The Wonder Years and This Is Us. We discuss his lifelong devotion to theatre, collaborations with Wendie Malick, and his efforts to nurture new plays through the Durango Play Festival. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices