Podcasts about Writers Theatre

Lili-Anne Brown directs the fabulously funny and moving Writers Theatre production of Katori Hall's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Hot Wing King that's filled with extraordinary heart and comic specificity. Brown shares what drew her to this group of flamboyant characters; the challenge of cooking real hot wings onstage; how she brings grandeur to The Hot Wing King and intimacy to the musical The Color Purple; and how you should definitely come for the LOLs but stay for the dramá. (Length 18:45)

Melissa details her 2024 Chicago Theatre Week Experience. She saw shows at the Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakes, TimeLine Theatre, Writers Theatre, and Court Theatre, and she recommends them all! Resources MentionedChicago Theatre WeekLeague of Chicago TheatresChoose ChicagoGoodman TheatreChicago Shakespeare TheaterWriters TheatreCourt TheatreTimeLine Theatre Company Connect with host Melissa Schmitz***Sign up for the 101 Stage Adaptations Newsletter***101 Stage AdaptationsFollow the Podcast on Facebook & InstagramRead Melissa's plays on New Play ExchangeConnect with Melissa on LinkedInWays to support the show:- Buy Me a Coffee- Tell us your thoughts in our Listener Survey!- Give a 5-Star rating- Write a glowing review on Apple Podcasts - Send this episode to a friend- Share on social media (Tag us so we can thank you!)Creators: Host your podcast through Buzzsprout using my affiliate link & get a $20 credit on your paid account. Let your fans directly support you via Buy Me a Coffee (affiliate link).

Steve discusses his role as Harry Potter in the Broadway production of "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and delves into the challenges and thrills of bringing such an iconic character to life on stage. He recounts his initial reactions to being cast as Harry Potter and the overwhelming nature of playing a famous character. He shares his experiences with the production, the preparation involved, and the unique aspects of the show, including the magical illusions and set design that immerse the audience in the world of Hogwarts. Steve opens up about his personal journey, such as his therapeutic motorcycle trip from Washington State to New York City, and how it's great to put yourself in environments to learn from yourself. He reflects on the hardships he faced, and the lessons he's learned along the way. Steve also opens up about the concept of self-compassion, emphasizing its significance in overcoming self-criticism and fostering personal growth. Steve Haggard made his Broadway debut in 2019 as part of the year two company of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. He's appeared regionally at Steppenwolf Theatre in “Tribes”, at Writers Theatre in “Witch”, “The Importance of Being Earnest”, “Doubt” and “Old Glory” among others. He's also appeared on television shows like “The Chai”, “Chicago P.D.”, “Chicago Fire”, and “Prison Break”. Steve is currently starring on Broadway's “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”. Connect with Steve: Instagram: @s.haggard Connect with The Theatre Podcast: Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/TheTheatrePodcast YouTube: YouTube.com/TheTheatrePodcast Threads, Twitter & Instagram: @theatre_podcast TikTok: @thetheatrepodcast Facebook.com/OfficialTheatrePodcast TheTheatrePodcast.com Alan's personal Instagram: @alanseales Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, playwright, poet, and author Pearl Cleage discusses her life and career with Remy Bumppo Theatre Artistic Director Marti Lyons. Remy Bumppo staged Cleage's Blues for an Alabama Sky in the fall of 2023. This conversation originally took place September 26, 2023 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about the speakers: Pearl Cleage (she/her/hers) is an Atlanta-based writer whose plays include POINTING AT THE MOON, WHAT I LEARNED IN PARIS, FLYIN' WEST, BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, and BOURBON AT THE BORDER, commissioned and directed by Kenny Leon at the Alliance Theatre. She is also the author of A SONG FOR CORETTA, written in 2007 during Cleage's time as Cosby Professor in Women's Studies at Spelman College. Her play, THE NACIREMA SOCIETY REQUESTS THE HONOR OF YOUR PRESENCE AT A CELEBRATION OF THEIR FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, was commissioned by the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and premiered in 2010, in a joint production by the ASF and Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, directed by Susan Booth. Her plays have also been performed at Arena Stage, Hartford Stage, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Huntington Theatre, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Long Wharf Theatre, Just US Theatre, True Colors Theatre, Bushfire Theatre, the Intiman Theatre, St. Louis Black Repertory Company, and Seven Stages. She is also an accomplished performance artist, often working in collaboration with her husband, writer Zaron W. Burnett, Jr. They have performed at the National Black Arts Festival, the National Black Theatre Festival, and colleges and universities across the country. Cleage and Burnett also collaborated with performance artists Idris Ackamoor and Rhodessa Jones on the script for THE LOVE PROJECT, which premiered at the National Black Theatre Festival in 2008, and is currently touring the country. Cleage is also an accomplished novelist. Her novels include “What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day,” a New York Times bestseller and an Oprah Book Club selection, “I Wish I Had a Red Dress,” “Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do,” “Babylon Sisters,” “Baby Brother's Blues,” “Seen It All and Done the Rest,” and “Till You Hear from Me.” She is also the author of “Mad at Miles: A Blackwoman's Guide to Truth,” a groundbreaking work of race and gender, and “We Speak Your Names,” a praise poem commissioned by Oprah Winfrey for her 2005 celebration of legendary African American women and written in collaboration with Zaron Burnett. Cleage has also written for magazines, including “Essence,” “Vibe,” “Rap Pages,” and “Ms.” In addition to her work as the founding editor of “Catalyst” magazine, a literary journal, she was a regular columnist for the Atlanta Tribune for ten years, winning many awards for her thought-provoking columns. She has also written for TheDefendersOnLine.com. Cleage has been awarded grants in support of her work from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulton County Arts Council, the Georgia Council on the Arts, the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the Coca-Cola Foundation. Her work has earned her many awards and honors, including an NAACP Image Award for fiction in 2008. Pearl Cleage is represented by Ron Gwiazda at Abrams Artists Agency in New York City. Her website is www.PearlCleage.net. She also maintains a Facebook fan page. www.pearlcleage.net. Marti Lyons (she/her/hers) most recently directed the world-premiere of Galileo's Daughter by Jessica Dickey at Remy Bumppo, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberly at Northlight Theatre, Wife of a Salesman by Eleanor Burgess at Milwaukee Rep, Sense and Sensibility adapted by Jessica Swale at American Players Theatre and the world-premiere of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower at Studio Theatre in D.C. Marti's other productions include The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess at Writers Theatre; Cymbeline at American Players Theatre; The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe and both the stage and audio productions of Kings by Sarah Burgess at Studio Theatre; the world-premiere of How to Defend Yourself by liliana padilla, a Victory Gardens and Actors Theatre of Louisville co-production; Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee at Victory Gardens and City Theatre; Witch by Jen Silverman at Geffen Playhouse and Writers Theatre (LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Direction); Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías at Victory Gardens; Botticelli in the Fire by Jordan Tannahill at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company; I, Banquo at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; Title and Deed by Will Eno at Lookingglass Theatre Company; Laura Marks' Bethany and Mine at The Gift Theatre. Marti is also an ensemble member at The Gift Theatre, and a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. martilyons.com

Sarah Price stars in the Writers Theatre production of Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice (directed by Braden Abraham) and discusses the challenges of playing a character out of myth. As an actor with a background in improvisation and comedy, Sarah talks about finding a balance between modern and classical; how she finds the magic within the realistic (and vice versa); the fun of making physical choices; why being a big comedy nerd helped lead her to Chicago; the value, importance, and absolute necessity of listening; and the complete inability of acting programs to teach ‘adorable'. (Length 18:05)

Braden Abraham, the new artistic director of Chicago's Writers Theatre, just announced the theater's 31st season, the first one he's programmed since joining the company. Braden talks about what goes into planning a season (and how that thinking never really ends); how a theatre season is like a great album; the importance of being in a learning and discovery phase; remaining in conversation with various overlapping communities; how programming a show in one city leads to a different show in another; the challenge of making each show an event; finding the right balance of scale and intimacy; and the value of bring some west coast energy to the north shore. (Length 19:18)

Send us a Text Message.Cathy Sikorski's caregiving journey started with taking care of her beloved grandmother. But as she became the “go-to” person for all her family members and friends who needed help, she realized the complexities of caregiving. In this eye-opening confession, Cathy shares her practical experiences and the importance of having an elder lawyer by your side. Becoming a caregiver for her nana was a defining moment in Cathy's life. Having grown up under her grandmother's care, Cathy felt a strong obligation to return the favor, even though she wasn't fully prepared for the challenges ahead. Her experiences and struggles as a caregiver led her to become an elder lawyer, focusing on the unique legal needs of caregiving families. Today, Cathy is a passionate advocate for caregivers, arming them with vital knowledge about their legal rights and how to fight for the proper care and resources their loved ones deserve. Through her work, she has touched countless lives, ensuring that those who need help receive the care and support they need.In this episode, you will:Uncover the hidden, legal aspects of caregiving and the advantage of using an elder lawyer.Discover why obtaining legal documents and consulting professionals is crucial for caregivers.Delve into the struggles and rewards of being a caregiver while learning why self-care is essential.Explore the true financial impact of family caregiving, specifically for women.Realize the significance of support networks, communities, and acknowledgment for caregivers.About Cathy:Cathy Sikorski, Esq.  is a Speaker, Elder Lawyer, Author and Media Guest who unravels the caregiving crisis's complex financial and legal problems. She uses her caregiver experience and expertise to educate, entertain and elevate the conversation around work, money, aging, and caregiving. Cathy has written three books on this topic, including Who Moved My Teeth? Preparing for Self, Loved Ones and Caregiving; and her most recent: 12 Conversations: How to Talk to Almost Anyone About Long-Term Care Planning.  Cathy has written and performed on caregiving for the Writers Theatre of New Jersey at Kean University during the Healing VoicesOnStage: Caregivers' Stories and the West Chester Story Slam. She continues to provide national Keynotes and is featured on many television, radio, and podcast episodes. She has been a requested contributor to print and media, including Huffington Post, and AARP, and is a SheSource expert for the Women's Media Center in Washington, D.C. Connect with Cathy:WebsiteTwitterFacebookSupport the Show.Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver Sisterhood of Care, LLC Website: www.confessionsofareluctantcaregiver.com Like us on Facebook! Tweet with us on Twitter! Follow us on Instagram! Watch us on Youtube! Pin us on Pinterest! Link us on LinkedIn!Tune in on Whole Care Network

Cathy Sikorski's caregiving journey started with taking care of her beloved grandmother. But as she became the “go-to” person for all her family members and friends who needed help, she realized the complexities of caregiving. In this eye-opening confession, Cathy shares her practical experiences and the importance of having an elder lawyer by your side.  Becoming a caregiver for her nana was a defining moment in Cathy's life. Having grown up under her grandmother's care, Cathy felt a strong obligation to return the favor, even though she wasn't fully prepared for the challenges ahead. Her experiences and struggles as a caregiver led her to become an elder lawyer, focusing on the unique legal needs of caregiving families. Today, Cathy is a passionate advocate for caregivers, arming them with vital knowledge about their legal rights and how to fight for the proper care and resources their loved ones deserve. Through her work, she has touched countless lives, ensuring that those who need help receive the care and support they need. In this episode, you will: Uncover the hidden, legal aspects of caregiving and the advantage of using an elder lawyer.Discover why obtaining legal documents and consulting professionals is crucial for caregivers.Delve into the struggles and rewards of being a caregiver while learning why self-care is essential.Explore the true financial impact of family caregiving, specifically for women.Realize the significance of support networks, communities, and acknowledgment for caregivers. About Cathy: Cathy Sikorski, Esq. is a Speaker, Elder Lawyer, Author and Media Guest who unravels the caregiving crisis's complex financial and legal problems. She uses her caregiver experience and expertise to educate, entertain and elevate the conversation around work, money, aging, and caregiving. Cathy has written three books on this topic, including Who Moved My Teeth? Preparing for Self, Loved Ones and Caregiving; and her most recent: 12 Conversations: How to Talk to Almost Anyone About Long-Term Care Planning. Cathy has written and performed on caregiving for the Writers Theatre of New Jersey at Kean University during the Healing VoicesOnStage: Caregivers' Stories and the West Chester Story Slam. She continues to provide national Keynotes and is featured on many television, radio, and podcast episodes. She has been a requested contributor to print and media, including Huffington Post, and AARP, and is a SheSource expert for the Women's Media Center in Washington, D.C.  Connect with Cathy: Website Twitter Facebook Linked In YouTube TikTo Confessions of a Reluctant Caregiver Sisterhood of Care, LLC Website: www.confessionsofareluctantcaregiver.com Like us on Facebook! Tweet with us on Twitter! Follow us on Instagram! Watch us on Youtube! Pin us on Pinterest! Link us on LinkedIn! Tune in on Whole Care Network

Welcome to Heilman & Haver - Episode 71.  We hope you enjoy the show! Please join the conversation - email us with thoughts and ideas and connect with the show on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and at heilmanandhaver.com.   IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Kayla Boye Photo Credit: Kachi Mozie Kayla Boye is the writer, producer, and star of the one-woman show Call Me Elizabeth, chronicling the early life of Elizabeth Taylor. Set in May 1961, the play is inspired by Taylor's conversations with writer Max Lerner as they discuss plans for a biography.  Through a morning session with Lerner at The Beverly Hills Hotel, Taylor rediscovers her sense of self following her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and recovery from a nearly fatal battle with pneumonia. The play examines Taylor's career, life, and loves, chronicling her survival in the face of adversity and tragedy, and illuminating the core compassion of her character that inspired her later activism in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Kayla is a Chicago-based artist whose credits include productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Mercury Theater Chicago, Music Theater Works, BrightSide Theatre, Citadel Theatre, Fireside Theatre, Capital City Theatre, Bigfork Summer Playhouse, and The Huron Playhouse. As an arts administrator, she has worked in development, marketing, and finance for Goodman Theatre and Writers Theatre, and she has served as a producer for Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Garage Rep series.  As a consultant for the Artistic Fundraising Group, her portfolio included work for Arts of Life, BrightSide Theatre, Chicago Composers Orchestra, Chicago Mosaic School, Oak Park Festival Theatre, and Snow City Arts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as Executive Director of The Youngstown Playhouse and she holds a BA in Professional Writing & Editing from Youngstown State University. Kayla is also a Certified Nonprofit Professional through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.  You can find out more about her work at kaylaboye.com and about the show at callmeelizabeth.com.  Kayla joined us from Old Town Pasadena.   COMING UP NEXT EPISODE: Patricia Ward Kelly Make plans to join us again in two weeks, Friday March 3rd, when we'll welcome to the show Patricia Ward Kelly, widow and official biographer of the truly marvelous Gene Kelly.  Patricia will be in Seattle March 17-19th to host a one of a kind event at the Seattle Symphony, Gene Kelly: A Life in Music.  Get your tickets now at seattlesyphony.org and don't miss Ep 72 on Friday, Mar 3rd.

Interview of American Mariachi Stars: LUCY GODÍNEZ (Boli) is so happy to be bringing this show to ASF after appearing as Boli at both the Goodman Theater and Dallas Theater Center. Other regional credits include Man of La Mancha (Aldonza, Fulton Theater), Nancy in Oliver and Ariel in Footloose (Marriott Theatre), Into the Woods (Little Red, Writers Theatre), and In the Heights (Nina, Porchlight Music Theater). A Chicago native, she is a graduate of Northwestern University. Que siga la lucha! www.yellowhammerfund.org AYAN “YAYA” VASQUEZ-LOPEZ (Mariachi Band/Violin)(she/they) is a transfemme Latinx mariachi musician, drag artist, and online media producer based in Los Angeles, California. Through her work, Yaya strives to create authentic representation for queer brown gender non-conforming Latinx people in online media and in real life. She is ecstatic and humbled to be a part of such an iconic show like American Mariachi at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival! You can find Yaya performing online and IRL as The Makeup Mariachi (@themakeupmariachi). Follow for more! MELINETTE PALLARES (Female Understudy) is an NYC-based actor, singer, and entrepreneur. Regional credits include: American Mariachi (Goodman Theatre); Evita (Lyric Stage Dallas); Man of La Mancha (Lyric Stage Dallas); A Chorus Line (Riverside Center for the Performing Arts); West Side Story & More (Newport Music Festival); In the Heights (GALA Hispanic Theatre). Her education includes a BA in Theatre and Dance from The University of Texas at Austin, The Folster Studio, Stella Adler Studio of Acting and CAP 21. @melinettepallares melinettepallares.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/adnradiotv/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/adnradiotv/support

David Blixt is the co-fight choreographer of the Writers Theatre production of Gracie Gardner's Athena, directed by Jessica Fisch and featuring two stand-out performances by Aja Singletary (right) and Mary Tilden (left). David discusses the things that make this production unique in his experience; the importance of being a storyteller; the language of the body; the value of creating theater as an ensemble; how distance equals danger; why the actors had to actually hit each other; and how stage violence is always a story of desire and denial. (Length 16:24) The post Staging “Athena”‘s Fencing appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

Join us for a Literary Lunch conversation with author Stephanie Cotsirilos and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project's (ILAP's) Sue Roche. Co-sponsored by Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, Cotsirilos and Roche will discuss Cotsirilos' debut novella, My Xanthi. A deeply personal story echoing global displacements – whether at the Mexican border, refugee camps, or in too-often ignored colonial American history – My Xanthi centers on a Greek immigrant woman whose wartime secrets teach a criminal defense lawyer about love's triumph over injustice. About the author: Stephanie's extended family's roots in Greece, Peru, and Asia have shaped her journey as an author, lawyer, and performing artist. The journey began in Chicago, where she was born. Though her first language was Greek, English followed rapidly. When she was five, and someone asked, “What's your name, little girl?” she answered, “Judy Garland.” Her immigrant grandmothers were horrified. She grew up, earned degrees in comparative literature and music from Brown and Yale, and went to New York for a career on and off Broadway – there creating the role of The Critic in the Tony Award-winning musical Nine, and writing songs and scripts produced at Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Writers Theatre, and other spaces. To her family's relief, Stephanie returned to Yale for a law degree and joined a New York firm. She and her late husband formed a family with Scottish, Greek, and Indigenous Peruvian ancestry. After his death, she moved with her small son to Maine. She kept writing: legislative drafting, opinion pieces, strategic documents for nonprofits, poetry, fiction. As consultant and Interim Executive Director of Portland Ballet, she returned full circle to the arts and soon after, was accepted into The Writers Hotel conference in Manhattan, joining U.S. and international peers. Stephanie is now the author of the novella My Xanthi (Los Galesburg Press), an anthologized essayist in the forthcoming Breaking Bread (Beacon Press), and was a published finalist in Mississippi Review's Prize in Fiction. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, her work has appeared in McSweeney's, The New Guard, New Millennium Writings, Brilliant Flash Fiction, and in various media. In 2021, she was awarded the Katahdin (formerly Patrice Krant) fellowship in residence at Storyknife's inaugural retreat for women writers in Alaska. Were they alive today, Stephanie's grandmothers might look askance at her traveling thousands of miles to Alaska to write. It's unlikely they could read anything she has written. Yet she hopes they would be secretly proud – not least because she doesn't answer to “Judy Garland” anymore, but to the name of her lineage. About the interviewer: Sue has been with ILAP since August of 2000. She started as ILAP's first Staff Attorney before becoming Legal Director, and was named the organization's Executive Director in 2013. Sue earned her BA from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied Business Administration, International Affairs and French. Prior to earning her JD from Northeastern University, she worked in publishing and spent a year teaching English in Costa Rica. Sue is an expert on issues related to family-based immigration and remedies for noncitizen domestic violence and crime survivors, and has been a presenter at regional and national conferences of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is the author of “Maneuvering Immigration Pitfalls in Family Court: What Family Law Attorneys Should Know in Cases with Noncitizen Parties,” which is published in The Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Sue is admitted to the Maine Bar and is proficient in Spanish.

Join us for a Literary Lunch conversation with author Stephanie Cotsirilos and the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project's (ILAP's) Sue Roche. Co-sponsored by Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, Cotsirilos and Roche will discuss Cotsirilos' debut novella, My Xanthi. A deeply personal story echoing global displacements – whether at the Mexican border, refugee camps, or in too-often ignored colonial American history – My Xanthi centers on a Greek immigrant woman whose wartime secrets teach a criminal defense lawyer about love's triumph over injustice. About the author: Stephanie's extended family's roots in Greece, Peru, and Asia have shaped her journey as an author, lawyer, and performing artist. The journey began in Chicago, where she was born. Though her first language was Greek, English followed rapidly. When she was five, and someone asked, “What's your name, little girl?” she answered, “Judy Garland.” Her immigrant grandmothers were horrified. She grew up, earned degrees in comparative literature and music from Brown and Yale, and went to New York for a career on and off Broadway – there creating the role of The Critic in the Tony Award-winning musical Nine, and writing songs and scripts produced at Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Writers Theatre, and other spaces. To her family's relief, Stephanie returned to Yale for a law degree and joined a New York firm. She and her late husband formed a family with Scottish, Greek, and Indigenous Peruvian ancestry. After his death, she moved with her small son to Maine. She kept writing: legislative drafting, opinion pieces, strategic documents for nonprofits, poetry, fiction. As consultant and Interim Executive Director of Portland Ballet, she returned full circle to the arts and soon after, was accepted into The Writers Hotel conference in Manhattan, joining U.S. and international peers. Stephanie is now the author of the novella My Xanthi (Los Galesburg Press), an anthologized essayist in the forthcoming Breaking Bread (Beacon Press), and was a published finalist in Mississippi Review's Prize in Fiction. Twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize, her work has appeared in McSweeney's, The New Guard, New Millennium Writings, Brilliant Flash Fiction, and in various media. In 2021, she was awarded the Katahdin (formerly Patrice Krant) fellowship in residence at Storyknife's inaugural retreat for women writers in Alaska. Were they alive today, Stephanie's grandmothers might look askance at her traveling thousands of miles to Alaska to write. It's unlikely they could read anything she has written. Yet she hopes they would be secretly proud – not least because she doesn't answer to “Judy Garland” anymore, but to the name of her lineage. About the interviewer: Sue has been with ILAP since August of 2000. She started as ILAP's first Staff Attorney before becoming Legal Director, and was named the organization's Executive Director in 2013. Sue earned her BA from the University of New Hampshire, where she studied Business Administration, International Affairs and French. Prior to earning her JD from Northeastern University, she worked in publishing and spent a year teaching English in Costa Rica. Sue is an expert on issues related to family-based immigration and remedies for noncitizen domestic violence and crime survivors, and has been a presenter at regional and national conferences of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She is the author of “Maneuvering Immigration Pitfalls in Family Court: What Family Law Attorneys Should Know in Cases with Noncitizen Parties,” which is published in The Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Sue is admitted to the Maine Bar and is proficient in Spanish.

Interview: Boz talks to Heather Gilbert about training and working as a lighting designer, the privilege of training in the same place you want to work, Carnegie Mellon, John Bridges, John Culbert, Theatre Communications Group, the NEA, Topdog/Underdog, Stacy Caballero, Keith Parham, analytical geometry, the alchemy of passions that compose lighting design, Trinity University,  Kendra Thulin, David Swayze, Manifest Arts Festival, The Big Funk, Steppenwolf, Suzan Lori Parks, Don Cheadle, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, storefront theatre, Buried Child, Everyman, The Libertine, Bar San Miguel, David Cromer, Miracle on 34th Street starring Tracy Letts, The Hypocrites, Sean Graney, The Adding Machine, Our Town, the magic of good artistic partnerships, Sam Rockwell, Sheldon Patinkin, Next to Normal at Writers Theatre, The Band's Visit on Broadway, Come Back Little Sheba at The Huntington,  Michael Halberstam, Adam Rapp's The Sound Inside at Williamstown , Studio 54, Franco Colavecchia, Nan Cibula, Bug by Tracy Letts, not apologizing, being process-oriented vs. product-oriented, Macbeth at the NY Shakespeare Festival, Angela Bassett, Alec Baldwin, Zach Braff, Liev Schreiber, Michael C. Hall, and Carrie Coon.FULL TRANSCRIPT (unedited): Speaker 1 (0s): I'm Jen Bosworth and I'm Gina Polizzi. We went to theater school together. We survived it, but we didn't quite understand it. 20 years later, we're digging deep talking to our guests about their experiences and trying to make sense of it all. We survived theater school and you will too. Are we famous? Okay. Hello. Thank you so much for joining me. My Speaker 2 (32s): God. I'm so Speaker 1 (33s): Excited about it. So the first thing we always say is, congratulations, Heather Gilbert, you survived theater school. I did. I did. Okay. And you really survived it with, with a flourish. I would say you're kind of fancy and a big deal Speaker 2 (52s): Is a lighting designer ever really a big deal Speaker 1 (55s): In my view. So we have a lot, the thing that I love about reading about you, and also I know you teach and you're at, but is that there is a, I would say you're a master of your craft based on what I would say that based on what I've read about you and what I know about you and your successes, and also your trajectory during school. And post-school like, if there's a master of a lighting designer, crap, you've you're, you're it. So thank you. Yeah. It's amazing to lo to, to read about you. So one of the things and people also post what you can, for me, I can tell when someone is a bad-ass at what they do, because they don't actually have to promote themselves that other people around them will post till they'll say, oh my gosh, congratulations. So that is a sign that you're a bad ass is that other people are like, I'm shouting out your name without you having, you know what I mean? Like you don't do a lot of self-promotion, Speaker 2 (1m 60s): I'm terrible at it actually, Speaker 1 (2m 1s): Which is, which is amazing that you, that you're able to anyway, other people sing your praises, which I think is like really what we all want as artists, you know? So, yeah. So, okay. So why don't you tell me like how you ended up at the theater school, where you're from, like how that went down? Speaker 2 (2m 19s): So I I'm from I'm from Michigan. I'm also from Texas. I mostly grew up in Texas. Like the important years were there and I was working after, so I went to the theater school for grad school during this super brief period of time when there was a grad degree in design, I was the first lighting designer. I came in with someone else who only lasted the first quarter. He was like super unhappy. He kind of made me, I kind of glommed on to that. And I was like, oh, are we unhappy? I'll be unhappy. I, this Speaker 1 (2m 46s): Complained about everything. Speaker 2 (2m 48s): And then he, he left after first quarter and then it was awesome because they gave me all the things that he was supposed to do. But when I came in, I wasn't, I wasn't interested in the program. If I was going to be the very first person without a cohort, a word we did not use in 1994, there was no cohort. No, we just had classmates. Right. And yeah, he, so he, so, but I knew about him and then he ended up not finishing the program. So I was actually the first lighting master's lighting student since they had left the Goodman. Speaker 1 (3m 19s): Great. Speaker 2 (3m 20s): Yeah. And I had, so I'd been working in Houston doing an internship and Kevin Rigdon, who was the, at the time the resident designer at Steppenwolf had come down and did a show production of our town, which ultimately became a very important part of my life, my adult life in my own career. And so he came down and did our town with Jose Cantero directing. There was this huge thing. And I thought Kevin was great. I thought he was funny. And I loved his work and I was really interested in it. And he was adjunct at the theater school. And he actually told me not to, he was like, don't come I'm adjuncts. And they're just starting this master's program. You kind of want to find a place that's that's has more stuff going on. And then when I decided to apply to grad school the next year, for sure, I was looking at different places and somebody gave me the advice that you should really look at the people who design the team, the design work of the people that you're going to study with, because that's what they're going to teach you. Right. Great, Speaker 1 (4m 17s): Great advice. Speaker 2 (4m 18s): It was, it was really great advice. And the other was to look at the market, right? Like look for a market that you would want to be in. Like, you can get an amazing degree in Idaho. There's actually really good programs there, but the market's not there. And I'll tell ya. I did not realize until I was a college professor. This is so like blind of like the blindness to your privilege. Right. I did not understand the benefits I had in Chicago from going to school in Chicago until I watched my students graduating into it. That's when I realized what I could do for them. And I realized what my professors did for me. Speaker 1 (4m 54s): So interesting. I mean, I think, I think we don't, we don't ever, I don't know anyone that's really hipped. Maybe kids nowadays are young adults are really hip to it, but like, yeah. I mean, I didn't think of thinking of like, okay, well what, what is the sort of the place where I'm landing and who are my connections there? But I am learning now at 46 in Los Angeles that the people that I'm really connected to here in the industry are all from Chicago. Mostly a lot of them are from the theater school. It's crazy. Speaker 2 (5m 25s): It's so interesting. I, it's funny. I've been listening to your podcasts and what I love is like, I feel like it's the best Facebook ever. It's like, so, cause I'm like, oh, listen to all these hour long interviews with people, all due respect to someone who might forgotten existed. Right. You know, like I tumbled down the whole like conversation about the religion. And I was like, oh my God, I forgot all about that. I knew I knew those people. Right. It's just not my life anymore. Right. Speaker 1 (5m 49s): I mean, I I'm. Yeah. I'm also shocked. Like we have people on that, like remember us that I have no recollection of having with. And I think I always talked it up to excessive drinking and dirt back in my day. But like, I think it's just like, that's not our life anymore. Right. We're in a different time, different lifetimes. Speaker 2 (6m 10s): I took it. There's like three levels of people there's like from school. It's like the people that I still know and have to remind myself, I went to school with like, that's the connection. I there's the people that I, that I have no idea what happened to, so I love when they're on your podcast and then there's the people who are famous. So I think that I know what they're doing. Like I have a feeling, I feel like I know what Judy is up to, but I don't know what she's up to. I just know, Speaker 1 (6m 33s): Right. That she works all the time. Then we went to school with her. Right, right. It's so funny. It's, it's a such a wild thing. Okay. So you were like, I'm going to go, Speaker 2 (6m 42s): I'm going to go to grad school. And I looked at Chicago, I looked at DePaul because I really liked Kevin. And then I also looked, I was looking really heavily at Carnegie Mellon and, and he went to, I went to one of those. It's funny. I listen to you guys talk about it with the actors. But I went to one of those, like Roundup audition, interview things in Houston. And I interviewed with both schools at the same time. And Carnegie Mellon was like, well, we've been teaching this class for 20 years. It's a great class. And we've been doing this other thing for 20 years and it's awesome. And I was like, oh my God, you're so boring. And the program is actually massive and huge and revitalized now. But I think at that moment in time, it was just not, they were had a lot of faculty had been there. And then I went to the DePaul one and I talked to John Bridges. I was like, I offer you Chicago. Like I offer you the energy of John Bridges and Chicago. And I was like, oh, this is so much more interesting to me. Yeah. You know? And then I got lucky because what I didn't know is that John Colbert is like, I call him the Clark Kent of lighting design, because he seems super mild-mannered. And he's like Superman, that guy is a genius And a master teacher. And so the fact that I got to study with him for three years and the part of it was him creating curriculum that he felt I needed, even when, and I have these moments with my students now where I'm like, this is what you need to do. And they're like, I don't think that's what I think I would do better. I think this is what I need to study. And John would be like, yeah, you need that other thing. You know, I actually, years after school, a couple of years later, I applied for a, there was a, it's funny, it's funded by the NDA. So you can't call it a, it can't be a grant or fellowship. It just has to be like a program that you're on. But it was one where the theater communications group got money from the NDA and young, like early career designers and directors to observe, assist other artists because you can't make anything. If it's the NDA. Right. It's like the rules that came out of all this stuff in the nineties. Right. And John called me up and was like, you need to apply for that. And I was like, yeah, yeah, yeah, totally applied for that. I was thinking next year. Right. Like you need to apply this year. And I was like, well, yeah, but see, here's the reason and this and that thing. And he was like this year and I was like, but really I was like, you know, this next year. And I was like, this year, this year I'll do it this year. And then I got it. Speaker 1 (9m 4s): Was it amazing? It Speaker 2 (9m 5s): Was, it's an interesting thing. It was amazing in some ways. And in some ways it like slows your career down because you have to do six months worth of work within two years and you for the money and you get paid as you go, but you don't get to make anything. So it can like become a thing where you're like getting to know these amazing people and working with these amazing people. But you also, can't Speaker 1 (9m 28s): Interesting Speaker 2 (9m 29s): And make it, you know, like it slows down like what you can do as your own artist. I will say though, that, as I'm saying these words, even I'm thinking about the people that I worked with and how they function in my life and how important they'd been, like how important some of them still are Speaker 1 (9m 43s): Still in your life. Wow. Yeah. Speaker 2 (9m 45s): They gave me an extension on it as well, because that was also the time that I, I was the associate designer on the first production of top dog underdog. And that was a show that they were actually TCG was trying to get somebody in that room. And they were being like, well, we don't really want somebody to observe us. And I got offered to work on it, but I had worked with the whole team before, so they wouldn't let me do it, but they let me extend it. So they were pretty generous about like, yeah, I'll be making things happen. Wow. Yeah. Okay. And I got into DePaul and so I came to DePaul, I came up and visited and it was, Speaker 1 (10m 16s): And you, you, did you work with, was there, were you working with someone, a lighting designer at DePaul named Keith? Speaker 2 (10m 26s): Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's funny when somebody talks about him, I don't know if it was you or Gina talking about him. We'll talk about seeing the scout, the Macbeth that we did that I did with Stacy Cabalero who I, who was my best friend from grad school. Oh yeah. When I think about grad school, like Shawna Flannigan and I were roommates for years after, but, but Stacy and I were super close. We did. So we did like so many of our shows together there and he was talking, it was it, you that he was telling that he commented on the costume. Gina was sitting next to him, but she was talking about it. She was like, and Keith param. And he was like, he was looking at it. He was like, oh my God. And I was like, I literally was listening to the podcast like, oh God, did he say something about my lights? What did he say? What did he say? Then? Then it was about Stacy. And I was like, oh, that's so funny. One of my close friends still. Speaker 1 (11m 14s): So yeah, he was the first person that made me really interested in lighting. And he, when we closed the show, the yellow boat together, he gave me a print of his drawing of the lighting, like, oh wow. With lighting. And I still got it framed. And it was, I was like, oh, well this kind, because I think personally that as actors, we're, we, we have this thing of like, our ego is like crossed all the time. So then we, we have, we have an inflated sense of ego really that we have to build. And we think that acting is the most important thing. And it was the first time it, my land that's garbage. And the first thing to person to really say, to show me like, oh my gosh, look, this is all part of a huge deal. Like I am not the huge deal that lighting is, everything has its place. And then we come together, but I was like, oh, this is, this is an art that really ties the whole show together. Like really? And it's like unsung magic. And I think a lot of actors anyway, just think that the lights up here and that nobody is behind them being the artist, creating that at least young actors, Speaker 2 (12m 30s): Young ones. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, I think you're right about that in school, it's often Speaker 1 (12m 35s): Lighting for you. Like, what is it, what was it about that? Speaker 2 (12m 39s): You know, it's funny, my mother at one point was like having this big guilt thing that she had never encouraged me into it when I was younger. But like all of the signs did, like, unless you knew this was a thing, it didn't make sense. I was, I loved theater. My grandmother studied theater in New York in the thirties and she taught college. Yeah. She'd studied with a bunch of amazing people. She didn't work professionally, but, but she would take us to theater. Right. So it was a huge influence for my mother then for me. And I loved being an audience member. I never wanted to be on stage. And I haven't been a couple of times. And also now that I'm like, in my fifties, it's so much easier. Like I'm much more willing to jump off the right off the cliff and try whatever. Cause why not? What is it gonna embarrass me right now, please, please. If I didn't embarrass myself to death in my twenties, I think we're good now. You're good. So, yeah, but I, I, I just always like things that related. So I, like, I was interested in photography at one point, but I loved reading. I loved going to the theater. I have this, I was terrible in high school. It trig. I like, oh, I got like, I barely got through trigonometry class. And the second semester of the math track I was on was like analytical or spacial geometry. And it was like, I was a savant. I was like, that's what that 3d grid looks like. I can see that thing in space and I could answer, am I my teacher? And I were both like, what is up? How do I know this really have a good sense of space? And so if you look at the combo of all those things, they all really go together into lighting design. If you, if you know that thing. So when I went to undergrad, I'm in San Antonio at this small college Trinity university, super liberal artsy, sort of the opposite of your, your, what do we call them? We call academic classes and academics. I feel like we did, but they definitely, yeah. Academics. I really was. I had a lot of intense like philosophy classes and religion classes, all super helpful for the career that I have. But I also, my first semester took a intro to theater class and I loved the lighting. And then the second semester we were, I had to register dead last, like first year, dead last, you can't get anything. And a friend of mine that was in my end theater class was like, well, I'm going to, she was going to be a high school drama teacher, her name's Emily Goodpasture. And she decided that she was going to end. So Gilbert and good pasture registering last. She was like, I'm taking this sledding class. Cause I know I have to take all of the design classes and the acting classes for my future career as a drama teacher. And I think she take this learning class with me and I did. And then throughout college I would do other things, but I kept coming back to lighting. I just, I love the magic of the way light reveals form. I love looking at tons of different kinds of light bulbs. You know, my friend wants me to come to become Tik TOK famous and support us by telling people how to light their homes. Speaker 1 (15m 32s): Well, here's the thing that I, I actually, when you just said that, I have to say like, I was like, oh, I wonder what she thinks about filters and add tic-tac and the way people use light and could do you look at photos and videos and things and say, oh, that would be so much better if you just lit it like this. Are you able to do do that? Speaker 2 (15m 53s): Oh, for sure. I mean, I definitely, yeah. Most things in my life revolve around, you know, I always laugh cause I still go in theaters and look up at the lights and people are like, oh, I saw you looking at the lights. And I'm like, do you look at the actors? Of course, I look at the lights, I'm trying to figure out like the craft of what they did or you know, or what the equipment that they got to work with was, and yeah, but I can't, even though I could probably find another career with lighting that is so much more lucrative and I'm sure that that is true, right? The best part of my job for me still is that everyday when I go to work in theater, actors tell stories in front of me on stage live. And that is my favorite thing. I love going to plays. I love seeing performance and I love it live. So the fact that I get to be connected to that in some way and another character in that for me is really awesome. Speaker 1 (16m 39s): That's fantastic. And I I've never thought about it that way, that like, I mean, obviously I've thought about that a little, that the lighting is another character, but again, it's like, there are, there is a human and maybe a team of humans behind that character and that it, that you enjoy hearing the live stories being told. And that's why the theater versus, you know, film and TV, right? Like it's not, I mean, I guess you could still, it could be live on set, but like, you wouldn't be like the designer of a show. I don't even know how it works in television and film. Like the lighting people. Is there a lighting designer behind film and TV? Speaker 2 (17m 21s): There are no. And because there's so many more people on a film, I, and or television, there's more people encompass the single jobs that we do in theater, the DP it'd be the DP and the gray and then the interest and then editing is also a part of what we do. So, so all of those things sort of come together in that way. It's funny, David Swayze, do you remember Dan Swayze? He, so he's in film now and he's doing super well. Yeah. He's an art director and film and, and we have not kept up. We keep up actually better than I do with a lot of people, but it's been a couple of years. Yeah. He, even with the pandemic, it's been a couple of years. Yeah. He, he was talking one time about what he loved about doing television or film, he specifically film. And the thing that he loves about it is that it's, it's so immediate and you can make changes. So like, you can say like, oh, we need to, we, instead of doing it this way, we think this would look better and you can actively do that thing, which in theater set designers can't do that. But the rest of us can, I was like, you're talking about lightening design. I can make the change in the instant. You know, sometimes I have to say, I have to hang a light for tomorrow, but sometimes I can do like, hang on. My moving light will do that for us. Right. This second, you know? So I get to, I get to, it's funny though, we were like super technical or technological. And then all of a sudden it was like projections and sound, which were, you know, a slide projector and a yes. And you know, MiniDisc jumped us and they can craft in the room and we still can't craft in the room in the same way that they can, which I'm actually kind of grateful for. I like that. We get to say like, we're going to think on that. We're gonna let us Speaker 1 (18m 60s): Oh, wait. And think on that. Yeah. You know, that's interesting. Cause I, I, yeah, I liked the idea too of you're you're like a problem solver. Oh Speaker 2 (19m 13s): Yes. Right. Speaker 1 (19m 14s): Yeah. I love problem solvers. I think that they're really great to have in a room because I think it teaches everybody that like there are mysteries to be solved in the theater. And there are people that are trained to solve them that aren't me and they, and that we can work together. But problem solvers, we need the problem-solvers in, in rooms, in the theater. Like it's fantastic. Speaker 2 (19m 46s): But you know, it's interesting. We solve different problems, problems. Like I was years ago, we have this event on the last day of the semester, second semester at Columbia called manifest, which is this massive arts festival. It spills onto the streets. We have puppet show puppet, parades down the street. And we have, it's really fantastic. Photography has like gallery exhibits, super fun. This school is crazy. And I love it. And years ago it poured down rain and they had had this thing that they were going to do. This is pretty so long ago that I think it was 2009, actually it poured down rain. And they'd had this event that they were going to do called manna text. And they were going to, people could submit their phone numbers and they would text and be like, go to this stage. And you'll, if you're the 10th person there you'll get a thing. And texting was still like, we, it, wasn't certainly not the, the way we lived our lives. Right, Speaker 1 (20m 39s): Right. Speaker 2 (20m 41s): Yes. It poured down. And as soon as it pours, like we had an outdoor stage and I always, I, I produced it for the department. I thank God. I don't have to anymore. But I, I had, I always kept the stage free inside so that if anything happened, we could move it in. So we moved everything in and we didn't have lights up in the theater. And I, so I walked downstairs and I started hanging some lights and doing some things and I was working with, oh, this is funny. I was working with Kendra Thulin oh yeah. He was working with me on that because Kendra and I worked together again, somebody, I almost forget I went to school with. And so I started hanging the lights and everything and she's just staring, like she can't do it. And my kids walked in, my students walked in and I was like, okay, here's what I need you to do to finish this up, do this, do this, do this, hang that, get these gels. These from the sides, this from the front, I'll see you guys. They were like, great. And Kendra and I walked out to do something. And she was like, that was amazing. And I was like, it's what we know how to do. And then five hours later Manitex has fallen apart. They can't figure out what to do. And I'm standing there. I've got these two seasoned subscriptions to the department, which I'm pretty sure were free anyway, back then. And I'm like, what am I supposed to do with these? And I turned there, we're doing a musical theater thing. And I turned to a couple of minutes, you'll theater students. And I was like, get these to an audience member. Somehow they went on stage and made this hilarious, adorable competition. That was like a trivia thing, like trivia about musical theater. Right. And they gave them to the winner. And I was like, we all, I, my students would have turned to the human next to them and been like, do you have these, you know, that's why we're all together. That's why Columbia administration is constantly like, you're you have too many majors in your department. It's so unwieldy. And it's like, because it takes a lot of people to create an entire world. Speaker 1 (22m 26s): It really does. That is really true. And everybody solves different problems. Like nobody that does it does. It does take a bunch of people. That's really interesting. And then when you graduated, what did you do? Like, were you like, I mean, really your career kind of took off. I mean, you're co you're pretty fancy lighting cider. So how did you, did you just like, love it and people loved you and you started getting jobs or like how did it work? Speaker 2 (22m 55s): Yeah. There was a couple of stages in it. I, you know, it's funny. I did the big funk and what's hilarious about that to me is that when we did it, I was like, where are we? We are in the front end of someone's apartment. It is bizarre. These people live here in the back of this place and they're letting us do a play in the front and like flash forward, I don't know, 15 years. And I, I am friends with those people. Amazing. I did some moment in conversation. I was like, that was your place that I did that weird shit show with the weird lights in the cans. Like, so I started doing storefront and I S I had started assisting at Steppenwolf while I was at school. So I had, I, at the time that I was in school, I had a foot in both bootcamps. And so it is, I definitely, yeah, I definitely was splitting my time. And so I started doing more assisting it's definite wall. And in the fall, he'll never hear this the fall, right after graduation, I assisted somebody who sort of well known to be difficult business of lighting side. And for whatever reason, we absolutely hit it off. And he is like my brother today. And so I started traveling with him. I started working on projects all over with him and because he was difficult, theater companies would bring me to projects that they wouldn't necessarily bring an assistant on normally, because he's really, he's like the best in the business, but they knew I could handle him. And they knew that I could handle him by saying, I need you to leave the theater right now. And I'll take care of things while you sit her down. And so we, I would go to, I went to New York with him starting in 1998. I assisted actually my second Broadway assisting job was with him. My first one was from Steppenwolf. So I simultaneously was with Steppenwolf and him. And so my assistant career was like really amping up. And I was in these important rooms like Suzan-Lori parks and George Wolfrey top dog underdog with at the time the first production was Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright. And then those staff replaced Jeffrey or repost on. And so I was getting to do a lot of those really awesome things. And simultaneously I was doing storefront, right. And, and honing my skills and building my skills and knowing how, like I could watch the people that assisted make these massive shows with so much stuff. And I would think about those ideas. It's exactly what they tell you to do in school. But yeah. And then I would go back to the storefront with 17 lights and some candles, and I could make something that was really interesting because I had a much stronger sense of how equipment worked. You know, Keith always says that his graduate school was assisting per the years that he did. And he particularly assisted this amazing designer named Jim Ingles. And he's like, that was my grad school because I learned how to use our tools and then how to pull back from them. Speaker 1 (25m 35s): And how did you get, I think for people listening, they're going to be, well, how, how did she get to assist at step it, well, how did she get in the room at Steppenwolf? Speaker 2 (25m 44s): It was that guy, Kevin, the one that was my, you know, he taught us, but he, I, he knew I came up here and I reached out and I was like, I really, I want to have, you know, I, I want to work with you. I want to learn from you. And he, it's funny because now he's in Houston. I met him, but he is, he was great. And my second year, because the guy I came in with dropped the program, my second and third year, I was all alone. Like my classes were by myself. And so what John would often do was put me in a class with someone else. So that, like, there was a, for some reason, the third year BFA lighting class in my second year only had one wedding student. So we paired for the class in the class time, we had somebody to sort of like riff on and talk to, and our levels were different. But a lot of the projects that we did, like we spent one full quarter just in the light lab, which we usually, most semester, most years we did just making projects. And like, here's a song like the song by next week, here's a musical theater song. You you're lighting it as if it's musical theater, somebody on there, like something has to represent the chorus, visually something has to represent, how do you, how do you actually change the song as if it's a stage? And we have like little blocks of wood and like little people and things that we would put up and make these vignettes. And so she and I were just sort of at different levels on that, but Kevin was the teacher and it was, I actually had a one-on-one with him. And he said at the beginning of the year, he was like, I just want your, your resume is going to look good when you finish this class. And that was crazily enough. It was the 20th anniversary of Stephan wall. So I was the second assistant on very child. Gosh, that to Gary Sinise director, I worked on every man that Frank Lottie directed, I worked on the Libertine, how much was in. I did, I was an assistant second assistant on all of those shows. And then by the fourth show of that season, I ended up the first assistant who, who stayed with him for a while, but was sort of grooming me to be the next step. And that's how that sort of works sometimes is like we, our assistants move up and become our full peers. And then we train somebody else up in that way. And I, by the fourth show, I was actually getting paid while I was doing it for credit and stuff at school. So I think in those days I wouldn't have gotten in trouble for it today. They would be like, what, what? Speaker 1 (27m 56s): Right. But then you were like, yeah. Speaker 2 (27m 58s): So they didn't know. Right. Speaker 1 (28m 0s): They weren't keeping track of that is so cool. Speaker 2 (28m 3s): So I got to do that. Speaker 1 (28m 4s): Yeah. And then, and then did you, did you, what was the journey like to, did you live in New York? Like, did you live in New York, ever full time? Speaker 2 (28m 13s): Not full time. I spent a lot of time crashing on David Swayze's spare, like his studio floor. I did a lot of that for many years and, and other friends, new Yorkers are particularly skilled in the art of letting you stay with them. And so now, I mean, I joke that I'm the Heather Gilbert school for wayward or Heather Gilbert home for wayward Chicagoans, because I there's so many people who move out of Chicago and come back to do a show and I let them, I let them live in my spare room. My friend, Samantha, who's this brilliant costume designer. I mean, for like two and a half years, we were like, she was like my, my roommate. She came and went, I have somebody coming on the Saturday after Thanksgiving while she does a show, you know? Cause I feel like I'm giving back for all those times that I crashed in New York. So I did a fair amount of assisting and stuff there. I've only, I guess I've only designed about three times there actually. One of them was pretty significant. So yes. Speaker 1 (29m 9s): Talk about that. Let's talk about that. How did that come about? What, what, yeah. That journey of life. Speaker 2 (29m 17s): Yeah. My other job in grad school was I was bartender. I, yeah. I used to bartend at a place called bar San Miguel up on Clark street. Oh yeah. Yeah. It was a non-equity bar. And I started bartending there after, I guess, had our second year. It's funny during that huge heat wave of 95, I went there for the first time with Chris Freeburg and Kate McKernan. Yes. Half a year later I was working there and, and Cromer used to come in there cause it was a theater bar and I met him there. And so our relationship started 26 years ago. Holy shit. Speaker 1 (29m 48s): As tender in a patron. Speaker 2 (29m 50s): Yeah. That's how we met. That's amazing. Yeah. He loves that. I think he loves it. That's part of our origin story because it's funny when we, when he tells it and writes it like in a letter of recommendation or whatever, and, and we didn't work together until 2003, but we've known each other. At one point we quit smoking at the same time. And at one point that was like the most significant thing. And then all of these things that we've done have happened since, but now I'm also still thinking that maybe the most significant thing that we ever did together was quit smoking. That's fantastic. Speaker 1 (30m 18s): It's very significant. And it also, you did it together and it's a real bonding experience when you quit. Something like that. Speaker 2 (30m 26s): Yeah. It was tough. It's been, it's been, it's been 19 years this year. Congratulations. So we started then, and that was the moment also that like I did a show with him finally, and we did this miracle on 34th street that we all were super in need of money at Christmas time. And he wrote this adaptation and it started Tracy Letts, which we think is like the funniest thing in the world now. And so we did that show and then when I started, and then I started teaching shortly thereafter and I started, I did, and I went to LSU for two years in Baton Rouge. And when I came back because I loved teaching students, they're the best thing in the world. Higher education can make you want to pull your hair out. And state schools are often really like that if you're in the arts. So it was a struggle, but I came back here to Columbia, which I had only vaguely known of when we were in school. And that's, I didn't know that everybody who got cut came here until I was teaching here. And then it was funny because when I would, I don't remember when the cuts system stopped, but whatever point it did was after I started here, because you would be doing like the summer sort of advising with incoming students, you do your, your couple of sessions in the summer and kids would come in and their credits would be this really weird number. And I was like, I don't understand why that's not three credits, but it was like two points, 1.3 threes and 2.3 twos. And it was sort of like thirds, but not even HOAs. And I, and I found out that was, that was the sign of somebody who was cut from the theater school because it was the theater school classes that were those year long things, trying to get them into semesters. Right, right. Yeah. I was like, oh yeah, that's what happened to everybody who quit. And so, so, but David talkier and so we, we start teaching a collaboration class together, all really. I didn't know, that's cool for directors and designers. And so then we were going to do a show here at school together, but he, and we started the process and we were like, live, we got to live what we teach them. We got to, we got it. We got to collaborate like that. And we had to pull out of the show because he took adding machine to New York instead. And then he came home from adding machine. And that's when he had been talking about our town that he was going to do with the hypocrites, which was, I worked a lot with the artistic director of the hypocrites I had. I had a long relationship. I, I mean, he's still my friend, he's just second grader, John grainy, Sean and I, Sean was simultaneously, the two of them were sort of like my biggest income and my income through them. And so I, so, but I wasn't a part of the hypocrites. I was eventually, I was not at that point. Right. And he, he kept talking to the show, but he had to ask the resonance designer, but the resident designer who's my sweet friend now said no. And they brought me on to our town and you know, it's sort of like, the rest is history. Like we, David and I have a long history at that point and we have a, we had a friendship, you know, but we now, you know, we had like the let's let's, you know, talk on the phone and watch Dexter in the middle of the night friendship a little bit before that. But we now have done, I think I, I counted when we opened bug last week and I think we've talked 16 shows together and, and some of them have been really life-changing for both of us. So yeah, Speaker 1 (33m 37s): That is fantastic. And I feel like if you find a collaborator that just I'm recently have, have started working with someone that I just, I work with Gina, and then I work with other people, but like when you find someone like that, where you, you just, it just works out. Like it just works. There's something about it. The only thing you can think of is like, you know, it is some sort of, it almost feels like some kind of cosmic thing that comes together that you are able to do. Great. You can facilitate each other's great work without ending the relationship and having crazy, you know, fights and things that don't lead to total destruction. That's magic. Speaker 2 (34m 24s): Yeah. Well, you know, it's interesting cause directors go, I think they probably do this to actors too. If they have a deep relationship more than anything, they go stuff's right there. Like they just stopped calling and you're like, come on. Right. And Cobra, at one point it was in New York and working with new people and our town had come to a close. Right. Which, cause that sort of kept us together for a long time. We did that show that was over over seven year period of time, all the venues. And so we, we had, you know, we'd, we'd, we'd had a connection and we had done other couple of other new shoot new shows within that time. Yeah, sure. It wasn't just our town. Right. And then we'd done our streetcar that was really successful. And the Sam Rockwell was in really isn't that crazy. I did a person who was Sam Rockwell, who was so lovely. I came up and was like, oh my God, the lighting is so beautiful. I was like, oh, so I will be heard in it. So how do you know? But, Speaker 1 (35m 17s): But he, but even to say it, you know, like what a sweetheart? Yeah. I was at a wedding with him cause he was in a movie with my boss and he was lovely, a lovely and like a pro like a real, Speaker 2 (35m 31s): So I get so excited for him now all the time. So, but we had healed David actually sort of like wasn't calling. And I was like, oh, are we not going to work together anymore? And it's funny because I think in the history of our lives, it will, it's actually a blip, but it felt like a long time. And I was like, okay, well I guess that's okay. Like relationships do shift and, and partnerships do add, nobody wants to somebody forever. Absolutely. But I was like, I actually, we are, I am, you know, I was not a Columbia kid. I'm like, I have a pocket in a thousand ways. But yeah, I did work. I do teach at Columbia and I am a Sheldon Patinkin person. I'm one of his people and Sheldon taught you, you see each other's shows. That is what we do for each other. Right. I was like, I'm going to still see your shows. Right. We have way too much of a history for our friendship to die because we're not, we're not doing right. Right. So I kept, I stayed around. Yeah. I was like, I'm not going to, I'm going to come to me. I'm going to see your things. I'm going to, you know, I'm going to go see the band's visit or I'm going to go also, I get to see the bands visit then come on. Right. Or I'm going to see your comeback, little Sheba with Derek  in Boston because I love that. You know? And so when the time rolled around, I found out he was doing a production of next to normal at writers theater. And I loved that show and I had done a production of it that I kept texting him, being like, oh my God, I wish I were doing your production of this. Not that I didn't think that one was great, but it was much more of the sort of flash and trash version. Right. And I wanted to see David's version where there's like a dining room table and people around it. Right. You know? And I just, I was, so I texted him as soon as I heard from our friend Lilianne was like, I will do the show. And he woke up the next morning and he was like, he texted me back. I was like, it was kind of a non David text. I was like, this is very specific and kind, and I he's listing these things, but he was like, these are the, I woke up this morning and I saw your text. And I called Michael Halberstam, who was still the artistic director at the time. And so we have to hire Heather for the show and he said, okay, but we already hired Keith. And I was like, yeah, I fucking knew it. I knew I was going to be too late. I'm reading this text. And David's like, and I screwed up. And these are the reasons why, and he was like, writer's theaters are theater. It's our place. Which just so you know, he'd just done as many shows with Keith as he has with me. But he went through and he was like gave me their reasons that were really lovely. And then he said, Williamstown is going to reach out about a show, Adam rap's new play. And I was like, Williamstown really paid nothing. Why is that my constellation prize? I was totally annoyed. And then Williamston production was a struggle. Like we did this by the way, the play is the sound inside because we have not said the name of it if anybody's listening. And we, so we were, it was a struggle, you know, you have to do it very quickly. It's a big play for, for the, the lead actress in it and the actress in it. And, and it was a struggle for her. She, she definitely was acting out a little bit. Yeah, sure. And, and so, and you don't have much time and you're doing it with people who are, you know, these interns that I it's sort of famously a conversation in the industry right now about specifically how William sound carries those interns. So you're feeling guilty and also they don't know what they're doing as well. So there's a lot of pressure on that. Right. And I loved it. I loved that place so much. I read that play and I was like, oh my God, this is beautiful. It's this beautiful play about what we do when we were in need in our loneliness. And it's just, it's ju it just hit me. I don't know how Adam Rapp, who's this like hyper alpha masculine male actually has that insight into, I think, because it's insight into humanity and thus, he can change it into he's like, well, women feel the same thing men do. We're right. We're not different creatures. Right. So, yeah. Wow. And then, and then the show moved to New York a year later to Broadway to studio 54, which my God, I got to crawl around in studio 54. It took me crawl over that building. I was like, she'll be everything. Where did they keep the drugs? I'm so cute. Right. Right. Yeah. And we, I went up into the there's a dome and I got to go up into the dome and look down into the space and see where they store all the lights. And I got the full tour one day. It's great. The crew is the best crew in the entire world. And we did this beautiful play and people were, you know, it's funny. I, I actually was just, I submitted an application last night at 11:58 PM for full professorship. Like that's the highest level of, of teaching here. Yeah. And when you get tenure, you have to apply for that. But then once you've got it, you actually don't have to apply for anything, a promotion past that. Yeah. So I finally had committed to doing it. And so it's funny, I've been thinking so much about my philosophy of lighting and the way I approach it. But one of the things is that there's that old saw the best line design is lighting. The can't be seen, which is just a load of crap anywhere like Eddie in any scenario, like just say like you and I can't see the light where we are right now. Right. We see it. We know it's there. What they really mean is if I change, if I break the rules of the reality that I set up for you and notice that that's bad lighting design. Right, right. It's like, it's, I was compared to like, weirdly as a lighting professor, I had Meisner in this paper that I was writing yesterday. This document is writing. Cause it's like, it's that idea of living truthfully in imaginary circumstances. It's the same thing for us. We're creating those circumstances and we're trying to make it so that the actors can live in truth and everything has it. And if the rules are light comes out of the floor. Right. And it changes when I take a step, as long as I, as long as we create those rules for the audience. Right. And, and train them, they know what it is and then they follow it. Yeah. Speaker 1 (41m 6s): We'll go with you. It's consistency. It's authenticity. It's telling the truth in the moment and yeah. Staying true to what the vision is, whatever that vision is. But yeah, it also reminds me of like the good lighting is shouldn't be noticed or whatever is like, women should be seen and not heard. It's totally like fuck off. Speaker 2 (41m 28s): So I was talking about something about myself too, and I almost was talking about leadership and I almost said, you know, because I was called bossy as a child, and now we acknowledge that. That just meant I was a leader. Speaker 1 (41m 37s): Yeah. Right. It just meant that. And you know, it's interesting because my recollection of you in college was that you knew what the hell you were doing now. Granted, I mean, everyone has different, you know, I'm sure you didn't always know what you're doing. Cause you're a human being. But like my recollection of you is that you were like, I think maybe because also you were a grad student, right. So, but you definitely had vision. You were someone that I was like, oh, they know what they're doing and, and why they're doing it. So there was this thing about you that I really felt from the little, I knew that like you had motivation or like a, a direction and also a curiosity, but, and a, I just, I just think you were like very early on like a master of your craft, which meant that also masters in my view, like really study and take the shit seriously and have a lot of pride in their work. That was it. Like not a lot of people had a pro. I mean, I can speak for myself. Like it wasn't like, I, I felt like you could stand behind your work. I've always felt that like, when I read stuff about, about you or like when I follow your career, it's like you stand by your work. That's fucking phenomenal, you know? Speaker 2 (42m 55s): Yeah. Thank you. I appreciate that. I feel like a lot of that was also the training that we were getting in the, in the design program because we had, we had such good professors, particularly John, we, we, we had Franco Lovecchio was there for two years. Right. Who was the most wonderful, crazy human in the entire world. He would like, literally, like you'd be drawing in the studio and you'd be like drawing on something. And we all learned that you had to keep tracing paper over a culture, which is something called trace really. But we would, we would have trace taped to our drawing boards so that the minute he sat down, you could throw a trace over it. Or he would just start drawing all over you drawing. And, but he would like nudge you off your chair while he was like, fixing your time for you. And you'd tell him, be standing there watching him doing your work. And you were like, maybe, maybe not, maybe, maybe I'm in school. Maybe I want to learn how to do that. He was so funny though. So great. But then John Colbert has, is like really like taught us like the, that you have to be able to justify the work that you have to understand the rules of the piece that you and the rigor that goes behind that. And Nancy Beulah, who's the same. Who was just this amazing. She's the, she used to let, she used to let you do your project again, to get your grade up a little bit. And I would get like a B plus on something for her and I would do it again. And it wasn't even that I really needed. Like, I wasn't great. I wanted her to think I was working. Like I needed her to have that belief in Speaker 1 (44m 15s): G she, there was something. So she costumed me and said she just, she was so affirming. And also like you, there was something about she, she made me believe that she knew that I was going to be okay and that I was going to be a professional and that I could do it. Like there was, it was amazing. It was so much, there was like a strong confidence that she instilled in me as a costume person, which I, I just felt, again, she stood behind her work too. Like she was a bad-ass like, there was no like, ah, apologizing, there was no apologizing. And I feel like we just spent so much of our lives or at least I have apologizing that when I see someone like a career like yours, I'm like, oh, maybe this comes from not apologized. Like maybe not apologizing for, for us as women as in our work, you know, like this is badass work I'm doing and I'm going to continue to do it. I dunno. It's just a fierceness. Speaker 2 (45m 19s): Well, for me too, I feel like the thing that I'm proudest of in my, in my age and in my success is that I no longer feel like the pressure of having to be complete on the first day of tech. Like, I'm like, I'm going to put an incomplete, that thing up there, and I'm going to start to see how light is moving on these people and what that does. And I know it might not look good, but I'm not going to worry about that. It's going to be okay. You know, I'm going to be able to, I know I will make it look great. I know I can. I know that what I put up there for the first draft is going to be the right first draft, because I know what I'm doing and I know that it doesn't have to be complete. Right. And I'm fine with that. And like, David is really great for that because he has no expectations of that either. Speaker 1 (46m 3s): Yeah. That's fantastic. I mean, that's like really the difference between being product oriented and process oriented, right? Yeah. As an artist. And like, for me as a writer, like writing for TV, my first draft, if it's not, it's, it's terrible. And it's exactly where it's supposed to be. But if I have expectations or get in my own way and feel self-conscious about it, the whole thing is it doesn't work. So it's like, this is a shitty first draft. And by shitty, I mean, wonderful. You know what I mean? Speaker 2 (46m 32s): So wonderful first draft, right? It's never supposed to be the final thing. Totally. We were also taught at school that because we don't stick around for the product, right. We're not part of the product. We, I mean, we are, we're making a product, right. Because we're not ever, once the product goes, our AR is there, we're gone from it that we need to be really process-oriented. And that our process is what's going to get us hired aspect of working with us. Speaker 1 (46m 59s): I love that. And I feel like if we could, if we, I wish I would have learned that more and I'm not, I don't blame anyone for it. I just think it's the way the life is. But like, I'm, that's what I think I've spent my adult career as an artist becoming more process oriented and less product oriented and less and less judgy, right. About my and other people's process of, of like, it doesn't look the same. And so I think when you find a collaborator, which it sounds like David, what is for you that is also, and in the same sort of thought process in terms of how art is created, that's what works, because you're both sound like you're like no expectations for the first thing to be the thing. Like it changes it pivots, it moves, it's moving, it's breathing and moving. And I think that that's probably why your work together is so powerful and profound is that you both have this view life view right. Of art that works together really well. Right. So, and that sounds fine when I find those people. Those are the people I want to stay with and work with. Yeah. Speaker 2 (48m 7s): Yeah. And I think too, like one of the things getting back to sound inside and David, is that like, I, the thing that people often comment on is my use of darkness on stage that I actually commit fully to it, that I don't have a problem having actress speak from the dark. And I did the first time I ever had something that was really dark. I was like, oh God, like, you know, you're taught that, that can't be funny. Right. People actually laugh at things that here in the dark, it turns out. And so, but so being able to like be tiny and focused and just have a little bit of light, you know, and sound inside became that piece, which was like, we created the premise of the play is that this professor is telling the, talking to the audience and we don't really know what that's about. Like, I don't know. And I don't know the answer to that because I almost felt like knowing, like we don't want the audience to fully know. And I felt like if I know too much, then I, it may manifest. And so I never, even though Adam rap became, I tell him that he's the brother. I didn't get no offense to the brother. I did get, but I love Adam and I can ask him anything and talk to him about anything. But I have never asked him the truth of the play, which is, is it happening? Is it my meal? There's a character that we question is the character even real? Is she writing a book as she talks to the audience, this character, a Bella college professor, or is she, or there's a reference to a book at the end of the play that you like? Did she steal that book? And a lot of that was taken, there were a lot more concrete parts of the story when we did it Williamstown and they were taken out for the Broadway production to let the audience sort of float in their own uncertainty more. And so the idea is that Bella, this character who, who is this professor is actually the only fully fleshed out part of the play at the beginning. And that we slowly revealed the world as she creates it as she sort of illustrating it. And so that actually gave me the ability to have this production that was like using little amounts of light, a lot of darkness. Like I like, but also was in a way flashy, because we'd have like a big window on the side, on the wall of the sets. And then all of a sudden it would shift like instantly into a different time of day. And the shape of the window would change in the color of the window would change, but it was all very graphic. And then eventually within these like sequence of scenes in this office with this window, eventually the final one was this massive projection of a very real window. So, and so I got to work and I worked really closely with the production designer, who was the handsomest person in design. His name is Aaron Ryan. If you ever meet him, you're going to be like, I didn't know that designers looked like that. I thought only actors did. Wow. And he's the best dude in the land. I love him so much. Speaker 1 (50m 33s): So, so I guess yeah. Being mindful of your time, I just want to ask you if you, because we do have a lot of younger folks that listen to the show and that are interested in careers as designers, not just after, you know, now there's like such a, we're trying also to shine a light on designers. Cause it's awesome. Right. We don't, I mean, acting is not the only name of the game here. So what would you say if someone came to you and said, Hey, I'm interested in the theater. What does, what w what kind of person do I, it's kind of a hard question, but what kind of person do I need to be, to be a designer? I know if I'm a designer, Heather, Speaker 2 (51m 26s): I actually am really conscious of like the personality quirks of designers, because I watch it so much in my students. Right. And it's interesting because I am, I can't make a, I can not build a model. I cannot build a model. I, it was hated in school and it, but it's this really sort of detailed private work. And I'm a much, I'm super extroverted, which that doesn't mean all lighting designer extroverted, but like, I have to be able to work out here. Like I don't work here. I have to be able to work openly. I also have to work in public. Everybody is there when actors and designers have that rare thing in which actors and lighting designers, I should say, we, all of our work is done in front of other people. You cannot, like, you might have a smaller room and only a couple people at first, but like, it's still the same and we don't get to make it privately. And then somebody builds it and we go, oh, paint it that way. Or even like, listen to in our headphones. No, you have to be okay with that. You have to be really good with like a super high level of pressure. And you have to let it roll off of you. I worked, I love Sean Graney. This will not surprise anybody who knew Shawn grainy or losing his Shaun could be very difficult in a tech. I'm not the easiest dude, always in the world, but I love him to death. And there was an actor that we used to work with who just would Marvel. We worked with this person so many times and was a big part of the company. And with Marvel, it, me, because Sean would get tense and it'd be like really stressful and like pushing, pushing to get it done faster. And I would just let it all roll off. And it's because I have to be able to do that and know that this is my time. Right. Reclaiming my time. I was like, oh yeah, I do that all the time because I know that this is when I can do the thing. I also have to know when I can say, Hey, you know what? I can do this later. I can do this without people, or it's taking too long and it's slowing us down and it's, it's killing our process. It's not letting us all move forward as a group. And I'll deal with this thing later. Right. But I also know that I have to do it now. And that's the way this process works until somebody changes it, I'm going to do it in the room. And so I will take my time. I have to be able to work as quickly as I can in that. And I have to know that I have to deal with the pressures from other people. Speaker 1 (53m 27s): So it's got a little bit of, it's interesting. It's a it's human relationships that makes with time management mixed with reclaiming your time mixed with knowing when to, yeah. When you can let go and say, okay, I'm going to do, but like, I, I don't think people, at least I'll speak for myself. Younger people think that you need, well, the ones I encounter my students too, like, you need people skills as a designer. Oh, you need people skills. Like, just because you're not an actor doesn't mean you don't, you know, you got to work with people. And I think your, from your interview, it's really clear that like, there's all different kinds of people you're going to work with, and you're not going to get along with all of them, but you can also figure out a way, right. To still have the process, be one of where you get your work done, get rehired. If that's what you want and still be a kind human and work, you know, in the industry. And I think that's really interesting that you, the rolling off the back. Yeah. Because people in tech and in tech and intense situations get bonkers bomb, bonkers, bonkers Speaker 2 (54m 30s): Years ago, I was assisting on a production of the Scottish play in New York that George Wolf was directing that Angela Bassett and Alec Baldwin were starring in and the pressure and the pressure on it was super high. And then everybody who was a secondary person was like, we have Schreiber and Michael Hall and Zach brown. Speaker 1 (54m 48s): I mean, it was our secondary Speaker 2 (54m 50s): People. Cause they were babies that like Zach rabbit just finished school. Like let's start on it. And we, and the pressure was super high. And, and we were on the third floor of the building and the electric shop was in the basement. And my designer was like yelling at me and I would pass it on. I would pass that energy on. And the assistant lighting supervisor took me out for pizza and was like, you can't do that. And he was like, you have to be the wall. And if you can't be the wall, this might not be your job. He's like, you can still be a designer, but assisting might not be the way you got there. And this guy must've been, I mean, he was maybe my age. He was probably younger than me. His name was Todd greatest thing that ever happened to me. Yep. It changed me forever. I was like, you're right. That is my job. And actually, I'm very good at that. I am a cheerleader and I'm a person who cares about people and I have no problem. I mean, there will be times that I'm not trying to say, I'm never put pressure on the people around me. I get impatient too. I'm not a patient person, but, but I can, I can try to protect the people around me. And I, and I love my team that people who make the lighting thing happen, you know, I kept, I, we won the, I did this production bug with David right before the pandemic. And then we just did it again unless we could set them off. And we won the Jeff award for it. As I like to say, we won the Jeff award. Like my team won that award. I didn't do it by myself, but I actually took it into the first day of tech and we put it on the tech table for the second round. And I was like, everybody had my crew put a light on it and they would run the light up. And it was like, everybody may give me notes through the Jeff. The Jeff looks up notes for me. That's hilarious. I will speak to none of you. I will speak to Carrie Coon, Carrie Coon also want to Jeff that she may speak directly to me because what else do you do with an award? There's so weird there, Speaker 1 (56m 30s): Right there, weirdness. And they're weird and they're nice and they're in your effort. And it's the only way we have really, as human acknowledged this stuff, but in a, in a sort of ceremony kind of a way, but like, all right, well, I just thank you for talking Speaker 2 (56m 46s): Absolutely Speaker 1 (56m 47s): Pleasing. And I, I, you know, I just, I'm always left when I talk to someone like you I'm like left with this wish for young women to know that there are so many jobs and careers in the theater that you don't just have to be an actor or an actress or whatever you want to call yourself. There are so many things. And, and by, and for me also, it's like, oh my gosh, please find someone that's doing the thing you might want to do and ask them questions and see if you can get information, you know, like an informational interview, which is essentially what we do on this podcast is do an informational interview with people we went to school with and other people, but like get the information. So thank you for putting the information about your career and your journey out there for us. And we'll, we'll keep in touch and you'll get a copy to review before we air it. And, but just, thank you. Thank you so much. Speaker 2 (57m 45s): Totally. I'll send you guys some pictures I have to please. And, you know, they're printed. I actually had to go into a box and found Speaker 1 (57m 51s): Them. It's a whole thing. Speaker 2 (57m 53s): Yeah. Much like everybody else. I went through all of those during the pandemic. So I was trying to figure if I had one with me and Keith, cause that would be awesome. Speaker 1 (57m 60s): That would be fine. Speaker 2 (58m 3s): It's funny. I love telling people in the, in the lighting community that like I drove her, we've been friends for so long. I drove him home from college for Christmas, his first year of college, you know, and then, and now he's like, like he did his first runway show at studio 54. And then I did my first Broadway show in studio 54. And like, yeah, I really love getting to share all of that with him. And he's a true and great artist. And I just, S

On this edition of The Arts Section, host Gary Zidek catches up with one of Chicago's most popular artists, Tony Fitzpatrick to talk about the new mural he created for Steppenwolf Theatre. The Dueling Critics, Kerry Reid and Jonathan Abarbanel, join Gary to discuss a round-up of local theater news, including Michael Halberstam's decision to resign from Writers Theatre. Later in the program, Gary reviews the new Anthony Bourdain documentary, which just opened in theaters. And Gary talks to the author of one of this summer's most talked about books, THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP.

Scott and Elana welcome Jennifer Glasse to the podcast!  An understudy at The Gift, Writers Theatre, Court Theatre, and Theatre Wit, Jennifer shares what it was like to understudy six roles at once (!), how she courted specific Chicago theatres and got her teaching artist job, and so much more in this extra giggly episode.

The Whole Artist with Courtney Rioux. Conversations with artists about acting, purpose, and the journey to finding wholeness. This week is the Season 1 Finale of The Whole Artist with Courtney Rioux! To celebrate the end of the season, Courtney speaks with actor, writer, director, and best friend, Kelly O'Sullivan, about a variety of topics including Kelly becoming a writer, Saint Frances (her multi-award-winning first screenplay), her anxiety and panic attacks on set, and shame. Seriously though, it's a fun podcast - Kelly has a special gift to make serious things funny. Thank you for listening and we can't wait to see you in Season 2! * As mentioned in Courtney's Intro, here is a link to Brene Brown's TED Talk, Listening to Shame (https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare) Courtney's Book Shelf! Follow Courtney Rioux on Social Media Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook KELLY O'SULLIVAN: Kelly O'Sullivan is an actor, writer, and director originally from North Little Rock, Arkansas. Saint Frances, her first feature screenplay which she also starred in, premiered at South by Southwest where it won a special jury award for Breakthrough Voice and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature. As an actor, she has performed at Steppenwolf Theatre, The Goodman, Writers Theatre, the Pacific Playwrights Festival, and the Ojai Playwrights Conference, among many others. Her TV and Film work includes two seasons on USA's Sirens, and independent films Henry Gamble's Birthday Party, Olympia, and Sleep with Me. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, The School at Steppenwolf, is a recipient of a Princess Grace Fellowship for Theatre and a 3Arts Make a Wave grantee. Find Kelly On The Internet: Saint Frances Movie on Twitter (twitter.com/saint_movie) Saint Frances Movie on Instagram (instagram.com/saintfrancesmovie/) Rent or Buy Saint Frances on iTunes! ### Credits: Photography by Joe Mazza, Brave Lux. For more information, go to http://bravelux.com/ Music by Blythe Martin Productions. For more info, please contact Jamie and Erik at erik@SoundAnswer.com This is a PodClubhouse original production. Produced, engineered and edited at PodClubouse Studios. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/courtneyrioux/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/courtneyrioux/support

Representation and the Role of the Multilingual Classroom pt. 1 WHBLE founder, Ah-Keisha McCants talks with Sindy I. Castro, actress, teaching artist and co-founder of Jugando N Play, a multilingual theatre for young audiences. Sindy talks about the power in engaging a multilingual learning community, and creating space for using languages as assets. Sindy Isabel Castro is an actress, educator, and theatre artist. She is co-founder of Jugando N Play, a multilingual theatre for young audiences. She graduated with her MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY's Schools of Professional Studies. She is a teaching artist with the People's Theatre Project, New York City Children's Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, and Arts Connection. Sindy is bilingual in English and Spanish. She strives to use theatre as a tool for creating multilingual and multicultural spaces where students are empowered to embrace their home languages and cultures in the classroom. Before moving to NYC, Sindy was a teaching artist/education administrator in Chicago for seven years and worked with Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Adventure Stage Chicago, and Project AIM. She was an invited member of Young IDEA at the IDEA Congress in Paris in 2013, a member of the TAD (Teaching Artist Development) Studio Cohort at Columbia College in 2014, part of the Intermediate Teaching Artist Lab at Lincoln Center Education in 2016, and a U.S. Delegate at the International Teaching Artist Conference (ITAC) in 2018. --- 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/whble/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whble/support

Jess and Nate talk about The Liar at Writers Theatre designed by Rachel Healy and Heir Apparent at Chicago Shakespeare designed by David Woolard. Finally breaking the Ana Kuzmanic streak (although Nate has never been in a show designed by her soooo). Also they discuss a bunch of junk unrelated to costumes but related to their friendship. And Life. and whatever.

Playwright Chisa Hutchinson stopped by the studio to chat about her experience from her first play, She Like Girls, to her latest, Proof of Love, that was commissioned and produced by Audible. Chisa has worked with The Lark Play Development Center, New Dramatists, Keen Company, Penumbra, Primary Stages, Writers Theatre of New Jersey, NJPAC, and she's currently teaching creative writing at Delaware University and three film projects in development. Also, we had a special guest, her dog Smitty, you get to hear a little from him as well. 

Introducing the Pittsburgh City Theatre's inaugural CitySpeaks podcast all about the making of Cambodian Rock Band. Part thrilling new play, part electrifying rock concert, Cambodian Rock Band is an epic tale of family, love, and heritage featuring the Cambodian surf rock music of Dengue Fever. This podcast is all about how the show came together with stories from the people who know it best. Today's episode is with Director Martin Lyons   Marti Lyons is thrilled to direct Cambodian Rock Band at City Theatre as part of a collaboration with Victory Gardens Theater, where she directed the show in the Spring, and Merrimack Rep where this production is headed next. Marti recently directed Witch by Jen Silverman at the Geffen Playhouse, playing in LA now. Marti also directed Witch at Writers Theatre in Chicago last season. She directed How to Defend Yourself by Lily Padilla for the 2019 Humana Festival as part of a co-world premiere with Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, where Marti will direct the play again in 2019. Marti has directed Botticelli in the Fire by Jordan Tannahill (Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company); The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe and Kings by Sarah Burgess (Studio Theater); Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Court Theatre); Short Shakes! Macbeth (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Title and Deed by Will Eno (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and Wondrous Strange together with Meg Miroshnik, Jiehae Park and Martyna Majok for the 2015 Humana Festival (Actors Theatre of Louisville).  This season Marti will direct The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess (Writers Theater), Jen Silverman’s The Moors (A Red Orchid Theatre), and the world premiere of The Scarlet Letter by Kate Hamill (South Coast Repertory). Marti is a proud member of SDC. For more information: martilyons.com

The Writers Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into The Woods combines professional artistry with community theatre charm to create a very immediate and powerful version of this popular musical. Directed by Gary Griffin, one of the world's leading interpreters of Sondheim, the cast features McKinley Carter as Jack's Mother, Brianna Borger as the Baker's Wife, and Bethany Thomas as the Witch, all of whom discuss the challenges of going into the Woods multiple times and making new discoveries every time you do. Featuring impertinent references to The Fantasticks; doing the Lord’s work; creating characters instead of types; heightening the immediacy and stakes; the danger of gateway Sondheim drugs; Borscht Belt energy; and an emphasis on the frequently-fraught (“fraught than I thought,” to quote another Sondheim show) relationships between parents and children. (Length 21:05) (Pictured, l to r: Bethany Thomas, Brianna Borger, and McKinley Carter in the Writers Theatre production of Into The Woods, directed by Gary Griffin. Photos by Michael Brosilow.) The post Into The Woods appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

On this edition of The Arts Section, host Gary Zidek catches up with renowned photographer Julian Wasser. The LA-based photojournalist has been taking candid pictures of some of the most interesting people in the world for the past dive decades. Gary also visits a Kane County arts center that's celebrating its 10th anniversary. Hear all about the origins of Water Street Studios. And the Dueling Critics, Kerry Reid and Jonathan Abarbanel, stop by to discuss Writers Theatre's new production of INTO THE WOODS. And a little later on in the program, Gary sits down with WDCB's announcer Barry Winograd as he prepares for the next step in his decades long career in Chicago's jazz scene. Renowned photographer Julian Wasser has lived a life. Working as a freelance photojournalist for over five decades … Wasser has captured candid images of some of the most interesting people in the world.

This week, Paul goes behind the curtain with the cast of “West Side Story” which is knocking everyone’s socks off at The Lyric Opera (thru June 2nd) . Corey Cott (Tony) and Mikaela Bennett (Maria) talk about starring in this legendary show performed in an historic grand theater. Critics have called this the best production […]

It's Gary and Frank together in the Booth for a cavalcade of theatergoer notes on shows we've recently seen around Chicago. First off, Frank tells us about his adventures in speech competition judging that's kept him away from home the past month. By all accounts, the dazzling array of young talented actors and orators is promising news for the future of theater and performance in the Chicago area. Just this afternoon, our boys went to Northlight Theatre to see the world premiere play Landladies by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by Jess McLeod. As luck would have it, this sparkling three-hander features actress Leah Karpel, who Frank has known since she was a baby some 25-odd years ago. Leah was gracious enough to spend a few minutes with us after the show talking about her role and the privilege of appearing in a world premiere, and we bring you some of that remote interview in this episode. Running through April 20. Next, we traveled to the Den Theatre to see a truly inspiring and brilliantly produced musical show called The Total Bent. Written by the acclaimed singer, songwriter, founder and leader of the punk-rock combo The Negro Problem, Stew, and his writing partner Heidi Rodewald, The Total Bent traces the lives of an established Gospel and R&B singer (magnificently played by Robert Cornelius) and his upstart young son (a dazzling debut by Gilbert Domally) as they navigate show business and the total bent of their lives together and apart. Though closed now, this show was one of the finest productions Chicago has seen in many years, so keep your eyes peeled for a revival. Director Lili-Anne Brown does amazing work keeping the story and the tension moving. Teaser Alert: Robert Cornelius and Lili-Anne Brown will be our guests next time on Episode 96! Have you heard of the very smart fish that scientists think can recognize itself in a mirror? Until now, the only species to have passed the mirror test were great apes, bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, Eurasian magpies and a single Asian elephant. Add to that list the cleaner wrasse, a 4-inch fish that lives in coral reefs. Read the full story here. Along those lines, Gary wishes that some annoying theatergoers were more self-aware! A Caryl Churchill play called A Number is receiving a striking production at Writers Theatre this spring. Running through June 9 in the Gillian Theatre, this 65-minute show is about parenting, cloning and going back to try to fix mistakes in your life. Gary was a bit lost in the narrative at times, but the two performances by William Brown and Nate Burger are compelling. Directed by Robin Witt, it's a roller coaster ride through a strikingly familiar future. As always with Writers, the production values and quality are top-notch. You can't go wrong with an evening out at Writers Theatre. Former President Jimmy Carter has become the longest-living president in US history. This past week, Mr. Carter, the nation's 39th president, reached the age of 94 years and 172 days. He has enjoyed the longest post-presidency in American history. His tireless resolve and heart have helped to improve life for millions of the world's poorest people. God bless Mr. Carter and his continued work for those in need. I'll Be Seeing You (aka Kiss of Death) Stanley Donan - The director and choreographer of classic musicals such as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singin' in the Rain, Royal Wedding, The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. Mr. Donan was frequently overshadowed by his collaborator Gene Kelly, but they made a grand team. By 1960, the Metro musical was no more and Donan became an accomplished director of comedy, romance and spoof thrillers, such as Charade and Two for the Road. Mr. Donan was married five times and is survived by his long-time partner, the writer, director and actor Elaine May. Stanley Donan was 94. Read the full Guardian obit by David Thomson here.  

Theatre Communications Group exists to strengthen, nurture, and promote professional theatre in the U.S. and globally and Kathryn M. Lipuma is the Chair of TCG's Board of Directors. A past executive director of New York's Tony-winning Signature Theatre and current executive director of Chicago's Writers Theatre, Kate talks about her work for TCG, how she ended up in Chicago theatre, how the lessons learned locally can be shared nationally (and vice versa), gives a shoutout to Michael Halberstam's taste in kicks, reveals her Chicago roots, discusses the importance of the shared experience and establishing communities, how theatre connections can be made at sporting events, the rise of American Theatre (our industry's journal of record) and its companion website, how theatre contributes to the country's culture, and what theatre does as it approaches the crossroads of people's shifting relationships with the arts. (Length 23:50) The post Theatre Communications Group appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is getting an amazing production right now at the Writers Theatre in Chicago , directed by Ron OJ Parson and starring Tony-nominee Felicia P. Fields in the title role, and the four outstanding actors who play her musicians -- David Alan Anderson as Toledo, Kelvin Roston, Jr. as Levee, A.C. Smith as Slow Drag, and Alfred H. Wilson as Cutler (pictured above, left to right) -- sat down for a roundtable discussion about the roles they play; the extraordinary bond they've forged; comparisons to Shakespeare; dialogue as music and words turned into poetry; the familiarity of the characters; shout-outs to King Oliver and Buddy Bolden; strong communities; August Wilson's incredible legacy, the shape of his ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle, and his ability to turn innate speech into poetry and familiar characters into titans. A one an' a two…y'all know what to do… (Length 22:01) Photos by Michael Brosilow. Courtesy of Writers Theatre. The post ‘Ma Rainey's' Band appeared first on Reduced Shakespeare Company.

The endlessly fascinating Jennifer Engstrom graces us in the Booth today. Jen is a long-time ensemble member of A Red Orchid Theatre (as is our last guest, playwright Brett Neveu). She has appeared in over a dozen productions there and at many other great Chicago theaters (as well as in productions in London and New York). She grew up on a farm outside of Huxley, Iowa and made her way to the big city via the College of DuPage theatre program, where she soon became active in the speech department. And who coached and encouraged her in a career in the performing arts? None other than our own Frank Tourangeau! Frank was a professor and head of the speech department during Jennifer's time there and served as her mentor and teacher. Frank relates how he cast her in the play Whose Life is it Anyway? as the lead made famous on Broadway and the West End by Tom Conti, and revived some years later with Mary Tyler Moore in the starring role. By all accounts, Jen was luminous in the part. BTW, when Gary was working in Emanuel Azenberg's office, he was a stand-in for Tom Conti for several rehearsals on the Broadway production. In addition to her numerous acting roles, Jennifer has had an interesting career as an understudy around Chicago. We discuss her going on as Blanche DuBois at the last minute in a Writers Theatre production of A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by David Cromer. Though she knew the blocking and the lines well, her costumes had not been finished and there was a mad scramble to devise a proper wardrobe track for that performance (which Gary and producer Betsy were privileged to see!). She also stepped in for Amy Morton in the Steppenwolf Theatre production of Taylor Mac's HIR when Ms. Morton turned her ankle on stage prior to the first preview. Jennifer had learned all the lines and after a rushed blocking rehearsal, kept the curtain up for the first preview audience in stellar fashion. To quote the wonderful stage manager, Laura Glenn, "She was a total professional and I was so grateful she was there." Among Jennifer's favorite playwrights are Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee and newcomer Jen Silverman, whose play Witch will get a world premiere production at Writers Theatre in the fall. Two items of show biz interest - The Play That Goes Wrong is closing on Broadway in August. One of the most hilarious shows that Gary and Frank have ever seen, a national tour is scheduled so don't miss this gem of a show if it comes to your town. And the five-and-a-half hour adaptation of Roberto Bolano's mammoth novel 2066 can be seen on streaming video soon. In an unusual arrangement, a filmed version of the Goodman Theatre's production will be available free, unlimited streaming for at least two years. Frank was a big fan of this production. You may have to watch in installments given it's extraordinary length, but you're unlikely to see another production of it anywhere any time soon. Jennifer has created and performs a one-woman show called Excuse My Dust, A Dorothy Parker Portfolio, in which she embodies the writer and humorist in an evening of theatrical monologues from Parker's writings. Dorothy Parker was an original member of the Algonquin Round Table and a unique coiner of the cutting remark. Gary and Betsy are going to the Red Orchid spring fundraiser at which Jennifer is performing selections from Excuse My Dust. More to report on our next episode. We play a little Chat Pack with Jennifer and find that she would like to be a rock star for a month, a la Beyonce. And people often ask her how she learns all those lines! Kiss of Death: Anne V. Coates, Admired Editor of Acclaimed Movies One of the most celebrated film editors of her era, Ms. Coates won an Oscar for her work on Lawrence of Arabia directed by David Lean and starring Peter O'Toole. The film editor's craft is often called "the invisible art," but is one of the most vital ingredients in the alchemy of filmmaking.

It was thrilling to welcome to the Booth two of the stars and the Assistant Director of Writers Theatre's world premiere production of Trevor the Musical. Eli Tokash, who plays Trevor, is magnificent on stage and off. He just lights up the room. He has met his match with co-star, Tori Whaples, who is terrific as Cathy in the show. And what can we say about Tyrone Phillips, who is doing amazing and exciting work in every aspect of his career. Trevor began as a monologue written and performed by James Lecesne for his Drama Desk award-winning one man show Word of Mouth, directed by Eve Ensler and produced by Mike Nichols and Elaine May. He then adapted it into a screenplay for a short film directed by Peggy Rajski that won an an Oscar! Watch the film on YouTube here. This story, set in 1981, is about Trevor, an exuberant middle school kid who is wild for Diana Ross. He has a great "cool" friend, Pinky Faraday (Declan Desmond), who likes him a lot. When one of Pinky's friends insinuates Trevor may be gay, he tries to prove he's not by making out with Cathy, who has a huge crush on him. However, when Trevor's adoration for Pinky (documented in a notebook) is revealed to classmates by his best friend, Trevor gets bullied and shamed at school. Trevor's emerging sexuality is confusing for him and he is getting no support. This kid who is so full of light winds up attempting suicide. When James and the film's producers realized that a resource for kids dealing with the issues Trevor raises didn't exist, they started the Trevor Project, a life saving non-profit organization. The goals of the project are "to provide crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13–24, as well as to offer guidance and resources to parents and educators in order to foster safe, accepting and inclusive environments for all youth, at home and at school." Since it's inception in 1998, The Trevor Project has helped hundreds of thousands of kids. This world premiere musical is produced by Writers Theatre by special arrangement with U Rock Theatricals, a group of young producers making new shows aimed for Broadway. Director Marc Bruni has done a wonderful job of leading this tremendous ensemble and creating a vibrant and important piece that is full of so much heart. We are so lucky to have seen it here first and to have had a chance to talk with these three superstars. They give us an inside look at the process of creating a new musical. The immensely talented writing team of Julianne Wick Davis and Dan Collins were in the room for rehearsals. New pages every day, all different colors. Eli says their notebooks became a rainbow, "Pride scripts!" The Major Production Sponsor for this show is Booth One's friend and Creative Consultant, Mary Pat Studdert. Here's to Mary Pat for doing so much to make it happen. Eli, Tori and Tyrone tell us about director Marc Bruni's exciting and collaborative style. Tyrone talks about how professional this cast of young performers has been, calling them "the best in the business!"He says there was so much play in the room and it was all about them finding their voices. He goes on to say that this piece is about "anyone who has felt awkward, embarrassed or excluded. It's about being different, an outsider." We can all relate to that. Finally, learn some sort of random and fun things about our guests by listening to them answer a few Chat Pack questions.

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Gary welcomes actor, director, producer, choreographer, casting and teaching professional Stephen Schellhardt to the co-host chair of Booth One this week. Longtime listeners to the program may remember Stephen as a panel guest when we recorded our all-things Sondheim Episode 38 before a live audience at Writers Theatre. His recent production of Urinetown received glowing notices. See a review here. Stephen will next be seen as Melman the Giraffe in Madagascar The Musical at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, directed by friend of the show, episode 57 guest Rachel Rockwell. More details. Stephen is about to begin a position at Northwestern University where he'll be teaching Musical Theatre. We're going to put that knowledge to the test in this Episode 60! Gary and Producer Betsy just returned from a whirlwind trip to New York City where they saw 6 Broadway shows in 5 days! Here's a rundown of the cavalcade: Sweat - Terrific play with a fine ensemble cast. Khris Davis! This show will have a lot of legs on the regional circuit with one set and important timely subject matter. Sadly, the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play just closed in NY, but it will have a long and profitable life after Broadway. Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 - Lavish, interactive spectacle of a production, but we found it curiously un-engaging, despite having the best seats of our trip. Gary never found the emotional heart of the piece, though the last 20 minutes are very moving. Still, it's a long slog to get to those final moments and it's not a show we can highly recommend, except for the fact that you'll not see anything else as lavish as this anywhere, and Josh Groban is exceptional as Pierre. A Doll's House, Part 2 - Laurie Metcalf deserves all the acclaim she's received for this performance in Lucas Hnath's imaginative sequel to Ibsen's classic. The rest of the cast - Jane Houdyshell, Chris Cooper and Condola Rashad, all nominated for Tony's - round out this genuinely entertaining and thought-provoking dramedy. Maybe a bit too short and some unexplored themes, but it's for Metcalf that one should see this particular production. Gary likens her star turn to what it might have been like to see Hepburn or Davis on the stage in their heyday. A true American theater treasure! The Little Foxes - Seeing Laura Linney and Cynthia Nixon in this searing Lillian Hellman play was to see acting at it's finest. Perfectly cast and superbly staged, Gary and Betsy were also very impressed by Richard Thomas and Michael McKean's performances. We saw the version for which Linney and Nixon were nominated - Regina and Birdie respectively. Stephen comments that the two actresses believe this combination plays against their types. That's what acting is all about, and what a pair of powerhouse actors they are! As of this publication, this show is also now closed, but it's a theater-going memory that will live in our minds for a long time to come. Come From Away - Words cannot describe the heartfelt joy and spontaneous enthusiasm this show engendered in us. It's a musical that shouldn't really work, given its subject matter and minimalist plot. But it was perhaps our favorite show of the whole trip. This as well will play beautifully in "the provinces", and crowds should certainly adore it as much as the one on the night we saw it. A terrific score and fantastic staging. With a cast of ordinary-looking townsfolk and air passengers, the show utilizes just a single stationary set (with a small turntable), a couple of tables and a dozen or so chairs. When it comes to your town, run, don't walk to experience this gem of a musical! The cast album is on repeat in Stephen's car! The Play That Goes Wrong - For sheer fun and entertainment, here was a show that we went to on a whim with half-price tickets from the TKTS Booth. This play features a great ensemble of physical comedy actors and a set that fully deserves its Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.

We celebrate Booth One's 50th! episode with guest co-host, Jim Reho. For the past several years, Jim has resided in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the South Side and joins us to give a great tour. Learn more facts about Chicago's South Side. Jim reports on some of the highlights in his part of Chicago. For starters, check out some of the best thin crust pizza anywhere at Vito & Nick's, 84th & Pulaski. They have been around for 90 years! Another Reho favorite is a place that serves Korean/Polish cuisine. We are planning a "Roscoe at Large" visit to check out this great concept at Kimski! Read a 4 star review here. For excellent musical programming in a beautiful setting, hear a concert at Thalia Hall. Built in the 1890's as a replica of the Prague Opera House, it was one of the most ornate theaters of its time. Located in the Pilsen neighborhood, it has wonderful acoustics and you can even rent part of the balcony. Talk about Booth One! Check out the fascinating history. We are planning to see a show there and will report back. Between Christmas and New Years was the highest grossing week in Broadway history. 359,495 people saw a Broadway show that week. Jim talks about his favorite classic American musicals, including Carousel, a Booth One favorite. Listening to the original cast album the other night, Jim says there are 4 indelible songs he can list off the top of his head. He asks Gary if there are any songs in Hamilton that will live throughout history. Gary's response is there are probably half a dozen. Jim reveals that while he majored in English, his undergraduate minor was in - get this, the History of the American Musical Theatre! Gary reports on his trip to Writers Theatre to see East Texas Hot Links and says, "You will not see better acting anywhere...It is a powerful, bold and troubling statement. I couldn't recommend it more highly." Read one of the many rave reviews here. This Pulitzer Prize finalist was written by Eugene Lee and directed splendidly by Ron OJ Parson. Speaking of Ron, he's directed a production of Blues for An Alabama Sky, running now at the Court Theatre in Hyde Park. We are looking forward to a featuring the marvelous Court Theatre on an upcoming episode. Gary talks about the Kennedy Center Honors, which featured a stunning tribute to Mavis Staples by Bonnie Raitt and Andra Day, backed by a gospel choir. Read details here.  And watch President Obama's introduction here. Jim and Gary discuss Bonnie Raitt's lovely relationship with her father, John, who was the original Billy Bigalow in Carousel in 1945! See John and Bonnie sing a gorgeous duet of Hey There with the Boston Pops when he was 85. Another highlight of our winter theater season on Booth One was seeing The Christians at Steppenwolf. Gary and Jim talk about the fascinating questions the show raises about faith, death and forgiveness. Again, with crazy good acting - across the board! Chris Jones' review for the Chicago Tribune gives you a great sense of the play. Try to see it in person. Unforgettable! Gary calls for a sequel. Kiss of Death: Learn about Sister Francis Ann Carr, a powerful member of the Shaker community.  Read full obituary. From the Times Union obit, "The Shakers are a Christian religious group founded in 18th century in England. They practice a celibate and communal lifestyle, pacifism, and their model of equality of the sexes, which they institutionalized in their society in the 1780s, the group's website explains...They are also known for their simple living, architecture, and furniture." The Shakers offered homes to children or families who had nowhere else to go. Sister Francis was one of the last three practicing Shakers in her communal village.

Gary and Roscoe return once more to the friendly confines of Steppenwolf Theatre to chat with two of the creative geniuses behind a terrific new play, Byhalia, Mississippi, now getting a remounted production through August 21st at the 1700 Theatre, under the auspices of Steppenwolf's Visiting Company Initiative. Playwright Evan Linder and Director Tyrone Phillips share their thoughts on the creative process of crafting a play, working organically with actors and designers, growing up in the South, their first experiences in the theatre, and the themes addressed in Byhalia, Mississippi. Evan is a founding member and the Co-Artistic Director of The New Colony theatre company. He works as a playwright, actor and director and teaches playwriting at the University of Chicago. Evan grew up in Memphis, TN, just a few miles up the road from Byhalia, and is a graduate of the College of Charleston in South Carolina.  Other works include 11:11, Frat, The Warriors, B-Side Studio and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, which was named Best Overall Production at the 2012 NYC International Fringe Festival, and enjoyed an off-Broadway run as part of Soho Playhouse's 2012-13 season. Tyrone is the founding Artistic Director of Definition Theatre Company and has served on the artistic staff of Writers Theatre. Named by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as one of the "Hot New Faces of 2015", Tyrone is a graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In addition to his rising acclaim as a director, he is an accomplished actor, with credits from Definition, Steppenwolf, Windy City Playhouse, Prologue Theatre Company and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Byhalia, Mississippi is a play about forgiveness, acceptance, love and the very core ideas of family. Jim and Laurel Parker are about to become new parents. They are broke. They are loud. They are "proud white trash." When Laurel gives birth to their long overdue child, she and Jim are faced with the biggest challenges of their lives. Byhalia, Mississippi explores a couple in the midst of turmoil and a town with a racially-charged past that finds its way into the present. Gary calls it the "finest new play he's seen in a very long time." Right up there with Stephen Karam's The Humans. Tyrone refers to it as "a future classic." All agree that this play will find a wider audience and that many productions across the country are in the offing. Listeners, please keep your eyes peeled for a new production happening near you. This is one theatrical experience you won't want to miss. Kiss of Death: Marni Nixon, Hollywood's leading "Ghost Singer" in the 1950s and 60s. It's her crystalline soprano that pours from the mouths of Deborah Kerr in The King and I, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, among dozens of others. Because Hollywood didn't want audiences to know its stars couldn't sing, Nixon's contributions went uncredited. For singing the part of Anna in the film and recording of The King and I, she received a total of $420! Ms. Nixon, who continued singing into her 80s, eventually came to regard her heard-but-not-seen life with affection, touring the country in her one-woman show "Marni Nixon: The Voice of Hollywood", and writing a memoir in 2006 titled "I Could Have Sung All Night." Ghost singers, once a Hollywood mainstay, have now, for the most part, become ghosts themselves. Marni Nixon, one of Hollywood's unseen stars, was 86. Read full Bio here

Roscoe ventures out on the town to bring us this lively episode of conversation about theatre, cabaret and Stephen Sondheim. We get his impressions of what's new and exciting, as well as a perspective on some old favorites. Then stay tuned for our live podcast from Writers Theatre and their Sunday Spotlight focused on Company! Photo at left shows us making the magic with a very smart and savvy audience. First, Roscoe tells us about War Paint, the world premiere musical at the Goodman Theatre, starring Broadway veterans Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole.Written and directed by the creative team that brought the world Grey Gardens, this show tells the stories of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, who defined beauty standards for the first half of the 20th Century. Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country’s first major female entrepreneurs. They were also fierce competitors, whose 50-year tug-of-war would give birth to a major industry. From Fifth Avenue society to the halls of Congress, their rivalry was relentless and legendary—pushing both women to build international empires in a world dominated by men. Hear what Roscoe has to say about this new musical, as well as some reviewer comments from The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. Read full NYT review here Next up, Roscoe fills us in on his cabaret experience seeing the legendary Andrea Marcovicci at Davenport's. With a career spanning four decades, Ms. Marcovicci is a Queen of the Cabaret, and an accomplished stage and film actress. At 67, does she still have what it takes to enthrall a room? Roscoe gives us his verdict... We revisit the national tour of The Book of Mormon, now playing in Chicago at the ingloriously named Private Bank Theatre (we just call it the Shubert). After five years, how does this religious satire musical with book, lyrics, and music by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone hold up in this rapidly changing world of mores and tastes? Roscoe at Large shares his full theatregoing experience with you. As an added bonus this week, we bring you an excerpt from a pre-show Sunday Spotlight live podcast recording Gary and Roscoe made at the new Writers Theatre. Our guest panelist is Stephen Schellhardt, Associate Producer and Casting Director for Writers. Our topic? Stephen Sondheim and the recent production of Company, now playing through August 7. Read more here. We have great fun in front of a roomful of well-informed theatre patrons, and you'll want to play along with our Sondheim Trivia game. Our thanks to Stephen and artistic director Michael Halberstam for inviting us to their Writers home for this Booth One presentation. Our Kiss of Death segment this week profiles Betsy Bloomingdale, Socialite and Celebrated Hostess to Dignitaries and Royalty. The wife of the department store heir Alfred S. Bloomingdale, Betsy lived in palatial homes, shopped for $20,000 Paris couture gowns, attended the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, and dined regularly with Ronald and Nancy Reagan, becoming known as "the first friend of the first lady". She grew up surrounded by Hollywood royalty - Cary Grant, James Stewart, Merle Oberon - and lived in the exclusive Holmby Hills section of Los Angeles where her neighbors over the years were Barbara Stanwyck, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. She kept diaries of the lavish dinner parties she gave, and took photographs of table settings to avoid using the same one twice. Mrs. Bloomingdale was perennially on the list of the world's best-dressed women. She was 93 years old. Read full obit here.  

(http://www.advanceyourart.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/imgres.jpg) Kevin Depinet (http://www.kevindepinetstudio.com/) is a Chicago based Set designer. He has designed shows for Steppenwolf, The Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, The National Theatre of Great Britain, The Royal George Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The McCarter Theatre, The Court Theatre, The Arden Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory, Denver Theatre Center, Writers Theatre, Drury Lane, Yale Repertory, Indiana Repertory, American Players Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Mark Taper Forum, Glimmer Glass Opera, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, The Paramount Theatre, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatists, and Saint Louis Repertory Theatre. He also designed scenery for Michael Mann’s Film Public Enemies (Universal Studios). He was the Associate designer for the original tony award winning August: Osage County and recently Mother Fucker with a Hat, and Of Mice and Men on Broadway. Kevin Will be designing Bob Falls Iceman Cometh at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this winter and Recently designed Detroit at London's National Theatre. He is also an adjunct professor of design at DePaul University. He studied at Ball State University and the Yale School of Drama. Kevin Depinet has numerous upcoming productions lined up this year including La Boheme at Glimmerglass Opera Co. in June, Ragtime National tour in October, and many more. To learn more, visit his personal website at www.kevindepinetstudio.com (http://www.kevindepinetstudio.com/) . http://xlscenic.com (http://xlscenic.com/) / XL Scenic is a Chicago based stage design production company founded by two award winning theatrical scenic designers, Kevin Depinet and Todd Rosenthal, to create unique, immersive theatrical environments that enthrall and teach. Kevin Depinet's successful examples Les Miserables at Paramount Theatre directed by Jim Corti "This is mostly due to a truly breathtaking setting from Kevin Depinet — who treats the ever-willing Paramount like it's Peter Gelb's Metropolitan Opera" - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune "The production’s staggeringly grand and complex set, the work of Kevin Depinet and Jeffrey D. Kmiec (wonderfully lit by Jesse Klug), sets the tone. With a turntable sage, a sweeping staircase that at moments rotates into a massive city wall, and a giant “halo” suspended from the rafters that serves as a revolving catwalk, it suggests the nine circles of Hell as described by Dante." - Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times http://www.kevindepinetstudio.com/#/les-miserables/ (http://www.kevindepinetstudio.com/#/les-miserables/) MythBusters Exhibition Behind the Scenes: Design and Graphics Accustomed to working with theater sets, Todd Rosenthal, John Dalton and Kevin Depinet describe the particular challenges -- and advantages -- of designing MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition. https://youtu.be/2Yri5TkYbpo (https://youtu.be/2Yri5TkYbpo) MARY POPPINS | KEVIN DEPINET INTERVIEW Kevin Depinet talks about the creative process and how he managed many renowned shows at the Paramount Theatre in Chicago, including Marry Poppins, Cats, . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m-Bo58H9A0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m-Bo58H9A0) Podcast file Show Notes How Kevin Depinet would introduce himself in a party [00:00] Kevin Depinet's advice on how to pull a successful networking [00:55] The story behind how Kevin Depinet became a set designer [01:57] Inspirations from education guidance [03:18] Interest in business aside from theatre training [04:50] Influences to get in to business [05:13] Entrepreneurial skills he learned [05:59] The power of people management [06:13] Experiential Learning after finishing school [07:20] How Kevin Depinet established his personal and professional growth with great opportunities [08:00] Suggested practices for overcoming fears [09:46] Kevin...

Gary and Roscoe weren't able to get Blanche, Willy, George or Martha on the show this week, so they have to depend on the kindness of strangers. More on that in a minute, but first.... The strangest stranger of all, Carly "Lilith" Fiorina, took only 6 days to bring Ted Cruz's presidential campaign to ruin - 5 years and 357 days less than it took her to destroy HP! Like a bad penny, she keeps turning up. Won't surprise the boys if she is Trump's VP choice. Watch Carly do a disappearing act as she falls from the stage at a Cruz rally recently. Talk about taking a dive!  Video here. Sheridan Smith, star of Funny Girl on the West End in London, has been missing performances and is now on a leave of absence from the show. Rumors abound as to why and for how long, but unkind media and Twitter posts have fanned the flames. Roscoe and Gary are hoping to see this show on Broadway next year, but this could be a blow to the chances of seeing Ms. Smith in the Fanny Brice role. Read more about these happenings and what her understudy has to say in this Daily Mail article. read more here We look back with amazement on our astonishing good luck and fortune during our recent trip to New York, not only spending time with Chita Rivera (listen to Episode 32 for the full Booth One interview), but getting into a sold out Hamilton! The odds of both happening are astronomical. Have a Booth One Experience you'd like to share? Go to Booth-One.com and post something on our website and we'll share it on the air! Gary and Roscoe venture up to the new Writers Theatre building to see Death of a Streetcar Named Virginia Woolf: A Parody, created in collaboration with Chicago's Second City. go to website  Clever and hilarious, the show features a stellar performance by one of our favorite stage actresses Jennifer Engstrom as Blanche DuBois. Read full Bio Match wits and picks with Gary and Roscoe as we make our predictions for the 2016 Tony Awards! Is Hamilton a lock for every category? Is The Humans the best play of the season? Arthur Miller or Eugene O'Neill as Best Play Revival? Make you own selections here and watch the Tony Awards on Sunday, June 12 to see who's the smartest in the land. World's oldest living person dies - again! 116-year-old Susannah Jones was the last living American who was verified to have been born before 1900 (July 6, 1899). The title of OLP now belongs to Italian Emma Morano, born in November of 1899, the last verified person alive to have been born in the nineteenth century. God speed, Susannah, and may we all live as long! Read about her on Wiki. Tune into our next Booth One Episode when we'll be talking with noted Chicago photographer Marc Hauser in his West Side studio. Marc has taken iconic photos of Micheal Jordan, Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, George Burns, Dennis Rodman and a host of other celebrities and world-famous faces. We're looking forward to an in-depth and candid visit with Mr. Hauser. Go to Website Kiss of Death - Sylvia Kauders, Late-Blooming Actress: Ms. Kauders had worked for 30 years as the Special Events Director of the City of Philadelphia when she decided to pursue her first love of acting at the age of 60. She became a familiar face to film and television viewers , playing scores of small but memorable roles in Witness, American Splendor, Analyze That, Crimes and Misdemeanors, The Sopranos and Inside Llewyn Davis. Her Broadway debut was in Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy, but her favorite role was that of Bubbie, the grandmother in the Jewish Repertory Theater production of Crossing Delancy. Sylvia Kauders was 94. Read the full NYTimes obituary here.                  

"Meet Gary who's lived most everywhere, from NYC to Lincoln Square. But Roscoe's only seen the sights a boy can see from Ashland heights. What a crazy pair!" Our revised lyrics to The Patty Duke Show theme song are an opening homage to the great Patty Duke who passed away this week. Oscar winner at 16 for The Miracle Worker, and recipient of three Emmy Awards, Ms. Duke also starred in the truly awful Valley of the Dolls. An astounding career and a brave lady. read full bio We celebrate our 30th episode with fun facts from 30 years ago, 1986: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated for the first time, the Iran-Contra affair was tops in the news, Top Gun is the highest grossing film of the year, and more. The last thing Gary needs is a safe haven for sharks. Lo and behold, Ecuador has created a shark sanctuary off the Galapagos Islands the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. National Geographic story Would that someone would create a non-shark ocean sanctuary for Gary! In Chicago news, you'll hear about the curious case of Dennis Nicholl, who used an electronic jamming device on the Chicago subway to block cell phone signals in an attempt to get some peace and quiet on his commute. While we totally support his motives, the Chicago PD were not so forgiving. Full Story Hoping to avoid jail time, he's entered a counseling program to deal with his "problems". To Roscoe, he's a national hero. We share some public transportation horror stories. Perhaps the greatest April Fool's hoax ever perpetrated came from the BBC in 1957 - a report on the bumper spaghetti crop in Italy! Watch this fabulous video of the full original report. Joke's on You As discussed in Episode 28, Roscoe's mother saved many of his boyhood outfits in their original store-bought packaging. Now we have conclusive evidence. Exhibit A..........Roscoe's Cub Scout Uniform with a tiny snapshot of him wearing it as a youngster. Kind of gets you all misty-eyed, doesn't it? In addition, Roscoe tells a remarkable story about his brush with the Boy Scouts and his school testing him for a gifted student program in 3rd grade. Booth One wishes all the best to retiring Goodman Theatre stage manager Joe Drummond. After 42 years and 133 Goodman productions, Joe is hanging up his stopwatch and prompt books. Good luck, Joe, and thanks for all the tremendous work over the years. read more Sadly, Barbara Cook has postponed the entire New York engagement of her scheduled one-woman show Then and Now, co-written with James Lapine and directed by Tommy Tune. see more at Playbill.com Gary and Roscoe already had tickets and were looking forward to a Booth One experience with Ms. Cook. Here's hoping that the show will  get mounted somewhere one day soon. Gary tempts Roscoe with visions of comfort and luxury by featuring two decadent extravagances - a three-floor penthouse for sale in the Plaza Hotel in New York see more; and the newest thing in bedding/clothing hybrids, the Suvet, a cross between a duvet and a suit. Feel like you never even got out of bed!! Click here if you dare!               In Theatre news, we profile our experiences at Arcadia at Writers Theatre and at The Flick at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Both productions are excellent and engaging, and both feature stellar casts! We wouldn't expect anything less from the outstanding cultural community that is Chicago theatre. Read more about Arcadia here and The Flick here and get yourself to these shows if you can. It's worth the trip from anywhere.             A new segment debuts in this episode - Recipe of the Week, where we provide our listeners with a tasty and savory new recipe to try. This week, Cassia's Vietnamese Coffee Pudding!                                                           Heat, eat and enjoy! Full Recipe Here Kiss Of Death - Shannon Bolin, Actress who starred in Damn Yankees read about the show. Ms.

Happy New Year, Podcast listeners! Welcome to 2016 and a special episode of BOOTH ONE. Frequent listeners of our show will be familiar with Writers Theatre of Glencoe, IL [check out the Writers website], where Gary and Roscoe have seen some marvelous productions of dramatic and musical literature over the years. We recently had the great good fortune to sit down with Writers founder and Artistic Director, Michael Halberstam to discuss a wide range of topics, including the new multi-theatre complex scheduled to open in March 2016. Learn more. Michael talks about Writers' history and future, the relationship between audience and actor, what makes great theatre, scale and intimacy, his strongest influences and the crucial role of art and artists in the 21st Century. We discuss Michael's recent collaboration with Tyrone Phillips and the wonderful new Definition Theatre Company read more here, and why mentoring and giving back to new generations of theatre artists is so vital to the culture. We hope you enjoy Michael's eloquence and candor in this insightful and entertaining conversation! We also encourage you to attend a Writers Theatre production when in the Chicago area. Writers inaugural productions for the new theatre facility:

Isaac's Eye at Writers Theatre, Death Tax at Lookingglass Theatre by Dueling Critics

Kelly and Jonathan wax presidential and debate Capitalism vs. Communism over "The President" at Oracle Productions in Lakeview. Kelly also recommends "The Dance of Death" at Writers Theatre and "Our Class" at Remy Bumppo.

Stage Direction, Chicago Style: On October 18, 2010, SDCF hosted a sixty-minute discussion on Stage Direction, Chicago Style at Steppenwolf Theatre moderated by Sheldon Patinkin and featuring panelists Seth Bockley, Timothy Douglas, Gary Griffin, Kimberly Senior and Dennis Zacek. The panel discusses Chicago's actor-based process, from actor-based companies such as Lookingglass to the exploratory rehearsal process embraced by Chicago directors. Topics include the influence of Second City, the dynamic system of mentorship amongst Chicago directors and the sense that in Chicago one is "allowed to fail." This conversation gives an inspiring look at one of the country's great theatre cities and the values it runs on. Afterward, David Cromer presented the 2010 Zelda Fichandler Award to director Michael Halberstam of Writers' Theatre. Originally recorded - October 18, 2010. Running Time - 1:24:47 © 2010 SDCF

How do you make it funny? Director William Brown and cast members Laura Rook and Nate Burger join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the comedy - verbal, physical and situational - in Writers Theatre's production of David Ives play, The Liar, adapted from Pierre Corneille's 17th century script.

How and why might a theatre start a two-way conversation with its audience beyond the traditional talk-back? Stuart Carden, Associate Artistic Director at Writers' Theatre, joins Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about Writers' "The Making of" series.

Education and outreach are a big part of what many Chicago theatres do. Three leaders in this field -- Hallie Gordon (Artistic and Education Director For Young Adults at Steppenwolf Theatre), Marilyn Halperin (Director of Education and Communications at Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Nicole O'Connell (Director of Education at Writers Theatre) -- join Anne Nicholson Weber to discuss how and why their theatres are reaching out to teachers and students in the Chicago public schools.

This week's podcast features three members of the cast of A Little Night Music currently playing at Writers' Theatre. Shannon Cochran, Deanna Dunagan and Tiffany Scott join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the developmental phases of an actress' career and the challenges and joys of playing a scaled-down, intimate version of Sondheim's masterpiece.

Kimberly Senior directed the production of Harold Pinter's Old Times that is currently playing at Strawdog Theatre. Ron OJ Parson is directing the production of Pinter's The Caretaker that will open at Writers' Theatre in a few weeks. They join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the distinctive challenges of precision, rhythm and open-endedness that characterize Pinter's work.

This week's podcast focuses on Writers Theatre. Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn Lipuma talk with Anne Nicholson Weber about the company's beginnings in the back of a North Shore bookstore; the philosophy and strategy that have shaped its culture; and new opportunities arising as the company embarks on its 20th season.

On October 18, 2010, SDCF hosted a sixty-minute discussion on Stage Direction, Chicago Style at Steppenwolf Theatre moderated by Sheldon Patinkin and featuring panelists Seth Bockley, Timothy Douglas, Gary Griffin, Kimberly Senior and Dennis Zacek. The panel discusses Chicago's actor-based process, from actor-based companies such as Lookingglass to the exploratory rehearsal process embraced by Chicago directors. Topics include the influence of Second City, the dynamic system of mentorship amongst Chicago directors and the sense that in Chicago one is "allowed to fail." This conversation gives an inspiring look at one of the country's great theatre cities and the values it runs on. Afterward, David Cromer presented the 2010 Zelda Fichandler Award to director Michael Halberstam of Writers' Theatre.

Writers' Theatre season, Victory Gardens Movies, and more. Chicago's Theatre News is hosted by Dustin Mote