Podcasts about humana festival

Send your questions or provocations to Adam or Budi here!Robert Barry Fleming is the Executive Artistic Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, KY. They have a varied portfolio and a wealth of experience as an artistic leader/administrator, producer, director, choreographer, performing artist, teacher and coach. Their directing/choreography credits include Laura Kaminsky's transgender journey contemporary opera As One (KY Opera); the world premiere of Jonathan Norton's I Am Delivered't (Dallas Theatre Center/Actors Theatre of Louisville co-production); the world premiere of Grace, a new musical by Nolan Williams, Jr., and Pulitzer Prize nominee Nikkole Salter (Ford's Theatre) which was honored as a Broadway World Winner for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Choreography of a Play or Musical; the Humana Festival of New American Plays Professional Training Company's production of Vivian Barnes, Jonathan Norton and Gab Reisman's Are You There? Robert's original ballet suite Hydra for Program 4 mixed repertory (Louisville Ballet); The world premiere of Idris Goodwin's Ali Summit (Actors Theatre of Louisville), Once On This Island (Actors/Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park co-production), Native Gardens (Cleveland Play House), NEXT TO NORMAL (Tantrum Theater), The Royale (CPH), Destiny of Desire (OSF), Caroline Or Change (Tantrum Theater), and Between Riverside And Crazy (CPH). Robert formerly served as Director of Artistic Programming at Arena Stage and Associate Artistic Director at Cleveland Play House. Arena Stage world-premieres commissioned, developed and/or championed under their watch include the 2017 Best Musical Tony-winner, Dear Evan Hansen, Mary Kathryn Nagle's Sovereignty, John Strand's The Originalist, Katori Hall's Blood Quilt, Karen Zacarías' Destiny of Desire and the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner, Sweat by Lynn Nottage.  Robert was an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway premiere of The Two Character Play by Tennessee Williams, starring Amanda Plummer and Brad Dourif. Robert is a proud member of the Professional Non-Profit Theatre Coalition (PNTC) planning committee endeavoring to evolve our relationship with governmental support for the arts as well as, our SDC, AEA, and TCG collectives working in solidarity for an equitable and sustainable praxis for our arts ecosystem. Support the showIf you enjoyed this week´s podcast, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. To submit a question: Voice- http://www.speakpipe.com/theatreofothers Email- podcast@theatreofothers.com Show Credits Co-Hosts: Adam Marple & Budi MillerProducer: Jack BurmeisterMusic: https://www.purple-planet.comAdditional compositions by @jack_burmeister

When the Writers Guild of America strike began in early May of 2023, screenwriter, playwright and essayist Dorothy was in the middle of promoting an Apple TV+ mini-series titled “Extrapolations,” on which she'd worked as executive producer and writer. As a result, she had to cancel all appearances relating to the show, which was especially disappointing to her given that it was the first major scripted TV show about climate change. Instead, she braved the blistering heat of summer in Burbank, CA and started walking the picket lines.Dorothy's TV producing and writing credits also include the acclaimed Hulu series “The Handmaid's Tale” and “The 100” for the CW network. Her work on “The Handmaid's Tale” earned her not only multiple Emmy nominations but also a Producers Guild Award as well as a Writers Guild Award. Her plays have been performed all over the country, including at the sadly now-defunct Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, KY; IAMA Theatre in Los Angeles; and the Red Fern Theatre Company in New York City.Here she describes how in 15 years streaming channels went from being a writer's playground to an ever more precarious means to earn a basic living. She also explains why the current strike is crucial not only for Writers Guild members but also any worker whose profession is in danger of ever becoming just another gig. 

Theater director Sean Daniels has outstanding credits to his name. He co-founded the company Dad's Garage, which is now a cornerstone of Atlanta's theatrical scene, and then went on to lead Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts. He also spent four years as associate artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville where he oversaw the sadly now-defunct Humana Festival of New American Plays and directed many of its world premieres over five years.The credit that brings him the greatest pride, however, is just a tad more recent, however: person in long-term recovery. For almost two decades as he charted his remarkable artistic path, he was also increasingly hobbled by his addiction to alcohol, and as is so common for people with substance-abuse disorders, it took him several tries before he was finally able to manage his disease. Sean detailed his painful, absurd and often surprisingly hilarious journey to sobriety in his play “The White Chip,” which enjoyed a successful Off-Broadway run in 2019.Now, over a decade into his sobriety, he has added a new credit to his resume: advocate. After a widely lauded stint as artistic director of Arizona Theatre Company, Sean recently became the associate director of Florida Studio Theatre. At FST not only will he head the theater's new-play-development program, but he will also work as the inaugural director of his brainchild, The Recovery Project. The Recovery Project is an initiative working to heal the stigma of addiction and recovery through the development of new plays, theatre-education programs and outreach.In this interview, Sean explains why those working in the performing arts are especially vulnerable to substance-abuse disorders and details how he hopes his advocacy will establish new support systems to catch struggling artists long before they fall as far as he once did.https://www.floridastudiotheatre.org/

http://lizduffyadams.com/Liz Duffy Adams' play Born With Teeth, recipient of a 2021 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and Best Play/Production, 2022 Houston Press Awards, had its world premiere at the Alley Theater in 2022, and moved to the Guthrie Theatre in March–April 2023.Her Or, premiered Off Broadway at WP Theater and has been produced some 80 times since, including at the Magic Theater, Seattle Rep, and Roundhouse Theatre. Her work has also premiered or been developed at Contemporary American Theater Festival, Humana Festival, Bay Area Theater Festival, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Greater Boston Theater Company, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, Crowded Fire, Shotgun Players, and Cutting Ball, and includes Dog Act; The Salonnières; Dear Alien; A Discourse on Wonders of the Invisible World; Buccaneers; Wet or, Isabella the Pirate Queen Enters the Horse Latitude; The Listener; The Reckless Ruthless Brutal Charge of It or, The Train Play; and One Big Lie.She's a New Dramatists alumna and has received a Women of Achievement Award, Lillian Hellman Award, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, Weston Playhouse Music-Theater Award, Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship, and the Will Glickman Award for Best New Play. Her Artistic Stamp virtual play in letters, Wild Thyme, was nominated for a 2021 Drama League Award for Outstanding Interactive or Socially-Distanced Theater.Publications include Or, in Smith & Kraus' “Best Plays Of 2010;” Dog Act in “Geek Theater,” Underwords Press 2014; Poodle With Guitar And Dark Glasses in Applause's “Best American Short Plays 2000-2001;” and acting editions by TRW Plays, Playscripts, Inc. and Dramatists Play Service. Adams' portrait appears in Sally Davies' collection, New Yorkers (Ammonite Press 2021).  Adams has an MFA from Yale School of Drama and a BFA from New York University, and was the 2012–2013 Briggs-Copeland Visiting Lecturer in Playwriting at Harvard University. She has dual Irish and American citizenship, and lives in New York City on land that once belonged to the Lanape, and in Western Massachusetts on unceded Pocumtuc and Nipmuc land.Now is a great time to act on your dreams! If this episode helped you, please share to a friend!https://www.instagram.com/HyphensHaven/http://www.dreamofdrea.com/Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/DreamofDréa

Melissa reconnects with playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer. They first met when Melissa interviewed her about her play, Be Here Now. Now we be here again to talk about one of Deb's (apparently many) stage adaptations, The Three Sisters of Weehawken, based of course on Chekhov's Three Sisters. In this episode, we discuss:Why Deborah set her adaptation in New JerseyWhich of Chekhov's 3 sisters we areWhat message Chekhov's plays have for us today How writers groups influence her writing processAnd more!Resources MentionedThe Three Sisters of Weehawken by Deborah Zoe LauferMelissa's first interviews with Deborah : The Be Here Now Interview, On Playwriting Pt. 1 & Pt. 2About Our GuestDeborah Zoe Laufer's plays have been produced at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, Geva, The Humana Festival, Everyman, Primary Stages, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and hundreds of other theaters around the world. Plays include Be Here Now, End Days, Rooted, Informed Consent which was a NYTimes critic's pick, Leveling Up, Out of Sterno, The Last Schwartz, Sirens, Meta, The Three Sisters of Weehawken, Fortune, dozens of short plays, and the musicals, Window Treatment, and By Any Other Name, written with composer, Daniel Green. Deb is a recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award, the Lilly Award, The ATCA Steinberg citation, and grants and commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, The Edgerton Foundation, The National New Play Network, and the Lincoln Center Foundation. Her work has been developed by The Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, Theatre Lab, PlayPenn, The Cherry Lane Alternative, The Missoula Colony, LOCAL Theatre, Asolo Rep, The Baltic Playwrights Conference, and more. Her plays are published or recorded by Concord/Samuel French, Smith and Kraus, Playscripts, LA Theatreworks, and Premieres. She is a graduate of Juilliard, an alumna of the BMI Lehman Engel Advanced Musical TConnect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

About This Episode Welcome to Stories Found Micro Monday -- take a super quick break with us to kickstart your week with a laugh. Today, we've got the one-minute play, Lying in a Pine Forest by Greg Romero About the Playwright / Storyteller Greg Romero is originally from Louisiana, Cajun blood on both sides. His plays, site-specific projects, and sound-art collaborations have been presented in performance spaces, found spaces, and through the airwaves of the United States as well as Switzerland, Canada, The United Kingdom, and Jamaica. Romero was selected as the first-ever ArtsEdge Resident, was one of three playwrights to inaugurate the Philadelphia Dramatists Center/Plays & Players Playwriting Residency, and was a pilot member of Hyde Park Theatre's Playwright's Group. He may be the only playwright to have presented a play in the bathrooms of Actors Theatre of Louisville during the Humana Festival of New Plays. He is an alum of the WordBRIDGE Playwrights Laboratory, The Last Frontier/Valdez Theater Conference, The William Inge Theater Festival, The Midwest Dramatists Conference, and his works are published by Heinemann Press, Next Stage Press, YouthPLAYS, and Playscripts. Romero received a BA in Liberal Arts from the Louisiana Scholars' College and an MFA in Playwriting from The University of Texas at Austin where he held the James A. Michener Fellowship. He is a member of ScriptWorks, The Dramatists Guild of America, and teaches at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he visits the alligators. He loves being outside. He would love for you to find more of his work at the New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/5432/greg-romero About the Cast Voice: Ellie McBride About the Crew Engineer: Lowell Bartholomee Featured Organization Lying in a Pine Forest  was originally written for a ScriptWorks fundraiser. ScriptWorks is an Austin based playwriting organization that offers programs to help playwrights in Austin and beyond. Visit them at ScriptWorks.org Let's be BFFs! Subscribe to our newsletter! storiesfound.substack.com Thanks for listening to Stories Found! We heart you. Want to chat about this episode? We're here for it! Email: hello@storiesfound.com Find us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube! Want to be a featured guest in a future episode? Let's do it. Email: submissions@storiesfound.com Stories Found was recorded at ELA Studios, deep in the heart of Austin, Texas.

Episode 55 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, with Sister Julia Walsh. Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Email | RSS | More "We all will be affected by climate change... can we learn how to understand each other as shared participants in this project of being on earth together?" –Dorothy Fortenberry IN THIS EPISODE In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh gets into the mess of creative writing amidst the climate crisis with playwright, screenwriter and essayist Dorothy Fortenberry. Dorothy tells about how she found her career and what it's like to be a Catholic in a television writer's room. She also speaks about the importance of having children even in the face of climate change, and how being pro-climate means being pro-humanity. Dorothy and Sister Julia also explore how creating is a connection both to the Spirit and the unknown. Other topics include trying to be a disciple of Jesus in a community as big as the Catholic church, handing out copies of Laudato Si' in Hollywood, and how recycling is like prayer. ABOUT THE GUEST Dorothy Fortenberry is a playwright, screenwriter, and essayist. Her plays include: PARTNERS (Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival), THE LOTUS PARADOX (Warehouse Theater), SPECIES NATIVE TO CALIFORNIA (IAMA Theatre), GOOD EGG (Red Fern Theatre), CAITLIN AND THE SWAN (The Management), STATUS UPDATE (Center REPertory), and MOMMUNE (Chalk Rep). As a television writer and producer, she has worked on “Extrapolations” (upcoming for Apple TV+), “The 100” (the CW), and “The Handmaid's Tale” (Hulu) for which she received multiple Emmy nominations, the PGA Award, and two WGA Awards. She also writes essays for publications including Commonweal, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Real Simple and likes to talk on podcasts, especially Know Your Enemy. She is the 2021 laureate of the George W. Hunt, S.J., Prize for Journalism, Arts & Letters for outstanding work in the category of fiction writer or dramatist. Dorothy's piece on climate change for America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2021/10/27/climate-change-catholic-church-tradition-laudato-si-241710 Her essays for Commonweal: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/users/dorothy-fortenberry And her essay about going to Church: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/half-full-grace/ Dorothy's Twitter: @dorothy410berry MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.  Produced and edited by Colin Wambsgans. Email us at messyjesusbusiness@gmail.com BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness LISTEN HERE:

This week, Jacob is joined by special guest Michael Legg to discuss Lucas Hnath's play The Christians. Legg was part of the Humana Festival at the Actor's Theatre of Louisville when The Christians was commissioned.  This discussion is part of Season 9's themed month "New Chats, Old Scripts." Each week, No Script discusses a play that has previously appeared on the podcast, coming at the script from a new angle or perspective.  Listen to the original episode on The Christians here:  https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-key6s-a6b46a?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ifoipp1ku2cXymQeGwWZM ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script Podcast can continue.  https://www.patreon.com/noscriptpodcast  ----------------------------- We want to keep the conversation going! Have you read this play? Have you seen it? Comment and tell us your favorite themes, characters, plot points, etc. Did we get something wrong? Let us know. We'd love to hear from you. Find us on social media at:  Email: noscriptpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/No-Script-The-Podcast-1675491925872541/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noscriptpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/noscriptpodcast/ ------------------------------ Our theme song is “Upbeat Soda Pop” by Purple Planet Music. Credit as follows: Music: http://www.purple-planet.com ------------------------------ Thanks so much for listening! We'll see you next week. ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script Podcast can continue.  https://www.patreon.com/noscriptpodcast  ----------------------------- We want to keep the conversation going! Have you read this play? Have you seen it? Comment and tell us your favorite themes, characters, plot points, etc. Did we get something wrong? Let us know. We'd love to hear from you. Find us on social media at:  Email: noscriptpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/No-Script-The-Podcast-1675491925872541/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noscriptpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/noscriptpodcast/ ------------------------------ Our theme song is “Upbeat Soda Pop” by Purple Planet Music. Credit as follows: Music: http://www.purple-planet.com ------------------------------ Thanks so much for listening! We'll see you next week.

Today on the podcast, we chat with the collaborators of the World Premiere production, The Tattooed lady, A New Musical on stage at Philadelphia Theatre Company. Here is my interview with Max Vernon and Erin Courtney for The Tattooed Lady, A New Musical.The story of The Tattooed Lady highlights one of sideshow's biggest stars, Ida Gibson, in a moving, fantastical tale that reveals the generational chasms and connections between Ida and her granddaughter Joy. A parade of beguiling characters appear, on a mission to liberate Ida from her self-imposed exile and help Joy find freedom through forgiveness. The musical celebrates the resilience of women whose choices have the power to liberate them.ABOUT THE CREATORSErin Courtney (Book) is a New York based playwright. Her play, A Map of Virtue, was awarded an Obie and was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding New York Theater. Her play I Will Be Gone, premiered at the Humana Festival, Actors Theater of Louisville. She has written two operas with Elizabeth Swados: The Nomad and Kaspar Hauser, both commissioned and produced by The Flea Theater. Her other plays, produced by Clubbed Thumb, include Alice the Magnet, directed by Pam MacKinnon, and Demon Baby, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll. She is an affiliated artist with Clubbed Thumb, a member of the Obie Award winning playwrights collective, 13P, as well as the co-founder of the Brooklyn Writers Space.Max Vernon (Book, Music, Lyrics & Orchestrations) is a musical theatre writer, whose works include The View UpStairs, KPOP (opening on Broadway this November!), The Tattooed Lady, and Show & Tell. They are a three-time Drama Desk nominee, Out100 Honoree, two-time MacDowell Fellow, Dramatist Guild Fellow, and recipient of the Lucille Lortel Award, Richard Rodgers Award, Jonathan Larson Grant, Pew Arts and Culture Grant, and New York Foundation of the Arts Fellowship, among others. They have also written work for Audible, Disney, Virgin Group, and Tyra Banks. Notable concerts include Joe's Pub, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. They earned an MFA from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. www.maxvernon.com IG: @frauleinsallybowelsFOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: https://philadelphiatheatrecompany.org

As the Producing Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Jon Jory directed over 125 plays and produced over 1,000 during his 32-year tenure. He conceived the internationally lauded Humana Festival of New American Plays, the SHORTS Festival, and the Brown-Forman Classics-in-Context Festival. He was also the Artistic Founding Director of Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and he has been inducted in New York's Theatre Hall of Fame. Mr. Jory has directed professionally in nine nations, and in the United States has directed productions at many regional theatres including Washington's Arena Stage, San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, Hartford Stage, the McCarter in Princeton, Guthrie Theatre, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has received the National Theatre Conference Award and ATA Distinguished Career Award. For his commitment to new plays, he has received the Margo Jones Award twice, the Shubert Foundation's James N. Vaughan Memorial Award for Exceptional Achievement and Contribution to the Development of Professional Theatre, Carnegie Mellon's Commitment to Playwriting Award, and the Special Tony Award for Achievement in Regional Theatre. He currently teaches acting and directing at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.

Katie checks in with star of stage (The Guthrie, Seattle Rep, the Humana Festival, LCT's The Wolves, currently: Chains at the Mint Theater) and screen (16 Bars, the Blacklist, FBI Most Wanted, Madam Secretary, Succession), Laakan McHardy.

Mona Monsour ( Playwright) THE VAGRANT TRILOGY will make its New York City debut in April 2022 at the Public Theater, directed by Mark Wing-Davey; the production was in technical rehearsals in March 2020 and was postponed due to Covid-19. UNSEEN will have its West Coast debut at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in spring 2022, directed by Evren Odcikin. WE SWIM, WE TALK, WE GO TO WAR premiered at SF's Golden Thread in 2018 (dir. Odcikin). THE VAGRANT TRILOGY was presented at Mosaic Theater in June 2018, (dir. Wing-Davey.) Of the trilogy: THE HOUR OF FEELING (dir. Wing-Davey) premiered at the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and an Arabic translation was presented at NYU Abu Dhabi, as part of its Arab Voices Festival in 2016. URGE FOR GOING: productions at the Public Theater (dir. Hal Brooks) and Golden Thread (dir. Odcikin). THE VAGRANT was commissioned by the Public and workshopped at the 2013 Sundance Theater Institute. THE WAY WEST: Labyrinth (dir. Mimi O'Donnell); Village Theater (dir. Christina Myatt); Steppenwolf (dir. Amy Morton); and Marin Theatre Company (dir. Hayley Finn). Other credits: IN THE OPEN, for Waterwell, directed by James Dean Palmer, and ACROSS THE WATER, written for third-year MFAs at NYU (dir. Scott Illingworth). Mona was a member of the Public Theater's Emerging Writers Group. With Tala Manassah she has written FALLING DOWN THE STAIRS, an EST/Sloan commission. Their play DRESSING is part OF FACING OUR TRUTHS: SHORT PLAYS ABOUT TRAYVON, RACE AND PRIVILEGE, commissioned by the New Black Festival. Commissions include Playwrights Horizons and La Jolla Playhouse. 2020 Helen Merrill Award, 2012 Whiting Award. 2014 Middle East America Playwright Award, MacDowell Colony 2018, New Dramatists Class of 2020. Mona writes for NBC's New Amsterdam and is creating series for FlipNarrative and AMC International. BEGINNING DAYS OF TRUE JUBILATION, directed by Scott Illingworth and conceived with her company SOCIETY, was part of New Ohio's Ice Factory Digital Festival in summer 2020. In September 2020, Mona received the prestigious Kesselring Prize, awarded by the National Arts Club to one playwright a year. She was nominated by Seattle Rep for her play THE HOUR OF FEELING. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of the cancellation of the Humana Festival of New Plays, we talk about new work in theater, why it's important to us, and how we (and you) can best support it.

Next on The Eclectic from Destination Freedom Black Radio Days is Idris Goodwin, a playwright, director, break beat poet and educator. He is the Director of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College and a 2021 United States Artist Fellow. Idris is a highly sought-after writer for multi-generational audiences, produced and commissioned by Regional, Community and Academic Theater institutions across the country. Idris's play The Way The Mountain Moved was commissioned and produced as part of Oregon Shakespeare's groundbreaking American Revolutions series. His work has been produced Off-Broadway and at The Humana Festival at Actor's Theater of Louisville, Steppenwolf Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Denver Center for The Performing Arts, Cleveland Playhouse, and Company One. He's received awards and development support from the NEA, The Ford, Mellon, and Edgerton Foundation, Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor Program, The Eugene O'Neill Center, The Lark Playwriting Center, and New Harmony Project. Across two decades Idris Goodwin has forged an impactful career as a multiple award-winning playwright, breakbeat poet, director, educator, and organizer. Idris is the Director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, and the first Black man to hold the position in its 100 year history. Prior to this, Goodwin served two seasons as Producing Artistic Director at StageOne Family Theatre in Louisville, Kentucky The Eclectic is a companion podcast to Destination Freedom Black Radio Days that features interviews with difference makers, artists, authors, bold thinkers, and people we love who get stuff done. Produced and hosted by donnie l. betts of No Credits Productions, LLC. Follow @nocreditsproductions on Facebook and Instagram, and @donniebetts on Twitter. #Blackradiodays #socialjustice #destinationfreedomblackradiodays #donniebetts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of The Power of Love Show we welcome founders of INDIEFEMME, sisters Gianni-Amber North & Melanna Gray. Gianni & Melanna began INDIEFEMME in 2017 with the mission of creating our own opportunities in the entertainment industry. Although the industry is expanding and women of color filmmakers are making promising strides, films directed by and starring women, people of color and other marginalized voices are still rare. INDIEFEMME's mission is to help fill that void with content that reflects the diverse world we live in. Writer, Director, Producer Gianni-Amber North is a graduate of the University of Redlands. She has written and directed several short films that have screened at the FESPACO, Urban Media Makers, B.E.H.E.R.C. (Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center) and HollyShorts Film Festivals. She has worked for Edmonds Entertainment, WireImage, Getty Images, Duke Media, Awesomeness TV and Tastemade Media. Writer, Actor, Producer Melanna Gray is a graduate of USC and UMKC. She has performed in theatrical productions all over the country including the Humana Festival, Kennedy Center, and Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. She originated the acclaimed play Omnium Gatherum with Amir Arison (The Blacklist.) She also starred in Engagement with Amir, Aaron D. Spears (Being Mary Jane, the Bold and The Beautiful), a short film that the sisters co-wrote and Gianni directed. While the women have experienced their fair share of successes, it has been built on learning from a lot of failure and hearing a lot of no's. Their love for each other and the art they want to create has continued to propel them forward. Melanna and Gianni are currently in the creative trenches, writing an Afrofutristic screenplay inspired by the life of Zora Neale Hurston. Social Media: * Instagram: @IndieFemme_Films * Facebook: INDIEFEMME * Website: www.INDIEFEMME.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-Nd1HTnbaI Like Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/884355188308946/ Have you subscribed to our Podcast? Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/the-power-of-love-show/id1282931846 Spotify Podcasts : https://open.spotify.com/show/6X6zGAPmdReRrlLO0NW4n6?si=bhNl9GjJRxKXUvTdwZme6Q Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9wb3dlcm9mbG92ZS5saWJzeW4uY29tL3Jzcw Other podcasts: https://anchor.fm/thepowerofloveshow Did you know you can support DDJF through any of your Amazon purchases? Simply click link below and select Dee Dee Jackson Foundation as your charity of choice: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/chpf/dashboard/ref=smi_nav_surl_mi_x_mkt Once done… bookmark and use your smile link to support DDJF! The Power of Love Show is a weekly show sponsored by The Dee Dee Jackson Foundation where we shine a light on loss and grief and how it impacts our lives. Our aim is to build a community where we share inspiring stories, interview experts, learn, grow and empower one another to find proper and healthy healing. Visit the DDJF official website: http://www.ddjf.org/ Donate to DDJF (501c3): https://app.mobilecause.com/form/xDJ0Cg?vid=74qmm Check Out DDJF Merch: https://teespring.com/.../collection/All%20Products... Join the Dee Dee Jackson Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1500933326745571 Follow us on Instagram: @DeeDeeJacksonFoundation • https://instagram.com/deedeejacksonfoundation?utm_medium=copy_link --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thepowerofloveshow/support

Marinda Anderson opens up about growing up in the church and growing into something less traditional, about deep loss, egg freezing, and the best road tunes. Marinda is an actress, creator and cat mom. She has appeared on stages throughout the country including Cleveland Playhouse, Humana Festival, Dorset Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, and The Public Theatre to name a few. You may also have seen her on your television in Gotham, Madam Secretary, High Maintenance or New Amsterdam. Her focus now has been on writing and creating her own work to tell stories of black joy. She can soon be seen in the upcoming series A League of Their Own on Amazon Prime Video. www.marindaanderson.com IG: @marindaanderson More on AMH and egg freezing: https://extendfertility.com/what-your-amh-level-really-means/ Watch Jessie Ware's video for Remember Where You Are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StUYHGDJUbQ   Follow us! On IG: @art.fully.grounded On FB: @art.fully.grounded On Twitter: @AFGpod Clea's website: www.sweptbythewind.com

The intersection of sports and society is no secret. But what's imaginable when sport stories rooted in social, cultural, and political history are told in virtual reality? Featured guest in this episode is acclaimed playwright and poet Idris Goodwin, writer of Ali Summit. Produced in collaboration with CRUX and the Actors Theatre of Louisville, Ali Summit takes us inside 1967, where world heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali met with a group of the top black athletes in the country, who questioned him about his conscientious objection to serving in the Vietnam War. In this new emergent play with deep local roots, a defining moment in the story of a Louisville icon is explored, catalyzing a dynamic community-building initiative. Listen to this upbeat conversation to hear about how Idris turned his passions for hip hop and sports into an inspirational muse for a career in storytelling, and his experiences working in VR for the first time. Ali Summit will be available for streaming beginning May 28, 2021 as part of Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival. GUEST LINKS AND INFO: Idris Goodwin Website Info on Ali Summit Actors Theatre of Louisville ATL's 2021 Humana Festival of New American Plays CRUX COOPERATIVE INFO: Join the CRUX digital community CRUX on TW CRUX on IG

Russ talks with  JUDY BOWMAN, CSA.  Judy has been casting theater, film, and television in NYC since 1993.  FILM/TV: One Moment, Dead Sound, Separation, Hurricane Bianca, No Alternative, Lost Cat Corona, Gold Star, Copenhagen & Big Dogs season 1(Amazon Prime). Artios Award nominee for Best Webseries Casting, PT Barnum Award recipient. Recent NY THEATER: Nothing Gold Can Stay(Lortel Award noms),  Molly Sweeney, The Net Will Appear, Dutch Masters. Extensive work with Humana Festival, Dorset Theatre Festival, Arizona Theatre Co, Woolly Mammoth, Cleveland Play House, Merrimack Rep, and others.  She was a longtime teacher with Columbia University’s MFA film program & Harlem School of the Arts. For more extensive credits:  http://www.judybowmancasting.com/ (www.judybowmancasting.com) and her imdb page.      Links Judy's links http://www.judybowmancasting.com/ (www.judybowmancasting.com) IMDB -JUDY https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0101344/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1 (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0101344/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) Actors connection https://www.actorsconnection.com/ (https://www.actorsconnection.com) One on One https://www.oneononenyc.com/ (https://www.oneononenyc.com) Links to Russ on YouTube and his Websites https://linktr.ee/russcamarda (https://linktr.ee/russcamarda) Russ Movies https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2137381/ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2137381/) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2414886/ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2414886/) http://www.russcamarda.com/ (http://www.russcamarda.com) http://tagstudiony.com/ (http://tagstudiony.com) Production partners https://idunleashed.com/ (https://idunleashed.com) Support this podcast

Important LinksAmpersand - Bluegrass Crisis CenterBlack Art Future FundLouisville Bail Fund Plays CoveredConsent by Nina RaineRuined by Lynn NottageRipped by Rachel BublitzHow to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla Bonus LinkWhy Plays About Sexual Assault Are Too Murky For Our Own Good (2017) by Alexis Soloski

Colman Domingo is a Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, and Drama League Award nominated actor, director, writer and producer. Colman has recently received his Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Ursinus College. He is a Juilliard School Creative Associate and on faculty of the Yale School of Drama. He has starred in some of the most profound films in recent years such as Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk, Steven Spielbergs' Lincoln, Lee Daniel's The Butler, Ava DuVernay's Selma and Nate Parker's Birth of a Nation. He stars in the upcoming films, Jordan Peele's Candyman, Janicza Bravo's Zola and George Wolfe's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. He stars on AMC's Fear the Walking Dead and guest stars on HBO's Euphoria.   **He recurred on Steven Soderbergh's The Knick. His plays and musicals include Dot (Samuel French), Wild with Happy (Dramatist Play Service) and A Boy and His Soul (Oberon Books), the Tony Award nominated Broadway musical Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and Geffen Playhouse history making musical Light's Out: Nat King Cole. ***His work has been produced by The Public Theater, Vineyard, La Jolly Playhouse, Humana Festival of New American Plays, New York Stage and Film, A.C.T, The Tricycle Theater in London, Brisbane Powerhouse in Australia, among others. He is the recipient of a Lucille Lortel, Obie, Audelco and GLAAD Award for his work. His production company, Edith Productions, has a first look deal with AMC for which he is developing television, film, theater and animation projects. ***He is currently writing a new musical for The Young Vic in London and hosting his digital series, Bottomless Brunch at Colman's which is now in its second season on AMC.com

"Turn it all Around" Words and Music by: Debra Barsha/Sheilah Rae Lead Vocals: Wonu Ogunforwara Backup Vocals: Harris M. Turner Music producer: Taylor Peckham Special thanks to video producer/editor: Janice Barsha A statement from the creators: "This piece was created in honor of the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote, we wanted to encourage women to get out and vote in this crucial election year. Women can do anything!" MORE ON DEBRA BARSHA: If you are looking for Debra Barsha, you will find her hopscotching across the boundaries of contemporary music. Gleefully defying classification, Barsha is that rare talent that sees show business itself as a medium. Singer, songwriter, actress, composer, pianist, raconteur, Barsha is just as comfortable fueling the grooves on a George Clinton album as she is writing an Off-Broadway musical about a pop-art icon (Keith Haring-Radiant Baby). With a career that includes television soundtracks, children's musicals, one-woman shows, and national tours with postmod British pop-stars (Thomas Dolby), Debra Barsha manages to put the undeniable stamp of her own musical personality on the full spectrum of her work. For full bio, visit her website.  Website: http://www.debrabarsha.com/BIO.html MORE ON SHEILAH RAE: Sheilah Rae has had an extensive career in the Theatre and the Music Business. She has been a performer in such Broadway musicals as Fiddler On the Roof, Applause, The Rothschilds, and Company. She is a five-time finalist for the Heideman Award of the Humana Festival, in 2005 for her short musical play Lovelines and 2006 for What Goes Around, and 2010 for The Waiter, all with Michele Brourman, as well as Single and Active in 2011, On the Page in 2012. She has won songwriting awards from Billboard, Music City Song Festival, Variety, and in 1999 was awarded the Rising Star Galaxy Award from the NY Women's Agenda for outstanding work in the theater. Sheilah is the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from NY Theatre Barn for her exceptional contributions to musical theatre as a writer, composer, lyricist and performer for more than 50 years, and for her continued outstanding service and vision as founder of New York Theatre Barn. For full bio, visit her website.  Website: https://www.sheilahrae.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Created during a time of quarantine in the global Coronavirus pandemic, A Moment Of Your Time's mission is to provide a space for expression, collaboration, community and solidarity. In this time of isolation, we may have to be apart but let's create together.  Follow Us: Instagram | Twitter Created by CurtCo Media Concept by Jenny Curtis Theme music by Chris Porter A CurtCo Media Production See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next episode of Outside The Tzedakah Box, Podcast by the Jewish Teen Funders Network.This special episode was recorded from our online panel discussion “Diversity And The Jewish Community”, the 3rd session in our Give In Solidarity Learning Series.Moderated by Wayne Green, JTFN’s Executive Director, our panel included:REBECCA S’MANGA FRANKRebecca is an actor, writer, director based in Brooklyn. Recent acting credits include “Indecent” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and “We, the Invisibles” at the Humana Festival at Actors Theater of Louisville. After Covid hit she started writing and performing with her theatre company and making innovative theatre for Zoom. Rebecca holds an MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate acting program, and a BA in creative writing from Mills College.KENDELL PINKNEYKendell is a Brooklyn based theatre-maker, Jewish-life consultant, and rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Kendell’s broader interest in racial and ethnic diversity among Jews led him to team up with spoken-word artist, Vanessa Hidary, to produce Kaleidoscope, a monologue showcase that foregrounds the stories of Jews of Color, and Jews from Sephardic and Mizrachi backgrounds. In addition to his creative arts work, he is also the rabbinic intern for the Jewish arts and culture organizations Reboot and LABA, and serves on the board of Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy.RABBI ISAIAH JOSEPH ROTHSTEINRabbi Rothstein recently joined The Jewish Federations of North America professional team as a Rabbinic Scholar and Public Affairs Advisor. He most recently served as Rabbi-in-Residence at Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability. He is best known for his essay "Color Erases, Color Paints" which generated extensive conversation within the Jewish community about race and diversity. Growing up in a multi-racial Chabad family in Monsey, NY, Rabbi Rothstein sees himself as a human bridge, connecting disparate parts of the Jewish community. TOBI SHANNONTobi currently serves as a board member on the Community Investment Network board. Her work in philanthropy began at a young age, observing and learning from her parents, who instilled an inherent sense of purpose to uplift her local and global communities. Tobi is a current graduate student of sustainable business and policy, and works as the Operations Manager for Mockingbird Analytics. 

Pirronne Yousefzadeh is a director of all sorts. She directs plays and she has a dual position at Geva Theatre Center as the Associate Artistic Director and the Director of Engagement. She’s also a co-founder of Maia Directors, a consulting and advocacy group for artists of Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian descent. In these roles, Pirronne frequently seeks to strike a balance between the work of making theater and what she calls “disrupting” the theater community. They’re potentially at odds with one another. As Pirronne said in our conversation, “Am I supposed to row the boat or rock the boat?”Pirronne admits that as a young theater artist, she was very deferential. She was just happy to be there. Now she directs and teaches around the country. She not only advocates for stories about the Middle East and beyond, she’s made it a business. This month, she was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at Humana Festival, which was canceled due to the Coronavirus. The speech she was going to give was a reckoning with her younger self. She wouldn’t have rocked the boat as a newcomer. Now it’s part of her job description.https://www.pirronne.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week we're joined in the studio by Robert Barry Fleming, the newest Executive Artistic Director at Actors Theatre of Louisville. We chat about his robust career in theater and film and Fleming shares his commitment to making Actors an accessible and welcoming space for all people to enjoy. He also reveals what theatergoers can expect from the 44th Humana Festival of New American Plays, which opened this month and runs through April 12th. Donate to support this and future episodes of Strange Fruit.

Dominic Fumusa is best known for playing "Kevin Peyton" opposite Edie Falco on Showtime's acclaimed show "Nurse Jackie" which ran for seven seasons from 2009-2015. Fumusa's extensive theater experience includes originating roles in the NY premieres of Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss and Passion Play, Richard Greenberg's Tony Award winning Take Me Out (NY and London), Melissa James Gibson's Obie Award winning [sic] and Stephen Belber's plays The Power of Duff, Fault Lines and Tape (NY, London and Los Angeles). His Broadway debut was in the 1998 revival of Wait Until Dark opposite Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino. Select regional theater credits include numerous plays at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Stratford Festival in Canada, the Huntington Theater in Boston, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Humana Festival at the Actors Theater of Louisville. Fumusa's film work includes playing the real life hero John "Tig" Tiegen in this year's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi directed by Michael Bay. Last year Fumusa appeared opposite Will Smith and Margot Robbie in the romantic comedy Focus. Other film work includes Allegiance, Helena from the Wedding, Management and Little New York. Other television work includes upcoming recurring roles on "Homeland" (Showtime) and "Taken"(NBC). He has also had numerous guest and recurring roles on such shows as "Blue Bloods," "Elementary," "Person of Interest," "Damages," "Sex and the City," "The Sopranos," "Bones" and many others. Fumusa earned his BA in Government from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI in 1991 and his MFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, actress and producer Ilana Levine, and their two children, Georgia and Caleb. 

We're re-releasing 5 of our most popular episodes for a 2020 fresh start! (Psst: keep your eyes open for an exciting announcement, coming soon...) Caroline can't find anything funny -- not her awkward love life, not her jaded standup coach Guy, and definitely not the punchlines she's been reading in 101 Dirty Jokes.  Originally produced at the Humana Festival at the Actors Theater of Louisville, Patricia Cotter's RULES OF COMEDY is a playful, wry look at the lives of comedians when they dare to go offstage and off script. Directed by Jonathan Bernstein, Cotter's short comedy stars Louisa Krause (The Flick, Billions, PoA's Winter Games) and Michael Esper (Trust, The Last Ship, PoA's Anniversary). After the play, stay tuned for an artist interview about the playwright's background in comedy, avoiding the pull towards bitterness, and toeing the line with your material.  "Cotter's script is lush with the knowledge of standup comedy... this play is a scream" - Todd Zeigler, Broadway World Reviews

It's October, it finally feels like fall, and it's time for everything creepy, scary, spooky, and things that go bump in the night.  And if you are local, it means it's time to book your theater tickets for Dracula which is performed every fall season by the Actor's Theater of Louisville. Actor's Theater is one of the top regional theater in the nation.  It's won Tony Awards and many notable performers have graced it's stage including Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Kevin Bacon, and Kathy Bates to name just a few.  It's Humana Festival of New American Plays which takes place every Spring is internationally known and Newsweek once called it, "a miniature Cannes film festival for theater".  Crowd favorites like Dracula and A Christmas Carol makes this theater company beloved in the city.   Today's guest, Hannah Rae Montgomery, is Actor's Theater's dramaturg.  Don't know what a dramaturg is?  Neither did we until we talked with Hannah Rae.  A dramaturg is basically a literary editor on the staff of a theater who interpret and research texts for their productions.  She tells us what is new and fresh about the roles for women in this year's Dracula, why people come to see it year after year, and how Bram Stoker's book differs from the play adaptation.  It's close to Halloween and time to talk literature's favorite vampire.   You can find us on FB, instagram (@perksofbeingabookloverpod) and on our blog site at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com Perks airs on Forward Radio 106.5 FM and forwardradio.org every Wednesday at 6 pm, Thursdays at 6 am and 12 pm. We have purchased the rights to the theme music used.  

It’s October, it finally feels like fall, and it’s time for everything creepy, scary, spooky, and things that go bump in the night. And if you are local, it means it’s time to book your theater tickets for Dracula which is performed every fall season by the Actor’s Theater of Louisville. Actors Theater is one of the top regional theater companies in the nation. It’s won Tony Awards and many notable performers have graced its stage including Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Kevin Bacon, and Kathy Bates to name just a few. It’s Humana Festival of New American plays which takes place every Spring is internationally known and Newsweek once called it, “a miniature Cannes film festival for theater”. Crowd favorites like Dracula and A Christmas Carol make this theater company beloved in the city. Today’s guest, Hannah Rae Montgomery, is Actor’s theater’s dramaturg. Don’t know what a dramaturg is? Neither did we until we talked with Hannah Rae. A dramaturg is basically a literary editor on the staff of a theater who helps the directors interpret and research texts for their productions. She tells us what is new and fresh about the roles for women in this year’s Dracula, why people come to see it year after year, and how Bram Stoker’s book differs from the play adaptation. It’s close to Halloween and time to talk literature’s favorite vampire. You can find us on FB, instagram (@perksofbeingabookloverpod) and on our blog site at www.perksofbeingabooklover.com Perks airs on Forward Radio 106.5 FM and forwardradio.org every Wednesday at 6 pm, Thursdays at 6 am and 12 pm. We have purchased the rights to the theme music used.

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

After studying with the legendary New York acting teacher, William Esper, David began his career on stage performing everything from Shakespeare, to off-beat new comedies to edgy experimental work. His early east coast theatre credits include productions at The Second Stage, The Public Theatre, The Manhattan Punch Line, La Mama, The Long Wharf Theatre and The Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival.    His first TV job was a small part in HBO’s historic drama “And the Band Played On.”  Known for his quirky characterizations, he’s since played many major guest star and recurring roles on such shows as "Modern Family," "The Blacklist," "Rectify," “Mad Men,” “Justified,” “True Blood,” “CSI,” “NCIS,” “Castle,” “Bones,” “Ugly Betty” “Criminal Minds,” “iCarly,” “Longmire,” and “Days of Our Lives.”  But he is probably best known for playing the creepy “Lincoln Meyer” on season three of “Boston Legal” (a character created for him by TV icon, David E. Kelley).   ​David is also a produced screenwriter (Fox Searchlight’s hit comedy “Kingdom Come”), a columnist, a popular spoken-word performer and an award-winning director (“Available Men”).  His critically acclaimed one-man storytelling shows consistently play to sold out houses.  Since 2008, he’s taught seminars and private classes for professional actors and when time allows, he serves as a part-time adjunct faculty member with the Professional Acting Program at UCLA and at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (both the New York and L.A. campuses) Over the course of his career, David has had the pleasure of working with many acclaimed writers, directors and actors, including Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Candice Bergen, Craig Bierko, Julie Bowen, Delta Burke, Thomas Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Angie Harmon, Mark Harmon, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John Heard, L.L.Cool J., Jon Jory, David E. Kelley, Howard Korder, Ian McKellen, Matthew Modine, Timothy Olyphant, Dolly Parton, Richard Schiff, James Spader, William Shatner, Matthew Weiner and Julie White. In 2014, he created and co-produced Sci-Fest LA: The Los Angeles Science Fiction One-Act Play Festival, an annual event consisting of two rotating evenings of short original sci-fi plays featuring actors known for their work in iconic franchises like “Star Trek,” “The Walking Dead,” “Supernatural,” “Lost” and “The X-Files.”    ​His first book, "WORKING ACTOR: Breaking in, Making a Living and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business" is being published by Random House (Ten Speed Press) in February, 2019. Originally from Louisa, Kentucky, David currently divides his time between New York and Los Angeles.  To watch a little of his work, click on the DEMO tab in the menu above.  --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/confessionsofanactress/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/confessionsofanactress/support

Literary Manager (and fellow Iowa alumn) Jenni Page-White joins us on this episode to share her experiences as both a dramaturg and literary manager. This is a great episode for our listeners who are interested in dramaturgy and have been thinking about literary management as a profession! Jenni gives us some thoughtful insight into the world. We hope you'll enjoy it! Jenni Page-White is the literary manager at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she curates and develops new work for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Her dramaturgy credits at Actors Theatre include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Angels in America (Parts One and Two), and the world premieres of We've Come to Believe, by Kara Lee Corthron, Emily Feldman, and Matthew Paul Olmos; Dave Harris's Everybody Black; Mara Nelson-Greenberg's Do You Feel Anger?; Susan Soon He Stanton's we, the invisibles ; Basil Kreimendahl's We're Gonna Be Okay; Tasha Gordon-Solmon's I Now Pronounce; Brendan Pelsue's Wellesley Girl; and Steven Dietz's This Random World. Prior to working at Actors Theatre, she was the literary associate at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she helped select and develop new plays for First Look and coordinated post-show discussion programming. As a freelance dramaturg, she has worked with WildWind Performance Lab, American Theater Company, Sideshow Theatre Company and LiveWire Chicago Theatre, and she has evaluated work for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Playwrights' Center, the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, and The New Harmony Project. She is the co-editor, with Amy Wegener, of several volumes of Humana Festival play anthologies. She holds a B.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. To learn more about Jenni and her work at Actors Theater of Louisville, visit the website: https://www.actorstheatre.org/bios/jenni-page-white/ Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it on our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beckettsbabies/support

Literary Manager (and fellow Iowa alumn) Jenni Page-White joins us on this episode to share her experiences as both a dramaturg and literary manager. This is a great episode for our listeners who are interested in dramaturgy and have been thinking about literary management as a profession! Jenni gives us some thoughtful insight into the world. We hope you'll enjoy it! Jenni Page-White is the literary manager at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she curates and develops new work for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Her dramaturgy credits at Actors Theatre include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Angels in America (Parts One and Two), and the world premieres of We’ve Come to Believe by Kara Lee Corthron, Emily Feldman, and Matthew Paul Olmos; Dave Harris’s Everybody Black; Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s Do You Feel Anger?; Susan Soon He Stanton’s we, the invisibles; Basil Kreimendahl’s We’re Gonna Be Okay; Tasha Gordon-Solmon’s I Now Pronounce; Brendan Pelsue’s Wellesley Girl; and Steven Dietz’s This Random World. Prior to working at Actors Theatre, she was the literary associate at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she helped select and develop new plays for First Look and coordinated post-show discussion programming. As a freelance dramaturg, she has worked with WildWind Performance Lab, American Theater Company, Sideshow Theatre Company, and LiveWire Chicago Theatre, and she has evaluated work for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Playwrights’ Center, the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, and The New Harmony Project. She is the co-editor, with Amy Wegener, of several volumes of Humana Festival play anthologies. She holds a B.F.A. from the University of Oklahoma and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. To learn more about Jenni and her work at Actors Theater of Louisville, visit the website: https://www.actorstheatre.org/bios/jenni-page-white/ Please support Beckett's Babies by reviewing, sharing an episode to your friends, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @beckettsbabies And as always, we would love to hear from you! Send us your questions or thoughts on playwriting and we might discuss it on our next episode. Email: contact@beckettsbabies.com For more info, visit our website: www.beckettsbabies.com

On today’s episode of Rewrite Radio: working in the television and movie industry, Abigail Disney and Dorothy Fortenberry are involved in making some of the most significant media today. In this wide-ranging conversation with Jennifer Holberg, co-director of the CCFW, they discuss the ethical imperatives that shape--and should shape--the stories we tell on-screen. Abigail Disney is an award-winning filmmaker, philanthropist, and the CEO and president of Fork Films, which has supported more than 50 films and series that focus on social issues. Disney received her bachelor’s degree from Yale, her master’s from Stanford, and her doctorate from Columbia. An active supporter of peacebuilding, Disney is passionate about advancing women’s roles in the public sphere. In fact, in 2008 she turned to documentaries--inspired by the story of a group of women who used nonviolence to bring an end to Liberia’s long civil war--with the film Pray the Devil Back to Hell, named best documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival. Disney’s directorial debut, The Armor of Light, premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. Dorothy Fortenberry is a producer and writer on Hulu’s Emmy Award-winning series The Handmaid’s Tale. Prior to that, she spent three years on the writing staff for the CW series The 100. In 2017, IAMA Theatre Company produced the world premiere production of Fortenberry's play Species Native to California, a modern re-telling of The Cherry Orchard. Her play Partners had its world premiere at the Humana Festival of New American Plays at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Fortenberry's essays on subjects including faith, fear, and the politics of country music have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Real Simple, and Pacific Standard. Dorothy is a recipient of the Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, and she has an MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. You can find more information about the Center and its signature event, the Festival of Faith and Writing, online at ccfw.calvin.edu and festival.calvin.edu and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Caroline can't find anything funny -- not her awkward love life, not her jaded standup coach Guy, and definitely not the punchlines she's been reading in 101 Dirty Jokes.  Originally produced at the Humana Festival at the Actors Theater of Louisville, Patricia Cotter's RULES OF COMEDY is a playful, wry look at the lives of comedians when they dare to go offstage and off script. Directed by Jonathan Bernstein, Cotter's short comedy stars Louisa Krause (The Flick, Billions, PoA's Winter Games) and Michael Esper (Trust, The Last Ship, PoA's Anniversary). After the play, stay tuned for an artist interview about the playwright's background in comedy, avoiding the pull towards bitterness, and toeing the line with your material.  "Cotter's script is lush with the knowledge of standup comedy... this play is a scream" - Todd Zeigler, Broadway World Reviews

Two artistic directors interview each other about taking over for the founder and long-time leader of their respective theatres along with their visions for the future. Lynn Nottage, the two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, is having a busy winter. Three summer theatres announced their 2019 seasons. Actors Theatre of Louisville is granting theatre professionals a weekend of new american plays and check out TheatreTrip.com. JOIN THE MAILING LIST SEASON ANNOUNCEMENTS Hangar Theatre, NY Marin Shakespeare Company, CA Bay Street Theatre, NY ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS Sarah Bellamy & Jamil Jude interview each other TheatreMania interviews Lynn Nottage SOMETHING I HAD TO SHARE WITH YOU... Actors Theatre of Louisville grants theatre practitioners a weekend of the 43rd Humana Festival of New American Plays TheatreTrip.com   Why not get your own issue of Treading the Boards? Buy it on ACLTheatreResources.com.   THANKS FOR LISTENING AND HAVE A CREATIVE DAY!

Hi Friend, I decided to take an episode of SallyPAL, the podcast I created, to share some thoughts about creating original work for a live audience and why it’s important. I’m your SallyPAL podcast host, Sally Adams. Every week I talk about creating original work for a live audience. Send an email anytime to Sally@sallypal.com. Your ideas keep great conversations coming. Check out sallypal.com/join for a cool free theatre resource. You can be a Sally pal just by joining. There are other good reasons to join like theatre cartoons, inside scoop on fresh productions, and being part of a larger creator community. I read a great article this morning that was a transcription of a speech by Playwright A. Rey Pamatmat. I include a link to the speech in my blog and show notes. In it Pamatmat describes his experience as an excluded person based on a number of things. He is part Asian, homosexual, and an artist. During his speech to a Humana Festival audience he says, “the things other people believed were limiting me—my ethnicity, my queerness, my open lack of shame about both—were actually the things that liberated me and made my artistic life possible.” That phrase alone speaks to why I started making my podcast. As a long time arts teacher in K-12 schools, I found the kids who gravitated toward my classes had something to say. I believe everyone has something to say, but there are those (and this is strictly anecdotal) who have things they need to say. Furthermore, when it comes to people who are excluded from various parts of society, these kids have things to say that the rest of us need to hear. It’s why I continue my own drumbeat to create fresh work that sees the light of day. Because, as A. Rey Pamatmat says quite eloquently, teachers can, “subject… students to bigoted systems, possibly for the first time in their lives or… teach them about bigoted systems and how to handle them. The former shows them (and their peers witnessing their treatment) how to perpetuate bigotry when they’re leaders in the field themselves, while the latter gives them and their peers strategies for navigating and maybe even eliminating these challenges.” This profound message comes in a time when many of us who regularly and thoughtlessly experience privilege see the conversations for equality on social media and wring our hands. We don’t know how to respond. And I’m not just talking about responding to LGBTQIA or issues of racial inequality. It’s not even a conversation about women versus men; or, the uphill battle people with disabilities face every day whether you use a wheelchair and can’t sit close enough to the stage to see the actors or you have an invisible disability that forces you to sit quietly while mental illness is misrepresented on stage. And we rarely even consider the frustration fat people feel when they can find few representatives in the theatre who aren’t punchlines. The message for all of us working in performing arts is this: We have an opportunity to lead. We can lead each other in respectful conversations about our differences and what we each have to contribute to human culture. We can lead our audiences to a deeper understanding of humanity and oneness. We can lead our students and young artists to develop tools to handle and combat bigotry and perhaps even to eliminate it. And we should all be leading each other toward an understanding that each of us deserves dignity, respect and love. For those of us who already enjoy access to audiences and opportunity, we have a responsibility to do some homework. Research ideas. Talk to people who struggle with your characters’ obstacles. Create work that celebrates difference. See shows about otherness and be open to conversations for equality. This is probably where I should chastise my fellow artists who experience privilege and don’t participate in the battle to eliminate intolerance. But I am not a fan of the double negative. Fighting a “not” as in, “I hate the haters” is not nearly as powerful as living in the daily possibility for fairness. Mother Theresa once said, “I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there.”  I am not suggesting that we all stop speaking out against prejudice. What I am suggesting is that we, as artists, begin to see our role as leaders. We should never gloss over the shameful behavior we see. But within that moment when you, as an artist, flip on the light and expose malice, injustice, hatred, and their subtler cousins you can make a difference. Lead your audience through the difficulties humans face through your storytelling ability. Create empathy in your audience members for the characters on stage. I really encourage you to either read or watch Pamatmat’s speech because he is saying things we need to hear with the fluency of an artist. But more than needing to hear these things, we need to seek out these messages for the artistic growth they inspire. And finally, we need these messages for the social revolution they encourage that will ultimately bring peace and make us all better people. Think of the exclusion of people who are different this way: Let’s say you’ve got this bank account and people pay you with direct deposit. You get paid mostly in American dollars. But every once in a while someone pays you with money from another country, Canadian dollars, Euros, or even Yen. Even though your bank accepts all of these denominations, you decide you don’t want to be paid that way so you tell all of these customers to pay American or forget it. We have lost a great number of important ideas because we don’t want to accept different denominations of currency. We are poorer for it. There are a couple of things I often say on this podcast. One is that the audience is your last collaborator, the other is that stories create culture. If we, as artists, are not happy with the current state of the culture in which we live, then, by God, we have the most powerful tools ever created to change it. We tell stories. Stories create culture. Culture makes us who we are.  Check out the blog, SallyPAL.com, for articles and podcast episodes. You, too, can be a SallyPAL. Sign up for a FREE Creator’s Notebook insert at SallyPAL.com/join. Next week come back to the podcast to hear my interview with Jenny Kokai, author of Swim Pretty: Aquatic Spectacles and the Performance of Race, Gender, and Nature.  Thank you for following, sharing, subscribing, reviewing, joining, & thank you for listening. If you’re downloading and listening on your drive to work, or falling asleep to my whining and opining like my sister does, let me know you’re out there. Storytelling through plays, dance performances, opera, concerts and other types of expression is the most important thing we do as a culture. That’s why I encourage you to share your stories because you’re the only one with your particular point of view. And SallyPAL is here with resources, encouragement, and a growing community of storytellers. I want to help you tell your stories… All the stories ever expressed once lived only in someone’s imagination. Now, go create, collaborate and elevate the culture!       

Fanni Green is an actor, director, playwright, poet and theatre professor. Gary Lemons is a writer, painter, musician and professor of African American literature and womanist studies. In this lively conversation, Fanni and Gary delve into the passion and activism at the heart of all their work and the joys of a marrying a fellow artist. They share stories of growing up with parents who weren’t able to go to college - and weren’t convinced that art or acting was a good career choice. And they explore the spirituality that informs their lives and their creative work. Fanni Green is a versatile actor, the heart of a terrific production of A Raisin in the Sun at American Stage and many of their August Wilson plays. A native of St. Petersburg and graduate of USF and NYU, Fanni is everyone’s favorite professor at the USF School of Theatre and Dance and has taught on the voice faculties of The Actor's Center in NY, the Yale School of Drama and the Juilliard School. Her professional work includes Mule Bone (Broadway) with musician Taj Mahal, Antony and Cleopatra (Off- Broadway) with Vanessa Redgrave, and Tony Kushner's Reverse Transcription, in a Humana Festival production directed by Tony Kushner. Local audiences remember her powerful performance in Yellowman, the production of Suzan-Lori Parks’ In the Blood she directed at Stageworks, and Bob Devin Jones’ Voodoo Macbeth at The Studio@620, where she served as the dialect coach. More on Fanni Green - theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu/content/templates/?z=9&a=615 More on What the Heart Remembers: the Women and Children of Darfur that Fanni Green created with USF Dance Professor Jeanne Travers - theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu/content/templates/?a=2068 Her compelling thoughts on Diversity in Casting - inclusioninthearts.org/projects/national-diversity-forum/opinion-pieces/fanni-green/ Gary Lemons is a Full Professor of African American literature, black feminist and womanist studies in the Department of English at the University of South Florida. He received his Ph.D. in English from New York University. His books include Black Male Outsider, a Memoir: Teaching as a Pro-Feminist Man (State University of New York Press, 2008), Womanist Forefathers, Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. Du Bois (also published by SUNY Press, 2009), Feminist Solidarity at the Crossroads: Intersectional Women’s Studies for Transracial Alliance (Routledge, 2012, co-edited with Kim Vaz), Caught Up in the Spirit! Teaching for Womanist Liberation (Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2017), and Building Womanist Coalitions: Creating Bridges, Crossing Borders in the Spirit of Love (University of Illinois Press, forthcoming in 2018). Gary’s an expressive visual artist with recent exhibitions at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum and The Studio@620 - thestudioat620.org/events/myafrika-art More on Gary’s work at USF- english.usf.edu/faculty/glemons/ “Can a Black Man Be a Feminist?” - news.usf.edu/article/templates/default.aspx?a=3285&template=print-article.htm

Mark Schultz is the author of "Evocation to Visible Appearance," among other plays, and he's also a priest in the Episcopal Church. He was in Louisville for the premiere of his play at the Humana Festival at Actors' Theatre, and we talked about his fondness for black metal, Kurt Weill, and his husband.

This month's episode is super-long because Brian James Polak traveled to the Humana Festival and spoke to two playwrights that were getting world premieres there.

This month's episode is super-long because Brian James Polak traveled to the Humana Festival and spoke to two playwrights that were getting world premieres there.

Guillermo Reyes has produced and published a variety of plays including Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown and Mother Lolita as off-Broadway productions with Urban Stages, Chilean Holiday and Saints at the Rave at the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and many others. Men on the Verge debuted in Los Angeles at the Celebration Theater and won the L.A. Ovation Award for Best World Premiere Play which went on to win the New York Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Solo Performance for Felix Pire during its off-Broadway run. Recently, Guillermo published Madre and I: A Memoir of our Immigrant Lives with the University of Wisconsin Press. He’s also published short stories in various journals such as Label Me Latina/o, The Americas Review, The New Mexico Humanities Review, Puerto del Sol, among others. Guillermo earned a Bachelor's in Italian from UCLA, an MFA in Playwriting at UCSD, and he’s currently a professor and the head of dramatic writing at Arizona State University in the School of Film, Dance, and Theater.

Theatre director Les Waters’ interest in contemporary art and new plays drives him in his career. Born to a working class family in rural England, Waters is an award-winning, British theatre director. He has numerous theatre credits in New York and around the U.S., including winning an Obie for the premier of “Big Love” at the Humana Festival. Waters headed the M.F.A. directing program at UC San Diego from 1995 to 2003. He also served as the associate artistic director with the Berkeley Repertory Theatre from 2003 to 2011. In 2000, and again in 2004, Waters came to Louisville to direct shows for the Humana Festival. In 2012, he was hired as artistic director of the Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL) and took charge of the Humana Festival, succeeding Mark Masterson. In its previous 50 years, ATL only had three artistic directors. ATL is considered one of the most prestigious professional theatre companies in the United States. It has introduced over 400 plays and earned many awards, including a Tony award. Waters is married to set designer, Annie Smart; They have two daughters and one son.

Connecting people and telling stories fuel Marc Masterson as the artistic director of Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL). Masterson works hard to keep the arts represented in the area communities. He helped develop ATL’s first education department and continues to be a supportive proponent for arts education. Actors Theatre of Louisville is also home to the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Masterson joined Actors Theatre of Louisville in August of 2000, after an impressive 20 years as producing director at Pittsburg City Theatre. Accepting his position in Louisville meant a much larger theatre and budget, as well as a much larger audience. Masterson holds a B.F.A. from Carnegie Melon University and an M.F.A. from the University of Pittsburg. He has directed more than 100 professional productions and was the founder and chairman of the Greater Pittsburg Art Alliance.

Bill McNulty is an actor and director who has performed internationally and enjoys a grounded life with a love for his work and his family. McNulty grew up in New Jersey, where he earned a scholarship to the highly-rated theatre department at Rollins College. He then pursued his graduate degree from Penn State University, while studying under some outstanding teachers in the MFA acting program. McNulty’s career includes performances on stages around the world, as well as roles in the major motion film “Brubaker” and the television series “Tales from the Darkside.” He is a long-standing member, actor, and director at the Actors Theatre of Louisville acting company and has worked with the Humana Festival since 1977. McNulty received a Fox Foundation Fellowship, which is awarded to regional theatre actors. He has played over 150 roles, as well as directed and produced.

Jennifer Bielstein loves the art form and experience of live theatre and believes that it can change people’s lives. Bielstein is managing director of Actors Theatre of Louisville where she oversees finance, marketing, fundraising and general operations for one of America’s most innovative theatre companies. Every year Bielstein manages one of the nation’s most prestigious new-play events, the Humana Festival while also managing regular season programming. Bielstein moved to Louisville from Chicago, Ill., where she was most recently the executive director of Writer’s Theatre. She also worked for Steppenwolf Theatre Company, About Face Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Apple Tree Theatre, and Lincoln Park Zoo and served on the board of the League of Chicago Theatres. Bielstein is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in business administration and theatre.

Dominic Fumusa is best known for playing "Kevin Peyton" opposite Edie Falco on Showtime's acclaimed show "Nurse Jackie" which ran for seven seasons from 2009-2015. Fumusa's extensive theater experience includes originating roles in the NY premieres of Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss and Passion Play, Richard Greenberg's Tony Award winning Take Me Out (NY and London), Melissa James Gibson's Obie Award winning [sic] and Stephen Belber's plays The Power of Duff, Fault Lines and Tape (NY, London and Los Angeles). His Broadway debut was in the 1998 revival of Wait Until Dark opposite Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino. Select regional theater credits include numerous plays at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Stratford Festival in Canada, the Huntington Theater in Boston, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Humana Festival at the Actors Theater of Louisville. Fumusa's film work includes playing the real life hero John "Tig" Tiegen in this year's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi directed by Michael Bay. Last year Fumusa appeared opposite Will Smith and Margot Robbie in the romantic comedy Focus. Other film work includes Allegiance, Helena from the Wedding, Management and Little New York. Other television work includes upcoming recurring roles on "Homeland" (Showtime) and "Taken"(NBC). He has also had numerous guest and recurring roles on such shows as "Blue Bloods," "Elementary," "Person of Interest," "Damages," "Sex and the City," "The Sopranos," "Bones" and many others. Fumusa earned his BA in Government from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI in 1991 and his MFA in Acting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1994. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, actress and producer Ilana Levine, and their two children, Georgia and Caleb. 

It's easy to mistake Lisa Kron for a comedian due to her wry wit, self effacing nature, and comic timing, but Kron is a rarity in the theater word as she doesn't take herself too seriously. An actor and Tony winning playwright, Kron prefers to write and perform characters who can roam emotionally. She grounds comedy in reality and she can depict her own characters and others with equal dexterity and vulnerability. In our interview, Kron talks about writing her first musical Fun Home with composer Jeanine Tesori, that is based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. We also discuss The Ver**zon Play, which premiered 2012 Humana Festival, and surprisingly did not turn her into a Sprint customer. Kron was a downtown darling in New York's theater world, but her show Well put her on the proverbial international map when it was named “Best Play of 2004” by the New York Times, moved to Broadway, and she and her co-star Jayne Houdyshell received Tony nods. Kron wrote and starred in Well, as she did with 2.5...

Ryan and I got to chatting on my way back home from Humana Festival in Louisville. He lives above an honest to goodness tailor. We talked shop about video games, spirits, and of course, opera.

Paid Actor and host, Trena Bolden Fields, welcomes Kristoffer Diaz to the show.  Kristoffer Diaz is a playwright and educator living and working in Brooklyn. Full-length titles include The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, Welcome to Arroyo’s, The Upstairs Concierge, and The Unfortunates. Awards: 2011 New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award; finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; winner, 2011 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play; winner, 2011 OBIE Award, Best New American Play; and the inaugural Gail Merrifield Papp Fellowship from The Public Theater (2011). His work has been produced, commissioned, and developed at The Public Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Geffen Playhouse, Center Theatre Group, The Goodman, Second Stage, Victory Gardens, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actors Theatre of Louisville, American Theater Company, The Atlantic, InterAct, Mixed Blood, The Orchard Project, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, Summer Play Festival, Donmar Warehouse, and South Coast Repertory, among many others. He has written short work for the 24 Hour Musicals and the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway. Kristoffer was one of the creators of Brink!, the apprentice anthology show at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays. He is a playwright-in-residence at Teatro Vista; a resident playwright at New Dramatists; a co-founder of the Unit Collective (Minneapolis); the creator of the #freescenes project; and a recipient of the Jerome Fellowship, the Future Aesthetics Artist Regrant and the Van Lier Fellowship (New Dramatists). Kristoffer holds a BA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, an MFA from NYU’s Department of Dramatic Writing, and an MFA from Brooklyn College’s Performing Arts Management program.

Jonathan and Kelly duel over Amy Herzog's play about sexual abuse and repressed memory. Then Jonathan reports on three news plays from the Humana Festival, two of which are heading to Chicago

This week on The Big Break, Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach reflects on tech week for "Sleep Rock Thy Brain," the apprentice play that opened last weekend in the Humana Festival of New American Plays. (The music in this week's episode is from "Sleep Rock Thy Brain," composed and performed by Scott Anthony, the show's composer and sound designer.) Over at the Louisville Ballet, trainee Claire Horrocks, who also teaches at the ballet school, describes the joyful madness that is a spring showcase, a true community effort at the Louisville Ballet School.

On our audio diary series The Big Break, our emerging performers encounter some surprises on stage and learn that every show brings its unique challenges and opportunities. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach receives her crew assignments from her Humana Festival "bible," Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks re-learns how to walk like "a real person" in "Romeo and Juliet" and Kentucky Opera studio artist Brad Raymond enjoys some noir-infused fun in "Don Giovanni."

This week on The Big Break, our audio diarists take us inside the rehearsal process for a brand-new play and out into the schools for ballet demonstrations. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach works with playwright Lucas Hnath on "Night, Night," his act of "Sleep Rock Thy Brain," the high-flying apprentice showcase opening in the Humana Festival of New American Plays this month. The ballet company takes the week off, but not the trainees, so Claire Horrocks takes us into the schools with the trainee demonstration program.

On our audio diary series The Big Break, two of our emerging performers take us inside rehearsals for upcoming productions while a third says farewell to Louisville. Over at the Louisville Ballet, trainee Claire Horrocks discusses the gravity of the understudy role in rehearsal, while at Actors Theatre of Louisville, apprentice Samantha Beach sits in on rehearsals for the five productions opening soon in the Humana Festival of New American Plays.

On our audio diary series The Big Break, our apprentices gear up for audition season. Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks explains why January kicks off her least favorite time of year, while Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach explains the audition showcase the apprentices host for casting directors and agents during the Humana Festival.

On our audio diary series The Big Break, two of our artists stretch their artistic muscles in rehearsal this week. Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks finds the most difficult work in her upcoming Choreographer Showcase is a contemporary dance, because she has focused so intently on ballet movements since she started college. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach takes to the air in rehearsals for the Humana Festival apprentice showcase "Sleep Rock Thy Brain," a collection of one-act plays that all feature flying—as in, strap the actors into harnesses, hoist them high and let them act in mid-air—as a metaphor for sleep.

This week on The Big Break, our audio diarists talk about being on both sides of the showcase process. Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice Samantha Beach is rehearsing for her short scene showcase, which will be seen by casting directors and other influential industry members during Humana Festival. That's one way the apprentice program helps young actors like Samantha set up their post-Actors career. Over at the Louisville Ballet School, where ballet trainee Claire Horrocks teaches, her young students are preparing for their annual recital.

The Humana Festival of New American Plays: How did the Festival get started 37 years ago and what's shaped its growth into the foremost theater festival of new work in America, how plays are selected -- and previews of the plays that will be in the 2013 Festival in March.

The Humana Festival of New American Plays: How did the Festival get started 37 years ago and what's shaped its growth into the foremost theater festival of new work in America, how plays are selected -- and previews of the plays that will be in the 2013 Festival in March.

This week on our new audio diary series, "The Big Break," Louisville Ballet trainee Claire Horrocks moonlights as a teacher, while Actors Theatre apprentice Samantha Beach works a fundraiser for the theater's annual Humana Festival. Kentucky Opera studio artist Brad Raymond figures out how to make his busy rehearsal schedule accommodate his second job and his first love.

Preview video of Great Falls by Lee Blessing, part of the 32nd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays onstage now thru Mar 30. More information about the Humana Festival online at http://www.actorstheatre.org/humana.htm

A Look at Marc Bamuthi Joseph, playwright/performer for "the break/s," part of the 32nd annual Humana Festival of New American Plays on stage now through Mar 30. More information about the Humana Festival online at http://www.actorstheatre.org/humana.htm

Actors Justin Huen and Kevin Randolph Smith talk about their experiences performing and what it's like to be part of the Humana Festival.

Courier-Journal critic Judith Egerton talks about the challenge of reviewing new plays, the significance of the Humana Festival and the way Louisville audiences shape the future of festival plays.

Playwright Alice Tuan and Director Whit MacLaughlin talk about their play, "Batch: An American Bachelor/ette Party Spectacle," created with New Paradise Laboratories.

Resident Costume Designer Lorraine Venberg talks about the process and experience of researching and designing costumes for the festival.

Playwright Ken Weitzman talks about his play "The As If Body Loop."

Playwright Sherry Kramer talks about her play "When Something Wonderful Ends."

Playwright Naomi Iizuka talks about her play "Strike-Slip."

Resident Scenic Designer Paul Owen talks about incubating ideas and creating new worlds for the Humana Festival.

Artistic Director Marc Masterson talks about the importance of producing new work for the continued vitality of the American Theatre.

Playwright Craig Wright talks about his play, "The Unseen."

Playwright Carlos Murillo talks about his play, "dark play or stories for boys."