Podcasts about Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Nick kicks things off with Jack Godfrey, the creative force behind 42 Balloons—a musical inspired by the true story of Larry Walters, the guy who floated into the sky strapped to weather balloons. Now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the show has been drawing buzz, and Jack shares how this wild tale took shape on stage. Then Monica Eng from Axios Chicago swings by with her usual eclectic mix of stories. From citywide protests to the red carpet at the James Beard Awards, she's been everywhere lately—even on those weird three-hour cruises where fans can awkwardly corner celebs. She also dishes on her latest run-ins riding the Red Line and weighs in on Jim's new take on the Chicken Polish. Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to unpack summer's greatest discomforts. They cover the mysterious vanishing of windshield sunshades, patio furniture that brands your thighs, and the persistent agony of a hot butt. It's a warm-weather rant session, complete with laughs and just a hint of sweat. [EP 358]

Jack Godfrey, musical theatre composer, lyricist and writer, joins John Williams to talk about the musical, ‘42 Balloons,’ now showing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Jack tells John about his career path and what led him to musical theater, when he became interested in the story of Lawnchair Larry, what made him want to write […]

Jack Godfrey, musical theatre composer, lyricist and writer, joins John Williams to talk about the musical, ‘42 Balloons,’ now showing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Jack tells John about his career path and what led him to musical theater, when he became interested in the story of Lawnchair Larry, what made him want to write […]

Jack Godfrey, musical theatre composer, lyricist and writer, joins John Williams to talk about the musical, ‘42 Balloons,’ now showing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Jack tells John about his career path and what led him to musical theater, when he became interested in the story of Lawnchair Larry, what made him want to write […]

Benny is a loner whose identity revolves around his wife and children. Gil is a free spirit who longs to fulfill his potential. When the two strangers meet, they form an instant, deep bond. But slowly cracks start to form and their fresh bromance begins to crumble. A new Chicago Shakespeare Theater play called “Hymn” is an entertaining journey with some good old school music and elements of Black male friendship woven throughout the narrative. Reset sits down with the play's director Ron OJ Parson to learn more. For a full archive of Reset interviews, head over to wbez.org/reset.

Evelyn Hoskins speaks exclusively to West End Frame about reprising her performance as Carol in the North American premiere of 42 Balloons at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.Evelyn co-hosted last week's episode of The West End Frame Show and whilst she was in the podcast booth she spoke about taking 42 Balloons' to the US. We couldn't include that bit of the conversation in last week's episode as the casting news hadn't been revealed... but now that it's all announced, in this mini episode we bring you the clip of Evelyn discussing how she feels about returning to 42 Balloons for its North American premiere alongside Charlie McCullagh as Larry.Last year Evelyn starred as Carol in the fully staged premiere of 42 Balloons at The Lowry in Salford, having played the role for the concert performances at the Vaudeville Theatre. The show is written by Jack Godfrey and directed by Ellie Coote.42 Balloons runs at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre 24th May – 29th June 2025. Visit www.chicagoshakes.com for info and tickets. Follow Evelyn on Instagram: @evelynhoskins This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening!Email: andrew@westendframe.co.ukVisit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tyrone Phillips is the founding artistic director of Chicago's Definition Theatre and directing Definition's co-production of James Ijames's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fat Ham at the Goodman Theatre through February 23, 2025. Phillips discusses the many Shakespearean connections of this “hilarious yet profound tragedy, smothered in comedy” (New York Times); his instinct to always look at plays as music; his realization that he gives every one of his productions “injections of joy;” how he brings a modern energy to classics (like his Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theater), and vice-versa; how our past informs our future; how "coming of age" stories can happen to characters of any age; how Ijames “plays the changes” on Shakespeare's Hamlet; and the challenge of always surprising the audience. PLUS! A special appearance by the newest member of the Reduced Shakespeare Company, Geoffrey Warren Barnes II! (Length 17:44) The post Devouring ‘Fat Ham' appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Fresh off its successful run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale opens this week in Auckland, New Zealand, and Rick Hall discusses the challenges and pleasures of playing J.R.R. Tolkien's hobbit hero. Rick reveals the education he's received in Middle-earth and the pride he feels in no longer being a bit of an idiot; the struggle of getting your high school trombone lip back; the fun of jumping through traps and making eight-second costume changes; getting real-time notes from the audience; lengthy discussions about hobbit feet; and the emotional power of a small(ish) ensemble telling an epic tale. (Length 20:59) (PICTURED: Spencer Davis Milford (l) as Frodo and Rick Hall (r) as Bilbo in rehearsal for The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, directed by Paul Hart. Photo by Liz Lauren, courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.) The post Playing Bilbo Baggins appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Tamara Harvey, the new co-artistic director of the "other" RSC – the Royal Shakespeare Company – discusses her exquisite production of Pericles, and how it came to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and speaks to our current moment on both side of the Atlantic. Tamara reveals how Shakespeare's characters navigate different kinds of leadership; how she and her co-artistic director Daniel Evans hope to reach across borders and collaborate with international artists; how the challenges of the play felts like a gift; her genius solution to the narrator; how she feels in collaboration with Shakespeare, and how his Pericles weaves a unique spell; and the vital importance of giving audiences badly-needed hope and joy. (Length 18:23) The post The RSC's ‘Pericles' appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Artistic director Edward Hall's production of Henry V at Chicago Shakespeare Theater includes the frequently cut "Salic law speech" ("the best speech in Shakespeare" – Mya Gosling, GoodTickleBrain), and friend of the pod Gregory Linington explains how he speaks the speech as the Archbishop of Canterbury, and how its inclusion is emblematic of the production as a whole. Gregory, who is a verse and dialect coach in addition to being an actor, shares how the speeches in this production are broken down surgically; how the historical Henry prized wisdom and experience over youth and moxie (as does this production); how director Hall fills the stage with a powerful ensemble of veteran character actors; how the famous "band of brothers" becomes a literal band; and how this powerful production balances contemporary flourishes with a traditional reading of the text. (Length 21:11) (PICTURED: The cast of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Henry V, directed by Edward Hall. Photo by Liz Lauren.) The post Salic Law Speech appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Anatasha Blakely boasts a diverse skill set that spans acting, filmmaking, and improvisation. With a wealth of experience as an improviser, she hosts The Stormchaser Improv Podcast, showcasing her ability to break down the artform and make interdisciplinary connections. Beyond her podcasting prowess, Anatasha is an award-winning actor and filmmaker, with a portfolio that reflects her immense talent and dedication to her craft. Her achievements include captivating audiences on the stage of the esteemed Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Utah Shakespeare Festival, winning best actress at Filmquest, Houston Horror Film Festival, Horror Haus and the Haunted Fear Fest, as well as performing as an improviser all over the country.  Check out her short: Inch Thick, Knee Deep ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ANATASHA BLAKELY ⌲ IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7564396/ ⌲ IG: https://www.instagram.com/anatashablakely/ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ The Moving Spotlight Podcast ⌲ iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moving-spotlight/id1597207264 ⌲ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7cjqYAWSFXz2hgCHiAjy27 ⌲ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/themovingspotlight ⌲ ALL: https://linktr.ee/themovingspotlight ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #Improv #IOWest #TheStormchaserPodcast #TheStormchasers #RiseTheater #Filmmaker #Shakespeare #DenverActor #Utah #Emmys #TVTime #iTunes #Actor #ActorsLife #Believe #Success #Inspiration #Netflix #Hulu #Amazon #HBO #AppleTV #Showtime #Acting #Artist #Theatre #Film #YourBestBadActing #Content #CorbinCoyle #JohnRuby #RealFIREacting #TMS_Pod --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-moving-spotlight/support

Edward Hall, Executive Director of Lord Of The Rings The Musical, joins John Landecker to discuss his vision for the show, how he plans to turn this film into a musical, and more! For tickets and more visit chicagoshakes.com/productions/the-lord-of-the-rings.

Dorian Harewood Broadway: The Mighty Gents, Streamers, Don' f Call Back, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Jesus Christ Superstar. National Tour: Kiss of the Spider Woman, Madame Lily, Miss Moffat. Regional: Purley (Kennedy Center). Film: Gothika, Levity, Pacific Heights, Full Metal Jacket, The Falcon and the Snowman, Against All Odds. TV: "Big Sky, " "Bel-Air," "9-1-1," "Criminal Minds," "Private Practice," " 7th Heaven," "The Practice," "12 Angry Men," "PlI Fly Away," "The Jesse Owens Story," "Roots: The Next Generations." Awards: NAACP Image Awards for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "I* Il Fly Away" and Best Actor in a Television Mini-Series for "The Jesse Owens Story;* Theatre World Award for Best New Actor for Don't Call Back. Maryann Plunkett Originated the role of Older Allie at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Fall 2022. Other Broadway includes: Agnes of God, Sunday in the Park with George, Me and My Girl (Tony Award®), The Crucible, St. Joan, A Man for All Seasons, The Seagull. Off-Broadway: Deep Blue Sound, The Sean O' Casey Dublin Trilogy at Irish Rep, The Lucky Ones, Aristocrats, Richard Nelson 's 12-play Rhinebeck Panorama (seen over a span of 11 years, onstage in NYC, on tour around the world, and live on Zoom during the pandemic). Films: Showing Up, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Little Women, MAD, Blue Valentine, The Family Fang, The Rhinebeck Panorama. TV: recurring roles on both "Manifest" and "Dr. Death" ; others include "New Amsterdam, " "The Knick," "Chicago Med," "Law and Order" franchise, "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Plunkett is a founding member of Portland Stage Company and is a coach and mentor. She has performed in Shakespeare, Chekhov, and as narrator with the Britten Sinfonia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mike Markoff talks his new film "Hit Man", how traveling the world helped him find his voice, and the time he auditioned for Tommy Wiseau! About Mike: Mike Markoff is a classically trained actor that began his career in the Chicago theater scene as a child- where he studied at Second City and The Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He later took to New York where he trained under legendary acting coach Anthony Abeson- shortly thereafter, his career took off in Los Angeles on the large and small screen with over 50 film and television credits. Mike is known for his wide range as well as his intense preparation and commitment to character roles both dramatic and comedic, with a particular prowess for emotionally complex roles and antihero characters. Most recently, he was handpicked by Richard Linklater for the 2023 film Hitman - in which he plays opposite Glen Powell. He also stars in the highly anticipated drama When Jack Came Back, playing the titular role of Jack opposite legendary actors Lindsay Wagner and Lance Henrikson. Follow the show on social media!          Instagram: https://instagram.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/          Twitter: https://twitter.com/tfci_podcast          Facebook: http://facebook.com/thanksforcominginpodcast/           Patreon: patreon.com/thanksforcomingin YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj8Rb1bEmhufSBFSCyp4JQ Theme Music by Andrew Skrabutenas Producers: Jillian Clare & Susan Bernhardt Channel: Realm For more information, go to thanksforcominginpodcast.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daniel Breaker (Billions, Girls5eva) is appearing in Judgment Day in its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in a production starring Jason Alexander. Daniel (above left, opposite Alexander) talks about discovering the fun and function of the role in the room, and how he loves experimenting in the science lab of comedy; then shares his love for the next great American play; his surprising inspiration for Donkey, the role he originated in Shrek The Musical; the important distinction of being raised Baptist rather than Catholic; how and why he found so much humor playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton on tour and Broadway; and the relaxed pleasure of sitting in “the Adirondack chair of acting”. (Length 17:54) (Photos by Liz Lauren)

Podcast theater review by Reno Lovison of Judgment Day - written by Rob Ulin, directed Moritz von Stuelpnagel, starring Jason Alexander at Chicago Shakespeare Theater through May 26, 2024.  Includes review of Offshore Rooftop Bar at Navy Pier.Bonus content: Rikki Lee Travolta interviews the creators of "Little Orphan Boy - The Musical at the annoyance theatre in Chicago. 

Jason Alexander, who is best known for playing George Costanza on Seinfeld, joins Lisa Dent to talk about returning to stage acting, his love for Chicago, and how he prepared himself to play corrupt lawyer Sammy Champo in the new play Judgement Day, playing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater now through May 26th. Follow The Lisa […]

Water on stage. Developing trust. The opening night of our lives. “I am seeing myself – it's so emotional – in all the women who I've strived to be like.” Jordan Tyson is in the opening night of her life. It's her Broadway debut and The Notebook is proving true what the magic of Broadway can be. So what is it like to make your Broadway debut as the lead of a new smash hit? What was the road like? Let's celebrate the journey from a Zoom audition to becoming the toast of the town.  JORDAN TYSON (Younger Allie). Broadway debut. Theatre: Bulrusher (McCarter/Berkeley Rep/dir. Nicole A. Watson) Into The Woods (PCLO/dir. Scott Weinstein) The Notebook (Chicago Shakespeare/dir. Michael Greif/Schele Williams), Lempicka (La Jolla Playhouse/dir. Rachel Chavkin) The Streets of New York (Irish Repertory/dir. Charlotte Moore), Folk Wandering (ART/NY/dir. Andrew Neisler), I And You (Weston Playhouse/dir. Johanna Gruenhut). TV: “The Chair” (Netflix/Recurring Guest w/Sandra Oh). Film: Vampires vs. the Bronx (Netflix). Readings: Hearts Beat Loud, Learned Ladies, Sweetee. 2017 Audelco Rising Star Award, 2018 YesBroadway 40 Under 40. Currently working on her debut EP. @curlybroad www.jordantyson.com Producers Kevin McCollum and Kurt Deutsch present The Notebook, the new musical based on the bestselling novel by Nicholas Sparks that inspired the iconic film, premiering on Broadway this Spring.  The Notebook features music and lyrics by multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and a book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (writer and producer on NBC's “This Is Us,” The Cake). The production is directed by Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, RENT) and Schele Williams (Aida, The Wiz), with choreography by Katie Spelman (Associate Choreographer on Moulin Rouge! The Musical).  Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. With a book that has sold millions of copies worldwide and a film that's one of the highest-grossing romantic dramas of all-time, the musical adaptation of Nicholas Sparks's The Notebook comes to Broadway following a critically acclaimed world premiere engagement at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the fall of 2022. The cast of The Notebook features Tony Award®-winner Maryann Plunkett as Older Allie, Dorian Harewood as Older Noah, Joy Woods as Middle Allie, Ryan Vasquez as Middle Noah, Jordan Tyson as Younger Allie, John Cardoza as Younger Noah, Andre?a Burns as Mother/Nurse Lori. Playing various roles are Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Dorcas Leung, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Carson Stewart, Charles E. Wallace and Charlie Webb. The Notebook features scenic design by David Zinn and Brett J. Banakis, costume design by Paloma Young, lighting design by Ben Stanton, sound design by Nevin Steinberg, and hair and wig design by Mia Neal. The production's music supervisor is Carmel Dean, who also collaborated on arrangements with Ingrid Michaelson and on orchestrations with John Clancy, and the music director is Geoffrey Ko. Casting by The Telsey Office, Patrick Goodwin, CSA.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, I spoke to writer and co-director Kelly O'Sullivan, co-director Alex Thompson, and lead actor Keith Kupferer about their work on Ghostlight.  Another reminder for all movie lovers! Win a gift card to your favorite local cinema! Subscribe to Silver Screen Social on iTunes or Spotify, leave a rating/review, and DM us a screenshot on Instagram @jacksonvickery or @silverscreensocialpod for your chance to win!  A bit about the three… KELLY O'SULLIVAN (Writer and Co-Director): Kelly O'Sullivan is a writer, director and actor. She wrote and starred in SAINT FRANCES which premiered at SXSW and won a Special Jury Prize for "Breakthrough Voice" and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature. SAINT FRANCES, released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, is one of the most acclaimed independent films of 2020. Kelly received a Gotham Award nomination for Breakthrough Actor, a John Cassavetes nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards and was also named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film."  Kelly was recently seen in Cooper Raiff's acclaimed 2022 film CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, and will next be seen in the independent films HANGDOG, directed by Matt Cascella and THE GRADUATES by Hannah Peterson. On the small screen Kelly has appeared in two seasons of "Sirens" as well as Hulu's "Battleground" and FOX's "The Mob Doctor." Her theater credits include THE SEAGULL at The Goodman and seven productions at the Steppenwolf including THE CRUCIBLE. Kelly recently made her debut behind the camera with the short film "My Summer Vacation." ALEX THOMPSON (Co-Director) Alex Thompson is a writer, director and producer based in Chicago. His debut feature, SAINT FRANCES, premiered at the '19 SXSW Film Festival and won the Grand Jury prize for "Breakthrough Voice" and the Audience Award. KEITH KUPFERER (Dan) Keith Kupferer's more recent stage credits include West Side Story (Lyric Opera) The Seagull and The Great Leap at Steppenwolf Theatre; The Cake, Cal in Camo (Jeff Award for Supporting Actor), American Wee-Pie, and 26 Miles at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble where he is a founding member; Sweat, Support Group for Men (Jeff nomination for Ensemble), God of Carnage, Passion Play, High Holidays at The Goodman Theater; Murder on the Orient Express at Drury Lane; The Mystery of Love and Sex (Jeff Nomination for Supporting Actor), and Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Wolf at Writer's Theatre; The Qualms, Good People, and Middletown, Of Mice & Men also at Steppenwolf Theatre; the world premiere of The Humans at American Theatre Company; Hillary and Clinton, Never the Sinner, and Appropriate at Victory Gardens; Gypsy at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; The Legend of Georgia McBride at Northlight Theatre; Big Lake, Big City and Trust for Lookingglass Theatre. Film credits include Emperor of Ocean Park (currently filming); Ghostlight; Widows; Monuments; The Dilemma; Dark Knight; Public Enemies; The Express; Stranger Than Fiction; Road to Perdition; Finding Santa; Fred Klaus; The Last Rights of Joe May; and The Merry Gentleman directed by Michael Keaton. TV credits include Southside, The Big Leap, 61st Street, The Chi; Proven Innocent; Better Call Saul; Empire; Chicago P.D.; Betrayal; Crisis; Chicago Fire; and Detroit 187.

Thinking Cap Theatre's Artistic Director Nicole Stodard talks with Carla Della Gatta PhD,  theatre historian and performance theorist on Shakespeare's problematic play The Taming of the Shrew. CARLA'S BIO Carla Della Gatta is a theatre historian and performance theorist whose research focuses on adaptation, ethnicity, and aurality. She is Associate Professor of Theatre and Performance Studies at University of Maryland. Della Gatta is author of Latinx Shakespeares: Staging US Intracultural Theater (2023) and co-editor of Shakespeare and Latinidad (2021). In 2023, she launched the first archive of Latinx theatrical adaptation, LatinxShakespeares.Org. She has received grants and fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation (now Citizens and Scholars), Folger Shakespeare Library, the New York Public Library, and The Wallace Foundation (Project Lead and co-PI). She has served as a scholar for the theatre for Shakespeare Center Los Angeles, The Public Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens, and more. She is on the Steering Committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons and a board member for the Arden series, Shakespeare and Social Justice, and the journal, Shakespeare Survey. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thinking-cap-theatre/support

Richard III; Act 5, Scene 1 BuckinghamFebruary 28, 2024 Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez Actor Yao Dogbe returns to the stage of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre for the highly-anticipated production of Richard III. The inaugural effort by brand-new helmsman Edward Hall, this reimagining of one of Shakespeare's bloodiest plays has been grabbing attention for its unconventional casting and daring concept. But for Dogbe, it's more than just another role—it's a personal journey about family. Click here to follow along with the text. Click here for a First Folio Version of the text. Click here for a scanned version of the text. Click here For More information about Richard III at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater

On this edition of The Arts Section, host Gary Zidek catches up with Chicago Shakespeare Theater's new artistic director Edward Hall. He's taken the creative reigns after the company's founder Barbara Gaines stepped down last year. Gary checks in with local jazz musician Shawn Maxwell to talk about his new Joliet-inspired album. Later in the show, the Dueling Critics, Kerry Reid and Jonathan Abarbanel, review a new interpretation of Shakespeare's RICHARD III. And Gary previews a new contemporary art exhibit at the Driehaus Museum that was inspired by Greek mythology.

‘Illinoise,' based on Sufjan Stevens's Grammy and Oscar-nominated concept album ‘Illinois,' brings its distinct music and dance experience to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Multi-talented Chicago artist Tasha Viets-VanLear, known by many as just Tasha, is a vocalist in the production. The artist first heard Stevens's album in high school, learning to play guitar to its songs. She sat down with Vocalo's Nudia Hernandez after the production's press night to talk about this full-circle moment, plus show preparation and what it's like behind the scenes. This interview was produced by Nudia Hernandez. Keep up with Tasha on Instagram @wowtashawow and the musical @illinoiseonstage.

Director-choreographer Justin Peck and Pulitzer winning playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury talk about making a nontraditional dance musical based on Sufjan Stevens' “genre-defying” album “Illinois.” The show is now having its world premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and will run at the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan in March. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, playwright, poet, and author Pearl Cleage discusses her life and career with Remy Bumppo Theatre Artistic Director Marti Lyons. Remy Bumppo staged Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky in the fall of 2023. This conversation originally took place September 26, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about the speakers: Pearl Cleage (she/her/hers) is an Atlanta-based writer whose plays include POINTING AT THE MOON, WHAT I LEARNED IN PARIS, FLYIN' WEST, BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, and BOURBON AT THE BORDER, commissioned and directed by Kenny Leon at the Alliance Theatre. She is also the author of A SONG FOR CORETTA, written in 2007 during Cleage's time as Cosby Professor in Women's Studies at Spelman College. Her play, THE NACIREMA SOCIETY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE AT A CELEBRATION OF THEIR FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and premiered in 2010, in a joint production by the ASF and Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, directed by Susan Booth. Her plays have also been performed at Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Huntington Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Long Wharf Theatre, Just US Theatre, True Colors Theatre, Bushfire Theatre, the Intiman Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and Seven Stages. She is also an accomplished performance artist, often working in collaboration with her husband, writer Zaron W. Burnett, Jr. They have performed at the National Black Arts Festival, the National Black Theatre Festival, and colleges and universities across the country. Cleage and Burnett also collaborated with performance artists Idris Ackamoor and Rhodessa Jones on the script for THE LOVE PROJECT, which premiered at the National Black Theatre Festival in 2008, and is currently touring the country. Cleage is also an accomplished novelist. Her novels include “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day,” a New York Times bestseller and an Oprah Book Club selection, “I Wish I Had a Red Dress,” “Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do,” “Babylon Sisters,” “Baby Brother's Blues,” “Seen It All and Done the Rest,” and “Till You Hear from Me.” She is also the author of “Mad at Miles: A Blackwoman's Guide to Truth,” a groundbreaking work of race and gender, and “We Speak Your Names,” a praise poem commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for her 2005 celebration of legendary African American women and written in collaboration with Zaron Burnett. Cleage has also written for magazines, including “Essence,” “Vibe,” “Rap Pages,” and “Ms.” In addition to her work as the founding editor of “Catalyst” magazine, a literary journal, she was a regular columnist for the Atlanta Tribune for ten years, winning many awards for her thought-provoking columns. She has also written for TheDefendersOnLine.com. Cleage has been awarded grants in support of her work from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, the Georgia Council on the Arts, the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the Coca-Cola Foundation. Her work has earned her many awards and honors, including an NAACP Image Award for fiction in 2008. Pearl Cleage is represented by Ron Gwiazda at Abrams Artists Agency in New York City. Her website is www.PearlCleage.net. She also maintains a Facebook fan page. www.pearlcleage.net. Marti Lyons (she/her/hers) most recently directed the world-premiere of Galileo's Daughter by Jessica Dickey at Remy Bumppo, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberly at Northlight Theatre, Wife of a Salesman by Eleanor Burgess at Milwaukee Rep, Sense and Sensibility adapted by Jessica Swale at American Players Theatre and the world-premiere of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower at Studio Theatre in D.C. Marti's other productions include The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess at Writers Theatre; Cymbeline at American Players Theatre; The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe and both the stage and audio productions of Kings by Sarah Burgess at Studio Theatre; the world-premiere of How to Defend Yourself by liliana padilla, a Victory Gardens and Actors Theatre of Louisville co-production; Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee at Victory Gardens and City Theatre; Witch by Jen Silverman at Geffen Playhouse and Writers Theatre (LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Direction); Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías at Victory Gardens; Botticelli in the Fire by Jordan Tannahill at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; I, Banquo at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Title and Deed by Will Eno at Lookingglass Theatre Company; Laura Marks' Bethany and Mine at The Gift Theatre. Marti is also an ensemble member at The Gift Theatre, and a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. martilyons.com

Jen Sabella, the Director of Strategy and co-founder of Block Club Chicago, joins Bob Sirott to share the latest Chicago neighborhood stories. She provides details on: Open House Chicago Returns This Weekend With Over 40 New Sites: Notable buildings and places open for public tours this year include Walt Disney's birthplace home, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater […]

Galleries, museums and theaters are still feeling the impact of the pandemic. According to a report on the health of arts and culture in the city, donations, memberships and attendance numbers are down and haven't gotten back to pre-pandemic levels. Reset learns about what's been happening and discusses potential solutions Leslé Honoré, poet and CEO of Urban Gateways, Kacie Smith of Arts Alliance Illinois and Kara Riopelle, managing director at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. If you love Reset, then you'll also love our daily newsletter! You can sign up at wbez.org/resetnews.

She's a 12-foot wooden puppet of a Syrian girl who walks for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people worldwide, half of whom are children. Little Amal is making friends through art, food and education in a months-long tour across the United States — and this week she'll be in Chicago. Reset speaks with local partners about where you can meet Little Amal and what you can learn from her while she's in the city. Our guests include Lauren West, from the Syrian Community Network, Jacqueline Russell of the Chicago Children's Theater and Paige Whitson-Martini of the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Did you know Reset also has a daily newsletter? Each edition features a breakdown of one big topic in news or culture, fun activities to try in the Chicago area and a chance to weigh in. Sign up at wbez.org/resetnews.

Barbara Gaines has directed more than 60 productions since founding the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 1986. We talked to the artistic director ahead of her final production of "The Comedy of Errors," which runs through April 23.

Pandemic-era federal funds were a lifeline for Chicago theaters. Now, those federal funds are drying up. And theater seats aren't filling up at the same rate as before the pandemic. Do theaters need to rethink their business model to stay alive? Reset checks in with Jeannie Lukow, executive director of Porchlight Music Theater, Kara Riopelle, managing director with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago Tribune critic Chris Jones and Claire Rice, executive director, Arts Alliance Illinois.

Theater Director Barbara Gaines joins Rick Kogan in studio to talk about the final show she will be directing, The Comedy of Errors, at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She also highlights her life and experiences leading up to this event.

Welcome to Heilman & Haver - Episode 71.  We hope you enjoy the show! Please join the conversation - email us with thoughts and ideas and connect with the show on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and at heilmanandhaver.com.   IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Kayla Boye Photo Credit: Kachi Mozie Kayla Boye is the writer, producer, and star of the one-woman show Call Me Elizabeth, chronicling the early life of Elizabeth Taylor. Set in May 1961, the play is inspired by Taylor's conversations with writer Max Lerner as they discuss plans for a biography.  Through a morning session with Lerner at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Taylor rediscovers her sense of self following her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and recovery from a nearly fatal battle with pneumonia. The play examines Taylor's career, life, and loves, chronicling her survival in the face of adversity and tragedy, and illuminating the core compassion of her character that inspired her later activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Kayla is a Chicago-based artist whose credits include productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Mercury Theater Chicago, Music Theater Works, BrightSide Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Capital City Theatre, Bigfork Summer Playhouse, and The Huron Playhouse. As an arts administrator, she has worked in development, marketing, and finance for Goodman Theatre and Writers Theatre, and she has served as a producer for Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Garage Rep series.  As a consultant for the Artistic Fundraising Group, her portfolio included work for Arts of Life, BrightSide Theatre, Chicago Composers Orchestra, Chicago Mosaic School, Oak Park Festival Theatre, and Snow City Arts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as Executive Director of The Youngstown Playhouse and she holds a BA in Professional Writing & Editing from Youngstown State University. Kayla is also a Certified Nonprofit Professional through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.  You can find out more about her work at kaylaboye.com and about the show at callmeelizabeth.com.  Kayla joined us from Old Town Pasadena.   COMING UP NEXT EPISODE: Patricia Ward Kelly Make plans to join us again in two weeks, Friday March 3rd, when we'll welcome to the show Patricia Ward Kelly, widow and official biographer of the truly marvelous Gene Kelly.  Patricia will be in Seattle March 17-19th to host a one of a kind event at the Seattle Symphony, Gene Kelly: A Life in Music.  Get your tickets now at seattlesyphony.org and don't miss Ep 72 on Friday, Mar 3rd.

Director Henry Godinez talks about his powerful Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of Measure For Measure, how he loves Shakespeare's famously problem play, and how his background informed his approach to it. Set amidst the glamour, music, and sensuality of 1950s Cuba, where Shakespeare's Vienna becomes Havana just before Fidel Castro seizes power, Henry also discusses how this setting enriched his understanding of the play; how differing strands of self-righteous fanaticism and hypocrisy come into conflict; his own crazy childhood dreams; how this production manages to (amazingly!) end on a mildly positive and hopeful note; and how Shakespeare's problem play is better the more nuanced and complicated it is. (Length 17:40) (PICTURED: The company of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, directed by Henry Godinez, in the Courtyard Theater, October 21–November 27, 2022. Photo by Liz Lauren.) The post Measure For Measure appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Shana Cooper discusses her direction of one of Shakespeare's infamous "problem plays," All's Well That Ends Well, which ran (quite well!) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the spring of 2022. Shana reveals how the project came to her; how the options of possible plays narrows considerably when you're completing the canon; how a play about deeply flawed people at transitional points in their lives matches our historical moment; the vital importance of casting a sympathetic center in your leading role; how her next production is that light-hearted romp Metamorphoses at Seattle Rep; how Bertram typifies the annoying number of fraught men and boys in Shakespeare; and ultimately the importance of finding allies in transitional moments and identifying your next version of Home. (Length 21:40) (PICTURED: Diana (Emma Ladji) and Helen (Alejandra Escalante) in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of All's Well That Ends Well, directed by Shana Cooper. Photo by Liz Lauren.) The post Shana's “All's Well” appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

This week, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and writer Bekah Brunstetter discuss the process of adapting The Notebook, the romance novel by Nicholas Sparks, into a musical for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The world premiere musical opens September 6th, 2022. Learn more here. This conversation originally took place August 17th, 2022 and was recorded live at the [...]

This week, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and writer Bekah Brunstetter discuss the process of adapting The Notebook, the romance novel by Nicholas Sparks, into a musical for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The world premiere musical opens September 6th, 2022. Learn more here. This conversation originally took place August 17th, 2022 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the mind of a writer.

Barbara Gaines has directed productions there since founding the theater in 1986.

Intro: Boz's brain hurts, Ozark, the ordinariness of crime, drug running in Tijuana, Molly, Jerry Harris and Season 2 of Cheer, unpleasant surprisesLet Me Run This By You: I didn't do anything wrong.Interview: We talk to Carolyn Hoerdemann about Steppenwolf's From The Page to The Stage, John C. Reilly, tenacity, hyper-empaths, Oscar Wilde's fairy tales, Tarrell Alvin McCraney, feminist theatre, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Faith Wilding, Rob Chambers' Bagdad Cafe, Ominous Clam, Zak Orth, Good Person of Szechwan, European Repertory's production of Agamemnon, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Michael Moore's Roger & Me, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the anti-memoir memoir, and Ann Dowd.FULL TRANSCRIPT (unedited):1 (8s):And Jen Bosworth from me this and I'm Gina Polizzi. We went to theater school together. We survived it, but we didn't quite understand it. 20 years later, we're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of it all. We survived theater school and you will too. Are we famous yet? I have a place to go to do with, it's not my one bedroom with my dog and my husband, but it's still a lot of work, like an and so, and then on top of that, I mean, I just feel like literally, you know what, I texted you yesterday and you said you knew the feeling like my brain is hurting me, but not in a bad way.1 (50s):I don't have a headache. Like I don't, I just was, you know, telling our couple surface, like, I feel like I can literally hear my brain turning and growing and groaning and like working. I've never had that feeling before in my life, which is weird. But like that, that feeling of, oh, I'm doing or knowing that what it was, what it was like, I'm doing a lot of work, you know, like my brain is doing so ridiculous, but that's how I feel, but it's all like, it, it doesn't feel, you know, what it is. I'm used to doing a lot of physical work.1 (1m 32s):Like I'm used to my body doing a lot of work. Like whether it's, you know, like the jobs I've had, like even the jobs that I, when I was a therapist account, you know, a counselor at social services, like I spent a lot of my time, like moving cases of diet Coke and cause we were in like a halfway house. So like I did a lot of manual labor and lot and case management and case management management is a lot of manual labor, like taking clients to appointments. And like, so when using my brain now in this different way, like literally I wished I would have been a camera on me when I was redoing my resume and cover letter specifically for the ad industry, because it is like making something out of nothing and also using words to like basically, you know, trick people, not trick people, but you know, get them to think what you want them to think.1 (2m 27s):And you think, oh, well she's, you know, television writing. The thing about that is like, you can make up anything like television writing really. You can really say, and then pigs flew out of his asshole and then people are like, oh, that's a weird show. But when you're trying to sell yourself to a particular industry with a particular set of skills, trying to make your skills meld into the skills they want, I was like, I couldn't see. After a while I was like, I don't even know what this, like using words like in this space, you leave space is a big word now.2 (2m 59s):So Metta that you are selling yourself to an advertising1 (3m 8s):Up girl.2 (3m 10s):So the PR how I understand it is there is somebody affiliated with this that is an advocate of yours, a champion of yours. And she wants, she wants you in that industry.1 (3m 23s):Okay. Yes, you are understanding. And there's like multiple things here. So she's, she's a screenwriter that I met and she continued on with the master's program. But her big job is her. Her day job is she's like a creative director at an ad agency in the, in the copy department. Right? So she's a big wig and she edits, she's like, she's the big editor there right at this. And I guess they hop around from agency to agency. Look, I don't know how it works, but so she started this new job and she's like, I want you to come work in the copyright. She also gets a very large bonus for every person that comes on that she refers, which I good look, do what you need to do.1 (4m 6s):But I think it's like five grand per person that she brings. I that's what I'm led to believe from the website. So anyway, there's like a, and so she literally Gina. So I sent her my updated resume and cover letter letter looked great. And then she applied me for 30 jobs. So then I have two.2 (4m 27s):Wow.1 (4m 29s):So which sounds great, which is awesome. Copywriting, all different kinds of copywriting. But for each of those jobs, I have to fill out demographic form. So last night I literally was up after myself tapes one self-tape last night clicking. I am not a veteran. Yes, I am Latina. No, I'm not disabled2 (4m 53s):Online. I was going to say, why don't they have one form, but it's1 (4m 58s):Yeah. It's a different job number. Right? So like every time, oh my God. So then, and sign, you have to sign every, so I literally was like, by the time I went to that, my brain, I was like, what? I'm not a veteran. I'm not a veteran like that. I was like mumbling to myself. And so, so, but I have to say like, you know, it's a good skill to build for. Like, I think that thing about, we only use 5% of our brain. They they've like debunked that right. They've said like that. You can't, but I'm telling you my brain, just like the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day. My brain is like literally growing three side.1 (5m 41s):I don't know if it's three sizes, but it's, I can feel my, my, my like pathways changing in terms of the skills that I'm using. So that's great. You know,2 (5m 51s):I don't know. I mean, it can't be bad. Nothing. The good news is all of this work you're doing can't lead to anything bad to something. Yeah. Not illegal, You know, honestly, it's really saying something. I finally started watching Ozark. Oh God. And I, what strikes me about it is like, oh, this is not, it's not that this could happen to anybody, but you just think about like how ordinary crime really can be, you know, and how criminals aren't all in a layer or living in a way it's just, it's just moms and dads and, and people who need it, who need money in and who needs to run around and get it right quick.2 (6m 40s):Yeah. And I don't know, I will, I'm only one, not even the full first season in, so there may be a lot of stuff that I don't know, but like, it seems to me that this Jason Bateman guy was just a regular guy who got kind of wrapped up in this criminal enterprise1 (6m 58s):Didn't happen. You, I can see like most of my clients that I saw like were knowingly doing, you know, they were like, oh, I'm going to be a drug dealer and a gang member now. And no, but there were occasionally people that got involved in like scams, you know, financial fraud that you could see how it would start off and, and, and case in point miles. And I have a friend, an older guy, friend, we won't name because this is so illegal was like, Hey, what are you guys doing over Christmas break? And we're like, we're going, doing whatever. And he's like, Hey, do you want to, I shit, you not do you, if you'd let me know if you want to make some money, driving a camper from here to Tijuana.1 (7m 41s):And I, why like, what are you talking about? He's like, yeah, we'll give you like each $5,000 of it. And I said, well, what do you mean? Why do you need the, the, the, the camper and Tijuana? And he was like, oh, there's drugs in it. There's marijuana. And I was like, no. And miles was like, absolutely not. I'm like, have you met miles? Are you boy?2 (8m 3s):Oh, not, not marijuana, I guess,1 (8m 5s):Because it's marijuana. I don't, I don't2 (8m 7s):Think it's legal. Why do they have to do1 (8m 9s):That? I don't know. I think it was like a mass quantity or something like that. I don't know. Like, you're not allowed to like traffic, like large amounts of marijuana from different countries to over the border. Like, but so, especially in Mexico, like what? So I don't know. And we were like, Myles was like, absolutely not. I mean, miles is a lawyer. Like, what are you talking about?2 (8m 34s):Well, it's funny how just one casual aside a reference can really change your whole perspective on somebody you've known for a long time. Like I thought I've been in that situation before, you know, you think, you know, somebody and then they just casually say like, well, you know, we're swingers or1 (8m 55s):The other, the other, the other day I was meeting with somebody. Totally. And this actually didn't make me think less of him, but it was just like, he's like a totally looks like a total straight laced guy. If you're going to look at him, you know, white dude, thirties, balding, whatever. And he's like, yeah, I met him like the first time I, he was talking and he was like, oh yeah, the first time we met, we did Molly. And I was like, wait, what? At first I thought, Tina that's crystal meth. And I thought, but that wasn't, that it's Molly is whatever, HBM,2 (9m 25s):Whatever,1 (9m 26s):MTMA Molly. And I, like, I was so weird and we're like old people, what is happening? It's sitting in a cafe and you're talking about Molly. I don't know. I just it's, it totally rocked my world, which is, I think why I like to write too is because I do like to write those things in where you're like, wait, what? You know? Like, like,2 (9m 53s):Yeah, I have to say just, just the thought of learning, something like that, about somebody that I know is scary to me. And it, it just made me remember that I, after you mentioned season two of cheer, I started watching it. And I forgotten about the whole thing about that guy, Jerry Harris. And it was so heartbreaking to me when that happened. Not that it's worse or better if the person is well-known, it's just, you know, he, he seemed like a person who has such a hard life and it seemed like he was finally getting some, you know, something that he really deserved.2 (10m 38s):And then, and of course, I understand that when I hurt that hurt people, hurt people. And that he was probably doing this because this has been done to him. I don't know, man, I don't, these are surprises. I don't care for, I wanted it to stand for the rug and like for these kids to go on and being abused, that's not it at all. It's just, it's so disheartening. Well, it's really1 (11m 5s):It's. So there is, so yeah, it goes beyond grief. It's like goes beyond disappointment. It's like grief. And it's also, I think for me anyway, and I don't know about for you recreates the feeling of which is what I felt all the time with my parents, which is, oh, I know these people. I can trust these people. Oh God, I'm not safe around these2 (11m 30s):People. Okay. Thank you. That's exactly what it is.1 (11m 33s):I have that experience in Los Angeles, 40 times a day. Right. We're like, I want to like someone and then they'll say some fucking shit. And you're like, okay, well this is, you're a psychopath. Okay. Right. Like I'm talking to this. There's like, I meet them all the time at co-working because you know, co-working attracts like everybody, you just have to have money to have an office here. It's not like they, you know, vet people and some I'll be having a conversation with someone who seems relatively normal. And then they'll be like, oh yeah. You know, I was like, I really admire this Japanese porn star that like really knew what she wanted in life.1 (12m 13s):And it's not that there's anything wrong with being a Japanese porn star. It's that this guy like casually dropping, you know, and then talking about the kind of porn she does in a coworking setting. I I'm like, dude, I gotta go. I gotta make a fucking resume over here. Like I don't need to, but it's it's that in with him. It's just, I was just more like, oh, you're that you're going to bring this up to a stranger. Then I'm getting better about like, what's safe and not safe. But I do think that when you invest in something like Jerry or the cheer or a parent, and then they fucking do some shit, you're like, oh great. I'm not safe with you. That's,2 (12m 50s):It's what it is. It makes the feeling of own. And then, because I tend towards misanthropy, I'm like, okay, nobody's say if you can't trust anybody, everybody's out to get you, which is not true either. But it becomes, that is my defensive posture that I immediately tack back to, you know, I could go away thinking like, oh, there's goodness in the world. And some people and humans are inherently good. And then boom, something happens and I fail. And instead of, and I don't do the opposite when somebody does something good. I don't say yes, it's P you know what I mean? I don't, I don't have the same positive connotation that when somebody does something bad, it makes me say everybody's terrible.1 (13m 34s):It's really interesting because I'm having the experience of having to, what is it? So having to have a little more caution with people, I tend to really, really, really love everybody at first. Like really like I'm like, that person is awesome, but then they start talking crazy shit. And in the past I would have dismissed it and been like, no, I'm just sensitive. Right. Or I'm just so I'm trying now to be like, no, I wasn't there. When I was in therapy yesterday, I was like, no, no. Like in that moment I felt like this is not good for me.1 (14m 16s):And if I am not going to stand up for myself and take care of myself, nobody else is. So I have to mix a little more of the caution in with my, what can be Pollyanna kind of stuff. I have to be mindful of what my instincts are telling me about somebody, because I then will end up, you know, talking about very explicit Japanese porn techniques for half an hour and then walk away feeling violated and fucked up.2 (14m 49s):Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. You know, I knew this. I ha I know somebody who's exceedingly reserved. She doesn't, I like her I'm we're friends, but she doesn't tell you anything about herself. Like, or it takes a long time. And it's just this little snip, like, as an example, I don't know how old she is. And I bring up my age all the time and I, and I think she's younger than I am, but somebody recently said, oh, actually I don't think she's. I think she's more like your age, but that's, but she's never chimed in whenever I've said anything about how old I am.2 (15m 31s):She, she, she won't tell she's, she's a mystery. And on the one hand, I think, oh, she's just, she's just protecting herself for the reason that you just said. I mean, you know, she, she knows me kind of, but it's not like she really, really knows me. Some people really wait until some people don't just give out their confidence to anybody for some people you really, and I, you know, I guess like good for her. Maybe that's the way to go. I don't know. I, I tend to be more like you, not that I love everybody, but that I assume, I assume everybody has good intentions.2 (16m 13s):And, and then it's very surprising and sad and shocking to me when they don't like the thing that happened to me last week, this fricking guy, I was at the, I was picking my son up from tennis and where I've been, where I've been. Yes. And the place has bad vibes. I, I w I don't like the place. The parking is annoying, but yeah, the parking is annoying anyway. So you're, you're not supposed to wait by the curb. The parents aren't supposed to wait by the curb and align for their kids to come out, but everybody does. Right. It's just how it goes. Cause there's nowhere to go. Right. And it's, and it's been really icy here. So even sometimes I will park whatever, but this time I'm thinking, well, it's really icy.2 (16m 57s):And I just don't want him to, it's not lit up really in the parking lot. I just don't want him to fall. So I'm waiting in line and the guy in the car behind me hunks, and I, I assume he's not honking at me. Why would he behind me? Me? I'm just, my car is just sitting there honks again. Hong's a third time. And I put my arm out, like, go, go around. I just thought maybe he didn't think he could go around me. I still honking. So I just kind of opened the door a little bit. I look behind me and I'm like, what's the deal? And he's just yelling something. So I think, okay, whatever, I'll just loop around, pull over, go through the parking lot, turn to come back. And the guy I had the right of way.2 (17m 39s):And he just zoomed in, in front of me made so that I had to slam on the same guy. So I had to slam on my brakes, but then he gets out of the car and walks up, walks over to me. Of course, I lock my doors and he's like just screaming obscenities at me. Now later on, I had the thought this of course had nothing to do with me. Of course, this is how, you know, I didn't do anything wrong. This is about a person who really wanted to kick the dog. And he found that he found somebody to, to do that with absolutely. But I tend to go through my life in kind of this bubble of like, everybody's got everybody's well-intended and maybe even he was well-intended it just, it just didn't come across in the, in this experience.2 (18m 30s):And1 (18m 32s):Did he walk away?2 (18m 34s):I said, get the fuck away from me. Get the fuck away from me. By the way, my dog was in the back of my dog, who barks at literally every leaf like Wallace.1 (18m 54s):What kind of wing man are you? You fucker anyway. Okay. Yeah. I mean, I think those experiences are very particularly about driving and cars and obviously there's a whole road rage. Like there's literally a television show about road rage, right? Like the truth really? Oh my God. Yeah. It's a horrible it's so triggering. Don't watch it, but okay. I mean, yeah, it's ridiculous. But that being said it's very, to me, what happens to me in that situation? I'm sorry, that happened to you is yeah. Like what you mentioned on social media, which is feeling completely powerless and like, it's scary.1 (19m 38s):It's out of control. It's traumatizing. It's I, it's not good. It's not good. And it is also to me that what the feeling is being ambushed, right? Like you're being ambushed by, by a fucking crazy ass and you didn't do anything wrong. See, the thing is, I get into this thing of like, I didn't do anything wrong. And again, if I can get to the core of it, which is as a kid, I literally didn't do anything wrong. And all this shit rained down upon me, this trauma and this and this in this bullying and this whatever. And it triggers that in me. Like, wait a minute.1 (20m 19s):I, all I'm trying to do is do good, protect my son, pick up my thing, do this merge into the fucking freeway. It doesn't matter. And then I get like, this is not fair. Like I get really hurt is what it is. I get hurt. I'm shocked and hurt. And then the person, there is no, there is no resolution, right? Like the guy doesn't then call you later and say, I'm so sorry I acted a Dick. Or you can't even call the police and be like, this guy acted like a Dick. We're like, they're like, well, did he threaten you? No. Did he? Then they're like, fuck yourself.2 (21m 5s):Right. To say that it's, it is linked to, you know, growing up in a dysfunctional family. I'm for myself, looking a little bit more deeply into that. And because I, and I'm not saying this is the case for you, but for me, I think that I have said that I think that I have convinced myself that I'm never doing anything wrong, you know? And, and not just say that I was doing something necessarily wrong in the situation with the sky, although actually, you know, if I could have crafted it better, I would have paid attention to the flag from really from the first time they honk, which is like, there's something wrong with this person.2 (21m 51s):Do you know what I mean? Like, and yes,1 (21m 55s):Like get away, let me remove2 (21m 57s):My instinct. My instinct is to want to fight back. In fact, I remember this time that the some concert or something like that with Aaron, it was early in our relationship. So I was in my early twenties and this guy kept whatever. He kept stepping too close to me something. And I, I pushed him and pushed him. He, and of course, what did he do? He looked at Aaron like, are you gonna like, don't do that to me. I don't want to, you know, and it's, but it's not fair. He's encroaching on my space. He's like fair. Who, who told you the thing that we're going to be fair? Like it's, you know, so I guess that's the thing is I sometimes go out in the world thinking like, I'm an, a student and therefore, you know, nothing.2 (22m 42s):I don't, I shouldn't be getting any demerits. And if I get into merit, it's not my fault. I do that a lot.1 (22m 50s):I have the same thing. Yeah. I mean, I, I do it where it's like, I, yeah, I have my version of that is like, I'm a nice person. Like I do good. I'm nice. How dare you do bad or do wrong or treat me bad. Yeah. I mean, he it's, all this stuff is so layered. And2 (23m 10s):As far back, like it takes a lot. Yeah. Yeah. It's so far back. If it took this many years for us to form this way, imagine how long it's going to take us to On the podcast we are talking to Carolyn. Carolyn has a BFA from a theater school and imitate from the school of the art Institute of3 (23m 45s):Chicago. Carolyn is a performer and a professor and a lovely and pathic, amazing human. So please enjoy our conversation with Carolyn Bournemouth.4 (24m 8s):We're not here to talk about cancer. I've got no theaters because the Rick Murphy shirt Murphy's now this is actually made by Kevin Foster, who was my, that student. But I guess so I directed a workshop that he was in. He's a wonderful man. He ended up moving to Alaska, teaching people how to climb ice mountains. And now has a wife and a baby and never left Alaska. So we had that weird connection. Cause I lived in Alaska for the summer in between my first and second year of school, which I guess is it's like another theater school story in a way. I forgot about that one.2 (24m 47s):We're here. So Carolyn Hornimann, congratulations. You survived theater school. Yes you do.4 (24m 56s):You survived it. I know. That's why I bought this very expensive mix. So I would get lots of voiceover work that I never get.2 (25m 2s):Hey, maybe this is going to be your open Amy4 (25m 4s):Visit shit. This is it. This is my ticket. This is my ticket. I love podcasts.2 (25m 10s):So you survived as a student and you teach4 (25m 13s):DePaul. I teach there. I mainly teach the non-majors, which I love, but I have directed a couple of a workshop, intro type things. But many years ago, I keep putting in proposals. They don't ask me to do again, supposedly next year, maybe I will be, which would be awesome because I have this idea to do a version of Bernhardt Hamlet with all genders and just like totally gender fluid. So2 (25m 42s):You have to submit a proposal4 (25m 44s):For a show. That's a whole nother story. I'm probably another podcast, but I have submitted proposals. But oddly enough, a couple of times I did direct. I was just asked to, and that, I guess we're going backwards to go forwards. Are we always bad and make it go forward? Right. Which is that amazing? I think it's David Ball. The book that they made us read called backwards and forwards. Do you guys think I read In HDL, you had to read this book called backwards and forwards. Anyway, I used it in my master's thesis too. Cause it's brilliant. But anyway, backwards and forwards, I was in graduate school.4 (26m 24s):Rick Murphy was like kind of very interested in what I was doing. I was doing work on performing new feminisms and he was like, what the fuck is that? What's going on at the white cards? You can curse. Oh, no podcast. And, and that's a whole nother story because actually Rick Murphy was not my teacher. I had David AVD, Collie, and I went into to Rick Murphy's office. Like I guess it was probably my senior year to ask him advice about wanting to go to London, to study his full cereals. Right. As if I hadn't already been studying for serious. Right. Cause I wanted to go to Europe and be a fancy pants, real actor. And he was like, why are you going to do that? Why don't you just stay here and find a company that does European work.4 (27m 7s):So then I was in the European repertory company for 12 years. Oh,1 (27m 10s):Oh, that's a, that's a nice long run. Is that, is that company still around?4 (27m 14s):No, that's another story.1 (27m 16s):You have so many stories4 (27m 18s):We need to have, like, I have too many stories, too many stories. I don't even1 (27m 21s):Know where to start. Well, here's where I'll start. Did you just let's get the facts? So you went to BFA at the theater school, but you got to be MFA somewhere.4 (27m 32s):Oddly enough. No, I got, what is an M a E a masters of art and art education from the art Institute of Chicago, which is funny. Cause the Goodman started at the art Institute. So I guess I'm like super Chicago already.1 (27m 45s):You did that. Okay. I wanted to get the facts down. That is why. So then I would like to start when you were a child, were you always this awesome where you just like, fuck it. I'm going to4 (27m 59s):Just be crunchy. I have cool glasses, like YouTube,1 (28m 2s):There's serial killer glasses that we have just FYI.4 (28m 7s):I am from a small town down south. And I guess in a way I knew somehow that I wanted to be an actor from like watching old Betty Davis movies with my mom,1 (28m 17s):Her like Betty Davis.4 (28m 20s):And then I, my dad died when I was a sophomore in high school unexpectedly. And I was with my English teacher who taught us Shakespeare. He was fabulous. Mr. Beaver, very eccentric man who was probably gay and was not able to be out in our little small town. And Mr. Beaver took us to another small farm town school bus to all in, to see the show that was coming in from Chicago. And it was from the page to the stage Shakespeare by step and1 (28m 55s):Walk, a little company called4 (28m 59s):John C. Riley was one of the two count of two actors. There was a man and a woman. I wish I knew who she was. I went on deep dive search last night to find out and I can't find it anywhere on the internet. Was that my computer making a noise? Oh,1 (29m 15s):I didn't hear, I didn't hear it either. So something, well, here's the thing I'm sort of in touch with John C. Riley for various weird reasons. So I might ask him,4 (29m 27s):Please ask him, oh, he's the only one that will know. It's not anywhere on the internet. And I don't talk to him, although he's very close with Rick Murphy, oddly enough. They're like buds. But so, so anyway, we're in this, you know, school editorial, I'm watching this Shakespeare show with Jonsi rally and this woman that was also amazing. I hate that. I only know the guy, right. But they had a trunk and they would pull out costumes and props from the trunk. And they went through several scenes of Shakespeare. It was, you know, like devised, wonderful, amazing theater traveling the country, like the old frickin work progress association do used to do with the federal theater, which we should still have. Thank you very much.4 (30m 7s):And I, you know, had the PR I remember holding the program to like, with like, who are these people? What did they do? Where did they go to school? Oh, theater school, DePaul university. That's one question. Okay. How old were you? Like 15 amazing. Maybe 16. Cause I looked and it said it was 86. My dad died in 85. I was 15. I was 16. So I then also had, I was the president of the thespians of Lincoln community high school in Lincoln, Illinois. And I had, we, one of the things that we got was I forgot what it was. Oh, I wish I remembered it was a fabulous name. Like it wasn't forensics theater or something.4 (30m 49s):The, the title of the magazine you would get, it was like a high school theater magazine. And you got a free subscription of that for a year. Cause you, you know, you were the president of the Philippines and it also of course had a wonderful little spread about the theater school. So then I decided it was either going to be NYU theater school. My mom wanted me to go to ISU and kept saying, John Malcovich went there. John Malcovich went there because that was only 45 minutes away from me. So she really wanted me to go there, you know, cause my dad had just fucking died and she and I had moved from the country into the town and she wanted me to stay close, but she wasn't going to say that. But I know that now that that's what she wanted. Plus it was a lot cheaper and also Webster, which is in St. Louis. I think so somehow I got into, I think ISU in Webster, but I don't remember auditioning.4 (31m 33s):I think I just like had to write an essay and say I wanted to go Tish. I didn't even, I don't think pursue it because I couldn't afford to go to New York to audition. I only auditioned at the theater school. I addition to in my junior year I got in and my junior year, I knew where I was going for my senior year of high school. That's awesome. My brother drove me there and his, he had this old convertible. I remember driving down lake shore drive with my brother. It's my brother who now has cancer. And he took me to this audition. I don't know where he went or what he did with his big, long, old, like 67 do you know, muscle car that he had. But I went in and I did the audition and I did the voice and I did the weird movement and I did my two monologues and I don't remember exactly who was there.4 (32m 16s):I think it was maybe Phyllis Gemma stuff. Maybe it was his Carol Delk person who was a movement teacher who then I never really had. But anyway, yeah, I got, I got in, I remember getting the letter. I remember standing on my stairs in my house in Lincoln, Illinois, because then, you know, you've got to actually better in the mail. There's no emails or anything. And I was standing on the stairs is my, mom's stood at the foot of the stairs and opening it and being like, and then she's like, well, you know, we'll figure it out2 (32m 47s):Time out for one second. Do you think that kids think about us opening letters? The way that we think about people opening scrolls1 (32m 55s):Or telegrams? Yeah.4 (32m 59s):I have to explain to my students with snail mail is because at the end of every quarter I send everyone a little card, just a little thank you card. I've been doing it for like 15, 16 years now. So I can't stop now that I started this tradition and I'll ask them for their snail mail and they'll be like, what's that? And then I'll have to explain to them what it is and then they'll give it to me and they'll leave off like there's zip code or the town on her. I'm like, no, you have to put everything.1 (33m 19s):So there is a, I met someone at my coworking space who is like, I think 25 and they didn't know to put stamps on letters. So he just4 (33m 34s):Imagined that he1 (33m 34s):Was going to the post box and I said, oh, you're going to the postbox. I said, oh, you forgot your stamp. He goes, what? I was like, oh my God. Anyway.2 (33m 46s):And also I have to backtrack about one of the things that John C. Reilly thing was that a DePaul production or Novus Devin4 (33m 54s):Oh seven2 (33m 55s):Will forever. Right? Okay.4 (33m 57s):It must've been one of his first jobs out of school cause it was 1986. And I was also looking because there was this amazing picture of him from Gardenia, I think in the brochure. So then not only are in the magazine that I had, I don't think I ever got a brochure in the mail. It was this magazine. I'm going to find out the name of it. Cause it was just a cool little magazine that the theater kids, theater nerd, Scott, and we, and I got it for free when I was the president of, at that speeds. And so there was this wonderful picture that was some of the, you know, lovely glorious lady like grabbing, holding onto his leg or something was very dramatic. And this story goes further because then I'm at the theater school is my freshman year and there was the God squad party.4 (34m 39s):Nobody's really talked about the gods squad a little2 (34m 41s):Bit.4 (34m 43s):So the God squad party, I don't remember who my God parent was. I don't even, I must not been very good cause I have no idea who it was, but I was at this party and John C. Riley was there.2 (34m 56s):You must've been levitating.4 (34m 59s):And Don Elko was there. There was teachers therapy for smoking and drinking with the teachers. I was like, mind blonde, what's going on? And I said, I want it to John C. Riley in the kitchen, leaning up against the kitchen sink with like a beer or something. And I was like, excuse me. I need to tell you it's still on me about why I'm here. You know? Like I got tell him2 (35m 22s):That he's4 (35m 23s):A nice guy. Remember what he said? I don't remember anything. I was just like, that's1 (35m 27s):So good that,4 (35m 29s):And this is before yeah, it was famous. Right. And he might not have even ended up being famous. This is like, I thought he was that famous from skiing. That fricking page, the stage new person traveling around tiny little rural towns of Illinois.1 (35m 45s):That's amazing.4 (35m 47s):So I would love to know what he thinks of that, that show. If he has memories of doing it, who the other,1 (35m 53s):This podcast. I mean like you'll listen, you'll listen to, if you listen to some of the podcasts, you'll hear my John C. Riley story. It's pretty, it's pretty funny.4 (36m 1s):Oh, you have one too. Okay. I've been, I went this way. I have bags. I went down deep dive last night.2 (36m 9s):I love that. A lot of people do that. A lot of people when they find the podcast go and listen to a bunch of. So what was the experience like for you? You were walking down memory lane. What was it making you feel?4 (36m 21s):Ooh, I don't know. Now it's making me want to cry. It was, you know, I was 17 and I started there. I had no idea what I'd got myself into and a lot of it, you know, really broke my heart, but I also think it may, you know, like everyone else has said it made me who I am, made me kind of a tough skinned bad-ass, but I'm also a hyper empath and have trauma. And so now I have to deal with, you know, all of that in my old age. But I did have experiences there in classes with certain teachers, with certain instructors, certain directors, I lived with five girls in a two bedroom apartment on the corner of Sheffield and Belden.4 (37m 13s):We were all poor. Nobody could afford anything else I could barely afford to go to showcase. It was only in New York that year was when they went back and forth between New York and LA I guess, or I don't think we'd even started doing LA. It was the only New York and yeah, I don't know. I mean the whole casting pool process, the whole cutting process. I mean, obviously it didn't get cut, but that was, you know, traumatic. I've heard other people talk about how they didn't really think about it or this and that. Like Eric Slater was like, I don't really think about it. And I was like, I have to say,2 (37m 45s):I hope that isn't over the wrong way. A lot of men didn't really4 (37m 47s):Think about it. I was going to say, it goes a little bit ago and I know him, I'm friends with him and sat there for a little bit of privilege there.2 (37m 55s):Just like, it's just, it's like how a fish doesn't know it's in water. Like you just don't know.1 (38m 1s):Yeah. I mean, they just are doing their set dance. Right. And everyone's dancing around them, but we sort of had to do our own thing. What do you think the tears are about? Like when you, when is it just raw motion or is there like tears for young, a young version of you? Or like it's just a lot.4 (38m 22s):I'm a very teary person. I think. I don't know exactly what it is. I'm in therapy. It's I know. I just,1 (38m 29s):I am the same way. Like I,4 (38m 32s):I get, I get overwhelmed. I get really moved just by kind of yeah. And that sort of strange and weird that I'm still there in some weird way. Like I'm an adjunct, I teach the non-majors, but I'm there. And I went back actually, Rick Murphy directed a show that I adapted for the children's theater called the selfish giant and other wild tales. W I L D E all the Oscar Wilde's fairytales and Alvin McCraney was in it. First of all, Oscar Wilde wrote, wrote, he wrote fairytales and I had actually adapted another book that somebody else ended up having the rights to.4 (39m 13s):And so Rick was like, well, you know, I know you really wanted to do that one, but if you find something else, I'll still direct it. And so I was like, okay, let's do this. And so I adapted us, grows fairytales. Awesome. For me to read, love, to read that I can find it somewhere. Might actually be a hard copy of it and I'd have to like scale or something. I don't know where it is. That was like 2002. I think there's also pictures of that. I also found which I didn't know the production history of the theater school online. You get the pictures for almost everything and they're almost all taken by John Bridges, right. Bridges, which is amazing. Cause these, I don't know why I only have these two printed out of the old whore and the sister-in-law from the good person of such one, which actually is like a happy, sad, weird story because I auditioned to be course and I was called back for it and I really wanted it.4 (40m 8s):And it was that awful time where they would post on our side of the theater school, glass doors that casting it like midnight. So we would come there while we waited and we went to the door and not only did I not get it, but one of my friends got it, of course. Cause how were, how was it not going to be your friend gets it? And, and then I see old whore and sister-in-law, and I just, I had heels on and I took them off and I started running and I like cut my feet up, running in the street crying and like old 18 years old. And your sister-in-law told her, well, that's another thing, you know, because of my voice and my larger frame, I've always been cast older.4 (40m 53s):Even in high school. I have a very traumatic story actually being in high school. And my father dying when we were doing cheaper by the dozen, which if you know the story, the dad leaves at the end and doesn't come back cause he dies and we're doing this play. And it was must have been like the end of the rehearsals right before we opened. And my director who was one of the English teachers at my high school, I remember being on the phone with her because I remember exactly where I was standing in my house. And instead of being like really sympathetic about my dad dying, she was talking about how I was the younger of three of the sisters and the girl that got the older sister, which is the part I wanted, who was the daughter of another English teacher who was always getting all the parts I wanted.4 (41m 34s):She didn't have as big of breasts. And my English teacher was like, maybe we can, you know, tape you down. And I thought, why didn't you just cast me as the older sister plus I was wearing this like beautiful, old, like 40 suit. That was my mom's was vintage suit that I loved. So it was kind of tight and probably did really show my frame. I was 15 and my dad had just died. This woman's telling me to tape my breasts down.2 (42m 7s):So yeah,4 (42m 7s):I always, I always got cast older and I can see what2 (42m 10s):He went down the road of wanting to do feminist theater. I mean, it sounds like from an early age, you were, you were made aware of double standards and beauty standards and all that kind of stuff.4 (42m 21s):1994, I think it was, I had graduated. I was auditioning. And it was when you had to look in like this paper for the auditions and there was like a line you called, oh God, I wish I could remember it. It was, you had to call this line and stay on hold forever and listen to all the audition notices. And there was an audition for pump boys and dynamics, which I was excited about. Cause I'd seen it when I was younger with my mom and I thought, oh, that's fun. And it literally said the men will be paid. And I got a fucking article in the Chicago Tribune about that.2 (42m 55s):You did. Oh, tell us about it. You just wrote about,4 (42m 60s):You know, they they're, they're like backpedaling about, it was like, well it's because the musicians they're going to get paid and the musicians are mad at first of all, now I'm thinking back like, why did the musicians have to be men? And you literally still wrote, the men will be paid. He didn't write, the musicians will be pay. So yeah. I don't know how I did it now. Now it's all kind of a blur. I just started calling places and I got a reporter from the Tribune to like talk to me and do a whole article about it.2 (43m 25s):Oh. So you're really tenacious. That's what I'm getting. I'm getting that. You get something, whether it's a goal or you're trying to write an injustice and you attach yourself to it,4 (43m 36s):Right. I'm an Aquarius moon. I know this. Isn't an astrology podcast, but I've looked at your side. I've learned in the last couple of years, I'm Scorpio, sun cancer, rising, thus the tears and then Aquarius moon, thus the righteous justice for all.2 (43m 52s):I love that. I love that you4 (43m 54s):Did tons of work after school ended up doing tons of work like in, in schools, after-school programs, writing and drama programs and things like that, which ended up taking me to go back to graduate school and get the Mae and education. But then that was like a lot of solo performance work I did too, with this woman, faith wilding, who was like, look her up. She likes started women house it, I think Cal arts and like the seventies, she has this famous piece where she rocks in a rocking chair and says, I'll, I'll wait until I'm old enough. I'll wait till I fall in the I'll wait until I'm married. I'll wait. You know, just incredible woman who taught this class called new feminisms. She taught one called body skin sensation.4 (44m 37s):I mean just, and so I was doing all this incredible work again, looking at myself and being a woman and being an actor and what the trauma that I'd been through. And then my thesis was doing a performance experiment with a bunch of young women from all over Chicago, like high school age women talking about their mothers and feminism and teaching them about feminism and1 (45m 1s):Well what, okay, so, so a question for you, first of all, I tidbit I have to share that we ha we spoke with, I think it was Joel Butler who was a stage manager and said that they would come out and walk to tease us. When we were waiting for the list to come home, they would pretend that they had news and go like the people who weren't involved. Anyway, I just have to say the whole thing was a setup. Like the whole thing was a fucking setup. So all it was like the hunger games and it was also that in itself was a play like a theatrical experience of man.4 (45m 41s):I don't really know how they do it now. It's all online.1 (45m 44s):It's all online. Yeah. They sent you an email with your casting, but I'm just saying like, when I look back, my little corner of the world was walk, walk, walk, look at the list. Feel like shit, walk, walk, walk. But there was a whole play happening around us of everyone knew what the fuck was going on. And it was part of the thing to have this sort of, yeah, it was, it was a production, it was a fucking production, a tragedy for most of us. Right? Like, and anyway, it just was interesting to hear the perspective, like everyone knew what was going on and everyone played a part is what I'm saying is what I get from the theater school. Like it was all back in the day. Anyway, it was all part of a thing.1 (46m 24s):And like, you get the idea2 (46m 26s):We're working through for some of the faculty who, you know, themselves couldn't realize their professional dreams. And you know,4 (46m 35s):That makes me so sad. I hope that it's really not1 (46m 40s):Okay. I mean, like it's not okay, but it's like, they, we, a lot of times we talk on this podcast, right. About the psychology of never fixing what you needed to fix in the first place inside of yourself gets fucking played out all over everywhere.4 (46m 54s):We are living in a new time of awakening and people being able to talk about their trauma. That was not that time. And that was also the time, like I said, where the teachers were coming to parties with us and drinking and somebody else was mentioned, somebody else was mentioning, you know, relationships between faculty and students. I only knew a couple of those instances, but yeah, the fact that they happen at all and yeah, yeah. I've found that like in my own teaching, like even, even in the last couple of years and I've been doing it for a long time, I just I've become so much more transparent. Like I talk about my own mental health issues or what's going on with me or I, I check in and check out with them every day. And it's like, what's something beautiful you saw today.4 (47m 35s):What, what are you going to do good for yourself when you leave this zoom glass, whatever, you know, like, so I think that as a culture we're evolving as facilitators instructors teachers, but yeah, we were there at a really hard, whoa time. I, for sure. I mean, you were there pretty shortly after that, but also I had some amazing experiences. I loved Betsy Hamilton. I loved John Jenkins. Jim. I still laugh. I actually had for two years cause Adam second year and fourth year, which nobody did because he randomly taught second year acting one year for some reason. And everybody had him for fourth year for what that was called, like ensemble or exit or whatever the hell it was called.4 (48m 19s):So I had him second and fourth year. He actually told me at one point, heard him out, what you're doing, why are you an actor? You should be a singer. And so then I sang in the, oh no, it was after I sang in this, it was Rob chambers thesis show Baghdad cafe. And I sang backstage live for just a couple parts of the show. Just Rob asked me to do this. I don't even remember how that all came about. And, and you know, Jim being the jazz and music aficionado called me to his office and was like, what are you doing? You should be a singer. Shouldn't be the act. But was that ever a, a w dream of yours to be a singer? I was in rock band called dominance clam I did say I did sing a lot that there was a summer.4 (49m 7s):I wasn't even 21. So I would go, I've sang it like the Metro and I wasn't really supposed to be in there and, and Zach wards and Steve Sal and all these people from my class came to see me. And yeah, I wanted to do that and I would audition for musicals and stuff after I graduated, but just like Marriott Lincoln Shire and all those like fancy places would never hire me. And I would always end up in shows where I sent, but they weren't musicals, you know? And I also think I have a little bit of trauma around singing. I started singing in my church after my dad died. I was the song leader in Catholic church. Believe it or not. And I would go out the night before and be like smoking and drinking with my friends and then sitting on the alter with like the breeze and like, like Christ, what the hell are we doing?4 (49m 55s):I would say at funerals, I sang at my mom's second wedding. I sang at my brother's wedding, my sister's wedding, my other brothers. But yeah, I say I sang a lot. I haven't really been singing recently cause I, I usually end up crying when I sing. I had a very traumatic audition, 2008. I think it was where I cried when I was singing the song. And the song was about the girl's dad a little bit on the high note and it cracked and the casting director will remain nameless called my agent and told them that they thought I had mental problems and needed help. Okay. Again, this is something that would never happen today.4 (50m 37s):Right. But it wasn't that long ago, 2008, she also said that I was dressed in appropriately. I wore a forties style suit and a pillbox hat, because that was the period of the show. How is that inappropriate? That's someone who's. And why you calling my agent how intrusive to call my agent and tell them that you think I'm. And then the funny thing about it was I had just gone through a huge breakup and had moved and gotten a new job and all this other stuff was going on, but that had nothing to do with it. And that's nobody's business and I was moved by the song. And don't you want somebody, that's just somebody who, who is scared of their own emotions, like, correct. That's all that is. Yeah. So anyway, I digressed cause that's like post theater, school drama,2 (51m 20s):But I've had auditioning. Okay. So you arrived at the theater school at a tender young age. You4 (51m 28s):17. I was 17 because I have a November birthday, 17.2 (51m 32s):And you did your whole BFA there. Tell us about some of your show experiences.4 (51m 41s):Well, the one that I was going to talk about was the good person of such one. Cause oddly enough, it's the only one that I have printed pictures of. And I don't even remember when or how I acquired them. I think I got them from John Bridges cause he took all these pictures and that one of me is the sister-in-law. I don't know that that one was like a production photo. I think that was him coming up. And he saw me in this moment and like had to get this shot. So not only was I not cast as Shantay, which I want it to be now I'm the, the sister-in-law on the old whore. So I'm like, I'm going to kill this. I had 16 lines between the two characters, my old whore. If you look at that picture, I have a blonde wig. I didn't wear a bra. I have a tube, top, a pleather red skirt. I had these hoes that had a dragon up the side.4 (52m 22s):So it looked like I had a dragon tattoo on my leg and high, high red pumps that I think were mine actually from when I was in a beauty contest in high school anyway, and I got these earrings, oh my God. I think I found those earrings too. They were Chinese lanterns like that opened up, but they were earrings and they were huge. And I smoked a cigar. Oh. And I, I don't know if you remember this or if they did this when you were there, but after shows closed, mainly the main stage shows they had like this post mortem, postpartum, whatever you call it in the lobby and everybody and they would critique. I probably blacked that right out while you sat there and just took it.4 (53m 7s):And, but I don't know if it was during that or like after that, I would just be like walking in the halls and all these teachers, some that I had and some that I hadn't yet even had made a point of coming to tell me how excellent I wasn't that. Sure. And it was not false. It was not put on. But I mean, come on. Those people did not give compliments unless they really felt1 (53m 29s):Whatever. Yeah, yeah,4 (53m 30s):No. And I was like, yeah, cause I freaking killed it. Cause I took it so seriously. I was like, I'm going to make these roles so deep and so real. And if you, if you look on the production photos, they have this screen and, and, and, and people would make shadow play on the screen at the beginning of the show to show like the street life of the pool or the Sichuan and stuff. And I got to ride a bike and I rode a bike across and you see the shadow of the girl on the bike and I'm like, I still look at that. And I'm like that.1 (53m 57s):So do you think that's, I love hearing that. That's a great story for me to hear. For some reason, it just really warm, but warms my heart, but also talks about Gina's calling you on being tenacious. But do you think that that sort of set a tone for, cause what I'm getting from you is that like you're simultaneously a, bad-ass a bit of an outsider never given your chance. Never really given the chance to maybe in terms of outside casting, do what you could really do. So then you take what you get and then you fucking kill it. Does that ring a bell4 (54m 37s):Kind of? I think so. And I think I've always been that way really. And that also being in that show, Joe sloth directed, it was Bertolt Brecht. And really got me thinking about political theater and theater for social movement and theater for change. And I really believe when I graduated and I started doing work at the European repertory company, I believed that doing theater could change the world. You don't think that anymore change sometimes, you know, it beats you down pretty hard when you, when you work and work and work and work and you have to have three other jobs. Cause you're in a theater company that doesn't pay you any money.4 (55m 17s):And I, I still like the best work of my life was at that place. I was client of Nestor and Agamemnon for three years. I mean, I, Y you know, yeah, the best work of my life, but was it going to say that there's a different, and I think it's good. There's a different culture, a different mindset. Now students now would never graduate and say, yes, I'm going to be in a school or I'm going to be in a theater company for 12 years that never pays me and I'm going to have three or four jobs. And it was nice to kind of almost like a martyr, poor theater, Jersey, Petoskey board theater mindset of like, I'm an artist. Well, of course I'm, I'm struggling and I'm poor and I'm, you know, but I'm for the oppressed. And so I must experience that.4 (55m 59s):I don't, I dunno, like it just, I wonder how much I manifested that, right. Because I, I would have auditions for TV and film stuff that I would get close to and just not get, or it took me. I was, I think, 30 when I finally gotten a show at the Goodman or no, wait, I was 30 when I got at apt in Wisconsin. I think I was even older when I got in the show at the Goodman. But anyway, yeah. You know, eventually I have done shows larger theaters, but I still will say, I mean, people that saw the stuff I did at the European rep and I was like 24, 25, but I played clouded minister and it was Steven Berkoff's choir master. So it was like the most rockstar frickin, you know, I made my own costume.4 (56m 41s):It was, it was all like fishnet. And I just like punched my hands through fish nets to make sleeves and high heels and crazy Kabuki makeup. And I stood at the top of this ladder Agamemnon. And I came out at the end with like Hershey's syrup on my hands after I'd feel them. And I was like, I mean, if you saw that as hit, you were blown away, this was three years while we did it, like in a regular run. And then it was so popular. It was so popular that we did it on Friday, Saturday nights, like late night. And then we were doing, cause we want it to be a real repertory. So at the time we were doing Agamemnon Electra, uncle Vanya, and this show called all of them are just, yes.4 (57m 32s):And we would also change this. You remind me, okay, this is what I think Steven Davis was talking about when he said he was in four shows at the same time he, he was in, he was in all those shows and yeah. So, oh my God,2 (57m 51s):That's super intense4 (57m 53s):Looking at my notes2 (57m 54s):That like, though, while you're looking at your notes, I mean, was that draining, not just the number of shows you did4 (58m 4s):The physical training. Well, also I was, yeah, I was like a waitress during the day. I mean, I had a job I had to live and I was a waitress where I could only work lunches because all the shows were at nights. So lunches weren't as busy. And if it was really slow at lunch, I mean, so I would find myself every day while I was working calculating in my head, how many tables I had to have, how many tips I had to get just to make enough for that week to pay the rent, you know? And at the time I was living with two British guys, actually, they're the ones that brought me into the European rep, my friend, Charlie, Charlie Sherman, who is a actor and director in and out of Chicago for years. I met him when I was 18.4 (58m 44s):And I worked at cafe Roma, which was down the street from the school. That was my job. Cause I also worked when I was in school. And so when other people were like, we're going to the dead show. You want to come? I was like, you get, not only do I not have money for that, but I got to work all weekend. Right. So anyway, he, he knew that I wanted to do the play Caligula and he called me up one day and he's like, oh my God, this company is already doing it. Maybe you should audition. And this was right when I got out of school. So I auditioned and I got in the chorus and like the first week, the girl that was supposed to place, Zonea had gotten a movie and left and they were like, okay, now you're the lead. And I was like, okay. And that, and that was the company that I ended up being with for 12 years.4 (59m 27s):But it was exhausting as it was. I know we did. We were also all like drinking and smoking and going to the bar every night after the show is2 (59m 35s):You is a powerful force. I was just thinking the other day, remember when you used to wake up in the morning and no matter what had happened to you the night before, and you're like, okay, well, but anyway, it's time to do it today. I haven't had that feeling in years. I haven't had that. Like I can even when some we've once a day, I'm super excited about, I don't ha I don't wake up with this body, like readiness that I remember feeling in my twenties and thirties. Okay. So look at your notes. What are you, what are some of, some of the points that you wanted to get to?1 (1h 0m 7s):So if a showcase question, I have a showcase. Cause I'm obsessed. Since I live in Los Angeles, now I'm obsessed.4 (1h 0m 12s):Oh my God, are you guys going to try to avoid? No, no, no, no, no,1 (1h 0m 15s):No, no, no. I'm obsessed with the idea of the showcase because I made such an ass out of myself at my showcase that I, we went to LA, but I know you were in New York, but what was that? I'm obsessed with the showcase experience because I think it is really one interesting, but two where DePaul lacked in so many ways to getting people to the showcase and then after the showcase.4 (1h 0m 42s):Okay, great. This was before stars and all that. So nobody was collecting money for us. You just had to, you either had the money or you didn't. And so I was able to get enough money to buy a plane ticket, but then I wasn't going to have anywhere to stay. So my friend, Sarah Wilkinson, who was also at the school, but a couple of years behind me, her boyfriend, Daniel master Giorgio, who's also been in a lot of TV shows and on, on, you know, Lincoln stage and public theater, like this dude that went to Juilliard, actually I stayed in his dorm at Juilliard on the floor cause I didn't have money to stay anywhere. And I also could only stay for like a couple of days where like other people were like staying the rest of the week or going out and partying.4 (1h 1m 23s):And I remember having like just enough money to do one of the things people were doing, which was go to a jazz club with Frick and Jim Osstell Hoff, which I did. And that was really cool. The other part of that, that was kind of messed up was in the, in the, you know, audition class that Jane alderman, God rest her soul. And I love her dearly and became closer to her. I probably more after school than during school, but in our audition class where you brought, you know, monologues, I had brought this monologue and then she loved it and wanted me to do it and was just like, that's the, when you're doing. And then I had this total panic about it and was like, I don't think this is right. I don't think this shows me in a good light.4 (1h 2m 3s):I'm going to pick something else. And I don't remember what my other second or third choice was. I did, I did have something else. And I remember calling her on the phone. I don't know if I called her office or at home. And again, before cell phones. So I remember the little window I was sitting in my apartment on the corner of Sheffield and Belden on our little phone, talking to Jane alderman, all nervous. Cause I was going to tell her I'm not doing that when it's not right for me. And she still talked me into it and I did this monologue from Roger and me, the film. Did you see it?2 (1h 2m 34s):The Michael Moore movie4 (1h 2m 36s):About the Michael Moore movie, Roger,2 (1h 2m 40s):The documentary about the auto industry. I mean, yeah.4 (1h 2m 44s):Yes. And it was the poor woman, poor white woman who sold rabbits. Pets are mate. Right? Pets are me. Got it.2 (1h 2m 55s):That's what I did. Wait a minute though. I have a feeling.4 (1h 2m 60s):So I actually became, I probably did, but I actually came from where they had tried to, to suppress and to change and to mold me into anything. But this hit girl from Southern Illinois. And then I did that. Right. And that's what I, I wore my boots. I wear my cowboy boots. I think I had my friend's jacket on my long hair. And I came out and I was like pets for me. Oh my God, mortified, mortified. And I only got, I got like a couple of calls, like one was from like a soap opera. And then another one, I don't remember. That was another weird thing. Like the same thing with the casting call we waited in, I was in somebody else's hotel room.4 (1h 3m 42s):Cause remember I didn't have a hotel. I was staying on the other side of town and the dorm room of somebody who went to Julliard. And so we're in somebody's hotel room waiting for Jim Mostel Hoff. And whoever else was with us to come in with like this list, it was literal. It was like my notes here. There was just like tiny pieces of paper with like telling us who got what calls. Some people were like, got nothing, got 10 that too, about whatever. Yeah. And, and mine were not meetings. Mine were just like, these people want you to call them or send your resume. I was like, they already got my resume. Everybody got what, what? So, you know, like I wanted to move to New York. I wanted to be a New York fancy actor, you know? So that was like really devastating too.4 (1h 4m 23s):But then I was like, well, if I don't get that, I'm going to be an amazing Chicago theater actor. And I'm going to show everybody that Chicago theater is actually better anyway.2 (1h 4m 31s):Yeah. I don't to remember VAs if I've told this on the podcast before, but remember how I did that thing or if I didn't get any meetings. And so then I snuck into administrative office at DePaul after showcase and I found a list of all of our names and everybody had gotten, everybody had agencies or agents names written next to theirs, but not everybody was told that. Yeah. Yeah. So,4 (1h 5m 5s):Oh, podcasts, then couldn't see my face gaping. Now what, what did you do? Did you tell, did you, what?2 (1h 5m 12s):I swallowed it and carried it around resentfully for the next 20 years. Yes ma'am I did my God. And you know, who knows? Maybe there was an important reason for that. Maybe it was, these are shady characters. I don't know what it would have been, but I, I know that I would have4 (1h 5m 36s):That you didn't feel. Yeah. I feel so bad for you that you didn't feel like you could, you know, go further, ask more. I don't know. Probably2 (1h 5m 44s):Carolyn it probably didn't occur to me. I'm sure it did. I'm sure. The way I thought about it was, well, this has happened now. It is over, this is the thing that it is forever such. I just, I would have never thought that way. I would have never thought to advocate for myself. I mean, I fought to find out,4 (1h 6m 4s):Snuck in there. You thought, well, enough of yourself to sneak in there,2 (1h 6m 9s):You know, whatever. That's that's for me to figure out because I, I, I that's what, but that's what I did with it. I, I took it. I took a carried it around like a shame instead of, oh, by the way, I didn't mean to blow anybody up. I just needed to say like, what's the deal? Like what happened happened, right. Yeah.1 (1h 6m 29s):I feel like it's interesting. It is. It is. It is just really, now that we have this podcast, we spend a lot of our time being like, well, yeah, what's the deal. Why did that happen? And, and what,4 (1h 6m 41s):I wonder what John Bridges or somebody like that would say about that.2 (1h 6m 46s):I I'm sure. John Bridges, who is a theater school loyalist to the end when say that, that I, that I misunderstood. He tells them he doesn't tell the truth. I'm saying, listen. And, and by that I've said a thousand times we understand that we couldn't possibly know all of the factors that went into any decisions like casting and stuff like that. And that there are certain things that happened. That felt terrible. That were for my own good, you know, but Yeah, because getting back to that whole thing about casting, I mean, I'm sure that the guiding principle in their minds was, this is what it's like, you know, you want to move to New York.2 (1h 7m 33s):I mean, Don, we had another person on here who told us living in New York. You, you you'd have to go wait in line in the morning at a theater so that you could get your audition later. And if you wanted to have, it had to be a lunchtime thing, so you could leave work. And those sl

"A Christmas Carol" An old miser learns the joy of Christmas Author Charles Dickens Cast The Narrator : D.E. Medus - Website Ebenezer Scrooge : Kyle Hebert - Website Kyle Hebert is a world class voice actor and podcast host. His roles include Gohan from the Dragonball Z series and movies, as well as Ryu from Street Fighter and FatGum from My Hero Acadamia. His podcast is "Intergalactic Boom Box". Bob Crachit - Fezziwig the Caller: Lee D Beckett - Casting Call Club Profile Singer, entertainer and musician. Also been a supporting artist in many TV and film productions. Caroler - Man on Street 1 : Wes Haas - Website Wes Haas is a non-binary voice actor based in Minnesota and has been voice acting professionally for 6 years. When not in the booth, Wes can usually be found reading, writing, or creating their next D and D character. You can hear them in such projects as The Divine Speaker, The LaFresian Chronicles, In Blood, Someone Dies In This Elevator, and Absolutely No Adventures. Nephew Fred : Kyle Jensen - Website Kyle Jensen is a British Actor and Voice Over Artist, who has contributed his voice to a number of projects, and has performed in multiple sell-out stage productions with the Theatre On Foot company. He is available to hire at KyleJensenVO.com Charity Collector : Ian Knowles - Website Ian Knowles is a writer, voice actor, and the creator of Neon Shadows A Noir Tale (audio drama series). Jacob Marley : Oliver Smith - Twitter Oliver Smith - Voice Over Artist from Northern Ireland. Oliver has worked in the event production industry for over 11 years. Having gained technical knowledge and with a history in theatre, when 2020 hit bringing with it the closure of stage acting, Oliver decided to follow his passion and venture into Voice Acting. Ghost of Christmas Past : Nichole Goodnight - Twitch Nichole is a voice actor who is most well known for her work on "The No Sleep Podcast" Belle : Thea Solone - Casting Call Club Profile Thea is a full-time professional voice actress specializing in videogames, animation, commercial, e-learning, and the occasional audiobook. Thea started out as a theatre kid and has been studying acting in various formats for over a decade. She has since expanded her client-base in addition to paid voice over work for corporate and non-union. In university, Thea majored in vocal performance, receiving training as a classical opera singer. Thea is always grateful to the Big Dude, her clients, her team, her peers, and each new “family” picked up along the way, for without them this would not be possible. A lover of all things animation and acting, Thea cares greatly about the characters that YOU create. She looks forward to plenty more adventures to come. Belle's Husband : Séamus - Casting Call Club Profile Seamus is an amateur artist who has a passion for drawing and writing stories. Seamus also has a strong interest in old comedy, horror and mystery films. Ghost of Christmas Present : NickTheRat - Website Nick The Rat is a cartoon rat that lives in the sewers of New York City. Mrs. Cratchit : Danielle Dszy - Casting Call Club Profile Danielle is a voice actor, magician, and freelance theatrical designer, living near Cleveland, OH with her family. She holds a BFA in Theatre from West Virginia University and an MA in Arts and Entertainment Administration from Valparaiso University. When not performing or designing, Danielle can be found teaching. Previously, she has worked in regional theaters across the country, for Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and the Walt Disney Company. Martha Cratchit : Finley Smith - Website Finley Smith is an educator and professional voice actor, who works across many voiceover genres. She primarily works out of her broadcast quality home studio, collaborating with people from all over the world. When she's not working, she enjoys gymnastics, soccer, photography, and hiking. Belinda Cratchit : Robin Huff - Twitter I'm Robin! I play Belinda! I am very excited to be a part of this production with such a talented cast. I have been voice acting for a little over a year now, and have been in various fan made productions. I'm also a trained singer, and singing is one of my greatest passions! Thank you for reading! Hire me! Haha jk... unless? Tiny Tim : Ariana Cooper - Website Good day, my name is Ariana and I'm an aspiring voice actor from California! I have a passion for playing characters, especially kids and toons, it brings out my playful and childish side. Most people find my high-pitched, squeaky voice to be quite amusing, which I think is one of my most unique assets. I'm also an impressionist, and have fun imitating voices such as Tails the Fox and Ash Ketchum. My dream is to become a pro voice actor someday and bring people joy through cartoons! Man on Street 2 : SirSeatSitter - Website SirSeatSitter lives in Tennessee and is a new dad. He hosts a comedy podcast "ABS n a 6pack" Goose boy : Leila Medus - Website Leila hosts a podcast with her dad "Fun Fact Friday with Leila and David" Art Art for this episode is a modified version of: Photo by andreas kretschmer on Unsplash

Bianca Jones is a North Carolina native and New York-based actor and director. Bianca is Broadway World 2019 Best Actress for Denver Center's LAST NIGHT AND THE NIGHT BEFORE by Donnetta Greys. Bianca's favorite role is her origination of Berta in BERTA BERTA by Angelica Cherie (Contemporary American Theater Festival, NBTF).  Regional: The Wedding Gift (CATF), DISGRACED (Asolo), KING LEAR (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Marcus Or the Secret of Sweet (Studio Theater), A Civil War Christmas (LongWharf), Radio Golf (St. Louis Black Rep) including Williamstown, Yale Rep, Roundabout, Signature, National Black Theater Festival. TV/Film: FBI, Prodigal Son, Blindspot, Last OG, Punisher, Oceans 8, Madame Secretary. Training: NCSA, SUNY Purchase (BFA), Yale School of Drama, and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (Masters in Directing). She is an Associate Director of the Broadway play Chicken and Biscuits.    

John Landecker welcomes director Daryl Cloran and lead Lakeisha Renee from the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre to talk about their version of the Shakespeare classic, ‘As You Like It’, which they have thoughtfully remixed with the music of The Beatles. ‘As You Like It’ is at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater from October 6th to November 21st. […]

Robert Bathurst's many series on television include Cold Feet, Toast Of London, Downton Abbey, Joking Apart, Emma, Dr Who. His many stage productions include the title role in King Charles lll for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and he created a stage show with animation, Love, Loss & Chianti, dramatizing two books by the poet Christopher Reid. He has performed seven of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels for Macmillan Audio, has been nominated for three Audie Awards, winning Best Male Narrator in 2020. He judged the Costa Book of the Year and the BBC Radio Drama Prize and writes for magazines about showbiz and horseracing.Shane Wilson is a storyteller. No matter the medium, the emphasis of his work is on the magical act of the story, and how the stories we tell immortalize us and give voice to the abstractions of human experience. His first two contemporary fantasy novels, set in his World of Muses universe, are currently available. Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Shane is a child of the southeastern United States where he feels simultaneously at-home and out-of-place. He graduated from Valdosta State University in south Georgia with a Masters in English. He taught college English in Georgia for four years before moving to North Carolina in 2013.Shane plays guitar and writes songs with his two-man-band, Sequoia Rising. He writes songs as he writes stories--with an emphasis on the magic of human experience. He tends to chase the day with a whiskey (Wild Turkey 101) and a re-run of The Office. Shane's novels are A Year Since the Rain (Snow Leopard Publishing, 2016) and The Smoke in His Eyes (GenZ Publishing, 2018). Shane's short story, "The Boy Who Kissed the Rain" was the 2017 Rilla Askew Short Fiction Prize winner and was nominated for a 2018 Pushcart Prize. Shane is currently at work on a new novel.http://shanewilsonauthor.comThe Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow

Robert Bathurst's many series on television include Cold Feet, Toast Of London, Downton Abbey, Joking Apart, Emma, Dr Who. His many stage productions include the title role in King Charles lll for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and he created a stage show with animation, Love, Loss & Chianti, dramatizing two books by the poet Christopher Reid. He has performed seven of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache novels for Macmillan Audio, has been nominated for three Audie Awards, winning Best Male Narrator in 2020. He judged the Costa Book of the Year and the BBC Radio Drama Prize and writes for magazines about showbiz and horseracing.Shane Wilson is a storyteller. No matter the medium, the emphasis of his work is on the magical act of the story, and how the stories we tell immortalize us and give voice to the abstractions of human experience. His first two contemporary fantasy novels, set in his World of Muses universe, are currently available. Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Shane is a child of the southeastern United States where he feels simultaneously at-home and out-of-place. He graduated from Valdosta State University in south Georgia with a Masters in English. He taught college English in Georgia for four years before moving to North Carolina in 2013.Shane plays guitar and writes songs with his two-man-band, Sequoia Rising. He writes songs as he writes stories--with an emphasis on the magic of human experience. He tends to chase the day with a whiskey (Wild Turkey 101) and a re-run of The Office. Shane's novels are A Year Since the Rain (Snow Leopard Publishing, 2016) and The Smoke in His Eyes (GenZ Publishing, 2018). Shane's short story, "The Boy Who Kissed the Rain" was the 2017 Rilla Askew Short Fiction Prize winner and was nominated for a 2018 Pushcart Prize. Shane is currently at work on a new novel.http://shanewilsonauthor.comThe Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow

In this engaging conversation, Karen Rodriguez sits down with fellow actor, ensemble member and Half Hour host, James Vincent Meredith. Join these two friends as they share stories of stage fright, family, laughter, legacy, and proving their skeptics wrong by securing a sense of belonging within the Steppenwolf ensemble.Interview begins at 4:12.James Vincent Meredith received critical acclaim as John Proctor in The Crucible, his first role as an ensemble member. At Steppenwolf he has also appeared in Clybourne Park, The Hot L Baltimore, The Bluest Eye (also Off-Broadway at the New Victory Theater), The Pain and the Itch, Carter's Way, Doppleganger, The Tempest, The March, Between Riverside and Crazy, The Minutes, Hot L Baltimore, and Superior Donuts. Broadway credits include Superior Donuts (Music Box Theater) and Book of Mormon (Eugene O'Neill Theater— also 3 years, National Tour). Other selected Chicagoland appearances include Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting at Lookingglass Theatre, Lottery Day at Goodman, Radio Golf and Blues for an Alabama Sky at Court and Othello at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, as well as work at About Face Theatre, Writer's Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook and Piven Theatre Workshop, where he is a member of the company ensemble. Movie credits include Widows, Princess Cyd, and Knives and Skin. Television credits include Fargo, Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, FBI, Empire, BOSS, and Exorcist, among others.Learn more at Steppenwolf.orgWant to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.orgA transcript of this episode can be found HERE

Adam Wesley Brown (left) and Ron E. Rains (right) played Stephano and Trinculo in the 2015 Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of The Tempest directed by Aaron Posner and Teller, and for no reason other than we're huge fans, they discuss the rewards of playing Shakespearean clowns (these two in particular). Featuring the wonder of immediate connections at the auditions; the occasional difficulty of calling it ‘work'; shout-out to Zach Eisenstat and Manelich Minniefee from Pilobolus Dance Company, who played an eight-limbed, two-headed Caliban; the beauty of being a bit factory; the dramaturgical importance of clowns, and realizing that if the most memorable character in Hamlet is the Gravedigger you've done something wrong; how it behooves young actors to get some musical skills, and how a knowledge of music helps particularly with speaking Shakespeare; how you must always fight for the biggest flask; how we didn't even discuss Ron also being The Onion's Film Critic, Peter K. Rosenthal; and the importance of learning that, when in doubt about a joke, make it sexual. (Length 23:05) The post Stephano & Trinculo appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

This week, the Half Hour team sits down with Gordon Gill of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill, the architects behind the newest additions to Steppenwolf's campus: the Arts and Education Center and a 400-seat Round Theater. Ensemble member James Vincent Meredith leads a fascinating conversation with Gill, exploring the similarities between the seemingly disparate disciplines of architecture and theatre. Listen, too, for a sneak peek into what to expect when the new building opens its doors this fall.Interview begins at 3:46Gordon Gill FAIA, is a founding partner of the award-winning Chicago design firm Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. His work includes the design of the world's first net zero-energy skyscraper, Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China; the world's first large-scale positive energy building, Masdar Headquarters design for Abu Dhabi, UAE; the world's tallest tower, Jeddah Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Al Wasl Plaza, an open space that will be the centerpiece of Expo 2020 Dubai, featuring an intricate domed trellis that will be the world's largest immersive projection experience. Gordon also designs smaller, more intimate spaces like the recently completed The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Chicago Architecture Center, and the soon to be completed Steppenwolf Theatre Expansion. Gordon's work is driven by his philosophy that there is a purposeful relationship between formal design and performance; and that there is a Language of Performance, which is the basis of his practice: Form Follows Performance.Learn more at Steppenwolf.orgWant to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.orgA transcript of this episode can be found HERE

Today, we are speaking with a digital transformation and analytics powerhouse, Sheila Talton. Sheila owns Gray Matter Analytics, a healthcare data analytics company founded in 2013. She is here to share with us her perspective on important topics such as the lack of women in the big data and big tech industry, raising working capital in a business, and what it means to be an entrepreneur. As an African American woman, Sheila is an ardent advocate for African American rights. She currently serves on three public boards, two of which are John Deere and Cisco. Finally, Sheila is a thoughtful leader who attributes much of her success to her daily workouts and ensuring stillness in her day by taking time to read the Bible. IN THIS EPISODE: [03:37] Sheila reflects on her childhood, labeling herself as a rule follower until she realized she wasn't accomplishing as much as she wanted to quickly enough. [05:44] Marching and demonstrating in protests, making sure her voice was heard around important issues facing African Americans. [08:52] The point when Sheila knew she wanted to pursue a career in technology. [16:57] Not getting the support of her then husband as Sheila's career started to grow exponentially. [19:16] Sheila's next steps as she transitioned and pivoted her focus to becoming an entrepreneur. [21:18] How Sheila negotiated and structured the deal to get her business started. [27:59] Hindsight of Sheila's career, she spent 50% as an entrepreneur and 50% in corporate America. Does she feel the time she spent in corporate was beneficial? [30:31] Sheila speaks about her current company and what she expects the future of this company to look like. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Sheila marched and demonstrated during the civil rights movement to ensure her voice was heard regarding the different issues facing African Americans during that time. How Sheila found success in Big tech and Big Data, even though the odds were stacked against her, being a woman and a woman of color.  Working in corporate America before she became an entrepreneur - Sheila felt this was beneficial to her because she was able to observe what good and bad management looked like. We can never achieve success alone, having a support system is necessary to finding success. Negotiating the deal and investment for her business - Sheila looks back to that moment and knows she took all the right steps in formulating that deal.  QUOTES: “I spent a lot of my time marching, demonstrating, and making sure that my voice was heard around the issues that were important for African-Americans during that time.” - Sheila Talton “I feel that I learned what good management looks like and what bad management looks like. A lot of times entrepreneurs have to figure that out themselves because they don't have role models.” - Sheila Talton on working in corporate America “I believe that none of us get to where we are alone. A support system is really important, a support system of women and a support system of men.” - Sheila Talton CONNECT WITH US: Find Sheila Talton on LinkedIn and at GrayMatterAnalytics.com Check out our website, Potential to Powerhouse, for more details and to learn about past, present, and future guests. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and join our Facebook Community for a deeper connection with the P2P tribe. Ignite the Powerhouse Within Summit! Wednesday, June 23 - Thursday June 24, a 2-day live interactive summit for seekers, visionaries, and unstoppable entrepreneurs on the rise.  Grab your free copy of our guide, 4 Daily Habits Essential to Becoming a POWERHOUSE Entrepreneur, and don't forget to subscribe to our show and leave a rating and review. Do you know any other female powerhouses that could benefit from listening? If so, please let them know to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever they like to listen to valuable audio content. Until next time… High Five! SHEILA G. TALTON: Sheila G. Talton is currently the President and CEO of Gray Matter Analytics, a healthcare data analytics company that she founded in 2013. Her latest mission at Gray Matter is to encourage clients to take ownership of their data, maximize its value and more effectively standardize data across large, complex enterprises to address interoperability challenges that proliferate in healthcare. She is an innovative global leader and Big Data strategist with over 30 years of experience in helping organizations increase value, build successful businesses within larger companies and expand into emerging markets. She is recognized for her expertise in developing and executing bold initiatives. Her experience in governance extends to corporate, civic and not-for-profit sectors; currently serving on the boards of Deere & Company, Sysco Corporation, OGE Energy Corp., Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation, The Chicago Network, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater and The Chicago Urban League.

We get down with Broadway's Anna of Cleves, Brittney Mack to find out what her process has looked like to develop her character in the hit Broadway show. If you are listening to this on Apple Podcast, we'd love it if you could share your love in a review! ABOUT BRITTNEY MACK: A.R.T.: SIX. Off-Broadway: Black Nativity. Tour: Memphis (Ethel/Ensemble), Networks. Regional: SIX, Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Beehive (Tina Turner), Merry-Go-Round Playhouse; Ain't Misbehavin' (Charlaine), Avenue Q (Gary Coleman, 2014 ariZoni Theatre Awards), Memphis (Ensemble/Dance Captain), All Night Strut (Myself), Beehive (Tina Turner/Dance Captain), Little Shop of Horrors (Crystal/Dance Captain), Phoenix Theatre; All Shook Up (Lorraine), The Palace Theatre; Hairspray, (Lil Inez), All Shook Up (Lorraine, 2011 ariZoni Theatre Awards) Arizona Broadway Theatre; The Wiz (Ensemble/Evilene u/s), Maine State Music Theatre; In the Heights (Carla), Shrek (Voice of Gingy/Sugar Plum Fairy), Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts; Ain't Misbehavin' (Charlaine), Roxy Regional Theatre; RENT (Alexi Darling/Ensemble), All Shook Up (Lorraine), Seacoast Repertory Theatre. International: Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (Production Singer). TV: “Empire” (Feature Dancer), FOX. Education: Certificate from Integrated Program, American Musical and Dramatic Academy. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Brittney Mack on Instagram: www.instagram.com/brittmack8 SIX on Instagram: www.instagram.com/sixonbroadway SIX on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sixbroadway Get Your Tickets: www.sixonbroadway.com --- Come say hi to us! Facebook: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Instagram: @PageToStagePodcast @TheMaryDina @BrianSedita @BroadwayPodcastNetwork Twitter: @TheMaryDina @BwayPodNetwork Youtube: @PageToStagePodcast @BroadwayPodcastNetwork #PageToStagePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater is celebrating William Shakespeare's birthday tonight with a live virtual event on their rooftop from 7:00pm to 7:45pm. Chicago Shakespeare Theater Founder and Artistic Director Barbara Gaines joins John Howell to explain what is going on during the event tonight. Live event link: https://overture.plus/play/performance/447b8e1e-ee3f-4c29-8ac6-8893ca0f173f

An episode for Sondheim fans! This week, we turn our focus to Sondheim Unplugged, one of the most popular and long-running series presented at Feinstein's/54 Below. A celebrated New York event since 2010 (It's a Hit!), the show features some of Broadway and cabaret's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only, delving into the musical world of Broadway's master composer. In December 2020, Sondheim Unplugged was recorded and streamed as part of 54 Below Premieres, the club's new streaming series. God, That's Good! We are joined by creator and host Phil Geoffrey Bond and performer Lucia Spina.   Phil Geoffrey Bond created Sondheim Unplugged, the long-running, award-winning monthly series, in 2010 and has served as its producer and host ever since. His novel, The Last Year at Low Tide, is currently available on Amazon from Chess Books as are his other titles — My Queer Youth, Small Town Confessions, The Fall of Mrs. Parsons, The Disney Diaries, and All the Sad Young Men. Phil has served as Director of Programming for The Duplex Cabaret Theatre, The Laurie Beechman Theatre as well as Feinstein's/54 Below, where he later became Director of Original Programming. He is the recipient of seven Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets (MAC) Awards, two Backstage Bistro Awards, a Broadway World Award, and a Nightlife Award. Lucia Spina made her Broadway debut with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Rona Lisa Peretti) in 2006. Her Broadway credits include Kinky Boots (original cast), South Pacific, Legally Blonde (Enid), and Les Miserables. Off-Broadway, she originated roles in Silence! The Musical (Catherine/Senator Martin) and Fugitive Songs. She toured the country with Legally Blonde, and her regional work includes credits at Goodspeed Opera House, Long Wharf Theater, Baltimore Center Stage, Barrington Stage, Milwaukee Rep, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and The Hangar Theater, as well as Sunday in the Park With George (Nurse/Mrs./Harriett) and Anyone Can Whistle (Osgood) at the Ravinia Festival (Lonny Price, director; Paul Gemignani, musical director). She has sung with the acclaimed American Pops Orchestra and has graced cabaret stages all over New York City garnering her Best Female Vocalist for BroadwayWorld's 2015 Cabaret Awards. www.luciaspina.com Sondheim Unplugged premiered online Saturday, December 26, 2020, and is available on-demand through January 23, 2021. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.54below.com/Sondheim.  View clips from the show: Natalie Douglas sings “Losing My Mind” https://youtu.be/j9FLx8Z4Qfg Telly Leung sings “Being Alive” https://youtu.be/viXRnxui0Uc All music clips in this episode are from Sondheim Unplugged at Feinstein's/54 Below, filmed on December 5, 2020: “Being Alive” from Company, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, featuring Joe Goodrich on piano “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Lucia Spina “Marry Me a Little” cut from Company, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Nicholas Rodriguez  “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Lucia Spina & Nicholas Rodriguez  “Something's Coming” from West Side Story, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Darius de Haas  “Losing My Mind” from Follies, music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Natalie Douglas  “Being Alive” from Company, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by Telly Leung  “Anyone Can Whistle” from Anyone Can Whistle, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, performed by T. Oliver Reid Instrumental from “Beautiful Girls” from Follies, music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, featuring Joe Goodrich on piano   Credits This podcast is hosted by Nella Vera and produced by Grace Benigni, with support from the Feinstein's/54 Below marketing staff. Original artwork by Philip Romano. Follow Nella on Twitter at @spinstripes  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater (https://twitter.com/chicagoshakes) are making their 2018 production of Stiles & Drewe (https://twitter.com/stilesanddrewe) 's Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure freely available on their website as of next weekend. Take a listen to this #SpotlightOn (https://twitter.com/ShowtimeURN) episode to find out exactly why you should watch it! Catch the show right here from 19th December to 1st January: chicagoshakes.com/peterpan (https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/explore_season/peterpan) And why not take a listen to the 2009 cast recording to give you a taste of what to expect: youtube.com/PeterPan_AMusicalAdventure (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT1A2-ol-z4&list=PLWd-mFmdxlIPtvyX76HhPnvPOwzVjuN4z)

John Tufts was playing Hal in a production of "Henry IV, Part 1" at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Every night, he would call Falstaff “that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly.” Hal is calling Falstaff is gross and overstuffed, but Tufts started to think that a roast Manningtree ox sounded actually pretty good. That role inspired the actor and cook to write a cookbook, "Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table," a collection of over 150 recipes inspired by Shakespeare’s words and adapted from actual 16th- and 17th-century recipes. We hopped on Zoom and asked Tufts to tell us about the book and give us a remote cooking demonstration. He obliged by teaching our host, Barbara Bogaev, how to make a pork pasty inspired by Titus Andronicus and the mid-17th-century chef and author Robert May. Bon appétit! Award-winning actor John Tufts has performed at theaters across the country, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (where he is a member of the Acting Company and performed in over 20 of Shakespeare's plays), Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Arena Stage, Actor's Theater of Louisville, Ensemble Studio Theater, Guthrie Theater, Primary Stages, The Mint Theater Company, and others. He is the author of "Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table," which is available on his website, john-tufts.com From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published December 8, 2020. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode, “Make Two Pasties,” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Ben Lauer is the web producer, with help from Leonor Fernandez. We had technical help from Christine Albright-Tufts and Chris Spurgeon.

Adrianna Hicks is a Texas native with a B.F.A Musical Theatre from the University of Oklahoma’s Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre. Credits include Broadway: SIX, The Color Purple Revival,Aladdin; Regional/Tour: The Wiz, SIX, The Color Purple Revival Tour, Ragtime, Buddy Holly; International: Sister Act Germany, Legally Blonde Austria, Dirty Dancing Germany; Concert: Michael Bublé Call Me Irresistible Tour. Insta: @missadriannahicks Andrea Macasaet makes her Broadway debut in Six. She also appeared in the Six tour at American Repertory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Ordway Theater, Citadel Theatre. Canada: Heathers: The Musical, Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Winnipeg Studio Theatre); Prairie Nurse (Station Arts Centre); Miss Saigon (Victoria Operatic Society). Canadian National Tour: Bubble Guppies Live! Ready to Rock! (Koba Entertainment). @andrea.cesyl . Want more of My Broadway Memory?! Follow us on Social! @MyBroadwayMemory on Instagram and Facebook and @MyBwayMemory on Twitter MICHAEL KUSCHNER: Instagram or The Dressing Room Project Dear Multi-Hyphenate Podcast BRIAN SEDITA: Instagram, Website, Page to Stage Podcast BROADWAY PODCAST NETWORK: Website or Instagram #MyBroadwayMemory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table Presented by John Tufts Actor, Author If you ever wanted to see Shakespeare sizzle, now”s your chance. Join our “Zoominar” as actor/cook John Tufts dishes up an historically savory stew of Elizabethan and Tudor Culinary delights that the Bard himself whetted our appetites for in his iconic plays. A nationally acclaimed Shakespearean actor (you may have seen him perform at Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater), and a professional cook, John has written and photographed a book about his love of theater and food: “Fat Rascals: Dining at Shakespeare’s Table.” Here’s how one reviewer sums it up: “As an actor, John has the uncanny ability to make Shakespeare’s verse feel both authentic, modern and profound. His indispensable cookbook is steeped in that same zest for language. But this is more than a cookbook: it’s a time-machine, spiriting us back 400 years to a world of seasonal rhythms and communal revelry. Plus, it’s ridiculously entertaining—far more fun than any guide this substantial has a right to be. Imagine Alton Brown, Kenneth Branagh, and David Sedaris stirred into pate a choux, and you’ll have John Tufts.” —Prof. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, contributing writer for The New York Times, The New Yorker John will take us on his time machine and help us taste our way through the past as he reveals how he researched and followed up on Shakespeare’s many food references, coming up with 150 recipes for the home cook. Recipes include pasties, salads, soups, meat, poultry, game and fish, pastries, sauces and drink. John will also put on his chef’s toque for us and demonstrate how to make “Chewets,” a mini meat pie, that he uses as his first recipe to introduce us to the food of Shakespeare. Biography: John Tufts is an actor and cook. He has cooked professionally in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Oregon. As an actor, John works on stage internationally, having played Romeo, Puck, Macbeth, Henry V and many other characters in 22 of Shakespeare’s 37 plays. For 12 years he was company member with the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has also worked in Chicago at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and The Goodman. Among his television work was his role on Fashions for Men on PBS Great Performances. For more information on John, and to order his book, go to his website: http://www.john-tufts.com/fatrascalsbook/fat-rascals-dining-at-shakespeares-table www.CulinaryHistorians.org

This year mark’s Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s 35th season. The creative projects are ambitious, as always. But this year the season itself is ambitious. The theater is making plans to get visitors back in actual seats… in the actual theater. But what will that look like, especially with Navy Pier (where Chicago Shakespeare Theater is located) shut down for the foreseeable future? Reset checks in with Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, for more on what to expect.

Dr. Sara B.T. Thiel explores how the musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s EMMA makes us love the story’s heroine—despite ourselves. Today you’ll hear clips from the musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, written by Paul Gordon and directed by CST Artistic Director Barbara Gaines in 2020. Sara Thiel is the Public Humanities Manager at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and a scholar of Shakespeare in performance. Her book, PERFORMING PREGNANCY ON THE EARLY MODERN ENGLISH STAGE, 1603-1642, is under contract with Routledge’s Studies in Performance and Early Modern Drama series. She holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. To see photos and video from EMMA, or to learn more about the cast, crew, and creative team visit www.chicagoshakes.com/emma. Have a question about something you heard in this episode? Want to tell us about your favorite moments at CST? Email us at asides@chicagoshakes.com or call us at 312-667-5631 and we’ll respond in a future episode. And don’t forget to subscribe to get all of the latest updates from ASIDES. This episode was produced by Sara B.T. Thiel, Margaret McCall, Forrest Williams, and Aaron Roberts, with editing by Forrest Williams, and additional support from Joe Disbrow and Krissi McEachern. Special thanks to Erin Hunter for her help transcribing this episode. You can find our episode transcriptions at www.chicagoshakes.com/asides. As you enjoy this episode, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to support other programs like this through our Brave New World Campaign. Together, we can serve artists, audiences, students, and our community in this time of great need. Please visit www.chicagoshakes.com/BraveNewWorld.

Anthony Crivello won a 1993 Tony Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical as the original Valentin in Hal Prince’s Kiss of the Spiderwoman at the Broadhurst Theater. During the show’s pre-Broadway run, Mr. Crivello also received the Canadian stage honor of a 1992 Dora Mavor Moore Nomination. He received a second Dora Mavor Moore Nomination in 1997 for the pre-Broadway production of Jane Eyre at the Royal Alexander Theater in Toronto. Mr. Crivello won the 1996 Joseph Jefferson Award as the Best Leading Actor in a Musical, for the pre-Broadway production of The House of Martin Guerre at the Tony Award winning Goodman Theater in Chicago directed by David Petrarca. Mr. Crivello received his second Joseph Jefferson Nomination in 2005 for his “comic perfection” on stage in the David Ives interpretation of the farce A Flea in Her Ear at the Tony Award winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater, directed by Gary Griffin. He won the 1985 Carbonell Award for Best Supporting Actor in the Broadway Musical The News. https://fundraise.projectals.org/campaign/prosetin-2020

Chicago-based theater director Gary Griffin's bio is too long to fit in this space (wow, this guy has been busy), but a few notable mentions include working with Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre, directing multiple Stephen Sondheim productions at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, directing The Color Purple on Broadway as well as other high profile musicals like Footloose and Honeymoon in Vegas. He has also been twice been named a "Chicagoan of the Year in the Arts" by the Chicago Tribune.Before all of the above, Gary ventured out to the western suburbs of Chicago to direct a junior college production of The Normal Heart, Larry Kramer's play about the AIDS crisis in New York in the early 80's.Chicago History Podcast (chicagohistorypod@gmail.com):https://www.facebook.com/Chicago-History-Podcast-107482214277883https://twitter.com/chicago_podhttps://www.instagram.com/chicagohistorypod/Chicago History Podcast Art by John K. Schneider (angeleyesartjks@gmail.com)https://www.instagram.com/angeleyesartjks/ Like, subscribe, and if you enjoy what you hear, please leave a written review. Much appreciated!

Dr. Regina Buccola takes a closer look at the true stories of Henry VIII’s six wives, the subjects of the pop-musical sensation SIX by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss. In this final episode of ASIDES season one, you’ll hear clips from the North American premiere of SIX at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2019. This talk was recorded on May 21, 2019 as the Theater’s annual Scholar Luncheon. Gina Buccola is Chicago Shakespeare’s Scholar-in-Residence and Professor of English and Chair of Humanities at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where she specializes in Shakespeare, non-Shakespearean early modern drama, and Women's and Gender Studies. She is a published poet and a scholar who has written several works on early modern English drama and culture, most recently Haunting History on Stage: Shakespeare in the USA and Canada. To see photos and video from CST’s production of SIX, or to learn more about the cast, crew, and creative team visit www.chicagoshakes.com/six. Have a question about something you heard in this episode? Want to tell us about your favorite moments at CST? Email us at asides@chicagoshakes.com or call us at 312-667-5631 and we’ll respond in a future episode. And don’t forget to subscribe to get all of the latest updates from ASIDES. This episode was produced by Sara B.T. Thiel, Margaret McCall, Forrest Williams, and Aaron Roberts, with editing by Joe Disbrow and additional support from Krissi McEachern. You can find our episode transcriptions at www.chicagoshakes.com/asides. As you enjoy this episode, we hope you’ll consider making a gift to support other programs like this through our Brave New World Campaign. Together, we can serve artists, audiences, students, and our community in this time of great need. Please visit www.chicagoshakes.com/BraveNewWorld.

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Brittney Mack is a performer from Chicago, Illinois, who was most recently seen as Anna of Cleves in the North American Tour of SIX the Musical. Her other credits include Rent, The Wiz, Hairspray, Avenue Q, Shrek, In the Heights, Ain’t Misbehavin’, All Shook Up, and Little Shop of Horrors, as well as the national tour of Memphis. She has performed on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and has been seen on the FOX television show Empire. Brittney is making her Broadway debut with her portrayal of Anna of Cleves in SIX the Musical. Born on the south side of Chicago, Britney was one of 5 raised by a single mother and “an incredible tribe of friends.” She shares that one of her favorite things to do as a kid was listen to late night story times - full stories and plays - on the radio. She recalls one show in particular called It’s Your World!, a modern day radio soap opera that played on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, which she would wake up at 5 AM to listen to before school. She believes it was these radio shows that helped spark her imagination. Her mother was always supportive of her dreams to perform, and Britney says, “My mom is the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing.” Brittney attended the Chicago Academy for The Arts, a college prep high school, and later went on to attend The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) both in Los Angeles and New York City.  Brittney shares that as an artist she has always been blessed to find steady work. Throughout a performing journey that has taken her all over the world, she recalls revisiting her storage unit in between contracts in order to swap out some clothes and head out for the next production. Brittney had been out to sea on her contract with Royal Caribbean when her grandfather became ill, after which she relocated back to Chicago to be closer to her grandmother. And it was after being on the road with the national tour of Memphis that she found herself in a general audition for Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She shares that it wasn’t until about her 4th audition for them that she really even knew what SIX was all about. She is grateful for this in retrospect, as it could have added unnecessary pressures in the audition room. “It was a blast being in the room,” she said, as they all auditioned in front of and with each other. It was an audition experience like none other, and she’s pretty sure she’ll never have another like it.  In this episode, we talk about:  How she’s been spending her time in quarantine  The time she told her mom she wanted to be Gary Coleman in Shirley Temple  Paying for her first year of school at AMDA Being shot by a paintball gun when she first moved to NYC The intensive audition process for SIX the Musical  Her feelings on having a social media presence, and the SIX fan base Connect with Brittney: IG: @brittmack8 Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

To watch the video version of this episode, click here. Andrea Macasaet has appeared in each North American iteration of SIX the Musical, including productions at the American Repertory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Ordway Theater, and Citadel Theatre. Throughout Canada she has also performed in productions of Heathers: The Musical, Avenue Q, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Miss Saigon. While she is no stranger to playing Anne Boleyn in SIX the Musical, this production will mark her Broadway debut.  Andrea was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She shares that her childhood was full of Filipino singing competitions, where she would use karaoke tracks and her mother would direct her - “Now walk over here and make sure you look at them in the eye.” In the 4th grade, Andrea was first introduced to musical theater when she performed in a local production of The King and I. It was after this production that Andrea began pursuing acting, singing, and dancing. She became a competitive dancer, performed in local theater productions throughout high school, and upon graduation went to study the performing arts in Victoria, British Columbia.  Andrea opens up to us about her life around 2016-2018, what she recalls as a really hard few years. Without an agent, and constant rejection, Andrea decided to take a break from theater because she didn’t want her “heart broken anymore”. She had been an employee on and off between shows at LuluLemon for a while, and decided to pursue a career with the company. She went back to school to earn a diploma in Human Relations. But an ad for SIX the Musical on Facebook changed her course. In February 2019, Andrea signed up for an open call for the show in Toronto, and the rest is history.  In this episode, we talk about:  The moment in high school which made her realize she wanted to pursue a career in theater Why she decided she needed a break from theater at one time Her experience working for Lululemon, a company she shares was supportive of her The whirlwind that was auditioning for and landing a role in SIX the musical  What it’s like working with creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss The time they watched the Beyonce concert as a cast for research purposes Connect with Andrea: IG: @andrea.cesyl Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Email me at feedback@thetheatrepodcast.com. I want to know what you think. A very special thanks to our patrons who help make this podcast possible! Cheryl Hodges-Selden, Paul Seales, David Seales If you would like to see your name in this show notes or get a shout out on the pod itself, visit ttp.fm/patreon to become a member and show your support!

In the second episode of "Sondheim @ 90 Roundtable," Artistic Director Michael Weber is joined by Nick Bowling (founding artistic director of TimeLine Theatre Company and director of the Chicago premiere of Porchlight Music Theatre’s "Sondheim on Sondheim" for which he won the Jeff Award), David Cromer (MacArthur fellow and Tony Award-winning director of "The Band’s Visit") and Heidi Kettenring (Jeff Award-winner who has appeared in "Sunday in the Park with George" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and "Sweeney Todd" at Drury Lane). They will discuss "Sunday in the Park with George," music and lyrics by Sondheim and book by James Lapine, the production that was inspired by Georges Seurat's painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” Edited by Austin Packard Originally premiered Saturday, May 2, 2020 at Facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre ( https://app.redcircle.com/shows/b5ad8de4-802f-4e56-974c-413004ccc672/ep/Facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre ). New episodes every Saturday at 7pm CT! Watch with video at YouTube.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre ( https://app.redcircle.com/shows/b5ad8de4-802f-4e56-974c-413004ccc672/ep/YouTube.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre )

Deb Vandergrift, General Manager at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, discusses how they have taken a layered approach to security, the importance of executive level involvement, and having a people driven focus to I.T..

In this episode you meet Sheila Talton, CEO of Gray Matter Analytics. Sheila is an innovative global leader and Big Data strategist with over 30 years of experience in helping organizations increase value, build successful businesses within larger companies and expand into emerging markets. Her experience in governance extends to corporate, civic and not-for- profit sectors; currently serving on the boards of Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), Wintrust Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:WTFC), OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE:OGE), Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation, The Chicago Network, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Urban League and Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY). She served for 10 years on the board of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and for five years at Acco Brand Corporation (NYSE:ABD). She was a founding member and chairperson of the Information Technology Senior Management Forum, where she continues to serve on their advisory board. She also served on the Advisory Committee to the Board Selection Committee for Agenda, a Financial Times Company. She was the founder and CEO of Unisource Network Services; she was a Senior Managing Partner at Ernst &Young/Cap Gemini, President of EDS’ Business Processing Information Services and the VP Globalization Officer for Cisco Systems in China and South America. She currently serves on the boards of companies focused on agriculture, finance, energy, healthcare, food services and the performing arts. Most recently, she was designated a “Woman of Influence” by The Chicago Business Journal and an honoree in “Those Having Significant Impact on Business and Technology” by TechWeek. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. In this episode we discuss: - What she learned in corporate that helped make her a good CEO of her company. - Understanding the role of mentors. - The importance of effectively framing what it is that you do. - Selfcare. - Why she doesn't think about mistakes.

The current Chicago Shakespeare Theatre production of Romeo And Juliet completely reinvigorates Shakespeare's most famous play, emphasizing frequently overlooked themes and giving events an intense urgency that accentuates both the comedy and the tragedy. Director Barbara Gaines (who's also CST's founding artistic director) talks about what finally drew her to the play and how she emphasized certain things while eschewing too much romanticization; how she underscores the dangers of cycles repeating endlessly; creates powerful final images: how every Shakespeare play can be improved by setting it in a high school; how she adds tension and comedy to the balcony scene; gives us a reduced history of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre; and the wonderful but maybe not too surprising relationship between Chicago Shakes and Second City. (Length 24:02) (Pictured: Brittany Bellizeare and Edgar Miguel Sanchez in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Barbara Gaines. Photo by Liz Lauren.) The post Romeo And Juliet appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Cage Sebastian Pierre, one of Chicago’s top young actors and fight choreographers, joins the CONVERSATION to talk about fight choreography in Barbara Gaines new production of Romeo and Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Season 4 - Episode 14 Originally posted October 31, 2019

Introducing the Pittsburgh City Theatre's inaugural CitySpeaks podcast all about the making of Cambodian Rock Band. Part thrilling new play, part electrifying rock concert, Cambodian Rock Band is an epic tale of family, love, and heritage featuring the Cambodian surf rock music of Dengue Fever. This podcast is all about how the show came together with stories from the people who know it best. Today's episode is with Director Martin Lyons   Marti Lyons is thrilled to direct Cambodian Rock Band at City Theatre as part of a collaboration with Victory Gardens Theater, where she directed the show in the Spring, and Merrimack Rep where this production is headed next. Marti recently directed Witch by Jen Silverman at the Geffen Playhouse, playing in LA now. Marti also directed Witch at Writers Theatre in Chicago last season. She directed How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla for the 2019 Humana Festival as part of a co-world premiere with Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, where Marti will direct the play again in 2019. Marti has directed Botticelli in the Fire by Jordan Tannahill (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company); The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe and Kings by Sarah Burgess (Studio Theater); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Court Theatre); Short Shakes! Macbeth (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Title and Deed by Will Eno (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and Wondrous Strange together with Meg Miroshnik, Jiehae Park and Martyna Majok for the 2015 Humana Festival (Actors Theatre of Louisville).  This season Marti will direct The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess (Writers Theater), Jen Silverman’s The Moors (A Red Orchid Theatre), and the world premiere of The Scarlet Letter by Kate Hamill (South Coast Repertory). Marti is a proud member of SDC. For more information: martilyons.com

When bassist Stacy McMichael walks into a room, the room knows. Whether it's her bleach-blonde hair, piercing eyes, or the fact that she's carrying a bass is up to the viewer. Stephanie gets the scoop on Stacy's history as a performer, beginnings as a musician, and discovers they have more in common than either of the two originally knew.A natural educator, Stacy drops knowledge on overcoming the symptoms of anxiety or nervousness, and what it's like to both celebrate and diminish being a woman in the music business. Must we advertise that we are girls? Can we simply say “I'm a serious musician?” Why not advertise the music and show up in killer shoes and earrings anywayStacy McMichael is currently playing in the musical SIX, running now through August 4th at The Yard at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.Stacy McMichaelhttp://www.stacybass.com/https://www.instagram.com/stacybassjazz/http://www.lepercolateur.com/SIXhttps://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/sixhttps://www.instagram.com/sixthemusicalus/In the Green Room / Stephanie / Isabellahttps://www.auxchicago.com/in-the-green-roomhttps://www.instagram.com/inthegreenroompod/https://www.instagram.com/Gwenafrave/https://www.instagram.com/isabellaeliopulos/Produced by Isabella EliopulosTheme by Adam SteinLogo by Allie Shapiro

Ana Kuzmanic is Yugoslav born, Chicago based costume designer. Her theatrical work has been seen on Broadway (August: Osage County, Desire Under the Elms, Superior Donuts), off-Broadway (The Jacksonian), in the U.K. (The Royal National Theatre) and Australia (Sydney Theatre Company). Based in Evanston, she is closely associated with many Chicago companies including the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Looking Glass Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and The House. Among the regional companies with whom she has worked are Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Berkley Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Washington Shakespeare Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Geffen Playhouse. The Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Don Giovanni, directed by her long-time collaborator Tony Award-winning director Robert Falls was Ana’s opera debut.Ana earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Costume and Fashion Design from Faculty of Applied Arts and Design in Belgrade, Serbia and her Master of Fine Arts in Stage Design from Northwestern University, USA. She has designed for her fashion label from 1993 to 2002.Ana is an Associate Professor of costume design at Northwestern University in Evanston, USA.

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents the energetic pop-concert musical “Six” by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss featuring the story of the six wives of the notorious King Henry VIII. Theater review by Reno Lovison. NOTE: This play has been extended to August 4, 2019.

"SIX" is a pop-concert spectacle that tells the story of King Henry VIII's six wives, their lives and fate. The electrifying show brings the overshadowed historical female figures to the forefront as the queens grab the mic and reclaim their identities. We spoke with Co-Director and Co-Writer Lucy Moss about the production running through June 30th at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Photo: Liz Lauren The Morning AMp airs weekdays 8-10 AM on Vocalo Radio 91.1 FM and streaming at vocalo.org

On today's show:Looking into the causes and effects of a declining U.S. fertility rateA discussion of theater's power to commemorate... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Chicago actor Joe Dempsey plays William Shakespeare's most autobiographical character, Peter Quince, in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Joe talks about playing this prototypical actor-manager, the rehearsal process for this gloriously funny production, the importance of listening to director Joe Dowling, the joy of rehearsal invention, the freedom of actor ownership, the balance of hustling for auditions, the delight of working with T.R. Knight (TV's Grey's Anatomy) as Bottom, the incorporation of many Shakespearean deaths, memories of working with the late great John Mahoney (Frasier), and the fundamental difference between being interpretive and creative artists. (Length 18:33) Peter Quince (Joe Dempsey, with bullhorn) directs Francis Flute (Alec Silver), and helps Nick Bottom (T.R. Knight), assisted by Tom Snout (Jonathan Butler-Duplessis) and watched by Snug the Joiner (William Dick) in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Joe Dowling, December 6, 2018 - February 3, 2019. Photos by Liz Lauren. The post Episode 631. Joe Dempsey's Mechanical appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Award-winning actor Larry Yando joins the conversation to discuss the American premiere of “Nell Gwynn” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and his 25 year association with the company. Yando, who played Scar in the national tour of “The Lion King” for three years and recently toured Europe in Peter Brooks' "Battlefield," returns as Ebenezer Scrooge in the Goodman Theatre Holiday Classic “A Christmas Carol” in November 2018.  Season 3 Episode 17 Originally posted October 25, 2018

On Today's Show:We talk with Ahmed Aboutaleb about domestic politics and some of the challenges he faces as Mayor of Rotterdam.  This... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Perry and Laura talk with Hannah Starr, an actor, comedian, and singer in Chicago.Follow Hannah on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @HeyoHannahStarr.Check them out as Snug the Joiner in A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater starting July 25th!Be on the lookout this fall for their show, Boombox!This is a KnaveryInk podcast.

On today’s show: We discuss International Women’s Day and women’s issues with two activists: Mrinalini Chakraborty, the head of field... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Apologies for the "blow outs" and the "thumps" - it was a great interview with a few recording issues. 01:55 - How the Q Brothers started writing and performing hip hop using Shakespeare as the source text. 07:50 - GQ on how he got involved with "Drumline." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303933/ 09:40 - Video for "White Nigga from Drumline" by the Retar crew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1dQOZY1KiM 10:38 - Genesis of "Funk It Up About Nothin'" and how it came to Chicago Shakespeare Theater 19:16 - The Q Brothers' heritage 27:05 - "Othello: The Remix" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/othello_the_remix_2016 28:43 - GQ gives Jake the business about having a hefty serving of salt with his pepper. 31:12 - "Othello: The Remix" was commissioned by The Globe (of London) in 2012 53:40 - The Q Brothers' shaving business and Small Flower TV: https://www.youtube.com/user/smallflowertv 1:04:35 - "Q Gents" and "Mad Summer" 1:05:49 - GQ flips the script and ask us how "Are You Famous, Yet?" began. 1:08:54 - Q Brothers Freestyle!!! Follow us on Twitter or Facebook Intro Music: "Are You Famous, Yet?" - Laura Scruggs. Outro Music: "AYFY 1" - Christopher Kriz

Colin Cordwell, proprietor of the The Red Lion English pub, brings his uncanny insights and encyclopedic knowledge to Booth One this week. Colin has seen it all in his 40 years watching "a conveyor belt of humanity go past me" behind one of Chicago's great bars. He regales Gary with tales of his father John, an architect who became a POW in WWII. John designed a theatre in his prison camp and became a forger who was part of The Great Escape. Colin describes some of the many memorable characters who have walked into the Red Lion, including Christopher Hitchens, with whom he had an extended conversation about WWI poetry. Calling the exchange "a labyrinth of obscurata," it's an astonishing glimpse into just one small corner of Colin's ability to speak eloquently about so many subjects, including history, poetry, philosophy and war. A fine actor earlier in his career, Colin has a soft spot for those who walk the boards. Colin and his father have generously given free rehearsal space to nascent theater companies over the years. When Barbara Gaines brought them her vision for a major Shakespeare company in Chicago, they believed in her and provided a venue for her first project back in the early 80's. That memorable production of Henry V started Shakespeare Repertory, now known world-wide as Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Colin talks movingly about how he could see that Barbara's "soul was ignited" by Shakespeare's work and how proud he is that his dad and he helped her get CST off the ground. Gary gives a glowing recommendation to go see the Goodman Theatre's production of A View From the Bridge, the stunning Ivo van Hove conception that played on Broadway a couple of seasons ago. Done in the style of a Greek tragedy, this interpretation gives deeper meaning and understanding to one of Arthur Miller's most famous plays. An absolute must see - running only until October 22! Looking for a "higher" education opportunity? Look no further than Northern Michigan University in Marquette, MI. This small Midwest college is offering the first degree of its kind at a four-year undergraduate college in "medicinal plant chemistry", effectively a major in marijuana, that will prepare students for careers in the burgeoning marijuana industry. Now's your chance to make that career change you've dreamed about! Read more here. Like many properties and buildings that date to the 19th century, The Red Lion has its stories of haunting, ghosts and inexplicable events. Colin chillingly recounts a few encounters over the years with specters, voices and objects moving by themselves. Gary talks about what a magical place the Red Lion is and how he learns something every visit. It's a place that awakens the imagination. Want Harry Potter and the Cursed Child tickets on Broadway next year? You'll have to register as a "verified fan" with Ticketmaster and give up your personal information for their marketing use - forever! While consumers surely benefit from these anti-bot techniques, producers benefit even more by creating Amazon-like databases. The Chicago Tribune lays the story out pretty clearly. Kiss of Death: Arthur Janov, Psychiatrist who caught the world's attention with "Primal Scream" "The Primal Scream" in 1970 became a cultural phenomenon, embraced by celebrities as a treatment that could cure a multitude of ills and neuroses. Janov's Primal Center in Los Angeles still practices the technique, though it has been debunked and discredited as a treatment option for mental health. It managed to outlive the 70's by a considerable margin. Arthur Janov was 93. Read Margalit Fox's obit.

Award-winning actress, singer and entertainer E. Faye Butler joins the conversation during a break in rehearsal of Barbara Gaines upcoming all-woman production of Taming of the Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and her recent Jeff-nominated appearance as Mama Morton in Chicago at Drury Lane. Season 2 Episode 25 | Originally published September 13, 2017 

In "Romeo and Juliet," Mercutio becomes the tipping point that turns this tale of two star-crossed lovers from a romantic comedy to a tragedy. Episode 11 delves into what kind of friend Mercutio is to Romeo, various approaches to his famed Queen Mab speech, imaginings of Mercutio’s own romantic history, and why Mercutio — after speaking in only four scenes — remains one of the most memorable and beloved parts of this iconic play. Guests on this episode are André Martin, who played Mercutio with the Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles in 2014; Brian Grey, who plays the role in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s current production; and Martine Kei Green-Rogers, assistant professor in the Theater Arts department at State University of New York at New Paltz and President-Elect of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.

Mayor Emanuel sits down with Barbara Gaines, Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, on the eve of the opening of "The Yard."

Booth One welcomes the amazing Rachel Rockwell to our studios amidst her action-packed schedule. Her beautiful production of Shakespeare in Love has just opened at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and she has about a million other irons in the fire. As a choreographer, Rachel was nominated for Joseph Jefferson Awards for The King & I (2007) and A Chorus Line (2011). As a director, she received Jeff Award nominations for Miss Saigon (2009); The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee—Best Musical (2009); Ragtime (2010) and 42nd Street (2011). For her acclaimed Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre production of Ragtime (11 Jeff nominations and seven awards), she received the Joseph Jefferson Award as Best Director of a musical. As Director, Jeff Award nominations (2012) for Best Director and Best Musical: The Sound of Music and Sweeney Todd at Drury Lane Oakbrook Theatre; and Best Play: Enron at Timeline Theatre Company. In 2013, her production of Oliver! received a Jeff nomination for Best Musical. In 2014, she received Jeff Award nominations (Director, Choreography and Best Musical) for the revival of Brigadoon at The Goodman Theatre and Les Miserables at Drury Lane Oakbrook. Her production of Brigadoon was named Best Musical and she was named Best Choreographer for that production. She won the Jeff Award for Best Choreography for her production of Billy Eliot in 2015. In 2016, she won the Jeff Award as Best Director for her production of Ride The Cyclone at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.[22] She has directed notable Children's Theatre productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. At CST, she also choreographed productions of The Merry Wives of Windsor, Romeo and Juliet, and Measure For Measure. Since the mid-nineties, Rockwell has directed and choreographed dozens of productions for such theaters as: Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre Oakbrook, Marriott Theatre Lincolnshire, Paramount Theatre, Noble Fool Theatricals, Fox Valley Repertory, Apple Tree, The Little Theatre on the Square, SIU Summer Theatre and McCleod Summer Playhouse. Rachel is also working on writing and developing new musicals. Look out world!!! Booth One has a couple of ideas we may be passing by her desk. Rachel is the third musical genius to come on our show who hails from Indiana. Beckie Menzie and Danni Smith, both past guests and friends of the show, cultivated their talents in the Hoosier State. We're wondering what's in the water over there!? Rachel credits her success to a long line of mentors and teachers, including Buzz Miller, who danced Bob Fosse's brilliant choreography in the seminal "Steam Heat" on Broadway and in the film of The Pajama Game. Rachel was Dance Captain in Mamma Mia on Broadway and the National Tour, and she gives us some backstage insight about what a difficult and important job this is. She choreographs in her car(!) and counter-clockwise in her living room to avoid the coffee table. So yeah, kind of a genius. Deb Acker, the production stage manager at Chicago Shakespeare, says Rachel is the most prepared director she's ever worked with. Rachel tells us why she prepares so thoroughly. Gary and Rachel talk the 2017 Tony Award nominations and Rachel particularly recommends Come From Away. Martha Lavey,  a mentor to us all and a huge force in the Chicago theater community, is our Kiss of Death segment this week. There are no words. But these journalists come close: Hedy Weiss for the Chicago Sun Times Chris Jone for the Chicago Tribune New York Times        

To commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016, Chicago mobilized the city’s cultural and administrative resources in an unprecedented way. Barbara Gaines, founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, reflects on the "Shakespeare 400 Chicago" anniversary celebration. She was interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. Published April 18, 2017. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode, “In This City Will I Stay” was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. Esther French is the web producer. We had help from Hannah Kennedy and Alida Szabo at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Collin Ashmead-Bobbitt at WBEZ in Chicago, and Jake Gorsky and Jeff Peters at the Marketplace studios in Los Angeles.

Daniel Kyri is an actor and space-builder who is the cofounder of The Dojo, a radically inclusive performance, art, and community space in Pilsen. Built in principles of communal accountability and free expression, the Dojo has carved a beautiful, slapdash space for the city's turnup. In addition to his work at the Dojo, Daniel has acted on stages across the city, including The Second City and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Recorded live 10/6/16 at WHPK 88.5FM in Chicago Music from this week's show: A Little Soul - Pete Rock

In Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST, the magician Prospero conjures up a storm, charms his daughter to sleep, and uses his power to control Ariel and other spirits. Is this magic for real, or is Prospero pulling off elaborate illusions? Fascinated by this question and by Prospero’s relinquishing of magic at the play’s end, Teller (of the magic/comedy team Penn & Teller) co-directed a production of THE TEMPEST with Aaron Posner at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2015. In this episode of Shakespeare Unlimited, Teller joins Barbara Mowat, director of research emerita at the Folger and co-editor of the Folger Editions, to talk about magic in THE TEMPEST and other Shakespeare plays, as well as the attitudes about magic in late sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century England. Teller and Mowat are interviewed by Barbara Bogaev. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast series. © March 8, 2016. Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This podcast episode is called “Enter Prospero in His Magic Robes, and Ariel.” It was produced by Richard Paul. Garland Scott is the associate producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster and Esther Ferington. We had help from Melissa Marquis at NPR in Washington, Rick Andrews and Casey Morell at Nevada Public Radio in Las Vegas, and Steven Martin at KPCC in Los Angeles.

New "Kahnversations" Podcast with Actor Ginifer King!   In this installation of "Kahnversations," we interview Ginifer King. For the past few years, Ginifer has played the frazzled, big city in a small town single mother Michelle Hathaway on Nickelodeon’s THE HAUNTED HATHAWAYS. She began her career at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where she was discovered by NYC casting director Jim Carnahan who cast her in the upcoming Broadway revival of GYPSY, starring Bernadette Peters and directed by Sam Mendes. Ginifer went on to play the title role of Gypsy Rose Lee numerous times opposite Ms. Peters. Other Broadway credits include Shelby in STEEL MAGNOLIAS, opposite Delta Burke and Christine Ebersole, and as Sister Claire in CYRANO DE BERGERAC with Kevin Kline, who also, incidentally, was her Secret Santa that year. She’s done Off-Broadway, she’s done 29-hour readings, she’s done all the LAW & ORDERs – basically, she did NYC. After moving to LA, she guest starred on numerous network procedurals as mistresses, embezzling secretaries and, of course, serial killers. For the past five years she has simultaneously been a part of the LA based company “For the Record”, a live - 360 degree theatrical experience bringing the movies of such directors as Tarantino, Baz Lurhmann, the Coen Brothers, and Scorsese to life through their soundtracks. She spent this past summer performing the FOR THE RECORD: BAZ show, partnered with Cirque de Soleil. She entered from the ceiling on a swing and there was glitter involved – she was in heaven. You can download or subscribe to the podcast for FREE by clicking below. If you like “Kahnversations,” please leave a rating or review on our iTunes page! __________________________________ So many inspiring podcasts out there allow us to hear all about how well-established stars got to where they are today. But those actors are so faaaaaaar away from where so many of us are today! Wouldn’t it be great to hear from the guy who just booked his first pilot? Or the kid finally doing a studio pic after a bunch of low budget indies? Or the woman who’s been a series regular a few times but is only now becoming a name? What about the guy who’s been on a show for years and you know his face but what’shisnameagain? Or that actress who is now a freakin’ showrunner???? How’d THEY do it, right? How did they transition from relative obscurity, bartending and bottle service, to buying that house in the hills? We’re producing “Kahnversations,” a podcast that provides access to THOSE people -- your immediate predecessors -- so that you can learn from them while their battle scars are still fresh. In “Kahnversations,” our own Ryan Bailey interviews some of Lesly Kahn & Company’s working actors, directors, and writers in order to learn how they got started in Hollywood, the challenges and hurdles they faced, and how they overcame the odds. (They also dish out some crazy stories!) Listen in and enjoy as these entertainers speak candidly about their paths, processes, and experiences. You might even hear a bit about how Lesly and the Kahnstitute have influenced and shaped their careers.    

Chicago Shakespeare Theater wig and make-up designer, Melissa Veal, takes host of Fear No ART, Elysabeth Alfano, from just out of bed to 17th Century Vixen.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater wig and make-up designer, Melissa Veal, takes host of Fear No ART, Elysabeth Alfano, from just out of bed to 17th Century Vixen.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater wig and make-up designer, Melissa Veal, takes host of Fear No ART, Elysabeth Alfano, from just out of bed to 17th Century Vixen.

Education and outreach are a big part of what many Chicago theatres do. Three leaders in this field -- Hallie Gordon (Artistic and Education Director For Young Adults at Steppenwolf Theatre), Marilyn Halperin (Director of Education and Communications at Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Nicole O'Connell (Director of Education at Writers Theatre) -- join Anne Nicholson Weber to discuss how and why their theatres are reaching out to teachers and students in the Chicago public schools.

Kraig Swartz is an amazing and versatile actor whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and watching this summer at Peterborough Players, in Peterborough NH. Peterborough Players is a professional summer stock theater company established in 1933. This summer Kraig is in 4 shows on a rotating schedule at the Peterborough Players--currently in Present Laughter as Roland and upcoming as Michael in Rounding Third. Kraig has performed all over Off-Broadway at venues such as the Lucille Lortel, The Mint, The Pearl, and regionally with Philadelphia Theater company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and The Guthrie--just to name a few! He is a professional actor with wit and inspiration for all of us. So Listen in on this radio show where we learn more about Kraig, his passion, his career, and ask him his advice on how to follow your heart and live your dreams!

Kraig Swartz is an amazing and versatile actor whom I have had the pleasure of meeting and watching this summer at Peterborough Players, in Peterborough NH. Peterborough Players is a professional summer stock theater company established in 1933. This summer Kraig is in 4 shows on a rotating schedule at the Peterborough Players--currently in Present Laughter as Roland and upcoming as Michael in Rounding Third. Kraig has performed all over Off-Broadway at venues such as the Lucille Lortel, The Mint, The Pearl, and regionally with Philadelphia Theater company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and The Guthrie--just to name a few! He is a professional actor with wit and inspiration for all of us. So Listen in on this radio show where we learn more about Kraig, his passion, his career, and ask him his advice on how to follow your heart and live your dreams!

Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of the newly Tony-recognized Chicago Shakespeare Theater, talks about the company's evolution from a classical acting workshop to a major institution with an impressive home on Chicago's Navy Pier. She discusses her own background, including training at Northwestern University and an acting stint in NYC, alongside her approach to classical theatre, the expanding repertoire of the company (including why their next production features Willy Wonka), the nature of the Chicago theatre community, the development of Chicago Shakespeare's international work, and her plans for the company's future -- including a 1,000 proscenium theatre to complement their current 500 seat thrust stage. Original air date - June 20, 2008.

Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of the newly Tony-recognized Chicago Shakespeare Theater, talks about the company's evolution from a classical acting workshop to a major institution with an impressive home on Chicago's Navy Pier. She discusses her own background, including training at Northwestern University and an acting stint in NYC, alongside her approach to classical theatre, the expanding repertoire of the company (including why their next production features Willy Wonka), the nature of the Chicago theatre community, the development of Chicago Shakespeare's international work, and her plans for the company's future -- including a 1,000 proscenium theatre to complement their current 500 seat thrust stage. Original air date - June 20, 2008.