Podcasts about Tazewell Thompson

Alright, this week…it's the first week in November in America and the election is the only thing we can think about. We have no idea if America will still be a thing by the time you hear this…but we will try to continue the conversation about politics…I mean opera. Then…a free throw from bass Kenneth Kellogg who is set to make his Chicago debut in his signature role, The Father in Jeanine Tesoriu and Tazewell Thompson's BLUE. Plus, in the ‘Two Minute Drill'…we got one tenor chiding us and another tenor grousing about his picture not being included on the cover of a DVD and, I'm sorry, Democracy is at stake here, so forgive us if we don't really care. GET YOUR VOICE HEARD operaboxscore.com facebook.com/obschi1 @operaboxscore IG operaboxscore

The world premiere of Jubilee debuted at Seattle Opera with its inaugural performance over the weekend. Jubilee is a new opera honoring the Fisk Jubilee singers, a group of groundbreaking Black American singers from Fisk University, in Tennessee. Soundside's Diana Opong sat down with creator and director Tazewell Thompson, who reflected on how the seeds of the opera Jubilee were sown in his early years living in New York. It was during his formative years that he was introduced to the rich tapestry of spirituals through old recordings, a discovery that ignited a profound sense of connection in his life.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.  Guests: Tazewell Thompson, creator and director of the new opera, Jubilee Marlette Buchanan, Seattle vocalist and former Fisk Jubilee singer Dr. Agenia Clark, president of Fisk University Related Links: Seattle Opera - Jubilee See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle Opera presents the world premiere of JUBILEE, a new opera celebrating spirituals. Created by Tazewell Thompson, librettist of BLUE, JUBILEE tells the story of how a group of African American singers toured America and Europe in the 1870s, using this wonderful music—America's first great contribution to the world of music—to raise money to build Fisk University. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces JUBILEE, whose score consists of newly orchestrated arrangements of over 40 beloved spirituals, sung by thirteen singers. Musical examples in this podcast include spirituals sung by Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson; The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music; The Trouble I've Seen (Moses Hogan Chorale); Negro Spirituals (Derek Lee Ragin and the Moses Hogan Chorale); Spirituals in Concert (Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman); Gospel Songs (The Missionary Quartet); and Mary Elizabeth Williams singing La forza del destino.

Conductor John DeMain is noted for his dynamic performances on concert and opera stages throughout the world. In January 2023, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Opera Association, the association's highest award. During his three decades as the Madison Symphony Orchestra music director, John has consistently raised the quality of the orchestra by introducing blind auditions and continuously expanding the repertoire to encompass ever more challenging and virtuosic works. His active conducting schedule has taken him to the stages of the National Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the symphonies of Seattle, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Columbus, Houston, San Antonio, Long Beach, and Jacksonville, along with the Pacific Symphony, Boston Pops, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of Seville, the Leipzig MDR Sinfonieorchester, and Mexico's Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. In 2019, he conducted the world premiere of Tazewell Thompson's Blue at the Glimmerglass Festival to critical acclaim.  He “drew a vibrant performance from an orchestra of nearly 50 players; the cast was superb,” said The New York Times.

The state of Georgia recently promised nearly $2 billion in incentives to persuade Hyundai to open an electric vehicle plant there. But Georgia isn't the only Southern state betting that EVs will usher in a manufacturing renaissance in the region. As the Gulf States Newsroom's Stephan Bisaha reports, many Southern states are also preparing for the EV industry to lead to carloads of good jobs. The New Orleans Opera is putting racial injustice front and center at an upcoming performance of “Blue.” This contemporary opera was created by Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori and Emmy-nominated librettist Tazewell Thompson.  Timothy Douglas, the production's stage director, talks about bringing this story to a Southern stage for the first time.  In May, the nonprofit Unity of Greater New Orleans found that the city's unhoused population had increased by more than 50 % since 2022. Now, an ambitious project – backed by federal funds and homeless service nonprofits – is in the works to close down homeless encampments and provide housing for residents in need.  Mandy Chapman Semple, a managing partner at Clutch Consulting, the Texas-based group that has been hired to lead the project, joins us for more on the initiative.  Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman. You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12 and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The acclaimed British theatre director, Tinuke Craig embarks on her opera debut at the English National Opera with Blue, a tale of police violence in America and its impact on a New York family. The opera has been composed by the Tony award-winning Jeanine Tesori, with a libretto by Tazewell Thompson. Anna Bailey follows Tinuke and her operatic collaborators as she embarks on a challenging new chapter in her career.

Dr. Naomi André, a celebrated musicologist and scholar, is a frequent contributor to the community discussions surrounding the new opera "Blue" and its production at Toledo Opera. In this conversation with WGTE's Brad Cresswell, Dr. André sheds light on where "Blue" not only fits into the traditional operatic canon, but how operas like this are directly relevant to today's societal issues of race relations, and point the way to the future of the art form itself. "Blue" with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Tazewell Thompson is being produced by Toledo Opera in August 2022, more information here: https://www.toledoopera.org/upcoming-performances/season-event/blue/. Toledo Opera is a sponsor of WGTE programs.

Cast members and creatives for Toledo Opera's production of "Blue" join us to talk about the work and how it uses a 400 year old artistic platform (opera) to address contemporary issues faced by the African American community. We also hear vocal excerpts from "Blue" sung by Kenneth Kellogg and Aundi Marie Moore, with Kevin Bylsma at the piano. Joining us are: Tazewell Thompson, librettist for "Blue" and director of Toledo Opera's production Chelsea Tipton II, conductor Kenneth Kellogg, bass, the Father Aundi Marie Moore, soprano, the Mother Toledo Opera is a sponsor of WGTE programs. You can find more info on Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson's "Blue" at toledoopera.org.

Blue:August 26 & 28, 2022 An African American couple in Harlem anticipates the birth of their firstborn, a son, with both hope and fear. As the baby grows into a young man, the mother worries for his future, and the father tries to prepare his son for the realities of 21st century America, while wrestling with his own identity as a police officer, a "Black man in blue." When their deepest fears come true, the family is forced to navigate a devastating reality seeking answers and support from their church and community. Toledo Opera presents the Tony Award®–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and NAACP Theatre Award–winning librettist Tazewell Thompson's new opera inspired by contemporary events and Black literature. Influenced by gospel music and using vivid flashbacks, Blue places timely issues at the forefront of modern opera and invites audiences to the emotional epicenter of their impact. Chelsea Tipton, II returns to Toledo to conduct the opera and librettist Tazewell Thompson serves as the stage director. Starring Kenneth Kellogg as The Father and Aundi Marie Moore as The Mother. Blue, Toledo Opera: OK, we admittedly know very little about Opera, so we had to have Artistic Director's James and Kevin on to help us out. Blue, a portrait of contemporary African American life: of love and loss, church, sisterhood, and most importantly, family. A young couple celebrates the joy of family with the birth of their son. And, later leans on their close-knit community in the aftermath of his death at the hands of a police officer. Order your tickets today by calling 419-255 (SING) or by visiting toledoopera.org

Dr. Naomi André, a celebrated musicologist and scholar, is a frequent contributor to the community discussions surrounding the new opera "Blue" and its production at Toledo Opera. In this conversation with WGTE's Brad Cresswell, Dr. André sheds light on where "Blue" not only fits into the traditional operatic canon, but how operas like this are directly relevant to today's societal issues of race relations, and point the way to the future of the art form itself."Blue" with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by Tazewell Thompson is being produced by Toledo Opera in August 2022, more information here: https://www.toledoopera.org/upcoming-performances/season-event/blue/.Toledo Opera is a sponsor of WGTE programs.

Cast members and creatives for Toledo Opera's production of "Blue" join us to talk about the work and how it uses a 400 year old artistic platform (opera) to address contemporary issues faced by the African American community. We also hear vocal excerpts from "Blue" sung by Kenneth Kellogg and Aundi Marie Moore, with Kevin Bylsma at the piano. Joining us are:Tazewell Thompson, librettist for "Blue" and director of Toledo Opera's productionChelsea Tipton II, conductorKenneth Kellogg, bass, the FatherAundi Marie Moore, soprano, the Mother Toledo Opera is a sponsor of WGTE programs. You can find more info on Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson's "Blue" at toledoopera.org.

Pittsburgh Opera concludes it's 2021-2022 Season with the powerful opera "Blue" at the August Wilson African-America Cultural Center April 23rd through May 1st.  WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with the librettist and Stage Director Tazewell Thompson about background of the opera, his eagerness to return to Pittsburgh after having great success with one of his plays at City Theater, working with Glimmerglass Opera to write the opera and more.  

In March 2020, Joy Jones was rehearsing the part of Vera in the Arena Stage production of August Wilson's Seven Guitars directed by Tazewell Thompson. It's not a surprise that Arena Stage would be mounting Seven Guitars. A long-time grantee of the National Endowment for the Arts,  Arena Stage is a pioneer of the Regional Theater Movement and the largest company in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights. The surprise came with the pandemic that closed theaters and brought the country to a halt or at least a pause.  It took over a year and a half, but Seven Guitars finally opened at Arena Stage in late November 2021 with cast and audience equally jubilant. In this podcast, Joy Jones talks about the role of Vera, playing August Wilson, working with Tazewell Thompson, re-entering the rehearsal room and the stage after the shut down, and learning to love the arts as a kid in Washington DC. (You can find my 2015 interview with Tazewell Thompson here). Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

In March 2020, Joy Jones was rehearsing the part of Vera in the Arena Stage production of August Wilson's Seven Guitars directed by Tazewell Thompson. It's not a surprise that Arena Stage would be mounting Seven Guitars. A long-time grantee of the National Endowment for the Arts,  Arena Stage is a pioneer of the Regional Theater Movement and the largest company in the country dedicated to American plays and playwrights. The surprise came with the pandemic that closed theaters and brought the country to a halt or at least a pause.  It took over a year and a half, but Seven Guitars finally opened at Arena Stage in late November 2021 with cast and audience equally jubilant. In this podcast, Joy Jones talks about the role of Vera, playing August Wilson, working with Tazewell Thompson, re-entering the rehearsal room and the stage after the shut down, and learning to love the arts as a kid in Washington DC. (You can find my 2015 interview with Tazewell Thompson here). Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

Broadway stage veteran Gayle Turner says she’s proud to bring HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST HUNDRED YEARS, a tale of divine sisterhood to the https://nctheatre.com/ (North Carolina Theatre) stage, especially since the Delany Sisters’ story is woven into the fabric of Triangle history. Sadie and Bessie Delany were civil rights pioneers who were born to a former slave. For over a century, the pair bore witness to decades of American history from their family’s post-slavery years through the Civil Rights Movement right up to the time they died in the 1990s. Their story inspired a biography: https://books.apple.com/us/book/having-our-say/id721185552?mt=11&app=itunes&at=1001lRry&ct=1001lRry (Having Our Say – Sarah L. Delany, A. Elizabeth Delany & Amy Hill Hearth). Hear what she has to say about that, her time working on Broadway in THE WIZ and her secret to sustaining a long career in the entertainment industry. About the Guest Gayle Turner went from graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to making her Broadway debut at the Majestic Theatre in THE WIZ as the understudy to Stephanie Mills in the role of Dorothy for three years. Turner was nominated for the Colorado Theatre Guild’s Henry Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role as Geneva Lee Brown in “1940’s Radio Hour” directed by Bev Newcomb Madden at the Arvada Center. She has also worked with musical director David Nehls and director Bill Castellino (SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE, ABYSSINIA, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS). She is a multi-award-winning actress with the cast of CONSTANT STAR, written and directed by Tazewell Thompson. International audiences will remember her performances in the Richard Allen Center’s production of BLACK NATIVITY in Rome, Italy (co-directed by Morgan Freeman) and the New York Harlem Singers 2010 Asian Concert Tour with Philip Boykin (director). She is a new member of the *Broadway Inspirational Voices* with founder Michael McElroy. Turner is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She has a BA degree from the College of New Rochelle and a Master of Arts degree in Media Studies from the New School. She is proud to have a (recurring role) as Officer Dominguez on NBC’s “Law and Order SVU”. For more information visit: http://www.thelovelygayleturner.com/ (http://www.thelovelygayleturner.com/). Connect with RDU on Stage Facebook – @rduonstage Twitter – @rduonstage Instagram – @rduonstage Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.rduonstage.com) Support this podcast

The OBS lads go ‘Inside the Huddle’ with opera baritone and Hip-Hop producer and performer K. F. Jacques. He tells them about what it took to fuse two musical genres into something totally unique... In ‘Chalk Talk’, a closer listen to “Blue”, the opera by Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson premiering at the Glimmerglass Festival later this summer… In the ‘Two Minute Drill’, problems at Michigan Opera Theater, La Scala and New York City Opera, to name a few... operaboxscore.com/thisweeksshow @operaboxscore

We’ve spent four episodes talking about how new operatic shows are pushing the form forward. But is the invisible barrier keeping artists of color away from opera really broken or have we just made a crack in it? Paige gets Tazewell back in the studio to talk and we hear more from librettists and administrators from the Glimmerglass panels. Featuring: Naomi Andre, Associate Professor in Women’s Studies, Afroamerican and African Studies and the Residential College at University of Michigan Matthew Morrison, forum moderator and Assistant Professor in the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Jeanine Tesori, composer of Blue Victor Simonson, composer of Stomping Grounds Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ Naomi Andre: https://irwg.umich.edu/people/naomi-andre Matthew Morrison: https://tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/clive-davis-institute/918859097 Jeanine Tesori: https://www.samuelfrench.com/a/103158/jeanine-tesori Victor Simonson: http://victorsimonson.com/victor-simonson/ About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds and Blue are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Glimmerglass's commissioning fees for Blue are funded in part by an OPERA America Female Composers Grant. Further development of Blue is made possible by a Repertoire Development Grant from the Opera Fund. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Coming up in episode five of Breaking Glass, we take a trip to Cooperstown, NY for the annual Glimmerglass Festival to explore how to make social change a bigger part of opera’s ongoing mission. Look out for Episode 5 on Monday, December 3, 2018! Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

The idea of home looms large in the arts, popping up as a central theme in our favorite stories. But where does it fit into opera? Paige looks at how her own work and new opera performances wrestle with what home looks like in the 21st century—whether it’s building home, losing home, or finding home in a new country Featuring: **Chaz'men Williams-Ali, tenor Aleks Romano, mezzo-soprano Lidiya Yankovskaya, music director and conductor, Chicago Opera Theater and conductor and artistic director, Refugee Orchestra Project Michael Mori, artistic director, Tapestry Opera Marc Bamuthi Joseph, librettist (of We Shall Not Be Moved) and Chief of Program and Pedagogy, YBCA Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Chaz'men Williams-Ali: @chazwillmsali Aleks Romano: @AleksRomano Lidiya Yankovskaya: @LidiyaConductor, @ChicagoOpera, @RefugeeOrchProj Michael Mori: @michaelhmori, @TapestryOpera Marc Bamuthi Joseph: @bamuthi About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds and Blue are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Glimmerglass's commissioning fees for Blue are funded in part by an OPERA America Female Composers Grant. Further development of Blue is made possible by a Repertoire Development Grant from the Opera Fund. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Coming up in episode four of Breaking Glass, we will look at how opera performers, composers, and innovators are creating works of art that grapple with, and respond to, the world around them. Look out for Episode 4 on Monday, November 5, 2018! Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

The Glimmerglass Festival is presenting a series of public forums in nine cities around the country in 2018. From Atlanta to Seattle, New Orleans to Chicago, members of the Breaking Glass team, Glimmerglass artistic collaborators and guest speakers engaged with the public in a series of lively, honest and provocative discussions. They talked opera, race and social justice and how those ideas resonate in the communities in their respective cities. Paige dives into the forums to bring you the best of what emerged. Featuring: **Matthew Morrison, forum moderator and Assistant Professor in the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts **Naomi Andre, Associate Professor in Women’s Studies, Afroamerican and African Studies and the Residential College at University of Michigan. Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Matthew Morrison: https://tisch.nyu.edu/about/directory/clive-davis-institute/918859097 Naomi Andre: https://irwg.umich.edu/people/naomi-andre About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds and Blue are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Glimmerglass's commissioning fees for Blue are funded in part by an OPERA America Female Composers Grant. Further development of Blue is made possible by a Repertoire Development Grant from the Opera Fund. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Do you ever think of everyone behind the scenes of your favorite opera? Hear what they have to say from Breaking Glass forums around the country. Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Who will sing the roles, design the productions and tell the stories in opera in the 21st century? Paige and Tazewell crack open a ‘behind the scenes’ view of the opera business to explore who decides what we see and hear on stage. They describe the experience of being artists of color writing, composing, directing and performing on Glimmerglass stages.**** Featuring: **Francesca Zambello, General & Artistic Director of The Glimmerglass Festival **Christopher Powell, Director of Artistic Initiatives of The Glimmerglass Festival Naomi Andre, Associate Professor in Women’s Studies, Afroamerican and African Studies and the Residential College at University of Michigan **Helena Brown, soprano opera singer Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ Francesca Zambello: http://www.francescazambello.com/ Naomi Andre: https://irwg.umich.edu/people/naomi-andre Helena Brown: https://www.helena-brown.com/ About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Stacy Gerard is our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Heather McDougall are the executive producers. Our thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival.  Additional thanks to Tony Macaluso, former director of the WFMT Radio Network. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Heather McDougall is our project manager and Stacy Gerard, our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Tony Macaluso are the executive producers. Thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Once upon a time in America, the opera, like most things, wasn’t for everyone. But in the 21st century, some new shows are pushing the form forward to resonate more widely and deeply. Can opera rise out of its origins and touch communities of color with complex histories and relationships to those not of color? Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson tell their stories of encountering opera for the first time and their reflections on being recent first-time librettists. Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ **We'd love to know more about you! Be an everyday hero and take our short listener survey: **https://bit.ly/2vdecft About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Heather McDougall is our project manager and Stacy Gerard, our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Tony Macaluso are the executive producers. Thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds and Blue are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Glimmerglass's commissioning fees for Blue are funded in part by an OPERA America Female Composers Grant. Further development of Blue is made possible by a Repertoire Development Grant from the Opera Fund. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of The Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Breaking Glass is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by The Glimmerglass Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ **We'd love to know more about you! Be an everyday hero and take our short listener survey: **https://bit.ly/2vdecft About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Heather McDougall is our project manager and Stacy Gerard, our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Tony Macaluso are the executive producers. Thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of the Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. *Breaking Glass *is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by the Glimmerglass Opera Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

In the world of opera, there’s a powerful recurring image: someone sings a note so high that it literally breaks glass. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson invite us to do some smashing of our own and deconstruct the world of opera. Let’s raise our voices to break some glass. Find Us Online: Website: https://glimmerglass.org/breaking-glass/ Twitter: @GOpera Paige Hernandez: @PaigeInFull, http://paigehernandez.com/ Tazewell Thompson: http://tazewellthompson.com/ **We'd love to know more about you! Be an everyday hero and take our short listener survey: **https://bit.ly/2vdecft About Us: Breaking Glass is produced by Stacia Brown and edited by Ali Post of Rise of Charm City LLC. Music and sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Heather McDougall is our project manager and Stacy Gerard, our production and distribution manager. Marketing and promotional support is provided by Multitude Productions. Christopher Powell and Tony Macaluso are the executive producers. Thanks to Francesca Zambello, Artistic & General Director and Joel Morain, Resident Sound Designer of the Glimmerglass Festival. Breaking Glass and the development of Stomping Grounds are funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Breaking Glass podcast is a co-production of the Glimmerglass Festival and the WFMT Radio Network, a Chicago-based producer and distributor of radio programs and podcasts about the arts. The podcast is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. *Breaking Glass *is a five-episode podcast that explores social justice through the lens of opera. Produced by the Glimmerglass Opera Festival and WFMT, this show challenges ideas of who opera is for and who should create it. Host Paige Hernandez and contributor Tazewell Thompson discuss, question, and challenge what stories are told in the world of opera and how they may look in the future. They engage creatives from across the opera community and draw from their own experiences as artists of color in a conversation steeped in creativity, humanity, honesty. Let’s raise our voices and break some glass.

It's Thursday, and that means theater critic J. Wynn Rousuck joins Tom with her weekly review of one of the region's many thespian offerings. Today, she talks about Everyman Theatre's new production of Intimate Apparel, a play that premiered in 2003 at Baltimore's Center Stage. It's a contemporary work written in classic style by Lynn Nottage, the first female playwright to win two Pulitzers. Inspired by a true story, Intimate Apparel centers on Esther (played by Dawn Ursula), a self-employed African American seamstress in turn-of-the-century New York who is working hard - and saving her money - making beautiful undergarments for her well-to-do clientele. But she dreams of a grander life, while nurturing her romantic relationship with a Jewish fabric merchant (played by Drew Kopas). As an emotionally wrenching turn of events puts Esther’s dreams at risk, the play explores the tenacity of the human spirit against the powerful pressures of class, race and culture. The play is directed by Tazewell Thompson.Intimate Apparel continues at Everyman Theatre through Sunday, November 19th.

Your host, the King of DC Media, welcomes castmembers, Will Cobbs, Joy Jones, Dawn Ursula, Bueka Uwemedimo, and others from Arena Stage's "A Raisin in the Sun"  to talk about this excellent production of the classic play. Dial 347.884.8997 to ask a question. From DC Metro Theater Arts: “I am a giant surrounded by ants!” exclaimed Walter Lee Younger in a scene from A Raisin in the Sun. Walter is the embodiment of how society, family members, and internal struggle can defer dreams. Written by the gone but much remembered Lorraine Hansberry, this forward-looking and timeless play was truthfully directed by Tazewell Thompson in a way that mined many nuances of the struggle to be effectively human. Such is the truthfulness of the show, and it will leave audiences with a sense of wonder; Arena Stage’s A Raisin in the Sun is a lovely stage symphony of treasured performances.  

Tazewell Thompson may be wowing critics and audiences with his direction of the opera Appomattox, but he's an equally brilliant theater director and playwright.

Tazewell Thompson may be wowing critics and audiences with his direction of the opera Appomattox, but he’s an equally brilliant theater director and playwright.

Tazewell Thompson may be wowing critics and audiences with his direction of the opera Appomattox, but he’s an equally brilliant theater director and playwright.

Tazewell Thompson may be wowing critics and audiences with his direction of the opera Appomattox, but he’s an equally brilliant theater director and playwright.

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

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