Tony Award Winners on Working In The Theatre

Actors Colman Domingo, Elizabeth Marvel, Tony Award winner Michele Pawk (2003 for Featured Actress in Hollywood Arms), Daphne Rubin-Vega and David Zayas discuss the influence of their early training; how they challenge themselves for each role; their feelings about participating in readings and workshops; collaborating with directors; their relationship with the audience and how it affects their performance; and roles that they'd like to play.

The panelists -- President/Executive Director of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization Ted Chapin, President of the American Theatre Producers Cy Feuer (and four-time Tony winner for the original productions of Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and a Special Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003), writer/critic Martin Gottfried, actor Nathan Lane (Tony winner for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Producers), actor Donna McKechnie (Tony winner for A Chorus Line), book writer Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (for Crazy for You, Showboat, Contact, and 2 awards for The Producers), and composer/lyricist Charles Strouse (Tony winner for Bye, Bye Birdie, Annie and Applause) -- discuss musical revivals in-depth, comparisons to new musicals such as Big, the state of musical theatre compared to the 1960s, script revisions and new designs for revivals, and the overall economics of producing Broadway musicals including the need for out-of-town tryouts.

The panel of performers - Jessica Boevers (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Jim Dale (Candide, Tony winner for 1980’s Barnum), Justin Kirk (Love! Valour! Compassion!), Daniel Massey (Taking Sides), Jay Hunter Morris (Master Clas), Adam Pascal (Rent), and Jean Smart (Fit To Be Tied) - discuss their backgrounds in diverse areas of performance such as dance, opera, rock music, and repertory theatre; pursuing acting in New York compared to Chicago and Los Angeles; early roles, training, and getting an agent; and reciprocal reactions between the performer and audiences.

The panel of playwrights -- Edward Albee (Tony winner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the 2005 recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Eve Merriam (The Club), Samm-Art Williams (Home), Lanford Wilson (Talley's Folly), and Ruth Wolff (The Abdication) -- discuss producing their current plays, how much playwrights creatively collaborate with directors and producers, the responsibilities of an agent, how playwrights learn to direct, and advice for actors and new playwrights.

The panel of performers -- Karen Akers (Nine), Christine Baranski (Tony Awards for The Real Thing and Rumors), actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein (who won acting Tony Awards for Hairspray and Torch Song Trilogy -- for which he also won a Best Play Tony in addition to his best book Tony for La Cage Aux Folles), Ben Harney (Dreamgirls, Tony Award), Lonny Price (Master Harold...and the boys), and Liv Ullmann (Ghosts) -- discuss the strong themes of their respective productions; how demanding their roles are, from character development to physical challenges to the emotional intensity of a role; training and audition experiences; how cast replacements effect a play; and developing new musicals out-of-town compared to workshopping in New York.

The business team for the play Dancing In The End Zone -- literary agent Mitch Douglas, producers Dasha Epstein and Morton Gottlieb, publicist Milly Schoenbaum, and general manager Richard Seader -- talk about the responsibilities of the producer, the benefits of a workshop versus going out-of-town, the role of a press agent, comparing large off-Broadway houses to Broadway, and the evolution of opening night events including critics now attending previews.

The panel of actors -- Sinead Cusack (Cyrano De Bergerac), Frank Langella (Tony winner for Seascape, Dracula and Frost/Nixon), Joe Mantegna (Glengarry Glen Ross, Tony Award), Theresa Merritt (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), and Sigourney Weaver (Hurlyburly) -- talk about their training, auditioning for their first major roles, the rehearsal process, working in the ensemble, actors who are also playwrights, and establishing relationships as a result of stage work.

The business team behind Hurlyburly -- advertising representative Rick Elice, agent Milton Goldman, legal counsel Jay S. Harris (Tony Winner for 1999’s Side Man), stage manager Peter Lawrence, press representative Sandra Manley, and producer Frederick Zollo (Tony Awards for Part One and Two of Angels in America and the 2002 revival of Private Lives) -- discuss how David Rabe's play found a producer, director, and high profile cast for its debut at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, its successful off-Broadway run prior to Broadway, producing with a profit pool plan, production costs including the advertising budget, and the present state of the American play.

The panel of Broadway actors -- Matthew Broderick (two-time Tony winner for Brighton Beach Memoirs and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying), Jim Dale (Candide, Tony winner for 1980’s Barnum), Charles S. Dutton (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Rosemary Harris (Tony Award winner in 1966 for The Lion in Winter), Glenda Jackson (Strange Interlude), and theatrical agent Lionel Larner -- discuss how they left their various layman jobs to begin performing, their audition experiences, how they became involved in their current productions, what they look for in an agent, how they obtained one, and the role of an agent.

The producing team of the 1985 Broadway musical Grind -- advertising representative Jeffrey Ash, group sales executive Ronald S. Lee, executive producer Ruth Mitchell (Tony Awards for Cabaret and Candide), and producers Michael Frazier, Kenneth Greenblatt (three-time Tony winner in 1982 for Nine, in 1984 for La Cage aux Folles and in 2005 for the revival of La Cage aux Folles), Mary Lea Johnson (Tony winner for Sweeney Todd), and John Pomerantz -- talks about bringing the nearly $5 million production to Broadway after a tryout in Baltimore, working with director Hal Prince, the importance of advertising and group ticket sales in light of mixed critical reviews, comparisons to their previously produced hits La Cage Aux Folles and Nine, and budgeting a new American musical with a controversial royalty structure that doesn't pay the creative team until the production turns a profit.

The panel of actors -- Don Correia (Singin' in the Rain), Tovah Feldshuh (Springtime for Henry), Glenne Headly (Arms and the Man), Judd Hirsch (Tony Awards for I'm Not Rappaport and Conversations With My Father), Barnard Hughes (The Iceman Cometh and a Tony Award winner for Da), Cleavon Little (I'm Not Rappaport and Tony winner for Purlie), Elizabeth McGovern (Map of the World) -- and casting director Vincent G. Liff discuss how they have dealt with mishaps and missed lines, the extent of research done for roles, schooling and formal acting training, starting out in regional theatre such as Chicago before finding work in New York, and the responsibilities of the casting director.

The panelists -- director Clinton Turner Davis (Two Can Play), playwright Herb Gardner (1986 Tony Award for I'm Not Rappaport), playwright/lyricist Tom Jones (The Fantasticks), playwright Shirley Lauro (Open Admissions), lyricist/director Richard Maltby Jr. (Tony Award winner in 1978 for Ain’t Misbehavin’), playwright Marsha Norman (Night Mother and a Tony Award for The Secret Garden) and composer Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks) -- discuss how a playwright chooses a director, the role of a playwright, how much structure is provided by the text, and the varying degrees of collaboration between director, playwright, and actor.

Our panel of some of Broadway's brightest new performers -- Jennifer Damiano, Robin de Jesús, Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr. (2007 for Spring Awakening), Jon Michael Hill and Krysta Rodriguez -- discuss the first professional show they ever saw; the moment they realized they wanted to perform and how their families responded to the news; how their very first jobs came about; the challenges of choosing between school and work; whether they like to go to other shows and what kind of audience member they are; and what they learn from their professional colleagues.

The 1985 Joseph Maharam Foundation Awards for Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design are awarded to Lawrence Eichler, Charles Ludlam, and Everett Quinton for The Ridiculous Theatrical Company's The Mystery of Irma Vep; Mel Carpenter, Angus Moss, and Blu for Ping Chong's Fiji Theatre Company's NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Darkness; and Heidi Landesman (Tony winner for her scenic designs of Big River and The Secret Garden), Patricia McGourty, and Richard Riddell (Tony winner) for Broadway's Big River. The designers discuss their respective productions in-depth. In addition, Henry Hewes receives an award for Outstanding Service For His Recognition Of Theatre Design.

The panel of actors -- Glenn Close (three-time Tony winner for The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden and Sunset Boulevard), Maurice Hines (Uptown...It's Hot), Aidan Quinn (A Lie of the Mind), Marlo Thomas (Social Security) -- discuss working with directors, agents, formal education and technical training, and the beginnings of their individual acting careers.

The development and production of musical theatre was the focus of the discussion with our panel of producers -- Sue Frost (2010 Tony winner for Memphis), Robyn Goodman (2004 Tony for Best Musical for Avenue Q), Paulette Haupt and Scott Sanders. They talk about what attracts them to a project; if playing on Broadway is the ultimate success for a show; whether going out of town is helpful, or necessary, for a new show; the impact of audiences on the show; dealing with critical reviews that remain on line when trying to get a show launched; the difficulty of closing a show or halting a show in development; and advice for young producers who want to develop musicals.

Playwright Brian Clark (The Petition), playwright/director Emily Mann (The Execution of Justice), five-time Tony Award-winning playwright Arthur Miller (for All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999), literary agent Gilbert Parker, director Norman René (Precious Sons), and director John Tillinger (Loot and The Perfect Party) discuss the division of responsibilities between playwright and director, how casting effects the original script, the significance of play titles, playing regional theatres versus New York versus London, escalating ticket prices, and whether working in theatre is preferred to film and television.

The Precious Sons production team -- producers Marty Bell and Tony Award winner Roger Berlind (2005 Best Play for Doubt and 2006 Best Play for The History Boys), legal respresentative Patricia Crown, press representative Joshua Ellis, advertising representative Peter LeDonne, and general manager Peter Neufeld (2005 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre) -- discuss the steps taken to bring the show to Broadway such as obtaining rights, building a creative team, the casting process, Broadway versus off-Broadway, the risks in mounting a production, marketing planning and costs, varying advertising, and experimental ticket pricing.

Our panel of leading actors -- David Alan Grier, Tony Award winner Anthony Lapaglia (1998 for Best Actor in A View From The Bridge), Laura Linney, Jan Maxwell and Alfred Molina -- shared their process about what they look for in a script; the kind and extent of the research they do for a role; how the audience influences their performance; handling a director's return to the show after opening; their collaboration with both the director and the playwright; and what they've learned that they'd share with actors just starting out.

The panel of performers -- Vondie Curtis-Hall (Raisin In The Sun), Ossie Davis (I'm Not Rappaport), Swoosie Kurtz (1981 Featured Actress Tony for Fifth of July and 1986 Featured Actress Tony for the original production of The House of Blue Leaves), Jean Stapleton (Arsenic and Old Lace, and Loretta Swit (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) -- discuss how they got started in the business, Stapleton's experience working at the Stage Door Canteen and attending the American Theatre Wing school, how dance training contributes to overall performance, working with agents and experiences with typecasting, and balancing a film and television career with stage work.

The Playscript/Director panelists -- Long Wharf Theatre artistic director Arvin Brown, playwright Howard Fast (Citizen Tom Paine), director/dramaturg Susan Gregg, playwright Israel Horovitz (Today, I Am A Fountain Pen), Tony-winning director Wilford Leach (for The Pirates of Penzance and The Mystery of Edwin Drood), playwright Leslie Lee (The War Party), playwright John Pielmeier (Agnes of God), and director Jim Simpson (Citizen Tom Paine) -- compare directing with the director's concept versus collaborating with the playwright and their vision; different interpretations and approaches in directing the same play; how a new approach manifests and influences everything from casting to the final production; why pre-production is a hands-off period for directors; and how theatre differs from the mediums of novels and films.

The producing team of the 1986 Tony-nominated play The House of Blue Leaves -- press representative Merle Debuskey, executive producer Bernard Gersten (whose tenure as Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater has scored them numerous Tony Awards including the recent revival of South Pacific, Coast of Utopia and Contact), playwright John Guare (Sweet Smell of Success and Tony Winner for the 1972 musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona), advertising representative James Russek, and director Jerry Zaks (Tony Award winner for Best Direction in 1986 for The House of Blue Leaves, 1989 for Lend Me a Tenor, 1991 for Six Degrees of Separation and 1992 for Guys and Dolls) -- discuss how they came to work on this mid-1960's domestic comedy at Lincoln Center Theatre, first in the off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, then transferring to the much larger Vivian Beaumont Theatre which presented its own challenges, eventually moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway; the economics of producing, subscriber base, and ticket prices at a not-for-profit theater; finding key designers; casting sessions, working with strong actors, and maintaining quality performances in an extended run.

The panel of performers -- Trazana Beverley (Death and the King's Horseman), Mark Hamill (The Nerd), George S. Irving (Me and My Girl and Tony winner for Irene), Linda Lavin (Broadway Bound, 1987 Tony Award), Lynn Redgrave (Sweet Sue), and Colm Wilkinson (Les Miserables) -- discuss when they started performing and how they got their first roles; directors and effective directing styles; the power and influence of critics; audience response especially on opening night; finding the next job and how to cope with the audition process.

Injecting new energy and a new perspective into both commercial and not for profit theatre was among the topics discussed by our panel of producers -- Patrick Catullo, Tony Award winner Eric Falkenstein (in 2006 for The History Boys and in 2009 for the revival of The Norman Conquests), Jenny Gersten and Jill Furman Willis. They also talked about the role mentors' played in their development as producers; where they find new material; how they find investors for their shows; the need to be creative in selling tickets during tough economic times; using new media to promote their shows and to reach new audiences; the responsibility they feel to bring new writing voices into the theatre; and the risks they're willing to take to bring new and different material to the stage.

The production team for A Few Good Men -- producer David Brown; president of the Shubert Organization, Bernard Jacobs; Serino Coyne advertising representative Linda Lehman; and two-time Tony Award-winning producer and general manager Stuart Thompson (in 2001 for Proof and in 2009 for God of Carnage) -- talk about selecting a script by unknown playwright Aaron Sorkin; the details of general management including budget, advertising, ticket sales, government taxes; rising costs in the current economics of Broadway; film rights to plays and the effect of a film release; and what it takes to produce a Broadway show.

The panel of performers -- Jane Alexander (1969 Tony winner for The Great White Hope), Stockard Channing (Six Degrees of Separation and 1985 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in Joe Egg), Sarah Jessica Parker (The Substance Of Fire), Jonathan Pryce (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and his Tony Award-winning performances in 1977’s Comedians and 1991’s Miss Saigon), Ron Rifkin (Tony winner for the 1998 revival of Cabaret), Mercedes Ruehl (The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? and Best Actress Tony Award for Lost in Yonkers) and Topol (Fiddler on the Roof) -- discuss playing the same role over the years, finding a rhythm in one's performance, learning about one's character during the rehearsal process, gaining discipline, and how each performer got their start.

The panel of performers -- Hinton Battle (Tony Awards for Sophisticated Ladies, The Tap Dance Kid and Miss Saigon), Roy Dotrice (The Homecoming and Tony winner for A Moon for the Misbegotten), Timothy Hutton (Babylon Gardens), Mary Louise Parker (Tony Award winner for Proof), Teresa Wright (On Borrowed Time), Stephanie Zimbalist (The Baby Dance) -- discuss working in regional and repertory theatre; where they started out in show business, if it was a family profession; the process of getting an agent; how the stage compares to television and film; and how different theatre spaces, sets, and stage sizes affect a show.

The panel of actors -- Alan Alda (Neil Simon's Jake's Women), Jodi Benson (Crazy For You), Roscoe Lee Brown (August Wilson's Two Trains Running), Glenn Close (three-time Tony winner for The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden and Sunset Boulevard), Richard Dreyfuss (Death and the Maiden), Harry Groener (Crazy For You), Tracy Pollan (Neil Simon's Jake's Women), and Lynn Redgrave (Ibsen's The Master Builder) -- discuss how they got started in the business and their big break, the significance of the rehearsal process, keeping a role fresh and not repeating the same performance, doing classic plays and if they are influenced by seeing different versions, and the difference between London and New York stages.

The panelists -- playwright Jon Robin Baitz (The End of the Day), playwright Charles Grodin (One of the All-Time Greats), director Mark Lamos (The End of the Day), playwright Ken Ludwig (Crazy For You, Lend Me A Tenor), director Tony Roberts (One of the All-Time Greats), five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (for Crazy for You, Showboat, Contact, and 2 awards for The Producers), and International Creative Management Vice-President Victoria Traube -- discuss how they got started and their common backgrounds as actors and lawyers, directing the work of living and dead playwrights, the development and journey for each of their shows, and the seamless collaboration the Crazy For You creative team achieved.

The production team of Crazy For You -- advertising representative Nancy Coyne, press representative Bill Evans, general manager Tyler Gatchell, casting director Julie Hughes, and producer Elizabeth Williams (three-time Tony winner for Crazy for You, The Real Thing and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) -- discuss how the show was adapted from the 1930's Gershwin musical Girl Crazy, advertising as a new musical - not a revival, producing a television commercial, the financial cost of the large production, the role of the casting director, and the effect of positive critical reviews.

The panel consisting of casting director Jay Binder (Lost In Yonkers), and actors Lucie Arnaz (Lost In Yonkers), Hallie Foote (The Roads to Rome), Gregory Hines (Tony winner for Jelly's Last Jam), Tonya Pinkins (Tony winner for Jelly’s Last Jam), and John Schneider (Grand Hotel) discuss how they started their careers, what casting directors look for, auditioning established actors, rehearsing and replacing in a role, and the panelists provide advice to people beginning in theatre.

The creative team behind the hit musical Next To Normal -- Director Michael Greif, Producer David Stone and Tony Award winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (2009 for Best Score for Next to Normal) -- discuss the unique road the show took to Broadway beginning with its start at the BMI Workshop; the origin of the show's subject matter and the challenges of getting acceptance for it; the reasons behind a title change and what that represented for the creative process; why they took the unusual step of going from off-Broadway to out of town before Broadway; what influences the press and audiences had after the off-Broadway opening in their decision process; why some songs were dropped, others changed and the reasons behind the addition of new material; and 4 songs are performed in studio that illustrate the changes in the various stages of the production.

The panel -- playwright/director P.J. Barry (A Distance From Calcutta), lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam), playwright/director Horton Foote (The Roads To Home), agent Wiley Hausam (International Creative Management), musical adaptor Luther Henderson (Jelly's Last Jam), playwright/director George C. Wolfe (Tony Award winner for Best Direction for 1993’s Angels in America and 1996’s Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk) -- discuss how and why they got started in theatre, collaboration between authors and directors, whether playwrights should direct their own work, advice for young writers including how a play gets produced, finding a suitable director, and the advantages and disadvantages of readings.

The Jelly's Last Jam production team -- general manager Michael David (who’s plays have won 49 Tony Awards), advertising representative Rick Elice of Serino Coyne, press agent Richard Kornberg, producers Pamela Koslow and Margo Lion (Tony Awards for Hairspray in 2003 and Elian Stritch at Liberty in 2002), and legal counsel Jean Ward -- discuss developing the musical for Music-Theater Group, working with director/performer Gregory Hines, creating a standout ad campaign, and fundraising with multiple workshops and finding corporate investors for the resulting $5 million production budget.

The panel - actress Brenda Braxton (Jelly's Last Jam), Mettawee River Theatre Company puppet/costume designers Casey Compton and Ralph Lee (Wichikapache Goes Walking), producer/lighting designer Jules Fisher (seven-time Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, Chicago, Dancin’ and Jelly’s Last Jam), director Michael Greif (Pericles), and costume designer Toni-Leslie James (Jelly's Last Jam) - discuss the significant roles of lighting and costume design, the relationship between designers and director, their education and early training, and design budgets; plus a demonstration of costumes and puppets.

The Anna Christie production team -- scenic designer John Lee Beatty (1980 Tony Award winner for Best Scenic Design for Talley’s Folley), O'Neill biographer Barbara Gelb, Artistic Director of Roundabout Theatre Todd Haimes (who has scored multiple Tonys while serving as Artistic Director for Roundabout Theatre Company), actors Anne Meara, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson (winner of Tony Award in the 1998 revival of Cabaret), and Rip Torn, and lighting designer Marc B. Weiss -- discuss in-depth the 1993 Tony Award-winning revival, including the scenic and lighting design, how the characters relate to contemporary lives, the actors' differing acting styles, and Eugene O'Neill's early career.

The panelists -- theatrical agent Joanne Nici, playwright Frank Pugliese (Aven'U Boys), director/writer Geraldine Fitzgerald (Sharon), Tony Award-winning choreographer Wayne Cilento (for The Who’s Tommy), and producer Frederick Zollo (Tony Awards for Part One and Two of Angels in America and the 2002 revival of Private Lives) -- discuss the expanse of their careers and their backgrounds, the role of an agent, and developing plays from the page through casting and rehearsals to production.

Our four Tony Award winning Leading Ladies -- Laura Benanti (for the 2008 revival of Gypsy), Beth Leavel (in 2006 for the Drowsy Chaperone), Bebe Neuwirth (for Sweet Charity and the 1997 revival of Chicago) and Alice Ripley (for Next to Normal in 2009) -- discuss performances they've seen that have made a lasting impact on them; the moment when they realized that a life in the theatre was what they wanted; what it's like originating a role, playing a character in a revival and replacing someone in a show; the roles they never seem to get cast in; their relationship with the audience during a show and after at the stage door; and their thoughts on the audition process.

The Fool Moon production team - producers Jeffrey Ash, Dori Berinstein (Tony winner for the 2001 revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), and James Freydberg, actor/creator Bill Irwin (2005 Tony Award for Best Actor in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), press representative Jackie Green, general manager Robert Kamlot, company manager Daniel Kearns, and actor/creator David Shiner - discuss bringing the two-man mime revue to Broadway, the responsibilities of each production member, the strategic marketing and publicity plans, ticket and production costs, and the wildly varied responses from audiences of all ages.

The panelists -- theatre critic Howard Kissel, Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club Lynn Meadow (who steered the organization to Tony wins for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Proof and Doubt), actor/director Zakes Mokae (Tony winner for Mastor Harold… and the Boys), producer/general manager Dorothy Olim, producer/general manager Albert Poland, general manager Ben Sprecher, and playwright Wendy Wasserstein (The Sisters Rosensweig and Tony winner for The Heidi Chronicles) -- discuss how not-for-profit and regional theaters differ from commercial productions, developing plays out of town, escalating production costs, and viable stage careers compared to television and film.

The panel of performers -- David Cassidy and Petula Clark from Blood Brothers, six-time Tony winner Julie Harris (The Fiery Furnace), Jeff Hyslop (Kiss of the Spider Woman), and Joe Mantello (2003 Tony for Best Direction for Take Me Out and 2004 for Assassins) and Stephen Spinella (winner of back-to-back Tony Awards for both parts of Angels In America) -- talk about how their families encouraged them to pursue performing professionally, appearing on a Broadway stage for the first time, differing audience reactions between the West End and Broadway, and working on the multi-part play Angels in America.

The panelists -- playwright/director Edward Albee (Tony winner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the 2005 recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), director Arvin Brown (The Twilight of the Golds), agent Joyce Ketay, playwright Tony Kushner (winner of two Tony Awards for both parts of Angels in America), playwright Timothy Mason (The Fiery Furnace), and playwright Jonathan Tolins (The Twilight of the Golds) -- talk about playwrights directing their own work, how directors and playwrights collaborate, gauging audience response, and the evolution of their respective productions.

The Kiss of the Spider Woman production team -- producer Garth Drabinsky (Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman), lyricist Fred Ebb and composer John Kander (Tony Award winners for Best Original Score in 1967 for Cabaret, 1981 for Woman of the Year and 1993 for Kiss of the Spider-Woman) playwright Terrence McNally (four-time Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime), director Harold Prince (who has won 21 Tony Awards), and actor Chita Rivera (Tony Award winner for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) -- discuss adapting the novel and film, starting as a ""New Musicals"" development at SUNY Purchase through productions in Toronto and London before reaching Broadway, how the script has changed over the years, the budget required for the long creative process, and the business of producing and marketing a new Broadway musical.

The design panel -- scenic designer John Arnone (Tony Award winner for The Who’s Tommy), costume designer Elizabeth Fried (Brother Truckers), special effects designer Wendall K. Harrington (The Who's Tommy), lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin (New York Shakespeare Festival) -- moderated by three-time Tony Award-winning costume designer Patricia Zipprodt (in 1965 for Fiddler on the Roof, in 1967 for Cabaret and in 1986 for Sweet Charity), Professor Tish Dace, and author/designer/producer Jean Dalrymple discuss their creative childhoods; how the role of designers has evolved from directors, stage managers, and technicians; working with varying production budgets; and the colors and projections used in The Who's Tommy.

The resident theatre panelists -- Randall Arney, Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre; Zelda Fichandler, Artistic Director of the Acting Company; Emily Mann, Artistic Director of McCarter Theater; Mac Pirkle, Artistic Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre; Michael P. Price, Executive Director of Goodspeed Opera House; and Tony Award winner Lloyd Richards (for Fences), Artistic Director of Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center -- discuss the beginnings of regional theatre as a place to develop new plays and playwrights, relationships with commercial theatre, marketing and building a subscriber base, and diversity in playwrights and audiences.

The panel -- Tony Award-winning director and lyricist Martin Charnin (for Annie), Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public playwright Larry L. King and director/co-writer Peter Masterson, choreographer Rob Marshall (Kiss of the Spiderwoman), director/writer Lonny Price (Sally Marr and Her Escorts), Second Stage Theatre dramaturg/literary manager Erin Sanders, director Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast), Ernest Schier director of the National Critics' Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and Tazewell Thompson Artistic Director of the Syracuse Stage -- talk about the different ways that writers collaborate, the role of a dramaturg, how choreography and directing can be intertwined, developing a production in workshops, and reimagining an animated film as a stage musical.

The Beauty and the Beast production team -- press representative Chris Boneau, producer Michael David (who’s plays have won 49 Tony Awards), associate producer Donald Frantz, production supervisor Jeremiah Harris, producer Robert W. McTyre, marketing consultant Margery Singer -- discuss creating a stage musical from an animated film, costume designs, production budget and ticket prices, marketing and publicity including a literacy program, and Disney's plans on Broadway

The panel of performers - Michel Bell (Show Boat), Charlotte D'Amboise (Damn Yankees), Rosemary Harris (Tony Award winner in 1966 for The Lion in Winter), Audra McDonald (four-time Tony winner for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun), and Lonette McKee (Show Boat) - discuss working with elaborate sets, their performing backgrounds, developing technique and discipline, and bringing classics back to the stage.

The design panel -- lighting designer Beverly Emmons, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award for Beauty and the Beast), and scenic designers David Schulder and Tony Walton (Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, the original House of Blue Leaves and 1992’s revival of Guys and Dolls) -- and co-moderater lighting designer Jules Fisher (seven-time Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, Chicago, Dancin’ and Jelly’s Last Jam) -- talk about where they studied their craft, how the props can overlap with costuming, how lighting design has evolved, the Ridiculous Theatrical Company's production of Movieland, and a demonstration of Gary Beach's costume from Beauty and the Beast.

The panel of performers -- Mary Alice (Having Our Say and Tony winner for Fences), Matthew Broderick (two-time Tony winner for Brighton Beach Memoirs and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying), Alan Campbell (Sunset Boulevard), Gloria Foster (Having Our Say), John Glover (Love! Valour! Compassion! for which he won a Tony Award in 1995), Robert Sean Leonard (Arcadia and Tony winner for The Invention of Love)), and Helen Mirren (A Month In The Country) -- talk about how they got started performing, what lessons and training they had, the challenges of working on their current productions, and the playwright's involvement in a production.

The panel -- playwright/actor Dan Butler (The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me), playwright Tom Dulack (Breaking Legs), director Scott Ellis (A Month In The Country), playwright Keith Glover (Dancing On Moonlight), director Sean Mathias (Indiscretions), director Gregory Mosher (Tony Award winner for his revivals of Anything Goes in 1988 and Our Town in 1989), director Lisa Peterson (Slavs), and literary agent Jack Tantleff -- talk about where they began their careers, playwrights who direct their own work, funding for non-profit and regional theatres, and the role of casting directors.