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Pam MacKinnon, Artistic Director of American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Pam McKinnon, has been Artistic Director of ACT — American Conservatory Theatre, since January 2018. A leading interpreter of the works of Edward Albee, she won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a play for a Revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 2013. She was also nominated for a Tony for her direction of Clybourne Park in 2012, as well as winning an Obie for an earlier off-broadway production of that play in 2011. In this interview, she discusses, in depth, the upcoming season, as well as issues involving the area around the Strand Theatre, how the pandemic impacted ACT, and the differences between working in San Francisco and London as a director. The post Pam MacKinnon, Artistic Director, American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.), 2024 appeared first on KPFA.
Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to assorted local theater & book venues Pam MacKinnon, Artistic Director of American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Pam McKinnon, has been Artistic Director of ACT — American Conservatory Theatre, since January 2018. A leading interpreter of the works of Edward Albee, she won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a play for a Revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 2013. She was also nominated for a Tony for her direction of Clybourne Park in 2012, as well as winning an Obie for an earlier off-broadway production of that play in 2011. In this interview, she discusses, in depth, the upcoming season, as well as issues involving the area around the Strand Theatre, how the pandemic impacted ACT, and the differences between working in San Francisco and London as a director. Richard Wolinsky, David Sedaris, Hugh (David's partner), 2018. Pride Month Special Interview: David Sedaris, noted humorist, essayist, and diarist, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded in the KPFA studios, June 28, 2008 while he was on tour for his collection of essays, “When You Are Engulfed in Flames.” In this first of four interviews, he talks about his entry into the world of radio and as a print essayist, along with a deep dive into the fact checking expertise of the folks at The New Yorker magazine. Complete Interview. Review of “Mother Road” by Octavio Solis, at Berkeley Rep Peets Theatre through July 21, 2024. Book Interview/Events and Theatre Links Note: Shows may unexpectedly close early or be postponed due to actors' positive COVID tests. Check the venue for closures, ticket refunds, and vaccination and mask requirements before arrival. Dates are in-theater performances unless otherwise noted. Some venues operate Tuesday – Sunday; others Wednesday or Thursday through Sunday. All times Pacific Time. Closing dates are sometimes extended. Book Stores Bay Area Book Festival See website for highlights from the 10th Annual Bay Area Book Festival, June 1-2, 2024. Book Passage. Monthly Calendar. Mix of on-line and in-store events. Books Inc. Mix of on-line and in-store events. The Booksmith. Monthly Event Calendar. BookShop West Portal. Monthly Event Calendar. Center for Literary Arts, San Jose. See website for Book Club guests in upcoming months. Green Apple Books. Events calendar. Kepler's Books On-line Refresh the Page program listings. Live Theater Companies Actor's Reading Collective (ARC). Calendar of upcoming readings. African American Art & Culture Complex. See website for calendar. Alter Theatre. See website for upcoming productions. American Conservatory Theatre Carrie, The Musical, The Reuff at The Strand, August 1-11. Noel Coward's Private Lives, September 12 – October 6, Toni Rembe Theatre. Aurora Theatre The Lifespan of a Fact by Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, June 21-July 21. Streaming: July 16-21. Awesome Theatre Company. Por La Noche (By Night), October 11 – 26, 2024. See website for information. Berkeley Rep. Mother Road by Octavio Solis, June 14-July 21, Peets Theatre. Berkeley Shakespeare Company. See website for upcoming shows. Boxcar Theatre. The Speakeasy. Must close June 29, 2024 Brava Theatre Center: See calendar for current and upcoming productions. BroadwaySF: Mrs. Doubtfire, July 2-28. Girl from the North Country, July 30-Aug 18, Golden Gate. See website for events at the Orpheum, Curran and Golden Gate. Broadway San Jose: Peter Pan, June 25-30. California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes). As You Like it, September 12 – 29. Center Rep: Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring September 8 -29. Lesher Center for the Arts. Central Works Accused by Patricia Milton, July 13 – August 11. Cinnabar Theatre. La Boheme June 21 – July 5. Club Fugazi. Dear San Francisco ongoing. Check website for Music Mondays listings. Contra Costa Civic Theatre In Repertory: Hamlet and Rosencranz and Gildenstern Are Dead, September 7 – 22. Curran Theater: The Cher Show, June 19-23. Custom Made Theatre. In hibernation. Cutting Ball Theatre. See website for upcoming shows. 42nd Street Moon. Bright Star postponed. Golden Thread 11 Reflections: San Francisco, October 4-5 Brava Theatre Center. See website for other events. Hillbarn Theatre: Always…Patsy Cline, August 22 – September 15. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. See website for upcoming productions. Lower Bottom Playaz Pac and Biggie Are Dead by Biko Eisen-Martin, June 6 – 30, 2024, BAM House, Oakland. Magic Theatre. Magic Gala, August 8, 2024. Richard II by William Shakespeare, August 21 – September 8. See website for other events. Marin Theatre Company Yaga by by Kurt Sondler, October 10 – November 3, 2024. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Upcoming Events Page. New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC) Ride the Cyclone by Jacob Richmond & Brooke Maxwell, September 20 – October 20. Oakland Theater Project. Teatro Jornalero, June 28-29, 7:30 pm. Angels in America, Parts I & II, September 27 – October 26, Odd Salon: Upcoming events in San Francisco & New York, and streaming. Pear Theater. Chaplin and Keaton on the Set of Limelight by Greg Lam, June 28 – July 21, 2024. Presidio Theatre. See website for complete schedule of events and performances. Ray of Light: Legally Blonde, September 7-29, 2024, Victoria Theatre. See website for Spotlight Cabaret Series at Feinstein's at the Nikko (It's Britney, Bitch, July 24). San Francisco Playhouse. Evita, June 27-September 7. 2024. SFBATCO. See website for upcoming streaming and in- theater shows. San Jose Stage Company: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. June 5 – 30. Shotgun Players. Collective Rage by Jen Silverman. July 20 – August 18. South Bay Musical Theatre: No, No Nanette, Sept 28 – Oct. 19. Saratoga Civic Theater. Stagebridge: See website for events and productions. Storytime every 4th Saturday. The Breath Project. Streaming archive. The Marsh: Calendar listings for Berkeley, San Francisco and Marshstream. Theatre Lunatico See website for upcoming productions. Theatre Rhino Four Play by Jake Brunger, June 13 – July 7, 2024. Streaming: Essential Services Project, conceived and performed by John Fisher, all weekly performances now available on demand. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Being Alive: A Sondheim Celebration June 5-30, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.. Word for Word. See website for upcoming productions. Misc. Listings: BAM/PFA: On View calendar for BAM/PFA. Berkeley Symphony: See website for listings. Chamber Music San Francisco: Calendar, 2023 Season. Dance Mission Theatre. On stage events calendar. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Calendar listings and upcoming shows. San Francisco Opera. Calendar listings. San Francisco Symphony. Calendar listings. Filmed Live Musicals: Searchable database of all filmed live musicals, podcast, blog. If you'd like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write Richard@kpfa.org The post June 27, 2024: Pam MacKinnon – David Sedaris appeared first on KPFA.
Carrie Coon joins host Jessica Kantor on Raising Cinephiles to discuss her introduction to cinema at her grandparent's house and a discovery of how her introduction to cinema may have an influence on bringing Bertha Russell to life in The Gilded Age. Season two is now streaming on Max. Originally from Copley, OH, Carrie Coon is a Chicago-based theatre, television and film actress. She received a BA in English and Spanish from the University of Mount Union and her MFA in Acting at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Coon was nominated for a Tony Award in the Best Featured Actress category for her Broadway debut as Honey in the transfer of Steppenwolf Theatre's production of "Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", directed by Pam MacKinnon. Although Coon did not win in 2013, the production was awarded Best Revival, Best Director (MacKinnon) and Best Actor (Tracy Letts). New Episodes Every Wednesday!EPISODE CREDITS:Host, Producer, Editor: Jessica KantorBooker: Noelia MurphyBe sure to follow and tag Raising Cinephiles on Instagram
Playwrights Horizons "Downstate," written by Bruce Norris, follows four men convicted of sex crimes sharing a group home in downstate Illinois after a man shows up to confront his childhood abuser. Norris joins us alongside director Pam MacKinnon and actor K. Todd Freeman who plays Dee, a sex offender, to talk about the play. "Downstate" has been extended and is currently showing through December 22.
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
Maria-Christina Oliveras caught the attention of NYC theater fans with an explosive, show-stopping turn in David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's multiple award-winning musical Here Lies Love. On August 6, she brings her gift of storytelling and unique style to Feinstein's/54 Below in an electrifying night of music and surprises. In this episode, she joins our Director of Marketing, Nella Vera, for a chat about her career, her collaborations with renowned artists, including Tony nominee Alex Timbers, and why she's chosen this particular time to do her first solo cabaret show. Maria-Christina has performed extensively on and off-Broadway, regionally, internationally, and in film and television. Her career is distinguished by her transformational character work in a number of world premieres, including roles in Kiss My Aztec (by John Leguizamo, Tony Taccone, David Kamp, Benjamin Velez, directed by Tony Taccone), Amélie (by Craig Lucas, Daniel Messe and Nathan Tysen, directed by Pam MacKinnon), Soft Power (by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori, directed by Leigh Silverman), El Huracán (by Charise Castro Smith, directed by Laurie Woolery), and Pretty Filthy (by Bess Wohl and Michael Friedman, directed by Steve Cosson). She has appeared on Broadway in Amélie, Machinal, and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. For information about Maria's show at Feinstein's/54 Below, visit https://54below.com/events/maria-christina-oliveras/ Learn more about Maria on her website: www.mariachristinaoliveras.com Follow Maria on Instagram: @mcoliveras Credits The Feinstein's/54 Below podcast is hosted by Nella Vera, Kevin Ferguson, and Grace Benigni and produced by Bailey Everett and Michael Galvez, with support from the Feinstein's/54 Below marketing staff. Original artwork design by Philip Romano. Follow Nella on Twitter and Instagram at @spinstripes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of Place: Here. Time: Now, Pam MacKinnon talks with Awoye Timpo and Arminda Thomas about their work on A.C.T.'s virtual production of Alice Childress's "Trouble in Mind," as well as their work with CLASSIX, an organization that strives to present more work by Black artists. (See theclassix.org for more information.)
Pam MacKinnon (TW:@pammackinnon) is a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award winner and she is no stranger to the Bay Area, having directed Victor Lodato’s 3F, 4F at Magic Theatre in 2005 and Amélie, A New Musical at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2015. MacKinnon grew up in Toronto, Canada as well as just outside Buffalo, New York. She majored in economics and political science at the University of Toronto and UC San Diego, and briefly pursued a Ph.D. in political science, before turning to her other passion: theater. Since then, MacKinnon has become one of American theater’s most beloved directors, a supporter of new American playwrights, and a leading interpreter of playwright Edward Albee’s work. She is an alumna of the Drama League, Women’s Project Theater, and Lincoln Center Theater’s Directors Labs. She is also Executive Board President of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC). MacKinnon has directed multiple plays on Broadway, including Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Tracy Letts, Amy Morton, Carrie Coon, and Madison Dirks. MacKinnon won a Tony Award for her direction, and the play received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Other Broadway productions include Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park (Obie Award for Excellence in Directing); Amélie, A New Musical; the world premiere of David Mamet’s China Doll with Al Pacino; Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles with Elizabeth Moss; and Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance with Glenn Close and John Lithgow. MacKinnon has also directed extensively off Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout Theatre Company, as well as around the country at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, San Diego’s Old Globe, and Washington, DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
Pam MacKinnon (TW:@pammackinnon) is a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award winner and she is no stranger to the Bay Area, having directed Victor Lodato’s 3F, 4F at Magic Theatre in 2005 and Amélie, A New Musical at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2015. MacKinnon grew up in Toronto, Canada as well as just outside Buffalo, New York. She majored in economics and political science at the University of Toronto and UC San Diego, and briefly pursued a Ph.D. in political science, before turning to her other passion: theater. Since then, MacKinnon has become one of American theater’s most beloved directors, a supporter of new American playwrights, and a leading interpreter of playwright Edward Albee’s work. She is an alumna of the Drama League, Women’s Project Theater, and Lincoln Center Theater’s Directors Labs. She is also Executive Board President of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC). MacKinnon has directed multiple plays on Broadway, including Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, starring Tracy Letts, Amy Morton, Carrie Coon, and Madison Dirks. MacKinnon won a Tony Award for her direction, and the play received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Other Broadway productions include Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park (Obie Award for Excellence in Directing); Amélie, A New Musical; the world premiere of David Mamet’s China Doll with Al Pacino; Wendy Wasserstein’s The Heidi Chronicles with Elizabeth Moss; and Edward Albee’s A Delicate Balance with Glenn Close and John Lithgow. MacKinnon has also directed extensively off Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Roundabout Theatre Company, as well as around the country at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, San Diego’s Old Globe, and Washington, DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
It's been in a challenging year, so we want to end the year on a high note (literally) with a very special virtual holiday party! We are thrilled to join with our friends at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) to celebrate a Bay Area tradition: "A Christmas Carol." This year, for the first time in its 44-year history, the Bay Area's favorite holiday theater performance comes to life as a fantastical immersive audio event—"A Christmas Carol: On Air." The Club's annual holiday party will take you behind the scenes of the world premiere of this timeless story of optimism and humbugs, memories and redemptions, spooky presents and hopeful futures. During the party, we'll hear from A.C.T.'s TONY Award-winning artistic director, Pam MacKinnon, "A Christmas Carol On Air" Director Peter J. Kuo, and A.C.T. Audio Engineer Jake Rodriguez about this year's virtual effort and how they created this entirely new experience. We'll even hear a special excerpt from this year's all-audio performance. Please join us for this special event to kick off the holiday season . . . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Bookwaves/Artwaves is produced and hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Links to on-line and streaming local theater & book events Artwaves Theatre In the Time of Covid Pam MacKinnon, Artistic Director of A.C.T., American Conservatory Theatre, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Now in her third season as Artistic Director, Pam MacKinnon has had to rearrange her life (which was already in flux, still learning about her new home town of San Francisco) and the work of her organization in order to survive the complete shutdown of live theatre in America. A noted theatre director before joining A.C.T., Pam MacKinnon won an Obie and then was nominated for a Tony on Broadway for Clybourne Park. A leading director of the works of Edward Albee, she won a Tony Award in 2013 for a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. In the Bay Area, most notably, she directed Albee's Seascape for ACT during the 2018-2019 season, and before that, directed the musical Amelie at Berkeley Rep. In this interview, she discusses the changes A.C.T. was forced to make to deal with the shutdown, the rise of streaming, working with other companies, and coming up with new ways to survive the pandemic, including a host of streaming options at act-sf.org. Complete 48-minute interview. Bookwaves David Grann, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky about “The Lost City of Z,” recorded in the KPFA studios in 2009. David Grann has become one of America's leading writers of non-fiction. Having written pieces for The New Yorker and New Republic as a staff writer, his first book was titled The Lost City of Z, which was adapted into a film in 2017 and now streams on Amazon Prime. Since that time, he has published three books, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, Flowers of the Killer Moon – which will become a film when shooting starts next year, directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Leonardo di Caprio and Robert DeNiro, and most recently, The White Darkness, about the British explorer Henry Worsley. :The complete interview can be heard as a 51-minute Radio Wolinsky podcast. Announcement Links Book Passage. Conversations with authors, all at 4 pm Pacific: Naomi Wolf, Saturday November 14. Thomas Keller and David Breeden with Ruth Reichl, Monday November 16. Deborah Tannen with Amy Tan, Wednesday November 18. Deborah Madison with Jane Hirschfield, Saturday November 21. James Ritchie, Sunday November 22. The Booksmith Ron Nyren, “The Book of Lost Light,” with Ann Packer and others, Monday November 16, 5:30 pm. Reza Farazmand, Wednesday November 19, 6 pm. Books Inc ; AJ Sass, Thursday November 12, 6 pm. Bay Area Book Festival Power of Protest: Letters from Hong Kong, Sunday November 15, 5 pm. Unbound events continue. Podcasts of October 3-4 Unbound: All 22 interviews and discussions are now available on demand. Kepler's Books presents Refresh the Page, on line interviews and talks. Registration required. This is Now, with Adam Grant and Ben Cohen, Monday Nov. 16, 5 pm. Shannon Messenger with Roshani Chokshi, Tuesday Nov. 17, 6 pm. Irish Repertory Theatre: Bill Irwin “On Beckett.” Streaming November 17-22, 2020. Free. Reserve tickets up to two hours before selected performance. San Francisco Playhouse. 2020-21 Virtual Season: Art by Yasmina Reza, now streaming, extended through November 21; The Jewelry Box, written and performed by Brian Copeland, streaming November 28 – December 25, 2020; From Blues to Broadway Revue, streaming December 12 – 31, 2020. Custom Made Theatre Upcoming events TBA. Theatre Rhino Live Thursday performance conceived and performed by John Fisher on Facebook Live and Zoom at 8 pm Thursdays is Gordon of Khartoum. Blood at the Root by Dominique Morriseau, directed by Darryl V. Jones, streaming through November 15; Overlooked Latinas, written and performed by Tina D'Elia, streaming Nov. 13-22, 2020. At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen by Terry Guest, November 10, 7 pm free. American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca, on demand through Nov.13. Pam McKinnon talks with Annette Bening, Nov. 20 live; Dec. 4 – June 30, on demand. A Christmas Carol, radio adaptation of Carey Perloff's adaptation, streams Dec. 5-31, 2020. 42nd Street Moon. Moonbeams Streaming Series: A Distant Dinner Party with Jess and Jaron, Nov. 12-22 8 pm; Home (literally) for the Holidays, Nov. 26- Dec. 6. Tuesdays: Tuesday Talks Over the Moon, 8 pm: Nov. 17: An Inside Look into playwright Terrence McNally. Every other Friday at 8 pm: Full Moon Fridays Cabaret. Sundays at 8 pm: Quiz Me Kate: Musical Theatre Trivia. Magic Theatre. Escaped Alone by Caryl Churchill, directed by Loretta Greco. A radio play, through Nov. 15. Shotgun Players. The Light by Loy A. Webb, directed by Nailah Harper-Malveaux, Dec 4-12, 7 pm. Preview Dec 4, 7 pm. Opening Night: Dec 5, 5 pm. Berkeley Rep Hershey Felder as Debussy, A Paris Love Story, Nov 22, 5 pm. TheatreWorks Silicon Valley. Two live shows with Hershey Felder from Florence for the Holidays: Claude Debussy, Nov. 22; Tchaikovsky, December 20, both at 5 pm Pacific. California Shakespeare Theatre (Cal Shakes) The Direct Address series continues with Resisting Shakespeare: Or, How to Fall In and Out and In and Out of Love. Shakespeare in Depth, class with Philippa Kelly, registration required. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts new on-line programming series featuring classes, concerts, poetry sessions and more. Day of the Dead virtual ritual, Nov.2, live event. SFBATCO Live with Rod and Marce on Twitch TV, every Thursday at 6 pm. Aurora Theatre's A new ticketed audio drama, The Flats, written by Lauren Gunderson, Cleaven Smith and Jonathan Spector, with Lauren English, Anthony Fusco and Khary L. Moye, directed by Josh Costello, streaming now. Aurora Connects conversations every Friday, 4 pm. Tell Tale Hearts: An Evening of Hip Hop Theatre featuring Carlos Aguirre and the Bay Area Theatre Cypher, November 28, livestream, 7 pm Pacific. Marin Theatre Company Lauren Gunderson's play Natural Shocks streams through Soundcloud on the Marin Theatre website. American Dreams, created and developed by Leila Buck and Tamilla Woodard, streaming through Nov. 15. Central Works Bystanders by Patricia Milton, an audio play, currently streaming. The Human Ounce by Nicole Parizeau, audio play, streams beginning Nov. 26, 2020 New Conservatory Theatre Center The Law of Attraction by Patricia Milton, a world premiere radio play, streams through November 18, 2020. The Marsh: International Solo Fest, archived streaming. Josh Kornbluth hosts bingo every Friday at 7:30 pm Brava Theatre Center: Who's Your Mami Comedy, November 19, 7 pm. So Soul, November 21. Pear Theater. Lysistrata, streamed through November 15, filmed live outdoors. Contra Costa Civic Theatre It's a Wonderful Life, a radio play by Joe Landry, streams Nov. 27-Dec. 20. Remote Theater. The Art of Sacrifice by Anthony Clarvoe, with Lauren English and Susi Damilano, original music by Paul Dresher. Saturday Dec. 12, noon Pacific. The Breath Project. Complete collection streaming on demand. Oregon Shakespeare Festival: On-demand audio recordings of early plays; videos of Indigenous Peoples Day 2020, etc. This Is Who I Am by Amir Nizar Zuabi, directed by Evren Odcikin, a co-production with Woolly Mammoth, Nov. 29 – Dec. 27. Atlantic Theatre Company. Reading series TBA. Playbill List of Streaming Theatre: Updated weekly, this is probably the best list you'll find of national and international streaming plays and musicals. Each week has its own webpage, so scroll down. If you'd like to add your bookstore or theater venue to this list, please write Richard@kpfa.org The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – November 12, 2020: Pam MacKinnon – David Grann appeared first on KPFA.
A.C.T. Artistic Director and Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon sat down with two long-term friends and artistic collaborators, playwrights Lydia R. Diamond and Craig Lucas. They discuss the underbelly of critical acclaim, how to combat anti-Blackness in the theater, and where theater needs to go next in the era of COVID-19.
What can be done to keep COVID-19 in check in county jails? And how are their needs different from those of state prisons? On tonight's show, we look at these high-risk environments, where social distancing is virtually impossible. We'll hear from the Director of Prison Health and at San Francisco Jail and a formerly incarcerated person who is now a criminal justice advocate. At the top of the hour, we'll have a coronavirus update from health and medical experts, and we'll also hear about how one local theater company, ACT, is handling what it's calling this "long intermission." Host: Ethan Elkind Producers: Wendy Holcombe, Grace Won, and Marcus Kawaja Segment 1: Coronavirus update with San Francisco Chronicle health reporter Erin Allday and USCF Dr. Peter Chin-Hong . Segment 2: COVID-19 in Jails with Dr. Lisa Pratt, Director of Jail Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health , and Adnan Khan, Founder and Executive Director of ReStore Justice . Segment 3: Pam MacKinnon, Artistic
Pam MacKinnon & Richard Wolinsky Pam MacKinnon, Artistic Director of A.C.T., American Conservatory Theatre, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. In this wide-ranging interview, Pam talks about some of the challenges she faced coming to San Francisco a year ago, and how she's working in partnership with other companies. She also discusses the previous seasons, and presents the shows in this 2019-2020 theatrical season, and concludes by discussing Market Street and the Strand. The post Interview: Pam MacKinnon, Artistic Director, A.C.T. appeared first on KPFA.
KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “Test Match” by Kate Attwell, directed by Pam MacKinnon, at ACT Strand Theatre through December 8, 2019 ACT website The post Review: “Test Match” by Kate Attwell, at ACT Strand appeared first on KPFA.
This episode was recorded at a live event sponsored by both the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and Stage Directors UK on February 24, 2019 in London. The event was the first ever SDC-SDUK member gathering, and the conversation, featured artistic directors Jeremy Herrin and Pam MacKinnon. It was moderated by SDUK Executive Director, Thomas Hescott.
Join the director and writer as they reflect on their production of Downstate, with Rana Mitter.
Pam MacKinnon discusses her process of directing and, as the new Artistic Director of A.C.T. in San Francisco, the relationship of the theatre to its community.
Pam MacKinnon is a Tony Award-winning Director. She's spent decades atop the theater world, directing shows on and off-Broadway. Andy Donald is a west-coast native but has spent recent years on the East Coast as an artistic director. Both are now part of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco (as Artistic Director and Associate Artistic Director respectively). But what is it like running a high profile theater in the technology epicenter of the universe? We talk to Pam and Andy about their journeys to San Francisco, their times on the East Coast and the ongoing SF/LA rivalry. We have a deep conversation about what it's like to run a show to audiences with short attention spans who are looking at smartphones constantly. What does theater need to do in order to evolve to the Instagram age? What about the arts scene in San Francisco? Andy and Pam pontificate on both and describe what it's like to be in San Francisco at this day/age and time. We talk about the American Conservatory Theater, its mission, and its most recent show (listener note - this episode was recorded last year, and the show discussed during the interview is not currently running). If you're into the arts, theater, and looking for insight on where it's all headed, this episode is for you. It's a fascinating discussion.
Pam MacKinnon, the new Artistic Director of A.C.T., American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. The Tony Award winning director of 2013's Broadway revival of Edward Albee's “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and Obie winning director of “Clybourne Park” was hired by A.C.T. as Artistic Director on January 18, 2018, and is now in the midst of the first season she has curated since her arrival. In this interview, she discusses the challenges of working at A.C.T., her perspective as a leading interpreter of the plays of Edward Albee, the rest of this season, and other topics. A.C.T's latest production is Edward Albee's “Seascape,” which Pam MacKinnon is directing. It runs through February 17, 2019. ACT website The post Interview: Pam MacKinnon, A.C.T. Artistic Director appeared first on KPFA.
Gary and Frank welcome one of the finest actors we've ever had the pleasure to meet to Booth One! Francis Guinan has been with the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble since 1979 and has appeared in a remarkable number of shows. Check out the list of past productions on his Steppenwolf bio. We have seen many of them and his work is simply not to be missed. Speaking of not to be missed...he is currently appearing in a world premiere of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Bruce Norris's Downstate alongside a breathtaking ensemble cast. Beautifully staged by Tony award winner Pam MacKinnon, it is a co-production with the National Theatre of Great Britain and stars several actors from there, including the marvelous Cecilia Noble. The Steppenwolf ensemble members (Glenn David, K. Todd Freeman, Francis Guinan, and Tim Hopper) are all just astonishing. Our good friend, Laura Glenn is Downstate's fabulous stage manager. The production will travel to London in the spring of 2019. Here are a couple of Downstate production shots: Fran's first show with Steppenwolf was The Real Inspector Hound. Learn more about his illustrious career there in this article from 2009. One of our favorite recent performances was in The Rembrandt, working opposite his dear friend, the late John Mahoney. Of his relationship with John, he told us they had worked together s0 often and that their 30 years of shared history was "present in every glance." Fran said John was immensely generous on stage and off...Check out this Chicago Tonight interview with John and Fran talking about the last show they would do together. A shot with the the great Audrey Francis in You Got Older: Francis talks about the magic that only happens in a theater. How sometimes you can say a line to an audience of 300 or more people and then there is total silence. A collective holding of breath. And that feeling is not like anything else. He talks about the vibrance and truth of the Chicago style that goes back to the Compass Players. He thanks "the Godfather of Chicago Theatre, Sheldon Patinkin for teaching so many people in our community to "Always Say Yes." That it's not about you. It is all to the benefit of the story. Whatever your fellow actor throws out there, accept it and play that moment, even if it's very different from the night before. Kiss of Death: Carol Hall Carol Hall, a songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas", which was about a brothel called the Chicken Ranch (because customers often paid with chickens), died on October 11 at age 82. Here is an excerpt from her NYT obit:"Staying behind the scenes remained her preference. She wrote three songs for “Free to Be … You and Me,” the 1972 children’s album (and television special) conceived by Marlo Thomas. One was “It’s All Right to Cry,” performed by Rosey Grier, a former professional football player. She also wrote for Sesame Street and Barbra Streisand.
Pam MacKinnon is a theatre director. She has directed for the stage Off-Broadway, on Broadway and in regional theatre. She won the Obie Award for Directing and received a Tony Award nomination, Best Director, for her work on Clybourne Park. In 2013 she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for a revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She directed multiple shows for Edward Albee including Peter and Jerry, Occupant, A Delicate Balance, and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? Other shows she has directed include Amélie, and The Parisian Woman. Here’s a statistical truth bomb for you: women direct only about 17% of the shows on Broadway. How do I know that? Pam MacKinnon has been keeping track. Pam is already one of the few female A-list directors that make up that unbalanced percentage, having directed as many shows on Broadway as any woman out there (only Stroman has her beat). But that doesn’t mean she’s not determined to help others get to where she is today. During our podcast, we talked about what we can all do to even the playing stage, as well as . . . How she went from pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science to a career in directing. Why a Director often has to act like a Producer (hear the story of how she had to negotiate Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf into existence). Why Broadway shows not slated for Broadway that end up there have an advantage. How she developed her own style, which is different than everyone else’s and why yours should be different too. Her method for approaching classic material and making it her own. Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Masters of the Stage Replay, which revisits podcasts that seem especially relevant this season. As we approach the 2017 “Mr. Abbott” Award Gala honoring director Kenny Leon, we will be featuring discussions by previous “Mr. Abbott” Award recipients. Also, in acknowledgement of Women’s History Month, this week’s podcast features two directors at the top of their game who also happen to be women; SDC President Pam MacKinnon and 2005 “Mr. Abbott” Award honoree Kathleen Marshall. Originally recorded – June 12, 2013
Noah Emmerich’s breakout performance was in Ted Demme’s cult hit Beautiful Girls (Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, Matt Dillon). His next role, opposite Jim Carrey in Peter Weir’s Academy Award-nominated The Truman Show, firmly established his outstanding talent. Most recently Noah starred alongside Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Patrick Stewart and Minnie Driver in Damian Harris’ Wilde Wedding. Additional file credits include Todd Field’s Academy Award nominated Little Children (Kate Winslet), Gavin O’Connor’s Jane Got A Gun, starring Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor and Joel Edgerton, J.J. Abrams' Super 8, Gavin O'Connor's Pride & Glory (Edward Norton, Colin Farrell), Doug Liman’s Fair Game (Naomi Watts, Sean Penn), Sympathy for Delicious (Mark Ruffalo), Miracle (Kurt Russell), Frequency (Dennis Quaid), Beyond Borders (Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen), Windtalkers (Nicolas Cage), Life (Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence), Copland (Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel), Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties (Marion Cotillard, Clive Owen, and Zoe Saldana), and Warrior (Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton). On television, Emmerich currently plays FBI Agent Stan Beeman opposite Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys on F/X’s critically acclaimed drama series The Americans. He also recently appeared to great acclaim as "Dr. Jenner" in Frank Darabont's breakout hit The Walking Dead. He's guest starred on shows including Master of None, Billions, The West Wing, Monk, and White Collar. Recent stage work includes Bruce Norris’ The Qualms at Playwrights Horizons (dir, Pam MacKinnon), Stephen Belber's Fault Lines at the Cherry Lane (dir, David Schwimmer), and the Kennedy Center's production of A Streetcar Named Desire opposite Patricia Clarkson. Emmerich received an honors degree in history from Yale University and studied filmmaking at New York University. He was born and raised in New York City, where he currently lives.
Pam Mackinnon is an ex-drug detection dog handler for HM Customs & Excise and now runs Talking Dogs Scentwork and Talking Dogs Rally. Pam is also author of the Turn Your Pet Dog into a Detector Dog manual and has put together two DVD's on the subject of canine scentwork.
A story is an illusion, a series of events that are not really taking place, presented in a way that fools its audience into believing, for a moment, that it is all really happening. Telling that story in a book or movie is a certain kind of trick, with its own rules and traditions, and telling the same story on the stage is quite another. But transferring a story from one medium to another—say, from the screen to the stage—that may be the hardest trick of all. Which brings us to ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘Amélie.’ Two beloved stories, one a classic book and the other a beloved modern masterpiece of cinema, have both landed on stage in the Bay Area, and each carries its own unique kind of cross-media magic. At Spreckels Performing Arts Center, in Rohnert Park, Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic pirate adventure ‘Treasure Island’ hits the stage in a compact, robust adaptation by Ken Ludwig. Someone give me an Arrrrrrr? Directed with humor and charm by David Yen, staged in the intimate studio theater with exhilarating in-your-face inventiveness and plenty of robust, swashbuckling energy, the crafty condensation of Stevenson’s classic works surprisingly well. The story, though stripped down a bit, is quite faithful to the book, with the exception of a few lady pirates thrown in here and there—something that might have shocked Robert Louis Stevenson and possibly some of the pirates. The strong, versatile cast is led by a grounded, impressively non-cartoonish John Rathjen as Long John Silver, often played a bit too over the top, but not here. In this production, the whole cast slips gracefully in and out of dozens of characters. Animated projections combine with cleverly adaptable set pieces to turn the stage into a ship’s decking with rolling waves over the stern, to an island jungle filled with waving foliage. The effects works well, and if some of the book’s detail and depth of character are swept overboard in the process of translation, the loss is more than made up for in sense of rollicking, high-spirited, double-crossing, sword-clashing fun the able-bodied cast and crew bring to the stage. Translating the beloved 2001 French comedy Amélie to the stage is a different kind of trick altogether, and turning it into a musical only makes the challenge harder. But with a book by Craig Lucas—he wrote the play Prelude to a Kiss—and with lovely, ethereal tunes by Daniel Messé and Nathan Tysen, this supremely satisfying adaptation—directed with immense creativity by Tony-winner Pam MacKinnon—is a sweet, sneaky surprise of a show. As Amélie, the café worker who sets out to make the world a happier place, Samantha Barks is everything an Amélie should be—beautiful, sweet, a little wacky, and thoroughly beguiling. There is a marvelously whimsical sense of innocence in the play, even when incorporating such things as sex shops and orgasms, and the story’s transformation into a musical—rather than proving distracting or cluttered—is so deftly done you might think that the story of Amelie and her bumpy road to finding her own true happiness, was always meant to become a musical. If anything, it’s become better this way. And that’s not an easy trick to pull off. ‘Treasure Island’ runs Thursday–Sunday through October 4 at Spreckels Performing Arts Center, www.spreckelsonline.com 'Amelie’ runs Tuesday–Sunday through October 11 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, www.berkeleyrep.org
Even when everybody knows what’s planned, you can never be sure of what will actually happen when friends get together. In Bruce Norris's new play “The Qualms,” what’s supposed to be a quiet evening of dinner, drinks and what used to be called “swinging” doesn’t go as expected. It’s a barbecue with a side of sexual dallying among four couples. Norris’s comedy, directed by Pam MacKinnon, is running at Playwrights Horizons through July 12. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood lets us in on the story and the performances.
The late Wendy Wasserstein hit the playwright’s jackpot in 1989, when The Heidi Chronicles took home the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize, the Drama Desk and New York Critic’s Circle Awards for best new play. Wasserstein’s tale of a New York City woman looking for love, but ultimately making her life — and even having a child — without a male partner, resonated with many women struggling over their life and career choices at the time. But that was more than a quarter-century ago. Now the play is being given its first Broadway revival in a new production starring Elisabeth Moss of “Mad Men” fame. The new production at the at the Music Box Theatre is directed by Pam MacKinnon and also features Bryce Pinkham and Jason Biggs as the men in and out of the heroine’s life. So, is the story relevant to a new generation and are the jokes still funny? New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood answers those questions and explains how Moss puts a new spin on the title role.
Edward Albee’s 1966 play A Delicate Balance won him the first of his three Pulitzer Prizes. It has become one of his most highly regarded and frequently produced works, and returns for its third run on Broadway with one of the season’s starriest casts. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy were the stars of the original production. George Grizzard and Rosemary Harris played the lead couple in the well-regarded revival in 1996. Now, as the play nears its 50th anniversary, John Lithgow and Glenn Close are the couple whose well-appointed suburban home takes in an alcoholic sister (Lindsay Duncan), a wounded daughter (Martha Plimpton) and friends (Clare Higgins and Bob Balaban), who bring with them an unknown fear. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood — without fear — considers the play and its new cast. The production, directed by Pam MacKinnon, runs through February at the John Golden Theatre.
On June 12, 2013, directors Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about their work and career.
One on One with Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall:On June 12, 2013, award-winning directors Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about their work and career. They discuss the nuts and bolts of the rehearsal process from the Illuminating qualities of auditions and early design meetings to the continuous evolution of a piece as gauged by audience, producers, and associates. Both speak to theatre as an apprentice art and the significance of mentor relationships when transitioning to different phases of career. Listen as they unveil where to find worthwhile material to direct and how one man's dramatic trash can be another's theatrical gold. These directors discuss the impact of geography on a production and the trust they place in their actors when shaping a piece. This candid conversation offers practical knowledge about creating career inroads, aligning collaborators and continuously developing craft. Originally recorded - June 12, 2013. Running Time - 1:37:25 © 2013 SDCF
In a One-on-One Conversation on June 12, 2013, award-winning directors Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about building their artistic careers. Listen as they discuss the nuts and bolts of the rehearsal process, from the Illuminating qualities of auditions and early design meetings to the continuous evolution of a piece as gauged by audience, producers, and associates. This candid conversation offers practical knowledge about creating career inroads, aligning collaborators and continuously developing craft.
The Pulitzer-winning play "Clybourne Park" took inspiration from Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin the Sun." In this episode, we talk to Clybourne Park's Tony-nominated director Pam MacKinnon about the work and historical research that went into the play. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
By David Dower, Pam Mackinnon. Listen to weekly podcasts hosted by David Dower as he interviews theater artists from around the country to highlight #newplay bright spots. This week: director Pam MacKinnon.
Directors Sheryl Kaller, Pam MacKinnon and Stephen Wadsworth talked about their start in theatre; their process when beginning a new project; collaboration with playwrights and the challenges of handling the playwright in the room; listening to the audience; and what, or who, inspires and informs their work.
A conversation with playwright Bruce Norris and director Pam MacKinnon about their production of CLYBOURNE PARK. (2009/10 season)