Podcasts about stage kiss

The best thing about Only Murders In The Building AND YOU CAN QUOTE US ON THAT joins us to talk about an epic Emmys night, the timeless appeal of Madeline Kahn, enduring a cat allergy for love, a big gay road trip revenge tour, the dachshund who made his family complete, the genius of Tanya Donelly, the box office archetype, coming out of the closet and coming out of the closet as the creator of a web show, his breakthrough in Stage Kiss, a chance encounter with Catherine O'Hara, and meeting a future husband on Friendster. 

Today, Cam and Ali are joined by musical comedian Michelle Brasier and her partner and collaborator, actor-musician Tim Lancaster. The couple tells the unusual story of meeting during a regional production of Legally Blonde, where they kissed on stage every night, and the romantic gesture involving a pillow fort that sealed the deal. They also open up about why they don't think they'll have kids, why Tim takes Michelle for walks like she's a dog, and how laughing at your partner can be the best way to handle serious moments. LINKS  Listen to Trilogy Mixtape on Spotify or Youtube See more from Michelle at michellebrasier.com or follow her on Instagram @michellebrasier Follow Tim @limtancaster on Instagram Follow Cam @camerondaddo on Instagram Follow Ali @alidaddo on Instagram Follow Nova Podcasts @novapodcastsofficial.  Got a question for Cam & Ali? You can email them at separatebathrooms@novapodcasts.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Ruhl is a playwright . Her plays include- How to Transcend a Happy Marriage; The Oldest Boy; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist); The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize). Other plays include For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday; Stage Kiss; Dear Elizabeth; Passion Play, a cycle (PEN American Award, The Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center); Dead Man's Cell Phone (Helen Hayes Award); Melancholy Play; Eurydice; Orlando; and Late: a cowboy song. Her plays have been produced around the country and internationally, translated into fourteen languages. Her books include Smile, a memoir; 100 Essays I Don't have Time to Write and Love Poems in Quarantine. Opera: Libretto for Eurydice (Metropolitan Opera, composer Matthew Aucoin). Awards: MacArthur “Genius” Grant, Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award, Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award, Whiting Writers' Award, MacArthur Fellowship, Lily Award, PEN Center Award for a mid-career playwright. Education: M.F.A., Brown University (with Paula Vogel). Teaches at the Yale School of Drama.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our guest this week is Chinese-Canadian actor, writer - RONG FU! Rong was born in Qin-an, China and was raised in Toronto, Canada.  She knew at a young age that she wanted to be an actor and started her classical training in theatre at Earl Haig, an arts high school in Toronto and then went on to graduate from York University's Acting Conservatory in 2012.   Rong's theatrical debut was in the critically acclaimed production of THE CRUCIBLE at Soulpepper in Toronto.  She has since performed on stages across Canada in amazing productions including the Shaw Festival's STAGE KISS and THE ORCHARD AFTER CHEKHOV in Niagara-on-the Lake, Vertigo Theatre's SHERLOCK HOLMES and THE RAVEN'S CURSE in Calgary, Toronto Tarragon Theatre's THE MILLENNIAL MALCONTENT, and Roseneath Theatre's Dora Nominated THE MONEY TREE in Toronto. You may recognize Rong on the small screen in shows such as: CBC and NBC's PRETTY HARD CASES, CBC and Netflix's WORKIN' MOMS, CBS's AMERICAN GOTHIC, ABC's ROOKIE BLUE, CTV's CARTER, and The CW's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Most recently, on Paramount+'s STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, and Lionsgate and BuzzFeed Studios' MY FAKE BOYFRIEND. Rong plays the romantic lead Avery in CBC Gem's original HELLO (AGAIN), a k-drama inspired rom-com created by Simu Liu and Nathalie Younglai, that recently won BEST DRAMA PILOT in the DIGITAL SHORTS SERIES in SeriesFest in Denver, Colorado. MAY FLOWERS, ASIANS IN THE SIXTH is a short film that Rong wrote and it premiered on CBC: CANADA REFLECTIONS in 2020.  She is a founding member of a community collective of Asian artists in film and television called ASIANS IN THE SIXTH as a Facebook group.  In 2021, she curated a program of various free industry workshops to uplift and support fellow Asian artists, including workshops about The Business Side of Acting and another workshop on Authenticity and Wellbeing. Twitter: @rongideas Instagram: @rongideas Website:  https://www.officialrongfu.com/ HELLO (AGAIN) @watchhelloagain #watchhelloagain @cbcgem Watch: https://gem.cbc.ca/media/hello-again/s01 Podcast Team Head Producer and Editor: Winnie Wong @wonder_wong Editor:  Shayne Stolz @shaynestolz Graphic: Vicki Brier @brier2019 To listen to the podcast: https://linktr.ee/firecrackerdept  Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.firecrackerdepartment.com and follow us @firecrackerdept!

An award-winning American playwright, author, essayist, poet and professor at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Her plays include The Oldest Boy, Dear Elizabeth, Stage Kiss, In the Next Room, (or The Vibrator Play) (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2010); The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2005; Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2004); Passion Play (Pen American Award, Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award from the Kennedy Center); Dead Man's Cell Phone (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play); Demeter in the City (nine NAACP Image Award nominations); Melancholy Play; Scenes From Court Life; How to Transcend a Happy Marriage, For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday; Eurydice; Orlando and Late: A Cowboy Song. On this episode Sarah explains why it isn't very cozy for a person to sit and read a play, she introduces the concept of Title Diagnosis to find the core of a story and she shares insights about her book “Smile: The Story of a Face”.  

Kim Donovan is no stranger to the Yay and no stranger to Bay Area Theatre – she has graced so many stages, has been in Dirty Butterfly, Stage Kiss, All The Way and of course Four Men In Paris. She is now in rehearsals for DOT, the play produced by the New Conservatory Theatre. Kim is now branching out in new venues, creating KSD Casting and is a casting director and a voice over coach. She's still also doing the Leviathan Chronicles, which you can check out here: www.leviathanchronicles.com And today is Kim's birthday!! Kim has an IMDB page here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2096332/ Kim can be reached via Facebook and Instagram: @kimsuedon SHOWS: DOT (New Conservatory Theatre Center) March 4 – April 3 Kim Donovan (Episode 80) and Kimberly Ridgeway (Episode 155) is in the show ShawnJ West (Episodes 146 and 172) is directing the show https://www.nctcsf.org/21-22-Season/Dot The Baldwin Project (Oakland Public Theatre) February 19 – Peralta Hacienda House – 3pm February 26 – Bayfront Theatre, Fort Mason in San Francisco – 6pm Reg Clay, Shay Angelo Acevedo (Episode 110) and Earlina Somera (Episode 151) are doing readings Norman Gee is the director www.baldwincentennialproject.com What The World Needs Now (Playground – SF) Part of Monday Night Playground February 21 Lisa Kang (Episode 76) and Anne Yumi Kobori (Episode 192) wrote pieces for the show VietGone (City Lights Theatre) March 24 – April 24 Jeffrey Lo (Episode 153) wrote the show https://cltc.org/explore-our-2021-22-season/ The Mountaintop (Pear Theatre) Feb 3 – 20 Damaris Divito (Episode 190) is in the show https://www.thepear.org/season-20 My H8 Letter to the GR8 American Theatre (Shotgun Players) Feb 17-20 https://shotgunplayers.org/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=30th-csrs&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id= Golda Sargento aka Rebel Maria (Episode 220) is in the show Carmen (Opera San Jose) Feb 12 – 27 Brennah Kemmerly (Episode 203) is in the show https://www.operasj.org/carmen/ Escape from the Asylum (Central Works) March 17 – April 17 Alan Coyne (Episode 29) and Jan Zvaifler (Episode 170) are in the show Gary Graves (Episode 24) is directing the show http://centralworks.org/escape-from-the-asylum/ Dr. Stephanie Johnson (Episode 177) is teaching a class on lighting, hosted by the Oakland Theatre Project. The Magic Of Lighting – March 7-28 in person https://oaklandtheaterproject.org/adult-classes The Hollow (City Lights Theatre) Feb 3 – March 6, 2022 Ann Yumi Kobori (Episode 192) is in the show https://cltc.org/explore-our-2021-22-season/ Barry Graves (Episode 104) has a new podcast out! The Black Man's Heart On Spotify and all your podcast apps Our wonderful consulting producer Mallory Somera (Episode 151) is producing a podcast for KCBS Radio called Connect The Dots, a weekly news podcast, hosted by WCBS Newsradio 880's Lynda Lopez. Check out “Connect The Dots” on any podcast app. Also, Bindlestuff Studios has a podcast called the Fobcast, exploring Filipino American immigrant stories. Check out The Fobcast in any podcast app. The Yay (Twitter: @TheYay3) Reg Clay (@Reg_Clay) Norman Gee (@WhosYrHoosier)

Join us as we discuss what makes a good TV kiss through some of our favorite examples! We discuss Jess and Nick (New Girl), Ben and Leslie (Parks and Recreation), Izzie and Casey (Atypical), Sterling and April (Teenage Bounty Hunters), Veronica and Logan (Veronica Mars) and Devi and Ben (Never Have I Ever).--- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Get bonus content on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Maria participates in a live college mock-audition to see what she would do in the room, and Brendan recounts the tale of his first stage kiss. Brendan and Maria also participate in a Q&A with questions sent in by listeners, spill the details of Broadway's return, and talk about the tragedy that is Fame the Musical.  FOLLOW THE SHOWInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/podcastanewmusical/Twitter: https://twitter.com/podanewmusicalSUPPORT OUR PODCASTBuzzsproutGet your podcast listed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify with the rest of the pros on Buzzsprout. If you choose to try a paid plan, you'll get a $20 Amazon gift card AND you'll support our podcast by joining at this link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1605625. The team at Buzzsprout is passionate about helping you succeed!FOLLOW THE HOSTSBrendan's Instagram: https://instagram.com/brendanccallahanMaria's Instagram: https://instagram.com/mariadalanno/Brendan's Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_ccallahanMaria's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariadalanno_

Julia and Kait talk romance on a brand new episode of Playdate! They discuss "Stage Kiss" by Sarah Ruhl, their own stage kiss experiences, and Star Wars. Enjoy!

The Whole Artist with Courtney Rioux: Conversations with artists about acting, purpose, and the journey to finding wholeness. You are so much more than the last job you booked. Today Courtney sits down with performer and positive psychology practitioner, Erica Elam, to discuss how principles from improv and positive psychology can change an actor's (or anyone's) sense of well-being. Erica Elam is an actor, improviser, director, and positive psychology practitioner based in Chicago. She has performed at The Goodman (in the world premiere of Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss), Steppenwolf, Northlight, Court, Remy Bumppo, Peninsula Players, Chicago Shakespeare, and with The Second City at The KennedyCenter in Washington, D.C. She is an ensemble member with the critically acclaimed improv troupes BabyWants Candy and The Improvised Shakespeare Company (with whom she was the first woman ever to perform). Erica earned her Masters in Applied Positive Psychology at The University of Pennsylvania, and graduated from The University of Georgia, The Second City Conservatory, and The School at Steppenwolf. Find Erica on Social Media Instagram: instagram.com/ericaelam Follow Courtney Rioux online: Sign up for V.I.P. updates and free gifts at www.courtneyrioux.com instagram.com/courtneyrioux twitter.com/courtneyrioux facebook.com/CourtneyRiouxOfficial/ Other links: Character Strengths: https://www.viacharacter.org/survey/account/register Shared History Pod: https://arcadeaudio.net/shared-history/2020/10/7/037-happy-healthy-history-feat-courtney-rioux Zoom Fatigue: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/sunday-review/zoom-video-conference.html ### Special thanks to: Tommy Martin for editing and mixing this episode. Mandy Work Wetzel for all of your hard work. Photography by Joe Mazza, Brave Lux. For more information, go to http://bravelux.com/ Music by Blythe Martin Productions. For more info, please contact Jamie and Erik at erik@SoundAnswer.com Co-Edited by Courtney Rioux --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/courtneyrioux/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/courtneyrioux/support

Before the pandemic, I sat down with Daniel Jenkins in his apartment to talk about growing up as a self-proclaimed ‘nerd’, a day in the life as an apprentice at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, transitioning to New York and his starring role as Huckleberry Finn in the original Broadway company of BIG RIVER as well as his return to the musical almost twenty years later. We discuss stories from the auditions and processes for BIG, John Doyle’s production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, and STAGE KISS including dancing with Rebecca Taichman, frequent collaborations with Bartlett Sher, as well as our mutual appreciation and admiration for the late Michael Friedman.

What better show to feature during the month of love than Repertory Philippines’ new romantic comedy Stage Kiss? Today on Stage Left Indios, we have the wickedly hilarious Tarek El Tayech joining us. Tayek plays He in Stage Kiss, an actor who suddenly comes face-to-face with an old flame. Join us as we learn more about his journey from doing Shakespeare in Abu Dhabi to becoming a leading man in Philippine theater, his artist experience & what we can expect from Stage Kiss.

Taylor Iman Jones is about to drop into Emojiland, starring opposite Josh, this week before moving on to the upcoming original cast of The Devil Wears Prada! After being in New York for only two months, Taylor made her Broadway debut in Groundhog Day, which is where she and Josh became besties. Previously, she toured nationally with American Idiot and was seen regionally in Stage Kiss at the San Francisco Playhouse; Other credits include Smokey Joe's Cafe, Spring Awakening (Center Repertory Company); Mary Poppins (Berkeley Playhouse); Rent (CCMT) and The Unfortunates (American Conservatory Theatre). Produced by Alan Seales and Dori Berinstein. A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network.

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 talk all about: – The show itself – About Northumberland Players and how they each got involved – How they each got into theatre – The creative team behind the production – Why community theatre is important – How their involvement in community theatre keeps them well Featured Tunes by: Avem Cobra and the Daggers Sixpence None the Richer The Unlovables

On this episode of the Yay, Craig Dickerson (as a guest host while Norman is busy with As You Like It and directing Dracula) and I welcome local actress and singer Jamie Strube. I saw Jamie when she did Stage Kiss with Kim Donovan (Episode 80) and Alan Coyne (Episode 29). Jamie talks about growing up in the bay area, dealing with inappropriate directors, and balancing motherhood with theatre. Jamie will in Steel Magnolias in February 2020 – we'll promote that in the future. SHOUTOUTS: Bright Star (Contra Costa Civic Theatre) Oct 4-27 https://ccct.org/bright-star/ Paul Plain (Episode 125) is in the show Dance Nation (SF Playhouse) Sep 24 – Nov 9 http://www.sfplayhouse.org Krystle Piamonte-Jong (Episode 97) is in the show A Midsummer Night's Dream (Marin Shakes) Sep 5 – 29th https://www.marinshakespeare.org/on-stage/ Terrance Smith (Episode 102) is in the show Three Musketeers (Douglass Morrison Theatre) Sept 12-29 https://www.dmtonline.org/the-three-musketeers Gene Moscy (Episode 14) and Cynthia Lagodzinski (Episode 96) is in the show The Phoenix Theatre has been in existence for 34 years. I remember working at the Phoenix when it was still on Geary Street, for numerous companies like BayStage, the Guerilla Shakespeare Company and Off-Broadway West. Linda Ayers-Frederick (Episode 31) has always been a wonderful owner who has always given a home to theatre companies to produce wonderful shows. The Phoneix needs your help. Gentrification affects businesses too, not just renters – and The Phoenix needs your financial support to stay afloat. Click on this link and please help support the Phoneix and community theatre. https://www.facebook.com/donate/685692071936423/10157476713009002/ Reg Clay (@Reg_Clay) Norman Gee (@WhosYrHoosier)

Letters from MAX: a book of friendship by SARAH RUHL & MAX RITVO “A strange and beautiful volume.”—New Yorker “I will read more books in my life but I will not love another book more than this one. I suspect this book has the power to reassure the weary and to instill faith in anyone who needs it. If they let you bring books when you die, I will 100 percent put this one in the tiny stack that goes with me.” —Mary-Louise Parker, author of Dear Mr. You Written by Sarah Ruhl—playwright, two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominee, recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize AND currently on the faculty of the Yale School of Drama, Letters from Max is a deeply moving portrait of a friendship, and a shimmering exploration of love, art, mortality, and the afterlife. About Sarah Ruhl Her plays include Stage Kiss, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominee for best new play), The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize Finalist, 2005; The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2004); Passion Play, (Pen American award, The Fourth Freedom Forum Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center); Dead Man’s Cell Phone (Helen Hayes award); Melancholy Play (a musical with Todd Almond); Eurydice; Orlando, Demeter in the City (NAACP nomination), Late: a cowboy song, Three Sisters, Dear Elizabeth, The Oldest Boy and most recently, and For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday and How To Transcend a Happy Marriage. Her plays have been produced on Broadway at the Lyceum by Lincoln Center Theater, Off-Broadway at Playwrights’ Horizons, Second Stage, and at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse Theater. Her plays have been produced regionally all over the country, with premieres often at Yale Repertory Theater, the Goodman Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the Piven Theatre Workshop in Chicago. Her plays have also been produced internationally and have been translated into over twelve languages.

George M. Cohan was known as “the man who owned Broadway” in the first two decades of the twentieth century. A prolific playwright and composer of hundreds of songs, today he’s mostly known as the answer to the trivia question “Whose statue can be found opposite Times Square between 45th and 47th Street?” He is considered by many to be the father of the American musical, which is why he deserves a better show about him than the one written by Michael Stewart and John & Francine Pascal. George M!, running now at 6th Street Playhouse in a production directed by Patrick Nims, debuted on Broadway in 1968 and closed a year later. It starred Joel Grey in his follow up role to his Tony-winning work in Cabaret. George M! managed two Tony nominations, one for Grey and one for choreographer Joe Layton with Layton winning. It has never been revived and is rarely performed these days. There’s a reason for that. The book written around Cohan’s songs is a stock show biz story with paper-thin characters and little in the way of plot. It’s the story of Cohan’s rise and fall as the toast of Broadway, beginning with small town vaudeville days as part of a family act to becoming one of Broadway’s biggest producers. Most dialogue exists as a way to introduce one of Cohan’s songs, and once you get past the most well-known of those (“Give My Regards to Broadway”, “Yankee Doodle Dandy”) there’s little left of interest. Cohan’s jingoistic, flag waving style may have led to big hits around the time of World War I, but it had to feel out-of-step by the 1960’s and fifty years has not made it more palatable. The title role is played by Joseph Favalora, a terrific dancer who has brightened Sonoma County stages before with his talent. Unfortunately, the character gives him little to do as it seems to have been written in only two shades – Cohan as cocky, self-assured artist, and Cohan as angry bastard. Favalora is believable as the former, but simply not credible as the latter. Thankfully, the rest of the time he’s dancing, which is Mr. Favaloras’ forte. Dancing is this show’s strong suit, and choreographers Marilyn and Melinda Murray pull off what many thought would be a difficult task- taking a large cast of mostly untrained dancers and turning them into a credible tap-dancing troupe. The show really comes alive during the large ensemble numbers when there are 30+ tap-dancing feet on the stage. Other moments of life are provided by some of the supporting actors. Jacinta Gorringe has fun as boarding house owner Mrs. Grimaldi and Jill K. Wagoner makes for a fine diva as Faye Templeton. The ensemble is strong as they switch between multiple characters as scenes from several Cohan shows are recreated. For example, Jake Druzgala has some nice moments as Cohan’s partner Sam Harris and also shows up as a carnival fire eater. Cohan’s music is well handled by Music Director Justin Pyne and a thirteen-piece orchestra. There are thirty-some musical numbers in this show which can be exhausting for a musician but Pyne and Company provided musical consistency from start to finish. That only five (a generous estimate) of the songs will ring a bell to some (and not many) theatre-goers is a problem. On a technical note, the opening night performance had numerous sound issues which should be resolved quickly. Costume Designer Tracy Hinman must have bought up every inch of red, white and blue fabric in the state to colorfully dress the cast. Theatre people love to put on shows about theatre people, hence the regularity of productions like Noises Off and the canon of Ken Ludwig. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. 6th Street Playhouse dipped into that well earlier in the season with Stage Kiss and in prior seasons with shows like Crazy for You, Funny Girl, and The Producers. Maybe it’s time to give theatre-themed shows a rest. And George M! should be put to sleep. George M! plays through July 9 at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa.

Valentine’s Day is less than a month away, and love is already in the air at some local theaters. Well, love and sex, and betrayal … and sex, and also mathematics … and sex, and stage-fright, fake kissing, real kissing … and sex. Sound fun? Let’s start in Ross, in Marin County, where the Ross Valley Players have just opened a four-week run of Lauren Gunderson’s surreal 2010 drama, ‘Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight.’ That’s an unwieldy but intriguing title for an intriguing but unwieldy play, the true story, sort of, of the Emile Du Châtelet, an 18th Century mathematician, physicist and philosopher who scandalized French society by becoming the lover of the famous playwright-adventurer Voltaire - and challenged scientific assumptions by writing papers finding fault with some of the most esteemed thinkers of her day. In Gunderson’s poetically convoluted version, the show’s heroine has just died. Robyn Grahn plays her with undeniable charm, yet always feels strangely distant from us, as if she is relating her story from beyond the mists of time, which she is. The script is written that way. Offered a chance to relive and review her life, possibly even getting to finish her life’s work — a book describing the Life Force as a mathematical equation — Emilie finds that actually touching these memory-people she encounters leads to a nasty electric shock. Nice sound effects, by the way. Anyway, whenever Emilie’s story gets “physical,” in that she remembers doing the nasty with Voltaire or any of her other occasional lovers, she avoids ethereal electrocution by calling in a younger version of herself, played by Neiry Rojo, to handle all the kissing and groping. Director Patricia Miller takes a very bold, but ultimately unsuccessful risk in casting Catherine Luedtke as Voltaire. Luedkte, a first-rate actor, does everything she can, but the choice doesn’t work, taking an already over-analytical, over-complex story, and adding another level of unreality, pushing it all even further from the grasp of the audience’s emotions. We want to feel for this brave, intelligent woman, but she never seems real enough, despite Grahn’s best efforts to make her so. Yes, the scientific stuff is frequently thrilling, but the sexy parts - mainly reduced to men chasing women while shouting “hoo-hoo-hoo” - are about as un-sexy as a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Considerably sexier—and considerably more convincing—is 6th Street Playhouse’s production of Ruhl’s “Stage Kiss,” directed with welcome farcical fury by Marty Pistone. This one is definitely easier to wrap one’s head around, but only so much. As written by Ruhl, this story of stage actors in love is so oddly structured as to require constant audience effort to absorb what’s happening some of the time. Structured as a play-within-a-play—followed by another play-within-a-play—‘Stage Kiss’ gives us two ex-lovers, He and She, played by Edward McCloud and Jenifer Coté. Both He and She are actors, thrown together in a very bad 1930’s play called ‘The Last Kiss.’ The other actors in the play-within-a-play are a delightfully underachieving bunch, played gleefully by Rusty Thompson, Lydia Revelos, Abbey Lee, and Tim Kniffin, all of them guided by a woefully unprepared Director, played by mollie boice. ‘Stage Kiss,’ as promised in the title, contains a whole lot of kissing - some serious, some very, very funny - and it’s entertaining to watch the way fake kissing can lead to real kissing, then back again. Though ultimately kind of pointless, vague, and a bit overly mean-spirited, Stage Kiss is an enjoyable enough romp, cleverly comparing the easy promises of love-struck fantasy with the hard-but-worthwhile work of creating real-life love. ‘Emilie’ runs Thursday–Sunday through February 5 at Ross Valley Players. www.rossvalleyplayers.com. 'Stage Kiss’ runs Thursday–Sunday through February 5 at 6th Street Playhouse. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Emerald Arts and Cultures Writer Jordyn Brown sits down with "Stage Kiss" Assistant Stage Manager Ben Jones to talk about the upcoming show, the life of a stagehand and Jones's own experience in the world of theatre.

Be Bold. Be Daring. Be Relevant. Maybe this is a phrase you would expect to hear from a cutting edge sports apparel line or from some new age inspirational Guru; but not from a small, local community theatre. But the Main Street Players is just that. As they prepare to kick off their 2016 season, we sit down with Robert Coppel and Dennis Lyzniak, the Artistic Director and Playhouse Manager, respectively, and talk about how they got started in the theatre business as well as the impact theatre can have in our lives and our community and everything in between. The Main Street Players Community Theatre is a hidden gem located in the quaint town of Miami Lakes. For as little as $25 per show, you can watch Pulitzer Prize winning plays for a fraction of the cost of the big, professional theatre’s while simultaneously supporting small business and up-and-coming actors. Their season opens with the award winning play, Water by the Spoonful, by Quiara Algería Hudes, directed by Robert Coppel and continues with Stage Kiss, Songs for a New World, and closes with another Pulitzer Prize winning play, Clybourne Park. Affectionately coined (by us) the Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak of the local theatre scene, Robert brings his love and passion of acting, directing and theatre to bring bold, daring and relevant plays to his audience. And Dennis, a.k.a. the Theatre god (lowercase g) brings his structural engineering background and years of business acumen to build the sets, handle the cash flow and so much more. The Main Street Players is most definitely a success because of this dynamic theatre duo, but also because of all the volunteers behind the scenes and on stage who are making theatre going accessible to the masses. Their commitment to this challenging but cathartic art form is apparent when they speak and they live up to their motto: Be bold, be daring, be relevant. We hope you enjoy the interview.See behind the scenes photos and show notes at www.plantedinmiami.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @plantedinmiami

In this episode we discuss rebound relationships and masturbating in public. This episode is brought to you by MeUndies.com, DraftKings.com, and DollarShaveClub.com!

With John Wilson. David Hare's 2011 TV film Page Eight starred Bill Nighy as idealistic MI5 officer Johnny Worricker. Now Hare has written and directed two follow up films, Turks and Caicos and Salting the Battlefield, beginning where the last film left off with Johnny on the run from the British government after stealing an incriminating document. Ralph Fiennes, Winona Ryder and Helena Bonham Carter co-star. Folk musician Sixto Rodriguez released a couple of albums in the 1970s and then drifted into obscurity. Unbeknownst to him his music, and especially his song Sugarman, went on to become iconic in South Africa as anthems for the anti-apartheid struggle. The award-winning 2012 documentary Searching for Sugarman, which traced his revelatory trip to South Africa to meet his legion of fans, brought his music to global attention. Now 72 and touring the UK, Rodriguez discusses the impact of the rediscovery on his life since. Stage Kiss is Sarah Ruhl's play examining the onstage and offstage ramifications of locking lips night after night in front of an audience. She discusses why the subject fascinated her, with contributions from Guildhall's Director of Drama Christian Burgess and actor Jimmy Akingbola. After a week in which Amnesty International levied criticism at the Globe theatre for its decision to take a production to Hamlet to North Korea, John speaks to the theatre's Artistic Director, Dominic Dromgoole. They discuss the world tour of the play, whether cultural organisations have a moral responsibility as well as an artistic one, and whether the North Korean government have asked for any part of the play to be edited or censored.

Sarah Ruhl's new play Stage Kiss follows the antics of two actors who renew an old romance when they appear together in an antique drama from the 1930s. Jessica Hecht and Dominic Fumusa star in the production, which is directed by Rebecca Taichman for Playwrights Horizons. New York Times theater critic Charles Isherwood tells us the consequences of what happens when actors fall back in love — and life begins to imitate art.