Podcasts about sdcf producing director ellen rusconi

At the June 17, SDCF 2013 Emerging Artist Symposium on Plays, SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi moderated a discussion with directors Shelley Butler, Benjamin Endsley Klein, and Tony Speciale about the transition from assistant to director. Listen as they compare stories and experiences illustrating their unique transitions into directing their own work.

At SDCF’s annual Emerging Artist Symposium on Musicals on May 20, 2013, SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi moderated a conversation with Executive Board President and director/choreographer Karen Azenberg. Listen as they discuss Karen’s transition from working as a freelance director/choreographer to her current position as Artistic Director of Salt Lake City’s Pioneer Theatre Company, and how those experiences can help emerging artists in their careers. 

On June 12, 2013, directors Pam MacKinnon and Kathleen Marshall spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about their work and career.

Discovering Talent and New Work: Robyn Goodman: At its 2013 Emerging Artist Symposium on Musicals, Robyn Goodman, Commercial Producer and Founder of Second Stage Theatre, spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about discovering talent and developing new work in today's dynamic theatre climate. Goodman (Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, Avenue Q, In the Heights, Altar Boyz) infuses her perspective as an actor turned producer with a well-rounded view of a production from page to stage and everything in between. Listen to her as she discusses her transition from the art of theatre to the business of theatre, gives advice for producing within both non-for-profit and for-profit organizations, and how she finds her collaborators. The conversation includes valuable insights on keeping up with trending audience interest and younger sensibilities, procuring a strong design team, giving a memorable meeting, and recognizing commercial viability in specific material. Originally recorded - June 1, 2013. Running Time - 1:10:06 © 2013 SDCF

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

Director/Founder: On May 6th, 2013, Oliver Butler of The Debate Society and Jack E. Cummings III of Transport Group spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi on their experiences simultaneously managing a directing career and theatrical company. The in-depth discussion follows the ebb and flow of two singular directing careers each affected by a loyalty to their own growing theatre companies. Each recounts the arduous yet fulfilling relationship that comes with being a founder and artistic director through personal anecdotes largely focused on the importance of realistic and forward thinking visions. Listen as they explore how changing cultural and economic trends affect a theatre company's ability to sustain itself and the dichotomy that exists when looking for work outside of the company. The conversation also includes valuable advice on how to manage the drama between an emerging director's overall body of work and attitudes towards current projects in addition to balancing a theatre director's artistic freedom with a non-for-profit production's financial restraint. Originally recorded - May 6, 2013. Running Time - 1:20:16 © 2013 SDCF

Fight Direction: On April 8, 2013, Fight Directors Erica Gould and Rick Sordelet spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi to discuss the responsibilities and roles of theatre's fight directors. Listen in as Rick and Erica share their approaches to working with a director, to assessing actors' skills and potential for fight direction, and to creating a variety of fights for the course of one play to avoid "battle fatigue" in the audience. They share their experiences of working with particular directors and actors on specific productions and on how that artist's preparation and communication elevated the resulting production. By hearing their thoughts on building character through weapon choice and fight style and on the importance of early communication and collaboration with the creative team the listener will gain a better understanding of the role of the fight director and the support a master fight director provides in storytelling on stage. Originally recorded - April 8, 2013. Running Time - 1:31:53 © 2013 SDCF

Theatre for Social Change: On December 17, 2012, SDCF and SDC hosted a discussion of Theatre for Social Change with guests Erik Ehn and Kamilah Forbes (Hip Hop Theatre Festival) moderated by SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi. Erik Ehn, a playwright, director, and educator, produces the Arts in the One World conference yearly, is Current Director of Writing for Performance at Brown University, and a founder of the RAT movement. Kamilah Forbes is the Artistic Director of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (HHTF), a non-profit presenter of new theater written by hip-hop generation artists through the lens of the urban cultural aesthetic. She is also a member of the Folger Shakespeare performance troupe, a co-founder of the Nommo Cultural Arts Camp for under-privileged youth in Kingston, Jamaica, and a director. They share thoughts on their own work, their varied audiences, the role of equitable partnerships in their work, and how they nurture emerging artists. Listen in as these passionate artists discuss their experiences in creating theatre that, at its core, is a vehicle for communication of social thought and transformation. Originally recorded - December 17, 2012. Running Time - 1:11:28 © 2012 SDCF

Developing Musicals: On July 23, 2012, Director Stafford Arima (2012 revisal of Carrie, Altar Boyz) and Director/Choreographer Christopher Windom (Central Avenue Breakdown) spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi at a Director/Choreographer Network panel hosted by The New York Musical Theatre Festival discussion about developing new musicals. These two artists offer their experiences in developing musicals in a variety of ways - festivals, workshops, regional productions - and share insight into his individual process, including thoughts on what can and cannot be accomplished artistically in the fast-paced festival setting. They discuss the benefits and challenges of presenting a new work in a festival such as NYMF and how a director or choreographer can best use the boundaries of a festival to advantage. Listen to this inspiring, focused discussion to explore the ins and outs of developing new musicals today. Originally recorded - July 23, 2012. Running Time - 1:26:22  © 2012 SDCF

Adaptation Rights: On April 2, 2012, SDCF invited entertainment attorney Elliot Brown to speak about securing theatrical adaptation rights with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi. Brown gives animated examples of when adaptation rights are and are not necessary. He sheds light on how to start the process of engaging an attorney when interested in creating a piece of theater from an article, book, or film and he walks through what the concerns are of the rights-holder. Brown also speaks about standard arrangements, translation, and public domain. This is an engaging dialogue about the do's and don'ts of adaptation. Originally recorded - April 2, 2012. Running Time - 1:13:49 © 2012 SDCF

At its 2013 Emerging Artist Symposium on Musicals, Robyn Goodman, Commercial Producer and Founder of Second Stage Theatre, spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about discovering talent and developing new work in today's dynamic theatre climate. Goodman ("Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," "Avenue Q," "In the Heights," "Altar Boyz") infuses her perspective as an actor turned producer with a well-rounded view of a production from page to stage and everything in between. Listen as she offers insight on keeping up with trending audience interest and younger sensibilities, procuring a strong design team, giving a memorable interview, and recognizing commercial viability in unexpected places.

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.

On May 6th, 2013, Oliver Butler of The Debate Society and Jack E. Cummings III of Transport Group spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi on their experiences simultaneously managing a directing career and theatrical company. The in-depth discussion follows the ebb and flow of two singular directing careers each affected by a loyalty to their own growing theatre companies. Listen as they explore how changing cultural and economic trends affect a theatre company’s ability to sustain itself and the dichotomy that exists when looking for work outside of the company.

On April 8, 2013, Fight Directors Erica Gould and Rick Sordelet spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi to discuss the responsibilities and roles of theatre’s fight directors.  Gain a better understanding of the role of the fight director and the support he or she provides in storytelling on stage.

At SDCF on December 17, 2012, SDCF hosted a discussion of Theatre for Social Change with guests Erik Ehn and Kamilah Forbes moderated by SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi. Listen in as they discuss their experience in creating theatre to explore social issues and communal events and in founding producing organizations to further this work.

On July 23, 2012, Director Stafford Arima (2012 revisal of "Carrie," "Altar Boyz") and Director/Choreographer Christopher Windom ("Central Avenue Breakdown") spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi at a Director/Chroeographer Network panel hosted by The New York Musical Theatre Festival discussion about developing new musicals. These two artists offer their experiences in developing musicals in a variety of ways - festivals, workshops, regional productions - and share insight into his individual process, including thoughts on what can and cannot be accomplished artistically in the fast-paced festival setting. They discuss the benefits and challenges of presenting a new work in a festival such as NYMF and how a director or choreographer can best use the boundaries of a festival to advantage. Listen to this inspiring, focused discussion to explore the ins and outs of developing new musicals today.

On April 2, 2012, SDCF invited entertainment attorney Elliot Brown to speak about securing theatrical adaptation rights with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi. Brown gives animated examples of when adaptation rights are and are not necessary. He sheds light on how to start the process of engaging an attorney when interested in creating a piece of theater from an article, book, or film and he walks through what the concerns are of the rights-holder. Brown also speaks about standard arrangements, translation, and public domain. This is an engaging dialogue about the do's and don'ts of adaptation.

At its 2013 Symposium on Plays, Marianne Weems and Erica Laird of The Builders Association spoke with SDCF Producing Director Ellen Rusconi about the process of creating theatre with heavy use of multi-media elements. Listen as they share the intricacies involved in rehearsing and maintaining a piece when working with both human and non-human counterparts and how to fuse the two symbiotically to create a piece of holistic, organic art. These innovative theatre artists speak to a director’s responsibility when dealing with these mediums and identifying the financial and professional requirements of mounting and sustaining such a visionary art form.