Podcast appearances and mentions of Joann M Hunter

JOANN M HUNTER (part 1) -  the legend herself! A prolific dancer and performer turned choreographer, Joann's been dazzling us on stages around the world for many, many years, and she shows no signs of stopping!   Join us to learn about her unique and wild story…from being born in Japan, to dropping out of high school and moving to New York on her own at age 17! Find out what incredible lessons she learned from dancing with Jerome Robbins himself. And just how many times was she typed out for Cats?  Do students today even know who Liberace is? And what did a notable director say to her at an intermission that resulted in her giving her notice that very night?    Join me for a joy-filled discussion about Joann's epic journey, and what she's learned about both sides of the business. And settle in… it's a two parter! So, as Joann herself says, “Bring some wine, and listen!”     INSTAGRAM: @joann_m_hunter  |  WEBSITE: joannmhunter.com ---------------------------------- Follow / Subscribe so you never miss an episode! And please take 2 minutes to leave a 5 ⭐️ star review if you like this episode! It will help make this podcast more visible, and reach more musical theatre lovers! Your positive review really does make a huge difference! Thank you for being here! Feel free to share this on your socials!  David Eggers   ---> Sign up for info about the upcoming book, The Mental Game of Musical Theatre (Routledge Publishing) here: https://profeggers.com ---> Follow: @profeggers on IG and TT / Contact: david@profeggers.com

JOANN M HUNTER (part 2) - The legend herself! A prolific dancer and performer turned choreographer, Joann's been dazzling us on stages around the world for many, many years, and she shows no signs of stopping!   Join us to learn about her unique and wild story…from being born in Japan, to dropping out of high school and moving to New York on her own at age 17! Find out what incredible lessons she learned from dancing with Jerome Robbins himself. And just how many times was she typed out for Cats?  Do students today even know who Liberace is? And what did a notable director say to her at an intermission that resulted in her giving her notice that very night?    Join me for a joy-filled discussion about Joann's epic journey, and what she's learned about both sides of the business. And settle in… it's a two parter! So, as Joann herself says, “Bring some wine, and listen!”     INSTAGRAM: @joann_m_hunter  |  WEBSITE: joannmhunter.com ---------------------------------- Follow / Subscribe so you never miss an episode! And please take 2 minutes to leave a 5 ⭐️ star review if you like this episode! It will help make this podcast more visible, and reach more musical theatre lovers! Your positive review really does make a huge difference! Thank you for being here! Feel free to share this on your socials!  David Eggers   ---> Sign up for info about the upcoming book, The Mental Game of Musical Theatre (Routledge Publishing) here: https://profeggers.com ---> Follow: @profeggers on IG and TT / Contact: david@profeggers.com

A career in musical theatre is hard, no matter how wonderful your training is or how developed your skills are, because of the vulnerability it requires, the rejection you have to continually face, plus all the fierce competition at every audition, and the head-games and negative self-talk we get into with ourselves.   The Mental Game of Musical Theatre is all about helping you persevere through the mental challenges that inevitably come up along the way, while you're pursuing, building, and maintaining your musical theatre career.   Host David Eggers and his esteemed guests - working musical theatre artists at every level and at every point in the journey - share the most intimate details of their experiences while building their musical theatre careers...   the self-doubt the audition nerves (and ways to handle theme) the "almost but not quite" jobs the dream jobs the Tony awards the breaks that seemed like pure luck the healthy practices the best advice ever received things they know now that they wish they knew then   ... and so much more in every episode!   SUBSCRIBE so you never miss an episode!   Upcoming guests include: Gavin Creel, Raymond J. Lee, Kelli O'Hara, JoAnn M. Hunter, Francis Jue, T. Oliver Reid, Darren Lee, David Hyde Pierce, Deb Monk, André Ward, Bonnie Milligan, Sutton Foster, Robyn Hurder, Telly Lueng... and many, many more!   LEAVE A TOP NOTCH REVIEW if you like an episode, at all! Please.   That will help make this podcast visible to more more people. And the more people we reach, the more musical theatre folks we'll be able to help to persevere in their efforts toward achieving their musical theatre dreams! Your positive review really does make a huge difference!   Thank you for checking out the Preview! Please share it with your friends & followers on your socials!    David Eggers ---> Sign up for info about the upcoming book, The Mental Game of Musical Theatre (Routledge Publishing) here: https://profeggers.com   Follow: @profeggers on IG and TT / Contact: david@profeggers.com

JoAnn M Hunter started her career as a Broadway dancer/actor/singer. JoAnn says "collaboration is key, and when it works it is golden." Her work as is known from Broadway to the West End, Australia and Asia. Her most recent choreography was seen in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Bad Cinderella. JoAnn joins us today as the Director/Choreographer of SuperYou, a brand new musical that debuted in Milwalkee as part of World Premier Wisconsin. The reviews have been stellar and the show has had standing ovation finishes night after night. SuperYou will be one day be seen on Broadway and JoAnn is going to take the Great White Way by storm. Find out more about JoAnn at JoAnnMHunter.com. Follow SuperYou Musical and connect with them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Twitter. Thanks to our sponsors at BrainLoveHealth.com. Please support UnsilencedVoices.org.  We thank Smith Sisters and the Sunday Drivers for our theme song, "She is You". Connect with Word of Mom on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. WordofMomRadio.com - sharing the wisdom of women, in business and in life.  

JOANN M. HUNTER (IG:@joann_m_hunter)(LI:@joann-m-hunter)has 20 Broadway shows to her credit as a Choreographer, Assoc Choreographer and Performer. Choreography includes: Broadway – SCHOOL OF ROCK (Bdway and West End), DISASTER, ON A CLEAR DAY…, BROADWAY BOUND. Off Broadway – ROCK AND ROLL REFUGEE, DEDALUS LOUNGE, THE TWELVE (workshop). National Tour/Regional:  A SIGN OF THE TIMES (Goodspeed) by Bruce Vilanch,  HARMONY (Ahmanson Theatre) by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, World premier of Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes' THE NUTTY PROFESSOR directed by Jerry Lewis. Nat'l tour of CHTTY CHITTY BANG BANG. PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, GREASE, OLIVER and CURTAINS all at (PMP). She has directed Debra Monk in her one woman show with special guest Ron Rifkin, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, and David Hyde Pierce. In development,  Lourds Lane superhero rock musical CHIX 6 and PERFECT SPIRAL, conceived by JoAnn is a ballet with words about the will to do what you were born to do regardless of a possible outcome, the loss of your own identity. Assoc Broadway Choreographer – SPRING AWAKENING, CURTAINS, THE WEDING SINGER, ALL SHOOK UP. As a performer,  THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, THOU SHALT NOT, KISS ME KATE, CHICAGO, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED…, STEEL PIER, HOW TO SUCCEED…, DAMN YANKEES, GUYS AND DOLLS, MISS SAIGON, SHOGUN THE MUSICAL, JEROME ROBBINS BROADWAY.

JOANN M. HUNTER (IG:@joann_m_hunter)(LI:@joann-m-hunter)has 20 Broadway shows to her credit as a Choreographer, Assoc Choreographer and Performer. Choreography includes: Broadway – SCHOOL OF ROCK (Bdway and West End), DISASTER, ON A CLEAR DAY…, BROADWAY BOUND. Off Broadway – ROCK AND ROLL REFUGEE, DEDALUS LOUNGE, THE TWELVE (workshop). National Tour/Regional:  A SIGN OF THE TIMES (Goodspeed) by Bruce Vilanch,  HARMONY (Ahmanson Theatre) by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, World premier of Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes' THE NUTTY PROFESSOR directed by Jerry Lewis. Nat'l tour of CHTTY CHITTY BANG BANG. PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES, GREASE, OLIVER and CURTAINS all at (PMP). She has directed Debra Monk in her one woman show with special guest Ron Rifkin, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, and David Hyde Pierce. In development,  Lourds Lane superhero rock musical CHIX 6 and PERFECT SPIRAL, conceived by JoAnn is a ballet with words about the will to do what you were born to do regardless of a possible outcome, the loss of your own identity. Assoc Broadway Choreographer – SPRING AWAKENING, CURTAINS, THE WEDING SINGER, ALL SHOOK UP. As a performer,  THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, THOU SHALT NOT, KISS ME KATE, CHICAGO, A FUNNY THING HAPPENED…, STEEL PIER, HOW TO SUCCEED…, DAMN YANKEES, GUYS AND DOLLS, MISS SAIGON, SHOGUN THE MUSICAL, JEROME ROBBINS BROADWAY.

There's no better way to send off 2021 than by listening to Part 2 of my episode with amazing choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter. Tune in today for a revealing and fascinating conversation about her choreography career, which includes such shows as School of Rock, Disaster, On a Clear Day, and more. Stories and insights abound: what she looks for in auditions, why it's hard to cast child actors, preparing the Tonys number for Spring Awakening, how she cast Prince Charming in Cinderella, why she never writes anything down, why Disaster didn't find as much success as it could have, having a meeting with Jerry Lewis, what it's like collaborating with Barry Manilow, and so much more.

Today, I am so happy to announce my episode with one of Broadway's most in-demand director/choreographers, Joann M. Hunter. On this episode, she discusses her career as a Broadway dancer, including the prank she played on Jonathan Pryce, why she loves working with Susan Stroman, rehearsing for 6 months with Jerome Robbins, putting Bebe Neuwirth into Chicago, what it's like performing on the Tonys, the two Broadway shows she got without auditioning, going on at the last minute in Kiss Me, Kate, having her pig kidnapped by Sergio Trujillo, her mishap-filled audition for Thoroughly Modern Millie, and much more!

JoAnn M. Hunter is a performer and choreographer with 20 Broadway credits and five US National tours on her resume, including Jerome Robbins' Broadway (her Broadway debut), Miss Saigon, Guys and Dolls, Damn Yankees, Chicago, Spring Awakening, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, School of Rock, Kiss Me Kate, Curtains, She Loves Me, and most recently Disaster!. She is now across the pond choreographing Andrew Lloyd Webber's brand new Cinderella, set to open soon on the West End. Born in Japan, and raised in a small town in Rhode Island, JoAnn grew up as a first generation Japanese American in a “very white place”. She found somewhere she felt like she belonged around age 10 when she began taking dance classes, and later, after spending a high school summer dancing in NYC, she dropped out to move to New York and pursue a career.  JoAnn talks with us about working on Andrew Llloyd Webber's Cinderella, a new iteration of the classic musical set to open in London's West End at the end of July, and also opens up about her working relationship with Webber himself. She shares her hopes for the theater community as a whole to collectively come together and figure out how to make live performance work in the midst of a pandemic, circumstances no one alive has ever encountered before. JoAnn also chronicles her journey from performer to choreographer, a journey she admits was not easy nor a conscious decision, but later realized she actually loved it more than she anticipated.  In this episode, we talk about:  How Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella differs from other revivals  Frustration over societies devotion to sports over the arts  The impact of theatre immediately following September 11th  Leaving school for New York City as a high schooler  The lack of protocols for reopening theatre in the U.S.  Connect with JoAnn: IG: @joann_m_hunter Twitter: @joannmhunter On the web 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. Thank you to our friends Jukebox The Ghost for our intro and outro music. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @jukeboxtheghost or via the web via jukeboxtheghost.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm so excited to welcome back New York Theatre Barn's Artistic Director Joe Barros & Associate Artistic Director Jen Sandler to discuss the lessons Joe & Jen have learned from running a non-profit theatre. Listen to Part 1 of our interview here! We discussed how New York Theatre Barn pivoted during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Join New York Theatre Barn on Wednesday (5/19) at 7pm for their first Choreography Lab of 2021, JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock, Harmony), Denis Jones (Tootsie, Honeymoon in Vegas), and Lorin Latarro (Mrs. Doubtfire, Waitress) will mentor three choreographers who will create conceptual choreography for a new musical in development called The Lesson. Watch the Choreography Lab virtually on New York Theatre Lab's YouTube Channel The Lesson is a reimagining of a chance encounter between a revolutionary Beethoven and a more-established Mozart in Vienna in 1787. Music/Lyrics by Avi Amon and Nolan Doran (Head Over Heels). Book by Ty Defoe (Straight White Men). The show was featured in New York Theatre Barn's award-winning New Works Series and was included in the Choreography Lab (with choreography by Shiloh Goodin) earlier in its development. The company has partnered with Full Out Creative who will collaborate with the choreographers on filming their pieces. Connect with New York Theatre Barn: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Connect with Joe Barros: Website Facebook Twitter Instagram Connect with Jen Sandler: Facebook Twitter Instagram Like What You Hear? Join my Patreon Family to get backstage perks including advanced notice of interviews, the ability to submit a question to my guests, behind-the-scene videos, and so much more! Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Visit: https://callmeadam.com for more my print/video interviews Special Thanks: My Patreon Family for their continued support: Angelo, Reva and Alan, Marianne, Danielle, Tara, Alex, and The Golden Gays NYC. Join the fun at https://patreon.com/callmeadamnyc. Theme Song by Bobby Cronin (https://bit.ly/2MaADvQ) Podcast Logo by Liam O'Donnell (https://bit.ly/2YNI9CY) Edited by Drew Kaufman (https://bit.ly/2OXqOnw) Outro Music Underscore by CueTique (Website: https://bit.ly/31luGmT, Facebook: @CueTique) More on New York Theatre Barn: New York Theatre Barn is an anti-racist non-profit theatre company that serves as a home for original culture shifting musicals during incubation. The company has been dedicated to incubating new musicals in front of live audiences since 2007. New York Theatre Barn also values musical theatre as one of the world’s supreme healing tools, and creates space for artists to dream about how beautiful and extraordinary the world can be. New York Theatre Barn has three innovative core programming platforms that allow them to incubate new musicals in front of a live audience. New Works Series presents pre-premieres of new musicals in the early stages of development in front of a live and virtual audience. The Choreography Lab is the only curated choreography platform where choreographers and writers collaborate to develop movement for new musicals during incubation. Residencies, mainly for new musicals, have been featured in their New Works Series and Choreography Lab. These shows are chosen for further exploration and development which have included readings, table readings, workshops, writers work sessions, and developmental productions. Click here to find out about their Productions, Projects, & Shows In Development. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus Episode: With Love, Now and Forever! CATS4COVID Relief is a fundraiser conceived by and featuring the cast of the third national tour of CATS. The company of theater artists reunites after 34 years to create an upbeat, inspiring celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber's international musical phenomenon to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Mike is joined by award-winning director Jonathan Cerullo who conceived and produced the fundraiser, Broadway choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter who was an associate producer for the fundraiser, and Grammy Award-winner Leslie Ellis who will performing a spectacular, new performance of the show-stopping “Memory” during the event which will will premiere Friday, October 23 at 8 PM ET / 5PM PST at broadwaycares.org/catsbenefit and will be available through October 27. Produced by: Alan Seales & Broadway Podcast Network Instagram & Twitter: @TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this special episode of Baring It All with Call Me Adam, recorded at Open Jar Studios in Manhattan, I go “Past The Point of No Return” to chat with the cast and creative team of Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Unmasked: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber will be making its world premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ from January 30- March 1. Click here for tickets! Featured in this set of interviews are: Mauricio Martinez and Mamie Parris JoAnn M. Hunter (Director/Choreographer) David Andrew Wilson (Music Supervisor) Rema Webb and Bronson Norris Murphy Jeremy Landon Hays, Dave Schoonover, and Alyssa Giannetti Amy Justman, Alex Finke, and Angel Lozada Nicholas Edwards and Andrew Kober Like what you hear? Then become a member of my Patreon Page for exclusive behind-the-scene perks! For more "Call Me Adam" interviews visit: https://callmeadam.com  Theme Song by Bobby Cronin (https://bit.ly/2MaADvQ)  Podcast Logo by Liam O'Donnell (https://bit.ly/2YNI9CY)  Edited by Drew Kaufman (https://bit.ly/2OXqOnw) Andrew Lloyd Webber has created some of the biggest musical theatre shows in history including: The Woman in White, Cats, School of Rock, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express, Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Sunset Boulevard, Tell Me on a Sunday, Aspects of Love, Beautiful Game, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies.

It's Thursday, and that means Midday's intrepid theater reviewer, J. Wynn Rousuck, is here with another of her weekly reviews of the region's thespian offerings. This week, Judy braved the elements to attend the opening of the new touring production of School of Rock, the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical that's now raising the rafters at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theater.Based on the hit 2003 film, the musical follows Dewy Finn, a down-on-his-luck wannabe rock star who poses as a substitute music teacher at a prestigious prep school to make ends meet. When he discovers that his fifth-graders harbor some extraordinary musical talents, he encourages them to form a rock group and take a shot at winning the Battle of the Bands competition.Andrew Lloyd Weber, who has done more than his share to bring rock and romance to Broadway, has composed 14 new songs for School of Rock, and kept all the original songs from the movie. Directed by Laurance Connor, and choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter, the talented cast includes Bob Coletti as Dewey Finn, Lexie Dorsett Sharp as Rosalie, and a band of young actor/musicians who help deliver the musical's youthful spirit and high-octane score. Music supervision credits go to Ethan Popp.School of Rock continues at the Hippodrome until Sunday, March 25.

JoAnn M. Hunter began her career as a successful Broadway dancer with over 12 Broadway shows to her credit. She has had the privilege of working with some of the most creative directors and choreographers in the industry. I spoke with JoAnn about her early memories of dancing for legends like Jerome Robbins, the process of building a show from start to finish, and the importance of a maintaining an open, collaborative rehearsal environment.

Milling About goes behind-the-scenes with Pump Boys & Dinettes playing The Papermill Playhouse April 6-May 1. Joining host Robin Milling is James Barry (Jim), Julie Foldesi (Prudie), Jason Ostrowski (L.M.), Alysha Umphress (Rhetta) and choreographer JoAnn M. Hunter (School of Rock). All the action takes place on North Carolina's Highway 57. The Pump Boys at the gas station (James, Jason, Gabe Bowling as Jackson and Sam Weber as Eddie) are a musical foursome, playing all their own instruments in the show with styles ranging from the 30s to the 80s. On acoustic guitar is James who tells Robin he grew up playing in rock bands. He says the music in the show features ragtime to classic country, soul and funk. On piano, percussion, accordian and a 'little tap dancing' is Jason, an accomplished pianist who tells Robin tapping while playing accordian was a challenge, 'It's a funny moment because I'm playing accordian while I'm doing it in cowboy boots!' Jason goes from Sondheim to country rock 'n roll having played piano and bass in Company. And then there's the Dinettes of the Double Cupp Diner featuring Julie and Alysha as the Cupp sisters. Julie is musically inclined as well playing ukelele, guitar and piano but had to learn accordian and harmonica for the show. She tells Robin, 'I have my own 'Keep Your Eye on Foldesi' band, sort of bluegrassy folk. I have two albums on iTunes and Amazon!' Alysha trades in her taxi medallion in On The Town as a percussive dinette. She laughs, 'I play tubs, a cheesegrater and a whisk. I do oatmeal. Things you never thought could be played, I play!' Pump Boys and Dinettes premieres April 10 at The Papermill Playhouse. For more information visit www.PaperMill.org/PumpBoys Music provided by Pump Boys and Dinettes Original Broadway Soundtrack  

Start off the summer with the new stars of Grease, Taylor Louderman and Bobby Conte Thornton performing May 28- June 29 at the Papermill Playhouse. They join host Robin Milling during their rehearsal in New York to talk about taking on the beloved roles of Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko. Broadway theater lovers may remember Taylor from Bring It On, but Bobby is making his musical stage debut while still in college balancing musical theater with playing tennis at the University of Michigan. Bobby tells Robin their show promises to take on more inspiration from the stage version than the movie which starred Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. The one change is adding 'Hopelessly Devoted To You' to their show which wasn't in the original musical. The other classic songs remain the same, but the two actors admit they had to step it up a bit learning the 50s style choreography of 'Hand Jive' by JoAnn M. Hunter. For their homework as members of the highschool gangs the Greasers and the Pink Ladies, they can still recall their former selves in highschool. Both Taylor and Bobby are the first in their families to make their way into show business. Bobby comes from a family of scientists while Taylor who grew up in Bourbon, Missouri says 'the cattle population exceeds the human population and there's really no theater!' Their families are very supportive of their careers and will no doubt be front row and center to see them starring in Grease! For more information visit http://www.papermill.org/ Rehearsal photos courtesy of Jerry Dalia