Podcasts about second stage theatre

Check out this podcast replay of the SDCF Virtual Panel: Demystifying Pre-Production with Knud Adams, Maija García, and Delicia Turner Sonnenberg. This conversation focuses on the pre-production process, giving insights and a better understanding of all the things that happen between when a director signs a contract and first rehearsal. The panelists talked about what they have discovered over the years makes for the strongest pre-production process for them before rehearsals begin. Transcript available upon request. We hosted this panel in June 2024. Knud Adams is an Obie-winning director of artful new plays, based in New York. This season, he's directing English on Broadway. His work has been featured on "Best of the Year" lists by The New York Times, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post. An avid developer of new work, his world-premiere productions include: Primary Trust (Roundabout), English (Atlantic/Roundabout), Bodies They Ritual (Clubbed Thumb), Private (Mosaic), The Headlands (LCT3), Paris (Atlantic), and The Workshop (Soft Focus). Knud also directed the radio play Vapor Trail, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Maija García is a theater director, cultural innovator and advocate for equity in the arts. She recently directed I am Betty, a world premiere hit new musical at History Theater by Cristina Luzarrága and Denise Prosek; VALOR, a Spanish golden-age play by Ana Caro; and OUR HOOD, a bi-lingual cineplay by John Leguizamo. Director of Movement for Spike Lee's Oscar award-winning Blackkklansman, CHI-RAQ and She's Gotta Have It on Netflix, and Executive Producer of Art of Dance, a documentary film, García's Theater Directing credits include Bill T. Jones' FELA! World Tour; CRANE: on earth in sky by Heather Henson and Ty Defoe and Salsa Mambo Cha Cha Cha in La Habana Cuba. Regional Theater credits include original choreography for West Side Story at the Guthrie Theater; Kiss My Aztec by John Leguizamo and Tony Toccone at Berkeley Rep, and La Jolla Playhouse; Snow in Midsummer by Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Cuba Libre by Carlos Lacámara at Artists Repertory Theater (PAMTA Award); and Fats Waller Dance Party with Jason Moran and Meshell N'degeocello at Harlem Stage, SF Jazz and the Kennedy Center. Garcia founded Organic Magnetics to generate urban folklore for the future. She wrote, produced and directed Ghosts of Manhattan: 1512-2012, an interactive history and I am New York: Juan Rodriguez. Director of Education and Professional Training at Guthrie Theater, Maija served on the Tony Award Nominating Committee and is a proud member of SDC since 2008.  Delicia Turner Sonnenberg is a director, artistic leader, teacher, and mother. She is a founder and the former Artistic Director of MOXIE Theatre, which she helmed for twelve acclaimed seasons. Delicia has directed plays for the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego REP, La Jolla Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana Festival, Cygnet Theatre, New Village Arts, and Diversionary Theatre, among others. Delicia has directed countless workshops and staged readings of new plays for National New Play Network, Old Globe, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, San Diego REP, and Arena Stage. Delicia was twice a recipient of the Van Lier Directing Fellowship through Second Stage Theatre in New York and is an alumna of the New York Drama League's Directors Program, as well as Theatre Communication Group's New Generations Program.

Celia Keenan-Bolger (IG:@celiakb)(TW:@celiakb) is currently in The Gilded Age on HBO. She was born on January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan and is a Tony Award winner and Broadway favorite. Celia Keenan-Bolger will return to To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre from October 5, 2021. Keenan-Bolger trained at both the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in musical theatre. She began her stage career in regional theatres such as the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Theatre Works in Silicon Valley, and she made her Off-Broadway debut as Aggie in Summer of '42 in December 2001. During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration in 2002, she starred as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she would then perform again off Broadway in January 2003 in Second Stage Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish. Also in 2003, she would originate the role of Clara Johnson in the celebrated musical The Light in the Piazza at both Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre. She originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky in William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004, reprised her performance off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in January 2005, and did so again on Broadway, marking her Broadway debut in April 2005. She was nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Olive and received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She remained with the production until September 17, 2006. Her next Broadway venture would be to originate the role of Éponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, playing the role from October 2006 to January 2008, earning a Drama Desk nomination in 2007. Keenan-Bolger returned off Broadway for her next productions, starring as Mary in the musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons from May to June 2008, as Katie in Bachelorette for Second Stage Theatre from July to August 2010, and as Jenny Bridges in A Small Fire from December 2010 to January 2011, once again at Playwrights Horizons. She then landed the role of Molly in New York Theatre Workshop's acclaimed production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played the Off-Broadway venue from February to April 2011, resulting in yet another Drama Desk Award nomination, and transferred to Broadway in March 2012, leading to her second Tony Award nomination. Ahead of the Broadway premiere, Keenan-Bolger also starred as Mary Flynn in New York City Center's Encores! production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in February 2012. In the fall of 2013, she took on the role of Laura Wingfield in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie from September 2013 to February 2014. She garnered great acclaim for her performance, winning a Drama Desk Award, earning her third Tony Award nomination, and receiving the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2014. Keenan-Bolger followed this performance with her Lincoln Center Theater debut, starring as Mother in an Off-Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy from October to December 2014. She was next seen on Broadway as Varya, opposite Diane Lane, in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and she was last seen off Broadway in Second Stage Theatre's 2017 production of A Parallelogram.  Keenan-Bolger returned to Broadway on November 1, 2018, taking on the role of Scout in Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She won her first Tony Award in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play for her portrayal, and she ended her year-long run in the production on November 3, 2019. She leads the reopening cast of the play once more starting in October 2021. Although primarily known for her career on stage, Ms. Keenan-Bolger has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows over the years, including Law & Order (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Nurse Jackie (2014), The Good Wife (2015), Elementary (2015), Good Behavior (2016), Blue Bloods (2017), NCIS: New Orleans (2017), and Bull (2018). Her film credits include Mariachi Gringo (2012), The Visit (2015), Breakable You (2017), and Diane (2018).

Celia Keenan-Bolger (IG:@celiakb)(TW:@celiakb) is currently in The Gilded Age on HBO. She was born on January 26, 1978 in Detroit, Michigan and is a Tony Award winner and Broadway favorite. Celia Keenan-Bolger will return to To Kill a Mockingbird at the Shubert Theatre from October 5, 2021. Keenan-Bolger trained at both the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and the Detroit School of Arts and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA in musical theatre. She began her stage career in regional theatres such as the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and Theatre Works in Silicon Valley, and she made her Off-Broadway debut as Aggie in Summer of '42 in December 2001. During the Kennedy Center's Sondheim Celebration in 2002, she starred as Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she would then perform again off Broadway in January 2003 in Second Stage Theatre's production of Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish. Also in 2003, she would originate the role of Clara Johnson in the celebrated musical The Light in the Piazza at both Seattle's Intiman Theatre and Chicago's Goodman Theatre. She originated the role of Olive Ostrovsky in William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Barrington Stage Company in the summer of 2004, reprised her performance off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in January 2005, and did so again on Broadway, marking her Broadway debut in April 2005. She was nominated for her first Tony Award for her performance as Olive and received a Theatre World Award and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. She remained with the production until September 17, 2006. Her next Broadway venture would be to originate the role of Éponine in the 2006 revival of Les Misérables, playing the role from October 2006 to January 2008, earning a Drama Desk nomination in 2007. Keenan-Bolger returned off Broadway for her next productions, starring as Mary in the musical Saved at Playwrights Horizons from May to June 2008, as Katie in Bachelorette for Second Stage Theatre from July to August 2010, and as Jenny Bridges in A Small Fire from December 2010 to January 2011, once again at Playwrights Horizons. She then landed the role of Molly in New York Theatre Workshop's acclaimed production of Peter and the Starcatcher, which played the Off-Broadway venue from February to April 2011, resulting in yet another Drama Desk Award nomination, and transferred to Broadway in March 2012, leading to her second Tony Award nomination. Ahead of the Broadway premiere, Keenan-Bolger also starred as Mary Flynn in New York City Center's Encores! production of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in February 2012. In the fall of 2013, she took on the role of Laura Wingfield in the Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie from September 2013 to February 2014. She garnered great acclaim for her performance, winning a Drama Desk Award, earning her third Tony Award nomination, and receiving the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2014. Keenan-Bolger followed this performance with her Lincoln Center Theater debut, starring as Mother in an Off-Broadway production of Sarah Ruhl's The Oldest Boy from October to December 2014. She was next seen on Broadway as Varya, opposite Diane Lane, in Roundabout Theatre Company's 2016 revival of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, and she was last seen off Broadway in Second Stage Theatre's 2017 production of A Parallelogram.  Keenan-Bolger returned to Broadway on November 1, 2018, taking on the role of Scout in Aaron Sorkin's new stage adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird. She won her first Tony Award in the category of Best Performance By An Actress In A Featured Role In A Play for her portrayal, and she ended her year-long run in the production on November 3, 2019. She leads the reopening cast of the play once more starting in October 2021. Although primarily known for her career on stage, Ms. Keenan-Bolger has also appeared in a number of high-profile television shows over the years, including Law & Order (2007), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2014), Nurse Jackie (2014), The Good Wife (2015), Elementary (2015), Good Behavior (2016), Blue Bloods (2017), NCIS: New Orleans (2017), and Bull (2018). Her film credits include Mariachi Gringo (2012), The Visit (2015), Breakable You (2017), and Diane (2018).

Natasa and Michael Valocchi are the co-chairs of the inaugural Second Stage Theater's Winter's Ball in New York City, which supports playwrights from underserved and marginalized communities. This year's event will feature a performance by Michael R. Jackson, who created the Tony Award-winning play A Strange Loop and a dance party hosted by legendary musician Common. Natasa and Michael share the details about the event, how to get involved in a community you have recently moved to, and finding the right mix of people for an event committee.

Powerhouse theatre-writing duo Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews join us to talk about their moving and personal musical, Witness Uganda (previously known as Invisible Thread when it premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre). Inspired by couple's separate real-life experiences traveling to Africa—specifically Griffin's trip to Uganda—the story follows the character Griffin as he meets and tries to help five Ugandan teens, first by teaching them himself and then by sponsoring their education when he returns to New York. But is this the kind of help they want or need?  The musical asks many questions about altruism, public health, voluntourism, and the ethics of foreign aid. What does it look like to offer aid, particularly from the United States to a developing nation? Experts Afam Onyema of the GEANCO Foundation—which is simultaneously based in the U.S. and Nigeria (where it serves local Afridans)—and Ana Jimenez-Bautista, the director of Field Practice at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, join us for this fascinating conversation about what it really means to help and how we can offer assistance in the most useful ways. Create the change Ask how to serve, rather than offering what you think is needed. Challenge your ideas of what education looks like. Get a passport and travel! Support local businesses while traveling. 6 Ways to Travel More Responsibly Learn more about the ethics of international volunteering. When choosing a volunteer program, you *want* to see these words: collaboration, cultural sensitivity, cultural integration, reflection. Pick up a copy of The Volunteer Traveler's Handbook at your local independent bookstore. Donate to the GEANCO Foundation, or get in touch to offer other ways to serve. Read about volunteering and voluntourism. Find responsible travel guides here. Avoid poverty tourism. Read this article about ending colonialism in global health. Referred to in this episode Witness Uganda, keep track of the musical and its developments The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, CA Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Department of Field Practice What is cultural competence? The Ibo tribe in Nigeria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn how to produce musical cabarets with NYC cabaret producer Rob Schneider.   Robert W. Schneider is one of the leading cabaret producers and directors in New York City, primarily associated with Feinstein's/54 Below, which The New York Times has called "Broadway's Living Room." At 54 Below he has produced over fifty cabarets.   As a director, Robert has worked with such theatres as Center Theatre Group, Walnut Street Theatre, Manhattan Theater Club, York Theatre, Second Stage Theatre, and Lincoln Center Theater, as well as for PBS and Fox Seachlight. His directorial work has been acknowledged with the Ovation Award, BroadwayWorld Award, and he was nominated for BroadwayWorld's Best Director of the Decade.   Robert is the Artistic Director of The J2 Spotlight Musical Theater Company that does full productions of neglected works from the past. In addition to that, Robert is the co-host of the podcasts Behind The Curtain: Broadway's Living Legends, Gay Card Revoked, and the soon to be launched This Was A Thing.   Rob's website: https://www.robertwschneiderdirector.com/bio   Behind The Curtain - Broadway's Living Legends: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/behind-the-curtain-broadways-living-legends-podcast/id1080144159   Feinstein's 54 Below - NYC Cabaret where Rob has produced 70+ shows: https://54below.com/   Our Town - play: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Town   Company - musical:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_(musical)   Nathan Brewer - musical theatre director who knows a lot about old Broadway musicals: https://nathanbrewer.net/   Patti Lupone - Broadway performer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patti_LuPone   Marilyn Maye - cabaret performer: https://www.marilynmaye.com/mobile/index.aspx   No Strings - Forgotten Broadway musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Strings   Seesaw - Forgotten Broadway Musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seesaw_(musical)   Green Room 42 - NYC Cabaret Space: https://www.greenfignyc.com/#the-green-room-42   The Cutting Room - NYC Cabaret Space: http://thecuttingroomnyc.com/   Don't Tell Mama - NYC Cabaret Space: https://www.donttellmamanyc.com/   The Duplex - NYC Cabaret Space: https://www.theduplex.com/site/cabaret-theatre   The Producer's Club: https://producersclub.com/   Birdland - NYC Jazz Club: https://birdlandjazz.com/history/   Rocky Paterra - Cabaret Parody Comedian: https://www.instagram.com/rockypaterra/?hl=en   Roger Miller - Country Western Composer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Miller   Rockabye Hamlet - musical version of Hamlet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabye_Hamlet   BMI - Music Rights Management: https://www.bmi.com/   ASCAP - Music Rights Management: https://www.ascap.com/   Harry Shearer - called out Rob on Twitter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Shearer   Gobo - lighting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobo_(lighting)   Ken Billington - Broadway lighting designer: https://www.artisticfinance.com/episode/VGQZlvyQFnMeL1pRA5OB   Links from the Patron Episode:   John Lee Beatty - Broadway set designer: https://www.artisticfinance.com/episode/OpgExflo4ya6zwKeU8k1   Ain't Misbehavin' - musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t_Misbehavin%27_(musical)   Golden Rainbow - musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rainbow_(musical)   Johnny Mercer - musical composer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mercer   The Bandstand - musical: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandstand_(musical)   J2 Spotlight - Off Broadway musical company where Rob is Artistic Director: https://www.j2spotlightnyc.com/   Roger Miller Museum - closed in 2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Miller_Museum      

Antonio Cipriano starred in the World Premiere of Jagged Little Pill at the American Repertory Theater as ‘Phoenix', and reprised this role for his Broadway debut in the fall of 2019. He previously won the 2017 Sutton Foster Ovation Award for Best High School Theater Actor and was a finalist in the 2017 NHSMTA - Jimmy Awards. His regional theatre credits include La Jolla Playhouse, York Theatre Company, Second Stage Theatre, New York Stage and Film, and Michigan Opera Theatre. Antonio has performed in multiple concerts at Feinstein's 54 Below, and TV credits include “God Friended Me”, “City on a Hill”, and an upcoming supernatural TV series, “Safehaven”. Antonio can be heard now as a lead in the new studio cast album called IN THE LIGHT, A Faustian Tale, which is the brainchild of Michael Mott.  Antonio grew up in Michigan “a wild child”, and his parents sought different outlets for his energy. At summer camp when he was 8 years old, he played Zeke in a production of High School Musical, and he hasn't stopped performing since.  Antonio chats about finding success right out of high school, including his journey to working on Jagged Little Pill. He opens up about making his Broadway debut a few months prior to the COVID shutdown, how he felt when the industry came to a screeching halt, and what he has learned during the downtime. Antonio also talks about working alongside big names on the new cast album “IN THE LIGHT, A Faustian Tale”, and how he was invited to be part of the project.  In this episode, we talk about:  His new love for golf Working with actors he's looked up to while younger His stage door experience, and having fans  Imposter syndrome, and being humble  The Jimmy Awards process  Connect with Antonio: IG: @antoniocipriano_ Twitter: @AntonioCip_ Listen to In The Light 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

About the Guest Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj is a Milwaukee-based, multi-disciplinary, American Theater Artist and Advocate. Mr. Maharaj was hailed in The New York Times for his award-winning play Little Rock, was selected as a New York Times Critics Pick. He is currently the Associate Artistic Producer of Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Mr. Maharaj's playwrighting residencies include the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, New Orleans Writer's Residency, Alliance Theater, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Crossroads Theater, Amas Musical Theater, Triskelion Arts, the 2020 Resident Playwright of the Letter of Marque Theatre, is a member of Theater Now's 2021 Virtual Musical Theater Writer's Group, a 2021 Season Finalist in The Downtown Urban Arts Festival in New York City, the inaugural playwright for the Theatre Raleigh New Works Reading Series, and a finalist for the 2021 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Mr. Maharaj has been honored with many awards for his body of work in the American Theater including the prestigious Woodie King Jr. Award, four Vivian Robinson AUDELCO Awards, Barrymore Award, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Theatrical Moment of the Year, The New York International Fringe Festival Overall Excellence Award, Theater Communications Group Directors Grant and Playwriting Grant, Recipient of the 2020 National Alliance for Musical Theater Fifteen-Minute Musical Theater Challenge Award, he was a semi-finalist for the 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award Competition presented by American Blues Theater. He has been featured in numerous articles and interviews in notable industry publications such as The American Theater Magazine, The New York Times, The Yale School of Drama / Repertory Theater Review, The Dramatist, The Uptown Magazine, Playbill, Broadway World, The Daily News, The New York Post, The New York Beacon, The Philadelphia Sun, Time-Out New York, Harlem News, Amsterdam News, and The Stage Directors and Choreographers Journal for his work as a theater practitioner and leader. As a storyteller, Mr. Maharaj has worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and at many of our nation's top Regional Theaters including the Bernard B. Jacobs, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, The Public, Second Stage Theatre, Soho Playhouse, Classical Theater of Harlem, New Federal Theater, New World Stages, Nuyorican Poets Café, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Lark Play Development Center, Theatre Row, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Portland Stage, Actors Theater of Louisville, Alabama Shakespeare, Signature Theater, Theater Works, Goodman Theater, The Kennedy Center, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Perseverance, and New Freedom Theater. After his graduate studies at Brooklyn College, Mr. Maharaj was awarded a Masters of Fine Arts Degree from Brooklyn College. Mr. Maharaj is a proud alumnus of the Actors Studio Playwrights and Directors Unit, Lincoln Center's Directors Lab, and Theater Communication Group's Rising Leaders of Color in the American Theater. He has served as the Artistic Director of New Freedom Theater in Philadelphia as well as the Artistic Director of Rebel Theater. Mr. Maharaj founded the Voices at the River, an African and Latino American Playwrights New Works Festival hosted at Arkansas Repertory Theater. Mr. Maharaj is represented by Michael Moore of Michael Moore Agency Literary and Creatives. Connect with Beltline to Broadway Facebook – @beltlinetobroadway Twitter – @beltlinetobroadway Instagram – @beltlinetobroadway Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.beltlinetobroadway.com) Support this podcast

A Snatch Game full of bottoms on episode 2, Art Simone doing a Sashay, we knew things would be different on Drag Race Down Under, but, CRIKEY, this is house-down-boots-cray! Thankfully, we have two amazing guests to help process, cope, and keep calm! Kris Keochinda of Awf Magazine and Rockbar’s Coco Taylor join us take everything from drag race to LA and NYC nightlife. On the pod, we learn all about Kris’s meme worth Steaks-Are-Fine proposal, the magic of LA’s Akbar, how Coco was born on Fire Island and needs to sponsored by Party City, signs of life in the NYC queer scene - Yes and Rock Bar and Metropolitan are still alive, Henny!, and how Coco Taylor got featured on VH1’s Black Ink Crew!Now about Drag Race Down Under: WTF is A shoey? Will Minogue Mail be permanent? Why is Anita so intriguing? WTF happened to Lindy Chamberlain!? Can we get a moment of silence for Catherine O’Hara and friend of the pod BEV because Mama Rose was done dirty? Was the Sea Sickening runway actually sickening? Also, this elimination???????? We call production shade! Get into this kiki about RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under Season 1 Episode 2: "Snatch Game”About our guests:Kris Keochinda is another writer who moved from NY to LA and won’t shut up about the warm weather. They are also a staff writer at Awf Magazine, the first and only LGBTQ+ satire website in the universe, which launched in March 2019.By day, Cody Andrus is the Associate Director of Marketing at Lincoln Center Theater. By night, Coco Taylor is the kindly and campy den mother of NYC. Cody's career spans almost 15 years in non-profit theatre including at Second Stage Theatre, the Vineyard Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club and for the past five years, LCT. Coco Taylor is a writer, producer and actress. She has performed at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in The Simsinz, as a host of Members Only Boylesque and in her own production of American Teen Princess, a Drop Dead Gorgeous drag parody. She performed on the Pridefest Stage at NYC/World Pride 2019 and was featured on VH1's Black Ink Crew. FOLLOW KRIS KEOCHINDAhttps://www.instagram.com/kkeo42https://twitter.com/Kkeochindahttps://www.instagram.com/AwfMaghttps://twitter.com/AwfMaghttp://awfmag.com/FOLLOW COCO TAYLORhttps://www.instagram.com/CocoTaylorNYChttps://twitter.com/CocoTaylorNYCFOLLOW NICKhttps://www.instagram.com/neprobst/https://www.instagram.com/grow_withnick/https://twitter.com/NEProbstFOLLOW THE HUNTYShttps://www.tiktok.com/@whisperinghuntys?https://www.twitter.com/HuntyWhisperinghttps://www.instagram.com/whisperinghuntys/https://whisperinghuntys.transistor.fm/Whispering Huntys is an Apocalypse Podcast Network Podcast.Sign up to our Listserv: http://eepurl.com/hfnySr

As we move from the “new normal” to the “next normal,” what will happen to philanthropy and the concept of giving? There's no one better to discuss this with than our featured guest.  Timothy J. McClimon is President of the American Express Foundation and Senior Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility, American Express, where he directs the company's global philanthropy, sustainability and employee engagement programs.  Prior to American Express, Tim was Executive Director of Second Stage Theatre in New York City. He also served as the Executive Director of the AT&T Foundation where he directed AT&T's global philanthropy and citizenship programs.  Prior to AT&T, Tim worked as a lawyer specializing in not-for-profit corporate law. He serves on the boards of Americans for the Arts, Mark Morris Dance Group and Second Stage Theatre. Tim is an adjunct professor at New York University where he teaches graduate courses in arts management, and he is the lead faculty member for the Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility at Johns Hopkins University. He writes a bi-weekly blog on corporate social responsibility, which can be found at www.americanexpress.com/csrnow and is a contributor to Forbes where he writes about the intersection of grassroots movements and philanthropy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we move from the “new normal” to the “next normal,” what will happen to philanthropy and the concept of giving? There’s no one better to discuss this with than our featured guest.  Timothy J. McClimon is President of the American Express Foundation and Senior Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility, American Express, where he directs the company’s global philanthropy, sustainability and employee engagement programs.  Prior to American Express, Tim was Executive Director of Second Stage Theatre in New York City. He also served as the Executive Director of the AT&T Foundation where he directed AT&T’s global philanthropy and citizenship programs.  Prior to AT&T, Tim worked as a lawyer specializing in not-for-profit corporate law. He serves on the boards of Americans for the Arts, Mark Morris Dance Group and Second Stage Theatre. Tim is an adjunct professor at New York University where he teaches graduate courses in arts management, and he is the lead faculty member for the Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility at Johns Hopkins University. He writes a bi-weekly blog on corporate social responsibility, which can be found at www.americanexpress.com/csrnow and is a contributor to Forbes where he writes about the intersection of grassroots movements and philanthropy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Career Conversations Q&A with Joshua Jackson (The Affair, Dawson’s Creek), star of Children of a Lesser God, moderated by BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge of "Backstage with Richard Ridge!" on April 26, 2018. Joshua Jackson makes his Broadway debut in Children of a Lesser God alongside Lauren Ridloff, telling the story of an unconventional teacher at a school for the deaf and remarkable woman he meets there. It received rave reviews (The New York Times called Jackson a revelation in his role) during last summer’s workshop in The Berkshires. Jackson’s additional stage credits include a successful run on London’s West End starring in A Life in the Theatre alongside Patrick Stewart. The acclaimed comedy was written by the Pulitzer Prize and Olivier Award winning, and Oscar nominated David Mamet. He also starred in the off-Broadway play Smart People at New York’s Second Stage Theatre, about four Harvard intellectuals finding themselves entangled in a complex web of social politics. Jackson currently stars alongside Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, and Maura Tierney in the Golden Globe award-winning television series The Affair on Showtime, which will return for its fourth season this June. Jackson was recently seen in the National Geographic Channel’s Emmy award winning documentary series Years of Living Dangerously. He previously starred on FOX’s hit show Fringe created by J.J. Abrams and made a cameo appearance in the Netflix Original Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Well known as Dawson’s Creek’s fast-talking, self-deprecating Pacey Witter, Jackson has been working in front of the camera for over twenty years. His feature film debut was in Michael Bortman’s Crooked Hearts, which he followed up with The Mighty Ducks trilogy, Digger, and Andre the Seal. Jackson starred in Universal Pictures’ The Skulls, Rose Troche’s acclaimed drama The Safety of Objects, the HBO Films version of Moises Kaufman’s groundbreaking play The Laramie Project, and in Regent Films’ Aurora Borealis, opposite Donald Sutherland. Jackson’s additional feature film credits include Sky, Cursed, Gossip, Bryan Singer’s Apt Pupil, and Cruel Intentions. He also starred opposite Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, and Catherine Zeta Jones in Lay the Favorite for director Stephen Frears and Inescapable opposite Marisa Tomei. He was seen as part of the ensemble cast of the critically acclaimed film Bobby for director Emilio Estevez and starred in the psychological thriller Shutter for 20th Century Fox/New Regency which was shot on location in Tokyo. Additionally, he had noted cameos in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11, Scream 2, Urban Legend, and I Love Your Work. In 2010, he received the Best Actor Genie Award for his starring role in the Canadian Independent feature film One Week. A Vancouver native, Jackson divides his time between his hometown and Los Angeles.

ABOUT SANDRA SANDRA TSING LOH is the author of six books, including THE MADWOMAN IN THE VOLVO: MY YEAR OF RAGING HORMONES (2014, W.W. Norton), which was selected as one of the New York Times’ 100 Most Notable Books. It is based on her Best American Essay 2012 on menopause, originally published in The Atlantic Monthly. The Madwoman in the Volvo has inspired Sandra's new stand-up show, The B**** Is Back: An All-Too Intimate Conversation, running at The Broad Stage in July, 2015, as well as a multi-character play, which will premiere at South Coast Repertory Theatre in January, 2016. SANDRA TSING LOH is the author of the THE MADWOMAN IN THE VOLVO: MY YEAR OF RAGING HORMONES (2014, W.W. Norton), which was selected as one of the New York Times' 100 Most Notable Books. It is based on her Best American Essay 2012 on menopause, originally published in The Atlantic Monthly. Her previous book, MOTHER ON FIRE, was inspired by her hit solo show about Los Angeles public education. During that time, she was named one of the 50 most influential comedians by Variety. Her other solo shows include "Aliens in America" and "Bad Sex With Bud Kemp" (both off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre), "Sugar Plum Fairy" (Geffen Playhouse, Seattle Rep), and "I Worry" (Kennedy Center, Actor's Theatre of Louisville). Her short story, "My Father's Chinese Wives," won a Pushcart Prize in 1996, and is also featured in the Norton Anthology of Modern Literature. Loh's previous books include A Year in Van Nuys, Aliens in America, Depth Takes a Holiday, and a novel, If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home By Now, which was named by the Los Angeles Times as one of the 100 best fiction books of 1998. She has been a regular commentator on NPR's "Morning Edition," and on PRI's "This American Life" and "Marketplace"; currently, her weekly segment "The Loh Life"" is heard on KPCC. Loh's education includes a BS in physics from the California Institute of Technology, an institution which granted her a Distinguished Alumna Award, its highest honor, and for whom she was the first alumna to give a now-famous commencement speech. Loh's combining of her communication and science skills continue with her syndicated daily minute "The Loh Down on Science," which is heard weekly by 4 million people. Excerpts from her solo piano CD Pianovision has been heard on several NPR shows, and she also scored the music for the 1998 Oscar-winning documentary Breathing Lessons. A Pushcart Prize winner, MacDowell Fellow and three-time National Magazine Award nominee, she is a contributing editor for The Atlantic Monthly and adjunct professor of visual art and science communication at the University of California, Irvine. Sandra's stand-up show, The B**** Is Back: An All-Too Intimate Conversation, ran at The Broad Stage in July, 2015. Her multi-character play based on The Madwoman in the Volvo premiered at South Coast Repertory Theatre (SCR) in January, 2016, and enjoyed subsequent runs at The Pasadena Playhouse and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Loh workshopped a new piece, "Blue State," at the Ojai Playwrights Conference in August, 2017. A new three-actor version of "Sugar Plum Fairy" will be produced by SCR in December, 2017. Loh is an adjunct associate professor of Drama at UC Irvine, where she also teaches Science Communication.

In tonight's interview, Samantha Belding talks with Tony-Award Winning Broadway Producer Randy Adams. Randy is a founding partner of Junkyard Dog Productions (JYD), a theatrical producing company dedicated to the development and production of new musical theatre. JYD is currently represented on Broadway with Come From Away which is the winner of the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Helen Hayes and Dora Award for Best Musical of 2017. The National Tour of Memphis (by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan) completed a successful multi-year run following an almost three year run on Broadway. Memphis is the winner of the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical of 2010. First Date premiered at Seattle's 5th Avenue /ACT Theatre prior to its Broadway run at the Longacre Theatre. Since its inception in 2006, JYD has also produced Make Me A Song, The Music of William Finn off-Broadway at New World Stages (Drama Desk nom., Outer Critics Circle nom.) and in London and Vanities, A New Musical at Second Stage Theatre. Prior to creating JYD, Randy was the Managing Director at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto from 1984 to 2006. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

On May 4, 2020, A Strange Loop made history as the 10th musical ever to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. And not only that, A Strange Loop is both the first musical written by a black artist, Michael R. Jackson, and the first musical without an announced Broadway run to be bestowed with this honor. A Strange Loop follows a black, queer writer creating an original musical as he faces a host of demons. When it premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in May 2019, it resonated with both audiences and critics alike, making a lasting impression on the New York theatre scene. Here to discuss his experience as an original cast member of A Strange Loop is John-Michael Lyles. Most recently, John-Michael played the role of Toby in the world premiere of Bliss at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre. He contributed additional music to Second Stage Theatre’s We’re Gonna Die  and has performed Off-Broadway in Sweeney Todd, This Ain’t No Disco, and The Flick, among others. Here’s our conversation… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Repisode we talk with Sarah Ruhl, the playwright of BECKY NURSE OF SALEM, about what has changed in her thinking about the play as it has moved from development to the stage, and how current world events have permeated the play. Becky Nurse of Salem marks Sarah’s sixth production at Berkeley Rep; previous productions at Berkeley Rep include For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday, the West Coast premiere of Eurydice, the world premiere of In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), an adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, and the West Coast premiere of Dear Elizabeth. In the Next Room went on to Broadway, playing at Lyceum Theatre. Sarah’s other plays include The Oldest Boy, The Clean House, Passion Play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Melancholy Play, Orlando, Late: a cowboy song, and Stage Kiss. Her plays have been seen off Broadway at Women’s Project Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, and Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Her select regional credits include Yale Repertory Theatre and the Goodman Theatre. Sarah received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Whiting Award, the Lilly Award, a PEN Award, and the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award. She has been a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a Tony Award nominee. Her book of essays, 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write, was a New York Times notable book of the year. She teaches at Yale school of drama and lives in Brooklyn with her family. BECKY NURSE OF SALEM runs December 12 – January 26 and tickets are available at berkeleyrep.org. Follow Berkeley Rep on SoundCloud to keep up with the whole series. You can also listen on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher. Music credit to Peter Yonka.

We were thrilled to have International Supermodel, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Kara Young in the studio. Growing up in Northern California during her high school years, she entered a modeling contest which got her noticed immediately, leading to local modeling assignments. After a few years, Kara began to travel all over the world and became one of the most sought out models of her time. She has graced 100's of magazine covers including Vogue, Elle, Glamour and Cosmopolitan. Her global marketing campaigns include L'Oreal, Revlon's "The Most Unforgettable Women in the World", Maybelline, Victoria Secret and many more. She has also appeared in numerous TV commercials. We also talked about her post-modeling career, having developed a hair care product line called "Hair Rules" and her Philanthropic work for Action Against Hunger, Second Stage Theatre and mentoring young artists.  She is a proud wife to a fellow Greek and the mother of two incredible sons. Her beauty shines inside and out and her heart is as big as her smile, we loved hearing about her fascinating life and so will you. For more on Kara go to www.karayoung.org  

Betsy Wolfe has established herself as one of the most versatile and keenly intelligent Broadway performers of her generation. She recently starred as Jenna Hunterson, the title role in the Tony nominated musical Waitress. Prior to that, she played Cordelia, one of the one of the lovable “lesbians from next door,” in the Broadway revival of Falsettos directed by James Lapine, which recently aired on PBS. She is perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years.  In TV, she was most recently seen in a guest star role on season 2 of the CBS series INSTINCT. She also just wrapped the indie feature FIRST ONE IN with Georgia King.   Originally from California, Betsy received her BFA in musical theatre from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At age twenty—prior to graduation and prior being able to legally drink or get a British pilot’s license—she made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Maestro Erich Kunzel. After receiving her BFA, Betsy quickly starred in the San Francisco and Boston companies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Soon after, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of 110 in the Shade. Betsy started to gain attention for her next role in both the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Sherie Rene Scott’s Everyday Rapture, where she played one of the two Mennonettes.   Only a few years later, Betsy would be Scott’s successor in one of contemporary musical theatre’s most challenging and well-known roles: Cathy in Second Stage Theatre’s revival of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years.  Her complex performance as Cathy was lauded by critics and audiences alike.   Betsy’s other Broadway credits include Ellen in the 2014 production of Bullets Over Broadwaydirected by Susan Stroman and Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. She also appeared as Beth in the Encores! production of Merrily We Roll Along. She starred in the La Jolla Playhouse world premiere production of Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s new musical Up Here, and created the role of Mary Ann Singleton in ACT's world premiere of Tales of the City, a musical based on the Armistead Maupin novels.  Betsy made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Douglas Carter Beane’s adaptation of Die Fledermaus. She has been a guest artist for over 50 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras across the U.S. and internationally including the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She collaborated with The New York Pops and played to sold-out crowds at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center with their Broadway Today and Women of Notesconcerts. Her recent collaboration with the BBC Orchestra and Jason Robert Brown ended up being recorded for Friday Music Nights for the BBC and can be heard on their channel.   She can be heard on the recordings of Falsettos, Bullets over Broadway, The Last Five Years,The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, Stage Door Canteen, 35MM, and Merrily We Roll Along. She can also be seen in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Betsy is currently mini- touring with her one woman show ALL BETS ARE OFF and primarily lives in New York with her husband.  She is so very proud to have created and co-founded the program Broadway Evolved, which has revolutionized the summer camp for both theatre students and educators alike.

WSU hits the ground running with Second Stage Theatre's production of Love Me or Leave Me , the 2019 winner of the Wichita State University Playwriting Contest. The competition was founded by Dr. Bela Kiralyfalvi in 1974, when he was a professor of theatre at the university. Dr. Kiralyfalvi taught acting, playwriting, and script analysis, and developed a class on improvisation, as well. He also served as the Director of the School of Performing Arts until 2003. Winners of the contest have their scripts workshopped and then produced by the WSU School of Performing Arts. Scripts may further be submitted to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for playwriting awards. Love Me or Leave Me presents a marriage in trouble: a couple contemplating divorce are given different perspectives by a pair of employees from the organization “Relationships Incorporated.” A trip down Memory Lane through the couple's shared past provides new insights for each of them. Love Me or Leave Me is

Multiple Lortel Award nominee and four-time Tony Award nominee, MICHAEL GREIF, whose next production will be Make Believe for Second Stage Theatre.

Nicolette Robinson is an award winning actress and was most recently cast as Jenna , the lead in the Broadway musical, "Waitress."  Born and raised in Los Angeles and married to the Hamilton Tony Award winning actor Leslie Odom Jr. , Nicolette opens up about her struggles and triumphs and takes us on an emotional journey that gives listeners an honest and beautiful account of what is is to live the life of an artist. This fall, Robinson made her Broadway debut stepping into the lead role of “Jenna” in the multiple Tony Award nominated musical, WAITRESS. With a book by Jessie Nelson, music by Sara Bareilles, and direction by Diane Paulus, the show has played to full audiences over almost 1,000 performances. On September 4, 2018, Robinson became the first African-American woman and the first mother to play the lead role. Robinson appeared Off-Broadway in the 2015 production of BROOKLYNITE at the Vineyard Theatre, directed by Michael Mayer from a book he co-wrote with Peter Lerman, which earned a 2015 Off Broadway Alliance Award nomination for Best New Musical. She also starred in the new musical, INVISIBLE THREAD, for director Diane Paulus and Second Stage Theatre. Of her performance, Time Out New York wrote that Robinson was “poised and possessed of an ethereal soprano… marvelous.” INVISIBLE THREAD began its life as WITNESS UGANDA – in which Robinson also starred – with book, music, and lyrics by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews. It was based on the true story of Matthews' humanitarian trips to Uganda, and his work to fund his nonprofit, Uganda Project. The musical premiered in February 2014 at Cambridge's American Repertory Theater before transferring to Off-Broadway. Robinson also co-starred in Barrington Stage Company’s A LITTLE MORE ALIVE, with book, music, and lyrics by Nick Blaemire. In this heartfelt and original folk-pop musical, two estranged brothers reunite at their childhood home after their mother’s funeral. An unexpected revelation distorts their memories and uncovers secrets. Robinson starred as ‘Lizzie’, the hospice worker who’d been caring for the mother, and the Berkshire Eagle called her “luminous.” On television, Robinson co-starred with Ruth Wilson and Dominic West as ‘Jane’ on Showtime’s Golden Globe Award-winning drama series, THE AFFAIR. She has also appeared on HART OF DIXIE, UNFORGETTABLE, PERFECT COUPLES, and COLD CASE, among others. Nicolette received the Princess Grade Award for Theater and is a graduate of the University of California Los Angeles School of Theater, Film, & Television. She is primarily based in Los Angeles, where she resides with her husband, Leslie Odom Jr., and their baby daughter.

The Broadcast is a client Podcast.  Sorgatron Media and Sidekick Media Services have helped with the production.  Can we help with your Podcast? Contact us today! Shaunda McDill joined The Heinz Endowments in October 2017 as the program officer for arts and culture, following more than a decade of nonprofit executive and arts management experience. Shaunda has worked for theater companies across the country, including The Goodman Theatre of Chicago, Second Stage Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse and Cornerstone Theater Company. She also founded demaskus, a nonprofit, service-oriented collective of artists and administrators who produce theatrical projects sharing stories of the marginalized. In Pittsburgh, Shaunda served as vice president of programming and cultivation at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture, where she managed all artistic and educational programs. As the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s director of public relations, she headed both national and local public relations campaigns, including the North American premiere of Florentijn Hofman’s Rubber Duck Project. Shaunda spoke with Natalie and Kim about the depth of culture in Pittsburgh, and her work connecting artists with resources. Twitter (@BroadCastPGH)Facebook (@The Broadcast_PGH) Also, check out the Broadcast Podcast website and sorgatronmedia.com!

In this week's program I get to share with you what I did last weekend and sneak peak, it has to do with Shakespeare x 2. In the news, three theaters announced their 2018-2019 seasons, Centenary Stage Co. in NJ, Riverside Theatre in Iowa City and Second Stage Theatre in NYC. No comings and goings in Who's In and Who's Out again this week. In the segment Articles & Interviews, TheatreMania has the announcement that Christian Borle will be directing this fall in NYC. American Theatre Magazine online has a great article about the trials & victories for costume designers working on outdoor shakespeare productions. Finally, an interview with Dina Janis, the artistic director of the summer theatre, Dorset Theatre Festival on TheIntervalNY.com. My very special segment Something I Had To Share With You is all about Playbill.com's list of 17 regional theatres every theatre lover (and theatre artist) should know.

Randy Adams is a Tony-award winning Producer and founding partner of Junkyard Dog Productions, a theatrical producing company dedicated to the development and production of new musical theatre. The National Tour of Memphis (by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan) completed a successful multi-year run following an almost three year run on Broadway. Memphis is the winner of the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Musical of 2010. First Date premiered at Seattle’s 5th Avenue /ACT Theatre prior to its Broadway run at the Longacre Theatre.  Since its inception in 2006, JYD has also produced Make Me A Song, The Music of William Finn off-Broadway at New World Stages (Drama Desk nom., Outer Critics Circle nom.) and in London and Vanities, A New Musical at Second Stage Theatre.   Sue Frost is a founding member of Junkyard Dog Productions which is dedicated to developing and producing new musicals. 2010 Tony®, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning Best Musical Memphis, First Date. Since its inception in 2006 Junkyard Dog has also produced Vanities, Make me a Song (Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk noms.), and Party Come Here. Prior to founding Junkyard, she was Associate Producer at Goodspeed Musicals for 20 years, where she produced more than 50 new musicals at both the Goodspeed Opera House and the Norma Terris Theatre.  Hear this three-way convo as we discuss: What they learned from running non-profit theaters that helps them in the commercial world. How they’ve learned to divide and conquer their producing duties. Why the independent Producer is becoming an endangered species. The challenges of producing Come From Away and why they are producing it anyway. How they found each other, and how you can find a partner too.   Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robyn Goodman is a producer and actress, known for The Rehearsal (1974), One Life to Live (1968) and Smash (2012). She won Tony Awards for Best Musical as producer of Avenue Q and In the Heights. Her other Broadway productions include Metamorphoses and West Side Story. She is a producer of Avenue Q at New World Stages, and produced Altar Boyz Off-Broadway. She is a founding Board member of The Ride and Artistic Consultant to Roundabout Theatre Company. She was co-founder of Second Stage Theatre, serving as artistic director for 13 years. In this week’s podcast, Robyn talks about producing partnerships (including her very successful ones with Co-Producers Kevin McCollum and Jeffrey Seller) and a bunch more including: How she (literally) survived her first producing project.  (Wait until you hear what the Playwright wanted to do to her.) How she convinced the Writers of Avenue Q to skip the screen and take the show to the stage . . . and to let her be the one to help. The delicate art of giving notes to Authors (and let me tell you – Robyn is a master of this!). What she does when a show doesn’t work. What it’s like being a powerful female Producer in the “old boys’ club” of Broadway. Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Obama era is about to begin, four brilliant, accomplished people — Harvard types, all of them — consider racism in America in “Smart People” by playwright Lydia R. Diamond. While the hot-button issue is difficult for these intellectuals to articulate, it manifests concretely through the characters' relationships with each other. Kenny Leon directs the production by Second Stage Theatre, featuring a strong cast comprised of Mahershala Ali, Joshua Jackson, Anne Son and Tessa Thompson.  New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood checks it out to see if the play is as smart as the characters in it.

The nature of intimacy is one of the themes of Laura Eason’s new play Sex With Strangers, in which two writers first get busy and then get to know each other. Olivia is played by Anna Gunn, best-known for her portrayal of Skyler White on the AMC series “Breaking Bad.” Ethan is played by Billy Magnussen, a Tony Award nominee for his portrayal of the last of the four title characters in Vanya, Sonya, Masha, and Spike. There’s also a notable name behind the scene — the director is David Schwimmer, most recognizable from the TV show "Friends." What are the post-passion revelations these two share with each other and with the audience? New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood takes a look. Sex With Strangers runs through Aug. 24 at Second Stage Theatre.

Lili is young, beautiful and married to South Texas magnate Alberto, who never appears on stage in the new Off-Broadway play Mala Herbia by Tanya Saracho, who writes for the HBO series “Looking” and “Girls.” Those who are on stage in this story of a troubled Mexican-American trophy wife include Lili’s housekeeper, stepdaughter by one of Alberto’s earlier marriages and Lili's former lover, Mari. In spite of her name, Lili is the ostensible weed referred to in the play’s Spanish title, but she may not be the most noxious among those planted on stage. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood offers his thoughts on Mala Hierba, presented as part of Second Stage Theatre’s Uptown summer season. The play is directed by Jerry Ruiz.

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

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.

Reality television is lampooned a lot  — and loved a little bit, too — in a new musical now running at Second Stage Theatre. Written by the playwright Itamar Moses and the composer and lyricist Gaby Alter, Nobody Loves You follows a philosophy student’s televised pursuit of his girlfriend on a reality show that looks a lot like "The Bachelor." Other contestants, a telegenically smarmy host, and even a Twitter-addicted fan, all make appearances. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood tells us how successful Nobody Loves You is at parodying a genre that sometimes looks like a parody itself.

Telemundo's Odalys Molina leads a panel discussion with "Water by the Spoonful" playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes, director Davis McCallum, and cast members Ryan Shams, Bill Heck, Sue Jean Kim, Armando Riesco and Zabryna Guevara. Recorded on December 10, 2012 at SECOND STAGE THEATRE

The name Quiara Alegría Hudes may not be on the average theatergoer’s short list of major playwrights, but it’s well-known to the Pulitzer Prize committee. Hudes wrote the book for In the Heights, the Tony Award-winning musical, which was a finalist in 2009 for a Pulitzer Prize. Hudes was a Pulitzer Prize finalist before that, for her 2007 play, Elliott, a Soldier’s Fugue, the first part of a trilogy exploring the world of a Puerto Rican-American soldier returning home from the war in Iraq. Last year, Hudes won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the second part of the trilogy, Water by the Spoonful. That play is now in its initial New York production, at Second Stage Theatre and directed by Davis McCallum, who staged the premiere at Hartford Stage last season. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood brings us his review.

Tales of lotion and men in motion are told by Sterling and Stroili. Television, film and stage actor Scott Lowell (Showtime???s Queer as Folk) discusses his appearance in the upcoming motion picture The Chicago 8. The Live Arts Calendar highlights Arthur Miller???s The Crucible at Theatre Banshee in Burbank, CA; and The Blank Theatre Company???s production of Jon Marans??? The Temperamentals at Hollywood???s Second Stage Theatre. Award winning theatre director Richard Israel discusses his endeavors with the hit musical Having it All at the NoHo Arts Center in North Hollywood, and the classic Broadway musical Gypsy (Stripped) for West Coast Ensemble at Hollywood???s Egyptian Arena Stage. Lowell and Israel share embarrassing moments in theatre. Sponsored by Breakdown Services (http://www.breakdownexpress.com/)

The panel -- Tony Award-winning director and lyricist Martin Charnin (for Annie), Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public playwright Larry L. King and director/co-writer Peter Masterson, choreographer Rob Marshall (Kiss of the Spiderwoman), director/writer Lonny Price (Sally Marr and Her Escorts), Second Stage Theatre dramaturg/literary manager Erin Sanders, director Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast), Ernest Schier director of the National Critics' Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and Tazewell Thompson Artistic Director of the Syracuse Stage -- talk about the different ways that writers collaborate, the role of a dramaturg, how choreography and directing can be intertwined, developing a production in workshops, and reimagining an animated film as a stage musical.

The panel - director Martin Charnin ("The Flowering Peach"), "Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public" playwright Larry L. King and director/co-writer Peter Masterson, choreographer Rob Marshall ("Kiss of the Spiderwoman"), director/writer Lonny Price ("Sally Marr and Her Escorts"), Second Stage Theatre dramaturg/literary manager Erin Sanders, director Robert Jess Roth ("Beauty and the Beast"), Ernest Schier director of the National Critics' Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and Tazewell Thompson Artistic Director of the Syracuse Stage - talk about the different ways that writers collaborate, the role of a dramaturg, how choreography and directing can be intertwined, developing a production in workshops, and reimagining an animated film as a stage musical.

The Spoils Of War production team -- legal representative John Breglio, press representative Joshua Ellis, producer Robyn Goodman (2004 Tony for Best Musical for Avenue Q), producer David Mirvish, and general manager Peter Neufeld (2005 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre) -- discuss transferring the play from not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre off-Broadway to a $1.5 million commercial Broadway production.

The "Spoils Of War" production team - legal representative John Breglio, press representative Joshua Ellis, producer Robyn Goodman, producer David Mirvish, and general manager Peter Neufeld - discuss transferring the play from not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre off-Broadway to a $1.5 million commercial Broadway production.

Producer Robyn Goodman discusses her role in the creation of the musicals "Avenue Q" and "Altar Boyz", talks about her transition from running the not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre to the commercial arena, and the many considerations that go into producing revivals, including the recent "Steel Magnolias" and the upcoming "Barefoot In The Park". Original airdate - August 5, 2005

Producer Robyn Goodman discusses her role in the creation of the musicals "Avenue Q" and "Altar Boyz", talks about her transition from running the not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre to the commercial arena, and the many considerations that go into producing revivals, including the recent "Steel Magnolias" and the upcoming "Barefoot In The Park". Original airdate - August 5, 2005

Producer Robyn Goodman discusses her role in the creation of the musicals "Avenue Q" and "Altar Boyz", talks about her transition from running the not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre to the commercial arena, and the many considerations that go into producing revivals, including the recent "Steel Magnolias" and the upcoming "Barefoot In The Park". Original airdate - August 5, 2005