Podcasts about joseph jefferson awards

Christopher Akerlind, has designed lighting, and occasionally scenery, for over 650 productions of theater, opera, and dance across the U.S. and around the world, including 24 shows on Broadway. Chris's recent work includes Waiting for Godot at Theatre for a New Audience, Lynn Nottage's play Clyde's on Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, The Light in the Piazza, for which he won his first Tony, Paula Vogel's play Indecent, winning him both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards, Rocky the Musical, which garnered him a Tony nomination, Sting's musical The Last Ship, and The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, for which he was also Tony nominated. Among Chris's other Broadway lighting designs are: August Wilson's The Piano Lesson and Seven Guitars, Talk Radio, and the musical, Waitress.Chris's numerous shows not on Broadway include: Scene with Cranes for CalArts Center for New Performance; the premiere of M Butterfly for the Santa Fe Opera; and Martha Clarke's devised pieces God's Fool, Angel Reapers, and Cheri. Chris has also received an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, four Drama Desk Awards, the Michael Merritt Award for Design and Collaboration, two Chicago area Joseph Jefferson Awards, as well as numerous nominations for the Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Outer Critics Circle Awards.Chris has taught lighting design at schools like Cal Arts, USC, CMU, and his alma mater, Yale.

Today on What's My Frame I'm joined by award-winning composer and sound designer Lindsay Jones. Lindsay's resume is extensive spanning mediums, genres and decades. He not only is a Tony nominee, a respected professor but an extremely passionate advocate for the arts and safe working conditions. Lindsay's Broadway credits include Slave Play, The Nap, Bronx Bombers and A Time To Kill; and a nomination for a Tony for Best Score and Best Sound Design of a Play. His off-Broadway work has been heard at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, MCC, Primary Stages, and many others. International credits include works at Royal Shakespeare Festival (UK), Stratford Festival (Canada), and many others. Lindsay has created music and sound for over 500 productions in regional theatres across the US. Awards include seven Joseph Jefferson Awards and twenty-four nominations, 2 ASCAP Plus Awards, two Ovation Awards and three nominations, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award and two nominations, as well as multiple nominations for Drama Desk Awards, Helen Hayes Awards, Barrymore Awards, and many others. In film/television, he has created original score for over 35 projects, including HBO Films' A Note Of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject. His work encompasses features like The View From Tall, Ash, and The Brass Teapot; TV shows such as Sony Pictures' series Family Practice for Lifetime Television, shorts such as The Follower, House Of Stairs, and Grace; and full-length documentaries such as Hearing Voices and Cleveland. In podcasts, Lindsay is the in-house composer/sound designer for the weekly podcast The Imagine Neighborhood, produced by the Committee For Children, and for the ongoing Play On series for Next Chapter Podcasts. Other podcast and audio drama work includes A Streetcar Named Desire (starring Audra McDonald) for Audible, Team Up (starring Susan Sarandon and Timothy Busfield) for Marvel, Wormwood (featuring Kevin Kline) for Real Jetpacks Productions, Hamlet for KPBS/The Old Globe, Soundstage for Playwrights Horizons, Twelfth Night and Measure For Measure for Chicago Shakespeare, and The Intersect for Micromass. In education and advocacy Lindsay is an adjunct professor of sound design at University of North Carolina School Of The Arts. Other universities where he's taught include Yale, Juilliard, Northwestern, Purdue, Depaul, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine, Rutgers, University of Illinois, and Chapman. He is a founding member and the co-chair of the executive board of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), and co-founded The Collaborator Party with John Gromada. He is also a founding member of NO MORE 10 Out Of 12's, an advocacy group dedicated to safe working environments in theatre. Now let's get to the conversation!! To learn more about Lindsay's work visit his site, here To get plugged in with TSDCA --- Hosted by Laura Linda Bradley Join the WMF creative community now! Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@whatsmyframe⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@whatsmyframe⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠IMDb⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠What's My Frame? official site ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Join our monthly newsletter!⁠⁠⁠ What's My Frame? merch⁠⁠⁠⁠ Proceeds will be donated to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to support actors affected by the strikes. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whats-my-frame/support

Dean Richards, entertainment reporter for WGN, joins Bob Sirott to provide the latest news in entertainment. Bob and Dean talk about Melissa Joan Hart’s rescue of kids from the Nashville school shooting, the Joseph Jefferson Awards, and Jeremy Renner’s first public appearance. They also share details about Robert Downey Jr.’s chewing gum up for auction, […]

Jessie talks turkey-- er, brisket, rather, with Lindsay Jones for his Dadplicant interview, Lindsay Jones is an award-winning composer and sound designer. In theatre, he has been nominated for the Tony Awards of Best Score and Best Sound Design of a Play. His Broadway credits include Slave Play, The Nap, Bronx Bombers and A Time To Kill. His off-Broadway work has been heard at Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater, MCC, Primary Stages, and many others. International credits include works at Royal Shakespeare Festival (UK), Stratford Festival (Canada), and many others. Lindsay has created music and sound for over 500 productions in regional theatres across the US. Awards include seven Joseph Jefferson Awards and twenty-four nominations, 2 ASCAP Plus Awards, two Ovation Awards and three nominations, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, a San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award and two nominations, as well as multiple nominations for Drama Desk Awards, Helen Hayes Awards, Barrymore Awards, and many others. In film, he has created original score for over 35 projects, including HBO Films' A Note Of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin, which won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Documentary, Short Subject. His work encompasses features like The View From Tall, Ash, and The Brass Teapot; shorts such as The Follower, House Of Stairs, and Grace; and full-length documentaries such as Hearing Voices and Cleaveland. In television and commercials, Lindsay created the score for Sony Pictures' series Family Practice for Lifetime Television, as well as Brothers-In-Law for Jay-O Productions. Original music for commercials includes clients like Martha Stewart, Staples, Nike, Smarty Pants, and many others. In podcasts, Lindsay is currently the in-house composer/sound designer for the weekly podcast The Imagine Neighborhood, produced by the Committee For Children. Other podcast and audio drama work includes A Streetcar Named Desire (starring Audra McDonald) for Audible, Wormwood (featuring Kevin Kline) for Real Jetpacks Productions, Soundstage for Playwrights Horizons, and The Intersect for Micromass. In video games, Lindsay created the original music and sound design for The Digits: Fraction Blast, available now on iOS and Android platforms. In education, Lindsay is currently an adjunct professor of sound design at University of North Carolina School Of The Arts. Other universities where he's taught include Yale, Juilliard, Northwestern, Purdue, Depaul, NYU, UCLA, UCSD, UC Irvine, Rutgers, University of Illinois, and Chapman. In advocacy, Lindsay is a founding member and the co-chair of the executive board of Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA), and co-founded The Collaborator Party with John Gromada. In 2018, Lindsay and John received a special citation from USITT for their work on behalf of the theatre community. Taking Dadplications is an Opus Nox Media production. Music and cover art by Nick Jenkins. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/taking-dadplications/support

Peter Abrams:Peter Abrams, is a 21 year old award-winning comedian and musician, author, speaker and entrepreneur who found his lucky break by working and becoming the mentee of Russell Brand. In just two years; he has been fortunate enough to perform at a wide range of events including notable stages such as TED, Mind Body Spirit London,The National Science Museum, Glastonbury and Madison Square Garden toname a few. He has published one book titled Our Story Called Life, which looked at the meaning of life by comparing numerous cultures' belief systems, quite a unique concept for a book written by a then eighteen year old.The book sold fantastically for a first-time author and allowed to speak at prestigious events including a TED-talk this November and The National Science Museum.This journey led him to comedy and subsequently music, which for the last two years he has performed extensively in the United Kingdom and recently internationally on my 'Life is a Joke' tour which spanned 12 countries including the United States, China and Australia. He has beenfortunate and successful and has performed at venues including The Comedy Store, The Boiler-room, Glastonbury and Latitude Festival.He is the front man for the UK band Current Affairs with their new EP Love and Other Drugs dropping soon.https://www.facebook.com/peter.abrams.31Janelle Snow:I've been fortunate to spend my adult life engaging in my twin passions of acting and educating. After receiving a degree in theatre from Northwestern, I went through the Second City Training Center and then spent a couple of years performing improv in Chicago and touring with various improv groups. As part of Wavelength, an ensemble committed to creating shows for educators, my passion for teaching was reignited. I pursued a Master's Degree in Teaching from Harvard University and upon graduation, I spent a few years immersed in teaching acting and drama full time. I eventually returned to my adopted hometown of Chicago and have been blending my passions ever since. I've appeared in dozens of stage productions across Chicago, received two Joseph Jefferson Awards, and have appeared in a slew of commercials as well as various on camera projects, including a recurring role on CHICAGO MED, the upcoming features RAIN BEAU'S END and NOISE AND COLOR, and the short film STAGE FOUR, for which I recently received a Best Actress Nomination from the Midwest Independent Film Festival. I had the distinct honor of working with Jane Alderman behind the camera as she cast multiple television shows and films and have carried the lessons of that experience with me as both a teacher and actor. I'm thrilled to be a member of the faculty of the Theatre School at DePaul, the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and Acting Studio Chicago, where I teach on camera acting and auditioning for the theatre. Also, I love running, crocheting, and cats.https://www.rainbeausend.com/The Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow

Peter Abrams:Peter Abrams, is a 21 year old award-winning comedian and musician, author, speaker and entrepreneur who found his lucky break by working and becoming the mentee of Russell Brand. In just two years; he has been fortunate enough to perform at a wide range of events including notable stages such as TED, Mind Body Spirit London,The National Science Museum, Glastonbury and Madison Square Garden toname a few. He has published one book titled Our Story Called Life, which looked at the meaning of life by comparing numerous cultures' belief systems, quite a unique concept for a book written by a then eighteen year old.The book sold fantastically for a first-time author and allowed to speak at prestigious events including a TED-talk this November and The National Science Museum.This journey led him to comedy and subsequently music, which for the last two years he has performed extensively in the United Kingdom and recently internationally on my 'Life is a Joke' tour which spanned 12 countries including the United States, China and Australia. He has beenfortunate and successful and has performed at venues including The Comedy Store, The Boiler-room, Glastonbury and Latitude Festival.He is the front man for the UK band Current Affairs with their new EP Love and Other Drugs dropping soon.https://www.facebook.com/peter.abrams.31Janelle Snow:I've been fortunate to spend my adult life engaging in my twin passions of acting and educating. After receiving a degree in theatre from Northwestern, I went through the Second City Training Center and then spent a couple of years performing improv in Chicago and touring with various improv groups. As part of Wavelength, an ensemble committed to creating shows for educators, my passion for teaching was reignited. I pursued a Master's Degree in Teaching from Harvard University and upon graduation, I spent a few years immersed in teaching acting and drama full time. I eventually returned to my adopted hometown of Chicago and have been blending my passions ever since. I've appeared in dozens of stage productions across Chicago, received two Joseph Jefferson Awards, and have appeared in a slew of commercials as well as various on camera projects, including a recurring role on CHICAGO MED, the upcoming features RAIN BEAU'S END and NOISE AND COLOR, and the short film STAGE FOUR, for which I recently received a Best Actress Nomination from the Midwest Independent Film Festival. I had the distinct honor of working with Jane Alderman behind the camera as she cast multiple television shows and films and have carried the lessons of that experience with me as both a teacher and actor. I'm thrilled to be a member of the faculty of the Theatre School at DePaul, the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and Acting Studio Chicago, where I teach on camera acting and auditioning for the theatre. Also, I love running, crocheting, and cats.https://www.rainbeausend.com/The Douglas Coleman Show now offers audio and video promotional packages for music artists as well as video promotional packages for authors. Please see our website for complete details. http://douglascolemanshow.comIf you have a comment about this episode or any other, please click the link below.https://ratethispodcast.com/douglascolemanshow

Juan Francisco Villa is an actor, playwright and teaching artist currently residing in Los Angeles. He has worked nationally with both his acting and writing being performed in New York City, Los Angeles, Syracuse, and Chicago. His credits include numerous theatres, including New York Public Theatre, the Goodman, Rattlestick, television including Madame Secretary and The Blacklist, and film. He has been nominated for two Joseph Jefferson Awards, 3 New York Theatre Innovation Awards, won ITBA Patrick Lee Award, and performed in all three of Luis Alfaro's Greek trilogy plays Elictricidad, Oedipus El Rey, and Mojada. Juan's play, Empanada for a Dream, was named best show in Chicago and Los Angeles. Juan did VO for an animated pilot for FX called Little Demon with Aubrey Plaza, Danny Devito and Lucy Devito. He shot an indie called To Leslie with Allison Janney, Marc Marron, Andrea Riseborough, Andrea Royo, Stephen Root. I'm sure Fall of 2021 it will be released. Around that time. Maybe we can see it in theaters then :)

In this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy introduces you to Sarah Gise. Sarah is an award nominated Chicago actor who got her BFA degree for Acting at the University of Southern California (USC). She’s worked a thousand different jobs and gigs because she experiences intense FOMO (fear of missing out), so in addition to acting, she’s dipped her toes into teaching, writing, directing, podcasting, bartending, and coaching. She is currently an ensemble member with Interrobang Theatre Project, and has performed in numerous shows with different companies around Chicago. Her performance in Interrobang Theatre Project’s production of the one woman show THE AMISH PROJECT (2016) was nominated for Best Solo Performance at the 2017 Joseph Jefferson Awards. In addition to theatre, she has appeared in several web series, films, commercials, and audiobooks. Sarah currently works as an Executive Functioning Coach for Effective Artistry, and is the Host/Producer of The ADHD Artist Podcast, which explores and celebrates the lives of artists with ADHD.   Sarah shares: The circumstances surrounding her ADHD diagnosis Her childhood symptoms Why she chose to study the arts Her experience with medication What made her start The ADHD Artist Podcast The key to living successfully with ADHD   Resources: Actor website: http://sarahgise05.wixsite.com/sarahgise ADHD Artist Podcast: https://linktr.ee/Theadhdartistpod  Effective Artistry: EffectiveArtistry.com UCLA Mindfulness (the one Sarah uses every day is the first one, "Breathing Meditation" 5 min): uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations The Headspace App Interrobang Theatre Project: interrobangtheatreproject.com   Tracy's FREE 5-day workshop, How to Fall in Love with Your ADHD Brain  

Here she is, world! This week’s episode delves into Gypsy, for which Sondheim wrote lyrics with music by Jule Styne and a book by Arthur Laurents. Weber’s guests include Klea Blackhurst (Gypsy and Hazel at Drury Lane Theatre and known for her award- winning tribute to Ethel Merman: Everything The Traffic Will Allow), E. Faye Butler (Porchlight’s own Jeff Award-winning "Madame Rose") and Marc Robin (Artistic Director of Pennsylvania's historic Fulton Theatre and recipient of 16 Joseph Jefferson Awards with 42 nominations). Edited by Austin Packard Originally premiered Saturday, May 16, 2020 at Facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre ( https://app.redcircle.com/shows/b5ad8de4-802f-4e56-974c-413004ccc672/ep/Facebook.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre ). New episodes every Saturday at 7pm CT! Watch with video at YouTube.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre ( https://app.redcircle.com/shows/b5ad8de4-802f-4e56-974c-413004ccc672/ep/YouTube.com/PorchlightMusicTheatre )

Hear what Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba (CONTACT) has to say about music, dance, her first Broadway show, A CHORUS LINE, and of course, the North Carolina Theatre production of ANNIE.  About the Guest Karen Ziemba received the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in CONTACT at Lincoln Center Theatre. For some of her other NYC and regional appearances, she’s garnered three Tony Award nominations, the Drama Desk, the Outer Critics Circle, the Bay Area Theatre Critics, and Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Awards. Select theatre credits: PRINCE OF BROADWAY, STEEL PIER, CURTAINS, CRAZY FOR YOU, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY, NEVER GONNA DANCE, AND THE WORLD GOES ROUND, KID VICTORY, 110 IN THE SHADE, DO I HEAR A WALTZ, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, GYPSY, SWEENEY TODD, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, OTHER PEOPLES MONEY, SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS and BROADWAY BOUND. TV: MADAM SECRETARY, ELEMENTARY, THE GOOD WIFE, LAW AND ORDER, THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, and PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES. Resources https://nctheatre.com/ (NC Theatre) https://www.karenziemba.com/ (Karen Ziemba Webpage) Credits Musical excerpts used in this episode are from the 2010 North Carolina Theatre production of ANNIE, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin. Connect with RDU on Stage Facebook – @rduonstage Twitter – @rduonstage Instagram – @rduonstage Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.rduonstage.com) Support this podcast

Longtime Goodman Producer/Director Steve Scott joined the conversation in October 2016 to talk about the 2016 production - and 39th Annual - of A Christmas Carol and his career in Chicago theatre. Scott, who retired from the Goodman after 40 years service earlier this year, will be honored at the 2017 Joseph Jefferson Awards on November 6th, 2017. Season 1 Episode 13 Recorded October 24, 2016

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

Gary and the Booth One crew are pleased to welcome award-winning artistic director of Court Theatre, Mr. Charles Newell to the program. Court is the resident professional theater company of the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. Charlie has been AD at Court since 1994. Under his leadership, Court has, in the words of playwright Tony Kushner, "developed a spectacular reputation as one of the most important theaters in the country." Charlie's directing credits span a spectrum from classic Shakespeare to world premiere dramas and comedies, from musicals to opera. He is the recipient of four Joseph Jefferson Awards for directing, and has been honored by TCG and the League of Chicago Theatres for artistic achievement. Charlie is one of the finest theatrical artists working in America today and refers to himself as "the luckiest man in show business." Newell grew up in the Washington, DC area and first fell in love with theater when he saw an Arena Stage production of Death of a Salesman as a young boy. He studied at Wesleyan University, then honed his craft through a series of professional apprenticeships with some of the country's most outstanding theater artists, including Garland Wright at the Tyrone Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Charlie's most recent work is a production of Tom Stoppard's The Hard Problem. The title comes from philosopher David Chalmers' term to describe scientific efforts to understand consciousness. We discuss this play in depth as well as Newell's close relationship with Mr. Stoppard. Charlie and Tom have consulted personally on a number of other Stoppard productions Charlie has directed. For this one, they had almost daily conversations about the play during rehearsals. In his early career as a stage manager, Gary had the great privilege to work on the Broadway and National touring productions of Stoppard's The Real Thing. He and Charlie trade stories about working with Stoppard and what a true man of the theater he really is. Much like Stoppard's other works, The Hard Problem is a tricky play to fully comprehend on a single viewing. Charlie talks about the way Stoppard's focus is centered on the emotional connections between the characters rather than the intellectual ideas. "If one can find the heart of it, the rest will fall into place." We think you will find the discussion illuminating and fascinating. Court Theatre takes full advantage of being part of the University of Chicago. In 2010, with the support of some very generous members of the Board of Trustees, Court created The Center for Classic Theatre. "A new way of approaching what it means for a professional theatre to be in residence at a major university. It is an approach to producing that fully accesses the amazing intellectual resources that surround the theatre. This vision influences how Court Theatre builds seasons and serves its audience and community." The results have been exciting. For instance, this season Court produced the widely acclaimed world premiere of Man in the Ring. Playwright Michael Cristopher won the best new play award from the American Theatre Critics Association. Still to come this season at Court is a rare production of Mary Chase's Harvey. Recently announced for the 2017-18 subscription season: Five Guys Named Moe; The Belle of Amhurst directed by friend of the show  Sean Graney and starring Kate Fry; All My Sons; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner; and The Originalist with Edward Gero as Supreme Court Judge Antonin Scalia. Some final personal information about Charlie - Favorite City? Chicago (no surprise there!); Other career he would have liked to pursue? Basketball Coach or General Manager. The Chicago Bulls may be looking! Kiss of Death: Gilbert Baker, a self-described "gay Betsy Ross," and creator of the original Rainbow Flag that has become an enduring and universal symbol for inclusion, peace and love. The original banner, created for the 1978 Gay Pride parade in San Francisco,

Maripat Donovan. Maripat is the star and co-writer of "Late Night Catechism," which won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. There have been six sequels to Late Night. In Chicago, Maripat earned two Joseph Jefferson Awards for her role in "Portrait of a Shiksa" as member of the ensemble The Good Times are Killing Me. She’s presently traveling around the country with her new show "I Married a Neanderthal, and Other Modern Problems."

Aimee Garcia stars as tough young helicopter pilot Marisa Benez in NBC’s new ensemble medical drama series, "Trauma." Best known for her role as Andy Garcia's daughter and George Lopez’s niece, Veronica Palmero, on "The George Lopez Show," she is currently the only Latina in her generation to be on syndicated television. In 2007, she was nominated for both an Alma and Imagen Award for "Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series." Garcia is an actress of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She began at age 7 as a professional dancer in Paul Mejia’s "Cinderella" at the Auditorium Theater, and by age 12 was dancing 20 shows a month as Clara in "The Nutcracker" which led to her first commercial as a dancer. She then began taking acting lessons at the Piven Theater Workshop, whose alumni include John Cusack, Joan Cusack and Jeremy Piven. In high school, she won the Chicago Tribune’s Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Maria, in the immigrant saga "Journey of the Sparrows." She also starred in "Island of the Blue Dolphins," which was nominated for seven Joseph Jefferson Awards. Garcia’s success in Chicago theater gave her the opportunity to land screen tests for roles in Baz Luhrmann’s "Romeo and Juliet" and the biopic "Selena." Garcia graduated as a triple major in economics, journalism and French from Northwestern University. There, she built her own summer theater curriculum, and combined her singing and dancing talents to nab the lead role of Diana Morales in "A Chorus Line" for Broadway choreographer Mitzi Hamilton.