Podcast appearances and mentions of Ben Brantley

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2022 48:33

Michael R. Jackson wrote the book, music and lyrics for the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best New Musical- A Strange Loop. He won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics' Circle–winning A Strange Loop (which had its 2019 world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in association with Page 73 Productions) was called “a full-on laparoscopy of the heart, soul, and loins” and a “gutsy, jubilantly anguished musical with infectious melodies” by Ben Brantley for The New York Times. In The New Yorker, Vinson Cunningham wrote, “To watch this show is to enter, by some urgent, bawdy magic, an ecstatic and infinitely more colorful version of the famous surreal lithograph by M. C. Escher: the hand that lifts from the page, becoming almost real, then draws another hand, which returns the favor.” In addition to A Strange Loop, he wrote book, music, and lyrics for White Girl in Danger. Awards and associations include a New Professional Theatre Festival Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, an ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Award, a Whiting Award, the Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, an Outer Critics Circle Award, a Drama Desk Award, an Obie Award, an Antonyo Award, a Fred Ebb Award, a Windham-Campbell Prize, and a Dramatists Guild Fellowship. He is an alum of Page 73's Interstate 73 Writers Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode 301 - Harvey Fierstein

drama prizes pulitzer prize pulitzer young man pulitzer prize winner new york times critic ben brantley

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2022 54:23

HARVEY FIERSTEIN wrote the books ( or adapted the books ) for the Broadway musicals Funny Girl, Kinky Boots. Newsies as well as Torch Song Trilogy (Tony®, Drama Desk, and OBIE Awards), La Cage aux Folles (Tony® and Drama Desk Awards), The Sissy Duckling (Humanitas Award), A Catered Affair (12 Drama Desk nominations), Safe Sex (Ace Award), Legs Diamond, Spookhouse, Flatbush Tosca, Common Ground, and more. His political editorials have been published in The New York Times, TV Guide, The Huffington Post, and broadcast on PBS's “In the Life”. His children's book, The Sissy Duckling, is now in its fifth printing. As an actor, Mr. Fierstein is known worldwide for his performances in films like Mrs. Doubtfire and Independence Day, and on stage in Hairspray (Tony Award®), Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy (Tony Award®), and TV shows such as “Smash,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Good Wife,” “Cheers” (Emmy nomination), “The Simpsons,” and “Nurse Jackie.” Acclaimed originally for his groundbreaking writing and performance in his 1981 Torch Song Trilogy, Harvey Fierstein has refined and redefined the persona of the drag queen in the theater. Two years later, Fierstein brought that insight and humor into his book for the musical adaptation of La Cage aux Folles. As Frank Rich wrote in the New York Times, this “is the first Broadway musical ever to give center stage to a homosexual love affair – but don't go expecting an earthquake. The show at the Palace is the schmaltziest, most old-fashioned major musical Broadway has seen since ‘Annie,' and it's likely to be just as popular with children of all ages.” Fierstein subsequently wrote the book for Legs Diamond (1988) with music and lyrics by Peter Allen, who also starred in the show. He did not return to Broadway until 2002, when he took on the role of Edna Turnblad in the musical adaptation of Hairspray (book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan; music by Marc Shaiman; lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman). According to Ben Brantley, Fierstein's performance as Edna “is not just a cross-dressing sight gag. She's every forgotten housewife, recreated in monumental proportions and waiting for something to tap her hidden magnificence.” After playing Tevye in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof, Harvey Fierstein wrote the book and starred in the 2008 musical, A Catered Affair. As a writer and actor, Fierstein has won three Drama Desk Awards and four Tonys®, most recently for his portrayal of Edna in Hairspray. His most recent memoir is called I Was Better Last Night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All the Drama: Former New York Times Critic Ben Brantley on “The Young Man From Atlanta,” 1995 Pulitzer Prize Winner

BroadwayRadio

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2022 22:29

All The Drama is hosted by Jan Simpson. It is a series of deep dives into the plays that have won The Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The Pulitzer Prize for Drama: “The Young Man From Atlanta”1995 Pulitzer winner “The Young Man From Atlanta,” by Horton Foote The Young Man From read more The post All the Drama: Former New York Times Critic Ben Brantley on “The Young Man From Atlanta,” 1995 Pulitzer Prize Winner appeared first on BroadwayRadio.

Jonathan Spector

I Survived Theatre School

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 80:37

Intro: Leak It All, the gumbo of bad decisions.Let Me Run This By You: Overcoming insecurities, chasing hope, staying curious, and Marilyn Monroe. Interview: A Maze by Rob Handel, Just Theatre, New College of Florida, Asolo Repertory Theatre, SF State, playwriting MFAs, Attempts on Her Life by Martin Crimp, Soho Rep, North Oakland, The Civilians, Yale, UCSD, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, underground poker games, the NYC Tombs, Playwrights Foundation, Annie Baker, Sam Hunter, Zakiyyah Alexander, Soho Rep Writer Director Lab, Adam Bock, Shotgun Players, Anne Washburn, The Bacchae, Eureka Day, left wing anti-vaxxers, Ben Brantley, writing during the pandemic, a pilot about a tech start up run by altruistic vampires, Mike Schur, What We Do In The Shadows, Aurora Theatre Company.

Kristin Goodman

I Survived Theatre School

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 90:37

Intro: We're not doing well. What's the hustle for? W Let Me Run This By You: Is there any such thing as an advocate?Interview: We talk to Kristin Goodman about horses, One Flea Spare, I Got the Blues, David Dastmalchian, John Hoogenakker, New Mexico, Yellow Boat, performance anxiety, Chicago College of Performing Arts, Michael Maggio, gender differences in conservatory education.FULL TRANSCRIPT (unedited):2 (10s):And I'm Gina Kalichi.1 (11s):We went to theater school together. We survived it, but we didn't quite understand it. 20 years later,2 (16s):We're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of it all1 (21s):Theater school. And you will too. Are we famous yet? That was the big question. How are you? It's good to see your face.2 (36s):It's good to see you too. I am. Oh, I'm not, not great,1 (41s):But I am like faking it until I make it, but yeah, you can just start out there.2 (46s):Yeah. I didn't sleep. I had conflict in my house yesterday. I'm fighting with the freaking IRS again. And1 (1m 0s):Like that that's enough right there. Like that could be, you know what I mean?2 (1m 5s):The kid got sick in the night, horribly sick. It's just like,1 (1m 14s):It's the shit, the shit of life. You know, the shit of life.2 (1m 18s):Yeah. What's the for you.1 (1m 19s):Well, before I go on, I just want to say there was a, there was a friend that said that she had this visceral reaction to whenever she felt bad, she traced it back to this time at camp where she was in the cold. This is what you're, you're talking. Your check-in reminds me of, she was in her cold outhouse. This is so gross. But she said there's a visceral or like a bath, the camp bathrooms, not an outhouse, but basically the visceral reaction of a cold wet floor seeing here on the floor smelling.2 (1m 56s):Yeah, wait, that's what comes up for her when she's like,1 (1m 60s):When she has distressed, she remembers this visceral thing of cold, wet floor, disgusting cold wet floor, seeing smelling poop and seeing wet hair on the floor. That's what reminds me like they all go together for her. Yes. She's really in that. And when she's in that moment, I'm not friends with her anymore. But I remember her telling me this and thinking, oh my God, it's so apt. It's like, that is the thing. It's like this combination of things that come together that just make fucking tear, like not good, you know?2 (2m 32s):Good. And that I can really envision that floor. I feel like, I know, I feel like that was, I never went to camp, but I feel like,1 (2m 42s):Yeah,2 (2m 43s):It's not good. It's not good. And you know, like, I guess misery loves company because you know, I, a bunch of people that I talked to yesterday were like, yeah, it's not good.1 (2m 55s):It's similar. I have a similar vibe of like, what is it? You know, I'm S I feel, I mean, it's very strong to say purposeless. I mean, that's, I'm looking for, and I started therapy with this new therapist who I at first thought, oh my God, because she's, she's an older lady. And like, she did that thing of like on zoom. We, we meet on zoom and she did a thing where her camera was fucked up. So I only saw half her face. And I had to be like, Hey, pat, you gotta move the camera. Like I thought, oh, we're in for real. But she's Dr. Pat, Dr. Pat is, I won't say her last name on this in case I ever talked shit about her.1 (3m 35s):But anyway, she, she, she, she's turning out to be quite okay and eight and it's through my insurance covers it. So it's not, that's great. But you know, my bar was pretty low because my last therapist was an Orthodox Jewish guy who kept wanting me to have children. So she's better than that. But anyway, in therapy, I'm realizing that like, I'm really searching for what is it like, what is it I'm looking for in life? Not how do I make money? Not how do I get where I want to go? But like, what are the qualities in life that I am searching for?1 (4m 18s):I've never asked myself that question in my life. Wow. Okay. That's big. Yeah. Like, and, and there's all this shit going on. You know, my friend here, her, mom's got, Alzheimer's, I'm caring, helping care for her and her. Dad's on life support and it's a mess, but all that stuff is true and it's horrific. But I think that's all the stuff of life that's really shitty. But like the internal, when we've talked about this on the podcast, like my internal stuff is more painful usually than the external. Right. I mean, they, they, they really inform each other, but like the informed internal questions of what are the things, what am I looking for? Like if the, what is the hustle for, what is the, where am I going?1 (5m 1s):What the fuck, that's where I'm at. And it's super painful to know, to realize that, like, you know, I don't know the answer to that question. What am I looking for? I, I literally don't and my friend, I have a new friend who's also named Jennifer who said, she asked me this question. And she said, Hey, J boss. She calls me J boss, because someone asked her this as a writing exercise. And I'm going to ask our people this on, on Friday. Anyway. When did you feel when and where do you feel most at home?1 (5m 45s):And I'm like, oh, I w my first response was the coworking space. She's like, and, but it's because I feel like I belong here. Like there's a place to belong to. So that question got me on this. It got me really feeling like vulnerable. And, but like, I wanted to ask you that question, like, my answer was, holy shit. I have no idea. And then the true, if I told this to, and I told this to therapy last night, the true answer to that is in practical terms.1 (6m 29s):The first time I remember feeling at home was when I went to my partial hospitalization day program. Oh,2 (6m 37s):Wow. Oh,1 (6m 38s):Wow. And it was the feeling of after my dad died, you know, I was such a mess and had good insurance praise God. And I went there and I was ashamed and embarrassed, and I didn't want to be there, but I had no structure in my life because I'd left LA and had nothing, nothing to do. And I went there and I thought it was the first time in my life being sick. I felt like no one was pretending, not one person was pretending we had all reached the end of the line in the pretending the therapist. Like no one was pretending that we weren't where we were.1 (7m 19s):It was unbelievably like shocking, but it was also the biggest relief I've ever felt in my life. Well, that's,2 (7m 28s):That's the word I was going to say. I was going to say what it sounds like, what you really felt was relief that you were, I mean, because, and it makes sense that you would have spent your entire life up to that point, figuring out what you had to do to survive, which usually involves making other people happy and feeling responsible for other people's happiness. So the minute, you know, nobody was pretending to be happy. And even if they were, you, weren't in charge of whether or not they were happy that that would feel like a relief. And I, I mean, I haven't had that exact experience, but I do know that, and this is something about myself that I'd really like to change that because of my, the ways I've learned to cope.2 (8m 10s):I mostly feel at home when I'm by myself, which is not, it's not really the direction I want. It's not the thing. I want to be like fostering. I want to be fostering a feeling of being at home with the people that I love, instead of feeling afraid that the people I love, you know, can't help me. Can't take care of me. I have to take care of them.1 (8m 32s):Yeah. I think it is. I think it's, it's, it's right. It's two sides of the same coin. It's like wanting to be for me. Yeah. Wanting to also for my parents and my people. I loved in the past to take care of me and feel that sense of relief with them, but feeling the opposite and then finding a finally being like there is, and I feel like the people talk about this a lot in 12 step programs where it's like, I was, it's like, we're out of options. So like completely. So I don't like saying hit rock bottom all the time, because it was like the end. I will say the end of the road and payment, Pema, Chodron, you know, the Buddhist monk lady talks about this too.1 (9m 15s):Like nowhere else to go, like you're up against your shit. And there's literally nowhere else to run. And so that is like the worst moment. But then I think for me, the moment of admitting and, and saying, oh my God, I have nowhere else to go. I guess I'll surrender to this for me at that moment. In 2006, in may of 2006 or June, it was a day program at a hospital. But like, we can be anything that you just surrender and are like, I need help. Like I cannot, and I don't care where the help comes from necessarily. I'm not picky about it. I haven't had good insurance. So I went to a nice place, but it didn't have to necessarily be nice.1 (9m 57s):I was looking for the relief of the, the, the, the, the release of judgment in a group setting. So it could have been anywhere, but it happened to be a great hospital at the time. And so when it was so helpful that she asked me that question, because I was like, oh, I definitely didn't feel at home in my family. Right. So I didn't feel that. And I didn't feel, and I was thinking about the theater school and our podcast. There were moments where I felt at home within, I feel like for the theater school. And I don't know how you feel about this was sort of like a process of, for me feeling like stepping my toe in and feeling at home and then feeling no, not at home.1 (10m 40s):And then, so I didn't feel at home, like some people talk about like the drama club and their high school being a refuge and feeling at home. I never felt at home there. So, I mean, that was just a really, so it's a lot of intense stuff happening. I feel like for me and for the people that I love and know, and for me, it was really highlighted with this question, like, when do you feel at home?2 (11m 4s):Yeah. And I was like, right. Yeah. No, that's a very good question.1 (11m 10s):What about you like alone when you think of that you think of being by yourself?2 (11m 17s):Yeah. I mean, I have, I, I'm not, I'm not saying it's my fault, but I have perpetuated, let's say the dynamic wherein I feel alone and nobody can help me because of whatever. I'm not letting them help me. Or I pick people who can't help me or whatever it is. And so I I'm constantly like reaffirming for myself. See, nobody cares about you. You know, you don't have any, like, all you can rely on is yourself. That's the really message that I find myself working really hard to defend and to re affirm.2 (12m 0s):And I really don't want to do that. And I'm not suggesting that, like, I, it may be, I need a big paradigm shift, but maybe it's really just this internal work of being like, maybe it just let go. Now, how about serenity right now? How about finding some little bit of peace right now? Instead of thinking when I get blank or when I do blank or when I am blank, it's, that's never, it never, they never comes. I mean, this is the thing that really characterize. I felt like my sister's life, she was, was always, and for her, it was always about money.2 (12m 43s):Once I get my little, you know, this amount of money together, then I will. And it was some form of like, then I'll be happy once I get this job that I'll be happy once I get this boyfriend. And then I'll be happy once I get, you know, and you could just do that for literally your whole life and never got there. And I feel like maybe I've been saying to myself, some type of thing like that, I feel superior in some way, because I have this understanding, but really I'm doing the same thing. I'm I'm in internally saying, well, when I find success as a writer or when whatever my kids are older or with, and this just, it just doesn't work like that.2 (13m 26s):Because when those things happen, there will just be other problems. Like there's no utopia. There's no like,1 (13m 32s):No. Okay. So like mile miles. And I always say like, the panacea isn't even a panacea. Like we thought, you know, him getting a full-time, it's just so amazing how it works. Like him getting a full-time job with all these bells and whistles and all things was going to be the panacea. Well, then it turns out that the, you know, like the paychecks way smaller, because all the full-time job you put into a 401k, you put into that dah, dah, dah, dah, you put, it's not the panacea that you, that it it's just, there is no panacea. Like, and I think that, that, that's what, you know, what the great teachers and stuff that I like say is like, there is nowhere to run. Like2 (14m 12s):You stop looking for the place that you gone to. Yeah.1 (14m 16s):There is no way or to run you're here. And I'm like, oh my God. And, and I think there was a freedom in that, but with it being for me, but for the freedom, just like before I stepped into the rooms, stepped into the room of my day program, there was a constant fighting of trying to survive and trying to keep going the way I had been going, which was pretending to be fine and pretending to keep it all together and pretending to be whatever, you know, what my mom and my sister needed me to be. My dad was dying and I, for better, for worse. Like, I, I, I literally something cracked.1 (15m 2s):And I literally was like, oh, like I talked to the, I remember talking to the intake person and being an, even them just asking me like, what's going on, you know? And I just lost it. And they were like, okay, we'll see you at one eight, 1:00 PM. We'll see you in.2 (15m 20s):Right, right. Yeah. For me, the, for me, I really haven't figured out the difference between pretending and like a more healthy acting as if like, okay, it's not great, but I'm going to kind of go along as if it were, I, I really don't have a very good distinction in my mind between when I'm intentionally employing faking it till I make it versus I'm just pretending I'm telling everybody that I'm fine when I'm really not. Like, I haven't figured that out for myself.2 (16m 1s):I haven't figured it out. Maybe I haven't like, I don't, maybe I just haven't let myself get there. I don't know whether1 (16m 10s):I also don't think. I think again, like I was thinking about like, in the process of feeling at home, and again, I think it's an, it's an, it's a fucking process of yes. And like, sometimes I'm pretending and sometimes I'm doing vacant it till I make it, which is healthy. And sometimes it's just, I don't think for me, it's like, I got part of growing up, obviously in an alcoholic home is like the black and white thinking. Right. So it's like all or nothing. Like I have to be a total mess all the time and that's fine. And that's embraceable, or I have to be like stoic and I can, and I think some days for me is like, I'm able to really embrace the fake it till you make it in a healthy way.1 (16m 54s):And I'm like, okay, I'm going to do the things, walk the dog, do the, did a bit, a bit of it. And some days are just like, oh my God, I can't. But it's, yeah. It's figuring out which days are, which, and also, especially, you know, their shit to be done. Like if especially as seriously. And I, I mean, I don't mean to say this as like, but especially as parents, like there is shit to be done. I'm a dog owner, their shit to be done. So can imagine parents, if, if we parents are completely responsible for the wellbeing of their children and we know my parents didn't do a great job, they did the best they could. It wasn't good enough.1 (17m 34s):So like, there is a real thing about like, people depend on us to do shit. And so there is this2 (17m 42s):And you, you may not have kids, but you have that with, I mean, a lot of people rely on you at various times for various reasons. So really it's the same thing.1 (17m 52s):You can call me a people pleaser. There's also a thing of like, you, people I can call myself or other people can call me a codependent people pleaser, but the lady in the diaper still needs to go to the bathroom. So like, am I going to let her eat it? You know what I mean? Like, there's work to be done. I can't always do the work, but I think there's a part of me. And this is in my DNA. That's like, if a person is suffering and I can help not kill myself, but if I can help, then I do feel like it's my duty to help the lady go to the bathroom like that. I just, and so, you know, and there's people that are like, oh, you, you know, there's, we love to tell people, especially women, you're doing too much.1 (18m 32s):You need to do self care. You need to think about yourself. And I'm like, fuck you. You know what, I, I often can find that pretty like demeaning and also like angering, obviously, you know, anger comes up when people are like, this it's like the toxic positivity, but it goes beyond that. It's like toxic shaming for what we should be doing to take care of ourselves. Yeah.2 (19m 0s):Right. It's just the same thing as you know, is what it's purporting to be fighting against. Yeah. There's a lot of fine lines. I feel, I, you know, I think like the pendulum has really swung in terms of just having this conversation about self care. So, you know, I, I think it really does have to go that way before it can kind of shake out in the middle, but we are in this thing. I mean, for awhile, it was just probably so gratifying and in such a relief for people to be able to go online and see these positive messages and, you know, have these ideas introduced to them about taking care of yourself and having boundaries. But a little bit of knowledge is dangerous.2 (19m 43s):And you know, you can't go around calling everybody a malignant narcissist, and you can't go around saying that every time you want to do something you want it's, self-care, it's, you know, there's a lot of distinctions to be made here and, you know, and I'm there. And there's a lot of distinctions for me too. That's the phase of life I think I'm in right now, I'm trying to make some distinctions between, okay. So I'm not, I'm not just doing the whole reacting to everybody thing, which has defined my life up into very, you know, rather recently, but the answer is not to, just to go in the direction of whatever the opposite of that is.2 (20m 24s):The answer is to find the middle ground and people who are black and white thinkers, like me struggled to find the middle ground Conversation with somebody where I was complaining that this person who I pay, not a therapist, but, you know, I pay to do something for me that I can't do for myself. You know, I was saying to this other person like that, this guy is not advocating for me and the person I was talking to said, nobody advocates for anybody.2 (21m 5s):There are no advocates. And I was like, Hmm, what is that true? I maybe, I mean, I, I really like, it kind of stumped me a little bit like, okay, there's no advocates, what does that mean? Is that1 (21m 23s):More, or no, you just left it at that.2 (21m 29s):Everything is, you know, I mean, I guess their point was like, everything is up to you, which is, you know, actually something I'm actively trying not to buy. I'm trying to buy into the idea that I am not in control of everything. Right. So1 (21m 46s):Was this person, well, I won't ask who this person is, but I will say that sounds like a lawyer.2 (21m 54s):Well, it sounds like a really dejected person, right? Like,1 (21m 60s):Or person talk like that a lot. Cause I know, cause I'm married to one and he doesn't go that route, which is why he was probably not a great lawyer, but in some ways, you know, but hearing him talk about lawyers, that's a very sort of lawyerly thing to do, which is there is no one on your side. Really. There is just you and your willingness to make your life work, make your shit work and to speak up for yourself. And no one really knows yourself like you, so you it's up to you. But it, for me, it really is a dangerous stance because it also, it also sort of makes me angry in that when I was a worked in social services, I was a huge advocate.1 (22m 53s):And sometimes people's only advocate now, did I do it perfectly? No. And like, did I actually make a difference? You could argue that in court either way, but like I was their advocate and I think they're our advocates, but I think there is something, there is some truth in the fact that like we have, we, we have to take care of our yeah, we, we have, we have to take2 (23m 17s):Care of ourselves and well, that's for sure. But that's for sure. I think1 (23m 20s):Our advocates look, there are fucking Abbey. If you look at like, yeah, there are advocates.2 (23m 25s):Well, that's the reason I wanted to run it by you because I think of you as an advocate, I think I've seen you advocate for people professionally and personally and in your career as a therapist and in your career as a friend and in career as a writer. Yeah. Yeah.1 (23m 41s):So I mean, and I think that I take great pride in that and it can lead to like, we're talking about like a lack, a lack of, I wouldn't even say self care, but I can get run down and tired as shit and exhausted. But I was just saying, as I was walking into the co-working space and I was talking to an unhoused guy and helping them out with something and giving them a code and blah, blah, blah, because I had the shit in my trunk. It wasn't like, you know, so I'm giving this stuff to it. And I thought, oh right. If, if being, I did say if being a helper makes me a people pleaser, then I think I'm just going to have to own that because I, I, I cannot stand, I believe by and watch as people suffer without, without trying, because I feel like then there's no.1 (24m 33s):Oh. And it comes down to this, like when I was in the, my worst place, people helped me. that's the truth.2 (24m 42s):Yeah. And also let's be clear. I mean, being a people, pleaser is only a problem. When, you know, a person is like subverting, their, all of their own wants and needs in any given situation for the, that's not, that's not any type of helping is not necessarily, you know, pathological.1 (25m 3s):Right. And I think it's really good. You said that because like in LA, there is this whole thing about like your, your people, like you go, you know, whatever, look out for number one, kind of a situation. And like, you don't have to be rescue anybody and everyone's, and I'm like, that's fine. But, and also what are you going to do when seriously, an unhoused encampment creeps up on your lawn then? So like all of this, we, we all do things for ourselves has helped us to get into this mess. So when there's an unhoused person living on your front lawn, tell me what, what, what do you suggest like, cause what we've been doing every man and woman for themselves, isn't quite working out for us. So like, mean2 (25m 44s):That they're not1 (25m 45s):At all. And there is a part of me and this is a larger conversation that, that we can have at another time. But like that does think that Hollywood, like the service component being of service is so lacking in this industry. There is no, at least in social services, like there is a service component. It may not go perfectly, but there is really no wing of Hollywood that is a service component or a helping component. Right.2 (26m 17s):If it is it's, it's tied up in a lot of like, people's vanity.1 (26m 22s):It's interesting to me. So I mean, you know, I, but yeah, I, I think that advocate that we, an ICU is, and I do, I see most parents that I respect and love also are advocates for their little people all the time, 24 7 with systems, with other people, with their families. It's like, so I think without advocates, we're fucked.2 (26m 47s):Absolutely. And, and you know, like maybe the answer when, when you, when anybody is looking at any situation and saying there's no, this, or there's only this, this all in all or nothing, black and white, that's really that's diagnostic like,1 (27m 7s):Right. I think anytime you're on a date, you meet a new friend you're interviewing for a job. If the person you're talking with is living in a black and white world where there is evil and good and dah, dah, dah, you're, you're an I'm in real trouble. Like, I don't think I can work with those people because even if they're fancy and pretty and cute and to, you know, I don't think it's going to work out just because then I'm going to fall into the camp of either I'm good or evil and that's going to switch,2 (27m 36s):Right. Yes. Because you can never just be one thing. Yeah. Yeah. Stop trying to everybody stop trying to make everybody else one thing or another1 (27m 46s):It's our brains that are trying to like put things into boxes, but it right, right. It really gets us into, into me anyway, into a shit ton of trouble with my marriage, with everything when I'm like, oh yeah, the dog can never go to the bathroom in the house again. Okay. Well, right. Like good luck with that. Like I, it doesn't work.2 (28m 7s):Oh, good luck to you on your journey with your perfectionist.1 (28m 11s):I mean yeah. If it would've worked, we would've really cornered the market on that. Absolutely. Yeah. Like if really, right. It's really just trying to do what other people wanted me to do and to, and to really have no voice worked. I would have been the best version of myself 20 years ago2 (28m 33s):Today on the podcast, we are talking to Kristin Goodman, Kristin trained as an actor, but she is also a director, a playwright, even it has a history as a comedy writer. She's a horse officio, natto and lives in New Mexico with her husband who is also an actor. And we had a really interesting conversation about gender in theater training. And she has some really interesting thoughts. So please enjoy our conversation.0 (29m 1s):Well,2 (29m 22s):Okay. Kristin Goodman, congratulations. You survived theater school to survive as an MFA. You did you study also theater in undergrads1 (29m 33s):And theater. I started out in biology.2 (29m 37s):Oh, wow. So you made a real left turn to get4 (29m 41s):My father basically. So said your dad's a scientist. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, but it wasn't for, you know, I failed constant. I was just, I failed biology twice. So I was like, Hmm. Maybe as a biology major, you fail. Yeah. I realized I wanted to play a biologist on TV. Yes.2 (30m 5s):Much more fun than actually being4 (30m 7s):A buyer. That was really where I was going to get to be a biologist. Yeah. Yeah. And so,2 (30m 13s):But ma you must've done theater or something like that in school to give you the idea that that was what you could switch into.4 (30m 21s):Honestly, when I was in high school, I took drama because my friends were in it and they said it was an easy grade. And so I did that. I was not good. There was no training in my school. Like it was like, you, you knew what theater was. I didn't. So like, I remember doing scene studies and I was like, oh, I have to learn my lines. Oh, so sorry. So I didn't have a clue, but my best friend at the time was working at a comedy club downtown in Austin. And so I started writing material with her. And so we would spend our weekends downtown on sixth street at this comedy club writing material and hanging out with like grown-ass adults and doing that.4 (31m 9s):So that's what I started to learn. Yeah. That's how I learned to write comedy. And then my government teacher, it was during the Bush to caucus run when they were running against each other. And he, he gave us some ideas. He was sort of a really great mentor. And so she and I did a Bush Dukakis debate in class where we personally did them. And so we just started writing comic material and doing that. Which one were you? I was Bush. Yeah. I wish we had video, man. I would say. And then later, like that summer he was teaching summer school and he said, can you guys do this debate for my summer school class?4 (31m 55s):We were like, sure. Why not figure we go into a classroom. It was like an assembly of like all the kids who hadn't passed certain that, and they were laughing their butts off. So it was sort of, I was like, oh, this feels good. I like this. And then I went to a women's college where it was liberal arts school and I was still studying biology. But my second year there, I took a theater film class. And that was what made me go, oh, oh, I was taking photography. I was doing arts. You know, I was drawing, I was just doing that kind of side. But then when I transferred to university of New Mexico, I was going to go to photography program and I walked into the theater section and I just started wandering the halls and it wound up in the Dean's office and she ha she's smoking Capri cigarettes.4 (32m 48s):She's like coming up set am, what do you want to do? And I was like, I think I'm going to be a playwright. And she was like, all right, let's sign you up. So she signed me up and I transferred into there and I had Mac Wellman was one of my instructors. And he's extra crone from the Venezuela and Digby Wolfe who wrote for Laugh-In. Yeah. So, but ultimately I changed my degree to acting because I'm a horror for attention. And people kept telling me I was a really good actor. And I was like, really? They were like, yeah, you should be an actor. And so I just went into acting instead took me awhile.2 (33m 29s):That's that's not typical that you would that a person. I mean, in terms of the people that we've interviewed, starting as a writer, going to be an actor and now returning to writing among other things. So you didn't ultimately find acting that fulfilling or4 (33m 46s):Acting was I loved rehearsal. I loved figuring out the characters and playing once it got to performance, it was, it just, I didn't, I'd never understood the crossover. I never, I didn't nobody ever talked to me about, well, you can keep playing. It was about the product that everybody kind of pushed and I felt too much pressure and it just too much anxiety. And I was kind of miserable every time. Yeah. Very miserable.5 (34m 23s):That crossed my mind. When you were talking about writing in Austin, I'm like you that's the makings of a Saturday night live writer like that. A lot of, did you ever think about like, doing that? Cause I'm like, fuck, if you were writing as if you were a teenager, right. Would you ever be like, I want to write for so, cause that's what I was like, she should have room for Saturday.4 (34m 48s):Yeah. I didn't, it never occurred to me. I didn't, I was very, I was just, I was so confident in everything that I did that I never could discern what was, what I really wanted to do. And at my parents was pretty absent. So, you know, going into theater, I also had, when I got after my second year at this women's college, I went back to Austin for the summer. And I Reno, there's a comedian performance artist from New York named Karen Reno. And she was workshopping a one-woman show called Reno and rehab, something like that, or out of rehab or something like that.4 (35m 30s):And Evan, you knew LIS was the director. She had come out of New York also and she needed an assistant. So I got that gig working for her. And her producer was Chula Reynolds, who was Ann Richards campaign manager. And so I was hanging out with them all summer and working and at the end of that run or that workshop, Chula and Evan and Karen took me to lunch and said, you need to decide what you're doing because you're interested in politics. You're interested in entertainment. What do you want to be behind the camera in front of the camera? And they were just like, you need to focus, get your shit together.4 (36m 10s):So these very powerful, strong women basically were like, smacking me upside head saying, you don't know what you're doing, but you need to do you have an idea? So like, let's help her. So that was kind of the catalyst to me going. I think that's what clicked when I walked into that Dean's office was right. This is what I want to do. I don't want to be a photographer. I don't want to be a biologist. All these, you know,2 (36m 38s):Why do you think it was you? You said, because I was so confident in so many things. I had a hard time figuring it out, but is that really what it was? I mean, looking at your, with your adult eyes now, is it that you were just good at a lot of things? And so, or was it, did it have something to do more with figuring out what other people?4 (36m 59s):Yeah, probably absolutely. I thought it was confidence. So it was more about being confident that I could fulfill that for other people and for myself, instead of really hearing my own voice and hearing like what made me excited to wake up and work and do, regardless of the outcome,5 (37m 23s):Did you, did you, when you had that sort of talk with those women, how old4 (37m 27s):Were you? I was 19.5 (37m 30s):Holy shit. And did you keep in touch with them?4 (37m 33s):I did with Karen Reno for quite some time. And I just reconnected with Evan briefly on like LinkedIn, but not much after that, you know, when you're that young, you're just sort of like flying through the atmosphere, trying to grab on to anything that like feels good or, yeah,5 (37m 55s):I'm just so like in all the fact that they sat you down and believed enough in you, or I don't know what their motivation was, but it sounds to me like they fucking gave a sh you know, the game of shit to sit down with you at 19. I wish some also you were like assisting at 19 on a professional. I mean, that is, did you have over responsible as a kid or how did 19? I was like dating skateboarders and drinking. How did you end up seeing, so it's such like a go getter, kind of a gal.4 (38m 29s):Well, my dad he's German and he learned how to parent in the bootcamp and the Navy. And then, you know, we always, I always had horses and so I was always, you know, it wasn't, I wasn't watching Saturday morning cartoons, you know, I was outside and I was working and there were chores and it was so responsibility was something that I kind of was innately built into my, whether I liked it or not.2 (38m 60s):Yeah. So you mentioned horses and that's been a big part of your life, including you trained animals for film or4 (39m 9s):So when we move to was a ringleader, we moved to Los Angeles. I still had my salary from the Chicago college performing arts, where I was an associate acting professor. So I had that for the summer and then I needed to make money. And we were living right in Hollywood and up the road was a little boarding, stable, like sort of outfitter for like trail rides. And my friend who I wrote comedy with at, in Austin, she was living there and she said, oh, you should go up there because they have horses. And so we went up there and I S then they were looking for a manager, like an office manager.4 (39m 49s):So I went up there and started working for them. And as time went on, I was teaching horseback riding lessons to just your average Joes or actors who needed it, I would take like celebrities on rides and stuff and do that, which was super weird and interesting, but it was great5 (40m 13s):Intimate. Like when I've done horseback riding, when I did like a trail ride, it was just me in California and the trail guide. And it's an intimate thing to be on a horse with just it's quiet except for the horses. So like, was it like intimate? Did you talk to these people and get to know like how4 (40m 33s):Sure. Yeah, no, it was, it was, yeah, it was interesting. And you kind of, there was really nobody that I was, I mean, there were big, big name people, but nobody that I was like, oh my God. Like I, but I couldn't handle talking to at that point. I think, especially when you're the Wrangler, you know, you've got a responsibility and so they're, they're automatically sort of listening to you. So you kind of have a leg up and it's not about them being famous. It's about them being like, please, I don't want to die. Yeah. Right. Right. Yeah.2 (41m 13s):Not many people I don't imagine are in the position of, in that situation, training an actor, a trait, a horse, having expertise in both their area and yours. Did that come up in conversation with, with the people that you were working with and if it did, did it help4 (41m 30s):You do your job? Absolutely. Because if you understand how to maintain your objective and under, and stay in your character and be confident on the horse, then you're doing a good job. If, if you're freaking out about the horse, you're never gonna sell that. You're whoever you're supposed to be on that horse. So, yeah. Yeah.2 (41m 52s):It's an acting. I mean, I've never ridden a horse, but I'm kind of hearing you say, like, everybody needs to do a certain amount of acting on a horse because you have to project a kind of conscious4 (42m 2s):Oh yeah. And you can tell, I mean, my God, you can tell when you're like, oh, that person's should have taken some lessons before they plop them on that horse. The amount of people that get on horses and movies that aren't well-trained enough and do stuff astounds me, like astounds me, but5 (42m 25s):Dangerous for everybody involved. Right. The horse, the human, the whole, I just have this really a lot of respect for you in terms of, I mean, for a lot of reasons, but one of them is the horses. When I have been on a horse, the experience has been show intense. And so tra I had to trust, I've never had to trust anything that was alive. As much as I trusted being on that horse, you know, on a plane, it's like a horse. I was like, oh, Tammy was her name. And I said, Tammy, you, me and you, we're gonna, we're gonna get through this. And she was amazing, but like, it's, it's, it's a real, and they're huge. Like you don't think, oh, of course you're like, it's a huge animal.5 (43m 8s):And anyway, I think that that part is fascinating. Are you still doing, you have your New Mexico? Do you have horses and do you train them? Do you?4 (43m 16s):I do well last October we bought a horse property and moved to it. So I have five horses. Yeah. That's so cool. It's pretty great. It really, I did it. I did it for myself, but I ultimately did it for my daughter because she wanted a horse and it was during that pandemic, the beginning. And I was just kind of watching her just slowly getting more and more enclosed. And I was like, no, this isn't. So when I found the property and we decided to do it, you know, now her window overlooks, like are our nine acres and the barn.4 (43m 58s):And she gets, you know, she finished schoolwork yesterday and she just ran out there and rode two of her horses and spent the whole day down there. So2 (44m 8s):That's fantastic. That's very special thing you're4 (44m 11s):Providing for her. It's pretty satisfying.2 (44m 14s):So getting back to the theater school. So you did, you did theater in undergrad, but how did that compare to DePaul and doing the MFA and having this very intense acting program?4 (44m 29s):It was not even close. You know what, by the time I graduated, I didn't from undergrad. I didn't know what I was doing. I still, which is why I went to grad school. I was like, I can't go out there. I, what the hell I'm doing? Because I spread myself with the playwriting and then into the acting. And I just felt like I hadn't experienced or had the amount of, yeah. I just felt not prepared. And there was a friend who Eli had gone to school with at DePaul who was there at UNM for the graduate directing program. So he was like, you should audition for DePaul.4 (45m 9s):And so I auditioned for three schools and DePaul was one of them. And then I got in and it was, yeah, it was a really big wake up call for someone who I hadn't had a lot of movement. You know, the most dance I had done was I did flamenco because I was at UNM and they had like the best program. So I was like, well, that's what I'm going to do, but it doesn't really prepare you for movement on stage, in a very fluid way, but it helped. I'm sure it helped. And I hadn't had the Linklater. I hadn't had the, you know, the, just the training that I wound up with.4 (45m 54s):So it was, it was intense for me, very intense. It was a lot. It was it intense for you emotionally or just in terms of like acquiring a new set of skills socially? Not socially, but emotionally and like, yeah, physically acquiring all those skills and connecting all the dots and really just me with all my like guards up and all the, I really didn't know how to play. Honestly, I didn't grow up playing. I grew up working and so playing, you know, when I worked at the comedy place in Austin, that was playful, but I didn't equate the two for some reason.4 (46m 37s):And so when I got to DePaul and you know, Rick Murphy's asking me to play, I could improv because I had been an improv group in undergrad and I had done all that stuff before I got there. In fact, the, the MF, the guy that was there for a master's program, he started this improv group. So he taught me everything. Rick had taught him. Oh. So by the time I got to DePaul, I knew how to do everything. Rick was teaching. So I had fun, but I was still, I guess the biggest thing was I was so aware of how much money it was costing and how a debt I was going, that there was a side of me that was like, I better be good, like this better work.4 (47m 19s):And there was a lot of pressure to like, be an and learn and evolve into something that was going to pay off for me. And I think it kind of hampered my playfulness in some ways.5 (47m 35s):It's interesting. I mean, I think that that is so, and you could talk about this too, cause you're on sets now, but like this it's, it's the sense of place. I mean, I think that's maybe what I'm talking about about the heart, the schism that exists between when we're, when we're told to be playful, especially like in a Rick Murphy kind of a way, and really have a sense of, of, of joy about the work. But then there, there comes a transition where it's not play at all. It's like serious business. And I don't think I ever knew how to mix the two and that's why my acting isn't good. Like really, like, I don't know. I'm not, I'm just saying like, I don't think I ever learned how to bring the joy back to set.4 (48m 19s):Yeah. Yeah. It's5 (48m 22s):That I'm like, oh yeah, I never have fun on set. I always feel like I'm going to die. So like, but I didn't feel like that class.4 (48m 29s):I didn't feel that way in Murphy's class either. I saw it all around me. And when, when I, when the third year when we were mixed with the undergrads is when I really became aware. Because as a graduate student, you know, your acting professor could say something to you that was kind of shitty. And you could say, oh, go fuck yourself. Like, cause you're like, you know, I'm 22 years old, go fuck off. Like yeah. You know, and, and they would be like, oh, and you would be like, well, no, seriously go fuck off. Like, I don't need that. It still hurt. But you didn't, you didn't have that.4 (49m 12s):You know, when you're an undergrad, what I noticed the undergrads was it was, it was really, it could be very intense. And what I really thought, what I really noticed in the undergrads was the difference between the experience of the women were having an experience that men were having. I really felt like the women were pitted against each other or they were, or just in general society, that's what was happening. So there was so much competition between the women that it was agonizing to watch my friends, like, like just sobbing and bathrooms and like hating each other and not being supportive of one another and really like taking out their own insecurities on each other.4 (50m 0s):And when I saw the, the males that were an undergrad, there was just sort of like, Hey, that's great. I'm so glad you got that part. I wish I got it. Let's go have fun anyway. And it was just like, what are they giving them? What's going on?5 (50m 15s):And you had gotten to an all women's college, right? So like you,4 (50m 20s):I knew what w women were like, and it wasn't like that at the women's college that I was at the liberal arts school. I mean, it was very supportive and, you know, people do shitty stuff, but nothing where it was like, you were trying to con you were, you weren't competing with the other person. But I, I witnessed a lot of that just as an upper, you know, a graduate student watching the undergrads, really just squabbling for parts and not5 (50m 53s):That's quick. It's so interesting. And also, I'm just thinking of our interview with, with John who can Acker and Dave , who were competing all the time and yet loved, managed to love the shit out of each other as they went through and their relationship only grows stronger and stronger. And then you turn and there's women that started out being friends and at the end of undergrad, hated each other and never talked to each other. Again, it was still such a different, I never dawned on me, never Dawn on me until you said that, that there could be that disparity between discrepancy and, and, and4 (51m 29s):It was a very different experience for women. I felt, and I don't know what it's like now, but, but I, it was, it was hard to watch. It was really hard to watch2 (51m 40s):Also thinks that that was true for the MFA program that, that, that, no.4 (51m 45s):Okay. Not in my experience.2 (51m 49s):So then what did you like, what did you do with that awareness at the time? Did you talk to anybody about it or were you just kind of like, Ooh, don't touch that with a 10 foot pole.4 (51m 59s):I don't think I had the wherewithal to really recognize it. I just kind of saw it and steered clear of it. I mean, there were some graduate student, friends of mine that did get into that mix where they would start to bad mouth, another actress, or talk about how it wasn't fair or, you know, that kind of a thing. But yeah, I didn't, I didn't stick my toe in it. There was a really nice moment, like toward the end, very end of my time there, when we were in scene study class with Mike Maggio, and I remember two of my friends were up there acting, and it was sort of a train wreck.4 (52m 42s):And he was like, let's just come in. We'll just sit down and talk. I don't know if you were in this class, Jen, but he goes, he gathered everybody around. He was like, eat, you guys know that nobody's going to die. Right? Like that, this is just a play. This is not life and death. You can have fun up there and nobody's going to die. Are we, are we all in agreement with that? And I was like, thank you. Somebody finally said it.5 (53m 11s):What a relief.4 (53m 12s):Yeah. And everybody was kind of just staring at him like what? And I was like inside my head, just thinking, God, thank God. Somebody finally said this to these people because it was5 (53m 25s):So interesting because he was the one really closest to death in terms of his physical4 (53m 30s):Life. So he knew like, look, this is play. Like, why aren't you enjoying yourself?5 (53m 37s):My God.2 (53m 38s):Yeah. Yeah. There was just such a, I mean, we've talked about this a lot on here. There was just such a preciousness that the, that the, I think I'm trying to unpack, like why, why was it like this? And I think one part of it could be that the R the undergrad professors really took consultants quite seriously and talked about, I think what they were trying to do was talk about the craft in a way that engendered, you know, reverence from the students. But it wasn't articulated enough to say that you could step out of that at times.2 (54m 18s):You didn't always have to carry the mantle of like my crap, you know? And cause I just remember taking everything quite seriously.4 (54m 29s):Sure. Yeah. I would, I would, yeah, I did at times too. I mean, you know, my husband who was my boyfriend at the time would find me, like in my closet, crying, listening to Tori Amos really loud, you know, like, and he'd be like, are, are you okay? Like you just had to have an emotional outlet and5 (54m 50s):You feel supported like as a grad student or as a human that did you have like a circle of friends you felt supported there and like made good friends and like felt where I I'm like obsessed with this idea of feeling at home today. And like, did you feel at home amongst your people there?4 (55m 8s):Yeah, I did. I mean, I had a different experience in that I had this boyfriend, so I kind of had this life outside of the school, whereas other people were going to parties and they were hooking up and they were experimenting. And I wasn't part of that social circle, but I felt supported by my friends. So I didn't, you know, if they weren't supportive, I had no idea, but more often than I felt supported, you know, I, I remember after like our first intro, we were doing that, David Hare play that I hate so much. I can't remember the name of it.4 (55m 48s):Yeah. I think it's skylight. Ugh, that frigging thing. And I, we finished like the second performance or something and we were cleaning up the classroom and Murphy walked up to me and he goes, you, you got that. You got that monologue finally. And I was like, yeah. And he goes, the second one though, it's still aren't there. And Tisha was standing next to me. She goes, would you shut the fuck up? Leave her the fuck alone. What's wrong with you? And he was like, oh. And she was like, give her a fucking break. I was like, yeah, give me a break.4 (56m 28s):I'm working here. And he was like, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. But oh, that's great. So we did do that for each other and we did like stick up for each other because we, you know, when you're at that point and you know, I don't know about the undergrads, but all the grad students were paying for their way. Like there was no doubt everybody was paying their way. So you kind of had, you felt valid in saying, you know what? I don't need that I'm paying you. We thought they were, are supposed to be our parents and you didn't right. Oh God. Yeah. They were, they were, are equals to a certain degree. We felt. And so when, when these conversations would come up, at least from my perspective, I don't know if other grad students felt this way, but you know, I had a couple of really good friends who were really talented, who just left.4 (57m 17s):They're like, nah, I'm not going to do this. And you know, they have, they have a great life. I'm still in touch with them. And I think that you kind of have to want to be stripped down. You, you kinda have to want to have your ego dismantled to see what's underneath it. And, and I think that as actors want that writers kind of want that to find out what's in there. And so I think there was something to what they were doing that was really beneficial. My big thing that I think all conservatives, all conservatory training programs should have because of my experience in my third year, there would be that you need to have some kind of, they teach you how to get into character.4 (58m 3s):They teach you how to use things from your emotional life and PO so that you can just jump right in, but they don't teach you how to take it out. There's no decompression. Like they don't put you through. They don't have a technique and the tools for you to like release it. So when my third play that from my, my last year there, I did all the last three shows I did at victory gardens. Right. At one fleece, you were brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Well, I went really, I went from one flea spare right into, I got the blues. It didn't have a break.4 (58m 43s):And I started having panic attacks at dress rehearsal for, I got the blues. That was my first panic attack was onstage dress rehearsal. I got the blues and Hoka knocker was sitting across from me and I was talking. And then all of a sudden I just stopped talking and I was very aware of the exit sign. I was very aware of like where I was, except I thought I feel so different. What's going on? And Hogan lockers, just looking at me. And he said, as said something else to me. And he said something else to me. And all of a sudden, I just started talking again and we're back. But after that, I was like, I'm not doing this. I can't, I'm not, can't go on stage again.4 (59m 24s):So I had to manage panic attacks all through that run. And then5 (59m 31s):How did you do it? Did you get help?4 (59m 34s):Eli's uncle's a psychologist in Chicago. So he got me some Klonopin. Great. And I was able to do every single show and every single night, Lisa volt would have to push me on stage. Like she would stand right behind me and just push me. And then I would just go into auto drive, complete auto drive. And it was, yeah. Yeah. So I, you know, I probably could have done a better job in that play, but I was definitely on auto-drive, you know, I was like,5 (1h 0m 8s):Yeah, I, you know, I S I started having panic attacks at my fourth year in DePaul or 30 or DePaul two. And I can't imagine, and I wasn't in a show. It did, like I was in yellow bow, but then it ended and I had a break from it. But the fact that you were able to continue. Like now I look at, I watch performances since being, having an anxiety disorder and performers in a different way. Like being able to manage panic while being another character and remembering it is like, this is a miracle, it's a miracle to me so that you got through it. I don't give a shit if you didn't fucking Merrill.5 (1h 0m 51s):Holy shit. Holy shit. I think that's brilliant. And also afterwards, you must've been, how did you feel? Were you like, what the fuck was that?4 (1h 0m 60s):So I have panic attacks, you know, all through. I mean, I was just taking Clonopin. I was, when we went to LA for the showcase, I had to manage it, then that whole summer. And then I finally got therapy and the like 10th session with the therapist, we were going through my life, you know, then finally she said to me, tell me about the play before I got the blues. And that was one police bear. And I said, oh, so she's just telling me this story. Tell me about it. And I started, I started from the beginning, but what I realized, I mean, by the end, I was just sobbing. I was a disaster. What I realized was I, I didn't know the difference in my brain between what Naomi had written and what I had created for my character.4 (1h 1m 48s):It was just a whole life that I created inside of myself. And that had things that I had created. So they were mine. And that play is a woman who's scarred from the neck down, from a fire, from saving her horses and her husband who won't touch her and this little girl. And, you know, there's the plague. And in the end, the little girl helps her kill herself with a knife. And then they shroud me and the Matt who was playing my husband and we're dead. And then Dave, who played the guard has this big monologue where he walks in front of us and he loved that monologue. And it took a while.4 (1h 2m 33s):Yeah. Day one thinking about me, like in a corset, under a blanket, try not to breathe, you know, he was performing. So that whole time I was just repressing, repressing, repressing all these emotions after killing myself on stage. And then I would go off stage and just breathe and then go on with my day. So when I started rehearsals for, I got the blues, it just stayed repressed. And then when I had my first panic attack, it was things like, I didn't want to be near knives. I kept thinking about why do I keep thinking about killing myself? Like there were all these things that I just hadn't added up with the fact that I had created a whole life and I'd done a good job from all my training.4 (1h 3m 16s):Like all that recall. And, you know, being able to walk on stage and have this whole history and this moment that it happened off stage, it worked, it all worked. It was all great technique. But again, nobody taught us how to compress all that shit. How do you get all that out of you so that you can move on to the next character or on with your life without carrying around with you,2 (1h 3m 40s):Right? Yeah. And this has come up a lot on the podcast and sometimes we've done this, I'll do it with you. Let's do a thought experiment about if we could have dictated the terms of that rehearsal process for you and somebody could teach you how to unpack decompress, what would it look like? Would it look like somebody on staff? Like, would it be sort of like having an AED, but maybe somebody who's trained in?4 (1h 4m 8s):I think someone who's either trained in trauma or mental health because every, I mean, every great play has conflict. Every, every story has conflict. So there's going to be trauma. And how are you going to find that within yourself, you're going to go to that place that has trauma in you to access that vulnerability. Right? So if you have somebody on staff, who's either trained in somatic movement, something that like you can like, then they take the actress from that play. And they do two days of movement to release all this stuff out of their bodies. Since DePaul was all movement, like it was all about the physical actor.4 (1h 4m 49s):So how do you let it out of yourself physically when you've been taught to put it in physically? I think that would benefit actors tremendously. And if they're trained in trauma, in mental health great too, but that they have to also be trained in some sort of physical outlet that helps you exercise that out.2 (1h 5m 11s):God, what if they had had something like, you know, followed in Christ love on technique? What if we, what have we integrated the study of that more with like helping ourselves in a practical way after rehearsal? Because even if it's not some big traumatic story, even if it's a children's story, it takes a toll, but this is something that I think people who aren't actors can't maybe wrap their heads around no matter what it is having to put yourself in a reliably, you know, heightened place, night after night or day after day as the case may be, is emotionally exhausting for everybody.2 (1h 5m 53s):No matter how much for how little trauma they have. Yeah.5 (1h 5m 57s):And you're moving, you see, like my panic is taxed started after I played a mother who lost her child to aids. Now I'm not saying that my real parents and my real childhood didn't, didn't start this whole process. But like that's when they started after that, right around that, and that intense experience with AF Kali who, you know, had his shit. And so it's just interesting. We never, and also the thing that we never talked about, that the, the movement part of it, the somatic part of it, I, I, I think you're right. I think it's not just about mental health. It's about the body releasing from the body, all the stuff.5 (1h 6m 41s):Oh, shit. That is some deep shit. Do you, do you use that with actors? Like when you're on set as a director or as a writer, what are your, are you conscious of that on your sets? Like about actors health and stuff, mental health and stuff like that?4 (1h 6m 56s):Absolutely. Oh sure. I mean, I opened a, okay. I just, when I just shot a short, that was a horror and the actress is she's, she's not as experienced as say we would have been coming from a conservatory, but she's been like taking lots of classes and stuff. And she's, I've watched her grow as an actress. And when I cast her, you know, I told her a couple of times, like I said, remember, this is film. I don't, you don't have to feel anything in these spots. I don't, I just need the shot. If you feel it, that's fine.4 (1h 7m 37s):But I'm, you don't have to go to a really dark, dark place because technically I'm going to grab what it is I need just from the look in your eye. So just remember, I don't need you to go really deep in all these sections and horrify yourself. And then I said, you know, make sure that you write out everything on a piece of paper afterward and release it so you can let it go. And she took it very seriously. She was, she really did her work and she gave a great performance. Also I directed a play a couple of years ago where it was two actors in there onstage the whole time. And it's very intense. And the male lead key, I mean, so confident, like just working his butt off opening night or the kind of gala night when the playwright had flown in and all these important people were there, the actress was like, Krista, come in here.4 (1h 8m 37s):And I went into the theater and she's like, he, he said he can't do it. He can't do it. He's freaking out. And I was like, oh, okay. So I went, I talked to him and he was like, I don't know, what's wrong with me. I'm freaking out. I'm panicking. I'm losing my shit. You know, he's like a 50 year old man. He suddenly is having a panic attack. And I remembered, I got the blues and I remember all those feelings. And I said to him, you know what, you don't have to do it. You don't have to do it. I said, you tell me, I would tell them you have the flu. I would tell him you have diarrhea and vomit. And there's no way we can do this tonight. I was like, that's fine.4 (1h 9m 16s):You don't have to do it. He was like, are you sure? I was like, absolutely no, you don't have to do it. And I knew by saying that to him, it would drop him, drop his anxiety down tremendously because having someone sort of affirm that you're not crazy that there's nothing wrong with you, that the end of the world is not going to happen. If you don't do this play tonight. And I told him that I was like, what the fuck? Like I told him, I said, the playwright flew in. And he had like the gear landing thing that thought they were going to die. I was like, that's real. I was like, this isn't it's okay. I was like, he can watch it tomorrow or he doesn't get to see it, whatever.4 (1h 9m 58s):And he totally was, he was fine. And he went on.2 (1h 10m 3s):So this ties in so beautifully to the thing we were talking about before we started talking to you today, which is about advocacy and whether or not we were asking each other, whether or not we felt like we had advocates in our lives or whether we are advocates. And what I hear you saying both from, even if you weren't like getting involved in what was the theater school politics were even just, I'm going to make the argument that even just the fact that you were holding space for that idea and kind of that it, that you having this idea that it shouldn't didn't need to be that way for the women. No doubt had some lasting effect in the ether. That is it because of theater school is a very different place now in no small part, because of all the people who were willing to say, Hmm, I don't, I don't quite think this is right, but so you did that there.2 (1h 10m 55s):And then you did that with your actors, and I'm guessing you probably do that a lot with actors and it's like Africa. It, it never, I feel like there's this idea that if we are nice to actor, that, that, that we're not going to get a good product or there's some weird mythology about people needing to really suffer. And it doesn't actually work that way. That's some romantic idea that has never been4 (1h 11m 21s):True. Well, it's, it's a power thing. It's, you know, directors or acting teachers who enjoy the power. Maybe they're not even conscious of it, but it's like, you know, you've got a bunch of like Barbie dolls and you're just in control of them and you get to play with them. And I think that that kind of power is intoxicating. When I was an acting teacher at Chicago college, performing arts, I was keenly aware of the power I had and I was very uncomfortable with it. I didn't like it at all. I didn't. And I, but I learned from watching the undergrads at DePaul and watching the professors and how things were dealt with in certain ways. And just even my colleagues at the, at Roosevelt, I, you know, the students were getting mad at me because I wouldn't validate them.4 (1h 12m 10s):They'd be like, just tell me if I'm doing a good job. And I was like, I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna do that. Because what I've learned is someone else is going to think you're doing a shitty job. So I would say, just do your job and enjoy doing your job. And if you're enjoying it and you're doing your work, that should be enough. I will give you direction. I will tell you where you need to look deeper. I will, I will give you what you need, but I will at no point tell you that. You're amazing. I also won't tell you that you're awful. And it was hard for them, but it, but it kept me from kind of drinking that Kool-Aid of like I was because they treated me, like you said, like parent, like, like I was suddenly their mom.4 (1h 12m 58s):And then the, the, the boys forget about it. You know, I was 30 years old. I was, they were like, oh my God, that's my teacher. And they were flirtatious. I mean, like beyond. And I was like, what the hell is going on? So I had to like, keep that at bay. I had to like, because you were the adult. And I was like, oh, this is what's going on. These male professors don't get it. They think this is a real thing. Think that girl really is in love with him. No, she's just desperately looking for the comfort of a parent of a mentor, a validation of safety, all those things.4 (1h 13m 46s):And he fell, right. You know, they fall

86. Secrets to Success |Ken Davenport

Stuck to Unstoppable

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2021 44:26

Ken Davenport is a two-time Tony Award-winning theatre producer, blogger, and writer. He is best known for his production work on Broadway. Davenport founded Davenport Theatrical Enterprises (DTE) in 2004, and has created, produced, and managed shows under that business for the last 15 years. His first ventures as a producer were the three Off-Broadway shows The Awesome 80s Prom, Altar Boyz, and My First Time, which he also wrote. Davenport's first Broadway credit as a producer was13, and since then he has produced over a dozen other Broadway shows, including the first Broadway revival of Godspell, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, and Deaf West Theatre's Spring Awakening. Since its founding, Davenport Theatrical Enterprises has expanded to other areas of the theater business. It founded Broadway Genius Group Sales, a group sales agency for Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, DTE Agency, a theatrical marketing agency; and DTE Management, a general management division. In 2019, DTE Management relaunched as Architect Theatrical. Davenport Theatrical Enterprises has founded several websites, including Your Broadway Genius, Best of Off-Broadway, and both the website and smartphone app Did He Like It?, a review aggregator for New York theater based on New York Times chief theatre critic Ben Brantley. Additionally, Davenport is the creator of Be a Broadway Star, the only Broadway-themed board game. In 2019, Inc. 5000 named Davenport Theatrical Enterprises one of America's fastest-growing private companies. NEXT STEPS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO: 1. Google – Ken Davenport. 2. Go to producersperspective.com. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS VIDEO: – Intro – Number 1 Tactic to Get Unstuck – Protect Yourself – Broadway – Serial Startup – Which Side – Producer/Lighting/etc – Just Write Something – Who's in Your Circle & Who Shouldn't Be – Most Pivotal Heartbeats of a Story – Cornerstone Moment – Releasing the Inner Underdog – Theater Maker's Studio – Dust Off Your Manuscript from the Shelf – Got to Take a Step to Get Them Up On their Feet – Final Thought to Get Them On their Feet ABOUT ME: Hi, I'm Stephen Scoggins. After fighting from homelessness and depression to build multiple businesses employing hundreds of amazing people, I've learned a lot about what it really takes to overcome your limitations and build your dream life. Now, my goal is to help 1 million people get from where they are today, to where they want to be in life. To help with that, I'm releasing videos on this channel several times per week and posting regularly on social media. On this YouTube channel, I interview the world's foremost thought leaders on what it takes to master your life. I also have a library of free resources, downloadable ebooks, and personality tests to help you become the person you always wanted to be. Just check out my websites below! MASTER YOUR LIFE WITH FREE RESOURCES: My Website: https://www.stephenscoggins.com Free Ebooks & Resources: https://www.stephenscoggins.com/resources My Blog: https://stephenscoggins.com/blog/ Stuck to Unstoppable Podcast: https://stephenscoggins.com/stuck-to-unstoppable/ CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephen_scoggins/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephenscoggins/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenscoggins Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephen_scoggin

Remembering the life and legacy of Stephen Sondheim, a giant in musical theater

PBS NewsHour - Art Beat

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2021 10:44

One of the greats of Broadway musicals, Stephen Sondheim, died Friday at his home at the age of 91. He was a six-time Tony Award winner renowned for his words and music, starting in the 1950s. Ben Brantley, former co-chief theater critic of The New York Times and Eric Schaffer, the co-founder and former artistic director of Signature Theater in Virginia, join William Brangham to discuss. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

new york times broadway giant tony award stephen sondheim pbs newshour musical theater ben brantley signature theater william brangham

Remembering the life and legacy of Stephen Sondheim, a giant in musical theater

PBS NewsHour - Segments

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2021 10:44

new york times broadway giant tony award stephen sondheim pbs newshour musical theater ben brantley signature theater william brangham

Hold Me Bat Boy

My Favorite Flop

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 75:22

"Embrace it", "there's always a tomorrow" as hosts Bobby and Kristina discuss 2004's Dracula, The Musical and 2006's Lestat on episode eighteen of My Favorite Flop. ABOUT DRACULA, THE MUSICAL Based on the Victorian novel by Bram Stoker, Dracula, The Musical tells the story of the famed vampire as he lusts for new blood. Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray fall victim to Dracula's unnatural charm and, along with Doctor Van Helsing, must fight Dracula's supernatural powers. The musical features music by Frank Wildhorn and book and lyrics by Christopher Hampton and Don Black. Following a record-breaking run at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2001, the musical finally opened on Broadway to mostly negative reviews 3 years later in 2004. Though this production was intended as a serious, dramatic interpretation of the source material, critics complained of a complete lack of emotion in general, and of suspense and horror in particular. Also, while the plot of the musical hits all the major points of Stoker's novel, critics felt it did so in such an obtuse way that audience members unfamiliar with the story may find themselves unable to comprehend the action. Despite failing on Broadway, the musical has gone on to become extremely popular throughout Europe and Asia. The musical made its international debut at Theater St. Gallen, Switzerland in 2005, with notable productions following in the UK, Tokyo, and Seoul. Original Broadway Cast Melissa Errico as Mina Murray Tom Hewitt as Dracula Stephen McKinley Henderson as Abraham Van Helsing Chris Hoch as Arthur Holmwood Kelli O'Hara as Lucy Westenra Darren Ritchie as Jonathan Harker Bart Shatto as Quincey Morris Don Stephenson as Renfield Shonn Wiley as Jack Seward Lena Hall as Second Vampire Melissa Fagan as Third Vampire Jenifer Foote as First Vampire Michael Herwitz as Child Pamela Jordan as Third Vampire (Alternate) Elizabeth Loyacano as Second Vampire (Alternate) Tracy Miller as First Vampire (Alternate) Matthew Nardozzi as Child (Alternate) Graham Rowat as Ensemble ABOUT LESTAT Inspired by three of the novels in Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, Lestat tells the story of a man who escapes the tyranny of his oppressive family only to have his life taken from him by the vampire, Magnus. The musical features music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Officially the highest-earning pre-Broadway play in San Francisco history (beating out Wicked AND Cats), Lestat finally opened on Broadway at the Palace Theater on March 25, 2006 after a series of drastic revisions. Reviews of the Broadway production were uniformly negative. Ben Brantley famously described the show as a "musical sleeping pill" and Peter Marks of the Washington Post remarked that apparently "a gay vampire with a two-octave range can be just as dull as a straight one." The musical closed on May 28, 2006, after 33 previews and 39 performances. An Original Broadway Cast Recording was recorded by Mercury Records a week earlier, however, after the show's closing, Elton John's management stated "there are no plans to release the recording..." Lestat has not been seen again (at least officially) since its original run. Original Off-Broadway Cast Hugh Panaro as Lestat Carolee Carmello as Gabrielle Allison Fischer as Claudia Michael Genet as Marius Roderick Hill as Nicolas Drew Sarich as Armand Jim Stanek as Louis Rachel Coloff as Ensemble Nikki Renée Daniels as Eleni Joseph Dellger as Magnus Colleen Fitzpatrick as Ensemble Patrick Mellen as Ensemble Chris Peluso as Ensemble Dominique Plaisant as Ensemble Megan Reinking as Beautiful Woman Will Swenson as Marquis/Laurent Tommar Wilson as Ensemble

importunate

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2021 2:01

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 11, 2021 is: importunate • im-POR-chuh-nut • adjective 1 : troublesomely urgent : overly persistent in request or demand 2 : troublesome Examples: "It seems apt that in the play's first scene, set at 6 a.m. in Lagos, Nigeria, an importunate young customer asks the barber he's so rudely awakened to give him an 'aerodynamic' cut." — Ben Brantley, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2019 "But when I spoke to Nadella he allowed that when you see people in their homes, with their noisy children and importunate pets, struggling to stay focussed and upbeat, 'you have a different kind of empathy for your co-workers.'" — John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2021 Did you know? Importunate has been part of the English language since the 16th century, and the synonymous importune arrived even earlier, in the 15th century. The seemingly superfluous inclusion of the suffix -ate in importunate is a bit mysterious; one theory is that English speakers modeled the adjective after words like obstinate. Importune and importunate come from Latin importunus. The prefix im- means "not," and importunus can be contrasted with Latin opportunus, which shares its meaning with and is the ancestor of our opportune, meaning "suitable or timely." The connection is obscure now, but opportunus itself harks back to the Latin phrase ob portum, meaning "[coming] to harbor." Importune, and later importunate, once meant "inopportune, untimely," but that sense is now obsolete.

english new york times language nigeria latin new yorker webster lagos dictionary vocabulary merriam webster word of the day merriam nadella john seabrook ben brantley

127: The Irish are Coming!

Bainbridge Pod Accomplice

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 42:47

The chat continues this week as BPA’s Siobhán Maguire and Jim Culleton, Artistic Director of Fishamble: The New Play Company discuss the work of Pat Kinevane and their plans to bring theatre from Ireland to Bainbridge Island. PAT KINEVANE Pat Kinevane is a native of Cobh, Co. Cork. He has worked as an actor in theatre, film, television, and radio for 30 years. In 2016 Pat won a Laurence Olivier Award in London for his Outstanding Achievement as an Actor and Writer. This prestigious award was shared with Fishamble and Jim Culleton who have been integral to the Production and Direction of Pat’s four Solo Shows. As a writer he completed his first full length play The Nun’s Wood in 1997 which won a BBC Stewart Parker Trust Award and was produced by Fishamble. Fishamble then produced his second play The Plains of Enna (Dublin Theatre Festival 1999). Pat wrote The Death of Herod for Mysteries 2000 at the SFX. In 2008 his piece Evangeline Elsewhere premiered in New York in the First Irish Festival. Since 2006 Pat has been touring extensively with his four solo pieces, which were commissioned, developed and produced by Fishamble: The New Play Company. They are Forgotten (since 2006, Irish Times Theatre Award Nominee), Silent (since 2011, Scotsman Fringe First, Herald Angel and Brighton Argus Angel Award) Underneath (since 2014, Forbes' Best Theatre on Broadway and Beyond List), and Before (Since 2018, Herald Archangel Award, Edinburgh Festival) all directed by Jim Culleton. FORGOTTEN ‘Has no one a skitter o’ dignity left?’ A unique collage of Kabuki dance and Irish storytelling, Forgotten has been a huge international success for Fishamble during the past decade. It is a captivating portrayal of four elderly characters living in retirement homes around Ireland. “Pat Kinevane’s haunting performance brings to life these sometimes forgotten voices of society.” — CRITICS’ CHOICE, LOS ANGELES TIMES “A piece of theatre not easily forgotten.” — THE SUNDAY TRIBUNE SILENT WINNER HELEN HAYES AWARD OUTSTANDING PERFORMER - VISITING PRODUCTION, 2020 WINNER OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN AFFILIATE THEATRE, OLIVIER AWARD 2016 WINNER SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST AND THE HERALD ANGEL, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2011 WINNER ARGUS ANGEL, BRIGHTON FESTIVAL 2012 Silent is the touching and challenging story of homeless McGoldrig, who once had splendid things. But he has lost it all – including his mind. He now dives into the wonderful wounds of his past through the romantic world of Rudolph Valentino. “Passionate one-man show…Mr. Kinevane interprets Valentino’s highly theatrical screen presence to stunning effect…carefully wrought production…[he] doesn’t just demand [the audience’s] attention, he commands it. And that difference is what makes Mr. Kinevane an artist of the theater.” — BEN BRANTLEY, THE NEW YORK TIMES UNDERNEATH WINNER ADELAIDE FRINGE BEST THEATRE AWARD, ADELAIDE FRINGE FESTIVAL 2015 WINNER SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2015 WINNER STAGE RAW BEST SOLO PERFORMER AWARD, LOS ANGELES FORBES' BEST THEATER ON BROADWAY AND BEYOND LIST CRITICS’ CHOICE, LOS ANGELES TIMES Following the runaway international success of Forgotten and Silent, Fishamble presents Pat Kinevane’s third solo play, Underneath, directed by Jim Culleton. This stunning new play is a blackly comic, rich and vivid tale of a life lived in secret, a testament to the people who live on the fringes, under the nose of everyday life. It explores the surface, and what lies underneath. “MESMERIZING… guaranteed to open your eyes to your own life as well as the world around you.” — BROADWAY WORLD BEFORE WINNER HERALD ARCHANGEL AWARD, EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 2019 Before is a new play with much music, set in Clery’s of Dublin, on the very day this iconic department store shuts - for good. Pontius is inside, trying to choose a gift for his estranged daughter, whom he hasn’t seen for almost 20 years. He will meet her in an hour. This father’s journey is both beautiful and strange, from the isolation of his Midlands home, to the madness of O’Connell Street. Some folk are impossible to buy for… Before was commissioned by Fishamble and has been in development with the support of the Arts Council, National Theatre Studio (London), and The Strollers Touring Network. “Incomparable… with boundless, heroic energy… he sings like a god… superb… Kinevane displays a complete, perfect mastery of his actor’s instrument… don’t miss this show.” — LA TIMES UPCOMING PERFORMANCES Photo by Dan O'Neill INSIDE THE GPO By Colin Murphy Fishamble's Inside the GPO by Colin Murphy was a must-see cultural event at the heart of the 1916 commemorations. This unprecedented documentary drama, directed by Jim Culleton, was a once-in-a-century opportunity to experience the Easter Rising, in the main hall of the GPO itself. STREAM ONLINE APRIL 1 - 5 2021 BOOK NOW NOTE: The show must be watched between 7pm April 1st and midnight April 5th. (All times are Irish time GMT.) JIM CULLETON Jim Culleton is the artistic director of Fishamble: The New Play Company, for which he has directed productions on tour throughout Ireland, UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US. His productions for Fishamble have won many Irish and international awards, including Olivier, The Stage, Scotsman Fringe First, and Irish Times Best Director awards. Jim has also directed for Audible, the Abbey, the Gaiety, the Belgrade, 7:84 Scotland, Project, Amharclann de hÍde, Tinderbox, The Passion Machine, the Ark, Second Age, Dundee Rep, Draíocht, CoisCéim/Crash Ensemble/GIAF, RTÉ Radio 1, Frontline Defenders, Amnesty International, Little Museum of Dublin, Fighting Words, RTÉ lyric fm, Soho Theatre, Scripts Festival, Vessel and APA (Australia), TNL (Canada), Solas Nua and Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Odyssey (LA), Origin, Irish Arts Center and 59E59 (Off-Broadway), as well as for Trafalgar Theatre Productions on the West End, and IAC/Symphony Space on Broadway. Jim has taught for NYU, NUI, GSA, Uversity, the Lir, Villanova, Notre Dame, UM, UMD, and TCD. SIOBHÁN MAGUIRE Born and raised in Ireland, Siobhán has been a professional Theatre Practitioner for over twenty years, and has a wealth of experience as a producer and venue manager. For BPA she has produced The Tempest (Islandwood), Twelfth Night (Bloedel) and A Midsummer's Night Dream (Bloedel). She is also responsible for creating the popular Irish Play Series at BPA. FISHAMBLE: THE NEW PLAY COMPANY Fishamble is an Irish theatre company that is passionate about discovering, developing and producing new plays of national importance with a global reach, while championing the role of the playwright. It harnesses the imaginative power of theatre to provide audiences with a diverse range of contemporary, compelling and heartfelt dramatic works, and typically supports over 50% of the writers of all new plays produced on the island of Ireland each year. Fishamble thinks nationally and reaches globally, touring its productions to audiences throughout Ireland, and the world. Visit online at www.fishamble.com.

new york death canada australia europe uk project ireland new zealand writer forbes irish scotland stage actor broadway production wood origin notre dame forgotten silent direction dublin passionate mysteries audible nun nyu ark olivier herod dra artistic directors west end rt vessel cork villanova underneath amnesty international maguire plains midsummer midlands incomparable belgrade sfx bpa gsa arts council kabuki edinburgh festival olivier award fighting words umd outstanding achievement siobh edinburgh festival fringe tinderbox bainbridge island critics choice soho theatre easter rising gpo mesmerizing tcd rudolph valentino second age lir adelaide fringe festival cobh nui gaiety colin murphy rt radio laurence olivier award clery solo shows brighton festival ben brantley little museum dundee rep fishamble irish arts center

Merrily We Roll Along (with Kyle Marshall)

Bottomless Broadway

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 13, 2021 67:37

Not a day goes by without us missing Broadway and live theater, but we've got a good thing going as we're back with our first episode of 2021 to talk about Merrily We Roll Along with Kyle Marshall, host of the Putting It Together podcast! -- Check out Putting It Together, where Kyle deconstructs each Sondheim show, song by song and line by line. You can also find Christine on it (most recently talking about "Remember?" from A Little Night Music and "In Buddy's Eyes" from Follies). We talk a bit about the recent Fiasco production of Merrily, which reimagines the show, including the reinstatement of "Rich and Happy". The original New York Times review was quite a pan and compares Merrily unfavorably to Betrayal (though Christine and Cindy found the opposite to be true). Cindy's favorite rendition of "Franklin Shepard, Inc." is the one performed by Raul Esparza, despite the low-quality video. Watch Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened on Netflix, detailing the process of putting together Merrily We Roll Along. Christine's in favor of casting younger for Merrily, an opinion probably heavily influenced by this episode of The Original Cast podcast. Soon (but not really), we'll be able to see what this show looks like with proper ages for each segment, as Richard Linklater is creating a film version over the next 20 years or so. Christine mistakenly mentioned Ben Brantley as the one eulogizing Barcelona as a 3-act play, when it should've been Jesse Green. Check out Flying Over Sunset, James Lapine's upcoming work, once Broadway comes back! -- Music featured in this episode: Merrily We Roll Along (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music Merrily We Roll Along (2012 New York Cast Recording) Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music "Franklin Shepard Inc." sung by Euan Morton, from Sondheim on Sondheim (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Apple Music / Spotify / Amazon Music -- Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BottomlessBway, our blog at https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/, or email us at bottomlessbway@gmail.com! You can also leave feedback in this 30-second survey.

Legally Blonde with Stacie Hobbs

new york times search hobbs legally blonde comour laura bell bundy ben brantley

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2020 67:13

This week we chat with Stacie Hobbs about which of life's truths can be learned from the all-pink, all-feminist musical - Legally Blonde!Ben Brantley, reviewing the musical in The New York Times, wrote that the show was a "high-energy, empty-calories, and expensive-looking hymn to the glories of girlishness"; he praised Laura Bell Bundy saying, "she sings and dances flawlessly, and she delivers silly lines as if she meant them."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legally_Blonde_(musical)https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125194/https://www.mtishows.com.au/legally-blonde-the-musicalhttps://stageagent.com/shows/musical/711/legally-blondehttps://www.broadwayworld.com/shows/cast.php?showid=5556https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_O%27Keefe_(composer)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nell_Benjaminhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Hachhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legally_Blondehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bell_Bundyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Borlehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legally_Blonde:_The_Musical_%E2%80%93_The_Search_for_Elle_WoodsLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanon.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/musicals-taught-me-everything-i-know. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Conquering Any Difficulty with Kelly AuCoin

The Quidditas Factor

Play Episode Play 30 sec Highlight Listen Later Nov 3, 2020 61:25

Kelly AuCoin is an actor and producer who has appeared in film, television, and theater. AuCoin played Pastor Tim on The Americans as well as recurring roles on several other television series, including Hercules Mulligan on Turn: Washington's Spies and Gary Stamper on House of Cards. He currently plays "Dollar" Bill Stern on the Billions. He has also appeared in a number of films including The Kingdom, Julie & Julia, Complete Unknown, The Wizard of Lies, starring Robert De Niro and the upcoming films The Good House starring Sigourney Weaver and False Positive starring and written by Lliana Glazer. Kelly has acted on stage as well, recently winning a Drama Desk Award for Signature Theatre's revival of the AR Gurney play, "The Wayside Motor Inn." He earned nice reviews playing the "blithely cocky" (Ben Brantley, NYTimes) & "nicely nasty" (Clive Barnes, NYPost) Octavius Caesar in the Broadway revival of "Julius Caesar" opposite two time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington. He is a former member of the Tony Award winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival acting company.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/quidditasfactor)

Performance 587

Off Stage and On The Air

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2020

Listen to the Show Right Click to Save GuestsUT Dept of Theatre and Dance La RutaPenfold Theatre The Control Group What We Talked AboutBen Brantley Ben Brantley exit interview Tony Noms Weird? Aaron Tveit MAY win best Actor What the Constitution means to me available on Prime Shipwreck David Byrne’s Utopia Pay what you can rehearsals San Fran Basic Minimum Wage for Artists Sag/AFTRA/AEA TILT - Gratitunes Thank you to Dean Johanesen, lead singer of "The Human Condition" who gave us permission to use "Step Right Up" as our theme song, so please visit their website.. they're good! (that's an order)

Bernarda Alba with Timothy Winn

house new york times spanish broadway winn comour bernarda bernarda alba daphne rubin vega ben brantley

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2020 39:33

This week we chat with Timothy Winn about the Spanish play turned musical - Bernarda Alba.Ben Brantley, reviewing for The New York Times, wrote, "This latest offering from the prolific Mr. LaChiusa, often feels wan and weary...The music, though superbly orchestrated (by Michael Starobin) and played, goes places that singers used to hard-sell Broadway pizazz cannot follow. The punctuating yelps; the wavering sustained notes in minor keys; the labyrinthine interior musical paths; the eruptions into antimelodic harshness — these are all more the stuff of mid-20th-century chamber operas than conventional show tunes...The touchingly game performers, who include musical pros like Daphne Rubin-Vega (a haunting presence as the ugly daughter) and Yolande Bavan (as Bernarda's senile mother), inevitably stumble over such challenges."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernarda_Alba_(musical)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_John_LaChiusahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Bernarda_Alba_(play)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Garc%C3%ADa_Lorcahttps://www.origintheatrical.com.au/work/6669http://www.classictheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/The-House-of-Bernarda-Alba-Study-Guide.pdfLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanon.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/musicals-taught-me-everything-i-know. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

#1: Sweeney Todd vs. A Chorus Line w/ Ellen Shadburn

Musical Theater Deathmatch

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2020 57:11

God I hope Sweeney gets it - join us as we break down 1976's A Chorus Line and 1979's Sweeney Todd with special guest Ellen Shadburn. We'll talk about her experiences auditioning for both shows in her high school theater department (and other ambitious shows her school tackled), the lasting legacy of both these musicals, and a new segment entitled: Ben Brantley's Burn Book. Who will win this deathmatch? Only one way to find out!

sweeney sweeney todd chorus line burn book ben brantley

This Week on Broadway for September 13, 2020: Jeremy Jordan

BroadwayRadio

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2020 87:15

Peter Filichia, James Marino, and Michael Portantiere talk with Jeremy Jordan. After talking with Jeremy, there is a discussion about Diana Rigg’s passing, Ben Brantley leaving The New York Times, and Shows That Can’t Be Revived. This Week on Broadway has been coming to you every week since 2009. It read more

new york times broadway diana rigg jeremy jordan ben brantley peter filichia

FRI 9/11/20: AMAZON gets Nic Cage as JOE EXOTIC show, DISNEY+ reboots DOOGIE, SNL return set, NETFLIX renews GOOP, FB creates product for...college kids, New TV + Movies to watch this weekend

The Wakeup

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2020 10:10

Today's HEADLINES: Nic Cage as “Joe Exotic” series to AMAZON DOOGIE HOWSER reboot at Disney+ Neve Campbell joins SCREAM movie reboot John Cena + Nicole Byer = WIPEOUT.. Yes, reboot at TBS Jessica Chastain as Tammy Wynette at SPECTRUM GOOP renewed at NETFLIX SNL returns Oct 3 FACEBOOK creates a product for college students.. called Irony (kidding. Its called Campus). Ben Brantley leaves NYT The new TV, Movies and Sports to watch this weekend TRAILER HOUSE: CINEMAX “Warrior” season 2 trailer “Freaky” BLUMHOUSE movie trailer LISTEN TO: Springsteen “The Rising” on Spotify BUY BEER here: Athletic Brewing - free shipping when you order just 2 six packs! CONTACT OR FOLLOW The Wakeup: On Instagram Here for an early AM podcast preview. Follow on LinkedIn here. Email at Wakeupodcast@gmail.com

#12 - Marin Ireland

When Lightning Strikes!

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2020 57:39

As New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley wrote, Marin Ireland is “one of New York theater’s most inspired and entertaining interpreters of people programmed to self-destruct.” Just a few of her theater credits include Happy Talk, Blue Ridge, Summer and Smoke, Ironbound, On the Exhale, Kill Floor, Marie Antoinette, The Big Knife, Three Sisters, Miss. Julie, A Lie of the Mind, Reasons to Be Pretty, Far Away and Nocturne. On TV, Ireland starred in the series Sneaky Pete and the Umbrella Academy. She was also in Mildred Pierce, Homeland, The Divide, Girls and on and on and on. Next up Ireland stars in The Dark and the Wicked, The Empty Man and the highly anticipated TV series based on the comic, Y: The Last Man. This episode was recorded on June 17, 2020. Produced in part by the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do the critics make or break a Broadway show?

RN Arts - ABC RN

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2020 54:05

Ben Brantley, the New York Times' chief theatre critic since 1996, reflects on his lifelong love of theatre, Broadway's unprecedented shutdown, and the perception that a Times review can make or break a show. Also, cabaret icon Ali McGregor hosts an online variety show where you call the shots and we meet a woman intimately familiar with Belvoir St Theatre's history and design: her father drew the blueprints!

covid-19 new york coronavirus new york times writer lockdown broadway journalists criticism architects critics shutdowns make or break godspell stc broadway show belvoir sydney theatre company arts centre melbourne ben brantley gillian cosgriff ali mcgregor griffin theatre company

Do the critics make or break a Broadway show?

The Stage Show

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2020 54:05

Do the critics make or break a Broadway show?

The Stage Show

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 25, 2020 54:05

Ben Brantley, the New York Times' chief theatre critic since 1996, reflects on his lifelong love of theatre, Broadway's unprecedented shutdown, and the perception that a Times review can make or break a show.Also, cabaret icon Ali McGregor hosts an online variety show where you call the shots and we meet a woman intimately familiar with Belvoir St Theatre's history and design: her father drew the blueprints!

Ep 84. Greta Gerwig

Off Camera with Sam Jones

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2020 65:23

In “No Method to Her Madness,” a review of the Noah Baumbach film Greenberg that could’ve also been titled “Ode to Greta Gerwig,” A.O. Scott wrote that the actress, “most likely without intending to be anything of the kind, may well be the definitive screen actress of her generation.” He goes on (at length) to praise her performance, or lack thereof. “She comes across as pretty, smart, hesitant, insecure, confused, determined — all at once or in no particular order. Which is to say that she is bracingly, winningly and sometimes gratingly real.” He’s still talking about Greenberg, but the same could be said of her work in films like Frances Ha, Mistress America and Maggie’s Plan. Ben Brantley, Scott’s colleague over in the theater department, seemed equally smitten with her stage debut as Becky in The Village Bike: “She registers as guileless because we can detect every confused emotion that crosses her face... She reads as so transparent that her feelings come to seem like our own. There’s no barrier of glossy, movie star charm between her and us.” If you don’t see many mainstream titles on her IMDb page, it may be because studios serve up most of their features with a generous dollop of gloss. It could also be because Gerwig knows what material suits her. And she should – she’s co-written and co-directed a lot of it, mostly with indie filmmakers like Baumbach and Joe Swanberg. Though these are no doubt some of her most acclaimed performances, even in her occasional mainstream forays (2011’s Arthur and No Strings Attached) she’s often singled out as the only part of the movie worth watching. Taken as a whole, the applause seems to boil down to this: It’s very hard to catch her acting. As a performer, she is unselfconscious in a way that lets us look through her and see ourselves, and she’s not pulling any punches in the reflection. She’s a natural if there ever was one, but for a long time the question seemed to be, a natural what? A fervent aspiring ballerina, fencer, trumpeter, aerobics instructor (that was all before graduating high school), Gerwig embraced her interests with both arms and all her passion. In college she intended to become a playwright (or maybe study musical theater) before meeting Swanberg, who cast her in 2006’s LOL. For a while she worried about not feeling the same singular purpose or calling as some of her peers; there was also a period when she worried a move from mumblecore to mainstream might never happen. But now that hopping genres, creative capacities and even distribution platforms is becoming the industry’s new normal, it seems like a very good time to be someone who can be almost anyone – on either side of the camera. This month, she’s in front of it in 20th Century Women along with Annette Bening and Billy Crudup. In 2017, she’ll step behind it with Lady Bird, which stars Saoirse Ronan and marks Gerwig’s first solo directing effort. She’s also working on the script for a film adaptation of Little Women – and we can’t think of a better (or more interesting) woman for the job. For some artists, picking a lane seems not only unnecessary, but foolish, especially for an artist who’s all-in, all the time. “You could always not invest, but where’s the fun in that?” she told The Guardian earlier this year. “It’s like when people say, ‘I don’t really care about Christmas, it’s just a day.’ Of course it’s just a day, but this is all we’ve got! We go around one time… Let’s invest. It’s not always logical to do so, but what else are you gonna do with your life?”

lissome

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2020 1:42

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 9, 2020 is: lissome • LISS-um • adjective 1 a : easily flexed b : characterized by easy flexibility and grace : lithe 2 : nimble Examples: "A couple of images haunt me from this 'West Side Story,' and both do come from video. One is of an anonymous, lissome figure, barely detectable as he or she dances at the end of a long, dark street. The other is of a television playing while Maria and Anita are arguing about a recent gang slaying." — Ben Brantley, The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2020 "The visiting Americans … look dazed, like astronauts observing lissome green Martian women in a ’50s sci-fi cheapie." — David Edelstein, Vulture, 23 Aug. 2019 Did you know? Lissome (sometimes spelled lissom) is a gently altered form of its synonym, lithesome. While lissome tends to be the more popular choice these days, the two words have similar pasts. They both appeared in the 18th century, and they both trace back to the much older lithe, which first appeared in English during the 14th century and comes from an Old English word meaning "gentle." Lissome can also be an adverb meaning "in a supple or nimble manner," but this use is rare.

english americans new york times language martian webster dictionary vulture vocabulary merriam webster liss old english word of the day merriam ben brantley david edelstein lissome merriam webster's word

Crossing the Atlantic: NYT theatre critic Ben Brantley on theatre in New York and London

British Theatre Guide podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2020

Ben Brantley is the co-chief theatre critic for The New York Times. He has been a staff critic since 1996, filing reviews regularly from London as well as New York. In this episode, BTG’s London Editor Philip Fisher speaks with Ben about his career, as well as about plays in London and New York, past, present and future. (Photo credit: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)

new york new york times theater atlantic crossing critic btg ben brantley

Episode 63: Ben Brantley: Tell Me A Story

The Fabulous Invalid

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2020 58:05

On this week's episode, Jamie and Rob are joined by Ben Brantley, co-chief theater critic for The New York Times. A consummate journalist and celebrated writer, Ben talks about how he came to the Times, his tenure there since 1993, his writing process, what theater criticism means to him, and why he loves the theater. A bit later in the show, Rob gives a look into the career of experimental playwright and director Richard Maxwell through the lens of a Ben Brantley review. Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @fabulousinvalid Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabulousinvalid Rob's reviews: www.stageleft.nyc Email us at: info@fabulousinvalid.com Jamie Du Mont Twitter: @jamiedumont Instagram: @troutinnyc Rob Russo Twitter/Instagram: @StageLeft_NYC Jennifer Simard Twitter: @SimardJennifer Instagram: @thejennifersimard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

tell me a story ben brantley richard maxwell

Moulin Rouge, Part 2

Bottomless Broadway

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2020 54:21

Welcome back, for part 2 of our Moulin Rouge coverage, where we talk absinthe, Tony Awards, and "More, More, More!" So go ahead and listen to us pull back the curtains on this "Backstage Romance"! If you need to catch up on part 1, you can do so here: https://link.chtbl.com/mrp2 -- In case you need a reminder of the process for obtaining songs for this show, the New York Times has got you covered: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/17/theater/moulin-rouge-musical-songs.html Speaking of the New York Times, take a look at Ben Brantley's review that we reference a few times: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/25/theater/moulin-rouge-review.html Choreographer Sonya Tayeh made her Broadway debut with Moulin Rouge, and will also be choreographing Sing Street later this season, but take a look at what she has to say about approaching such an iconic film: https://www.broadway.com/buzz/197761/choreographer-sonya-tayeh-on-expressing-impossible-love-and-her-ravishing-moulin-rouge-dancers/ Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/moulin-rouge-the-musical-original-broadway-cast-recording/1477115723 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1catLRW8LZfugEmfjnTWCk Check us out on Twitter or Instagram @BottomlessBway and take a look at some more Tony predictions on our blog: https://bottomlessbway.home.blog/. Send feedback at bottomlessbway@gmail.com or take our quick survey: https://forms.gle/Ugr9ovLhDCsW3dS9A

spotify speaking new york times broadway apple music moulin rouge tony awards sing street ben brantley

Ben Brantley

The Joan Hamburg Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2020 9:25

ben brantley

Episode 60: Everyone Is A Critic

The Fabulous Invalid

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2020 68:12

On this week's special in-depth package show, Rob and Jamie sit down with a cross section of theatre critics to talk about who they are, what they do, why they do it, and how they do it, in addition to their thoughts on the state of theatre criticism and the future of the form. You'll hear from Ben Brantley, Helen Shaw, Jose Solís, Nicole Serratore, and Christian Lewis. Tune in and find out why “everyone is a critic”. Find us on Twitter & Instagram: @fabulousinvalid Facebook: www.facebook.com/fabulousinvalid Rob's reviews: www.stageleft.nyc Email us at: info@fabulousinvalid.com Jamie Du Mont Twitter: @jamiedumont Instagram: @troutinnyc Rob Russo Twitter/Instagram: @StageLeft_NYC Jennifer Simard Twitter: @SimardJennifer Instagram: @thejennifersimard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

critic ben brantley helen shaw

Fun Home with Your Hosts

Let Me Tell You...With Joan Hamburg

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2019

This week we chat about which of life's truths can be gleaned from the comic-turned- musical masterpiece - Fun Home!Ben Brantley of The New York Times spoke of the musical's emotional impact, artistry and universality, calling it a "beautiful heartbreaker of a musical".[53] "Fun Home isn’t just a coming out story or a coming-of-age story. Its universality comes from its awareness of how we never fully know even those closest to us, and of the undercurrent of grown-up secrets, intuited by children, that exists to some degree in every family. Fun Home finds a shining clarity that lights up the night."- FURTHER READING -Wiki - Musical, Comic, Jeanine Tesori, Beth Malone, Sydney LucasiTunesSpotifyLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanonproductions.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Find out more about him at www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com

new york times hosts comic fun home comour jeanine tesori ben brantley beth malone

Ben Brantley

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2019 24:48

What show should you see next on Broadway? Co-chief theatre critic of The New York Times Ben Brantley tells Joan what to see before the Tony Awards!

broadway tony awards ben brantley

REPRISE: Newsies with Will Hinz

film broadway imdb reprise feldman newsies bill pullman robert duvall comour hinz jeremy jordan menken disney broadway andrew keenan bolger ben brantley dan deluca

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 11, 2019 87:07

It is time to go back and re-listen to one of our favourite Disney Broadway shows, Newsies! With one of our favourite Broadway nerds Will Hinz!“As choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, they keep coming at us in full-speed-ahead phalanxes, fortified by every step in a Broadway-by-the-numbers dance book... Mr. Jordan...is a natural star who has no trouble holding the stage, even without pirouettes... Mr. Feldman’s lyrics are spot-on, while the melody reminds us just how charming a composer Mr. Menken...can be.” - Ben Brantley of The New York Times- FURTHER READING -Wiki - Musical, Film,IMDb - 1992, 2017MTIDisney Wiki- CELEBRITY SHOUTOUTS -Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall, Jeremy Jordan, Corey Cott, Dan DeLuca, John Dossett, Steve Blanchard, Kara Lindsay, Stephanie Styles, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Ben CookLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanonproductions.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Find out more about him at www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com

Reprise: Come From Away with Stephanie Baxter

australia musicals baxter reprise come from away comour jenn colella ben brantley

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2018 61:28

Part of our new Reprise Series we are bringing back some of our favourite episodes from the archives.Come From Away was one of our favourite Musicals that we featured this week and the Show is coming to Australia in 2019! So it is time to get excited!"Try, if you must, to resist the gale of goodwill that blows out of 'Come From Away,' the big bearhug of a musical that opened on Sunday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. But even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure." - Ben Brantley, chief theatre critic for The New York Times- FURTHER READING -Wiki - Musical, Beverley BassOfficial WebsiteSpotifyiTunesFacebook- CELEBRITY SHOUTOUTS -Chad Kimball, Jenn Colella, Rodney Hicks, Kendra Kassebaum, Steffi DiDomenicantonio, Sharon WheatleyLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanonproductions.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Find out more about him at www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com

S1E15 - Zak Sommerfield (Bombshell)

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2018 66:59

We're joined by Zak Sommerfield (actor/improviser) to close the curtain on season one with...BOMBSHELL (and listen to some essential Brian D'Arcy James).

culture new york times comedy theater nbc broadway television criticism smash bombshell smash bros ucb debra messing playbill ben brantley brian d'arcy james jimmy blackmon marty scanlon

S1E14 - Meredith Paul (Previews)

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2018 69:16

We're joined by our pal Meredith Paul (performer & writer) to finally see Bombshell up on its feet in front of a crowd during...PREVIEWS (and listen to some essential Brian D'Arcy James).

culture new york times comedy theater nbc broadway television criticism smash bombshell smash bros ucb debra messing playbill ben brantley brian d'arcy james jimmy blackmon marty scanlon

"Intermission Series" 1 - ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2018 37:54

In our first "Intermission Series", we ask 'What good IS sitting alone in your room?' which is what the two of us did when we watched and discussed the documentary *ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway* and how it relates to Smash, theatre, and art in general! We'll return next week to continue Smash Season 1.

culture new york times comedy theater nbc broadway television criticism smash series 1 smash bros intermission show business ucb debra messing playbill ben brantley jimmy blackmon marty scanlon showbusiness the road

S1E13 - Kate Leonard (Tech)

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2018 68:07

We're joined by the fantastic Kate Leonard (performer/writer/lyricist) to focus the lights, paint the sets, and cue-to-cue through TECH (and listen to some essential Brian D'Arcy James).

culture new york times comedy tech theater nbc broadway television criticism smash smash bros ucb debra messing playbill ben brantley brian d'arcy james jimmy blackmon marty scanlon

Episode 103 - Beth Malone

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2018 57:40

Tony Award Nominated, Beth Malone, currently stars as “The Angel” in the Tony-award winning play Angels in America, with Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane. Beth Malone was nominated for her game-changing role of “Alison” in Fun Home. Writing for the New York Times, Ben Brantley singled out Beth’s performance as one that “expertly turns seeming self-effacement into penetrating presence.” Steve Suskin, reviewing for the Huffington Post, called Beth “powerful…the glue that holds the show together.” CBS New York added to the chorus of praise by publishing an entire article, frankly headlined, “Why Beth Malone Should Win the Tony.” Malone grew up on Haystack Road in Castle Rock and got her Equity card at The Country Dinner Playhouse under the loving guidance of Bill McHale. She attended Loretto Heights College in its final year of existence and went on to work at Arvada Center, Denver Center, Boulder’s Dinner Theater and Little Theater of the Rockies at UNC, where she graduated. Malone starred as the titular character in the world premiere of a wholly reimagined version of The Unsinkable Molly Brown, directed by Kathleen Marshall. She recently reprised her role at The MUNY in St. Louis this past July. She originated the role of “June Carter Cash” in Ring of Fire on Broadway, as well as the roles of “Betty Jean” in The Marvelous Wonderettes and Alison in Bingo off-Broadway. Malone’s previous film credits include The Comedian with Robert DeNiro, Hickwith Eddie Redmayne, Twist of Faith and The Interview. Select television credits include a large recurring role on Braindead , a Guest Starring role on Bull and The Good Wife, all for CBS. Comedy Central’sReno 911 and Wanda Does It, along with the Fox pilot Second Nature. Other past television roles include Laying Low, Judging Amy, What’s On andOne Minute Soaps. She is the author and star of the critically acclaimed one-woman show Beth Malone: So Far.

Spring 2018 Critics Forum

new york times broadway wall street journal washington post forum critics spring 2018 peter marks jesse green ben brantley terry teachout

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2018 26:45

Ben Brantley and Jesse Green of The New York Times, Peter Marks of The Washington Post and Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal review the new Broadway shows of the spring season.

Come From Away with Stephanie Baxter

baxter come from away comour jenn colella ben brantley

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2018 61:28

This week Julie, Miranda, and Zane chat with Stephanie Baxter about which of life's truths can be gleaned from Come From Away!"Try, if you must, to resist the gale of goodwill that blows out of 'Come From Away,' the big bearhug of a musical that opened on Sunday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater. But even the most stalwart cynics may have trouble staying dry-eyed during this portrait of heroic hospitality under extraordinary pressure." - Ben Brantley, chief theatre critic for The New York Times- FURTHER READING -Wiki - Musical, Beverley BassOfficial WebsiteSpotifyiTunesFacebook- CELEBRITY SHOUTOUTS -Chad Kimball, Jenn Colella, Rodney Hicks, Kendra Kassebaum, Steffi DiDomenicantonio, Sharon WheatleyLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanonproductions.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Find out more about him at www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com

The Wild Party (Lippa) with Josh Thia

new york times canadian toronto jerusalem sons quentin tarantino anarchy rooster wiltshire newstalk kim coates jez butterworth ben brantley richard crouse

Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2018 58:35

This week Julie and Zane chat with Josh Thia about which of life's truths can be gleaned from Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party! "[it] has a jittery, wandering quality, conscientiously shifting styles and tempos as if in search of a lost chord . . . The ballads . . . are of the high-decibel, swooning pop variety made popular by Frank Wildhorn. Mr. Lippa fares better with pastiches of jazz, vaudeville and gospel vintage, although these, too, suffer by comparison to the Kander-Ebb songs for Chicago." The CurtainUp reviewer wrote: "The Wild Party may not be the perfect musical we've all been looking for but it's great fun to watch and puts enough talent on display to have warranted a longer run than it will have." - Ben Brantley of the New York Times- FURTHER READING -Wiki - Musical, PoemSpotifyiTunes- CELEBRITY SHOUTOUTS - Andrew Lippa, Joseph Moncure March, Kristin Chenoweth, Julia Murney, Brian d'Arcy James, Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, Leigh Silverman, Sonya Tayeh, Sutton Foster, Steven Pasquale, Brandon Victor Dixon, Miriam ShorLike us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Support us on Patreon!Email us: musicalstaughtmepodcast@gmail.comVisit our home on the web thatsnotcanonproductions.comOur theme song and interstitial music all by the one and only Benedict Braxton Smith. Find out more about him at www.benedictbraxtonsmith.com

chicago idina menzel kristin chenoweth comour taye diggs sutton foster wild party frank wildhorn brandon victor dixon steven pasquale ben brantley leigh silverman kander ebb brian d'arcy james

The Richard Crouse Show February 3, 2018

House of Crouse

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2018 41:01

Check out the Richard Crouse Show on NewsTalk 1010 for January 27, 2018! This week Richard welcomes the cast of “Jerusalem,” Kim Coates, Nicholas Campbell and Philip Riccio. From the Streetcar Crowsnest website: The theatre experience of 2018. Award-winning Canadian screen icon Kim Coates (FX’s Sons of Anarchy) returns to the stage after almost thirty years—teaming up with two of Toronto’s leading theatre companies to present the national premiere of Jez Butterworth’s explosive masterwork. A pied piper tale for the Tarantino generation, Jerusalem is the story of aging daredevil Johnny “Rooster” Byron, purveyor of drugs, alcohol, mythic tales and sanctuary to the troubled teens of Wiltshire county. Come squat with Rooster deep in the heart of Byron wood, as he rails against the community council bent on eradicating him, bulldozing the land, and putting up condos. A bold new exploration of one of the most lauded plays of the past twenty years, described by Ben Brantley of The New York Times as “a great frame-busting play that thinks big — transcendently big — in ways contemporary drama seldom dares”.

Our Favorite Things #100: Company- An Original Cast Album & BygoneBroadway

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: BROADWAY'S LIVING LEGENDS » Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 28, 2017 25:26

This Week: Rob and Kevin wanna be in The Producers, discussing David Yazbeck's The Band's Visit, the effervescent Katrina Lenk, Spongebob Squarepants, Elaine Stritch Teaches Focus Pulling, documenting one of Broadway's most original music, The Greatest Third Act in a Documentary, The Lost Art of Smoking & Singing, Blood Brothers, Kevin explains Instagram, Craig Burns and his love of history, obscure photos, Ben Brantley pans the gym, Insta looks back, and much more! Every week director Robert W Schneider and actor Kevin David Thomas pull back the curtain on neglected, forgotten, and under appreciated musicals, as well as bizarre performances, endearing television appearances, and all things show business. Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4

broadway documentary singing smoking producers spongebob squarepants favorite things lost art behind the curtain blood brothers original cast ben brantley katrina lenk

18: Making the Classics Her Own with Kate Hamill, Playwright

Talking Theater

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2017 36:22

Kate Hamill is a playwright and actor based in New York City. In 2014, her adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility premiered off-Broadway where it was named in the "Top 10 Theater of 2014" by both Ben Brantley of the NY Times and by the Huffington Post, which called it “the greatest stage adaptation of this novel in history.” Sense and Sensibility was remounted off-Broadway in 2016, and it was nominated for Best Revival by the Drama League, it also received 2 Lortel nominations, and it won the Off-Bway Alliance Award for Best Unique Theatrical Performance. Recently, American Theatre listed Kate in the Top 20 most-produced playwrights for 2017-18 and Sense and Sensibility is also listed in the Top 10 most-produced plays. Kate's other plays include Vanity Fair (nominated for an Off-Bway Alliance award), Pride and Prejudice (which just completed its premiere at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and will move off-Broadway in November 2018), The Little Fellow (an O’Neil semi-finalist), Love Poem, Little Women, In the Mines (a folk musical and Sundance Lab semi-finalist), and EMMA (a Red Bull New Play finalist). Kate has also acted in theatres in New York and across the country, including the Bedlam, the Youngblood, Cherry Lane, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, and Theatreworks. As a writer, Kate specializes in stories about people who struggle to reconcile the demands of society with the dictates of their consciences. Kate earned her BFA in Acting from Ithaca College.

Episode 59 - Brian d'Arcy James

new york times finale basquiat norte dame rompers sarah baartman ben brantley

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2017 53:37

Brian d'Arcy James (award winning actor) originated the role of King George in "Hamilton," The Broadway musical. He has starred in over 14 Broadway shows and just as many film and tv shows. Among them, the Academy Award winning film "Spotlight," "13 Reasons Why," "Smash," "Unabomber," "Ghost Town," and many more upcoming projects. In this candid conversation, Brian shares with Ilana the tough choice he had to make when the opportunity to star on Broadway in "Something Rotten" was presented at the same time "Hamilton" was going into rehearsal for it's Public Theater run. This and other stories about his life in the theater make for one of the most compelling and hilarious episodes of "Little Known Facts." Brian dʼArcy James is an award-winning theater, film, and television actor as well as a recording artist. Hailed recently as “one of the most celebrated actors of his generation in both straight plays and musicals” (Jeremy Gerard, Deadline), Brian is a three-time Tony nominee, and an Obie and Drama Desk Award winner for his varied and extensive work in the theater on Broadway and off-Broadway. Brian reprised his award-winning role as King George III in Lin-Manuel Mirandaʼs musical HAMILTON at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. He originated the role of King George (“played with vaudevillian brilliance”—Ben Brantley, The New York Times) in the sold-out Off-Broadway run of Hamilton at The Public Theater. In 2015, immediate following Hamilton, Brian starred in the Broadway musical SOMETHING ROTTEN, for which he was nominated for a 2015 Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and Drama League Distinguished Performance Award. In film, Brian starred in the 2016 Academy Award–winning Best Picture SPOTLIGHT, alongside Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams as the four-member “Spotlight” columnists for the Boston Globe. Brian was awarded the 2016 SAG Award, Critics Choice Award, Gotham Award and the Independent Spirit’s Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble for his portrayal of Matt Carroll. 2017 proved to be a busy year with the spring premiere of the Netflix series THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, in which Brian co-stars with Kate Walsh, followed by his appearance in Discovery Channel’s Manhunt:UNABOMBER miniseries. Additional credits include guest starring roles in THE GOOD WIFE, THE BIG C and PERSON OF INTEREST, among many others. A veteran of the stage with more than a dozen Broadway credits to his name, highlights include his Tony award nominated performances for starring roles in SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS and SHREK THE MUSICAL, as well as roles in Broadway plays such as MACBETH, TIME STANDS STILL and LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE. Off Broadway highlights include his Obie winning solo performance of THE GOOD THIEF, Drama Desk nominations for GIANT and THE WILD PARTY along with originating roles in NEXT TO NORMAL and FLOYD COLLINS, among others. As a recording artist, Brian has a Grammy nomination for his performance on the Broadway Cast Album of SOMETHING ROTTEN. His solo Christmas album FROM CHRISTMAS EVE TO CHRISTMAS MORN features holiday classics along with three original songs including the popular song “Michigan Christmas.” Brian dʼArcy James resides in New York City with his wife and daughter. He has supported and performed many times for an organization in his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan, called the Field Neurosciences Institute (FNI). The mission of the FNI is the prevention, early diagnosis, care and cure of neurological diseases, disorders and injuries.

christmas netflix new york city new york times michigan grammy broadway hamilton giant academy awards smash deadline spotlight boston globe michael keaton macbeth discovery channel lin manuel miranda tony award mark ruffalo reasons why off broadway ghost town ilana rachel mcadams unabomber hailed good wife sag awards big c king george obie saginaw critics choice awards public theater person of interest king george iii something rotten drama desk award drama desk kate walsh shrek the musical wild party next to normal gotham awards thirteen reasons why sweet smell of success little known facts good thief matt carroll outer critics circle awards best ensemble manhunt unabomber time stands still independent spirit floyd collins ben brantley richard rodgers theatre arcy james fni brian d'arcy james

Dem Rompers Doe - Season 1 Finale

Black Ass Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2017 66:45

Congrats to all the grads. I'm talking Norte Dame's commencement, Basquiat still getting paid, Ben Brantley of the NYTimes tried it in his review of Venus and Sarah Baartman truth and the fake ass justice system that continues to troll black people.

Happy Thanksgiving with George: Episode 20

BOOTH ONE - Celebrating Culture and Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2015 58:18

Gary and Roscoe are joined once again by old friend George from Midlothian as we discuss a wide range of topics on this, our 20th Episode! Thank you loyal listeners and fans for getting us this far. We plan to be around for many more. Gary gets Roscoe's and George's take on the three-ring circus clown car that is the GOP Presidential Debate scene. Get a Republican POV Gary's Keys to the Carly this week is that she looked more "human" than in the last debate. Not saying much considering her dismal 7% poll rating among GOP debate viewers. Read a fascinating account of Presidential debates throughout history written by dear friend of the show, Newt Minow here. The boys talk about the shocking and unbelievable developments in the case of Fox Lake police officer Joe Gliniewicz... ...and this week's revelations that has the entire community stunned and feeling betrayed. Full story Need some help with your turkey? The friendly folks at Butterball's Turkey Talk-Line will give you advice and assistance with your poultry predicaments. We'll read you a few of the choicer calls they've received over the years. Contact Butterball Are you a big tipper? Do you believe in rewarding good service in a restaurant? We'll discuss the movement afoot in the restaurant industry to abolish tipping and increase the price of a meal in order to more equitably compensate staff other than servers. Are you for or against? Read more. And check this out. Gary issues a warning to new-dog owner George about a disturbing statistic - at least 10 Americans have been shot by dogs since 2004. Read about Trigger shooting her companion in the foot! What? What? Don't Tell Me! We examine the increasing prevalence of earpieces on Broadway feeding lines to aging stars - from Cicely Tyson to Al Pacino to Bruce Willis. NY Post Story It's become part of the illusion of theatre that actors now look like the know their lines! More Misery The musical The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle - will receive a world-premiere production at Chicago's Mercury Theatre in January 2016. From the creators of The Christmas Schooner. Not to be missed! Info and Tickets Long-time Artistic Director of The Goodman Theatre Mr. Robert Falls is inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame! A much deserved honor.Falls is joined by luminous 2015 inductees Tony Kushner, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flarerty, Julie Taymor, Stacy Keach and the late Roger Rees. The induction ceremony was held on Nov. 16 at the Gershwin Theatre in NYC. Congratulations to one of the giants of Chicago theatre! read more Speaking of The Goodman, just announced new show War Paint starring Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersole, from the team that brought us Grey Gardens. Set in the 1930's, War Paint tells the story of the cosmetics industry rivals Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, who famously despised each other, and their attempts to rise in the male-dominated business of female beautification. Can't wait to see the sparks fly with these two on stage! Go to Goodman Site How about the acclaim for recently-opened Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge on Broadway? Roscoe was there and describes the audience reaction. He calls it one of the best things he's ever seen. Ever. And Roscoe has seen a lot! Ben Brantley agrees. Gary, George and Roscoe play a little Chat Pack and discuss their favorite films, including Now, Voyager, North by Northwest, and Lawrence of Arabia. Lo and behold, Gary and George share a love of The Great Race. George opines on the timeless appeal of Natalie Wood. read more Kiss of Death Richard Horowitz, Timpanist and Craftsman of Conductors' Batons - For nearly 50 years, Mr. Horowitz was a baton maker to the stars - Levin, Bohm, Bernstein - "he provided them all with the lightest, most perfectly balanced batons possible. From 10 inches (Julius Rudel) to a massive 17 inches (Leonard Bernstein),

26 - Ben Brantley

The Producer's Perspective Podcast with Ken Davenport

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2015 42:08

Ben Brantley, Chief Drama Critic of the New York Times, has been a staff critic since 1996, filing reviews regularly from London as well as New York. Subjects of his profiles include the underground Belarus Free Theater in Minsk, and Barbra Streisand in Malibu. Thanks to his willingness to jump on my podcast, you’re going to get a chance to know the guy behind the “Ben.” In this enlightening podcast with the Chief Drama Critic of the New York Times, you’ll hear . . . His favorite theater-going experiences during his reign as a critic How often he tears up at the theater Why he has no friends in the theater Why he prefers Off Broadway to Broadway The show he just saw that he loved, and what he’s looking forward to next season There’s a lot to learn on this podcast, including how to get the attention of a NY Times critic and how best to write a review . . . but the most important thing to learn is that is everyone in this business, including the people you disagree with, got into it in the first place because they love it. Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

new york new york times malibu subjects barbra streisand off broadway minsk ben brantley

2015 Ultimate Broadway Critics Panel

theater broadway wall street journal panel critics wapo fun home skylights something rotten finding neverland john simon ben brantley terry teachout

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2015 26:46

Theater critics Ben Brantley of “NY Times” Peter Marks of “WaPo,” John Simon of the “Westchester Guardian,” and Terry Teachout of "WSJ” discuss “Skylight, Fun Home, Finding Neverland, The King and I, On The Twentieth Century” and “Something Rotten!”

Critics Review Broadway Spring Season 2014

new york times spring broadway wall street journal washington post critics spring season peter marks ben brantley terry teachout theater talk

Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2014 26:46

Theater Talk welcomes critics Ben Brantley of The New York Times, Peter Marks of The Washington Post and Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal, reviewing some of the important productions of the Spring 2014 Broadway season.

Season's End Critics' Panel 2013

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2013 26:42

Theater Talk welcomes Ben Brantley of "The New York Times," Peter Marks of "The Washington Post" and the legendary Joan Rivers, also a theater critc for "The Beverly Hills Courier," to review some of the top shows of the Broadway Season.

new york times washington post panel critics joan rivers peter marks ben brantley theater talk broadway season

Critics Review the Broadway Spring Season, 2012