Podcasts about tarell alvin mccraney

Mark and Matt are joined by special guest EJ to discuss "Moonlight" the 2016 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.A timeless story of human connection and self-discovery, Moonlight chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. At once a vital portrait of contemporary African-American life and an intensely personal and poetic meditation on identity, family, friendship, and love, Moonlight is a groundbreaking piece of cinema that reverberates with deep compassion and universal truths.Join our listener's group The BQN Collective on Facebook.Follow the network on Instagram & Flashes @BQNPodcastsFind us on BlueSky:  The Network: @BQNpodcastsMark: @MW207Matt: @1701blerdEJ: @EoconMusic: https://freemusicarchive.org/ https://files.freemusicarchive.org/storage-freemusicarchive-org/tracks/5bYo2CCQrTvlatjormsG0jHuaNUPE6OC2aIUiXI8.mp3?download=1&name=Ketsa%20-%20Dancing-Dead.mp3  BQN Podcasts are made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like you. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Patreon patrons, whose support has been instrumental in producing the podcast! AnonymousJerry AntimanoVera BibleSusan L. De ClerckRyan DamonDavidChrissie De Clerck-SzilagyiLars Di ScenzaThad HaitMatt HarkerPeter HongWilliam JacksonSamuel JohnsonJim McMahonJoe MignoneMahendran RadhakrishnanTom Van ScotterJJ SeastrumJonathan SnowCarl WondersJoin the Hive Mind Collective at https://www.Patreon.com/BQN and become an integral part of our podcast. Your unique perspective and support will help us continue to produce high-quality content that you love!Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. STAR TREK and all related marks, logos and characters are owned by CBS Studios Inc. “BQN” is not endorsed or sponsored by or affiliated with CBS/Paramount Pictures or the STAR TREK franchise.

We hath returneth for the fourth episode in our coming of age season with Moonlight (2016). We talk Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney, coming of age (obviously) and the cast. This isn't the first A24 movie we've covered on the show and it will certainly not be our last. Mahersherala Ali's Taste The Revolution Would you like to see the full lineup for season 8? The only place we announce our schedule is over on Patreon and you don't even need to be a paying member. Just sign up for a free membership and get access to the lineup. If you have some change rattling around in your pocket, we have a £3.00 a month tier where you'll get access to around 80 movie reviews plus all of our end of season wrap shows for seasons 1-7.    Enjoy the show but can't support us financially? We get it. You could submit a review on the podcast player you're reading this on right now. Or if you listen on Spotify and you haven't given us a five-star rating yet, what are ye waiting for? It's easy. If you've done some or all of that and still want to do more, we would love it if you tell a friend about the show.   Or come find us on social media: Instagram | X | TikTok | Threads | YouTube

- Drag Queen Joan Jett Blakk (Terreance Smith) campaigns for Mayor and President of the United States. - Pioneered efforts in human and women's rights. - Rocky Horror Picture Show'esque campaign chants - Activism-inspired play starring Tarell Alvin McCraney at Steppenwolf's award-winning theater production.   Recorded at Edge Studios online in San Francisco

Pride Month continues with Barry Jenkins' Moonlight! Ben, Brady, and Patrick discuss the Oscar winning film. Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue. It stars Trevante Rhodes, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, and André Holland.

Hosts Leticia Ridley and Jordan Ealey interview Oscar winner and MacArthur genius Tarell Alvin McCraney about his work as a playwright, how Black people tell stories, and what it means to be an artistic leader.

On this episode, 3 playwrights discuss their development experience as past winners of the Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition.

The Geffen Playhouse's new artistic director, Tarell Alvin McCraney, wants to connect with younger audiences and create a safe space for immersive horror.  Criminal gangs have wreaked havoc throughout Ecuador this week. It escalated on Sunday when notorious gang leader Adolfo “Fito” Macías escaped from prison. California is in the red by $37.9 billion. Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his budget for the year and his ideas for reducing that deficit. High-powered Hollywood attorney Kevin Morris, who represents the “South Park” creators, has become Hunter Biden's closest confidant and financial backer.  On Tuesday, SAG-AFTRA announced a deal with a tech company that allows actors to license their voices to be replicated by artificial intelligence for video games. 

Three vetoes come down from the Governor, among the many bills that await his decision. The San Bernardino County sheriff's department began rolling out body worn cameras this month. And, a conversation with Tarell Alvin McCraney, the new artistic director of the Geffen Playhouse in Westwood. Support The L.A. Report by donating now at LAist.com/join and by visiting https://laist.com.Support the show: https://laist.com

For our third Pride Month episode, Forrest, Conan Neutron, J. Andrew World and Kristina Oakes talk about Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney's 2016 Best Picture winner Moonlight with Dan from the Internet

Tarell Alvin McCraney, folks!

It's our live show from Sydney WorldPride! BW and BL are at Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta talking to Zindzi Okenyo and Allen René Louis about the Australian premiere of Choir Boy, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney's play about a gifted queer Black teen navigating high school and homophobia.After 22 days on Australian Survivor, Ben's been voted off the island. BW quizzes him about everything that went down in that wild tribal council (#ButtCookie #CookieIdol). And BW and BL discuss updates to Roald Dahl's classic children's stories.

It's our live show from Sydney WorldPride! BW and BL are at Riverside's National Theatre of Parramatta talking to Zindzi Okenyo and Allen René Louis about the Australian premiere of Choir Boy, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney's play about a gifted queer Black teen navigating high school and homophobia. After 22 days on Australian Survivor, Ben's been voted off the island. BW quizzes him about everything that went down in that wild tribal council (#ButtCookie #CookieIdol). And BW and BL discuss updates to Roald Dahl's classic children's stories.

Hari Ziyad is an American screenwriter and public speaker, and the bestselling author of Black Boy Out of Time, a memoir of race, gender, and coming-of-age in America. He's also the creator of RaceBaitr.com, “a platform created to explore the various ways race is expressed and defined…” Additionally, Hari is a script consultant for David Makes Man, an American coming-of-age drama series on OWN created by Tarell Alvin McCraney, co-writer of the 2016 Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Playwright Yolanda Bonnell discusses her new play, My Sister's Rage, and why she wanted to explore the joy and laughter that can come with grief. Canadian music icon Céline Dion opens up about her latest album, Courage, and how she coped after the passing of her late husband, René Angélil. Mike Payette, the artistic director of the Tarragon Theatre, talks about directing Tarell Alvin McCraney's play Choir Boy for Canadian Stage, and how it changed his outlook on life. Musician Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country discusses the role he's had in a budding queer country scene and what it's like releasing a sophomore album in his late 70s.

Playwright Yolanda Bonnell discusses her new play, My Sister's Rage, and why she wanted to explore the joy and laughter that can come with grief. Canadian music icon Céline Dion opens up about her latest album, Courage, and how she coped after the passing of her late husband, René Angélil. Mike Payette, the artistic director of the Tarragon Theatre, talks about directing Tarell Alvin McCraney's play Choir Boy for Canadian Stage, and how it changed his outlook on life. Musician Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country discusses the role he's had in a budding queer country scene and what it's like releasing a sophomore album in his late 70s.

James and Jerah review Netflix's basketball drama “High Flying Bird'' released in 2019. All filmed on an iPhone, the movie follows a sports agent who has just 72 hours to convince his rookie client on a risky opportunity during a NBA lockout. This film is written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and stars André Holland, Melvin Gregg, Zazie Beetz, Bill Duke, Sonja Sohn, and Caleb McLaughlin. Produced by Melisa D. Monts Edited by Diane Kang Executive produced by Brett Boham, Joe Cilio, Alex Ramsey, and Tracy Soren Listen to Black Men Can't Jump [In Hollywood] Ad-Free on Forever Dog Plus: https://foreverdogpodcasts.com/plus FOLLOW BLACK MEN CAN'T JUMP [IN HOLLYWOOD]: https://twitter.com/blackmenpodcast https://www.instagram.com/blackmenpodcast BUY BLACK MEN CAN'T JUMP [IN HOLLYWOOD] MERCH: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/black-men-can-t-jump-in-hollywood SUPPORT BLACK MEN CAN'T JUMP [IN HOLLYWOOD] ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/BMCJ BLACK MEN CAN'T JUMP [IN HOLLYWOOD] IS A FOREVER DOG PODCAST: https://foreverdogpodcasts.com/podcasts/black-men-cant-jump-in-hollywood Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intro: Nightmare, revisited. Let Me Run This By You: Gina's petty bullshit.Interview: We talk to the co-Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre, Glenn Davis, about the Stratford Festival, King James, You Got Older, The Christians, being a producer with Tarell Alvin McCraney, Anna D. Shapiro, Audrey Francis, Rajiv Joseph, Alana Arenas, coming from a political family, pay equity, DEI, Seagull, Downstate, regret.FULL TRANSCRIPT (unedited):2 (10s):And I'm Gina Polizzi. We1 (11s):Went to theater all together. We survived it, but we didn't quite understand it.3 (16s):Years later, we're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of it1 (20s):All. We survived theater school and you will too. Are we famous yet? Yeah, because the Handmaid's tale came true since we last talk.2 (36s):Oh my God. I was just preparing to say to you my new favorite party question, not that I ever go to parties is what country are you going to move to when they ask you to be a handmade? Because I think the trick is the timing, you know, like there's going to be a point of no return,1 (52s):Right? You could2 (54s):Go to,1 (54s):Yeah, I guess I could, I feel like things might be worse there in some ways, but not eventually. Maybe not like now you're right. It's a timing thing, because right now it might be worse. But in about, within a couple of years, it could be better. So you're right. It's a timing thing. So maybe the idea is to like get passports. Well, the problem is when you get one passport, you have to turn in another, I think, unless you're a secret double agent and doing illegal things, like, I don't know that you can be a duel. Oh, I'm confused. We need, that's what we need a guest on that knows about passports.2 (1m 32s):Well, I don't know anything about passports, but I will say I, the reason that I would be allowed to have dual citizenship in Italy is because I can prove, you know, that my ancestors came from there. So I probably the same thing is true for you1 (1m 50s):Only2 (1m 50s):Have to go back one generation immigrants lady1 (1m 54s):Over here.2 (1m 55s):Right?1 (1m 55s):Right. Yeah. It's interesting. I, yeah, I, there are a lot of, I mean, this whole thing has been this whole overturning Roe vs. Wade has been, it has been horrific. And also because I've come from things from this and as you do too, like the psychological lens is trauma lens. I'm like, okay. The reactions, especially on social media have been wild. So what I'm noticing is it's even more hand Handmaid's tailie in that people then other women aren't then sort of policing other people's responses to this.1 (2m 37s):Meaning people are like, well, I don't know why you're shocked. So instead of saying, yes, you can have your reaction. People are mad that women are shocked. Other women are like, well, what did you think was going to happen? We, and I'm like, okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. This is part of the deal. Like let people have their responses, let them, so I am not shocked, but that does not mean that it hurts any less or that it, it is my job to tell someone that their outrage is not justified or not appropriate.2 (3m 15s):I mean, that's like, that's like telling a little kid, well, your dad hits you every time he gets drunk. What's why are you so surprised? You know, it's like, well, that doesn't make it hurt any less. That doesn't make me any less fearful. The feeling that I have in my body right now is the feeling that I had on election night in 2016. You know, I don't know if I ever told you my story about that, but just like every other reasonable person in the world, I completely assumed Hillary Clinton would win. And I wore my little pants version of a pantsuit to vote. I came home and I had, I didn't invite anybody over, but I made, I had like snacks, like it was a super bowl. And I put up a big piece of paper like that paper we wrote on when we were doing our, our TV show and with a map and I was gonna, I was marking the electoral votes, teach my kids about the electoral college.2 (4m 10s):And it's like, and it's just starts going, okay, well, that's not, that's not too bad. And then, and pretty early on, I realized what was happening. And I became immediately exhausted. And I went up to my bed and I fell asleep. And in the middle of the night, I rolled over to check my phone and I saw the confirmed, the worst had happened. And now I have that feeling again. I have that feeling of like, there's no hope.1 (4m 40s):This2 (4m 40s):Is, this is all bad.1 (4m 43s):I, I, I totally hear you. I, miles is famous for saying that. I knew that Trump was gonna win. And I did not, of course, but what I knew was when I went to the polls, it was the weirdest thing. There was this old, weird white guy, and this was in Evanston still. And this old, weird white guy in Evanston, which is very, very, very democratic. But he was handing out these flyers that were like very pro-Trump and very like Trump is going to win and he should, anyway, I had this sinking feeling. I was like, oh wait, wait, wait, this is Evanston.1 (5m 24s):And this guy is like, really sure. And also he seems like kind of a crack pot, but kind of not. And I, there was the first time at the polls where I was like, oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no. I have a bad feeling about this. And then we went to a friend's house, big mistake for an election night situation. And as the returns started coming in, people started at the party getting drunker. And so getting sadder and getting crazier and saying things like, well that this is fine. Like I'll just move to Italy or I'll just move to. But like, it was like the, the, the denial and the alcohol mixing was really, really, really, really depressing.1 (6m 8s):And I was like, I got to get out of here. And so we left before it was called, of course. And, and we, and it was, but I did have this sinking feeling when, when that, when the dude at the, it wasn't at the polls, it was like, I had gone to whole foods afterwards. It's right. And this guy was like putting leaflets on everyone's car that was like, basically get ready for Trump. And I was like in a good way. And I was like, oh shit. If this is happening at Evanston, we've got a problem area. So I wasn't shocked either, but I was very dismayed. And the feeling I have now is that like, literally, I feel like, like I kind of have a migraine today and I feel like I've had a migraine since 1975. That's kind of the feeling I have.1 (6m 49s):Like every time something like this happens, I feel like, oh, this feeling again, I have this feeling that I am exhausted and my head hurts and yeah. And then online, it's just a cesspool and some things are great and people are organizing. And, but some things are just, you know, a lot of people we all, as humans get, we just love to start censoring people's feelings and emotions about a tragedy.2 (7m 19s):Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But also that behavior is just like, I am trying to control you because I feel so out of control of myself. And I kind of like, doesn't even really register that much to me. But on Saturday I went to a rally and, you know, just like about 20 minutes from my house. And it's always a good feeling to do something when, when you feel like there's nothing to do. So that was great. And there was about a hundred people there. So that was great. And the, the person who was organizing it was a woman. So she, she literally said the very first words, but it was just to introduce this next speaker, who was a man.2 (8m 6s):And then after that was another man. And then after that was another man. So it was five men spoke in a1 (8m 11s):Row about this.2 (8m 16s):Yeah. Well, okay. So in the moment, the first person who spoke was our Senator Richard Blumenthal. Okay. That, Hey, he came here, that's pretty great. And he, and he has a very good record of voting the way that I agree with for women's rights, people's rights, human rights. So that felt okay. And then his son is also in politics, his1 (8m 45s):Son.2 (8m 46s):So then his son spoke and his son gave this speech that I could tell, like, I could tell them he did this thing. Or if like he was mimicking the cadence of how political speeches go, where you say three sentences on the fourth sentence, you, you get louder because that's when everybody's going to applaud. But then nobody applauded.1 (9m 8s):And he2 (9m 8s):Was real confused. He was real confused anyway, but by the fourth man who got up did say, I think I'm the fourth man in a row to be speaking here. You know, he was kind of at least trying to acknowledge it. And I'm of two minds because on the one hand, I think thank God that there are men in positions of power, who, who do agree with, you know, caudifying row, but at the same time, in a more like, step, take a step back way. I'm just going like, yeah, but this is the problem. This is the problem. This is the problem that only your voice matters.1 (9m 51s):Well, I think it, for me, it's what I call in LA, at least the giving tents to the houseless situation. So we're giving tends to it's the exact same thing. Right. We're giving tends to people that have no home. Okay. So they have shelter now. Okay. But what, what are we going to really get down to the real issue of what's happening here? So, so2 (10m 15s):Yeah. Why are they homeless and what are the services that they, okay,1 (10m 18s):Why are we not asking the big questions? And I think we, as people are asking the big questions, but the answers are so going to have to change the way the empire works, that nobody is going to, we, we're not really answering the questions. Right. So I think there's right at the, every I saw this and I don't know if this is accurate, but I saw something that the average, the empire last 250 years, and we're at 2 452 (10m 51s):Talk motherfucker. Yeah.1 (10m 54s):So, so I feel like, yeah, people are very afraid to talk about civil war. People are afraid, look, it's a scary thing. And, and, and Nope, Nope, nobody really wants that, but I don't understand where else we're headed. So, so while I don't like it, it's the same thing with the, with the response of people while I don't like that this is happening, it is happening. So I'm going to just say, okay, like, I, I, I, I am not, I don't have any face that we are interested in doing anything else, but, but leaping towards extinction.1 (11m 39s):That's how I feel like, I'm not sure what else we're going to do because I'm, I'm looking at facts and I'm looking at what's happening in, in, you know, obviously climate change wise. And I'm like, oh, we're, we're making choices. And right. And also people are probably going to be like, oh, well, there are people doing good work. And that is true. There are a lot of people doing good work. It's just seems like the people that are making decisions are the people, you know, with the most power are not doing good work are doing, I don't know what they're doing, but they're, they're, they're doing capitalism and what's best for, for, for their pocket.1 (12m 19s):And that's. Yeah.2 (12m 21s):But we, even1 (12m 22s):Though it's about money,2 (12m 23s):It's about money. And it's also about it's about money and it's about getting reelected because the, because the point of, you know, the reason that all these men's, they were all politicians and they were just, all right, it's all running for reelection. And that's the other thing is miss me with your false, like, I'm not saying to anybody on that stage had false promises, but there's quite a lot of good politicians, you know, as good as they can be, who run on these campaign promises. And they never deliver because they have a hard time, you know, getting their, their fellow senators and so forth to agree with them.2 (13m 3s):But yeah, now we're being selected out. I mean, like, there's just really no other way to look at it. And I guess I could say, I guess we deserve it.1 (13m 19s):Let me run this by you.2 (13m 27s):However, all of this doesn't mean that I don't still get involved in petty bullshit. Like I did.1 (13m 35s):Well, tell me, tell me all about that's fantastic.2 (13m 38s):We have this God damn fucking bitch of a neighbor that I, I mean, she's just the repository for my rage right now. You know, it's like, it's not really about her, but she she's, you know, she's the person who, when we first moved into this house, very friendly came over, introduced herself. We had kids similar ages, she's at our house for a while. Chatting. She leaves, she calls me 20 minutes later to, to, in an alarmed fashion to tell me that my children who at the time were six and eight or whatever it had had crossed the street without me there.2 (14m 21s):And that this was obviously going to be a big problem for me. And I, I mean, that just kind of sealed the deal. We, we tried to be friends. She, she started one of these multi-level marketing. She was selling jewelry. I bought her dumb ass jewelry, you know, and it's just been one thing after the other. And, and she's like the nosy neighbor. Who's never missing an opportunity to tell everybody what they should and shouldn't be doing. And she has these two really out of control dogs that just bark constantly. And she walks them or attempts to walk them. And she, and no other dogs basically can be on the street, you know, without there being a big kerfuffle.2 (15m 7s):Now, when I'm walking my dog and I see her coming, I turn the other way a, because I really don't want to see her, but also because I don't want to go through the whole thing of my dog. Yeah. It's all thing. Right. Well, my husband doesn't avoid things like that.1 (15m 22s):Well, I've miles wouldn't even notice until it was too late, but I feel like Aaron is more like, I'm going to just walk my dog.2 (15m 30s):He's like, it's my fucking street and my dog. And we still live in an America where you're free. You're free to walk your dog. So she's walking. So he's walking the dog and she's coming towards and she's doing her usual thing. And then she said, and this was not the first time she said this. She tells him it's not really a great time to be walking your dog right now as if like she gets to go to1 (15m 54s):No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.2 (15m 58s):Well, my in-state, I really wanted to go fly into a rage over to her house. And I, luckily I didn't do that. I did go for a walk and walk by her house, both my fingers up. And I thought, well, if I saw her at my dream,1 (16m 14s):What I would say is2 (16m 15s):I tell you to take those Stella and dot necklaces and choke and hang yourself with them. But they're so cheap. All you'd get is a green net.1 (16m 23s):Yeah. You just break it. Wouldn't do the job. It wouldn't do the job. Oh my.2 (16m 31s):But in a way, you know, having these petty things is sort of life affirming right. In this weird way. It's like at the end of the day, you're just like, oh yeah, it's just, you don't like your neighbor. People sometimes don't like their neighbors. It's not as much.1 (16m 46s):What did, what did your husband say to her? Nothing.2 (16m 50s):I mean, he was just like, I I'm walking my dog. I mean, like, I think he was just so flummoxed by the whole thing. Like, is this person really trying to tell me God? Yeah. That's yeah. I think, I think he was done1 (17m 5s):The audacity. Yeah. I, I, I, yeah, I hate, I hate her already. And I also think the real issue is fucking, you feel terrible that you cannot control your dogs and you have it done with the rest of us dumb, but responsible fuckers have done, which is train our goddamn dogs. Doris, right now I'm paying an, a great amount of money. So she can go to fucking Frenchie school so that when she sees2 (17m 35s):Her all about1 (17m 37s):God, so she doesn't jump on people and she doesn't do well. Okay. So when we Doris is, so I did not understand that when even, okay. So Frenchies are bred to be completely dependent on humans. Okay. So like, meaning back in the day, they're not the kind of dog that's bred to go out on their own. They're highly dependent. They're like needy fucking things. Right. Okay. Great. But that doesn't mean what I'm understanding is they still need pack training because the pack, we are not their pack. It's so funny. Like I am not a dog and miles is not a dog. We don't understand dog.1 (18m 18s):And so even these like sort of boot, you know, like fancy bougie dogs need pack training, which I was so Cesar Milan always says like, you know, like Eden, these designer ass dogs need fricking socialization. And I thought that meant she just needed to be around people. And like, she needs to be around dogs. That will correct her. And so there is this guy who's obsessed with dogs that lives in, in the miracle mile. I thought it was west Hollywood. I don't know where I am. Anytime I cross over I'm like anywhere is away from Pasadena. So my friend was like, listen, there's something called the school. And they also have like Frenchie Fridays and they ha it's like a very Frenchie centric dog school.1 (19m 6s):And they bring in this trainer, that's a protege of Cesar Milan, but everyone can say their approach. I could say I'm a protege of Cesar Milan probably. But anyway, and they play Tibetan singing bowls for the dogs and they get them to calm down and they, and it's a lot of Frenchies, there's like 10 Frenchies that go there. And so I said, all right, I'm going to give it a chance because Doris is great. She's just a tip, very typical Frenchie. And she gets very excited and she doesn't know how to calm herself down. So she pees inside and she will jump on you. And she's really mouthy still at a year. And so I was like, okay, well, like I need to, and, and she she's missing.1 (19m 48s):You can tell like, she's missing. Ideally we'd get another dog, but there's no way in hell in a one bedroom. That's this small. I would ever get another dog, especially not another Frenchie. So I was like, what, what to do, what to do. And this guy is like, that runs, this school will send you recaps of the class today in Frenchie class we learned. And then he will explain all the things that we learned. I'm not there. He's not, it's the dogs. It's like so funny. And then there's pictures. So she's doing great, but it is a schlep. It is 35 minutes. Each way. It is expensive. It is.1 (20m 28s):So what I am saying is those of us who fucking don't want to be like your neighbor and are like, you know what? I'm going to confront the fact that my dog needs some work and that whatever that we are doing miles and I isn't quite cutting it. And she's not behaving in a way that's going to make her friends like with people or with dogs. What do I do about it? I don't say to other people, it's your fault.2 (20m 52s):Somebody else's fault.1 (20m 54s):I have no goddamn money. I'm spending the money and the time.2 (20m 59s):And there you have hit upon one of the very hardest parts of parenting, which is, and you've talked about this before on the podcast, getting feedback, negative feedback about your child is so demoralizing you at once, feel embarrassed and enraged. You feel enraged with the person. You feel enraged with your kid, for With yourself, for not doing a good enough job, such that this wouldn't be happening. Yeah. It's really, really hard. And everybody has to get to the point that you have already gotten to luckily, which is okay, well, I'm this, the good news is the bad news is I'm the source of this problem.2 (21m 44s):And the good news is I'm also the solution to,1 (21m 46s):I think we don't know how to make a lot of us. We don't know how to make friends. Right? So this lady, instead of being like, oh my God, maybe I should just like, say to people, you know, like she could do so many things. People can do so many. She could send a letter to each person on the block say, look, I have these asshole dogs. I don't know what to do. If you have fucking suggestions, besides euthanizing them, let me know. I would love that. Or can you help me? Or I'm so sorry. They're assholes. I don't know what to do. I'm I'm working on it or I'm stuck. Just let people know. And then you make friends. And then when you walk down the street, people are gonna be like, oh, there's those crazy asshole dogs.1 (22m 29s):Just she's she's trying at least,2 (22m 31s):Right. Yes. There is a universe in which a person has crazy dogs like that. And they allow, first of all, they allow for the rehab. They allow us to acknowledge the reality that it's your crazy dog. I mean, that's, that's the other thing I feel like, I feel like we're stopped at level one, which is she won't acknowledge that her dogs are crazy level two. She won't do something about it. You know,1 (22m 59s):I'd like level one. It's like level one is like you were saying it like it takes some, you got to just really get to the point of being accepted, having acceptance that what things are going to go horribly wrong. And a lot of times it's your fault in some way. And a lot of times it isn't, but they still go wrong. And like, I just, I was talking about this a lot yesterday choice points when we're at choice points. And I think it's really easy to be like, oh, that, you know, people choose bad things to happen to them. I think that's garbage people choose to be with, you know, houseless, garbage. I don't buy that. But what I do buy is I know plenty of people with inner and outer, especially outer resources that don't date.1 (23m 45s):They, they do not meat choice points with any sort of ownership and accountability. So they're just like, they don't have, they think they have no choices, but to be an asshole, it's not true. It's not true many times they're you could have my friend taken a turn neighbor, whoever politician and said, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait, I have a choice here. So it's interesting. It's like, just because there is this sort of bullshit, a Wu movement to like over to like blame the victim. Yeah. That's true. But I think there is also a willingness to excuse behavior because people feel that people are limited.1 (24m 26s):Fuck you limited where you don't like, you know, so there's, there's a line. And I think that we, that the black and white thinking of like, you know, all good, all bad. All everyone chooses everything. It's not, it's just not the way it works. But like, yeah. So I,2 (24m 43s):No, it's not the way it works. You're so your thing recently is all about choice points. My thing is all about dissociation and, and I feel, I think I've hit on in the past. I've always said the reason I don't get along with anybody in my town is like, it's all Puritan and whatever. And that's probably true too, but there's another deeper thing. Because a lot of times I will meet somebody and I was trying to define what's the immediate thing that within seconds of talking to somebody, you can proceed. Cause you feel this is a, this is going to, this might go in a good direction for me it's they don't seem completely dissociated.2 (25m 25s):Right. And people are going to hear that and think, I mean, a bunch of people with multiple personalities, that's not what I1 (25m 31s):Mean. Yeah.2 (25m 34s):I really just mean the kind of person who says, for example, you know, my dogs are not crazy. My dogs are not crazy and my dogs are not crazy or my life is not in shambles. My marriages I'm shambles. My kids are not whatever, like whatever it is, there's a lot of, you know, people have to do so much work to hold up. These myths about themselves and their families and their lives. And I get it because to be in touch with the reality of one's life or one situation is completely overwhelmed.1 (26m 7s):So painful too. It's so painful.2 (26m 11s):It's so painful. But so, but like I need, in order to have a thing with a human, I need to be able to look at them and have some vague semblance that they're not in another, on another planet now. Sometimes I get past that and I, and it's like, okay, but I still just don't like you, right. For whatever reason. But I think that's the majority of the people I encounter in life or in some type of a dissociative place. And maybe it's because of the pandemic and maybe it's because things have been a shit show for the last several years, but that w that thought really clarified for me.2 (26m 51s):Okay. Yeah. This is the, this is like the stumbling block I have with a lot of people. I have a friend right now who, I mean, she's, she's kind of a friend, but she she's one of these people, like the day we met, she started referring to me as her best friend kind of, kind of a thing. And she likes to drink a lot. And so I kind of pulled back on the relationship. And during the pandemic, I had a pretty good reason to, and after that she's been contacting me and she's just not really kind of getting the hint. So I decided to take the opportunity the last time she contacted me to say, well, you know, like things aren't really going that great, like this and this and this, no response, no response, because what she wants for me is to validate the myth that she doesn't drink too much.2 (27m 41s):And that everything is fine in her life. Right. And when I want to talk about how things are not fine, she's not interested.1 (27m 49s):Yeah. That's really a telltale sign. Yeah. I mean, yeah, that it is. Yeah. And then I take it a step further, which is in my brain, which is I get angry because I have lived, I have spent so much time, energy, sweat, and, you know, sweat equity in looking at the painful stuff that I just can't perpetuate the circus show that that it's okay.2 (28m 27s):Well, today we are talking to Glen Davis. Glenn Davis is one of the hardest working busiest people we have ever met. He is the artistic director of Steppenwolf theater in Chicago. He's just closed a production of king James, which had also been a Steppenwolf. He just closed it at the mark taper forum in Los Angeles. He has a production company with Trell, Alvin McCraney, and they've got 10 projects on the slate right now. He's a writer, he's a director, he's a performer, he's a producer. And he is an artistic director. So please enjoy not our, it was just boss, boss, his conversation with Glenn Davis.4 (29m 22s):I gave it to my office. You survive theater school, but mostly I want to ask what's happening with you right now. Tell me what are you doing and what are you feeling and how are you today?5 (29m 34s):Right now? I am doing great. I am doing a play here at, in LA, at the mark taper forum called king James. We have been here for over a month and we closed this Sunday.4 (29m 50s):All right. So here's my question to you. We talked to our first attempt and it goes so well in terms of our tech, but so you went to the theater school. I just finished teaching at a theater school. I don't know if I'm going back. They have a new Dean coming in. Yeah. Who? I had a meeting who asked to have a meeting and she was lovely if you had, I'm asking this5 (30m 11s):Question.4 (30m 12s):Yes. So if you had to go back, would you have gone to a theater conservatory? Would you do it again? Would you go to a conservatory for acting training to5 (30m 24s):Theater school specifically, or just one4 (30m 26s):In general and then to the theater school specifically?5 (30m 30s):Yes. Yes. I would say at the very least, even if I didn't learn anything, I made some of my strongest friendships at the theater school.4 (30m 40s):You, you have, you have not only kept in touch, but you are thriving alongside people that you went to school with. So you would have done done it again. Okay. Favorite? What do you, what kind of art do you want to make my friend? Like, what is your, if you had, I'm asking this to all my, our guests, we just have to someone. And I said like, what are we doing here on this planet? And what kind of art do you want to make?5 (31m 6s):I guess I would say art that is impactful and challenges. Its audiences and challenges are sort of moral and ethical codes. Our identity, our idea of what we think is right or wrong in the world.4 (31m 24s):Can you say more about that?5 (31m 25s):Yeah. I did a play a few seasons ago called downstate and that this does exactly right.4 (31m 33s):Yeah. Intense. Yeah. Intense I side. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's, it's about people that live in like a halfway house.5 (31m 42s):Yeah. They're in a group home. It's five sex offenders who have, who have been released from prison, but into a group home. And so they have to figure out how to, you know, assimilate back into normal society. And you go into that play, you know, with your most folks have, I would imagine, have their own, very strong opinions about sex offenders, you know, pedophiles full stop, you know, and then this play the best way I can explain it is that it makes you reconsider what you think of those people when they, when they sort of visceral level, you, you go in thinking, okay, I know I don't need to explore this.5 (32m 29s):And then you do even just for, you know, this two hour play. And even if it's just a minor shift, it feels like you've gone a far way out of the way to give back maybe to the same place. But you, you know, Bruce Norris wrote this play and he talks about how he wrote the play because he wanted to, he wanted folks to challenge. He wanted to challenge the audience's ability to, to their capacity for forgiveness.4 (32m 59s):Yeah. I mean, I'm obsessed with the idea of who gets to be forgiven and why, and what happens when yeah. People make choices. And I think w you know, working with felons when they got out of prison, I learned that most of us well. Yeah. I, I truly believe that most of us are like one bad choice away. A lot of times from being an exact same position as my clients were in, or as the people in that player. And, and it's not as simple as we think, but, you know, I, yeah, I agree. So, okay. So you want to make that kind of art. Do you feel like you made that kind of art at the theater school at all?4 (33m 40s):Did you,5 (33m 43s):I think at the theater school, I was less concerned with making art and more concerned with managing the cut system. If we had a cut system and then, you know, just being a good actor, it was, it was primarily, primarily about self. It was less about storytelling. I didn't, I don't think I got to that place in my life career until a few, few years out of school. You do some work and you figure out it's not simply about me and how good I am in it, or you know, how much money I'm making.4 (34m 18s):Yeah. Did you, when you did the showcase, did you the show? Okay, so I was just the, the, the kids, the kiddos were just here during the showcase. There was no real showcase in person which sucked this year, but they came to LA and it brought back memories. And so I was going to ask you about your experience. Did you go to New York LA and do Chicago? Okay. What was it like for you? What material do you remember the material you did? And what was the, what was your experience of that in terms of interest reps?5 (34m 51s):I don't remember what scene I did for showcase, but I did, I did do a scene. I remember I was playing, I had a basketball at his house playing basketball at the same time. I should figure out what play that was, but I did that. And then I got, I guess, a healthy amount of interest in New York and LA, and I knew from showcase even before that, that I knew I was, I was leaving Chicago.4 (35m 18s):Okay. This is very exciting to me to, to, so you, you, w w how did you know that, like, when you went there and you did your scene and afterwards, they said, so, and so wants to meet with you or these people, like you, you just, like, I gotta get outta here, or what was the feeling like? My next move is,5 (35m 37s):Well, I was cold in Chicago, so I had just done a Chicago winter, and I wasn't, I was determined not to do another. And I think for a long time, I thought I'd go to New York. What happened was I ended up getting a, managed, signing with a manager here in LA, right out of showcase, and then decided, okay, I'm going to go to LA. And then I booked this other job. It took me to Canada for two years, but I kept my LA manager. And then I moved to LA right after this thing called the Stratford festival.4 (36m 10s):Of course. Yeah. Two years. Yeah. Holy shit. So you went right out of school to Canada. Yeah. Do you, how was that?5 (36m 20s):It was great. It was, it was this sort of things that I didn't anticipate I'd ever do. I didn't even know where Stratford was when I got the job. And so I went into, it was called the Birmingham conservatory for classical theater training at Stratford festival. And so I go up and I studied for 20 weeks in the winter and in Stratford, Ontario. And then you go into the season as an actor. So I was up there for two years4 (36m 52s):And then, okay. So you're doing that for two years where you kept your manager and then what happens after Canada5 (36m 58s):Moved to LA4 (36m 59s):You just straight up moved here? Yup. Okay. And then, and then you back and forth, or you were here for a while. What years are your year here? Youngster. What year was this? Not that long ago.5 (37m 8s):I moved to LA and then I, I was, I think I did submit two thousands. Then I went to New York to do a play. I want to say something like 2008. And then from then on, I started going back and forth between New York and LA. I did that for probably brought till about 2000, 2014, something like that.4 (37m 44s):And then what happened? I'm fascinated. You, you have a story that I don't for theater school grads, that this doesn't usually happen. So usually what we notice is you do the showcase, you pick a place and you stay there for a long time, but you've been moving around. So then, okay. So after you did back and forth, how did you land? I mean,5 (38m 4s):Well, I was living in LA. I had done a play in New York, and so I thought to myself, I wanted to be able to go back and forth. So I still kept my, my home in LA, I guess I call it. And I would just, I got a roommate in New York and I would just go back and forth between the two. And so I did a play in New York in 2008, then I did another in 2011. And, and then I think I will probably let that place go. New York around 2014.4 (38m 38s):Yeah. And then since then, I've just5 (38m 40s):Been, then I was in LA and then I D I went back to Chicago in 2013 to do a play at Steppenwolf. And then I got a place in Chicago. So I replaced my place in New York with a place in Chicago. And I would just go back and forth between Chicago and LA.4 (38m 57s):Okay. So now, now you run the joint with, with a bunch of, with Audrey and probably some help, some other step waltz. W why do you take, why did you take that on, like, what, what, what, what happened there that you were like, this is the next thing I'm like, fascinated by the choices people make. And this was the same with my clients and the same with my characters. I write, like, how does that happen when you're going back and forth from New York or to mostly now, Chicago and LA. Yeah. And then you're like, you're, you were obviously an ensemble member I'm assuming first. Okay. And then what, how does that happen? That, you5 (39m 36s):Know, wow. When I was made ensemble, remember in 2017, I had just done another play a step one side. I think I did like4 (39m 44s):About, you got older.5 (39m 46s):Yeah. You got older. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. And so I did another play called the Christians and had, had a great time. And after that, I, I had started to the other part of my life. I'm a producer in television and film. So I started producing and then it just sort of became natural to me, for me to want to sort of guide projects to fruition. And so when the Steppenwolf job came up and R D Shapiro who brought me into the company announced that she was leaving and the company did a, that the company has a self-imposed mandate that an ensemble member always be the artistic director.4 (40m 31s):I did not know that.5 (40m 32s):Okay. It's only ever been on ensemble. So we did a search within the company and myself and Audrey Francis, who, you know, we got the most votes. And so,4 (40m 44s):Yeah.5 (40m 44s):Yeah. The ensemble bows down, sambal chooses the ensemble, the artistic director.4 (40m 50s):I did not know this. Okay. This is very fascinating to me. Okay. So you got the most votes and why two people, like, did they, has it ever been to at the same time,5 (41m 0s):If it has there's rumors that it was two before this there's only ever been two in a formalized setting, formalized situation. And so we decided to do it together because it's such a huge job. And both of us are actors. Yeah. Audrey is also a director. I am a producer. And so we thought, you know, to do this job, you know, most times it's directors, because, you know, it affords them the ability to still have their career outside of it for an actor. If you're running the theater. And like right now, I'm in Los Angeles doing king James.5 (41m 41s):Yeah. Then it, it, who, who do, who does staff go to? Who, who, who sort of running, steering the ship while I'm away or the counterpart is away. So we said, okay, if there's two of us that we can sort of outline in any given year that as long as one of us is on campus, one of us is steering the ship to the garden at any given time. Then there's a version of the second work. So we, we, we decided together that we would, we would pitch ourselves together instead of one of us doing it. And so the ensemble loved it and the board thought it was a great idea. And so they contracted both of us. And so here we are.4 (42m 22s):And does it go on forever and ever until you get sick of it,5 (42m 26s):We have to let them know we do, we do contracts. And so before the contract ends, you let them know, Hey, I want to stay on it, or I want to,4 (42m 36s):How's it going?5 (42m 37s):It's going4 (42m 38s):Right. Do you like it?5 (42m 40s):I love it. Is it4 (42m 40s):Hard?5 (42m 41s):Oh yeah. Yeah. It's hard.4 (42m 43s):It's fulfilling.5 (42m 45s):Very,4 (42m 45s):Yeah. Okay. Do you have any time to do anything? Do you, do you, you must because you're here. So you have, but you do a lot of things. So I guess my next question is how do you do a lot of things and managed to not lose your mind?5 (43m 0s):What I would say that I'm a big planner. I have a lot of help. Obviously. I have assistance. I partners, turtle album McCraney, who my, I wasn't mentioning before4 (43m 15s):That is to school together,5 (43m 17s):Went to school together. Yeah. And he is my best friend in the world. Also my producing partner,4 (43m 23s):Brilliant boat. But yeah, you're both very brilliant human.5 (43m 26s):Thank you. I appreciate that. And so we have a production company based here in LA and we're in an overall deal at universal. And so we, we, that's a partnership and we have a team, a very strong team that we produce television and film. And then at Steppenwolf, I have Audrey, who's the best partner one can ask for. And we, we, we together manage through all the, the things that are going on and step off. So, and then, you know, when I'm going to do a play, yeah. I'm constantly in communication with her constantly communication with Tarell about all the things that we're doing.4 (44m 7s):Oh my God. So I guess the communication is, is really the key. Okay. My question is, what would you say to like the students and my young students who are like, what kind of world am I walking into? What, in the entertainment industry, how can I take ownership over my career? What the fuck do I do? I always like to be whatever you're doing, something's going right in your career. So, which is great. And I'm not saying it doesn't take a tremendous amount of work, but I'm also saying, is there any tips or like how to manage this life? You've graduated. You've just, like you said, like, you want to, you want to make it, you want to, you, you want to earn money, want to pay the rent and still make good art.4 (44m 56s):How the fuck do you do that?5 (45m 0s):Well, you're saying w what advice I would give. Right. I would say the, one of the first questions you asked was, you know, LA or Chicago, or, you know, I would say pick the place that you'd like to live. Like a lot of times people go, oh, I got to go to LA. If I want a career, you don't have to do that anymore. You can be in London, you'll be in Toronto. You can be in new Orleans, you can Chicago. So I would Fe I would say, go to the place that makes you happiest, makes you feel like the best version of yourself or some approximation of it. And then sort of sit down. I always look at my life in terms of five-year goals and plans.5 (45m 40s):What do I want, what I want my life to look like in the next five years. And so sit down and make a plan. If that's to be a series regular on a TV show, then put all of your efforts towards that. If it's to be, you know, a Broadway actor, then, you know, you know, there's a path to that, presumably. So I would say, make a plan and take some risks. You know, they might not always be comfortable, but you go out and you say, at least for, at least for me, I've, I've learned the most about myself. And I really taken a risk. And lastly, I would say, particularly for actors become, you know, did this happen by happenstance with me, but my best friend in the world is a writer and a very accomplished yeah,4 (46m 28s):Yeah. Like not, yeah, no slouch like a brilliant one of the most brilliant. Yeah.5 (46m 33s):And, and I've because of that, I've, you know, our partnership I've been in almost every one of his plays I've, we've created together. He's making things for me. I would say, if you can find a creative partner partnership or ships, you know, Rajiv, Joseph is another friend of mine who we're very close friends, we've done two plays together. Now we're doing TV shows together. Like find those folks that you're like, I just like being in partnership with you. And let's, you know, it might take five, 10 years to create something together, but let's start the conversation.4 (47m 9s):Did you know that immediately at school, that these folks were going to, cause there's also, isn't there a woman that you also are close with, that you met?5 (47m 17s):Yeah. Alana arenas is my other best tool in a lot of my two best friends in the world. Okay.4 (47m 21s):Okay. So did you know at the, at school, at the theater school where you immediately, like, I ha I love these books and I want to make art with them, or how did5 (47m 30s):That? No, I don't. I don't think cause Tara wasn't a writer at the time. He was, he was an actor and a theater school a year ahead of me and Atlanta was two years ahead of me. And, but they just, they were home. I met them and I just said, oh, you're my person. And so those two have been in my life for the last, you know, 20 however many years. And those are proud. I've worked with them several times over and over. They're both supremely talented Alana was on Tyrrell's TV show called David makes man. And she was amazing in it. So I think that, yeah, I just found them as people interesting and you know, beautiful people inside and out and they just so happen to be, you know, supremely talented, but I didn't go into it looking for them like, who do I like?5 (48m 21s):You know? So that's, that's essentially what it was. You.4 (48m 25s):Okay. What kind of, you said you want to make art, like, do you, is it more that the medium doesn't matter as much as the story in terms of TV versus being in a F or working on films or working on television? Or what, what is, do you have a favorite or are you just open to telling good stories, whatever form it takes? Are you that kind of a,5 (48m 46s):Yeah, I think it's the, the ladder. They're very different forms to work in as an actor. I'm doing a play right now, obviously. Yeah. I get a fulfillment that I don't get in producing television and film, but also in television and film, I get a, a fulfillment there as well, where I'm the, I have, my voice means is, is hugely meaningful in the room. If it's not me making the final decision on something, you know, very close to the, the, the folks in the room who are making those final decisions. So as an actor, you're, you're coming to be a cog in a wheel, you know, or you're there to service the story in film and TV as a producer, at least you're, you're get the engine you're, you're providing the platform or the, the landscape for artists to come in and tell their stories.5 (49m 44s):So it's a very different fulfillment that, you know, being in one in the other. And so I love them, both. Yeah. Theater is, is where I come from from first fell in love with storytelling and the art and the craft.4 (49m 58s):W I can't remember. I know that your family is not, it's more of a political family, right? Yeah.5 (50m 2s):And in terms of politics in Chicago.4 (50m 3s):Yeah. Yeah. So, but not so not theater so much. Okay. And then how did you end up doing theater since you said theaters5 (50m 12s):You're I was on the basketball team in high school. That's right.4 (50m 14s):Then you realized,5 (50m 16s):Yeah. Yeah. I realized I just audition audition for a play randomly. And I thought, oh wow, this is, I can do this. And so I gave up sports or basketball and she said, my, I thought, I thought at the time I had a burgeoning basketball career.4 (50m 31s):But if you did, though, you must have had a co I mean, what you were, you said you loved it and you were good at it. You just didn't think you were good enough.5 (50m 41s):Yeah. I don't even think at the time I knew if I was good enough. And I probably had all the bravado that any young4 (50m 47s):Men5 (50m 48s):That I could go to the NBA, but I just fell in love with theater. I fell in love with the art form and, you know, later studying it at DePaul at other places, setting Shakespeare. I just thought I can do this for the rest of my life. So.4 (51m 6s):Oh. And you knew it, right? Yeah. Okay. Well, there you go. So you knew it. Okay. And then if you had to like, like the next thing you want to do, like you have, are you doing exactly? I talked to people sometimes and they're doing exactly what they want to do, or they're excited. Or sometimes they're like, no, I want to pivot. And in a year, like we talk about, you talked about five years, so what's your five-year, what do you want to do in five years in your five-year plan? Do you have any grant?5 (51m 33s):Yeah. Well, I think that a big part of my artistic life right now is stepping up is I'm leading the company. There are some things that industry-wide, that I would love to see changed.4 (51m 46s):I want to know what they are,5 (51m 48s):Where there's a, there's a long list4 (51m 50s):With one5 (51m 54s):More pay equity for, for people in the arts theater theater specifically. There's, there's just not, you know, you can't, most of us cannot live, let alone thrive on a theater salary. So we'd love to change that diversity equity inclusion is very important to me getting more people involved, who don't, who historically have not been a part of the theater community. I think doing king James has been sort of eye opening for me because so many people have come because they love basketball. They love LeBron, or they love sports.5 (52m 35s):And now they're, you know, they're coming to a play and they go with some of the first play I've ever been to. And I loved it. So I think there's a lot, a lot of work there to do.4 (52m 46s):And do you feel like the word beat with the pandemic and everything? Have you, have you been able to start diet? Like, are you diving in now or are you, were you in the, when did you start take over you and Andre?5 (52m 60s):Our first day was as artistic director was September 1st, 2021.4 (53m 7s):Yeah. Okay. And now what's happening? The seagull happened? No.5 (53m 13s):Yeah, we just, we just closed the seagull. It was, it was our first theater in the,4 (53m 19s):The new spaces. Is it gorgeous?5 (53m 22s):Or it's, it's, it's all I walk into it and I'm just blown away. And I actually get very excited about one day being able to perform in that theater. But it's this beautiful in the round space that is state of the art, these wonderfully resonant acoustics. It is. Yeah. It's, it's a playground. I love that. I love that space, but yeah, we just opened our first play. We opened, there was the seagull, an adaptation of checkoffs, the seagull by Yassin playing golf and he wrote and directed it and it, it was fantastic.5 (54m 3s):And yeah. So now that now that theater is open,4 (54m 7s):Are you, do you have any things exciting that are probably a million things that are happening, but like television or film wise or for you, or, oh yeah. Or your company or anything that, you know, what's happening.5 (54m 21s):We have step move, just announced this new season. So the false will start, well, we'll have that season, beginning, this fall that we're excited about. So the first season that Audra and I were able to curate ourselves, so that's exciting.4 (54m 39s):What does that mean? Like you're in charge. Like you have to plan the whole shit or like, so like, if you have all the plays out there, you have a literary person I'm sure. And they say, okay, this is all on the table. Yeah. And then you read them all and then does lively debate ensued what happened? Okay.5 (54m 57s):We have an artistic team that we go back and forth over place and we decide, you know, obviously it's4 (55m 4s):No.5 (55m 5s):Yeah. We announced our season April, I think. Okay.4 (55m 8s):What are you super excited? I'm married. You're probably out. So a little bit more. Okay. Do we know if you are going to be in them? Can5 (55m 15s):You be, or you4 (55m 17s):Can't. Okay.5 (55m 18s):I, I don't know just yet. I just don't know, like4 (55m 24s):Deciding.5 (55m 25s):Yeah, sure. Yeah. It's possible. Yeah.4 (55m 27s):That's going to be exciting and you're playing closes. And then when you leave here to go back to Chicago,5 (55m 32s):I leave here I go on vacation and then I'll go back to Chicago. And then I do a play in the fall called well downstate. Oh yeah. We do that in New York in the fall. And then we have Trella and I have 10 TV series that are in development. Yeah. Yeah.4 (55m 55s):Totally crap. Congratulations.5 (55m 58s):Very much. So4 (55m 60s):Tenancy develop, I guess that's how it works. Wow. Wow. Good for you.5 (56m 5s):So what looks to go into production on one later this year? And yeah, we're pitching shows always. And so that's, most of my days are, you know, pitching shows, working on development with our executives at universal and managing the theater. So picking plays really4 (56m 26s):Plays very full5 (56m 28s):Life and doing a play.4 (56m 29s):Do you love your life?5 (56m 31s):Yeah, I love it. Wow.4 (56m 32s):Okay. Do you re we, we were just had I'm in a book club and we were talking about regret. Do you believe in, what's your idea when someone says to you, what do you think about regrets? Do you have them, do you think it's bullshit? Do you think that regret is good? Because it makes us, we had a lively discussion about regret the other night here at the office.5 (56m 51s):What was the consensus?4 (56m 52s):Well, some people are like, no, there's no such thing as regret because in the moment you do the best you can with the choices you have. But I actually think regret has been helpful for me because things like I regret that I didn't do certain things. It's not about judgment for me. It's more about like, I'm S maybe it's sadness. I don't know. I regret that, like my mom and I never talked about X before she passed. Right. Or, but I don't say, and I'm an asshole because of that. I just say, I regret that. But other people are saying, no, no regrets, like live your life with no regrets. I don't know. Where do you fall on this? I don't know.5 (57m 28s):I think that, I think for all honest with ourselves, there, there are things that may be in our past that we wrapped that we maybe wish we had not done done in that same way. That's the sort of notion of a regret. You know, you wish you made a different choice to varying degrees, but I think that at least when most people say, because I understand the notion of, Hey, there's no regrets. You, you had to make the choice you were going to make to be the person that you go to. You're going to be, I get it. So I think that, I think more to the point for me is there are regrets. You just have to live with them. You just have to learn to live with them. And, you know, all of us decide or make a, make a choice of how we're going to sort of, how do you say it is a word I'm looking for, but how you sort of assimilate all your choices into your person,4 (58m 25s):Integrate that and like, become like accept them or like the least own them, maybe.5 (58m 32s):Okay. I did that. It is what it is. it is what it is. I think you're saying it is what it is. It didn't turn out in my favor, but you know, w what else was I going to do? Ah,4 (58m 43s):That brings me to my final. I'll let you, but what was your, her a bit of as a human, but like, what do you do when things don't go your way? How do you, cause I think a lot of people that listen to the podcast are coping with like regret and also rejection. And when things don't go your way, whatever that means, how do you as a person, as an artist, however you want to answer it, how do you get back up how do you, how do you keep going?5 (59m 13s):Yeah, I think that I learned this, this trick oh, years ago, where I go and I thought to myself, I'm never going to, whenever I auditioned for, yeah, I am. I am, I will not covet it. I will do everything in my power not to covet it so that if, and when I don't get it, which he usually don't, you didn't lose anything. It was never yours4 (59m 35s):Coveting as it is an interesting word there. Right. Cause it's like, it means sort of to try to clench or hold onto or grasp and like control. All right. So you say that to yourself?5 (59m 47s):Yeah. It gives me a sense of relaxation, relaxation going into the room. Look, if I get it and it could be, life-changing awesome. But if it doesn't, my life is where it is today. Awesome.4 (59m 58s):Part of the thing that I noticed with you is like that you've built such an awesome life anyway, that like stuff will add to it if something mindblowing comes along, but it's not as though it's the only thing going on. Right? So like you have so much going on that you seem to love that if you don't get book a job, it's not going to make the whole house fall down. Right? Like it's not the whole entirety of who you are as an artist.5 (1h 0m 21s):Yeah. This is, this goes back to an experience I had when I first moved to LA, I was in, I was a, an intern at a casting office and that's something I would actually suggest actors recommended they do because you get to see what the other side looks like. And I remember being in there and this, this guy comes in for this audition. He's just Emmy nominated actor at the time. And he has like four page monologue. And I'm reading with him, he's reading through it. He looks down at the pages maybe twice. And he got it the night before. So he did this enormous amount of work. He's reading through it. I'm looking down at the page, just trying to remember it. And I've just have one line of course responses.5 (1h 1m 1s):And he finished it. He is brilliant. He4 (1h 1m 3s):Finishes it.5 (1h 1m 4s):He did a fantastic job. He's brilliant. He gets up right away and says, well, look, thank you all. Thank you all so much and have a nice weekend or whatever. Yeah. He didn't linger. He didn't say, do you need more? He didn't say, Hey, how4 (1h 1m 20s):You know,5 (1h 1m 22s):He just left out and he did not. It seemed like something else was pulling him out of the room.4 (1h 1m 29s):Other5 (1h 1m 31s):Life, something, something else, this wasn't everything he goes out. And the director, I mean the, the casting director, there's, there's just this hush for about 10 seconds, which is a long time after somebody leaves a room after auditioning and it's all executives in the room and me and the cats. And he says the casting director, she says, the casting director says, that's why he's immune nominated. And then there's another beat or two. And then the, the lead executive says, yeah, but he's not right.5 (1h 2m 11s):And so that was it. And so what it taught me was even if you go in with, in your, you're doing all the right things, you're playing all the right beats are the guy. There's a version of that show in which he was fantastic and went on to write awards and4 (1h 2m 27s):Things,5 (1h 2m 28s):But he wasn't right in their estimation. So it took the pressure off of me of trying to have to be4 (1h 2m 33s):Right for everything. Like we can't be right for everything5 (1h 2m 37s):Not going to be right.4 (1h 2m 37s):And what's not, ours is not ours. Like you're saying like, you can covet something all you want, but if it's not meant for me, it's not coming to me,5 (1h 2m 45s):But it mattered to him no less because he still went in and knock their socks off as an actor. And that's the narrative that comes out of that room is that he wasn't right. But wow, he's brilliant. I can't wait to, he is right for the right for,4 (1h 2m 58s):And also it had quite an effect on you. And now you're telling me this story and then it'll be told on the podcast. And so it's, it matters, right? Like it's a ripple effect. So he might not have been right for that part. You know, there's a friend of mine is a casting director and she always says, you probably know her Mickey Paskal on Chicago. And she says, not yet for the person. So it is not, no, it is not there, Terry, you know, she said, not yet, it's not yours yet. Not yet for you. Not yet. And I love that because it, it sort of implies that something's coming. We just don't know when. And we just don't know what it looks like specifically, but just not yet. And I was like, oh, it's such a more, oh, it's like an open way to look at these jobs rather than just like you did with the, it's just not right for it.4 (1h 3m 45s):He, he was brilliant. And then, like you said, there's a version of that show with him in it, but this is not this one. Yeah. And so it's, I, I think that that's great. And I, I think young actors really need to hear that, which is not yet. And you're not going to be right for everything you can't be.5 (1h 4m 1s):Yeah. It took a lot of pressure off me to have to be perfect. And I just started relaxing and just, you know what, I'm gonna do the best job, my version of this, this character. And then if I get it awesome, if I don't, I haven't lost anything. Yeah.4 (1h 4m 15s):And I think, I think what I'm getting just from this, from this interview too, is that idea of building a life with that is full of things that I, or anyone loves to do. Not just one thing. So that if, if one thing doesn't go in one area, doesn't go like perfectly. I could still be like, thank you, have a great day. I'm going to go out and live my life. That is like really dope over here. I have family, I have whatever the things are. Great. So you're not dependent on this one. Yes. To like be okay, but I think it's, it's yeah.5 (1h 4m 51s):It's hard to find you to find your happiness. It's4 (1h 4m 53s):Just like a part of your day, right? Like it's one part of your day. And then you go on and do your things and have your conference calls with Steppenwolf and whatever, eat a sandwich or whatever. So5 (1h 5m 3s):Remember this one or from one friend of mine years ago said, I look at auditions as my one opportunity to act that day or to perform or to tell a story. And I had my two minutes, I go in and I do it and then I'll let it go. And I throw away the sides. And I, I, I go home.4 (1h 5m 19s):I mean, I think that's great. Like I think, I think taking the pressure off and also, right, it's sort of what I call, like right-sizing things, you know, like I've, I I've said before I got into rooms, like I have seen the face of hell and this is not it we're going to go in and we're gonna do it. All right. So I will let you go because you're very, you're very busy and you have a lot of things going on, but I, I just want to thank you. And I also want to say, like, I have a lot of hope. I mean, I, I love Audrey and now I adore you. And I think that the American theater has a real opportunity. The, one of the things that I'm noticing, especially in the whole two weeks that we've had in terms of the Supreme court, that w we have a lot of opportunity, like, things are really, really hard and terrible, but I also think that anytime there's something really terrible, there's also an opportunity for the counterpoint to that.4 (1h 6m 12s):So I'm hoping with the American theater and art in general, perhaps that maybe we can be part of that counterpoint of all the terrible shit that's going on. And I'm hoping that stepping Wolf, I can't wait to see, I'm going to see what the season is, is going to, you don't have to tell me what the season is. I'll look it up. I think you and Audrey should be in all the plays and that's probably not going to happen, but, but no, I am hopeful. I am still hopeful. Are you still hopeful about things?5 (1h 6m 38s):Absolutely. Yeah. I wouldn't do it if I wasn't, it's it's not a job you want to take on with a sense of hopelessness. You have to really believe in the, in the sort of prospects of the artists involved in the sort of theater landscape itself.4 (1h 6m 54s):And since you, do you think the same holds true for like film and television? Are you still hopeful?5 (1h 6m 58s):Yeah. Filming film and television have this thing, that theater doesn't and that's called money. So whether you're, you know, I know a lot of folks who are on TV shows who are, you know, maybe not creatively inspired, you know, we've heard that story a lot, but they're getting there. You know, if, if it's, if it's an exchange of dividends for their time, then they're being paid in comparison to their counterparts in other industries they're being paid handsomely. And so that brings you a sense of happiness versus a fulfilling.4 (1h 7m 29s):Yeah. I didn't help your family and you can at least two. So that's true. Like, I think that that's, yeah. We seem to have found a mix of the things that you love and are important to you. And I think that that's something that, that is, that is brilliant, that we don't see a lot. So I say, keep, keep on. I mean, of course you're going to keep on, but thank you for talking to5 (1h 7m 48s):Me.3 (1h 7m 58s):If you liked what you heard today, please give us a positive five star review and subscribe and tell your friends. I survived. Theater school is an undeniable ink production. Jen Bosworth, Ramirez, and Gina cheat, or the co-hosts this episode was produced, edited, and sound mixed by Gina for more information about this podcast or other goings on of undeniable, Inc. Please visit our website@undeniablewriters.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Thank you.

Director Gavin Lawrence joins actors Rasell Hold and Nathan Barlow to discuss the American Players Theater production of The Brothers Size. This contemporary work is part of The Brother/Sister Plays triptych by playwright, screenwriter and actor Tarell Alvin McCraney. Enhance your experience and appreciation of the play by listening to this lively interview before or after your 2022 theater visit to Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Nat and Alli spend well over an hour gushing over Barry Jenkin and Tarell Alvin McCraney's 2016 coming of age drama, Moonlight. While sensitive lead Chiron is solidly coded as gay, his more confident love interest Kevin appears to be bisexual. How does that distinction separate Chiron and Kevin's experiences in childhood and high school? How does Kevin's sexuality play into his role as the "Elegba" of the film? What part does he play in Chiron's many metamorphoses? Support Snails & Oysters on Patreon: patreon.com/snailsoysters Follow us on Twitter Snails & Oysters: twitter.com/SnailsOysters Alli Rogers: twitter.com/allinotallie Nat Roberts: twitter.com/GnatRoberts Our theme song is Gumballs by Billy Libby: twitter.com/billylibbymusic And our cover art was designed by Abby Austin: instagram.com/abigailbaustin --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Joseph reads the wrong card. Lizy petitions for muppet hosts. As we progress through awards season, we decided to visit another Academy Award-winning film - Moonlight! Join us in putting on our bifocals as we discuss Barry Jenkins' Moonlight, based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's autobiographical play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/bifocalscast?fan_landing=true

Tarell Alvin McCraney's play Choir Boy is sweeping the nation. This empathetic portrait of teenagers at a prep school is full of music, poetry, and challenges to power. This week on No Script, Jackson and Jacob explore the wonderful complexity of McCraney's characters.  ------------------------------ Please consider supporting us on Patreon. For as low as $1/month, you can help to ensure the No Script Podcast can continue.  https://www.patreon.com/noscriptpodcast  ----------------------------- We want to keep the conversation going! Have you read this play? Have you seen it? Comment and tell us your favorite themes, characters, plot points, etc. Did we get something wrong? Let us know. We'd love to hear from you. Find us on social media 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 “Upbeat Soda Pop” by Purple Planet Music. Credit as follows: Music: http://www.purple-planet.com ------------------------------ Thanks so much for listening! We'll see you next week.

On this episode, we discuss the eighty-ninth Best Picture Winner: “MOONLIGHT”"Moonlight" is a coming-of-age drama based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue." The film presents three stages in the life of Chiron, a young black man growing up in Miami. The film explores the difficulties he faces with his sexuality and identity, including the physical and emotional abuse he endures growing up.  His epic journey to manhood is also guided by the kindness, support and love of the community that helps raise him.  Directed by Barry Jenkins, the film stars Mahershala Ali as Juan, Janelle Monáe as Teresa, Naomie Harris as Paula, Alex R. Hibbert as Little (Chiron in the first segment), Ashton Sanders as Chiron (in the second segment), and Trevante Rhodes as Black (Chiron in the third segment).Here on The Envelope, we discuss & review every Best Picture Winner in the Academy Awards History. You can reach anyone here at TheEnvelopePodcast.com – Just go there to email us, check our bios, and keep up with the latest episode.

This week on the podcast, we review the movie Moonlight, in the final week of our A24's Florida Cinematic Universe month. All while drinking this month's cleverly named cocktail, The Tropicana!!!  Look out for new episodes every Monday, follow @poppourreview for all updates, click around  our website www.poppourreview.com, and for drink recipes and exclusive content become a member of our Patreon at patreon.com/poppourreview !!!         We do not own the rights to any audio clips used in the podcast.

In this, the final episode of Half Hour's second season, the five hosts look back on two years of insightful, candid, and inspiring conversations with Steppenwolf ensemble members, activists, and vital voices in the American theater. Then, Cliff Chamberlain interviews Steppenwolf's incoming Co-Artistic Directors, Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, at the very beginning of their tenure.Interview begins at 17:12 Originally from Chicago, Glenn Davis is an accomplished actor and producer. He garnered widespread acclaim for his performance in the world premiere of ensemble member Rajiv Joseph's Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo at L.A.'s Kirk Douglas Theatre, and transferred with the production to Broadway, where he starred alongside Robin Williams. Davis joined the ensemble in 2017, where he has performed most recently Downstate by ensemble member Bruce Norris in Chicago and at the National Theatre in London. Additional Steppenwolf performing credits include You Got Older, The Christians, fellow ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney's The Brother/Sister Plays and Head of Passes, and the Steppenwolf for Young Adults production of A Lesson Before Dying. Audrey Francis is an acclaimed actor, director, teaching artist, and co-founder of Black Box Acting. Audrey Francis attended The School at Steppenwolf in 2004, and since then has been acting professionally in Chicago, working with an array of companies in the storefront and regional theater scene. Audrey became a Steppenwolf ensemble member in 2017 and has performed in ten productions with the company to date, including The Doppelgänger (an international farce), Dance Nation, The Fundamentals, Between Riverside and Crazy, and The Herd. Francis has also been in many acclaimed independent films, namely Knives and Skin, Later Days, Signature Move, and the award-winning web series Distant Learners. Her most recent directing credits include Plano with First Floor Theatre, The Invisible Hand at Steep Theatre, and the audio play of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.Learn more at Steppenwolf.orgWant to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.orgA transcript of this episode can be found HERE

After winning an Oscar for co-writing the film 'Moonlight,' McCraney says he received a lot of opportunities, many of which he turned down. "Some of it had to do with waiting for the other shoe to drop," he says. He's now the creator of the TV series 'David Makes Man,' which is in its second season on OWN. The series begins with a Miami boy whose mother struggles with addiction — and has echoes of McCraney's own childhood.Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Anthony Veasna So's posthumously published short story collection 'Afterparties.'And as the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks approaches, a new biography traces Osama bin Laden's path from a shy, religious teenager to the leader of a global jihadist group dedicated to mass murder. Journalist Peter Bergen, who met the al-Qaida leader in 1997, says that a series of events kept pushing bin Laden "further and further down the path of radicalization." Bergen's new book is 'The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden.'

After winning an Oscar for co-writing the film 'Moonlight,' McCraney says he received a lot of opportunities, many of which he turned down. "Some of it had to do with waiting for the other shoe to drop," he says. He's now the creator of the TV series 'David Makes Man,' which is in its second season on OWN. The series begins with a Miami boy whose mother struggles with addiction — and has echoes of McCraney's own childhood.

After winning an Oscar for co-writing the film 'Moonlight,' McCraney says he received a lot of opportunities, many of which he turned down. "Some of it had to do with waiting for the other shoe to drop," he says. He's now the creator of the TV series 'David Makes Man,' which is in its second season on OWN. The series begins with a Miami boy whose mother struggles with addiction — and has echoes of McCraney's own childhood.

Moonlight, Barry Jenkins's and Tarell Alvin McCraney's loving, melancholic triptych on the subject of Black masculinity, will forever be a part of Academy Awards history (stay gold, Warren Beatty). So too will Argo, for better or worse. Jess and Jamal bring on their producer and editor Ian to discuss the films' contrasting approaches to spatial immersion and the importance of knowing when a scene needs music. Listen to hear the shocking answer to the question: "Are there any Black people in Argo?" MUSIC: "Aim to Stay" by William Ross Chernoff's Nomads [CC-BY]

In this riveting conversation, Audrey Francis sits down with legendary director and ensemble member Tina Landau who shares insightful glimpses into her unique process of directing, including how she has learned to trust actors to bring all of themselves into rehearsal. The two also discuss the Viewpoints method, Tina's current projects in development, and the seemingly unlikely pairing of Landau's directing practice and Steppenwolf's aesthetic. Interview begins at 3:32Tina Landau is a writer, director and teacher whose work includes directing/conceiving SpongeBob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical, Tarell Alvin McCraney's Head of Passes (Steppenwolf, The Public and the Mark Taper Forum), WIG OUT! (Vineyard Theatre), and In the Red and Brown Water (The Public), Bill Irwin/David Shiner's Old Hats, Chuck Mee's Big Love and Iphigenia 2.0 (Signature Theatre), and her musical Floyd Collins (Playwrights Horizons). On Broadway, Landau has also directed Tracy Letts's Superior Donuts and the revival of Bells are Ringing. At Steppenwolf, directing credits include MS. BLAKK FOR PRESIDENT, The Wheel, Hot L Baltimore, The Brother/Sister Plays, The Tempest, The Time of Your Life (also Seattle Rep, ACT), The Diary of Anne Frank, The Cherry Orchard, The Ballad of Little Jo, Berlin Circle and her own play Space (also Mark Taper Forum, the Public). Landau has co-authored The Viewpoints Book with Anne Bogart and has taught regularly at such schools as Yale, Columbia, Harvard and Northwestern.  Learn more at Steppenwolf.orgWant to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.orgA transcript of this episode can be found HERE

In season 3, episode 14, I am speaking about the TV show David Makes Man. David Makes Man is executively produced by Oprah and Michael B Jordan. It was created by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney, who is known for the movie Moonlight. The show is a coming-of-age story that centers on a teenage prodigy named David who lives in the Projects, Homestead Village, in South Florida but attends a magnet school for academically gifted students. David is struggling with living in two words. He must be tough to make it on the streets of his neighborhood, and he must be his best in school to make it out of poverty. I am sharing this story to show that not everyone has it easy when they are on the journey to becoming the best version of themselves. Here are the YouTube links to the two clips that I shared in the episode: (801) Dr. Woods-Trap Sees Through David's Attempt to Gain Sympathy | David Makes Man | OWN - YouTube (801) David Lashes Out At Dr. Woods-Trap | David Makes Man | Oprah Winfrey Network - YouTube Link to watch David Makes Man on Amazon Prime Video: Watch David Makes Man: Season 1 | Prime Video (amazon.com) Nice 2 Meet U podcast on IG: @nice2meetupodcast Nice 2 Meet U podcast on Twitter: @nice2meetupod --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lynette-farmer-nice2meetu/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/lynette-farmer-nice2meetu/support

On this episode of Half Hour, Erin Cook, Steppenwolf's universally beloved company manager of more than ten years, joins Caroline Neff for a lovely and lively conversation. Cook shares stories from her path to Steppenwolf, and she talks about what it is like being communicating with, and caring for, the more than fifty actors, writers and directors that constitute the Steppenwolf Ensemble. Plus, Erin reflects on her singular relationships with two of Steppenwolf's visionary artistic directors: Martha Lavey and Anna D. Shapiro.Interview begins at 3:14.  Erin Cook is the Company Manager & Assistant to the Artistic Director at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where she has worked since 2008. Previously, Erin has worked at TimeLine, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and Utah Shakespeare along with a slew of restaurant and coffee shop jobs! Erin's top five shows at Steppenwolf are a combination of the things she has seen and worked on: The Brother/Sister Plays by Tarell Alvin McCraney, Middletown by Will Eno, The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, Mary Page Marlowe by Tracy Letts and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee.Learn more at Steppenwolf.orgWant to get in touch? Email halfhour@steppenwolf.orgA transcript of this episode can be found HERE

I Am Athlete welcomes special guests from OWN Network's David Makes Man and friends for a family discussion centered on Mental Health in the black community.As a long time champion of Mental Health, Brandon welcomes Tarell Alvin McCraney, an equal champion in Mental Health Awareness.  Tarell is an Oscar-winning screenwriter, playwright, and actor who co-wrote the 2016 film Moonlight, based on his own play, for which he received an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and is the creator of OWN hit series David Makes Man.  Tarell invites some of his close friends to join and shape the discussion.  The cast is led by Sterling K. Brown, an Emmy Award-winning actor that stars in NBC's Emmy and Golden Globe nominated drama series THIS IS US. For his role as Randall Pearson, Brown won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, as well as a Golden Globe, becoming the first African American actor to win his category in the award show's 75-year history. Offering a younger perspective to the conversation, Akili McDowell, best known for his starring role in David Makes Man and The Astronaut Wives Club on ABC, adds insight from his personal experiences to bring a different angle to the topics. Rounding out the panel is actor, John Michael Hill, who stars as Detective Marcus Bell in the CBS series Elementary and actor Glenn Davis who has been featured in hit shows Billions, Jericho, The Unit and 24.The guys watch a few scenes from the upcoming Season 2 of David Makes Man and break down the impact of the clip, and its connection to their own lives as youth and adults. Tarell talks about the reason he created the show David Makes Man, and why it matters for dialogue in the community.Sterling connects the power of media and its ability to validate an overall experience, while using it to change traditional narratives held about black men. Brandon discusses a clip with Tarell and Akili from Season One of David Makes Man that impacted him while Akili offers a more pointed description and interpretation of the segment.Teasing season two themes, Tarell introduces a clip emphasizing the need to properly deal with anxiety and trauma.  The guys talk about recovery and rest for the body and mind which gives Brandon an opportunity to bring up the ongoing debate of Ocho vs. Science. Tarell also previews a powerful moment from the upcoming season in which he shares the screen with director Barry Jenkins from his Oscar Winning Film, Moonlight and opens up about the need to write his “truth” within the pages of his scripts. It leads to a very poignant discussion And no show is complete without a home cooked meal and the guys are treated to a local speciality from a guest Chef. With Season 2 of I Am Athlete wrapped, the platform will continue to feature special content on Mondays at noon throughout the summer until the new season launches in August!I AM ATHLETE is a thought provoking and in-depth podcast that offers multiple perspectiveson subjects ranging from sports to controversial topics to fashion to lifestyle covering all cultural conversations and building a platform to educate but encourage viewers to engage.For I Am Athlete merchandise and apparel, visit www.HouseOfAthlete.com and for Chef Nancie's collection, visit www.ChefNancie.com. David Makes Man – Season 1, Now Streaming on HBO MaxDavid Makes Man – Season 2 airs Tuesdays at 9|8c on OWN

The subject of todays Top 5 is one of the great American actors; his collaborations with Martin Scorsese alone have created some of the most celebrated moments and characters in film history. A firm favourite of all of the Bad Dads, it's time we sat down to talk about Robert De Niro.2016's MOONLIGHT directed by Barry Jenkins and based on Tarell Alvin McCraney's unpublished semi-autobiographical play "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue" is this weeks main feature. An indie drama charting the life of Chiron, a poor black drug dealer in Florida, this movie was the first LGBTQ film and the first film with an all-black cast to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. Discussing violence, addiction, sexuality, masculinity, crime and poverty amongst other heavyweight themes, this beautifully crafted movie has a distinctive aesthetic and powerful performances at its core.Matt Groening has already experienced the pressure of trying to follow up a hit TV series with FUTURAMA, which followed on from THE SIMPSONS (and we once reviewed, rather pitifully if I'm honest), the question is, can he do it again? DISENCHANTMENT is a Netflix exclusive sitcom set in a medieval fantasy world. Using Groening's recognisable and very much established cartoon art style and a number of the talented voice cast he has worked with on both his previous shows this show had a better chance than most of capturing the Bad Dads hearts. Especially as one of the Dads already considers themselves a fan.We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. Try us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review or on our website baddadsfilm.com.Until next time, we remain...Bad Dads

This is the second in McCraney's 'Brother Sister Plays' trilogy, though is the first one he wrote. Drawing on Yoruba cosmology transposed into present day Louisiana, The Brothers Size is a poetic yet brutally grounded story of two brothers trying to reconnect after one returns from a stint in prison. Emotions abound.Have some feedback? A play you'd like us to cover?Visit the official podcast twitter @playgroundpoddyChat to host Nancy @N_NetherwoodChat to host Sam @Samwebbercool

The bros talk about the 2016 film, Moonlight. Directed and written by Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Follow the bros on Instagram @thefilmbrospodcast or email them at thefilmbrospodcast@gmail.com

Tarell Alvin McCraney, playwright, actor and screenwriter, recorded in 2014 as he had two plays produced in the Bay Area, Head of Passes at Berkeley Rep, and Choir Boy at Marin Theatre Company. Both plays eventually made it to New York to excellent reviews. Since the interview, he won the Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay of the film Moonlight, based on one of his plays, and wrote the screenplay for the Netflix film High Flying Bird. Tarell Alvin McCraney is also the author of the acclaimed Brother Sister Plays Trilogy, and most recently, created the TV series David Makes Man, which aired on the OWN network and can be seen now on DirectTV. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky. The post Playwright Interview: Tarell Alvin McCraney, 2014 appeared first on KPFA.

Announcements. 42nd Street Moon discussion about the musical The Scottsboro Boys originally scheduled for Tuesday June 2nd will now air next Tuesday, June 9th at 8 pm on Facebook live and on the 42nd Street Moon website. Theatre Rhino presents Doodler, Thursday June 4th, conceived and performed by John Fisher, on Facebook Live at 8 pm (with a new play every Thursday at 8 pm, and Lavender Scare can be streamed through the KALW website.   The Booksmith lists its entire June on-line schedule of interviews and readings on their website, which includes Lockdown Lit every Tuesday at 11 am. Book Passage also offers Conversations with Authors every weekend in June. Coming up this weekend, Jennifer Steinhauer at 4 pm on June 6th and Michael Connolly at 4 pm on June 7th. Dark Carnival Bookstore presents a conversation between John Scalzi and Sarah Gailey, Wednesday, June 10th at noon. Sign up for Zoom. National Theater At Home on You Tube: Shakespeare's Coriolanus with Tom Hiddleston. Today's program is in solidarity with those protesting every day America's institutionalized racism and the racism and militarization of police departments around the country, and with the Black Lives Matter movement and for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other African Americans killed by police violence, and in solidarity with anti-fascism the world over. Bookwaves Erik Larson discusses In The Garden of Beasts, recorded in 2011. While history never repeats itself exactly, some elements remain the same. After an election in which a plurality, not a majority, of votes went to the Nazi Party in 1933, Adolf Hitler became Germany's Chancellor, and over the course of the next few years, used a combination of propaganda and state-sanctioned violence to become dictator. What we're seeing in the United States are similar moves by Donald Trump and his enablers. Erik Larson is the author of several other works of narrative non-fiction, including his latest, The Splendid and the Vile, about Winston Churchill, Great Britain and World War Ii in 1940. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky.    Complete 44-minute interview. Artwaves Tarell Alvin McCraney, playwright, actor and screenwriter, recorded in 2014 as he had two plays produced in the Bay Area, Head of Passes at Berkeley Rep, and Choir Boy at Marin Theatre Company. Both plays eventually made it to New York to excellent reviews. Since the interview, he won the Academy Award for co-writing the screenplay of the film Moonlight, based on one of his plays, and wrote the screenplay for the Netflix film High Flying Bird. Tarell Alvin McCraney is also the author of the acclaimed Brother Sister Plays Trilogy, and most recently, created the TV series David Makes Man, which aired on the OWN network and can be seen now on DirectTV.   The post Bookwaves/Artwaves – June 4, 2020: Erik Larson – Tarell Alvin McCraney appeared first on KPFA.

Appearing on this episode of Money Making Conversations is Malinda Williams, Two-Time NAACP Image Award nominated Actress, Producer & Entrepreneur; Lydia Evans, CEO & Product Inventor of SW&G Essentials, a skin care line; Troy & Tommi Vincent, Retired NFL Player & NFL EVP of Football Operations, She's a Chef and Speaker, both are Philanthropists & Founders of Lifestyle Brand, Vincent Country; and Tarell Alvin McCraney, Academy Award-winning Screenwriter, Playwright, and Executive Producer/Creator of OWN's "David Makes Man".Each Money Making Conversations show hosted by Rushion McDonald is about entrepreneurship and entertainment. We provide the consumer and business owner access to Celebrities, CEOs, Entrepreneurs and Industry Decision Makers. They in turn deliver information about career planning, motivation, financial literacy and how they lead a balanced life.Don't miss Money Making Conversations with host Rushion McDonald streaming LIVE every Monday at 10AM-12PM EST on biz1190 (www.biz1190.com), on our Facebook fanpage at Facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations, anytime through our iHeartRadio Podcast, which can be found under the Business/Finance Section, Fridays at 10AM ET on SiriusXM Channel 141: H.U.R. Voices and Fridays at 7PM ET on SiriusXM Channel 142: HBCU. We want to keep you Winning with your Career and your Life! #AskMMCThe Money Making Conversations radio talk show shares the “Secrets of Success” experienced firsthand by marketing and branding expert Rushion McDonald. Mr. McDonald is a brand guru and has been a marketer for major national and global brands like State Farm, Ford and Home Depot. He has worked with Kevin Hart, Stephen A. Smith, Jamie Foxx and most notably, Steve Harvey and will provide access to women and multicultural markets to expand the reach of your brand. The show features one-on-one career advice to callers, contributions from corporate leaders, successful entrepreneurs, celebrity interviews regarding their business ventures, social media branding, financial planning and information to empower small businesses to a path of success!“The Kind of Talk that Inspires Change.”https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations/https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-Money-Making-Conversations-28341098/https://www.rushionmcdonald.com/https://www.facebook.com/rushionmcdonald/https://twitter.com/RushionMcDonaldhttps://www.instagram.com/rushionmcdonald/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushionmcdonaldhttp://biz1190.com/radioshow/5557Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Appearing on this episode of Money Making Conversations is Tarell Alvin McCraney, Academy Award-winning Screenwriter, Playwright, and Executive Producer/Creator of OWN's "David Makes Man".Each Money Making Conversations show hosted by Rushion McDonald is about entrepreneurship and entertainment. We provide the consumer and business owner access to Celebrities, CEOs, Entrepreneurs and Industry Decision Makers. They in turn deliver information about career planning, motivation, financial literacy and how they lead a balanced life.Don't miss Money Making Conversations with host Rushion McDonald streaming LIVE every Monday at 10AM-12PM EST on biz1190 (www.biz1190.com), on our Facebook fanpage at Facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations, anytime through our iHeartRadio Podcast, which can be found under the Business/Finance Section, Fridays at 10AM ET on SiriusXM Channel 141: H.U.R. Voices and Fridays at 7PM ET on SiriusXM Channel 142: HBCU. We want to keep you Winning with your Career and your Life! #AskMMCThe Money Making Conversations radio talk show shares the “Secrets of Success” experienced firsthand by marketing and branding expert Rushion McDonald. Mr. McDonald is a brand guru and has been a marketer for major national and global brands like State Farm, Ford and Home Depot. He has worked with Kevin Hart, Stephen A. Smith, Jamie Foxx and most notably, Steve Harvey and will provide access to women and multicultural markets to expand the reach of your brand. The show features one-on-one career advice to callers, contributions from corporate leaders, successful entrepreneurs, celebrity interviews regarding their business ventures, social media branding, financial planning and information to empower small businesses to a path of success!“The Kind of Talk that Inspires Change.”https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMakingConversations/https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-Money-Making-Conversations-28341098/https://www.rushionmcdonald.com/https://www.facebook.com/rushionmcdonald/https://twitter.com/RushionMcDonaldhttps://www.instagram.com/rushionmcdonald/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushionmcdonaldhttp://biz1190.com/radioshow/5557Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSupport the show: https://www.steveharveyfm.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Travis Coles, coming to terms with their gender has been a lifelong process, one that's been accelerated with their new role on David Makes Man, the new TV show written by Moonlight's Tarell Alvin McCraney and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Michael B. Jordan. Coles, like their character, Mx. Elijah, is genderqueer, Black, and brings a sense of fun and play to their gender performance. LGBTQ&A is hosted and produced by Jeffrey Masters. @jeffmasters1

Highlights from Front Row's Queer Icons project, presented by Alan Carr.With guests including Mary Portas, Olly Alexander, Christine and the Queens, Paris Lees, Maggi Hambling, Rebecca Root, A.Dot, Stella Duffy and the Oscar-winning writer of Moonlight, Tarell Alvin McCraney.Celebrating LGBTQ culture from the poetry of Sappho to the songs of Frank Ocean, we've asked guests to champion a piece of LGBTQ artwork that is special to them - one that has significance in their lives.Will Young picks the Joan Armatrading song that inspired him to come out; Christine and the Queens talks about Jean Genet's Our Lady Of The Flowers; and Sir Antony Sher reveals his regrets about not being out publicly when he starred in Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy.For the full interviews head to Front Row's Queer Icons website, where you can hear Queer Icons from Neil MacGregor, Asifa Lahore, Colm Toibin, Tony Kushner, Emma Donoghue, Nicholas Hytner and many more.Presenter: Alan Carr Readers: Lorelei King and Simon Russell Beale Producer: Timothy Prosser.

‘Moonlight' writer Tarell Alvin McCraney tells us how growing up in Liberty City, and discovering the drag ball scene, shaped his understanding of what it means to be a man. Poet and playwright Inua Ellams tells us why the barber shop is a safe space for black men to be themselves, and we ask a dressing room of male actors to share their stories of the many kinds of men they've been asked to be for their careers.

The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Queen Anne has opened at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket. Set in the early 18th century, the play charts the intimate and increasingly fraught relationship between the childless and insecure queen and her closest confidante Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Romola Garai who plays Sarah Churchill and writer Helen Edmundson discuss this often overlooked British monarch. For our Queer Icons series, the Oscar-winning writer of Moonlight, Tarell Alvin McCraney, champions the film Paris is Burning, about drag houses, drag balls and fabulousness in 1980s New York. Queer Icons is Front Row's celebration of LGBTQ culture, to mark the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality. The philanthropist Lloyd Dorfman today announced a major donation to the Royal Academy of Arts in London with a view to transforming the future of architecture at the institution. Architecture critic Hugh Pearman assess the significance of his contribution.The outgoing Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Mervyn Morris, was on Front Row recently. Today Samira meets his successor, Lorna Goodison, the first female to hold that post. She explains her role as 'praise-singer to the nation'. Her Collected Poems has just been published and from this monumental book she reads work that expresses her admiration for the Jamaican people, their language and her love of the landscape of the island. Presenter: Samira Ahmed Producer: Edwina Pitman.

We talk to the creative source of 'Moonlight', Tarell Alvin McCraney about his part in creating one of the best films of the last 12 months. Melodic, ephemeral and supremely touching, 'Moonlight' is a remarkable film that completely earns every single one of it's awards and nominations. On the podcast this week are Helen Seymour, Harry Chapman, Jake Cunningham and Sam Howlett. Produced and edited by Jake Cunningham Music supplied by incompetech.com Studio services by csrfm.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 million voters were registered in Texas, the price of transcripts doubled from $10 to $20, sparking outcry and a petition and a UT golf course was put on a list of endangered lands. Hear a review of the Theatre and Dance department's production of In the Red and Brown Water, a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney. The fifth annual HackTX competition is coming up, and 600 students tried to register in the first five minutes after the application went up.

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! 1. "Black Folks Don't. . . " enters its 4th and final season Sept. 26, and we join creator, Angela Tucker (tuckergurl.com) to talk about her popular series.  https://www.youtube.com/user/BlackFolkDont 2. Darryl V. Jones (Director), Tarell Alvin McCraney's "The Brothers Size" at Theatre Rhinocerous, where he has directed several world and West Coast premieres of new plays, including Xtigone by Nambi Kelley and Follow Me to Nellie's by Dominique Morisseau. He holds a Bachelor of Music from The Catholic University of America and an M.F.A. in Directing from Boston University. Visit www.TheRhino.org 3. Bruce Graham, playwright, professor, actor, joins us to talk about "White Guy on the Bus" which closed Sept. 24 at Theatre Aluminous in Oakland. We also talk about writing, acting and the importance of character (smile). 

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! 1. Barbara Range, Director, curator of the Brickhouse Art Gallery in Sac  and a founding member of the Sac Black Book Fair Committee and Faye Wilson Kennedy, Publicist, Blue Nile Press and founding member of Sac Black Book Fair, Terris McMahan Grimes, awardwinning author, and keynote speaker Saturday, June 6. 2. From the Archives Surprise 3. Kent Gash (director) & Jelani Alladin (Pharus) join us to talk about the Marin Theatre Company's Bay Area Premiere of Tarell Alvin McCraney's Choir Boy, June 4 - 28. Visit http://www.marintheatre.org/ 4. Richard Torrence, writer and producer, Lord Why Can't I Do Right? Friday-Sat., May 29-30 at Black Repretory Group Theater in Berkeley. Visit http://www.makeyoufamousentertainment.com/  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Guests: 1. Joe Driscoll, musician, composer, is making his San Francisco Bay Area debut with Sekou Koyate Sunday, May 24, 2015 at the Freight and Savage in Berkeley. http://www.thefreight.org/joe-driscoll-sekou-kouyate 2. Cheryl Lyn Bruce, portrays, "Shelah" in Tarell Alvin McCraney's "Head of Passes" at Berkeley Rep through May 24.  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! 1. Jabari Alii, musician, composer, joins us to talk about his classical piano music album and the concert tonight in Alameda. Support his campaign: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/my-debut-classical-piano-album 2. Cheryl Lyn Bruce, portrays, "Shelah" in Tarell Alvin McCraney's "Head of Passes" at Berkeley Rep through May 24. http://www.berkeleyrep.org/season/1415/8247.asp 3. Brother Ishmael Tetteh, the Mystic of West Africa visits California May 17-June 7. He joins us to speak about his "Organic Spirituality Tour: Nature's Transmutation Works." Visit .http://conscioushumanity.org/events-2/bit-us-tour-schedule/  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forbearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! 1. Tarell Alvin McCraney, playwright, actor, MacArthur Genius re: Head of Passes April-May at Berkeley Rep & Choir Boy at Marin Theatre Company in June 2. Stephen Vittoria, dir., Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu Jamal rebroadcast interview with director 3. Chris Johnson, co-curator and Jose Garcia, participating artist re: New Innovative Exhibition at Oakland Museum of CA: Who Is Oakland? featuring 10 Oakland-based artists April 11-July 12 4. Safiya Fredericks (Ann) & Lauren Spencer (Rachelle) join us to talk about Idris Goodwin's play Blackademics at Crowded Fire Theatre April 9-May 2 at Thick House in SF.