Podcasts about artistic directors

Video Version Here Get in touch with Lehigh Valley with Love In this episode, we talk with Touchstone Theatre General Manager/Ensemble Member, Emma Ackerman; Artistic Director, James P. Jordan; and ensemble member and creator Samantha Beedle; to talk all things Christmas City Follies on the very stage it will be taking place. Christmas Ciy Follies runs December 2 - 19, 2021! "Kick off the holiday season with jingle bells, ukuleles, and the return of our annual winter vaudeville! Join us for the twenty-second iteration of this homegrown variety show, celebrating the season through music, merriment, and traditions new and old. Touchstone is ready to help you ring in the holidays!" - Visit www.touchstone.org for more information. Tickets can be found here If you'd like to learn more about the Lehigh Valley with Love Podcast and the opportunities we can provide through sponsorship and collaboration, be sure to reach us at info@lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com Or click here Thank you to our sponsors! Michael Bernadyn of RE/MAX Real Estate Molly's Irish Grille & Sports Pub Venture X

Rosy Simas is citizen of the Seneca Nation of Indians. She is a transdisiplinary artist and founder and Artistic Director of Rosy Simas Danse. Active since 1992, her projects merge decolonized physical movement with mixed media, sound and objects for stage and installations. I had first become associated with Ms. Simas from an exhibition here at the Plains in 2019. Her work was unlike any of the other artists in the space, where her performance video, We Wait In The Darkness, with these beautiful maps and overlays on them filling a wall in the exhibition. Her work combines themes of personal and collective identity with family, matriarchy, sovereignty, equality, and healing. Thoughtful in her responses, and relatable experiences makes this interview so interesting. Check out the following websites: Website: https://www.rosysimas.com/ Rosy Simas Danse Website: https://rosysimasdanse.com/ All My Relations (A Place of Rest) website: http://www.allmyrelationsarts.com/yodoishendahgwageh/ Native Arts and Cultures Foundation website: https://www.nativeartsandcultures.org/rosy-simas-2

During the pandemic, many people turned to art to process their feelings and cope with loss. Others turned to local artists to contextualize the current moment. Art has the unique ability to comfort us and get us through difficult times. Today, three New Haven artists and disruptors on the ways they are using art to affect change. GUESTS: Kwadwo Adae - Visual Artist and founder of the Adae Fine Art Academy. Alisha Crutchfield McClean - Fashion Consultant and Owner of the New Haven store Bloom. Jacob Padrón - Artistic Director at Long Wharf Theatre and founder of the Sol Project. This week's episode was produced by James Szkobel-Wolff, Zshekinah Collier, and Catie Talarski. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Theatre of Cincinnati, the nation's oldest professional theatre for young audiences, invites the young (and young-at-heart) to take a peek behind the scenes. TCT's Artistic Director and Stage Director of ELF THE MUSICAL JR., Roderick Justice interviews Maddie Burgoon Jones, featured performer and TCT's Associate Artistic Director. They discuss working through the pandemic, Maddie's job, and what it's like being on-stage and on the production side of things. Visit https://thechildrenstheatre.com/shows/elf/ to learn more about the show.

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director of Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York City, presents the 273rd episode of THE PLAYWRITING PODCAST. Episode Topic: "Tribute to Florence Pape, Do it now & Play Development Revisited!" https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwright-career-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/learning-center Email: How2WritePlays@yahoo.com

As we start the holiday season, join Maestro Couturiaux, Executive Director Laurie Garvie, and Producer Ross Sivertsen in this episode of "Portraits in Music" as we talk about holiday music and the upcoming holiday program on December 4th with Ian Gill, Music and Artistic Director of the Richardson Community Chorale.

The creative arts in prison aren't just a 'nice-to-have'. For some they can be a passport to freedom and even a lifesaver. Saul Hewish has visited over 100 prisons in his long career as a the founder and Artistic Director of Rideout, a charity that runs creative arts for rehabilitation. He joins Phil Maguire and Paula Harriott in a series of conversations with people who, in one way or another, found their creative calling in prison. Lee Cutter's fantastic art can be found here: http://www.leecutter.com Brenda Birungi's poetry can be found at: https://www.unchainedpoetry.com  Rideout's homepage is: https://rideout.org.uk/ Walking the Wing, the audio drama produced in lockdown, can be heard here: https://soundcloud.com/saul-hewish-726672794 This episode of The Secret Life of Prisons was funded by the University of Reading as part of the 'Sounding Out: Facilitating Incarcerated People's Involvement in Penal Policy Reform' research project led by Dr Sarah Bartley in collaboration with Rideout Creative Arts for Rehabilitation and the Prison Reform Trust. The Department of Film, Theatre, Television at The University of Reading can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/film-theatre-television/

Today on Midday, a variety of perspectives on Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities, the 1992 play about Black-Jewish relations in America that's getting a new production at Baltimore's Center Stage. Opening night is Thursday. Tom's first guest today is the playwright who created Fires in the Mirror: the writer, actor and educator, Anna Deavere Smith. In addition to the one-woman plays she has written and performed, her acting credits include dozens of well-known television and film roles. She has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, and in 2012, President Barack Obama awarded her the National Humanities Medal. Anna Deavere Smith has revolutionized theater with work based on intensive interviews with people around the subjects she explores. She transforms these interviews into powerful shows that capture the nuances and complexities of the issues she takes-up.Her work has examined, among other topics, health care, the school-to-prison pipeline, and racial tension in Los Angeles following the acquittal of white police officers who beat Rodney King in 1991. In 1992, she wrote and performed Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identities, which explored the violence that broke out in a New York City neighborhood after a Hasidic Jew lost control of the car he was driving and killed an African American child. The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a recipient of a 1993 Drama Desk Award. Anna Deavere Smithjoins us on Zoom from New York City. Baltimore Center Stage is presenting Fires in the Mirror in a live stage production that runs through December 19. A little later in this hour, Tom speaks with Center Stage's artistic director and with the director of the new production. But first, Tom is joined by two eminent scholars who help us explore the relationship between the African American and Jewish communities in America: Dr. Susannah Heschel is the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College.  Her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, was a close confidant and colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Heschel will be speaking in Baltimore a week from tonight about the current state of inter-religious dialogue in this year's Manekin-Clark Lecture, sponsored by the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies. Her talk is entitled “Recapturing the Prophetic Tradition: A Challenge for Interreligious Dialogue.” The event begins at 7:00pm at Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College, and will also be streamed on YouTube. To register for the talk, click here. Prof. Susannah Heschel joins us today on Zoom from Hanover, New Hampshire. Dr. Charles Chavis is the Founding Director of the John Mitchell, Jr. Program for History, Justice, and Race at George Mason University's Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He's also an Assistant Professor of Conflict Analysis and Resolution and History at George Mason. His new book will be published next month. It's called The Silent Shore:  The Lynching of Matthew Williams and the Politics of Racism in the Free State.Dr. Charles Chavis, Jr. joins us on Zoom from Virginia. Tom's final guests today are two artists who are bringing Anna Deavere Smith's extraordinary play, Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and Other Identitiesto life at Baltimore Center Stage.Stephanie Ybarra is the Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage. Nicole Breweris directing the production. They join us on Zoom with their perspectives on this groundbreaking drama. The one-woman play opens on Thursday night and runs through December 19.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on ‘Conversations On Dance' we are joined by award winning choreographer Kyle Abraham. Kyle's choreographic talents garnered attention quickly in works he created for his company A.I.M., leading to a MacArthur Fellowship in 2013 and commissions from some of the most respected dance institutions in the world. We talk to Kyle about his […] The post (262) Kyle Abraham, Choreographer and Artistic Director of A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.

About the Guests Heather J. Strickland started as the Executive Director of Raleigh Little Theatre in June 2020. Prior to joining RLT, Heather was the Communications and Development Director for the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC), the organization that leads the Smart Start network across the state. In this role, she has led a network-wide rebranding effort and created and implemented fund development strategies for the organization. Prior to joining NCPC in 2013, Heather was the Director of Communications for the NC Department of State Treasurer where she oversaw all communications, branding, and marketing strategies for the agency, including the North Carolina Retirement Systems, the State Health Plan, and the Local Government Commission. Heather also served as the Marketing Director for Carolina Ballet, one of the largest performing arts organizations in the state. Heather has over 15 years of extensive experience and success in developing organizational strategy and branding, fundraising, and cultivating engagement for nonprofit and public service organizations. She has been involved with RLT since 2005, starting as a volunteer and stepping into the roles of director, teaching artist, and board member over time. Heather has also worked as a director, actor, and dance/fight choreographer. She is a member of ArtEquity's first cohort of National Board Leaders and has a degree in Theatre Arts and Communications from Flagler College. Patrick Torres is RLT's Artistic Director and has more than a decade of experience as a professional director and theatre educator. His work as a freelance director has been seen at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Southwest Shakespeare Festival, Round House Theatre, The Source Festival, and the Hangar Theatre among others. In 2003, he was selected as a Drama League Directing Fellow and in 2005 was named a Young Leader of Color by the Theatre Communications Group. He has an MFA in Directing from the University of Southern Mississippi. Candis Cox is a Gender and Sexuality educator, lecturer, and advocate for the LGBTQ community in Raleigh NC, where she lives with her husband, and throughout the country. Originally from Syracuse NY, she relocated to Raleigh to attend NC State University where she obtained a BA in Sociology. Originally scheduled to attend Campbell law school, she instead chose to focus on becoming her authentic self, completing her gender transition in 2003. Candis serves on the Board of Directors for EqualityNC, works with HRC (Human Rights Campaign), and works by speaking at events, businesses, schools, and other organizations to educate on Gender and Sexuality. Candis has been featured in a number of http://www.candiscox.com/category/press/ (news specials), has been interviewed by news networks across the globe, and is, to date, the only transgender person to have met with the current http://www.candiscox.com/press/in-meeting-with-north-carolina-gov-mccrory-lgbt-equality-advocates-demand-repeal-of-anti-lgbt-law/ (Governor Pat McCrory) to discuss his anti-LGBT “bathroom bill” H.B.2.   Links https://raleighlittletheatre.org/ (Raleigh Little Theatre) Connect with Us Facebook @beltlinetbroadway Twitter @beltlinetobway Instagram @beltlinetobroadway Support this podcast

Today we're remembering the life of Virgil Abloh, a pioneer in music, art, and fashion, Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton and Founder of Off-White. Then we're recapping Thanksgiving, Art Basel, Black Friday, and the Omicron variant. Visit ledger.com for the smartest way to secure, buy, exchange and grow your crypto assets. Earn daily staking rewards when you stake ETH on Lido at https://www.ledger.com/staking-ethereum Connect with Group Chat! Watch The Pod #1 Newsletter In The World For The Gram Tweet With Us Exclusive Facebook Content

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director of Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York City, presents the 272nd episode of THE PLAYWRITING PODCAST. Episode Topic: "Why?" Black Friday Deals until Midnight November 26, 2021 20% off Playwright Career Coaching and 20% off Full-Length Playwriting Coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwright-career-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwriting-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/learning-center Email: How2WritePlays@yahoo.com

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director of Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York City, presents the 271th episode of THE PLAYWRITING PODCAST. Episode Topic: "Words! Words! Don't Worry about your Words!" https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwright-career-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/learning-center Email: How2WritePlays@yahoo.com

Jonathan Moscone is a champion of arts and activism. A long-time theater director and current Chief Producer at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), he has devoted his career to interweaving arts organizations with civic life and community in an impactful way. With his Civic Engagement practice at YBCA, Moscone has created youth fellowships, artist residencies in the City's public schools, programs to help artists lead financially sustainable lives, and ballot measures to restore city funding to arts and homeless family services. He also serves on numerous community boards, such as the Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard Project, the Homeless Prenatal Program, and leads the San Francisco Grants for the Arts advisory panel. Moscone's gratifying career would not be complete without his extensive experience in theater production. Before his time at YBCA, Jonathan was the Artistic Director of the California Shakespeare Theater in Berkeley and Orinda for 16 years. He works throughout the Bay Area as a freelance director, putting on shows like "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby" for CalShakes in 2005, Bruce Norris' "Clybourne Park" for the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in 2011, and "Candida" (2011), for which he won the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle Award as Best Director of the year. In 2009, Moscone received the inaugural Zelda Fichandler Award from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation for his transformative work in theater. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the ACT's Masters of Fine Arts Program. All successes aside, Jonathan Moscone is one of the kindest people one has the privilege of meeting. He is smart, funny, and genuinely himself in any setting. His down to earth temperament has not only made him an affable director, but a beloved leader in his community. Artists contribute so much to a community's vitality, and through YBCA, Moscone is utilizing his talents and passions to lead the way in Bay Area arts activism. For more information about Jonathan Moscone, please visit: https://ybca.org/person/jonathan-moscone/ Meet Jonathan Moscone!

Today we look at the life and music of Luca Marenzio, the great Italian madrigalist and have a fantastic interview with Hannah Ely, founding Artistic Director and Soprano in Fieri Consort. Click here to learn more about Fieri's upcoming project donate to their Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/thedestinedknot(For a video preview of the project, check out the trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-EtxqcZaNYFor recordings and other general information about Fieri, visit their website: https://www.fiericonsort.co.uk/https://www.soundofageschoir.com/Here are additional links to Marenzio videos performed by Fieri: Deh poi ch'era ne fatiLecture Recital

Mrs. Raquel Whitehead, the Owner and Artistic Director of The Pike Road Dance Academy. Not only has she earned a double degree in Communication Studies and Dance from the University of Alabama, but she is also an incredibly accomplished dancer who has studied and danced with The Alabama School of Fine Arts, the prestigious Julliard School, the Kirov Academy of Ballet, and the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest. She was the youngest American ballet dancer to compete at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland. She also danced professionally in Italy, France, and Germany. She competed in the Miss Texas and Miss Alabama America Organizations for five years. During that time she was crowned Miss Dallas, Miss Fountain City, and Miss Wiregrass Area. Raquel has been teaching all genres of dance for 18 years. She has taught for C.J.'s Dance Factory in Prattville, AL , The Academy of Ballet and Jazz (ABJ) in Tuscaloosa, AL, and was the School Director for The Montgomery Ballet in Montgomery, AL. She has a great love for the arts and hopes to provide an artistic outlet for every child she encounters. Timestamp1:00 Meet Raquel Whitehead1:48 How her family influenced her dancing career2:27 Background and schooling for dance4:40  What was the time commitment during specialized schooling?  “Nothing worth having comes easy.”5:34 How did I meet Raquel?6:48  A house full of boys9:15  How did you know you wanted to go in the dance studio business?11:20  Have a dream… Just get started!12:50  Support system13:45  God winks14:19  When you love what you do, it's a blessing to go to work18:20 – Tips to starting your own dance studio21:36  Logistics and Behind the scenes at Recitals23:43 Women wear many hats25:05  Telling the dance students to always present themselves the way you want to be remembered – Shoulders back, chin up… like you are showing off a diamond necklace27:42  Right now it is important to REFOCUS – Appreciate the life around you and do not prejudge situations.www.pikeroaddance.comFollow Inspiring Thyme IG and FB @InspiringThyme#lovedance #dancestudio #ballet #jazz #competitionteam #buildingabusiness #buildingabrand #womeninbuisness #creativewomen #followingyourdreams #followyourheart #dreambig #workhard #nothingworthhaving #pikeroaddanceacademy #inspiringthyme #groundedapodcastbyinspiringthyme #smalltown #creative 

The British author, Clive Staples Lewis, aka C.S. Lewis had a keen, brilliant mind, whose conversion from staunch atheist to strong Christian is the narrative of a new film, The Most Reluctant Convert. The author of such books as "Mere Christianity" and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", which are heavily drenched in the Christian worldview... Lewis rejected Christianity early in his life after the death of his mother from cancer when he was just nine years of age. His experience of a cruel and meaningless world, brought him to the conclusion that "either there was no God behind the universe, a God indifferent to good and evil... or worse... an evil God." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, actor Max McLean, who wrote and stars the film, which was adapted from the stage play, talks about the filming of the movie at Oxford, England, the reason behind Lewis's intellectual pathway to accepting the reality of an Omnipotent God and, the conversations that Lewis had with his friend J.R.R. Tolkien, who would later write, Lord of the Rings, that made his conversion complete. McLean is the founder and Artistic Director of the New York-based Fellowship of the Performing Arts.

Listen now to this lively discussion of the music and the emotions connected to the upcoming performance of Handel Messiah. With these insights and insider perspectives, you'll be ready to get the most enjoyment out of attending Messiah! Guy Fishman, H+H principal cellist and host of the podcast Tuning In, draws out all the magic that Harry Christophers, Artistic Director, brings to his conducting, gathered through years of performing Messiah. You'll hear about Harry's vision for telling the story of Messiah, and how he directs musicians like Guy to bring life to the notes. Also not to be missed – Harry shares his favorite holiday chutney cooking tips! Most of all, hear how much Harry, Guy, and all the musicians at H+H look forward to welcoming you to the concert hall for H+H's 168th consecutive year of performing Messiah! Written and produced by Guy Fishman

t's a #wrap on Season 1 y'all and we're staying calm**freaking OUT Join us as we re-cap 20 mind-blowing, heart-expanding conversations with Artists, Becoming across stages, studios, rinks, fields & screens… The @ArtistsBecoming Podcast has gathered Ballerinas, Broadway Stars, Olympians, Dancers, Artistic Directors & more...connecting vulnerably with Creatives who share lessons learned and reveal hidden truths behind the Performing Arts' most potent “ingredients”. Season 1 has been a whirlwind of wisdom—Yours for the listening, learning & returningStay tuned for Season & a handful of SCBT's coming your way… enJOY.A special thanks to our dream roster of generous Guests:@theharperwatters@meryledavis@devon.teusch@dylan.moscovitch@madisonkeesler@karineplantadit@mfairchild@garenscribner@4pointe@conholl@kathryn_morgan@sabrinamiko@josephwalshsf@georgina_pazcoguin@damngoodyoga@jscribs@gracedplace@chloe.angyal.writes@lloydknight@kbreencombes@wendyw

Interview with Jolanta Juszkiewicz, artistic director and founder of the Kropka Theatre, the company started its activity in Sydney 25 years ago. The actress and director prepared for the anniversary year, "Misterium Wanda immortalis" by Cyprian Kamil Norwid. - Wywiad z Jolantą Juszkiewicz, aktorką i założycielka Teatru Kropka Theatre, który rozpoczął swoją dzialalność w Sydney. Aktorka i reżyserka przygotowała na rok jubileuszowy, 25 lat działalności teatru, “Misterium Wanda immortalis” w/g Cypriana Kamila Norwida.

Orchestras come in all shapes, sizes, and sounds, and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic is moving forward in its goal to offer a uniquely American aesthetic to as many listeners as it can. Garrett chats with the ensemble's Executive Director, Rhapsody Snyder and Artistic Director, Orbert Davis about the CJP's origins, the necessity of offering FREE concerts, and the concept of "Third Stream". Dalanie Harris from the Classically Black Podcast guest co-hosts and offers insights on the International Society for Black Musicians' inaugural conference, a widely overlooked album by Stevie Wonder, and more! Garrett and Dalanie spend the weekly TRILLOQUY engaging the conversation of respectability among some of the industry's Black musicians. Support for this opus of TRILLOQUY comes from HenselPushers: https://henselpushers.org Playlist: Tomas Adès - Violin Concerto perf. Adam Eccleston and Lydia Chung - Walter Piston Flute Sonata arr. Jasmine Pigott - "Lift Ev'ry Voice" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BASuTqikjQA) Stevie Wonder - "Same Old Story" Gamal Abdel-Rahim - "Variations on an Egyptian Folksong" Margaret Bonds - "Montgomery Variations" perf. Kebra-seyoun Charles - Giovanni Bottesini Bass Concerto Orbert Davis - "Vice Versa" Orbert Davis - "Diaspora" More: Classically Black Podcast: https://www.classicallyblackpodcast.com Chicago Jazz Philharmonic: https://www.chicagojazzphilharmonic.org Downbeat (Ahmaud Arbery Defense Requests 'No More Black Pastors': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_mDJL83do0 Justice for Ahmaud Arbery: https://www.runwithmaud.com All Classical Portland Wins National Honor: https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2021/11/all-classical-portland-wins-national-honor-for-its-work-to-diversify-playlists.html Alleged Diversity in Haydn's String Quartets: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/diversify-the-world-of-classical-music-some-key-players-are-digging-in-their-heels The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69395/the-negro-artist-and-the-racial-mountain

Playwright, director, and filmmaker, Tina Satter, joins me on the podcast today to talk about her incredible career and her amazing broadway show that is currently on Broadway until November 27! Here's Tina's bio: Tina Satter is a playwright, director, and filmmaker based in New York City and Vermont. She received a 2020 Special Citation Obie Award for conceiving and directing her play IS THIS A ROOM which had its Off-Broadway premiere at the Vineyard Theatre in fall 2019; its sold-out run was followed by an encore production in winter 2020 and a groundbreaking engagement on Broadway in fall 2021. The play originally premiered at The Kitchen in New York City in January 2019. Tina is Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed theater company Half Straddle and a recipient of a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship in Playwriting, 2019 Pew Fellowship, 2016 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Award, and a 2014 Doris Duke Artist Impact Award. With Half Straddle, she has written and directed 10 full-length plays, smaller performance pieces, and videos, and re-imagined them for a range of spaces at numerous theaters and festivals in the U.S. and internationally. She has taught writing and directing at Brooklyn College MFA Playwriting, Hunter College MFA Playwriting, Sarah Lawrence College, and University of Michigan, in addition to leading workshops and guest teaching at a range of other colleges and universities. Tina attended Mac Wellman's graduate playwriting program at Brooklyn College and received an M.A. from Reed College and a B.A. from Bowdoin College. She grew up in Hopkinton, N.H. Read the article Tina read in December of 2017 introducing her to Reality Winner's story. Follow Tina and her theater company, Half Straddle, on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and on their website. If you can, go see Is This A Room on Broadway before November 27! __________________________________________________________ Reach out to us anytime and for any reason at hello@letsgiveadamn.com. Follow Let's Give A Damn on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter to keep up with everything. We have so much planned for the coming months and we don't want you to miss a thing! If you love what we're doing, consider supporting us on Patreon! We can't do this without you. Lastly, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts! Have an amazing week, friends! Keep giving a damn. Love y'all! Edited and Sound Designed by Sound On Studios.

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director of Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York City, presents the 270th episode of THE PLAYWRITING PODCAST. Episode Topic: "The FIve Keys to Getting Produced!" https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwright-career-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/learning-center Email: How2WritePlays@yahoo.com

Meet Erika Frank, Owner and Artistic Director of The Conservatory School for the Performing Arts.Find her at: www.theconservatoryschool.comFacebook.com/theconservatoryschoolInstagram: @theconservatoryschoolInfo@theconservatoryschool.comThanks to our sponsor All Inclusive with Jay Ruderman, a podcast focused on inclusion and social justice. Listen and subscribe to The All inclusive podcast on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify and anywhere else podcasts are available. Visit the show website for more information and full episode transcripts at www.AllInclusivepodcast.comGet your own podcast at www.pod617.com

In this episode Edna Bonhomme is in conversation with Nathalie Anguezomo Mba Bikoro. Mba Bikoro's work analyses processes of power & science fictions in historical archives critically engaging in migrational struggles & colonial memory focusing on queer indigenous and feminist biopolitics. The artist creates immersive performative environments for alternative narratives and future speculations of colonial resistance movements led by African women of the German diaspora and indigenous communities. Sedimented in narratives of testimonial Black queer experiences of sonic nature archives, revolt, queering ecologies and postcolonial feminist experiences towards new monuments which reacts to the different tones of societies shared between delusions & ritual. The work offers complex non-binary readings pushing new investigations about the architectures of racisms in cities, the archeologies of urban spaces & economies of traditional systems by exposing the limitations of technologies as functional memory records. She has developed frameworks of rituals and healing in performance work that often reveal the entangled colonial histories of migration at site-specific spaces to dismantle prejudices and organise accessible levels of consciousness through testimonial archives of local communities to build independant emancipatory tools for liberation, education, consciousness, intimacy and healing. She is lecturer in Curating Black Visual Cultures & Philosophy at TransArt Institute New York & Fine Arts practice at the University of Liverpool, artistic & curatorial supervisor of the Artists in Training Programme at the UdK and the University of Bergen Norway. She is Artistic Director of Nyabinghi_Lab Collective, recently curating the performance programme 'Radical Mutations' at Hebbel Am Ufer Theatre Berlin with Wearebornfree! Empowerment Radio and "Free State Of Barackia: 150 Years of Decolonial Urbanisms, Solidarities and New Berlin Utopias". She moderates the annual Berlinale Film Festival & currently has an Artistic Fellowship from the Goethe Institute In Bahia Salvador and is the TURN2 Award Fellow Curator at NCAI Nairobi. Her work was recently published in ARTE Twists series "Our Colonial Heritage" and Deutsche Welle TV in a series of short films on German Colonialism and Black Resistance. Her work has been featured in several international exhibitions and Biennales including the Havana Biennale (2019), Dak'art Biennale (2012; 2018), Venice Biennale (2016) and La Otra Biennale in Bogota (2013) and RAVVY Performance Biennale Yaoundé (2018).

What is a conscious relationship? Do you have any conscious relationships in your life? Most of us were probably raised in unconscious relationships. Carrie Jeroslow is a conscious relationship coach and we had such an amazing conversation on what these relationships look like and how to cultivate them. Carrie believes that we have more than one soul mate and that a soul mate is not necessarily a romantic lover. She believes that we also have soul families and that it is our purpose to learn our lessons from every relationship we have. To hear more about this riveting conversation and to learn about Carrie's free gift tune in. “True love does not condone selfishness but rather aims for mutual growth. With conscious relationships, growth and personal transformation are the primary focus.” ~Katya Ki Three takeaways: 1. How do we help our children to go inward? ~17 minutes 2. What is Theta healing? ~20 minutes 3. Do we have more than one soul mate? ~39 minutes Claim your free gift, Guide to Developing a Self Care Practice, by going to her website: http://www.carriejeroslow.com More information about and to contact Carrie: International Award Winning, Best-Selling Author, Intuitive and Relationship Coach, Carrie Jeroslow, helps people heal from heartbreak by sharing the secrets to finding and maintaining empowering, conscious relationships. She has previously worked as a Commercial Casting Director, an Artistic Director for the International show Blue Man Group and a massage therapist, and has owned a combination vineyard and winery in Yadkin Valley, NC. The one constant in her life has been her own path of self-evolution. She has been featured in Thrive Global, Winston Salem Journal, Forsyth Woman and Tuja Wellness and has been interviewed by Marianne Williamson, Go All In TV, The ListTV and many others to discuss the strategies in her first book, Why Do They Always Break Up with Me? This process has helped her many clients create profound changes in their relationships and in their lives. She gets an abundance of joy from working with clients through her intuitive readings, healings and coaching. It is a passion of hers to assist people on their path of spiritual awakening. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, hiking and music. She lives with her supportive husband and 2 children in the foothills of North Carolina, USA. Website: http://www.carriejeroslow.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieJeroslowAuthorCoachIntuitive Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrie_jeroslow_author_coach/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrie-jeroslow/ Email: carrie.jeroslow@gmail.com Phone: 702.808.8179 Check out our courses online, including our signature FREE Balancing Your Backpack Course https://masksoff.teachable.com/courses To Contact Us: Instagram: @masksoffcommunity FB Masks Off Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/masksoffcommunity Masks Off Email: podcastmasksoff@gmail.com Masks Off YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/channel/UCaWJfO7ZFd4aYBX3e-clj9Q Tia Fagan Website: tiafagan.com Facebook: @tiafagancoach Instagram: @tiafagancoach Email: tiafagancoach@gmail.com Kim Gross Website: unlock-yourmind.com Facebook: @unlockyourmindhypnotherapy Email: kimgross@unlock-yourmind.com Episode 106

Hannah is.........living her dream. Born in Santa Cruz, California, she was put into ballet by her parents at an early age, and graduated high school in just 3 years, focused on her goal of pursuing dance professionally. After being initially rejected by the Juilliard School in New York City, she went to go study at the University of Utah, where she was introduced to modern dance, and fell in love with a new kind of technique, eventually quitting college to go back to NYC and dance professionally. She ended up re=auditioning for the Juilliard School and being accepted with a half scholarship, speeding through the program in 3 years. When love led her to move to Miami in 1994, she was immediately very active in the scene here, teaching dance in Miami Beach, when one day one of her students introduced her to her now professional partner Diego Salterini. Together they started Dance NOW Miami in 2020, and have now grown the contemporary dance school into an active force in the community, exposing more than 45,000 students at Miami schools over the years, to elite dance education through their partnerships with local programs and grant subsidies. Check out their website at https://www.dancenowmiami.org/ and come check out a live performance, next one happening this Sunday at the North Beach Band Shell, titled Fall for Dance NOW.

This conversation was recorded as part of Work Shouldn't Suck's https://www.workshouldntsuck.co/ethical-reopening-summit-2021 (Ethical Re-Opening Summit) that took place on April 27, 2021. This past year saw the environmental impacts of the workplace shift dramatically. For many, travel for work was completely erased, both commuting and related business travel. Conferences that traditionally attracted hundreds or thousands of in-person attendees shifted to online offerings. As we consider how to reopen our workplaces, how can we do that in intentional ways that center our impact on planet and people? Resources mentioned during session:Howlround's https://howlround.com/tags/climate-change (Climate Change resources) https://artscarbon.com/ (Carbon emissions calculator for streaming media) “https://howlround.com/streaming-just-transition (A Producer's Guide to Measuring, Budgeting, and Lowering the Carbon Emissions of Livestreams and Video Conferences)” by Vijay Mathew https://www.jasonhickel.org/less-is-more (Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save The World) by Jason Hickel KRISTA BRADLEY is Director of Programs and Resources at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), the national service organization for the performing arts presenting industry. At APAP she's responsible for the professional development programming for the annual conference as well as year-round programs, leadership development initiatives, regranting programs and resources that advance the skills, knowledge and capabilities of APAP's membership. Prior to APAP, she was Executive and Artistic Director of BlackRock Center for the Arts, a nonprofit multidisciplinary arts center in Maryland, and Program Officer of Performing Arts for Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. She brings more than twenty years of experience working in the nonprofit, performing arts, and philanthropy sectors as a curator, funder, arts administrator and consultant for organizations such as the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, the Walker Arts Center, Houston Grand Opera and Opera America. Krista is also a practicing musician, a current member of the Thomas Circle Singers, a DC-based choral ensemble, and a former board member of APAP. She holds a B.A. degree in Literature and Society from Brown University. ALEXIS FRASZ is a researcher, writer, strategic thinker, program designer, and advisor to partners in culture, philanthropy, and the environmental sector working for transformative change and a just transition. She is a co-director of Helicon Collaborative and leads their work at the intersection of culture and the environment. Her perspective on systems change draws on her artistic practices and diverse background in anthropology, Chinese Medicine, permaculture, and Buddhism. She believes in the need to build solidarity between artists and culture and broader movements working for racial, ecological, and economic justice. Alexis also teaches on creative civic leadership for artists and non-artists, and is faculty for the cultural leadership program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Julie's Bicycle's https://www.creativeclimateleadership.com/ (Creative Climate Leadership program). Her research on http://artmakingchange.org/ (socially engaged artistic practice )has informed artist training curriculums and philanthropic programs worldwide. She is actively engaged in Helicon's ongoing work to address https://heliconcollab.net/our_work/not-just-money/ (inequities )in cultural philanthropy. Alexis graduated Summa cum Laude from Princeton University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and has pursued Master's level study in Chinese Medicine.  She is an advisor of the https://publicbankeastbay.org/ (Public Bank East Bay), the http://www.headlands.org/ (Headlands Center for the Arts,) and https://www.artistsliteracies.org/ (The Artist's Literacy's Institute). She lives in Oakland, where she spends as much...

1. For our first hour we speak to veterans about their return to civilian life, some of whom made detours into CA Correctional facilities. The Veteran's Transition Center, Veterans Healing Veteran's program, facilitates the reentry for these men and women at the former Ft. Ord military base in Marina, Monterey County, CA. http://veteranshealingveterans.com 2. El-Hajj Mauri [pronounced Moor-e] Saalakhan is a Metro-Washington, DC, based writer, poet, and human rights advocate, who currently serves as director of operations for The Aafia Foundation, a Muslim led human rights organization. He joins us to talk about Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and Imam Jalil Al Amin and the rally Nov. 13, in Washington, DC for political prisoners: www.aafia.org 3. Sam Jackson (Risa/Miranda), a San Francisco based actor, vocalist and teaching artist and William Thomas Hodgson (Baldwin/Louis), an acting company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Company; co-Artistic Director, Oakland Theater Project, join us to talk about the World Premiere of Father/Daughter by Kait Kerrigan, Nov. 12 on stage, streaming Dec.7-12, at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley, CA: https://www.auroratheatre.org/fatherdaughter     

Margo Hall is an award-winning activist, educator, actor, director, playwright, and newly-appointed Artistic Director of the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, San Francisco's premier African American Theatre. Originally from Detroit, Hall has been an active director and performer in the Bay Area for over 30 years. She recently directed "How I Learned What I Learned" at the Marin Theatre Company and "Barbecue" for SF Playhouse, as well as acted in "Ah, Wilderness!" for the American Conservatory Theater. She was also recently seen in the films "Blindspotting" with Oakland native Daveed Diggs and "All Day and a Night" on Netflix. Her most recent on-stage credit is "Exit Strategy" at the Aurora Theatre. Margo Hall has also won many awards for her outstanding work, including the Glickman Award for best new play in the Bay Area for her play "The People's Temple," featured at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2005. Margo devotes herself not only to the Theatre, but her community as well. She is a founding member of Campo Santo, a multicultural San Francisco-based theater company that collaborates with local theater artists to put on new works for Bay Area audiences. She is also a theatre professor at UC Berkeley and Chabot College, where her mission is to support and mentor young actors and playwrights who are discovering their voice. Through her devotion to the dynamic world of theatre, her students, and her theater community, Margo has been able to enrich not only herself, but the Bay Area at large. We are very excited to have the unique opportunity of interviewing someone who is so passionate about the Theatre! For more information about Margo Hall, please visit: https://www.margohall.com/ Meet Margo Hall!

This week on Movement Guidance we have Rachel Leigh Dolan! She is a 2 time Helen Hayes Award Winning Choreographer.  As a choreographer, some of her favorite credits include Annie at Olney Theatre Center, James and the Giant Peach at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Carousel at Arena Stage, and working as an Associate Choreographer for Step One Dance Company on Holland America Cruise Line.  She is a proud member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, is a founding faculty member at the innovative private performing arts secondary school, The Academy at Metropolitan School of the Arts, and she is also the Founder and Artistic Director of best8.  You can also catch her teaching weekly at Broadway Dance Center.   Don't forget to follow us on Instagram: @movementguidance

California's vaccine rollout for children 5 to 11 years old. Also, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis' visit to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Plus, a live interview from Glasgow at COP26. Finally, the Colour of Music Festival, an all African-American symphony, makes its West Coast debut. Today's Guests California Health and Human Services Secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, on the state's vaccine rollout for children aged 5 to 11.  Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis on her visit to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Maris Densmore, Director of Engineered Solutions at American Carbon Registry, joins us live from Glasgow at the COP26 with her role at the climate summit and impressions as a first-time attendee.  Lee Pringle, Founder and Artistic Director for the Colour of Music Festival, talks about the festival's West Coast Debut in Sacramento.

The Craft & Career series connects with professional creatives from the arts, entertainment, and media industries, to discuss the nuances of their craft, the reality of their careers, and how, in often surprising ways, these two concerns can work together. We welcome back producer, director and artistic director for The Orchard Project, Ari Edelson '98, … Continue reading Craft & Career with Ari Edelson '98, Producing Artistic Director, The Orchard Project →

Kathleen Breen Combes is a Megawatt-Super-SHEro & definitive Artist, becoming. In this intimate conversation with our first Artist-turned-Artistic Director, @Kbreencombes guides us along her unique journey from a childhood calling to dance to redefining the role of Principal with Boston Ballet. Now the Director of @FestivalBalletProvidence, Kathleen integrates lessons from every deterrent, distraction and empowered conversation, informed by her dynamic career as a Ballerina. Join us as we lean into the perspective and visibility around leadership she shares... from dismantling administrative hierarchy to guiding a company through a pandemic. This one left us hopeful, energized, and enlightened by the potential for intentional change happening behind the “casting/barre/stage” door.

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director of Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York City, presents the 269th episode of THE PLAYWRITING PODCAST. Episode Topic: "5 Tips to Creating Effective Dramatic Action!" https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwright-career-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/playwriting-coaching https://www.manhattanrep.com/script-consultation https://www.manhattanrep.com/learning-center Email: How2WritePlays@yahoo.com

Jeremy Whittington discusses being the managing artistic director at Stage Left Theater, the son of a baptist minister, pansexual, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and his journey to healing and recovery.To get in touch with Jeremy:JeremyCreates@gmail.comhttps://jeremycreates.com/See Beneath Your Beautiful podcast is raw and intimate, sometimes funny and always entertaining. With new episodes every Saturday, Hara explores our loves, fears and hopes with a delicious combination of depth and lightness.https://seebeneathyourbeautiful.com or listen wherever pods are cast.Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/z6ceeh7uSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/k8783km4____To get in touch with Hara Allison:Podcast: https://seebeneathyourbeautiful.com/Photography: https://hara.photography/Design: https://studioh-creative.com/

We close our March celebration of women with a look at the legacy of Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman. We start with a conversation with Avery Sharpe, a visionary composer, educator and musician whose work “Ain't I a Woman” consists of compositions based on formerly enslaved abolitionist and women's rights advocate, Sojourner Truth's life, the title of the project taking its title from a speech she made for woman suffrage in Seneca Falls, NY, in 1851. Later in the show we continue this conversation with Paula M. Kimper, composer of  “Truth, a New Folk Opera about Sojourner Truth, the ex-slave, fiery abolitionist and women's rights pioneer, Linda McInerney, director/co-creator and co-conceiver, is also founder and Artistic Director of Old Deerfield Productions; and Mari-Yan Pringle, who sings the lead. Visit http://truthopera.com/  Between the two Truth conversations is a prerecorded interview with scholar and author, Dr. Jeanne Theoharis about her latest book: "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks." The full interview is broadcast April 3, 2013. We close with a conversation about the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument as the 399th unit of the National Park System (to open in 2015) with Robert G. Stanton, former Director of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Senior Adviser to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. Visit www.nps.gov/hatu

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond.Today's panelists are WAMC's Alan Chartock; Publisher Emeritus of The Daily Freeman Ira Fusfeld, director; actor and educator and co-founder and Artistic Director of WAM Theatre Kristen van Ginhoven; Associate Professor of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies; Co-Editor of the Journal of Equity & Excellence in Education; and Founding Co-director of Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research at University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education Keisha Green; and Immunology and Allergy Specialist in New Hyde Park, New York Dr. James Fagin.Information on WAM's production of "Kamloopa."

In this conversation David Stanko, Technical Director of Haircolor for JPMS shares some of his favorite: Hair color tips that you can use every day in the salon. Tips for practicing hair color in the salon Advice for aspiring educators  Connect with David  https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-stanko-b33b638/  https://www.instagram.com/thedavidstanko/  JPMS David Stanko Announcement  January 20, 2021 “I'm always doing hair color in my head. Makeover, makeunder, trying to match a touch up.  What products do I need, what are their techcial limits, and what combination of techniques will create a customized look?  Not only do I want everyone to stand out, I want my work to be outstanding.” David Stanko uniquely combines his skills as a corporate executive with his reputation for fine artistry and cutting-edge technical expertise. His A-to-Z experience with both startup companies and established industry leaders includes helping develop, test and launch both professional and consumer hair color brands; creating formulation and technique guides; teaching around the world and, working in top salons. A recipient of the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy Alumni Hall of Fame award, he was also recognized for his outstanding contributions to the industry by The Pennsylvania Association of Private School Administration. In developing a chemist-like sense of hair color's boundaries, David acted as Artistic Director for IT&LY Hairfashion, lead hair color product development and testing for Redken Fifth Avenue, and got a 360-degree education on consumer behavior as the Vice President of Technical Design at Madison Reed.  The culmination of these experiences led to international work as a private consultant. David's work and words have been featured in dozens of consumer and trade magazines, and he was twice honored by HaircolorUSA as “Best Educator” and “Most Inspirational Educator,” in 1999 and 2000, respectively. The author of Formula Boss™ Volumes I, II and III, and Color Conversion Made Easy™, David also conceptualized, directed, and starred in the Lifestyle Coloring™ DVD. Currently, he is the newly appointed Technical Director of Hair Color for JPMS, a position that was created just for him. “I am so grateful to join JPMS, a company I've long admired, which is known for its relationships with some of the highest caliber artists in the world.  I can't wait to bring hair color to life in a new, fresh and unexpected way.” To attend the 4-day virtual salon owner/manager workshop email us! Info@124go.com If you are a Keune Loyality Club Member - click this link https://www.keuneloyaltyclub.com/education/business/?next_generation_business__n__leadership_training Try Genesis Private Label  - www.bit.ly/GenesisShopTalk Say hi to Chris and John on social: Instagram https://www.instagram.com/124.go/ https://www.instagram.com/chrissulimayhair/ https://www.instagram.com/noindoorvoice/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/124GO/

What if our experience of ancient Greek plays, rather than involving stultifying boredom, could instead evoke powerful emotions? Bryan Doerries–author of many books involving ancient Greek plays and Artistic Director of Theater of War Productions–talks with Julie and Eve about the tragic loss in his life that caused Greek plays to suddenly begin “sp[eaking] directly to me as if they've been written for me.” As a director, he has since sought “audience[s] that have experienced the extremities of life”--he's performed at hospitals, for the military, in prisons, for addicts, and for the survivors of natural disasters. Bryan discusses what it is about ancient Greek plays that make them resonate all these centuries later. He also details why the audience discussions that follow the play can be more meaningful than the performances themselves. Finally, Bryan explains how the protocols of theatergoing today are a “kind of violence.” Bryan Doerries is a writer, director, and translator. His theater company presents dramatic readings of seminal plays and texts to frame community conversations about pressing issues of public health and social justice. He has received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Kenyon College. And he was named Public Artist in Residence for the city of New York. Bryan's most recent book, which offers a contemporary translation of ancient Greek tragedies, is Oedipus Trilogy: New Versions of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone. Find us on Twitter (@bookdreamspod) and Instagram (@bookdreamspodcast), or email us at contact@bookdreamspodcast.com. We encourage you to visit our website and sign up for our newsletter for information about our episodes, guests, and more. Book Dreams is a part of Lit Hub Radio and the Podglomerate network, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. For more information on how The Podglomerate treats data, please see our Privacy Policy. Since you're listening to Book Dreams, we'd like to suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows about literature, writing, and storytelling like Storybound and The History of Literature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the Craft & Career series, where we connect with professional creatives from the arts, entertainment, and media industries, inviting our guests to discuss the nuances of their craft, the reality of their career, and how, in often surprising ways, these two concerns can work together. This week we'll be discussing the current … Continue reading Craft & Career with Ari Edelson '98, Producing Artistic Director, The Orchard Project →

In today's episode, I welcome Kelsey Aicher! Kelsey is a trapeze artist and coach, as well as the Artistic Director of Aerheart and the Training Company Program Director for Kansas City Aerial Arts. She shares her experience with mental health issues and why she's so passionate about opening conversations about it. She shares with us her heart behind her latest show "n0rmal" (premiering in Kansas City and on livestream soon!) and some of her exciting future plans. (Fun fact: the cover image for this episode is part of the show image for "n0rmal"!)   Get in touch with Kelsey Aicher: www.kansascityaerialarts.com | kelsey@kansascityaerialarts.com Enroll in Lindsey's dance and wellness courses: www.elevateart.thinkific.com  Support Artfully Told: www.paypal.me/elevateart Artfully Told links: www.facebook.com/artfullytold | www.artfullytold.podbean.com | elevateartskc@gmail.com Get a free audiobook through Audible!  http://www.audibletrial.com/ArtfullyTold Schedule your own interview as a featured guest with Artfully Told! https://calendly.com/artfullytold/podcast-interview   Episode 75 - Kelsey Aicher [00:00:00] Lindsey Dinneen: Hello, and welcome to Artfully Told, where we share true stories about meaningful encounters with art. [00:00:06] Krista: I think artists help people have different perspectives on every aspect of life. [00:00:12] Roman: All I can do is put my part in to the world. [00:00:15] Elizabeth: It doesn't have to be perfect the first time. It doesn't have to be perfect ever really. I mean, as long as you, and you're enjoying doing it and you're trying your best, that can be good enough. [00:00:23] Elna: Art is something that you can experience with your senses and that you just experiences as so beautiful. [00:00:31] Lindsey Dinneen: Hi friends, whether you are just getting started or you're a seasoned professional looking to up your game, I have an exciting opportunity for you. Did you know that I am actually the creator of 10 different courses online that range from ballet, jazz, tap. They also include a mindset detox course and two Stretch and Tone courses. So if you're looking to start a new hobby or get a little bit fitter, or you're looking to do a deep dive into your mindset, really perform a true detox, I have the course for you, and I would love to help you out with that. So if you go to elevateart.thinkific.com, you will see all of the different courses I've created. [00:01:26] You don't have to step in a classroom to take your first dance class. I teach a signature 20 Moves in 20 Days course that allows you to learn 20 steps in just 20 days. It's a lot of fun. We have a great time together. And I think you're going to absolutely love the different courses. And Artfully Told listeners get a little something from me. So if you go, you'll sign up and use the promo code "artfullytold," all one word, and when you do so you'll get 15% off the purchase of any and all your favorite courses. All right, listeners, enjoy that. Again, it's elevateart.thinkific.com. See you there. [00:02:11] Hello and welcome back to another episode of Artfully Told. I'm your host Lindsey and I am very excited to have as my guest today, Kelsey Aicher. She is a trapeze artist and coach. She is the Artistic Director of Aerheart and also the training director for Kansas City Aerial Arts for their training company. She's the director for that. And I am just absolutely thrilled that she is joining us here today. Thanks so much for being here, Kelsey. [00:02:43] Kelsey Aicher: Thank you for having me. [00:02:44] Lindsey Dinneen: Of course. Well, I would love if you wouldn't mind sharing just a little bit about your background, maybe how you got involved in art in general, and then specifically in aerial arts and let us know a little bit about what you're doing now to, if you don't mind. [00:02:58] Kelsey Aicher: Yeah. So I have a very strange accidental journey to where I am right now. I've always been really good at math. And that's honestly what got me into art was, I was just, I skipped a grade in math and in third grade and was always advanced. And I was so bored in all of my math classes in high school because I just felt it was too easy. So I started writing short stories instead of paying attention in class. And that's when I fell in love with writing. I started taking creative writing classes, realized I love writing short stories and wondered if I could make a profit or like make a career out of it. So I started studying screenwriting by reading every book that I could. And when I was a junior in high school, I took a summer screenwriting camp at Drexel University and studied screenwriting intensely with the professors and fell in love, went to NYU at first and then switched to Columbia College to finish my Bachelor's in Screenwriting. [00:04:01] And then my life pulled me into Portland. My ex-husband got a job there and I didn't know what to do. And so I was freelancing as a screenwriter doing commercial scripts. I started taking aerial classes to do something, to feel, to feel productive. It was just a hobby. And then a year later I started performing and coaching. And a year after that, I was hired professionally to perform trapeze and just somehow accidentally became a trapeze artist. I don't think that's most people's journey. And now moving to Kansas City, I moved here four years ago. I've been able to combine my love of writing and my aerial arts by writing circus stage shows for the training company, student company, and the professional company. [00:04:54] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. That's amazing. I love that you've been able to incorporate both of your passions into this one cool endeavor that you've been able to undertake. So that's, that's really interesting. So, like you said, sort of the accidental everything coming together, but it sounds like it, it came together pretty, pretty, perfectly, so that's, that's great. So you talked about, you know, starting with the background in, in writing. And so I'm curious how that transition has been, because you were talking about screenplays and whatnot. So, so how have you found that background to be obviously incredibly helpful as you plan out shows, but then also, how has it changed or evolved over the years just because it's necessary to do so with producing a, an aerial show versus let's say a movie? [00:05:45] Kelsey Aicher: So starting at NYU for college, they have your freshman year, you have all the --all dramatic writing students are combined to a class. So it's playwrights, TV writers, and screenwriters. And the first semester, all we did was study plays. And then the second semester we started moving into TV and films. So I actually got a lot of training in playwriting as well as part of my education into screenwriting. When I write a show: one, I think just in general, any type of writer, whether it's short story, novels, whatever, there's still always standard structures of a story. They're generally three acts and character development, multiple plot points. So just understanding story, I think, helps with creating any type of show on stage. Even if it's silent, like ours are-- I shouldn't say silent, but free of dialogue, like ours are-- in a circus show. But having the playwriting understanding actually helps me more. I treat it like I'm writing a musical, so I still outline all my habits and stuff like that like I do for screen writing. I write like my treatment, my outlook. [00:07:01] But then when I think about it, conceptually, I think of it like a musical, because a musical has this narrative story, but then the idea of having a musical number where you're just singing is so removed from reality that it's like a large moment that's just capturing one tiny little feeling. And that's kind of what I do with aerial is like, okay, we're having this story flowing through. And now we have this character locks eyes with this character. And instead of singing a song about it, we're going to have three aerialists on silks doing a whole dance that's showing how these two characters have just fallen in love at first sight. [00:07:41] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, I love that. Yeah. I can completely see that. It's so helpful to have that background of understanding the, the building blocks of creating a story in order to translate it to an art form that you really can't do as much with as far as-- well, you could, I suppose with dialogue-- but traditionally you don't. So yeah, I think that's, that's really neat. And I'm curious, has there been one show in particular that you've worked on, perhaps that has been the most difficult to translate from your concept in your head and like, "I know I want to get these messages across" to put it on, you know, an aerial production where they can, they can interact with each other? Yes, you can see those very human moments and these connections, but still to get across your main point, you know, what was, what has been one of the most challenging that you've experienced so far? [00:08:36] Kelsey Aicher: I think the one that has not actually been released yet. I wrote a show for the training company, Kansas City Aerial Arts called "The Spaces Between," and it's very conceptual. I started writing it-- honestly, I think it was the first show I started to write. But it just didn't make sense to have them start with the students, start with like a really highly conceptual show. And so I put it on hold for several years and we finally were doing it to debut on April 3rd, 2020. So we spent six months building up for this show, getting everything ready. And the three weeks before the show, we shut down the whole studio. And so we actually just filmed it in this past April, April 2021, and it's still in the editing process, so I haven't seen it yet. So that's why I'm interested to see if it goes across. [00:09:33] In the past I've written really, really narrative shows. We've did one about the story of Prometheus and the one that we did before "Spaces Between" was called "Masked: A Superhero Love Story." And it was very clear that here's our hero, here's our villain. And they fall in love and like everything that's happening. So generally I go very narrative where like one person is playing a character and it's the whole through line. With "The Spaces Between," there was a narrator that was just telling the story about growing up, dealing with parents' divorce and death of her sister and escaping, using her imagination to escape what was the stress of what was happening in her life and going to your imagination by thinking of like the worlds that are created in the space inside of bubble or the space between two pages of a book. So it's interesting to make things really, really highly conceptual, where people are just like in normal clothes. And it's not really obvious. They're not heavy characters. Even if the narrator is talking about bubbles beforehand, will people be able to tell that these three lyra performers are supposed to be fairies come to life in this magical world between bubbles? [00:10:46] So I, I think that that's the hardest one, but I also don't know yet the end results, since it hasn't been released yet. It's not fully edited. So I'm when we interested to see if the whole concept and idea that comes across. I hope it does, but I know that that's definitely-- it's a lot harder to convey a concept, especially when we're doing everything very conceptual anyway. Like falling in love is easier to do with dialogue than with aerial, but at least we can create a lot of set up with the right music and costuming and movement to convey it, than trying to convey something like-- I'm trying to think of an example. Oh, there's one where it is-- they're portraying the space between notes in music and on trapeze. And whether that's going to come across or not, I don't know. [00:11:45] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Yeah. You know, on some level I think every time I write and produce a show is, you know, I, I have some level of confidence having been able to produce shows that I'm proud of in the past, but there's always that, you know, when you produce something new, is it, is it going to read, is it going to come across to your audience or did you just create this cool thing in your head that everyone's like, "oh yeah, that was interesting," but they don't quite get. So I can certainly relate to that. But I'm excited for that, that show. That sounds really interesting and unique. And I think, I think that will be a really cool concept to watch. Well, a series of concepts to, to watch in a, in an aerial show specifically. Well, I know that you're currently working on a show that is coming up pretty quickly here, just a few weeks away. And I would love if you wouldn't mind sharing that. I know it's a very, you know, personal thing for you. And I don't want to give anything away ahead of time. I want you to speak to it, but I would love if you would share just a little bit about maybe your next upcoming production that is finally live again. So exciting. [00:12:56] Kelsey Aicher: I am very excited to be back to live theater. It is, I don't enjoy filming things that were meant for stage, despite my screenwriting background. Yeah. So I am making, I've directed the student company before. This is my first time directing our professional company, Aerheart. It is also my first time directing a show that I'm performing in since I'm in Aerheart, but the show is called "n0rmal." Doesn't sound so exciting, but I want to spell this out. We're spelling it lowercase n, the number zero, r m a l. I put the zero in because I wanted to show that like no one is free from mental health or no one is untouched by mental health topics. Like everyone is affected. We're not alone. So I put the zero in there, one, to make the spelling a little bit quirkier, but to, to show that like we're all in this together, no one is exempt from dealing with mental illness or mental health issues. And that's the subject of the show we are talking about trying to normalize talking about mental health and suicide prevention. [00:14:07] Yes, you mentioned that it is a more of a personal story or personal project for me. One, in the pandemic, I saw a lot of my friends have more mental health issues. And for me, I went deeper into my depression, which I've been dealing with since I was 14. And more on a very personal level, I had an addiction to self-harm, to cutting specifically when I was in high school, and I struggled a lot with it. I was hospitalized in college for self harm and I have struggled on and off, but I've been pretty good in my adult years. And during the pandemic with everything being as hard as it was and depressing that it was, I picked up the habit again and it was a struggle and it was a thing that I didn't like. And so I resumed therapy and got back out of the, I stopped it before it became an addiction or a habit again. So I was already dealing with like, "okay, I'm having a tough time. And I know I'm not the only person having a tough time, but none of us are talking about it." [00:15:17] And I'm coming from a place of privilege like that I get to create art all the time. I have been in therapy. I am willing to talk about my own struggles with anyone. But not everyone feels that safety because there are so many reasons to feel like talking about having depression or having suicidal thoughts is taboo. It's going to be a sign of weakness or people just don't understand. And people end up feeling isolated and alone for that reason because they feel like they're the only one feeling what they're feeling. So I wanted to create a show that was to say like, "Hey, you aren't alone." We all experienced this thing in different ways, but it's okay to talk about it and there is support out there. So that's kind of how "n0rmal" started. [00:16:09] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. Well, first of all, I just want to say, you know, for me personally, but just for, for the world, for people in general-- I, I'm so thankful that you are willing to, to address this and to address it in a way that brings people together and says you're not alone, that, that many of us struggle daily with various, you know, mental health concerns. And I think that, you know, I agree with you a lot of times we're led to feel like we're the only ones experiencing something, and that's just not true. And I've noticed for myself that the more honest and open I can be about my own struggles with, you know, with the appropriate people-- not, not everybody-- but with the appropriate people that there's this extremely supportive community in the feeling of, if I can be honest, that allows other people to be honest too. And then we can support each other, but if we don't know what's going on and we can't be honest, then we're stuck in this loop of, of feeling like we're alone because clearly nobody else is going through this. Everybody else has their lives together when that is so not true. So, yeah, I, so I really commend you for, for doing this, and I'm really curious to me, this sounds like one of those concepts that is extremely difficult to translate to an aerial show. So I'm curious how that process has gone for you. And are you sort of tackling different aspects of mental health per piece or is there like a very clear running narrative throughout the whole? [00:17:55] Kelsey Aicher: It is more the former. So I have a description that has some statistics and my, my apologies if this number is wrong. If you come see the show, the correct information is on the program, but it's-- I have a two paragraph description, one paragraph for each act, and the first act talks about some statistics. Like the first piece is called-- and I'm going to get this number wrong, I'm so sorry-- 48,481, I think is the number, which is the number of lives lost to suicide in the year 2020 in the US. Wow. Which is a lot. And so I start with the first act being a lot of statistics and things like psychosis, depression, and substance use disorder are three of the highest risk factors for suicide. Things like being a member of a minority community, especially LGBTQ, or having experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, veterans. There are a lot of risk factors that show signs like that go into complete suicide. And so the first act kind of covers a lot of the different warning signs or common risk factors that can lead to suicide. [00:19:28] And then in what I think is the hardest piece in the show, like not hardest physically, but the hardest piece to watch is an acro number where-- I'm in this piece, of course, my partner and I at the end commit suicide. And then the second act is more about like, okay, so we know that there are these problems that people are facing. There's these mental health issues. There are these risk factors. There are certain groups that are more at risk than others and it's really prevalent. So then the second act is about like, okay, so people might be drawn to suicide because they feel like they're a burden to other people or because they want their pain to end and we can support them. And what you're talking about with the, having the conversation to find out, like, by actually saying like what's going on and you end up finding that you're not alone and that there's a support system. The second to last piece-- which I'm also in-- apparently I'm in the hard pieces emotionally. [00:20:29] It's called "Honest Conversation." And it's performed with my duo partner, Elena Sherman, and my real life best friend. And we are-- our piece is duo lyra, and we're having an honest conversation where in this piece we are through aerial saying like, "Hey, I have been feeling this way." And then all of a sudden hearing, "oh, I've been feeling this way too, and I love you." And we love each other and maybe we can like support each other. So having that honest conversation, just talking about it. So it's very conceptual because there isn't like a strong through line, but I did have these two paragraphs written in the program. And the title of each act is in bold and caps in the paragraph. So if you want to kind of follow along, so you're just like, "I don't even know what's going on right now," you have that safety backup to find out like what we're talking about with psychosis, hopefully like in the piece specifically about psychosis, where we have two people that are kind of like the same sometimes, and then moving further away from each other at other times, hopefully you can kind of get that sense of having -- not multiple personalities-- but having conflicting feelings and manic and depressive states that are sometimes together and sometimes battling each other. Hopefully in the piece about depression, you get the sense of just feeling defeated and depressed. But there is that option of go back and look at the paragraph and you can figure out what we're doing. [00:22:00] Lindsey Dinneen: That's awesome. Yeah. And I know this show is coming up pretty quickly. So do you want to share the details of how we might be able to watch it, whether we're local to Kansas City or not? [00:22:12] Kelsey Aicher: If you are local to Kansas City, we are going to be performing this show live at City Stage at Union Station on November 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st. You can buy tickets at kansascityaerialarts.com. There'll be a link to our EventBrite page. If you are not local to Kansas City, and you want to check out the show, we are going to do a live stream on the Friday, November 19th show, and you can buy tickets through our same EventBrite page there. And if you do the live stream, you'll be able to not only watch it live on Friday, but you'll have access to watch it at another time after that, that weekend. So I know some of my students that are coming to see the show in person that have family members that are in different states are also gifting a live stream to their family members so that everyone they want to share it with can see this show. [00:23:06] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, that's a perfect option. Thank you for sharing all about it and the process and all of that. And I'm wondering how it's been for you personally, and you can go into as little or as much detail as you want, but this is obviously-- like, we've kind of touched on something near and dear to your heart. And I, I, I know from my own personal experience that sometimes taking something that is really, really difficult, and frankly, even just difficult to talk about regardless of your comfort level of it, it's just still hard. I'm, I'm curious how that's been for you to translate that for yourself as a performer and then watching your creation come to life. How has that process been for you? I mean, I can only imagine that you are, you're needing to do a lot of self care on the side to really you know, not go down a rabbit hole of, of, of you know, reliving some of those harder moments, but, but, but still able to portray it. Do you mind speaking to that? [00:24:11] Kelsey Aicher: Yeah, of course. Yeah, I feel like I've been sharing my story more in the last few weeks than I ever have in my life, but I have, I've decided about five years ago that I was going to stop worrying about covering up my scars and not worry about telling people that I have depression, like not trying to hide it. I grew up in a Catholic small town, rural Wisconsin, conservative family. And when the school counselor told my parents that like I had talked about suicide ideation and that I should seek counseling, my parents were really upset that I would need extra help. My mom would drive me to and from therapy in silence and she would always like give me a doctors' note, like that I had a doctor's appointment. Like she would not let the school know that it was for counseling. I was told that I was not allowed to tell anyone, like none of my friends. So I went through my teenage years, dealing with an addiction to cutting, dealing with depression, dealing with starting meds for major depression and anxiety. [00:25:24] And my parents wouldn't talk to me about it. And I couldn't talk to any of my friends. And so I grew up being like, everything that I'm dealing with is something to be ashamed about. And even when I was hospitalized in college, it was only because some one saw --a neighbor in the dorms. I started like bleeding through my shirt and I didn't realize I was bleeding through my shirt from all of my wounds that I had self-inflicted, and they're the ones that took me to the hospital. And then coming back from that break, my parents and I really didn't talk about it. So it's just been like this whole, like life of like, you're supposed to be ashamed of having depression. You're supposed to hide it. You're not supposed to talk about it because like it's improper and it reflects poorly on your family and everyone else around you. [00:26:09] And in Portland, I had a coach who was wearing tank tops all the time and I could see her scars. And I asked her about at one time, like really like hesitantly about like, "Why do you feel comfortable showing your scars?" And she's like, "I get hot easily. I don't want to wear sleeves when I'm training." And it was just like this whole idea of like, "oh, this isn't a big deal." And so I made it a goal for myself that once a week, from them that point on, I was going to wear either shorts or short sleeves or something that revealed at least a scar once, once a week. And it wasn't necessarily around people I knew, or to like my aerial classrooms, and that it would be like to the grocery store, but I was just going to like gradually become okay with like having my scars exposed because I would like literally wear long sleeves and pants. And I like cover absolutely everything. [00:27:02] And so when I started getting comfortable with like my body and people seeing this, and I started like realizing. There's this other person that has this thing. And then we start talking these other people and they have depression. I was like, "oh, I'm not alone." And "Hey, I can start talking about these things." And I've found for me that the best thing for my own mental health and my own control of my problems with self harm has been being honest in talking about it. So I think for me, because I have been now for like, six, seven years been very open. Like if anyone asks me about something that's going on or my past experience, I will tell them. I will be honest. And it's just been something that's been so helpful for me. So I think along this journey, working on this show, even though it is so personal to me and personal to all the performers, I've already-- I don't want to say made my peace but it's the best phrase that's coming to my head right now-- made my peace with that that I don't feel super vulnerable to it. [00:28:00] That said, I am reading something on stage that I wrote. And I have found that when I listened to myself say these words, I have a really tough time. That's when I get triggered. So I have to, there's a piece where I'm reading something I wrote while a contortionist is performing to my words on stage. And anytime she sends me her videos to show me like, "oh, this is what I'm working on," I have to turn the sound off because if I hear myself saying these words, these about having anxiety and feeling stressed out, I get like, I have a physical reaction. So I have found that like, that's my one like trigger in this show, everything else I've been okay with. I've seen a lot of the performers, so many of the performers, if not every performer in this show has started putting their own emotions, their own feelings and their own experiences into this show as well. And so I've seen it more, I've seen more reactions from the other cast members seeing like how their real feelings are getting into the pieces and sometimes disrupting it. [00:29:09] And so I've talked to some of the newer performers. And the way that I keep my, the way I picture it is, you want to be you adjacent. So I think like, there's this character and then there's yourself and you want to have them next to each other so that they're just touching enough that you can pass the emotions and the feelings of your own experiences into your character, but you don't want them to be overlapping and you don't want them to be the same. Because if you are now becoming your reality into this piece, it's going to be so hard as a performer. It's going to be too easy to break down and to not actually separate yourself from the art that you're working on. So I talked to someone else about this and they just decided that they described it as a mask work, where you don't want your mask to be so tight fitting that it's yourself. You want to have a little bit of space between you and your mask that you're presenting. I think of it as being adjacent. Either way, it's this idea that you need to put all of your feelings and your experiences and your person next to your character that you're being. So pull on your experiences of self-harm and depression in this piece about depression, but don't make it actually your real experiences. If that makes sense. [00:30:25] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, and that's great advice. And I wish I had heard that advice a few years ago. I performed a piece where my character was the subject of some pretty intense bullying and, you know, a lot of gossip swirling around the character and the character had to deal with it. And, and it was very difficult to, to be adjacent to that character, having experienced some, some similar kinds of-- not the same obviously things-- but similar things to have those feelings brought back up, right? And so, yeah, that is such a good piece of advice. Yes, draw on your own experience to be able to portray it, to be able to share with the audience, "this is how this feels to me," but not so much that you get to a point of reliving the difficult, like-- I mean, trauma is a strong word-- but you know, things are traumatic, so don't relive the trauma exactly. But yeah, but, but be willing to sit with the feeling. And stay a little bit separate. I like, I like the way that, that you talked about that. Yeah. That's really important. [00:31:33] Kelsey Aicher: And you don't want to completely remove yourself from it because then your performance is inauthentic. Like you still want to give an honest portrayal, but that's why I always think of it, like as adjacent, like touching but not overlapping. [00:31:46] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. That's, that's fantastic. And I'm sorry to hear that you didn't have that support system growing up. I think there-- there's still is-- but there were for many, many years just so much stigma surrounding any sort of mental health difficulty. And I'm so thankful that you have a great support system now, from the sounds of it. And again, we, we are all touched by it. I love what your concept of that is, is nobody has been untouched in some way, whether it's you yourself or, or somebody that you love deeply or whatever. It's, it's there. And so being able to have those honest conversations and draw on the support of others and professionals. And I'm a huge advocate for therapy. I, I think therapy is for absolutely everyone. [00:32:30] Kelsey Aicher: Yes. I think that is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life. Like we go to the dentist twice a year to make sure that our teeth are still okay. We go to the doctor to make sure that everything's okay. Why don't we do this same thing for our emotional and mental wellbeing? Like everyone should be just at least once in their life should get that like tune-up. We do it for our cars. We do it for everything. But we should do it for our brain as well. [00:32:54] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes. Amen. Fully on board with that. Yes. So I'm sure that you're a pretty wrapped up in, you know, everything that is "n0rmal" right now, but then what is on the horizon for you? Where do you see yourself heading to next? [00:33:12] Kelsey Aicher: Well, always more things. I'm sure you already know that our training company is doing this production in December with VidaDance, called "Cracked!" So I'm simultaneously working on training and getting everything together and directing "n0rmal" while also doing some choreography and coaching for the training company for "Cracked!" And the training company at KCAA is already starting to work on our spring show which is a pop goth, gender neutral fairytale retelling, called "The Glass Combat Boot." So I'm already doing auditions for that and choreography and getting everything lined up. That will be in May, again at City Stage. And then, because I'm always thinking so far ahead, I'm getting the concept ready for their Fringe show and I'm already working on Aerheart's show for next year, next fall. So I'm constantly, I always like to stay one year ahead when it comes to writing the show that we're going to do. [00:34:17] So I kind of have a system of "alright, idea for next year's show needs to be done at least one year in advance. I need to have an outline at least 10 months in advance. I need to start auditions and choreography" by the time that we have started by the time we're in production of the previous show. So I'm going year-round constantly thinking of like what the next project is. It helps that I always like to create, so I get excited about things and the people I work with, both in Aerheart and in the training company, they're so inspiring. And so sometimes they'll just say something or do something and I see an image and that sparks a whole entire show. [00:35:02] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. Well, and I have the privilege of actually knowing you in real life, not just, you know, over the, the podcast. And so, yeah, you are one of the most organized people I've ever met, which obviously you have to be, considering you always have like 15,000 things on your plate, so kudos to you. [00:35:21] Kelsey Aicher: I don't usually feel that way so thank you for the compliment. [00:35:24] Lindsey Dinneen: Well, yeah, and I understand that the not feeling that way, but clearly, you know, you are very. So good, good for you, but yeah, that, that is awesome. And for those who haven't had the chance to experience Kansas City Aerial Arts yet-- first of all, I just have to say the company, the professional company Aerheart, and then of course the training company, but the students in general are just amazing people first and they're amazing performers second, but they are just-- you have to watch, you have to watch their shows, frankly. Just shameless plug, but like, it just, you have to do it because they're, they're so good. And one of the things that I enjoy so much about watching them perform is how much they enjoy performing together. It's just obvious. [00:36:11] Kelsey Aicher: Yes. Yes. 100%. This is the most supportive community I have ever known. Like, I am constantly baffled by them. We hold auditions and it's almost like people get more excited to find out that they didn't get a solo because they're excited that someone else got the solo. It's, it is so crazy how much they all support each other and love each other. And like you said, it just shows on stage. [00:36:38] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. It's, it's magical. It's a really special atmosphere that you all have obviously carefully curated and support, but it is awesome the kind of people that you draw in and the way that they interact with each other. It's, it's always a blessing when we get to interact with y'all, but just in general, it's so much fun to watch you. And I would highly also encourage that if anybody is local to Kansas City and has any interest in aerial art, definitely that's the way to go. Like I said, they're extremely supportive people. Even if you've literally never done anything aerial before, they're not going to make you feel goofy or anything. I mean, I did an intro lesson one time and I was so like, I, you know, don't have the upper body strength or anything, and everyone was just so supportive and sweet and you know, that's the way to go. Well Kelsey, you know, thank you so much in general for, for being honest and open with, with us and specifically with the show. I'm really excited that you're doing this and I commend the work. I think it's extremely important that you're doing it. So thank you so much for that. I do have a couple sort of generic questions that I like to ask my guests if you're comfortable with that. [00:37:50] Kelsey Aicher: Yeah, of course. [00:37:51] Lindsey Dinneen: Awesome. Well, first of all, what is one change that you would really like to see in the art world? It could be really anything-- could be a very serious sort of change that you feel like needs to be made or something fun. Just what's one thing you would like to see changed about the art world? [00:38:10] Kelsey Aicher: One thing that I really struggle with is I don't feel that artists receive the same respect as someone that works like a standard nine to five. Like we're constantly asked to work for experience or do work for free promotion, but you wouldn't ask an architect to build a design your building for free, just for exposure. And I think that artists frequently thought of as, "oh, you're just doing it because you love it. And so you should just do it for the love and you don't have to worry about getting paid or getting paid equally." And I don't know, I feel like it's kind of like, you know, people that are computer programmers, they don't just write code because they want to make money. They do it also because they enjoy it, and artists do their work because they enjoy it. But why are we expected to just enjoy it and not seek compensation? So I do wish that there was a little bit more respect financially for artists. [00:39:12] Lindsey Dinneen: Yes, yes. And amen. Yep, absolutely agree. And then is there something arts related that you still want to explore that you haven't yet? So maybe another form of art that has it kind of, you know, prodded you here and there that, "oh, try me!" But you haven't had the opportunity or, or haven't gone for it yet? [00:39:38] Kelsey Aicher: Hmm. That is a really good question. I tend to be a person who-- I don't want to say impulsive, I'm impulsive light. So if there's something that interests me, I usually go for it and I dive in to it. So most things I feel like I have tried. I do still have the goal and it's not new. I, I love writing and I still write regularly. I still have the goal of writing a novel someday. But I'm trying to think of other art forms that I haven't dabbled in that I had just like really would like to try. I can tell you that one of my favorite art forms to watch is, I love watching dance. I love watching all types of dance and I just get mesmerized by it. And when there's an aerialist and a dancer on stage at the same time, the audience is almost always watching the aerialist because that's the thing that they haven't seen so much. And for me, I'm always watching the dancers cause I'm like, "But, but the dancer!" But I, I have tried dancing. I'm not great at dancing. I really respect everything that you guys do. Because I, I'm not a great mover on the ground by any means. [00:40:43] Lindsey Dinneen: But maybe something to further explore someday if you feel like it! [00:40:46] Kelsey Aicher: Possibly. Yeah. I mean, things in the circus arts, I know I want to get better at hand balancing and I've even considered-- it's just like, not professionally-- but like, I'm like when I retire from aerial, I think I might try to get a little bit more into contortion. You know, cause someone just gets into contortion for fun. But yeah, I think that my art, I just like to, I like being creative. I like, I like to move my body a lot, so I think it'd be something along those lines or even in the martial arts, I know. Not everyone considers that to be an art, but there certainly is a movement and an art form to things like Tai Chi or TaeKwonDo. So I think maybe the martial arts would be something I would try out. [00:41:30] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah, absolutely. Great. And then my final question is-- so at the end of your life, what is one arts related experience that you would want to experience one last time for the last time? [00:41:45] Kelsey Aicher: Directing a show with aerialists. It's funny that I have fallen in love with it in the last few years, because I, when I was in film school, I really just wanted to be a writer. I had no ambition to be a director, almost everyone I was in classes with was like director, director, or writer, director. And I was like, no, I really do not want to direct. And the last four years with Kansas City Aerial Arts and working with the student company in particular, like being able to see us, all that team effort put in heart and soul from choreographers and performers and coaches and make a vision come to life. And it's not just like this vision that I have, like, I love seeing their reaction. Like "Masked" was my favorite show that we've done so far on stage. And after "Masked," so many of the students came up to me were just like, "We can do this again, right? Like we should just like, get the, the theater again next week and just keep performing this show." And that joy and that excitement of "we did this together as a team, we got this concept, we were the best artists we could be and we executed a vision." It's just so incredible. And so I imagine that like at the end of my life, I just want to direct one more show with this community again. [00:43:06] Lindsey Dinneen: Yeah. I can understand that. Certainly relate to that. Yeah. Well, Kelsey, thank you so very much for being here today. I'm just so inspired by what you've been talking about and your courage in speaking out about things that are important, that matter to you, that matter to everyone. So thank you for doing that. And if, if people are interested in connecting with you specifically, is there a way for them to do? [00:43:33] Kelsey Aicher: Yes. You can go to kansascityaerialarts.com and you'll be able to find my bio and my contact information. If you want to email me, it's kelsey@kansascityaerialarts.com. I am not very good about social media, but I do have an Instagram account, which is mindfulaerhead. Airhead is A E R. So M I N D F U L A E R H E A D. So mindfulaerhead because I am really into mindfulness while being in the air. And yep. So you can follow me on Instagram there and message me that way as well. I will do my best to respond. I'm working this year on improving my social media presence, but it has been a thing that I have been removed from for several years. [00:44:23] Lindsey Dinneen: Oh, I can relate to that. Well, thanks again so much for being here. I really appreciate it. And if you are feeling as inspired as I am after listening to this episode, I'd love if you'd share this with a friend or two, and we will catch you next time. [00:44:41] If you have a story to share with us, we would love that so much. And I hope your day has been Artfully Told. [00:44:51] Hi friends. I wanted to share with you another podcast that I think you're going to fall in love with just as I have. It's called Harlem with a View, and it is hosted by Harlem Lennox, who was a previous guest of mine on Artfully Told and a dear friend. Just because it looks easy doesn't mean it is. There is so much that goes into the work of your creative. She wants to know how the artists got into their line of work, what inspires them, but most importantly, what keeps them going? She'd asked them about how they make it through the blood, sweat, and tears. She wants to know what it's like to live this creative life: the good, the bad, the ugly, and even the magical. So she goes behind the scenes with creatives, from different genres and she explores their history, their take on life and talks about the business of art and the dedication of making art. She has a brilliant, brilliant platform. I think you will fall in love. I highly recommend that you search for Harlem with a View. Thanks!

Armineh Keshishian is the President and Artistic Director of Evolution Dance Theatre which has created and produced a number of multidisciplinary dance theatre productions. Armineh has incorporated her creative skills with her financial knowledge and entrepreneurial discipline and committed herself as the visionary behind these productions since 2006. She says “I strive to create cultural fusion through art. I am inspired by concepts of women's empowerment, diversity, multiculturalism and breaking down archetypal traditions. My aim is to bring people and cultures together by focusing on our commonalities vs. our differences. Website: http://www.evolutiondancetheatre.com/ IAMCEO Episode 1149 with Armineh Keshishian: https://iamceo.co/2021/10/05/iam1149-director-brings-people-and-cultures-together/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvolutionDanceTheatre/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvolutionDT YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/EvolutionDT

Ken Wolf, Artistic Director of Manhattan Repertory Theatre in New York City, presents the 268th episode of THE PLAYWRITING PODCAST. Episode Topic: "The 5 Keys to Create Great Characters!" Monday November 1st - Price increase!  Book now to save some $$$$! And 50% off ALL my Playwriting Videos with the CODE: LIVE50 https://www.manhattanrep.com/learning-center Email: How2WritePlays@yahoo.com

The Spotlight podcast is hosted by Jena Tesse Fox. Guest: David Staller, Artistic Director of Gingold Theatrical Group On this episode, Jena talks with David Staller, artistic director of Gingold Theatrical Group and director of the Group’s new production of George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, which is running until read more The post Spotlight: David Staller, Artistic Director of Gingold Theatrical Group appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

Horror audio theater for the spooky seasonHost: Sean DillonSupport the artists of Dead North at: https://www.patreon.com/deadnorthPOTENTIAL TRIGGERS TOPICS: Implied harm to animals, Cannibalism-----POSSIBLE BURGER (from part one - description accidentally excluded)Produced by: Special When LitWritten by: Nissa Nordland MorganFeatures: Zach Morgan as Henry MartinLauren Anderson as Possible Burger Vendor, Teen Cook, and Barn IntercomNissa Nordland Morgan as Narrator and 4-H KidSam Landman as Slicker ManKayla Dvorak Feld as The Sacred Pig and Little Girland the voices of pigs from the MN State Fair.Sound Design, Mixing and Music by Nissa Nordland MorganSpecial When Lit unapologetically pushes the boundaries of storytelling, finding a universal humanity in the weird, the extraordinary and the supernatural. We particularly enjoy using spectacle, blood and emboldened sexuality to create a visceral experience for the audience. Founder, Nissa Nordland Morgan, wrote plays The Fae and Incarnate, both performed at the Twin Cities Horror Festival. Nordland also wrote the audio horror Nisse-Natten, which was a part of Blight Christmas and received praise from the judges of the Atlanta Fringe Audio Festival. She was awarded the TC Arts Reader Critic's Choice Award and won the Theatre in the Round Venue Pick for her play Xena and Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy. Nordland is an alum of the Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre, a member of the Playwright Cabal, company member of Theatre Pro Rata, and the Artistic Director of the Twin Cities Horror Festival. This presentation explores gluttony, and the revenge of the consumed. Special When Lit asks- Do you know what (or who) you are eating? Possible Burger features the voices of pigs and sounds of the swine barn from the 2021 MN State Fair, recorded by Nordland herself.Follow Special When Lit Theatre on Facebook for updates on future projects-------WALKIESby Paper Soulwritten by J. Merrill Motzperformed by Logan Rodgersoutro music by Cherly KaCherly from the Free Music ArchiveWalkies was inspired by many many many summer afternoons spent taking two particular dogs around a particular neighborhood and noticing their particular various quirks and...warning signs.Paper Soul was founded by Motz (rhymes with boats, he/him/his) for the 2013 MN Fringe and has created several experiments in the solo performance style ever since. Motz tours these shows both in person and digitally to Fringe Festivals locally and (hopefully) across the country.If you're listening to this episode in October 2021, you have until midnight on the 31st to catch Paper Soul's latest production BRIG, a Ghost Story for Film, available as a Video-On-Demand performance, only at www.papersoul.org Special thanks to Katie Shay & Mike Heckman for letting me spend so much time with their awesome pups, Helen & Freyja.-------BEAR SAUSAGEBy Oncoming ProductionsWritten and produced by Sean DillonPerformed by Jay Kistler and Justin BetancourtOncoming Productions was founded by Sean Dillon, and has produced original dark and horror theater in the Twin Cities since 2013. Past projects have included The Deep Dark, The Last Bombardment, Geminae, holiday anthology shows Oncoming Productions Ruins Christmas, Dread the Halls, Blight Christmas, and this podcast!Keep an eye on OncomingProductions.com and/or our Facebook page for future projects.-----CALLIMARWritten and performed by Alice PaigeAudio production by Sean DillonAlice Paige is a trans woman, poet, and storyteller living in St. Paul, Mn. Her writing focuses on topics like mythology and the transformative power of queer love. Her work can be found at FreezeRay Poetry, Crabfat Magazine, Coffin Bell, VASTARIEN, Button Poetry, Write About Now, Luna Station Quarterly and Take A Stand, Art Against Hate: A Raven Chronicles Anthology. She is a Digital Pedagogical Lab Fellow and has her MFA in Creative Writing from Hamline University. ------Dead North is a production of Oncoming Productions and Hot Chocolate Media.www.oncomingproductions.comhttps://www.hotchocolatemedia.netProducers: Sean and Mallory Dillon for Oncoming Productions, Kyle Dekker and Jacob Gulliver for Hot Chocolate Media Intro/Outro/Interstitial Music: Erik OstromThe rights to individual pieces are retained by their creators, all rights reserved.Our intro/outro/interstitial music samples “Ice Breaking 01” by dheming, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. https://freesound.org/people/dheming/sounds/268023/Dead North is supported by listener donations, and the donations we receive are shared with our artist contributors. Please consider donating at oncomingproductions.com.Please subscribe and rate Dead North wherever you get your podcasts, to help us spread the word.We've got something special coming up for the holidays, so be sure to subscribe! Our next episodes are scheduled for release in early/mid-December. Thank you for listening.

My guest for episode 15 is Margi Cole, a good friend, dancer, teacher, mentor, and choreographer. She is the founder and Artistic Director of The Dance COLEctive and currently is a faculty member in the Dance Department at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/rogueballerina)

Steve Kaplan | Comedy ExpertI've been teaching and lecturing about comedy around the world for years. My first book, The Hidden Tools of Comedy is a best-seller in its field. I've also written, The Comic Hero's Journey: Serious Story Structure for Fabulously Funny Films and am currently working on a third, about writing comedy for television.In addition to having taught at UCLA, NYU, Yale and other universities, I created the HBO Workspace, the HBO New Writers Program and was co-founder and Artistic Director of Manhattan Punch Line Theatre. In addition to development projects for HBO, I've taught taught workshops at companies such as DreamWorks, Disney Animation, Aardman Animation, NBC's Writers on the Verge, and others.There are a number of people who teach screenwriting, but there are few who teach comedy. And most are teaching stand-up or improv. My course is one of the only places to learn about the art and science, the physics and philosophy of comedy: what it is, how it works, WHY it works, what's going on when it DOESN'T work, and what you can do to fix it.Dorothy Parker once described the ability to write comedy as being able to have "a sharp eye, and a wild mind." I'd add the perception to see the absurdities of the world we live in, the courage to include yourself as part of that absurd world, and the ability to share that truth with others. And the occasional bathroom humor.Unlike some, I teach principles, not rigid formulas. My equation for comedy—An ordinary guy (or gal) struggling against insurmountable odds, without many of the required skills and tools with which to win, yet never giving up hope—expresses not so much a formula but rather a metaphor that describes our existence in this world. We're all just ordinary people, struggling to live our lives as best we can without super powers or unlimited resources. The main difference between comedy and drama is how we face that struggle. In comedy, no matter what, there is hope.As metaphor, this perspective invites creativity rather than stifles it, and it allows artists as divergent as Greta Gerwig and Oscar Wilde to still tell tales about human beings struggling to make sense of an absurd world. The best comedies avoid conventional structures—they create their own. Eschewing formula, the best artists hold true to the basic principle of comedy: telling the truth about human beings.In addition to private coaching and one-on-one consultations, Steve has taught his Comedy Intensive workshops to thousands of students around the world, including--in pre-pandemic times--Los Angeles, New York, Australia, Rio, Moscow and Mumbai. He's presently teaching online on Zoom. You can find out all about it at KaplanComedy.com.Order my books Hidden Tools of Comedyor The Comic Hero's JourneyFollow me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/KaplanComedyTwitter at Twitter.com/skcomedy 

In this hour, stories of nerves, anxiety, fear! And the courage and support that allow us to overcome. A phone call, a taxi ride, and a stranger's generosity of spirit. This episode is hosted by The Moth's Artistic Director, Catherine Burns. The Moth Radio Hour is produced by The Moth and Jay Allison of Atlantic Public Media. Storytellers: Amanda Stern, Tim Manley, Annoush Froundjian, Cheryl Murfin, Devan Sandiford

This week on Conversations on Dance, we are joined by Jacob Jonas, Director, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of Jacob Jonas the Company. Jacob started dancing at the age of 13 when he came across a street-performing group in Venice Beach.  From there, his passion for dance expanded into various technique and across many different mediums. […] The post (257) Jacob Jonas, Director, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of Jacob Jonas the Company appeared first on tendusunderapalmtree.com.