Podcasts about stoppard

Piše Miša Gams, bereta Maja Moll in Igor Velše. Jakob Jaša Kenda je literarni zgodovinar, prevajalec in pisatelj, ki je med drugim znan tudi po literarnih raziskavah na področju dramatike, mladinske književnosti in znanstvenofantastične literature. Zadnja leta skrbno zapisuje svoje pohodniške dogodivščine – leta 2018 je izšel poučen potopis Apalaška pot: 3500 kilometrov hribov in Amerike, za katerega je naslednje leto prejel nagrado za najboljši literarni prvenec in nagrado krilata želva za najboljši književni potopis, leta 2020 pa je izdal potopisni roman Transverzala, v katerem vodi bralce po slovenski planinski poti. S potopisnim romanom z naslovom Evropa: sever, severozahod začenja nov cikel predstavljanja pohodniških poti po Evropi, in sicer z opisom družinskega potovanja po Skandinaviji ter večtedenske ture po hriboviti Škotski. Jezik, s katerim Kenda opisuje geografsko raznoliko pokrajino in tudi zgodovino obeh dežel, je izjemno slikovit, duhovit in poučen, saj spotoma načenja številna vprašanja o varstvu naravne in kulturne dediščine, političnih razsežnostih angleškega kolonializma, sociološkem pogledu v razslojenost družbe, psiholoških značilnostih zadržanih Norvežanov in vsestranskih Škotov, medgeneracijskih in medkulturnih izzivih na poti in še bi lahko naštevali. Bralec kmalu dobi občutek, da ima pred seboj izkušenega pohodnika, ki teoretsko znanje iz najrazličnejših knjig spretno prepleta s terenskimi dogodivščinami, med katerimi najbolj izstopajo poučni pogovori z domačini in obujanje spominov na podobne preizkušnje v preteklosti, zlasti na skoraj identično pot po Britanskem otočju, ki jo je avtor obredel pred dobrimi tridesetimi leti. V spominu nam ostane opis “poti mrtvih” na Škotskem, ki so nastale ob nošenju mrtvih iz njihovih hiš do mesta pokopa, dandanes pa jih mednarodni popotniki uporabljajo kot javne poti oziroma bližnjice do strateških lokacij: “V izvirnih trasah so te poti potekale tudi karseda v ravni črti, prek večje močvare so zanje postavili neskončne mostovže. Po tedanjih prepričanjih naj bi si namreč ljudje vsak corpse road delili tako z mrtvimi kot raznolikimi nadnaravnimi bitji. In vsem tem onstranskim entitetam so bile prilagojene, saj naj ne bi bile sposobne prečiti tekoče vode in naj ne bi marale ovinkov.” Avtor se na tem delu posveti tudi funkciji obredov ob smrti pokojnika: “Prva je bila zagotoviti, da se mrlič ne bi vrnil med žive. Zato so krsto z doma spravili skozi posebej za to izdolbeno luknjo v steni, ki so jo nato zadelali, prevrnili so stole, na katerih je stala krsta, in podobno. /…/ Druga funkcija ritualov pa je bila na videz prvi kontradiktorna, obredje naj bi bilo namreč obenem namenjeno potrditvi obstoja sveta, vzporednega našemu. Temu je služila med drugim vloga, ki je bila na teh sprevodih edina dovoljena ženskam: pele so posebne pogrebne pesmi, imenovane coronah, ki so jih priče opisale kot “onstransko lepe”, “srhljivo rjutje” in “golčanje obsedenih z duhovi”.” Z enakim entuziazmom, kot na svoji poti opisuje poti in obredja, se Kenda posveča opisovanju medsebojne dinamike, ki nastaja ob vsakdanjih izzivih popotniških sotrpinov – najsi gre za družinske člane, ki raziskujejo deželo bratov Levjesrčnih in si v glavah ustvarjajo poanto impozantnih umetniških skulptur v norveškem parku Ekeberg, ali za strateško izbrana popotnika na pohodu po otoku Skye in severnem delu škotskega višavja, ki s svojimi izkušnjami prispevata svoj kamenček k mozaiku potovanja … Postavni Norvežan Christian, s katerim se spozna na pohajkovanju po Sloveniji, mu dela družbo na Norveškem in na Škotskem ter korak za korakom razgrinja primere etičnega kodeksa svoje države in diplomatskega poklica, simpatična Sorcha, ki je po izobrazbi biologinja in farmacevtka, pa mu pripoveduje o življenjskih prelomnicah in selitvah, ki so jo na koncu pripeljale nazaj v rodno Škotsko, kjer se izkaže kot odlična koordinatorka prenočišč, mediatorka pa tudi vodička. S pomočjo Christianovega pogleda na raznolikost liberalnih demokracij na severu Evrope, ki segajo od britanske “kastne” razslojenosti do skandinavskega egalitarizma, Kenda na koncu sestavi miselni zaključek: “Ne, če mene vprašaš, ste srečna sredina med Škoti in nami. Kot pravi Stoppard: sreča je ravnovesje. Izstopajočemu posamezniku in njegovemu daru nekaj tretmaja drhali običajno kar koristi, čeprav jasno ne toliko, da bi ga zlomil. In ko sva že ravno pri tvoji samokritiki, Christian, se meni vaša varianta družbene ureditve zdi očitno boljša od otoške. Britanska s svojo razslojenostjo veliko bolj kot vaša determinira posameznika glede na njegov rod. Se ti to zdi etično? Učinkovito?” Poleg Toma Stopparda Kenda v svojem popotniškem romanu citira tudi Dickensa, Ibsena, Shakespeara, Orwella, Nietzscheja, Davida Lyncha ter Kajetana Koviča in Gregorja Strnišo. Za ilustracijske vinjete in zemljevide je poskrbela akademska slikarka Nina Čelhar in z zabavnimi skicami še bolj razplamtela bralčevo domišljijo. Kako torej najbolj ustrezno opisati knjigo Evropa; sever, severozahod vsestranskega pisca Jakoba Kende? Najbolje jo opiše kar avtor sam, ko se mu na nekem mestu zareče: “Saj je, kot bi se znašel v bondiadi, in to tako rekoč v vlogi Sherlocka Holmesa …” Tudi bralec, ki se skupaj z avtorjem odpravi na obsežno pot, se ne more znebiti občutka, da je v vlogi detektiva, ki se skuša prebiti skozi labirint geopolitičnih, socioloških, zgodovinskih in antropoloških izzivov. Ti vsakič znova pripeljejo do ugotovitve o tem, da v življenju ni preprostih bližnjic – ne na področju pohodništva ne na področju pisateljevanja, znanosti in metodologije. Tudi če pohodniki cilj najbolj jasno vidijo pred sabo, se morajo še vedno dvigniti med najvišje hribe in spustiti v najbolj nevarne močvirne doline, preden ga dosežejo … Upamo, da bodo prvemu delu evropske popotniške sage, ki se je začela na severozahodu Evrope, kmalu sledili tudi drugi deli.

Douglas Murray, revered cultural critic and author, delivers the highlight of Ralston College's symposium of “Renewal and Renaissance,” a lecture exploring the theme of cultural reconstruction. Delivered from one of the beautiful, stately galleries of Savannah's Telfair Academy, the audience is treated to an intimate address that is both deeply moving and inspiring of hope. Murray's talk begins with the sober reflection that civilizations are mortal and share the fragility of life. He recounts how the loss of confidence experienced after the catastrophes of the World Wars led to the development of modernism, postmodernism and finally deconstructionism. The lecture then takes a more optimistic turn as Murray confidently asserts that after decades of deconstruction, especially in the field of higher education, we are now entering an era of reconstruction. He explains how this process of cultural renewal can come about through both the opportunities afforded by technology and the process of going back into the great literary treasures of the past, finding our place amongst these works and adding to them. Murray shares his love of books, describing himself as “not only a bibliophile but something of a bibliomaniac,” and expresses how literature, and especially poetry, can ground us in the world and make us feel that we are never alone for we will always have “friends on the shelves.” Traversing through Byron, Gnedich, Stoppard, Auden and Heaney, Murray recounts three powerful stories that reveal the lengths certain individuals will go to recover, preserve and transmit our cultural treasures. The talk was followed by a captivating Q&A session which ranged from the current status of poetry to the topics of writing, war and human nature. As part of the stirring introduction to the lecture from Stephen Blackwood, President of Ralston College, soprano Kristi Bryson performed Handel's Lascia ch'io pianga, accompanied on the piano by Ralston alumna and fellow, Olivia Jensen. A splendid performance showcasing perfectly the ability of culture to transcend the difficulties of life through the power of beauty. A reminder for us all of exactly what it is that we are seeking to preserve and renew. Mr Murray's books, including his most recent, are available here: https://douglasmurray.net. To watch the first conversation of the day—the roundtable from the Ralston College Renewal and Renaissance Symposium, featuring multiple speakers discussing the future of education, culture, and human flourishing—click here.

Want to support the podcast? Join our Patreon or buy us a coffee. As an independent podcast, Shakespeare Anyone? is supported by listeners like you. This week, we are bringing you something a little different and unlocking our Patreon bonus episode on the 1998 film, Shakespeare in Love. Over on our Patreon, we regularly watch/read and discuss Shakespeare-adjacent media. Shakespeare in Love, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and directed by John Madden, follows a fictional love affair between William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and a noblewoman, Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow), during the writing of Romeo and Juliet. The film also features performances by Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck and Judi Dench. Shakespeare in Love received 7 Oscars, including Best Picture at the 71st Academy Awards.  We originally released this episode in February 2023 as a Patreon-exclusive. Shakespeare Anyone? is created and produced by Kourtney Smith and Elyse Sharp. Music is "Neverending Minute" by Sounds Like Sander. For updates: join our email list, follow us on Instagram at @shakespeareanyonepod or visit our website at shakespeareanyone.com You can support the podcast by becoming a patron at patreon.com/shakespeareanyone, buying us coffee, or by shopping our bookshelves at bookshop.org/shop/shakespeareanyonepod (we earn a small commission when you use our link and shop bookshop.org). Find additional links mentioned in the episode in our Linktree. Works referenced: Stoppard, Tom, and Marc Norman. Shakespeare in Love. Panorama, 1998.  

It's our final session of 2 scenes with Septimus!

Nabokov, Stoppard, Fassbinder, Bogarde

Arcadia by Tom Stoppard is a little bit of a deviation, being a play script instead of a novel. Still, it's a fascinating read, showcasing Stoppard's wit and esoteric bent. A favorite of Tony's, this is a new experience for Tom. TTYpodcast.com Thumbingthroughyesterday.com

WADE McCOLLUM (Actor) Broadway: Wicked (Witch's Father, Wizard/Dr. Dillamond cover) London's West End: World Premiere of It Happened in Key West (Carl) Broadway Tours: Lincoln Center Theatre's My Fair Lady (Karpathy/Higgins cover), Priscilla Queen Of The Desert (Tick/Mitzi), Jersey Boys (Norm). Off-Broadway: Make Me Gorgeous, (Kate/Kenneth Marlowe), Triassic Parq (Velociraptor of Faith), Secondary Dominance (The Muse), and McCollum's Lortel Nominated and Norton Award-winning performance as Ernest in Ernest Shackleton Loves Me. World Premieres: Water For Elephants, Alliance Theatre (Wade); Michael Weller's A Welcome Guest, CATF (Shimeus); Rob Askins' The Carpenter, Alley Theatre (Gene); Fly By Night, TheatreWorks Palo Alto (The Narrator). Select Theatre: I Am My Own Wife, PCS (Charlotte/Others); A Lie Of The Mind, PCPA (Jake); A Midsummer Night's Dream, Willamette Rep (Puck); Batboy the Musical, PCS (Batboy); The Rocky Horror Show, Triangle Productions (Frank-N-Furter); The Santaland Diaries, Syracuse Stage (Crumpet); Cabaret, Dallas Theatre Center (Emcee) – Dallas/Fort Worth Theatre Critics Award; Hedwig And The Angry Inch, Triangle Productions and L.A.'s Celebration Theatre (Hedwig) – Drammy, Ovation, Los Angeles Critics Circle, and Garland Awards. Select TV and film: “FBI: MW,” “Madame Secretary,” “The Knick,” “Nightcap,” “At Home with Amy Sedaris,” Options, “Prodigal Son,” Delicate Instruments, “Submissions Only,” and Ernest Shackleton Loves Me on broadwayhd.com. www.wadesong.com Rick Elice ( Book Writer) On Broadway: Jersey Boys (Best Musical, 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award); The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards);and The Cher Show (winner of two 2019 Tony Awards). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride and Smash, co-written with Bob Martin; Silver Linings Playbook, a musical adaptation of the popular film; The Marvels, a musical adaptation of the popular novel; and Treasure, an original musical written with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. From 1982-1999, as creative director at Serino Coyne Inc, Rick created and produced ad campaigns for more than 300 Broadway shows, from A Chorus Line to The Lion King. From 1999-2009, he served as creative consultant for The Walt Disney Studio. Charter member, American Repertory Theatre. Trustee, The Actors' Fund. BA, Cornell University; MFA, Yale Drama School; Teaching Fellow, Harvard University. Heartfelt thanks to those he's been lucky enough to know, whose work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Tune, Nunn, Timbers, McAnuff, Laurents, Lippa, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, Costello, Coyne, Brickman, and eternally, Roger Rees. Hey Rog, look who's running away with the circus! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our final week of looking at the scenes of Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, the group used "Italian run-thrus" (rapid line delivery) and continued to work on the scenes switching roles. The group discussed the benefits and challenges of role-sharing and switching between the language styles of Shakespeare and Stoppard. During the Q&A, a number of artists mentioned their growth in understanding and portrayal of these characters. Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! Support The Rehearsal Room on Patreon - get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast You can also watch the full sessions on YouTube: https://workingactorsjourney.com/youtube  About the Scene Our group is working on sections of Act 2, Scene 2 and Act 3, Scene 2 from Shakespeare's Hamlet - AND they will also look at the beginning of Act 2 in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. CREATIVE TEAM DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Wade DRAMATURG: Gideon Rappaport And the PLAYERS: Marcelo Tubert, Nick Cagle and Dan Cordova Hamlet scenes from the Folger Shakespeare Library: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/2/2/ https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/2/ More about this group: https://workingactorsjourney.com/workshop/shakespeare-stoppard-rehearsal-room-june-2024 BOOKS Dr. Gideon Rappaport has written three books on Shakespeare: William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Edited and Annotated: https://amzn.to/3xdt012 Appreciating Shakespeare: https://amzn.to/3XjY6Pe Shakespeare's Rhetorical Figures: An Outline: https://amzn.to/3KEzyZK Thank you to our current patrons Joan, Michele, Christion, Jim, Magdalen, Ivar, Claudia, Clif and Jeff! #workingactor #rehearsal #shakespeare #stoppard #hamlet

This week, the actors practiced delivering lines from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" using a technique that involved looking at the camera when speaking and looking at the screen when listening to capture the feeling of direct engagement. Emphasis was placed on understanding the meaning behind the words, which sometimes led to emotional revelations. They worked on specific lines to bring out operative words and discussed the implications of ambition within the text. The exercise aimed to illuminate nuances of the text by slowing down and emphasizing clarity in delivery. Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! Support The Rehearsal Room on Patreon - get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MYuYgB7GRFw  About the Scene Our group is working on sections of Act 2, Scene 2 and Act 3, Scene 2 from Shakespeare's Hamlet - AND they will also look at the beginning of Act 2 in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. CREATIVE TEAM DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Wade DRAMATURG: Gideon Rappaport And the PLAYERS: Marcelo Tubert, Nick Cagle and Dan Cordova Hamlet scenes from the Folger Shakespeare Library: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/2/2/ https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/2/ More about this group: https://workingactorsjourney.com/workshop/shakespeare-stoppard-rehearsal-room-june-2024 BOOKS Dr. Gideon Rappaport has written three books on Shakespeare: William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Edited and Annotated: https://amzn.to/3xdt012 Appreciating Shakespeare: https://amzn.to/3XjY6Pe Shakespeare's Rhetorical Figures: An Outline: https://amzn.to/3KEzyZK Thank you to our current patrons Joan, Michele, Christion, Jim, Magdalen, Ivar, Claudia, Clif and Jeff! #workingactor #rehearsal #shakespeare #stoppard #hamlet

Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! Support The Rehearsal Room on Patreon - get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MYuYgB7GRFw  About the Scene Our group is working on sections of Act 2, Scene 2 and Act 3, Scene 2 from Shakespeare's Hamlet - AND they will also look at the beginning of Act 2 in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. CREATIVE TEAM DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Wade DRAMATURG: Gideon Rappaport And the PLAYERS: Marcelo Tubert, Nick Cagle and Dan Cordova Hamlet scenes from the Folger Shakespeare Library: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/2/2/ https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/2/ More about this group: https://workingactorsjourney.com/workshop/shakespeare-stoppard-rehearsal-room-june-2024 BOOKS Dr. Gideon Rappaport has written three books on Shakespeare: William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Edited and Annotated: https://amzn.to/3xdt012 Appreciating Shakespeare: https://amzn.to/3XjY6Pe Shakespeare's Rhetorical Figures: An Outline: https://amzn.to/3KEzyZK Thank you to our current patrons Joan, Michele, Christion, Jim, Magdalen, Ivar, Claudia, Clif and Jeff! #workingactor #rehearsal #shakespeare #stoppard #hamlet

Subscribe to get notified of our next rehearsal session! Support The Rehearsal Room on Patreon - get early access to sessions (before they go public on YouTube and the podcast), priority with asking questions, and more: https://www.patreon.com/wajpodcast Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Lv9Rs26SJRw About the Scene Our group is working on sections of Act 2, Scene 2 and Act 3, Scene 2 from Shakespeare's Hamlet - AND they will also look at the beginning of Act 2 in Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. CREATIVE TEAM DIRECTOR: Geoffrey Wade DRAMATURG: Gideon Rappaport And the PLAYERS: Marcelo Tubert, Nick Cagle and Dan Cordova Hamlet scenes from the Folger Shakespeare Library: https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/2/2/ https://www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/hamlet/read/3/2/ More about this group: https://workingactorsjourney.com/workshop/shakespeare-stoppard-rehearsal-room-june-2024 BOOKS Dr. Gideon Rappaport has written three books on Shakespeare: William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Edited and Annotated: https://amzn.to/3xdt012 Appreciating Shakespeare: https://amzn.to/3XjY6Pe Shakespeare's Rhetorical Figures: An Outline: https://amzn.to/3KEzyZK Thank you to our current patrons Joan, Michele, Christion, Jim, Magdalen, Ivar, Claudia, Clif and Jeff! #workingactor #rehearsal

For his final production as thirty-year artistic director of Chicago's Tony-winning Court Theatre, Charles Newell transforms Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead into an unexpectedly joyful celebration of legacy and theater. Newell reveals his lengthy relationship with not only Stoppard's plays but with the man himself, and shares how he cast two halves of a whole; how he chose to respond instinctively to what was happening in rehearsal rather than adhere to an intricate plan; and how he embraced the counterintuitive and seemingly-oxymoronic phrase “joyful requiem.” (PICTURED: Erik Hellman and Nate Burger as Guildenstern and Rosencrantz in the Court Theatre production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, directed by Charles Newell. Photo by Michael Brosilow.) (Length 20:20)

In this episode, legendary Broadway producer Emanuel  “Manny” Azenberg and I discuss his Bronx upbringing, his mother's relentless cabbage and chicken soups, eating out in delis, and food and making friends for life in the army. We talk about his Broadway intro working for David Merrick, and a softball game with Neil Simon that led to producing 20 of Simon's plays (while also producing Sondheim & Stoppard and “Rent”). Producer of 65 Broadway shows, with 8 Tony awards. An amazing career! Don't forget to follow all of the social media!   @Sarandon_Chris on Twitter  @TheOfficialChrisSarandon on Instagram  Chris Sarandon on Facebook   www.chrissarandon.com  linktr.ee/theofficialchrissarandon Subscribe on Youtube at https://youtube.com/shorts/-vGUyj0TK-Q

Tom Stoppardi nimi on teatrisõpradele tuttav – on ju tegemist elava klassiku, kultusautoriga. Vanemuises esietenduv „Leopoldstadt“ on meistri värskeim lavatekst. Miks Briti näitekirjanik kirjutab näidendi juudi perekonna saatusest? Miks on Stoppard loosse sisse kirjutanud Gustav Klimti maali „Naine rohelise salliga“? Saates on külas „Leopoldstadti“ lavastaja, Vanemuise draamajuht Tiit Palu. Saadet juhib Tiiu Rööp.

The impact that Blake Snyder's Save the Cat® book series has had on Hollywood screenwriting is incalculable. Rarely does a book change the way screenwriters approach story and structure. In his best-selling book, Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told, Blake Snyder provided 50 “beat sheets” to 50 films, mostly studio-made.Now his student, screenwriter and novelist Salva Rubio applies Blake's principles to 50 independent, auteur, European, and cult films (again with 5 beat sheets for each of Blake's 10 genres in the book Save the Cat!® Goes to the Indies: The Screenwriters Guide to 50 Films from the Masters.If you're a moviegoer, you'll discover a language to analyze film and understand how filmmakers can effectively reach audiences.If you're a writer, this book reveals how those who came before you tackled the same challenges you are facing with the films you want to write. Writing a “rom-com”? Check out the “Buddy Love” chapter for a “beat for beat” dissection of Before Sunrise, The Reader, Blue Is the Warmest Color, and more to see how Linklater and Krizan, David Hare, and Kechiche and Lacroix structured their films.Scripting a horror film? Read the “Monster in the House” section and discover how 28 Days Later and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre are the same movie – and what you need to do to write a scary story that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats.Want to execute a great mystery? Go to the “Whydunit” chapter and learn about the “dark turn” that's essential to the heroes of The Big Lebowski, The French Connection, and Michael Clayton.Want your protagonist to go up against an evil “institution”? Consider how Mamet handled Glengarry Glen Ross and Tarantino's famed Pulp Fiction.Writing a “Superhero” story? See how Susannah Grant structured Erin Brockovich, Anderson & Baumbach worked out Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Gilliam & Stoppard & McKeown laid the foundation for Brazil.With these 50 beat sheets, you'll see how “hitting the beats” creates stories that resonate the world over for these outstanding writers—and how you can follow in their footsteps.Salva Rubio is a novelist, screenwriter, and author.He has been nominated at the Spanish Goya Awards for Best Animation Feature. As a graphic novel writer, some of his works have been published in America, including Monet, Itinerant of Light (nominated for an Eisner Award), and The Photographer of Mauthausen. Salva is an associate member of the WGAW (Writers Guild of America, West) and a member of the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España.Enjoy my conversation with Salva Rubio.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/2664729/advertisement

Warning: Spoiler-heavy review! This week, we're talking about sleazy directors, pompous playwrights, alcoholic detectives and a murderous Agatha Christie. Teresa and Bill Peschel from Peschel Press discuss “See How They Run,” a meta parody of the production of “The Mousetrap” starring Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan.   Sponsored by Peschel Press, the publisher of annotated Agatha Christie novels by Bill Peschel.   Support Peschel Press! Visit our website to learn about our Complete, Annotated Line of Agatha Christie novels: https://peschelpress.com/the-peschel-press-complete-annotated-series/   Look for “Agatha Christie, She Watched,” our a coffee-table sized book and ebook (not coffee-table sized) collection of Teresa's reviews of 201 Agatha adaptations. Learn more at https://peschelpress.com/teresa-peschels-agatha-christie-movie-reviews/   Chapters 0:00 Introduction 2:31 Christie's future as a fictional character 5:02 What is a meta movie? 8:11 Adrien Brody at the heart of the movie 15:03 Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker play dominant roles 18:56 Riddled with Easter eggs 22:42 Stalker sends Stoppard to dreamland 25:26 A movie in which you want to pay attention 27:36 Dealing with mixed-race casting 30:44 Agatha's role at the climax

Rick Elice co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with the great Marshall Brickman; The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards); and The Cher Show (currently on tour in the UK). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride for Disney; Smash for Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, directed by Susan Stroman. Rick is also adapting Sara Gruen's novel Water for Elephants; the popular film, Silver Linings Playbook; and writing an original musical, Treasure, with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. Rick's book, Finding Roger, An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, is published by Kingswell. Heartfelt thanks to those whose theatre work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, David, Strong, Gaudio, Valli, McAnuff, Trujillo, Timbers, Coyne, Brickman, and, eternally, Roger Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now.

Rick Elice co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with the great Marshall Brickman; The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards); and The Cher Show (currently on tour in the UK). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride for Disney; Smash for Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, directed by Susan Stroman. Rick is also adapting Sara Gruen's novel Water for Elephants; the popular film, Silver Linings Playbook; and writing an original musical, Treasure, with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. Rick's book, Finding Roger, An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, is published by Kingswell. Heartfelt thanks to those whose theatre work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, David, Strong, Gaudio, Valli, McAnuff, Trujillo, Timbers, Coyne, Brickman, and, eternally, Roger Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now.

Since its Broadway opening last fall, Tom Stoppard's “Leopoldstadt,” a play about a multigenerational Jewish family in Vienna, based on Stoppard's own family history, has been met with critical acclaim. Hear from celebrated actor David Krumholtz, who plays the patriarch of the family, on how his Jewish identity has been transformed by the role, why he speaks to his young children about antisemitism, and the importance of Holocaust education today. _ Episode Lineup: (0:40) David Krumholtz __ Show Notes: Leopoldstadt: Tickets and more information Photo credit: Joan Marcus Listen to:  Our most recent podcast episode: Shabbat Shalom No More? One Year Later, Colleyville Synagogue Wrestles with Impact of Hostage Crisis Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, tag us on social media with #PeopleofthePod, and hop onto Apple Podcasts to rate us and write a review, to help more listeners find us. __ Transcript of Interview with David Krumholtz: Manya Brachear Pashman:  Since its official Broadway opening on October 2 2022, Tom Stoppard's latest play Leopoldstadt has received widespread acclaim. One of the hottest tickets in town, it has been extended through July 2023. The drama follows multiple generations of a Viennese Jewish family over half a century, beginning in 1899. Through the Holocaust and beyond, the fictional family and the story is based on Stoppard's own. When he was in his 50s, the playwright learned that he was Jewish and had lost his grandparents and many other family members in the Shoah. With us now to discuss his role in the play is actor David Krumholtz, who plays Hermann Merz, the tragic patriarch of this fictional family who has converted to Catholicism for purposes of social and professional mobility, but discovers in the end it is to no avail. David, welcome to People of the Pod.  David Krumholtz: Thank you so much. Thanks for having me.  Manya Brachear Pashman: So I described your character as tragic, but it is a play about the Holocaust. So would you say all of the characters in this play are tragic? Would you agree? Walk our audience through Hermann Merz's approach to life, to his Judaism. David Krumholtz: I don't see the character as tragic at all, which is sort of a conversation I needed to have with Patrick Marber, our director before I even auditioned for the role. I think he's heroic in many ways. He's doing the very best he can for his family, and for the future generations of his family, and in doing so, he has had to shed his Judaism. You get the sense, though, that he was kind of raised in the religion of business. The most important thing he inherited, this textile factory from his father, and his father did very well. And it seems to me that he was groomed  to take over and bring it to great success, build it farther than his father could have ever imagined. And for the sake of his family, and for the sake of future generations. So, certainly converting to Catholicism in late 19th century Austria, was one of the ways to do that, you know, he wasn't labeled anymore, it opened up channels that he probably would have had a harder time getting in on. He did all that he possibly could do to benefit from the choice. And it's a choice, ultimately, that he must have known broke his mother's heart, and alienated him from his family, from the more religious members of his family. And yet, he did it anyway. And he does suffer for it. And it seems to me he's willing to suffer for it. But when we learn about him, is that at the very core of who he is, he is Jewish. At the first instance, of someone challenging his Judaism or, you know, mocking his Catholicism, he's ready to kill the guy, literally. So we get the sense that this is a very, very deep seated issue that comes from, as he explains through a story about his grandfather being bullied for being Jewish. It's true. There's a trauma there that he is doing this from, it's not all just business-minded and flippant. This is something that he has been tortured by his whole life by the time we meet him. Which is why he has so many strong opinions on Israel and the future of Jews, and assimilation in Austria. Vienna, being at the time, the cultural center of the world with an emperor king who emancipated Jews from all wrongdoing. And was a sort of Jewish sympathizer who gave Jews quite a lot of leeway that they didn't have prior to his reign. So things are looking up when we meet Hermann Merz, looking up not only for his business and his family, but for Jews in Vienna.  I think he has every right to feel positively about the future, think positively about the future, and not want to move his entire family to the middle of the desert. He's righteous in that indignation. And sadly, time tells a different story. The next, you know, 40 years of his life, teach him that his ideals and his hopes for the future were obsolete or were futile. And that's the tragedy of the story of Hermann Merz. But I don't view him as a tragic figure. Manya Brachear Pashman: But what you're referring to is there's a kind of an ongoing debate through the play between Ludvig, his brother in law, if I'm not mistaken, and Hermann, and that debate is about assimilation and what the definition of assimilation is. Ludvig says assimilation doesn't mean to stop being a Jew. Assimilation means to carry on being a Jew without insult. Would you agree with that definition? And would you consider yourself assimilated, by that definition or another? David Krumholtz: I think for the time in which the play is set, that is a very keen definition. The idea of being anything other than what religion you're raised in, identifying with a nationality, let's say, was a novel concept at the time. The term thrown around by Ludvig in that scene a couple times is the word ordinary Jew, ordinary Jews, meaning not rich, middle class Jews who don't have access to all the luxuries that my character does. And that's an interesting little phrase there. ordinary jew, What is an ordinary Jew, what separates us? What makes you know, a Hasidic Jew a Hasidic Jew, what makes an assimilated Americanized for instance Jew, the same Jew or a different Jew? What's the difference?  I personally like to think that there is only a matter of degrees of religiosity between the two. I would hope that as appreciative of I am as I am as an assimilated Americanized Jew, as appreciative as I am of the Hasidic community of the religiosity of the ultra Orthodox community, the Orthodox community, that those communities would be as appreciative of me, that there'd be no judging.  Especially at this point, 80 years, past a genocide that we all suffered through, where it didn't matter how religious you were, at the end of the day, all that mattered was what was on your birth certificate. And one would hope that, 80 years later, we're all sort of on equal footing with one another. And we've all carried on being Jews without insult in one way or another.  I grew up in New York City. I grew up in Queens, which is the most multi-ethnic, multinational place on Earth, believe it or not, per capita. Queens represents more nationalities than any place on Earth. Just the borough of Queens alone, not to mention the entire city of New York. So for me, there wasn't any corner to fit into, it was all a melting pot, and I could be whatever I wanted to be. And so over time, after Hebrew school, and having had my Bar Mitzvah, I felt strongly that I didn't necessarily relate or feel attracted to the more religious tenets of Judaism. But that culturally I was Jewish. And I've taken great pride in playing Jewish characters, and telling the story of Jewish people over the last 30 years, in my work, when I get the chance to. and so in that way, I've carried on being a Jew without insult, you know, it is part of my identity, this play has made me sort of realize how much of that identity I maybe took for granted at times. But for the most part, it's nice to be a part of something that makes a clear statement. And that statement is that Judaism is more than just a religion, it's a cultural existence, it is something unique unto itself. And there are, there's a lot to be proud of, there's a lot of amazing history to be cherished and celebrated, and to be celebrated as well. Manya Brachear Pashman: So how did you find your way to Leopoldstadt? And I will follow that up with a question of, how have you found your way to your Jewish heritage, kind of discovering what you might have taken for granted through Leopoldstadt? David Krumholtz: Patrick Marber, the director of Leopoldstadt, had his sights set on me. It flabbergasted me to be honest, I haven't done a stitch of theater in 30 years. I'm not your sort of prototype for the role on paper. And yet, he was enamored with my work and sensed that it would all pan out nicely. And so I don't look a gift horse in the mouth. So I took the opportunity.  My father would have loved this play. My father was a deeply devout Jewish culturalist at heart. You know, he grew up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He was surrounded by Jewish people, his upbringing was surrounded by old world Jews who had settled in America prior to the war, and Jewish survivors of the Holocaust who had just come back. That was his reality growing up as a kid in New York. And so these themes were an obsession for him his whole life. So I thought, well, one way to connect was to evoke the memory of my father, and so I did that, and in doing so, I came to some pretty tough realizations, one being my father was quite frustrated with me, and how I sort of abandoned the religion, early on in my life. There comes a time in, I think, in a lot of people's lives where they question the existence of God, they question the existence of biblical history. And that was happening to me and it frustrated my father a great deal, because he had a tremendous amount of faith. And it's only recently that I've had to take on quite a bit of faith in my life now that I'm a father and being an actor is a leap of faith. It took me a long time to realize that. I just know from doing this play, that it would have made my father very, very proud. And that if he could tell a story this is the story he would tell. And so, for me, rediscovering my Judaism, through this story, as a tribute to his life, is the formula for success. And for me finding greater pride and being Jewish than perhaps I've ever had before. Manya Brachear Pashman:   That's beautiful. This was not a typical role for you, and you hadn't done a stitch of theater for 30 years. I believe I read somewhere that, in fact, when you're making your commute into the city to do these shows, you call someone to kind of share how intimidated you are by this play, and that that call settles you down. Do you still do that? David Krumholtz:   There are certain days I just have to do that. The weight of this role is heavy. This is a heavy responsibility. In many ways, the role of Hermann is kind of, along with other roles in the play, but he's one of the anchors of this ship that is sailing to great success on Broadway, and that's not lost on me and you know, when I walk out of the theater at night and, and get teary eyed thank yous from our patrons, who clearly have been deeply impacted by what they've just seen. It's not lost on me. And so yes, you know, little old me on the way in, in my car to the city has to sometimes call anyone. But typically, my family, someone in my family and just sort of say, Hey, this is quite a mountain to climb and hang in here. But there are moments certainly where the pressure is enormous, and I feel unworthy of the glory of playing this role. It's just part of who I am. It's what motivates me. Those feelings of insecurity actually motivate a great  performance, or what I hope is a great performance. And, so I make those calls. And, you know, and like I said, they're family mostly because to me, family is just deeply important, and they know me better than anyone. Manya Brachear Pashman: Well, that leads me to ask about the family tree in Leopoldstadt, which plays a very important role. It's published in the program, so that you can study it. In fact, someone told us to study it before we even watch the play. I don't know if it made that much of a difference. It made so much more sense afterward. But there are, I believe, 31 characters in Leopoldstadt, is that right? 24 of them are members of this extended family. And even in the play, there's a reference to how confusing that family tree can be. Why? What's the point of that kind of complicated, many branches of that family tree? David Krumholtz:  Well, it's a stroke of brilliance by Tom Stoppard who's written quite a few pieces that are strokes of brilliance. It's purposeful. It's so that at the end of the play, when your frustration mounts at not knowing exactly who every character is, there's so many characters, and how they're related to each other. When that frustration mounts, you can equate that frustration with the fact that each one of those people, each one of those characters, individualism didn't matter. At the end of the day, they were killed for being something they couldn't help but be. They were killed for being Jewish. It didn't matter what their hopes were, what their dreams were, what their aspirations were, it didn't matter whose mothers were, who's who, you know, whose sons had mothers and whose mothers had sons. none of it mattered. Death is the final, there's so much finality in death.  And at the end of the play, we get a sense of that finality, that there is no coming back. There's only memory, there's only memory. And memory, for as impactful as memory can be at times, is also a thinly veiled representation of the real person. And so when our audiences walk out of the theater going, I didn't get to know that character, I didn't get to know that character…you knew as much as they knew about themselves, before they were killed, before their life ended. The frustration you feel with the frustration of generations worth of Jewish families that lost their loved ones. And that's the point. Yeah, Manya Brachear Pashman: You talk a lot about walking out of the theater and how you encounter audience members. My husband and I walked out of the theater, and we kind of stood off to the side, just really in stunned silence. We were still processing everything we had just watched and heard. And these two ladies came by and they were taking smiling selfies outside the right by the poster. And my husband and I were like, Did you just see the same play that we saw? shocked that, you know, they show it was there, you know, maybe first time on Broadway and you know, this was a Tom Stoppard play, it's exciting. But we were so kind of emotionally drained.  David Krumholtz: We've been told by a lot of audiences that they're not prepared to clap for us, when we take our vows, that the ending in the play is so deeply tragic and so stunning that suddenly there are these actors on stage taking their vows. And, our crowds aren't quite ready to process. The difference between what they just saw and reality, the difference between 1900 and 2023. And we feel it as well. And we are as a cast somewhat desensitized to the trauma of the play. But during the rehearsals, and during our first couple of weeks of runs, we all had a very, very, very difficult time processing the different, more depressing aspects of the play. There were countless tears shed. It was amazing for us to bond over something that we all clearly felt so moved by. So we're not surprised, we often have to remind ourselves, oh, this is the first time these people are seeing the show. And how it felt the first time we read it, or how it felt the first time we heard it out loud, or how it felt the first time we got it up on its feet and looked into each other's eyes and performed it. You know, we have to remind ourselves of how deeply impactful The show is. And it doesn't take much because at the end of most performances, we hear audible weeping in the in the crowd and we see it in the eyes of people standing to give us you know, an ovation and It's some of the most important work. You know, you always strive as an actor or an artist of any sort to do relevant work. So much of the work you do in between relevant work is down to whatever reasons, you know, whether it be to make a living or to, you know, to cement some future for yourself or whatever. And then in between, and then once in a while very rarely do you get to do something that is truly timeless, if you will. And that's what I believe about this play. It's timeless, in its impact. It tells the story of humanity in a very unique time. It's historical, and so the pride we all feel is just incredibly palpable. Manya Brachear Pashman:   And you should really, it is truly incredible. I also want to ask you how you've changed your behavior, what you have done, if anything. As a result of being part of this play, this is a very small thing I shared with you before we started recording, one of the lines during that comedic scene actually really pierced me and that was when the grandmother was looking through the photo album. And they don't know who people are here. She says, Well, here's a couple waving goodbye, but who are they? It's like a second death to lose your name and a family photo album. And I immediately burst into tears. And came home and started writing names on the back of photos in our family photo album because I realized, oh my goodness, what truth that line delivered. David Krumholtz:   Well, yeah, I think that theme of that desperation of clinging to memory desperately, is made all the more impactful when you realize that lives were meaninglessly lost. When tragedy strikes, memory both takes on more and less meaning. You know, because you're clinging so desperately to it, because you've lost something that you felt wasn't complete. And you're completing it in your memory, if you will. And yet it's just a memory. It's a Central as a memory, it exists here, maybe in your heart. But, there's no tangible proof that that person existed any longer. Again, it's Tom Stoppard hitting you over the head with a very, very bleak truth about the nature of murder of genocide, about the robbing of individual individuality, about the discounting of a person's dreams, of a person's hopes, of a person's family, of people's reliance on each, other dependence on each other. Just wiping people out of this general blanket of death. That memory becomes a more desperate thing. It's haunting, it's terribly haunting. And at the end of the play, we see the ghosts. What we essentially see, live in the flesh, is the new family photo album, filled with people that we just hope we can remember. And if we can't, then well, that's even more tragic.  Manya Brachear Pashman: Do you do anything different? Do you talk to your children differently about your Jewish traditions, history?  David Krumholtz: You know, I grew up incredibly frustrated by racism, because as I'm in my mid 40s, my generation grew up with the stories and the harrowing sort of, the wagging- be careful, you never know, this could happen again. I could touch and feel my great grandmother, I could see the tears in her eyes in recalling her memories. She lost 11 brothers and sisters in the Holocaust. And so I can see it. My kids can't.... So for me, it's just important. I debated – my daughter's eight, this is heavy fare for an eight year old. And I debated whether or not it was important that she see the play. I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to scare her. And at the same time, it's important that she knows and that the message is delivered by me. And so we're gonna have her come see the play before I'm done with it, and hopefully, that impacts the way it should. Manya Brachear Pashman: That's a wonderful point. I wrestle every day with how much to share with my children, because you don't want to scare them. Because you don't want them to run away from their Jewish traditions and heritage either out of here. I'm really grateful to the rabbi at our synagogue who, every Shabbat during the Mourners' Kaddish, will share six names of the 6 million killed. And my children will often look up at me when he mentions the name and age of a child that was killed during the Holocaust. It just highlights the importance of remembering, but doing so in a safe space, in a community, in a sacred space where we're all together, illustrating: we all survived, but it's important to remember those who didn't. When are you done with Leopoldstadt? David Krumholtz: I'm done March 12. Play is going through, as of right now it's extended to July 2, it may extend again, another wonderful actor is going to come in and take my place. I can't tell you who that is yet. I will have done six months. Something like 175 performances, for me, is plenty. This is a hard play to live through and live in the skin of and so, you know, I'm going to take my leave, but it's been transformative and the role of my life. It's just, for someone like Patrick Marber and Tom Stoppard, Sonia Friedman, to have believed in me, to the extent that they did to take on such a huge responsibility just means the world. And hopefully I can take that with me through to the next important job. Manya Brachear Pashman: Why is it important for people to see this play now? David Krumholtz: Well, we live in a time when, unfortunately or fortunately, where we can openly communicate our deepest darkest feelings to one another. Sometimes, those feelings are feelings of hatred. Sometimes those feelings are ignorant feelings of hatred, that are blanket generalizations based on small experiences that people may have had. People tend to use social media, for instance, to make things a lot more, a lot bigger than they are. And so something like a man with 11 million followers saying something anti semitic, can snowball very, very quickly into this kind of real world danger that the show presents that actually happened not too long ago. And so it's very important that now that people of all races, religions, creeds, this could happen to anyone. As Jew as Jews, we have to make sense of what happened to us. Part of making sense of what happened to us, I believe, is telling the story in order to warn not only our own people, but all minorities, all people that this could happen again, that this actually happened, that humanity did this, that hate created murder, can create  genocide. And it's our responsibility to pay the lesson we've learned forward, the painful lesson. It's easier to turn a blind eye, or to say, well, that's just Jewish people's problem. The truth is, it's a problem for all humanity. And so hopefully, we're not playing to a bubble of people who need to see this, want to see this, or are Jewish enough to see it.. And I think it has the power to be a play that's impactful for all people. And we found that to be true thus far, it's a really clearly communicated olive branch in a way to say, hey, we went through this, we're telling you this could happen. And stay safe, be smart, and love one another before your time's up. Manya Brachear Pashman: Thank you so much, and thank you for joining us to talk about it today.  David Krumholtz:  All right. My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

Tom Stoppard, perhaps the most famous living British playwright, learned only in his fifties that his mother's family was Jewish and that nearly all her relatives were killed in the Holocaust—a fate his own immediate family narrowly escaped. Now in his eighties, Stoppard has turned these revelations into the material of his play Leopoldstadt, which tells the story of a bourgeois Viennese Jewish clan inspired by his own Czech family, and an assimilated British grandson's discovery of their fate at the hands of the Nazis. The play, now a Broadway hit, has drawn accolades, but left several of us at and around Jewish Currents distinctly underwhelmed. Why is theater still treating the Holocaust as an object of dramatic irony? What are audiences looking for in stories of this kind? Where does Leopoldstadt fit in the long history of anti-Nazi theater, and what are its politics around Zionism? Alisa Solomon, who reviewed the play for Jewish Currents, and dramaturg Gabrielle Hoyt joined JC editors Arielle Angel and Ari Brostoff to discuss. Articles and Reports Mentioned:“Review: In Stoppard's ‘Leopoldstadt,' a Memorial to a Lost World,” Jesse Green, The New York Times“Attention Must Be Paid,” Alisa Solomon, Jewish Currents“Monuments to the Unthinkable,” Clint Smith in The Atlantic “Culture Under the Nazis,” Brooks Atkinson, The New York TimesThanks to Jesse Brenneman for producing and to Nathan Salsburg for the use of his song “VIII (All That Were Calculated Have Passed).”

Polymath alert! Actor, director, documentary maker, producer and novelist Ethan Hawke joins Jonathan to revel in his passion for theatre - and lifetime in it. When not failing to make Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer's coffee machine work, Ethan recalls riling Tom Stoppard, an uplifting chance encounter with Mark Rylance on a snow-swept New York street, the sequel he wrote to Annie on first seeing it, Philip Seymour Hoffman popping backstage to make him proud, and many other things. Not to be missed, if only for his Stoppard and Rylance impressions! He is FANTASTIC company. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hamlet is much bigger and better than it was supposed to be, so it's only natural that its existential death satire (if that's a genre) is too. Paul talks Tom Stoppard's brilliant 1966 play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Toronto: Thompson and Nelson, 2003.Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. New York: Grove Press, 1967. 

As the world prepares to mark the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht on Nov. 9, a new play on Broadway, Leopoldstadt, is reminding audiences what can happen to Jews when nationalism and antisemitism turn into genocide. The production is deemed by many to be possibly the last written by legendary British playwright Tom Stoppard, now 85. The script is loosely autobiographical, as Stoppard's family fled Europe before the onset of the Holocaust, and Stoppard himself grew up not knowing about his true Jewish heritage. While the play debuted in London in 2020, it moved to Broadway in Sept. 2022. Acting in this New York stage version is Caissie Levy, who was born in Hamilton, Ont. She got her show business start singing Hebrew-language versions of Hair and Les Misérables at Camp Ramah in Muskoka. Levy has been performing in musicals for much of her career, including roles in Rent, The Wiz and Caroline, or Change. She even originated the role of Elsa in the Broadway version of Frozen for more than two years. Leopoldstadt, in fact, marks her first major non-musical acting role—but, as she tells The CJN Daily, it may the role with which she identifies most deeply. What we talked about: Read about Leopoldstadt Read about Caissie Levy in The CJN archives (2013) Read about the life of the late Rabbi Shmuel Rodal, formerly of Montreal Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To learn how to support the show by subscribing to this podcast, please watch this video.

In a new Broadway play, one of the world's greatest writers grapples with his own hidden past and its implications for our time. Sir Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt" chronicles a family history he only learned about in his 50s when a relative told him that all four of his Jewish grandparents had been murdered by the Nazis. Jeffrey Brown talks to Stoppard for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In a new Broadway play, one of the world's greatest writers grapples with his own hidden past and its implications for our time. Sir Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt" chronicles a family history he only learned about in his 50s when a relative told him that all four of his Jewish grandparents had been murdered by the Nazis. Jeffrey Brown talks to Stoppard for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In a new Broadway play, one of the world's greatest writers grapples with his own hidden past and its implications for our time. Sir Tom Stoppard's "Leopoldstadt" chronicles a family history he only learned about in his 50s when a relative told him that all four of his Jewish grandparents had been murdered by the Nazis. Jeffrey Brown talks to Stoppard for our arts and culture series, "CANVAS." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

This week, host Isaac Butler talks with Patrick Marber about his multi-hyphenate career. Marber started as a stand-up comedian; has written several plays including Dealer's Choice, Closer, and Howard Katz; and is a celebrated theater director. They discuss how being a writer affects Marber's directing; his experience working with older men such as Harold Pinter, Mike Nichols, and Tom Stoppard; and his direction of Stoppard's new play Leopoldstadt, which is currently on Broadway.  After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas chat about the particular challenges of directing large-cast productions, then they name the genius they would love to have collaborated with.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Marber talks about the casting of the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt and whether Jewish roles should be played by Jewish actors.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Zak Rosen. Check out Remote Works here: https://link.chtbl.com/remoteworks?sid=podcast.WORKING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks with Patrick Marber about his multi-hyphenate career. Marber started as a stand-up comedian; has written several plays including Dealer's Choice, Closer, and Howard Katz; and is a celebrated theater director. They discuss how being a writer affects Marber's directing; his experience working with older men such as Harold Pinter, Mike Nichols, and Tom Stoppard; and his direction of Stoppard's new play Leopoldstadt, which is currently on Broadway.  After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas chat about the particular challenges of directing large-cast productions, then they name the genius they would love to have collaborated with.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Marber talks about the casting of the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt and whether Jewish roles should be played by Jewish actors.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Zak Rosen. Check out Remote Works here: https://link.chtbl.com/remoteworks?sid=podcast.WORKING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks with Patrick Marber about his multi-hyphenate career. Marber started as a stand-up comedian; has written several plays including Dealer's Choice, Closer, and Howard Katz; and is a celebrated theater director. They discuss how being a writer affects Marber's directing; his experience working with older men such as Harold Pinter, Mike Nichols, and Tom Stoppard; and his direction of Stoppard's new play Leopoldstadt, which is currently on Broadway.  After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas chat about the particular challenges of directing large-cast productions, then they name the genius they would love to have collaborated with.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Marber talks about the casting of the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt and whether Jewish roles should be played by Jewish actors.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by Zak Rosen. Check out Remote Works here: https://link.chtbl.com/remoteworks?sid=podcast.WORKING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Stoppard has been a fixture on Broadway since his famous early play, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead,” travelled there in 1967. Stoppard is eighty-five years old, and has largely resisted the autobiographical element in his work. But now, in “Leopoldstadt,” a play that has just opened on Broadway, he draws on his family's tragic losses in the Second World War. Stoppard talks with the contributor Andrew Dickson about his latest work.  And the Oscar- and Emmy Award-winning actor Geena Davis, best known for her role in “Thelma and Louise,” talks with the staff writer Michael Schulman about her life and career. Davis ascribes much of her early experience on- and offscreen to a certain level of politeness, a character trait ingrained in her from childhood. “I learned politeness from minute one, I'm sure,” she tells Schulman. “That was my family: very old-fashioned New Englanders.” She reflects on her childhood, her iconic roles in the eighties and nineties, and her “journey to badassery” in her new memoir, “Dying of Politeness,” out this month.

Tom Stoppard antzerki idazlea Txekoslovakian jaio zen judu jatorriko familia batean. Gerran gurasoekin Asiara ihes egitea lortu zuen. Baina aita japoniarrek harrapatu eta hil egin zuten. Ama ofizial britainiar batekin ezkondu zen eta hark eman zion umeari abizena, Stoppard. Ingalaterran hazi, hezi eta egin zen famako kazetari eta antzerkigile britainiar gisa. Amari iraganaz galdetzen zionean ez zuen erantzun garbirik jasotzen. “Orain britainiarrak gara, hemen bizi gara, ingelesezko izen bat duzu”.

Lucas, Ryan, and Stephanie look at the transformation of poetry into Dada. Using Shakespeare's Eighteenth Sonnet, Tom Stoppard invites them to look deeper into Dada poetry. Is Dadaism original?

JERSEY BOYS COMPOSER: Bob Gaudio LYRICIST: Bob Crewe BOOK: Marshall Brickman, Rick Elice DIRECTOR: Des McAnuff CHOREOGRAPHER: Sergio Trujillo PRINCIPLE CAST: Christian Hoff (Tommy), Daniel Reichard (Bob), John Lloyd Young (Frankie) OPENING DATE: Nov 06, 2005 CLOSING DATE: Jan 15, 2017 PERFORMANCES: 4,642 SYNOPSIS: The rise and fall of The Four Seasons, a real-life band that dominated the 1960s music scene, is told through rotating narrators, who all offer their own theories as to why the band succeeded and subsequently dissolved.  The early 2000s saw an onslaught of failed jukebox musicals which aimed to capitalize on the disposable income of former rock fans by luring them to the theatre with familiar songs. Jersey Boys was successful because it tells the true, engrossing story of the Four Seasons and juxtaposes the violence of the narrative against the sterile, cherry tunes for which the band was known. Rick Elice examines how contradicting stories from the three living band members lent the show a multi-perspective narrative frame. The show set the standard for jukebox musicals which tell the story of the artists behind the music and led a fleet of such shows to Broadway for decades such as Beautiful and Tina. Rick Elice co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with Marshall Brickman. His play, Peter and the Starcatcher, received nine 2012 Tony Award nominations (including two for Rick) and won five, more than any play of the season. It's currently playing in New York and on tour across North America. Also on Broadway, Elice wrote The Addams Family (with Marshall Brickman, music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa), currently touring North America, with productions in Europe and South America. In 2014, the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego presented the world premiere of his new musical, Dog and Pony (music and lyrics by Michael Patrick Walker). Rick is currently writing a musical for Disney Theatricals with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, based on the film Make Believe, and Super Fly (co-written with Seth Zvi Rosenfeld), directed and choreographed by modern dance legend, Bill T. Jones. Heartfelt thanks to those whose work in the theatre makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Tune, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Kushner, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, Coyne, Brickman, Timbers and Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now. SOURCES Jersey Boys, Original Cast Recording. Decca Records (2005) Jersey Boys starring Erich Bergen and John Lloyd Young, directed by Clint Eastwood. Warner Brothers (2014) Jersey Boys: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons by David Cote, published by Broadway (2007) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The gripping sequel to the dazzling first book in the Pentecost and Parker mystery series, set in 1940s New York. The perfect murder mystery for fans of Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood. New York, 1946: The last time Will Parker let a case get personal, she walked away with a broken face, a bruised ego and the solemn promise never again to let her heart get in the way of her job. But she called Hart and Halloway's Travelling Circus and Sideshow home for five years, and Ruby Donner, the circus' tattooed ingenue, was her friend. To make matters worse, the prime suspect is Valentin Kalishenko, the man who taught Will everything she knows about putting a knife where it needs to go. To uncover the real killer and keep Kalishenko from a date with the electric chair, Will and Ms. Pentecost join the circus in sleepy Stoppard, Virginia, where the locals like their cocktails mild, the past buried and big-city detectives not at all. The two swiftly find themselves lost in a funhouse of lies as Will begins to realise that her former circus compatriots aren't playing it straight and that her murdered friend might have been hiding a lot of secrets beneath all that ink. Dodging fistfights, firebombs and flying lead, Will puts a lot more than her heart on the line in the search of the truth. Can she find it before someone stops her ticker for good?

Lincoln Center Theater's dramaturg Anne Cattaneo joins the show to celebrate her new book, The Art of Dramaturgy (Yale University Press). We answer the pivotal question, "What does a dramaturg DO, exactly?" and explore the tradition of dramaturgy in Europe and America, while diving into the phenomenon of good theater, and the existence of Theatrons, those mysterious particles that circulate from stage to audience and back when Good Theater Happens. We get into how a dramaturg can supplement the work of the actors and director, how plays change during rehearsal and over the course of production, the importance of intuition and collaboration (as well as a thick skin) for a dramaturg, the joy of discovering new plays (and lost plays, and out-of-fashion plays) and finding new ways to stage classics, and the treasures that can be found in archives. We also talk about the economics of regional theater and how it constrains what plays get produced, the deep research she did to help a pair of actors in Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia understand why their characters had an affair, the triumph of staging Mule Bone, a lost play by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, the impact of the pandemic on theater, the need to support older playwrights, and a LOT more. • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Patreon or Paypal

Born in the former Czechoslovakia, Tom Stoppard became one of Britain’s most celebratedplaywrights, famous for his wit and intellectual dazzle in plays like Rosencrantzand Gildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, Travesties, Arcadia, and more recentlyLeopoldstadt. He wears success well, mixing with famous and glamorous friends, marryingtalented women and breaking up with them amicably. As he grows older, hispolitics shift, and he becomes interested in his hidden identity. In 2013 Stoppard invited distinguished biographer Dame Hermione Lee, well-known for her books on Virginia Woolf and Edith Wharton, to tackle his story. She goes at it with formidable stamina, delivering a portrait that is warm and engaging, together with in-depth insight into the themes of his plays. In this candid conversation with Caroline Baum, Hermione Lee explains how she used theprecious resource of his mother’s letters, examined his important friendship withVaclav Havel, and drew together his public and private selves.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 033: Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard Host: Douglas Schatz Guest: Patrick Marber Welcome to The Play Podcast where we explore the greatest new and classic plays. Each episode we choose a single play to talk about in depth with our expert guest. We'll discuss the play's origins, its themes, characters, structure and impact. For us the play is the thing. Tom Stoppard's ambitious new play Leopoldstadt is a sweeping work of history and ideas which charts the diaspora and decline of an Austrian Jewish family through the convulsive events of the first half of the twentieth century. It addresses profound moral questions of identity, memory and prejudice that are insistently relevant in our time. It is not only a towering intellectual achievement, it is also very personally poignant because it is based partly on Stoppard's own remarkable family history. Leopoldstadt opened in the West End in January 2020, only to be closed prematurely by the pandemic a few weeks later. Happily it has returned to the London stage this Autumn, and I am privileged and delighted to talk in this episode with the director of the London productions, playwright Patrick Marber.

这周我们分享英国剧作家 Tom Stoppard 1967 年上演的成名作 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead，中文译名是「君臣人子小命呜呼」，它可以说是「哈姆雷特」的同人剧，从两位莎翁剧中工具人，也就是 Rosencrantz & Guildenstern 的角度，重走了「哈姆雷特」的时间线以及部分剧情。嘉宾是方瞾和Gigi。节目中提到的作品信息：我们提到 Tom Stoppard 创作的话剧有：Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead（1966）Arcadia（1993）Rock 'n' Roll（2006）The Coast of Utopia trilogy（2002）Leopoldstadt（2020）我们观看的制作Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead，NT Livehttps://www.oldvictheatre.com/news/2017/01/rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are-dead-in-cinemas-with-nt-live我们提到 Tom Stoppard 担任编剧的电影有“太阳帝国，斯皮尔伯格https://movie.douban.com/subject/1299811/莎翁情史，John Maddenhttps://movie.douban.com/subject/1300220/话剧哈姆雷特，莎士比亚话剧等待戈多，贝克特话剧Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, W. S. Gilberthttps://gsarchive.net/gilbert/plays/rosencrantz/index.html非虚构安妮日记https://book.douban.com/subject/1042434/讲稿Lecture on Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Ian Johnstonhttps://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/engl_258/Lecture%20Notes/johnstonstoppardlecture.htm See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

ITOP Episode 307 - Michael Stoppard - IHS Markit 9 - 5-21 by SHALE Magazine

"What's On?" If we're talking British imports, then we gotta talk about the West End's ultimate incubator for Broadway transfers: The Royal National Theatre!! Specifically, 4 BIG, IMPORTANT, SEXY PLAYS from the National. Breakdown Regular Ali Gordon (@msalicenutting) helps Matt tackle the the first National play to come Broadway (ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD), the first to become a sensation (EQUUS), one of the many unjustly overshadowed(THE PILLOWMAN), and the epic spectacle that made the Tonys question themselves (WAR HORSE). The two also discuss the importance of nonprofit theatre, casting celebrities to do Stoppard, and the Real Housewives. HEADS!

Sir Tom Stoppard's Olivier Award-winning play Leopoldstadt closed because of Covid in March 2020. Tomorrow it returns to the same stage and the same cast will tell again the story a Jewish family, in Vienna in the first half of the 20 century. They fled the pogroms in the East and later suffered terribly under Nazi rule. The plot has parallels with Stoppard's own family - all four of Stoppard's grandparents perished in concentration camps. He talks about returning to the theatre, if he has revised the play in the interregnum, and if he is tempted to revisit his earlier plays. We hear from the first of the five museums and galleries shortlisted for the prestigious £100,000 Art Fund Museum of the Year 2021. This year's prize will reflect the resilience and imagination of museums during the pandemic, and today we hear from Catherine Hemelryck from the Centre of Contemporary Art in Derry-Londonderry. Ryan Bancroft has just finished his first year as the Principal Conductor for BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and this week he makes two appearances at the BBC Proms. He tells us how he became a conductor, his excitement for music by Welsh composers and his favourite aspects of American music. The Scottish government has announced easing of covid restrictions just in time for this year's Edinburgh Festivals to go ahead with renewed vigour. We speak with Shona McCarthy from The Fringe about what this might mean for audiences and performers. Novelist Nick Laird talks to us about writing grief as he creates an elegy for his father Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Oliver Jones

To celebrate the launch of her highly anticipated biography Tom Stoppard: A Life, venerated biographer Hermione Lee interviews Stoppard himself in an affectionate and witty accompaniment to the book.  The biographer and the playwright -- both knighted by the British crown -- talk through Stoppard's life from his childhood in Darjeeling, his experiences in the New York and London theatre worlds, and his most recent play Leopoldstadt, which delves into his own Jewish European heritage in new ways. Their rich and multi-faceted conversation also addresses the relationship between biographer and subject, and the ways in which we act or inhabit our own lives. (Recorded February 24, 2021)

veřejná čtení v Café Fra, Praha úterý 4. května 2021, 19.30 hod. Průvodkyně mladých básníků: Anna Kareninová Anna Kareninová (1954), překladatelka a esejistka. Vystudovala Filozofickou fakultu Univerzity Karlovy, v letech 1984–1994 byla redaktorkou, posléze šéfredaktorkou nakladatelství Odeon, 1991–1996 šéfredaktorkou revue Světová literatura, 1995–1996 šéfredaktorkou nakladatelství Český spisovatel. Zabývá se tvorbou a překladem románů Louise-Ferdinanda Célina a poezie Ezry Pounda. Kromě knižních překladů, které doprovodila vlastními doslovy a komentáři (Durasová, Apollinaire, Sarrautová, Landolfi, Char, Stoppard aj.) se zabývá i překlady filmovými: je překladatelkou a autorkou dialogů více než stovky filmů, vytvořila filmové titulky ke snímkům významných světových režisérů (Fellini, Godard, Visconti, Antonioni, Russel, Truffaut, Greenaway, Strick ad.). Je nositelkou řady ocenění (Magnesia Litera 2003 za překlad knihy Louise-Ferdinada Célina Klaun's band, Cena Francouzského velvyslanectví za přínos ke zpřístupnění francouzské literatury v Čechách, Cena Revolver Revue 2017 aj. (Zdroj: Revolver Revue) Audio: Ondřej Lipár Autorská čtení, debaty a jiné literární události v Café Fra. Dramaturgie a produkce Petr Borkovec (tel. 724827499). Pořádá Fra s pod­porou Ministerstva kultury ČR, hlavního města Prahy, paní Hany Michalikové. Partneři Literature Across Fron­tiers (s podporou Programu Kultura EU); Polský institut v Praze; Literárne informačné centrum v Bratislavě; Literarnyklub.sk; Goethe-Institut, Praha; Lyrik Kabinett, Mnichov; Den poezie.

In a world exclusive and a slight break from helping people, The Fuzzy Dice duo have unearthed previously unseen letters from Mr Wilde to his parents while he signed up to two tours of Vietnam during the hight of the offensive, 1968. Totally crazy and improbable right? Well. For anyone who watched Sapphire and Steel or Twin Peaks can attest to… sh*t gets weirder. Before anyone else can get their hands on this piece of unique history, we are showcasing them exclusively here. For your delicate ear. Get into the mind of how a man as majestic as this can field strip a rifle while under enemy fire and bond with his fellow grunts. Shownotes If you are unsure of who Oscar Wilde is (and shame on you!) here’s the laziest primer on Planet Earth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Wilde And also Mr Wilde starred in a film about Stephen Fry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilde_(film) Can’t go wrong with a 71% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

The second part of the interview where Jeremy talks with actor Ed Stoppard.Ed talks about what he does when he isn't acting. He shares the advice actor Nigel Lindsay gave him to help him think differently and creatively about earning and living and the fact of periods of not working.Ed speaks eloquently about his Father Tom Stoppard and his writing process and you'll get a real insight in to what it was like growing up with a playwright trying to focus on plays and scripts.I share with him what his Father told me about the writing process when I asked about writing when I was was fourteen. Ed then talks about his new journey into writing also.We dip into lots of topics including history, research, Reality TV versus drama, when it seemed it was all over, reading for US tele and  how working in the USA has changed, streaming services and his current favourite new TV binge. 

Tom Stoppard, one of the greatest living playwrights, is a towering and beloved literary figure. Known for his dizzying narrative inventiveness and intense attention to language, he deftly deploys art, science, history, politics, and philosophy in works that span a remarkable spectrum of literary genres: theater, radio, film, TV, journalism and fiction. His most acclaimed creations, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, The Real Thing, Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia and Shakespeare in Love, remain as fresh and moving as when they entranced their first audiences. British biographer, literary critic and academic Hermione Lee’s latest work, Tom Stoppard: A Life, weaves Stoppard's life and work together into a vivid, insightful and always riveting portrait of a remarkable man. In conversation with author Chandrahas Choudhury, Lee talks about his life and draws on a wealth of new materials and on her many conversations with Stoppard.

In this episode Jeremy interviews the actor Ed Stoppard.From his early break in Polanski's oscar winning film The Pianist, through to the series Knightfall, the recent Brave New World and having to leave the West End production of Tom Stoppard's Leopoldstat as Coronvairus spread, Ed is enjoying a varied and growing career.He talks about the early days, drama school, getting an agent and starting to work and much more.I upset him rather, when I introduce him to the concept of measuring your conversion rate.Our sales minded listeners will enjoy his reaction!This is part one of a two part interview, part two coming soon...

NOTE: this episode has content advisories. See below the description for time stamps. We've got the whole kit and caboodle for you this week, wherein both the kit and the caboodle are largely about *~*the theatre*~* That's right: tune in for discussions about Angels in America, how much Amy and Dylan hate Stoppard, a revisiting of CATS the movie the musical, theatre trying to be TV (and why it isn't and shouldn't), Falsettos, Dylan's failed foray into trying to teach Shakespeare to eighth graders, and, uh.... how Old Testament God is basically a teenage magician. Oh, of course: we also figure out how pinball it all is. -------- Content advisory time stamps: Discussion of medieval torture: 24:00 - 27:40 Brief mention of childhood sexual assault: 35:15-35:20

Diane Stoppard is a photographer who is leading the $1 million Camera Obscura project in Whangarei. It's a giant walk-in pinhole camera clad in decorative steel.

London's King's Head Theatre has a special place in England's live drama scene. When it opened in the early Seventies it was described as the first pub theatre since Shakespeare's day, and it went on to triumph with award winning productions of everything from Stoppard to Trainspotting and grand opera. And it's also where actor/writer/director/producer Katherine Wyeth grew up. Katherine was a theatre kid and she's about to share that experience in a solo show at Wellington's Bats Theatre. It's called Girl in the loft.

SHOWS: The Full Monty, Hairspray, The Coast of Utopia Note: This interview was recorded via phone with Mr. O'Brien and may not have as clear of a sound as our other episodes. Trust us when we say the brilliance of Mr. O'Brien's wisdom outweighs any technical issues. The Tony Award winning Jack O'Brien is one of the industry's most versatile directors, one who easily goes from Shakespeare to Shaiman to Stoppard, all without missing a beat. In addition to his many years as the Artistic Director of San Diego's Old Globe Theater he has directed such shows as Porgy and Bess, The Most Happy Fella, Damn Yankees, The Full Monty, The Invention of Love, Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Coast of Utopia, The Nance, Carousel, and All My Sons, to name just a few. Jack pulls back the curtain on his career to discuss how he became a protege of Ellis Rabb, what it was like working with the legendary Helen Hayes, and why he embraces every second he is in a theater. Also, Jack shines the spotlight on Tom Stoppard, Terrence McNally, and Nathan Lane! Buy Jack's autobiography here Become a sponsor of Behind The Curtain and get early access to interviews, private playlists, and advance knowledge of future guests so you can ask the legends your own questions. Go to: http://bit.ly/2i7nWC4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KingDom and TJ go back to the future with actor of stage and screen Ed Stoppard; who has played several figureheads in history, but is now making a name for himself in the future as ‘the Director’ in Peabody TV’s forward thinking Sci-Fi series adaptation BRAVE NEW WORLD.We get inside the mind of Ed and his connection with the Sci-Fi genre, discuss the cinematic loopholes of films about the future and learn more about what New London life is all about.#AldousHuxley, #BraveNewWorld, #EdStoppard, #NewLondon, #SciFi, #PeabodyTV

Geeksweat welcomes highly esteemed film, stage and television actor Ed Stoppard to our inspiration interview and find out what the mindset is of a seasoned actor with twenty years of industry experience.Having made a name for himself as Hamlet (English Touring Theatre), Sir Hallam Holland (Upstairs Downstairs), Brian Epstein (Cilla), William The Conqueror (1066: A Year To Conquer England), Lord Daniel Hervey (The Frankenstein Chronicles), Philip IV of France (Knightfall) we delve into the craft and creativity of an elegant actor.TJ and KingDom find out more about the intensity of preparing for roles, working on an Oscar winning feature film and what makes character acting such a joy to behold. #Actor, #biography, #CharacterActor, #EdStoppard, #Hamlet, #Knightfall, #ThePianist

In today’s climate of increasing isolation, we want to bring you a daily dose of inspiration. Each episode, we’re giving someone in the theatre a chance to take a bow. From seasoned professionals to drama students; vocal coaches to the life coaches; you’ll find them right here. On today’s episode is actor, Ed Stoppard. You’ve seen Ed on the screen in Upstairs, Downstairs and on numerous London stages, most recently in his father’s play...that would be Sir Tom Stoppard, Leopoldstadt.

Rosewood Farm makes its home in the Lower Derwent Valley, deep in the Yorkshire Ings. Here, Rob Rose, his partner Natalie Stoppard, and their award-winning herd of 160 Irish Dexters – Europe’s smallest native cattle breed – place conservation, environmentally friendly farming methods, and the highest standards of animal welfare at the forefront of their practice. Rob’s story is one of inspiration, dedication and stubbornness. He started keeping Dexters at the age of 14, and despite being told he’d never make the tiny cows profitable, his perseverance has proved the naysayers wrong. Rosewood has always been a passion project as well as a business – a way of life. Ultimately, the couple’s pioneering methods have won over customers, and now Natural England entrusts Rosewood’s Dexters to graze birdlife and wildflower rich conservation areas. In this episode, hear how Rob is following in the footsteps of Vikings, how each time you buy a steak from Rosewood you are also giving birth to six lapwings, and how the Irish Dexter cattle have befriended three spritely Exmoor ponies Hushwing, Butterbump and Snippick (old world names for the barn owl, the bittern and the snipe). For more information on this podcast, including David's thoughts following this interview, head to: https://www.treesacrowd.fm/rosewood-farm/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tom Stoppard has a new play - Leopoldstadt - a slightly autobiographical telling of the story of several generations of a wealthy Jewish family in Europe over 6 decades, from 1899 How many different cinematic versions of Jane Austen novels does the world need? What does The latest Emma - directed by a former photographer/ pop video director - bring that's new? A Small Revolution in Germany is the latest novel from Philip hensher. It follows the diverging paths of a group of young politically charged leftists The End is a very darkly comic TV series set in a retirement village on Australia's Gold coast where Edie - played by Harriet Walter - ends up after trying to kill herself A retrospective of the video work of British artist Steve McQueen has just opened at Tate Modern in London. 14 video installations cover his work from 1992 to today Tom Sutcliffe's guests are Ayesha Hazarika, David Benedict and Julia Raeside. The producer is Oliver Jones Podcast Extra recommendations: Juiia: Julia Jacklin - Crushing David: Tony Kushner's The Visit at The National Theatre and Tana Frech - In The Woods Ayesha: BBC This Life box set and female comedians live Tom: In Wordsworth's Footseps on Radio 4 and American Factory documentary Main image credit: Marc Brenner

Playwright Sir Tom Stoppard discusses his new play, Leopoldstadt, in an extended interview. Leopoldstadt is the area of Vienna where poor Jews lived, and the title of Tom Stoppard’s new play. It’s about a family who come from there but, cultured, clever, successful and assimilated, no longer live there when the play begins. It follows their story from 1899 to 1955, from fin de siècle optimism to the aftermath of the Holocaust. Talking to John Wilson in the theatre, Stoppard speaks about how, in the 1990s, he came to appreciate his own Jewishness and how now, in his 80s, he came to write what might be his last play, about a family whose tragic story parallels that of his own.

In this episode, Rachel and Christine are joined by the lovely, Jessica Stoppard. You can find her on Insta @jstoppard_designs and we know you will love her as much as we do! Jessica stopped by the Thrive to share with us tips for creating a beautiful space this holiday season - without spending a lot! (Or in some cases, anything at all!) She chatted with us about her journey from young mom to sought after interior stylist and wasn't shy about sharing life's ups and downs. Jessica was such an inspiration and we know you'll be encouraged by her! 

Erika and Paul dive into the movie behind one of the biggest Oscar upsets of all time...Shakespeare In Love! They get into man-wigs, sexposition scenes and the wisdom of pale blondes wearing yellow.

This new book by Milan Dragicevich, officially released in March 2019 by the Hackett Publishing Company, is a bold and innovative approach to contemporary actor training. By adapting the classical principles of rhetoric, today’s actor learns to send a powerful vocal “charge” into the act of speaking, strengthening expressivity and range, vocal bravery and command. The book seeks to rediscover the lost art of persuasive speaking, ultimately transforming an actor’s relationship to language, from Shakespeare to Stoppard, from Shaw to Hip-Hop Theater, igniting a spark that will create a more evocative, courageous, and thrilling performance. I bring a large cargo of passion, energy, discipline, and commitment to the classroom. Students learn best when they are inspired by the material, see vibrant applications of the work to their own growth, and therefore actively seek new knowledge, ways of connecting various paths across a subject field. I strive to inspire this impulse in every student, compassionately (yet firmly) challenging them to ask the best of themselves, to exceed their own (often) narrowly defined expectations or limits. Dedicated work leads to impressive growth and results. In my classroom, I combine a classical discipline with a contemporary application or energy. When students are rooted in foundational tools of performance, they acquire wings to soar across any kind of theatrical terrain. Learning classical techniques of rhetoric, as taught in my Detonated Language or Acting Shakespeare courses, can immensely help the performer find bold verbal expression in the contemporary plays of Tom Stoppard or Suzan-Lori Parks. Both writers, in radically different ways, provide a muscular text, filled with bold expressive vocal opportunity. Here, the classical and contemporary worlds harmonize, work together to create a strong one-two punch. (Indeed, the great psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix built his fantastic temple on the solid ground of classical blues.) My courses feature this dynamic mix, whether in my Shakespeare, Detonated Language, Intermediate Acting, or Stage Movement classes. In Stage Movement, for instance, students learn the rigorous physical theater techniques of Japan’s Tadashi Suzuki to adapt to any theatrical text, from Quiara Alegria Hudes to Samuel Beckett. I believe students are excited and strongly motivated by this strategy. This strategy challenges students. At the same time, I allow for a wide variance in personal growth. Not everyone learns in the same way, achieves the same results in the same amount of time. I emphasize that each student should take note of their own individual starting point, and gauge their progress accordingly. Moreover, I strive to instill in students a sense of adventure and yes, “fun,” in the classroom. Learning can be a wondrous journey, filled with unexpected surprises and vibrant discoveries. Intrepid exploration is necessary.  Over the past 7-8 years, I have significantly expanded and broadened the range of material distributed to performance students in my language-driven acting courses. By analyzing and performing speeches from India’s Arundhati Roy, for instance, as well as Hip Hop theater and Slam Poetry texts, I have been able to engage my students in a more diverse and varied discussion of the role of language in rhetorical persuasion. Speaking, in this context, is viewed not only as a performance but as an opportunity to unleash persuasive arguments in the civic arena. Again, this strategy weaves two strands, a “classical” underpinning with contemporary relevance and application. ​Finally, I continually search for new perspectives, techniques, exercises, and texts to energize and enliven my courses. I want the material to be fresh not only to the students but to myself. My own inspiration and sense of discovery can help open the door to the students’ own enthusiasm and embrace of the material. Teaching is always a partnership,

Keith Dinicol is a Canadian actor currently appearing in Drayton Entertainment's stellar production of “Twelve Angry Men.” As Keith mentions in our podcast director Marti Maraden has assembled a cast of top actors including Neil Barclay, Skye Brandon, Benedict Campbell and Cyrus Lane just to name a few. As an actor with decades as a company member with the largest repertory company in North America, The Stratford Festival, Keith has worked on everything from Shakespeare to Strindberg and Stoppard. Dinicol traces his roots back to the early days of the Stratford Festival, where other than Tyrone Guthrie he's worked with every artistic director, either as an actor or director. He also shares memories of working with his father-in-law John Neville at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre and Stratford.

Bill and Joel read Tom Stoppard's The Coast of Utopia, which is a trilogy of plays about mid-19th century Russian thinkers! The Broadway production still holds the record for the most Tony awards won by a play. Spoiler alert: one of us didn't like this one very much! Bill and Joel also read a big chunk of Isaiah Berlin's Russian Thinkers, which is the book that helped inspire the Stoppard.

In an exclusive interview on the set of the new M-Net mini-series Trackers, Terence Pillay shoots the breeze with lead actor, Ed Stoppard.

Hang ten, Riptide Babies! Your favorite cheeba/Stoppard heads, Weed Lord and Half-Pipe are back all the way from sunny California!

At its core, this is a comedic drawing room mystery, but it is also a thought-provoking exploration of humanity through concepts of truth, chaos versus order, discovery and rediscovery, the meaning of time, and our desire to improve on an already perfect universe. Performances at Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago runs through December 16, 2018. Review by Reno Lovison for ChicagoTheaterandArts.com and ChicagoBroadcastingNetwork.com

This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob discuss a play by one of the titans of contemporary drama: Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." This is the first Stoppard play to be featured on No Script, and likely the first of many. "The Real Thing" is a love story, first and foremost, but a delightfully complex one. Listen in as J&J try to untangle its knots. They talk about infidelity, art, and Stoppard's sharp wit.  ------------------------------ We had so much fun talking about this play, and we’d love to keep the conversation going! What were some of your thoughts if you’ve read or have seen the play? What are you favorite themes? Characters? Plot Points? Or do you disagree with us on any of our thoughts? We’d love to hear from you. Check us out on social media or email at: Email: noscriptpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/No-Script-The-Podcast-1675491925872541/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noscriptpodcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/noscriptpodcast ------------------------------ Our theme song is “Blessed” by Purple Planet Music. Credit as follows: Music: http://www.purple-planet.com ------------------------------ Logo Design: Jacob Mann Christiansen Logo Text: Paralines designed by Lewis Latham of http://lewislatham.co/ ------------------------------ Thanks so much for listening! We’ll see you next week. ------------------------------

Geoffrey Wade from Ep. #5 talks text work on performing The Player from Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Geoffrey played this part at Weston Playhouse in Vermont and he even shares some of his script notes from rehearsals. Click here for full show notes and links. See additional content on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.   Geoffrey's monologue from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard THE PLAYER: We're actors…. We pledged our identities, secure in the conventions of our trade, that someone would be watching. And then, gradually, no one was. We were caught, high and dry. It was not until the murderer's long soliloquy that we were able to look around; frozen as we were in profile, our eyes searched you out, first confidently, then hesitantly, then desperately as each patch of turf, each log, each exposed corner in every direction proved uninhabited, and all the while the murderous King addressed the horizon with his dreary interminable guilt…. Out heads began to move, wary as lizards, the corpse of unsullied Rosalinda peeped through his fingers, and the King faltered. Even then, habit and a stubborn trust that our audience spied upon us from behind the nearest bush, forced our bodies to blunder on long after they had emptied of meaning, until like runaway carts they dragged to a halt. No one came forward. No one shouted at us. The silence was unbreakable, it imposed itself on us; it was obscene. We took off our crowns and swords and cloths of gold and moved silent on the road to Elsinore.

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

Join Matt & Rob as we discuss whether Tom Stoppard's masterpiece can possibly work for the screen! Sadly, the film adaptation we got provides a very convincing argument against playwrights adapting their own work to the screen. CONTACT THE SHOW: BrosBeforeShows@AOL.com Produced, Edited, and Co-Hosted by Robert Tiemstra (@The_Timestar) Co-Hosted by Matthew Tiemstra (@ClockworkPlay)

In this episode of the Pindrop podcast, bestselling author William Boyd and award-winning actor Ed Stoppard, read stories live at the Royal Academy of Arts

Clive Anderson and Emma Freud are joined by Goldie, Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney, John Tiffany and Dr Miriam Stoppard for an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. With music from Johnny Flynn and Nerija. Producer: Sukey Firth.

Elijah Alexander, in conversation with KPFA associate theater critic C.S. Soong. Veteran actor Elijah Alexander appears in Tom Stoppard's play “The Real Thing,” now at Aurora Theatre in Berkeley through March 5. Elijah plays the role of a cerebral playwright named Henry, who shares a number of other attributes with Stoppard. In “The Real Thing,” Stoppard explores issues of authenticity, love, the writer's craft, and infidelity. The Aurora Theatre is located at 2081 Addison Street in Berkeley. Aurora Theatre Company's website Elijah Alexander's website   The post Interview: Elijah Alexander about “The Real Thing,” at Aurora Theatre appeared first on KPFA.

Jack O'Brien is a director, producer, writer and lyricist. He served as the Artistic Director of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California from 1981 through the end of 2007. He has won three Tony Awards and been nominated for seven more, and won five Drama Desk Awards. He has directed and produced musicals, including The Full Monty and Hairspray, contemporary dramas such as The Piano Lesson, The Invention of Love and The Coast of Utopia, Shakespeare classics, including Hamlet and Henry IV (a combination of Part 1 and Part 2), and operas, including Il trittico at the Metropolitan Opera.   Listen in to hear Jack talk about . . . What losing his hair had to do with his directing career. Why he believes his job is to get out of the way. How he goes from Stoppard to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . .  and the difference (if there is one?) in his process. How not getting a directing gig taught him so much about how to get one (if you want to direct in the commercial theater you gotta hear this). Dealing with the shows that don’t work . . . and how he storms back afterwards. And when you’re done with the podcast, if you want more Jack, I highly recommend his book, Jack Be Nimble: The Accidental Education of an Unintentional Director which you can get here.   Keep up with me: @KenDavenportBway www.theproducersperspective.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This My Big Idea podcast comes directly from London Fashion Week. In this podcast, ASOS editor-at-large Danielle Radojcin speaks to Lou Stoppard about working in the fashion industry, breaking the internet on a regular basis and generally being a boss. Lou Stoppard is an Oxford University graduate, SHOWstudio editor and a freelance writer, curator and broadcaster. SHOWstudio has been at the forefront of the fashion film industry, collaborating with some of the most influential figures in the biz including John Galliano, Kate Moss, Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen. Lou has interviewed the likes of Kanye West, Jeremy Scott, Alexandra Shulman and David Sims. Lou also curated her first exhibition, Mad About The Boy, in 2016. The show focused on fashion's obsession with and portrayal of youth and featured work by Glen Luchford, Raf Simons, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Kim Jones, Nick Knight and Meadham Kirchhoff. Needless to say, Stoppard is making waves in the fashion industry. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

http://showstudio.com/project/mad_about_the_boy To create a sound installation for the gallery, curator Lou Stoppard asked top fashion DJ Michel Gaubert to lend the soundtrack he created for Raf Simon's Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore S/S 16 show. Cut alongside the track is audio from key male figures within the fashion industry - Charlie Porter, David Sims, Gosha Rubchinskiy, Dylan Jones, Glen Luchford, Nick Knight, Alex Bilmes, Nasir Mazhar and Ben Kirchhoff. The clips focus on the way these men consider youth, their own upbringing and how ideas of the young male are constructed within their work. Some interviews were conducted specially by Stoppard, others were taken from SHOWstudio's rolling In Fashion serie. They were mixed into the track by sound artist Younji Ku.

Director Jim Cherry, Dramaturg Zach Anderson, and the lead actors Quinn Cavin and Jared Cottingham stop in to discuss Wabash's upcoming production of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead. 

An interdisciplinary discussion exploring the many possible approaches to representing science through the arts, as well as potential challenges The discussion begins with a presentation by Dr Kirsten Shepherd-Barr (Associate Professor in Modern Drama, University of Oxford) examining plays that have included scientific content from the Victorian era to Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn. She will also explore the concept of “mediation”, examining how Frayn and Stoppard mediate the science using biography, history, and metaphor. This will be followed by responses from Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg (Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Oxford), Dr Jason Gaiger (Associate Professor, Contemporary Art History, University of Oxford) and Annie Cattrell (Artist, Tutor at the Royal College of Art and Reader in Fine Art at DeMontfort University). The discussion is chaired by Dr Dan O'Connor (Head of Humanities and Social Science, Wellcome Trust).

Shakespeare September continues with the 1990 film from writer/director Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, based upon Stoppard's own award-winning mid-sixties play.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shakespeare September continues with the 1990 film from writer/director Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, based upon Stoppard's own award-winning mid-sixties play.

Razia Iqbal talks to Mad Men actor Jon Hamm, whose new film - Million Dollar Arm - tells the extraordinary story of two Indian baseball pitchers who were discovered after winning a reality show competition. Dreda Say Mitchell reviews BBC Four's Crimes of Passion, a new Swedish crime series set in the 1950s. Ed Stoppard gives voice to the statue of Sherlock Holmes, as part of the Talking Statues project. And Razia explores the rise of Digital Art.

A short story reading by internationally acclaimed author William Boyd and film, stage and television actor Ed Stoppard. The Royal Academy presents this wonderful and immersive experience in partnership with Pin Drop.

With Mark Lawson Sir Tom Stoppard has written Darkside, a new radio play starring Bill Nighy and Rufus Sewell, to mark the 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's album The Dark Side of the Moon. In discussing the play Stoppard talks about thought experiments, moral philosophers, and Mamma Mia. Elysium is a science fiction thriller set in a future where privileged elite live on the space station Elysium while the rest of the population remains on a damaged earth. Directed by Neill Blomkamp, who is best known for his politically charged 2009 film District 9, the sci-fi blockbuster stars Jodie Foster as the ruler of Elysium and Matt Damon as the man trying to break across the divide. Naomi Alderman reviews. Charlaine Harris is best known for her Sookie Stackhouse series which inspired the True Blood TV drama. Harris discusses her distinct Southern gothic style, books which fell short of her aspirations and how fans reacted angrily to the conclusion of her famous vampire series. Producer Claire Bartleet.

Tom Stoppard is one of the world's greatest dramatists, with a body of work that includes 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,' 'The Real Inspector Hound,' and 'Shakespeare in Love.' Watch Stoppard in conversation with Australian writer Jonathan Biggins at the Sydney Opera House.

With Mark Lawson. Julie Walters returns to the stage playing an old hippie, in The Last of the Haussmans, a debut play by Stephen Beresford. The play also stars Helen McCrory and Rory Kinnear as Judy's grown-up children and the victims of a rackety 60s upbringing. Valerie Grove reviews. A new exhibition at the Science Museum celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Alan Turing, the wartime codebreaker and pioneering computer scientist. Actor Ed Stoppard, who played Turing in a recent TV docudrama, reviews. Actor Adrian Lester, star of hustle on BBC One, discusses his career and takes questions from a group of young would-be actors in a session recorded in Hackney at the Radio 1 Academy. Producer Jerome Weatherald.

"World leaders need to answer to artists." This was the rallying cry of Natalia Kaliada, artistic director of the Belarus Free Theatre, at a benefit for the embattled dissident troupe organized by the PEN American Center that was held at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday. She added “politicians do not have steps; they have just words.” Belarus Free Theatre is the little theater company that could, and the media have been quick to pick up on its story. A few weeks ago the members of the company were either in jail or in hiding, the targets of a crackdown by Belarus’ government after recent election protests. Last week, they were in town for the Under the Radar festival at the Public Theater, but have used the trip as an opportunity to carry their battle into the public eye. The company spearheaded (not a lightly chosen verb) a protest rally at the U.N. Wednesday morning, and the PEN event was originally intended to celebrate the willingness of artists to join together to protest injustice, said Kaliada. But early that day, the group had received word, in the form of a terse text message, that the husband of one of the actors had been arrested. So it was a taut, tearful, and defiant face that they turned to an audience of supporters at Le Poisson Rouge’s cozy downstairs space. In times of trouble, we are counseled to find something to cheer about, noted Sir Tom Stoppard, the Czech-born playwright who hosted the evening’s event. For Stoppard, it was clearly the simple, unbelievable fact of the company’s existence. For the company, it may have been the warm support of the literary and theatrical community. For the event, put on at short notice (a more elaborate affair had been staged at The Public earlier in the week), resembled nothing so much as an old-fashioned jazz rent party, like the kind musicians used to put together when one of their number needed help meeting the bills.  In this case, the “session” started with some heartrending music by violinist and vocalist Iva Bittova, followed by readings of poems by imprisoned Belarussian poet Vladimir Neklyaev. Then, a scene from Stoppard’s disturbing “Cries From The Heart,” read by Billy Crudup and Margaret Colin, showed a government official training a lawyer in the delicate art of replacing all the words we recognize as dealing with torture, intimidation, cruelty, or repression with words for foods.  (“I want you to say,” taunts the chillingly reasonable official, “it’s not torture, it’s pizza.”)  Authors E.L. Doctorow and Don DeLillo read passages from books ("City of God," "Mao II") that touched on cruelty, war, or degradation. The evening concluded with a fierce performance by the Free Theater of the third part of a trilogy on life in Belarus called “Numbers.” Five actors moved through a rapid succession of scenes that enacted a range of damning statistics. The three cheerful men muttering hesitantly and throwing their arms up in confusion?  “70% of Belarussians have trouble expressing the idea of democracy.” The woman who gives birth to, and then pops, a balloon? The country has a high rate of abortion, stillbirths, and childhood diseases. The buckets full of empty shoes: “over 1,200 people vanish in Belarus each year.” As the demoralizing, often shocking, statistics succeeded one another on the video screen, the audience ought to have been left numb with despair on behalf of a country so defined by pain, loss, violence, and neglect. Instead, the performance—filled with a fierce energy and supple beauty—brought catharsis and epiphany, if the cheers and wild applause were anything to go by.  In Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” the work’s underlying nihilism is subverted by the sheer beauty of the language and the poignant souls of its characters. If you can write of the human condition, “Astride the grave and a difficult birth,” then you have already triumphed over death. In the case of the Belarus Free Theater, if your company’s brilliant work inspires others to stand for you and with you, in some sense no dictatorship can ever fully succeed. Click the link above to hear for selections from the benefit. (Unfortunately, much of “Numbers” was mimed and so is not featured here). Bon mots "We truly believe that the world leaders need to answer to artists...politicians do not have steps; they just have words."—Natalia Kaliada "If you believe in God's Judgement...then certain bacteria living in the anus of a particularly ancient hatchet fish at the bottom of the ocean are the recycled and fully sentient souls of Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot."—E.L. Doctorow in "City of God." "I want you to say, it's not torture, it's pizza."—Tom Stoppard in "Cries from the Heart."

Our guests on this week's podcast are Director James Bohnen, and actors Greg Matthew Anderson and Ernest Perry, who join Anne Nicholson Weber to discuss Remy Bumppo's production of Tom Stoppard's Night and Day and the challenges of putting Stoppard's ideas and language on the stage.

Multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Sir Tom Stoppard (for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Travesties, The Real Thing and the Coast of Utopia) talks about his latest work to appear on Broadway, Rock 'n' Roll, including why he feels the play's love story, not its intellectual themes, ultimately drove the shape of the story and whether there's truth to the rumor that he wanted to cut the play but was persuaded not to by director Trevor Nunn; recounts the development of his epic The Coast Of Utopia and the extraordinary experience of seeing the trilogy performed in Russia; considers whether there's any thematic link between Utopia and Rock 'n' Roll, as bookends to the rise and fall of communism; recalls his overnight success (after seven years of writing) with Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead; reveals the play of his that he feels has perhaps not gotten its due before audiences; speaks out about those who claim viewers need to read up before seeing a Stoppard play; muses on the differences between theatre programs in the U.S. and Britain; and shares what rock and roll album is tops on his personal playlist right now.

Multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Sir Tom Stoppard talks about his latest work to appear on Broadway, "Rock 'n' Roll", including why he feels the play's love story, not its intellectual themes, ultimately drove the shape of the story and whether there's truth to the rumor that he wanted to cut the play but was persuaded not to by director Trevor Nunn; recounts the development of his epic "The Coast Of Utopia" and the extraordinary experience of seeing the trilogy performed in Russia; considers whether there's any thematic link between "Utopia" and "Rock 'n' Roll", as bookends to the rise and fall of communism; recalls his overnight success (after seven years of writing) with "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead"; reveals the play of his that he feels has perhaps not gotten its due before audiences; speaks out about those who claim viewers need to read up before seeing a Stoppard play; muses on the differences between theatre programs in the U.S. and Britain; and shares what rock and roll album is tops on his personal playlist right now. Original air date - January 25, 2008.

Multiple Tony Award-winning playwright Sir Tom Stoppard talks about his latest work to appear on Broadway, "Rock 'n' Roll", including why he feels the play's love story, not its intellectual themes, ultimately drove the shape of the story and whether there's truth to the rumor that he wanted to cut the play but was persuaded not to by director Trevor Nunn; recounts the development of his epic "The Coast Of Utopia" and the extraordinary experience of seeing the trilogy performed in Russia; considers whether there's any thematic link between "Utopia" and "Rock 'n' Roll", as bookends to the rise and fall of communism; recalls his overnight success (after seven years of writing) with "Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead"; reveals the play of his that he feels has perhaps not gotten its due before audiences; speaks out about those who claim viewers need to read up before seeing a Stoppard play; muses on the differences between theatre programs in the U.S. and Britain; and shares what rock and roll album is tops on his personal playlist right now. Original air date - January 25, 2008.

Four actors from the 42-member The Coast of Utopia company -- Tony Award winner Jennifer Ehle (2000 Best Actress Award for The Real Thing), Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke and Amy Irving -- talk about the experience of appearing in Tom Stoppard's triptych of 19th century Russian intellectual history, including their own trepidation at working with the brilliant Stoppard; adapting language written by an English playwright for Russian characters to the comfort of American actors -- and audiences; the thrill of working in a variant of a classical repertory company; whether they chose to research the era and their characters; and why they chose to spend a year of their lives with this project, playing parts both large and small.

Four actors from the 42-member "The Coast of Utopia" company -- Jennifer Ehle, Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke and Amy Irving -- talk about the experience of appearing in Tom Stoppard's triptych of 19th century Russian intellectual history, including their own trepidation at working with the brilliant Stoppard; adapting language written by an English playwright for Russian characters to the comfort of American actors -- and audiences; the thrill of of working in a variant of a classical repertory company; whether they chose to research the era and their characters; and why they chose to spend a year of their lives with this project, playing parts both large and small.