Podcasts about yale drama school

In this episode, I interview the talented Tony Shalhoub. He is best known for his iconic role as Adrian Monk in the hit series “Monk”, where he received multiple Emmy nominations and wins, a Golden Globe Award, and two SAG awards. He also starred as Abe Weissman in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," where he won a Primetime Emmy Award and two further SAG awards. We talk about how Monk changed Tony's life, and how playing the Obsessive-Compulsive Detective lead him to experience similar traits in his own life. We also delve into the behind the scenes of both Monk and the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and what it was like working in television. We talk about how Tony got into acting while studying at the University of Wisconsin, and how this led to him studying in Maine and the Yale Drama School. From here, we talk about his theater career, including a stint in Cambridge before moving to New York City, and eventually landing his breakout role on “Wings”. Get full show notes and more information here: https://jackiedecrinis.com/103-tony-shalhoubs-journey-through-theater-television-and-film/

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

Grappling with My Biracial Identity.In this two-part episode of “At the Podium,” I sit down with LeRoy McClain. An award-winning actor who has distinguished himself On and Off Broadway, and in television shows such as And Just Like That (in the role of Andre Rashad Wallace) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (in the role of Shy Baldwin) and the feature film Respect (in the role of Cecil Franklin).In Part II Grappling with My Biracial Identity we examine LeRoy's origin story and the man beneath the success. LeRoy and I look back at his time at our shared alma mater Yale Drama School which he refers to as one of the roughest, yet most important times of his life. We learn how he had to navigate the complexities of growing up a biracial child in England and Hawaii. And how the murder of George Floyd brought into LeRoy's family life the contentious dialogue about race, responsibility and representation that was being fought for out on the streets of America in 2020. These questions of race and racial identity were inevitable, because, As LeRoy says, growing up he didn't get to choose despite having a white, English mother because “As society views me… I am a black man.”In the midst of it all, LeRoy is still able to acknowledge how lucky and blessed his life has been. He graciously gives flowers to the people in his life and career who not only believed in him along the way but gave him the opportunities to be who is and to work (gifts from God to any actor or artist).For more information contact Patrick at patrick@patrickhueyleadership.com

Tony and Jay meet for the first time. We talk about the depth of his character, Primo, in “The Big Night” and why Jay can't find that depth in real like. We also chat about growing up the 9th of 10 kids, the acting scene in Green Bay, WI., tailoring Monk for Tony, auditioning, the struggles of being an actor, & Tony's biggest mistake which lead to his greatest joy, acting in Italian, being a creative producer, the magic of connection in live performance, and why we both wish we were Richard Kind.Bio: Tony Shalhoub is a Tony Award, Golden Globe Award and four-time Emmy Award winning actor with a diverse and extensive resume. Most recently, he returned to the iconic role of the beloved obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in Peacock's critically acclaimed Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie receiving ‘Best Actor' in a ‘Limited Series or Television Movie' nominations from the SAG and Critics Choice Awards. Shalhoub was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His father emigrated from Lebanon to the United States as an orphan at age eight. Shalhoub's mother was also Lebanese. Tony spent most of his early acting career in the theater, after graduating from Yale Drama School in 1980. From 1980-1984 Tony was part of the company with the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, before moving to New York. He met his wife Brooke Adams in 1990 while working together in The Heidi Chronicles. Prior to the Monk movie, Shalhoub portrayed Abe Weissman on Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, for which he has won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and two SAG awards for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series. Most recently he received his third Primetime Emmy nomination for his role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. On the Broadway stage, Shalhoub most recently starred in David Cromer's The Band's Visit at The Ethel Barrymore Theater, winning a Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Prior to that, Tony starred in Terry Kinney's revival of Arthur Miller's The Price opposite Mark Ruffalo and Danny DeVito. Tony's other theater work includes starring in the Broadway productions of Act One, Golden Boy and Conversation With My Father, receiving Tony Award nominations for each performance. Tony also appeared opposite Diane Lane in Lincoln Center's Off-Broadway production of The Mystery of Love & Sex. Tony Shalhoub is perhaps best known for his work as Adrian Monk in the hit USA Network television series Monk where he was Emmy-nominated for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series' for eight consecutive years (2003 to 2010), winning in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Additionally, Shalhoub won a Golden Globe Award and two SAG Awards for his work on the show. Other notable TV credits include ‘Antonio Scarpacci' in Wings, Braindead, Stark Raving Mad, Too Big Too Fail and Nurse Jackie, Shalhoub's film credits include Eva Longoria's Flamin' Hot, The Assignment, Pain & Gain, The Men In Black franchise, Galaxy Quest, The Siege, The Man Who Wasn't There, Big Night, Barton Fink as well as voicing the character of ‘Luigi' in the CARS franchise and ‘Master Splinter' in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

Charlie talks live with legendary actor Henry Winkler at a Bookmarks event about his new best-selling memoir Being Henry: The Fonz . . . And Beyond. They talk about dyslexia, Yale Drama School, TV and stage acting, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, behind the scenes stories, life lessons, and, of course, Arthur Fonzarelli.

Adit joins the show to talk about his career, love for cryptocurrency and more! ***********Unconventional in reel & real life, Adit Dileep is an actor, writer, producer and former investment banker.Born in Bangalore, India, his parents named him Aditya, which means The Sun, a name he aspires and grows towards. His family is made up of his mother and father and his older sister, Divya.At age two, his family moved to Singapore for his father's IT profession, and his mother gave up her position as a Journalist interviewing Indian Celebrities for India Today. His family moved throughout their eight years in Singapore, and moved again to the United States before Y2K.After settling in Bridgewater, New Jersey, Aditya, now 10 years old and fresh off the boat, had to start over. Upon learning that nobody on the school bus could pronounce this new boy's name, some student called him "Adit," and it stuck.Adit wanted to be an actor, but nobody really knew what he meant or why he had such crazy ideas. When it came time for him to go to college, his parents banned him from applying to art school and gave him three options: medicine, law or engineering. Never one to give in to authority, Adit chose business school, thinking he could learn how to be self-sufficient and run his own brand and company.Adit went on to be accepted in the Scholar's Program at NYU Stern Business School. Fun fact, Aziz Ansari followed the exact same path. While Aziz went straight into comedy after graduating, Adit took jobs in various different sectors within Marketing, Startups, Publishing and of course, Accounting and Finance. He graduated with a B.S. in Finance & Marketing and, still at a loss for how to make his dreams come true, took the highest paying job he could find in investment banking.Two years later, he saved up enough to quit and educate himself on the industry. Bright-eyed and idealistic, Adit printed out Yale Drama School's syllabus and crafted his own curriculum with reputable studios and teachers in New York City. Adit got his first big break with a role in Mystic India: The World Tour in 2015, voicing and narrating a script he wrote himself and performing around the U.S. and Europe.The show got Adit his first Manager, and a few Managers later he booked his first Equity show at Hudson Stage Company in NY, NY followed by long-term theatre contracts at the renown Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, MN and McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. These projects earned Adit his first round of Agency meetings, and he couldn't be happier to sign with Artists & Representatives FKA Stone Manners Salners in NY and LA.He continues to work with Artists & Representatives to this day, along with MKSD Management and Innovative Artists NY for Commercial and VoiceOver.Theatre "Disgraced" (Guthrie Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center), "Animals Out of Paper"(Hudson Stage Company)TV Appearances on "Billions" (Showtime), "Succession" (HBO), "Law & Order: SVU" (NBC), "Brown Nation" (Netflix), "Shades of Blue" (NBC), "Deadbeat" (Hulu), "Breakfast in Bangalore" (Amazon Prime)Film "The Sound of Silence" (Sundance 2019) "Magic Hour" starring Miriam Shor (2020)Commercial Work: Coinmaster - with Emily Ratajkowski, American Express , Brooks Brothers, WeWork, Geico, Grammarly, Jersey Mike's, Denny's, Wealthsimple, JC Penney, Pandora, Google, Trojan, PWC, Optimum, Carl's Jr.

“And the moment when she admitted that she had been wrong, that was the greatest healing moment for me of all. And that would never have happened had I not written the memoir, had I not been sort seeking her out asking her lots of questions, details of fights that they had why they fell in love, how they fell in love, what her doubts were. And then there was that moment where she sent me that brief email where she affirmed his essential goodness, his essential integrity and his worth as a father, which was so important to me. And essentially saying she married him in large part because she so desperately wanted to have children. And at that, in that era, she was 27, I think, or 28 when she married him, which for a girl who came from the Midwest was very late especially. And she had gone through and then went through all this trauma. She had three miscarriages. She had something wrong with her uterus, she had to have surgery. So I was the fourth pregnancy that my parents had, and that's why they went ahead and had another baby so quickly with my sister 14 months later. And I think she just saw immediately that not only would my father be an incredible parent, but also he would be the kind of parent that a working woman, the dream parent for a working woman, because he wanted to do all that stuff that not only did she not have time to do, but she really didn't have any inclination to do playing with us, the imaginative play, taking us out on the weekends. I mean, my father, I don't think I ever, in my entire life, had a moment where I looked at my father and thought He's tired of us, or he's exhausted, he's bored with us. He wants to get back to his adult things every instant that he was with us, I felt him completely engaged. And to use your word from earlier, completely enthusiastic.” So says Priscilla Gilman, author, critic, and former professor of English literature at Vassar College and Yale University. In her first book, The Anti-Romantic Child: A Memoir of Unexpected Joy, Priscilla writes of the challenges and delights of raising her son Benjamin, who is autistic. Her newest work,The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir, is another family story—this time a searching reflection of her relationship with her esteemed, brilliant, and complicated father, the late theater critic and professor at Yale Drama School, Richard Gilman.  Though the world knew him as an exacting and confrontational critic, Priscilla and her sister knew their father as the adoring, playful parent who regularly entered their childish worlds, delighting in their company and imaginative pastimes. This father-daughter connection was forever changed, however, by her parent's separation. At the age of 10, she witnessed her father fall—into shame and depression—which forced her to reckon with the lasting wounds marital dissolution could leave on a person, and a family. The book, filled with honest and painful stories of learning to see her father for who he truly was, expertly captures the universal experience of coming to terms with one's parents as flawed, complicated people and then choosing to admire and respect them anyway. Our conversation explores what it was like to be raised surrounded by creatives and critics, the difficulties of being thrust into the role of parenting your own parents, and the gifts and complications that come from endeavoring to truly know those we love the most.  MORE FROM PRISCILLA GILMAN: Read The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir and The Anti-Romantic Child: A Memoir of Unexpected Joy Explore Priscilla's Website Follow her on Twitter and Instagram To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You don't have to be a standup comedian to love Robert Klein.  My friends and I listened to his comedy albums religiously and knew the routines cold.  During one interview with Robert years later, I recalled an old, great bit of his that he had actually forgotten, not uncommon in the admirer/artist relationship.  But the fact of the matter is that the generation of top stand-ups who came after Robert Klein...Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Paul Reiser...all revered him and have often cited him as one of the main inspirations for getting into the crazy world of comedy.  It's been quite a career, from the Borscht Belt to Broadway, HBO specials, Second City, the Yale Drama School and so many nights sitting on the couch talking to Johnny when a shot on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was, as Paul Reiser beautifully puts it, the "currency" for being a comedian.  As Robin Williams memorably introduced Robert Klein at one of the Comic Relief shows, "the sensei."  Enjoy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to this week's True Fiction Project Podcast. Today we are joined by award-winning playwright and actor, Ellen McLaughlin. Ellen joins me to discuss her many pieces of work throughout her career and the project she just completed with the Play On Podcasts series. She describes the incredible experiences of being around someone while they encounter extraordinary joy and the impact of that on individuals. Ellen talks about the connection she believes all artists should have to their work. At the end of the episode, we get the pleasure of listening to Ellen's short story titled Witness to the Joy of Strangers. IN THIS EPISODE: [1:11] Introducing Ellen McLaughlin and her work with Play On Podcasts. [6:52] What about the Shakespeare play Ellen worked on that resonated with her? [13:05] When Ellen is creating her art, is she always thinking about a real-life moment or is it happenstance?  [17:45] Ellen gives us an insight into her short story.  [22:07] Short Story Witness to the Joy of Strangers by Ellen McLaughlin KEY TAKEAWAYS: People need to recognize that they are privileged to be a bystander and to witness a revelation that one has when they discover their passion. To take in their joy even without necessarily being a part of it is a memorable experience.  Someone cannot make something worthwhile unless they have something on the line. If the story means something to them, you can feel the passion in the piece. Without it being worthwhile to them, it risks falling flat.  A person will work harder and be more involved in a project if they have passion behind it. If there is no passion, choose a different project that will showcase the passion for the work.   Fiction Credits: Short story written and read by: Ellen McLaughlin BIO: Ellen McLaughlin's plays have received numerous national and international productions. They include Days and Nights Within, A Narrow Bed, Infinity's House, Iphigenia, and Other Daughters, Tongue of a Bird, The Trojan Women, Helen, The Persians, Oedipus, Ajax in Iraq, Kissing the Floor, Septimus and Clarissa, and Penelope. Producers include: the Public Theater, The National Actors' Theater and New York Theater Workshop in NYC, Actors' Theater of Louisville, The Actors' Gang L.A., Classic Stage Co., N.Y., The Intiman Theater, Seattle, Almeida Theater, London, The Mark Taper Forum, L.A., The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Getty Villa, California., and The Guthrie Theater, Minnesota, among other venues. Grants and awards include Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, Great American Play Contest, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the NEA, the Writer's Award from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, the Berilla Kerr Award for playwriting. T.C.G./Fox Residency Grant -- for Ajax in Iraq, written for the A.R.T. Institute. She has taught playwriting at Barnard College since 1995. Other teaching posts include Breadloaf School of English, Yale Drama School, and Princeton University, among others. Ms. McLaughlin is also an actor. She is most well known for having originated the part of the Angel in Tony Kushner's Angels in America, appearing in every U.S. production from its earliest workshops through its Broadway run. Ellen McLaughlin Website Ellen McLaughlin Facebook  This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind: Try it today by going to https://www.magicmind.co/tfp and use my code "TFP20" for 20% off all orders or for a limited time 40% off a subscription.Our Sponsors:* Check out HelloFresh and use my code 50truefictionproject for a great deal: https://www.hellofresh.com/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Threading the NeedleRegina Bain was the first guest that I interviewed for Season One of At the Podium. She was the logical choice to step to the mic for that first episode. In my mind Regina was and remains the embodiment of the underlying ethos of the show: there is magic and richness to be found in taking a leap of faith into the unknown and saying “yes” to life's unexpected turns. She had lived her life with that principle when she left Florida and moved to New Haven, CT to attend Yale University as an undergraduate and then graduate student. She stepped into a new career path early on from our Yale Drama School acting years when she answered a call for the Posse Foundation and became their national trainer.  At Posse, she would spend 16 years of her career mentoring and guiding young high school students into universities across the country to pursue their academic dreams. Ultimately, she rose to the level of Associate Vice President of the organization. When we sat down during the height of the Pandemic in 2021, she had recently left Posse and joined the Louis Armstrong House Museum & Archives as their executive director. Again, reinventing herself. I also wanted to start the show with Regina, because she comfortably holds complex thoughts, speaks in artistic metaphors and despite all the business successes she has earned through her life, she still views herself as an artist. A dancer to be exact. In short, she is my kind of multi-hyphenate. As we start Season Two of At the Podium, Regina and I cover broad topics of the day: January 6, 2021, the beauty of black women and the essential role they play in todays and yesterday's social fabric, and yes Will Smith and Chris Rock. We discuss her learnings during the two years of the Pandemic. The importance and necessity of family. When to raise our voices in support of our beliefs, and the willingness to bear the resulting consequences of speaking out. The fragility of life itself and yet the need to live fully. The embracing of melancholy that can be found in Florida's gray skies before a thunderstorm. As Regina succinctly describes it, “So for me, I'm thinking about the choices that I am making, that I will make about where I use my voice. The modalities in which I use my voice, and the repercussions of that, and what I am willing to risk. And for me, I choose to engage.” In life today, as Regina declares in her lush contralto voice, we are constantly threading the needle between this and that. Between beauty and aloneness. And between pronouncing who we are with courage as Louis Armstrong did while yet acknowledging the delicateness and inherent risks of that act of audacity. Regina on IGRegina InformationPatrick's WebsitePatrick on FacebookPatrick on IGAt the Podium on IGPatrick on LinkedIn

Author and actress Louise Shaffer was my guest in The Locher Room last September.Louise has been an actress since the age of 15 and is a graduate of the Yale Drama School. She has appeared on numerous daytime soaps including The Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow and on Ryan's Hope playing Rae Woodard, a role that earned her a Daytime Emmy Award.Louise returned to her first love of writing and began a successful second career when she found herself as an unemployed actress in her mid-forties. She began writing scripts for daytime soaps, but soon followed her dream and wrote her first novel, The Three Miss Margarets published by Random House. It was followed by The Ladies of Garrison Gardens, Family Acts, Serendipity and Looking For A Love Story.Original Airdate: 9/15/2021

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 467, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Wet And Wild 1: Of a bird, a fish or an insect, what a water boatman is. Insect. 2: The American Water and Irish Water breeds of this dog are both noted for retrieving waterfowl. Spaniel. 3: Bubalus babalis is the scientific name of this animal also known as the water ox. Water buffalo. 4: Water hog is another name for this, the largest living rodent, that looks like a giant guinea pig. Capybara. 5: The water opossum is also called the yapok, in honor of this continent's Oyapok River. South America. Round 2. Category: Yale Drama School Alumni 1: Going to school at Yale got her into films like "Sophie's Choice". Meryl Streep. 2: He had some "Happy Days" at Yale long before starring in "The Dinner Party" on Broadway in 2000. Henry Winkler. 3: That her acceptance to Yale was addressed to a "Mr." was a bit "Alien". Sigourney Weaver. 4: This "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" star attended Yale on a scholarship. Angela Bassett. 5: In 2000 this Yale grad was TV's "DAG". David Alan Grier. Round 3. Category: I Am A Crook 1: Ralph, nicknamed "Bottles", was the brother of this gangster, nicknamed "Scarface". Al Capone. 2: Sheriff Pat Garrett said this crook's "face always wore a smile". Billy the Kid. 3: In 1868 the Reno Brothers robbed one of these in Indiana, years before the James Gang did it out west. train. 4: The Queen Anne's Revenge was a ship of this pirate, whose whole known career lasted from 1716 to 1718. Blackbeard. 5: 2 months after Bonnie and Clyde were shot down in Louisiana, he got it outside the Biograph in Chicago. John Dillinger. Round 4. Category: Stuff 1: The lawyer who made famous the line "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit". Johnnie Cochran. 2: The car part called an aerial across the pond is known as this here in the States. an antenna. 3: The two projectiles in Olympic track and field that weigh 16 pounds. the shotput and the hammer. 4: It's official state vegetables are the frijole pinto bean and the chile pepper. New Mexico. 5: Since 2002 this Lower Manhattan area has had its own film festival. Tribeca. Round 5. Category: Taking The Fifth 1: Before he was president, Gerald Ford was a congressman from this state's Fifth District. Michigan. 2: Who, what, when, where and this are the 5 Ws that reporters should be concerned with. why. 3: This DJ on New York's WINS was nicknamed "The Fifth Beatle". Murray "The K". 4: AKA the "Father of the Military Academy", Col. Sylvanus Thayer was the fifth superintendent at this school. West Point. 5: On January 8, 1959 Charles de Gaulle took office as the first president of what was termed this French government. the Fifth Republic. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

THE SECRET GARDEN COMPOSER: Lucy Simon LYRICIST: Marsha Norman BOOK: Marsha Norman SOURCE: Frances Hodgson Burnett's book The Secret Garden (1911) DIRECTOR: Susan H. Schulman CHOREOGRAPHER: Michael Lichtefeld PRINCIPLE CAST: Daisy Egan (Mary), Alison Fraser (Martha), Mandy Patinkin (Archibald)  OPENING DATE: Apr 25, 1991 CLOSING DATE: Jan 03, 1993 PERFORMANCES: 709 SYNOPSIS: After her family dies of cholera, young Mary Lennox is sent to live with her austere, widowed Uncle Archibald. At night she is convinced that she hears the sounds of crying and discovers that Archibald's bed ridden son, Colin, has been locked up out of sight for many years. Determined to bring sunshine to the boy, Mary begins to discover the other secrets the house protects. Director Susan H. Schulman traces the development of The Secret Garden as the first collaboration between an all-female creative team in a Broadway musical. Amongst a female writing team (Marsha Norman/Lucy Simon), producer (Heidi Landesman), and design team (Florence Klotz/Tharon Musser), there are noted recurring instances of significant memories reading Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel about a little girl struggling with life in a new home. By broadly describing the educational and professional obstacles overcome by three women involved in the premiere of the musical in their studies at Yale School of Drama, a bleak case is outlined for gender parity within commercial American theatre. Despite mixed reviews, audience responses to The Secret Garden were collectively positive and led the show to international success. This chapter examines the ways later female-helmed Broadway productions, such as Waitress, have benefited from or even overshadowed The Secret Garden.  Susan H. Schulman: Broadway credits: the Tony Award-winning musical The Secret Garden as well as its highly-successful U.S./Canadian national tour (Drama Desk nomination), the revival of Sweeney Todd†at Circle in the Square (Tony Award, Drama Desk nomination), the revival of The Sound of Music (Tony nomination Outstanding Revival) and Little Women and its successful national tour. For her direction of the premiere of Violet at Playwrights Horizons (New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical), Susan received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Director. She received an Obie Award for directing Sondheim and Furth's musical Merrily We Roll Along at the York Theatre. Susan also directed the national tour of Sunset Boulevard with Petula Clarke as well as three productions for City Center Encores. She has directed for regional theatres throughout U.S.A., Canada and Australia, and most recently a new musical in Denmark. Susan is a graduate of Yale Drama School, Hofstra University and New York's famed High School of Performing Arts. Susan holds a full professorship at Penn State University where she heads the Graduate Program in Directing for the musical theater stage. SOURCES The Secret Garden, Original Cast Recording, Columbia (1991) The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon, published by Samuel French Inc (2010) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Lee Wilkof talks about the production of his film, “No Pay, Nudity” (starring Gabriel Byrne and Nathan Lane), as well as his work as an actor on the musicals “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Assassins.”LINKSA Free Film Book for You: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cq23xyyt12Another Free Film Book: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/x3jn3emga6Fast, Cheap Film Website: https://www.fastcheapfilm.com/Eli Marks Website: https://www.elimarksmysteries.com/Albert's Bridge Books Website: https://www.albertsbridgebooks.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BehindthePageTheEliMarksPodcast“No Pay, Nudity” trailer: https://youtu.be/toO8g8fgtP4Lee Wilkof revisits “Suddenly Seymour”: https://youtu.be/x7DNEts0yQQ“Suddenly Seymour” from MDA Telethon: https://youtu.be/b4tddRw6JVU“Little Shop” TV spot: https://youtu.be/itYxORbajScTRANSCRIPTThe Occasional Film Podcast - Episode 103NATHAN LANE 0:00I had one of the best times I've ever had making a movie doing this, this little teeny-tiny film. One could say it's a niche film. And yet I think everyone can relate to the notion dreams lost or shattered and you think it's going to turn out one way and it doesn't. And how do you come to terms with that? JOHN GASPARDThat was the one and only Nathan Lane talking about his experiences making Lee Wilkof's lovely film, “No Pay, Nudity.” Hello, and welcome to episode 103 of the Occasional Film Podcast, the occasional companion podcast to the Fast Cheap Movie Thoughts blog. I'm the blog's editor, John Gaspard. Today we're talking with long time actor and first-time director Lee Wilkof about his film “No Pay, Nudity.” It's the story of Lester Rose, a mid-career actor in crisis about show business in particular, and life in general. It stars Gabriel Byrne, Frances Conroy, Boyd Gaines, Donna Murphy, and Nathan Lane. [AUDIO EXCERPT FROM THE FILM'S TRAILER]When I saw the name Lee Wilkof listed as director during the film's credits, I thought where do I know that name from? I racked my brain and then it came to me. Suddenly.[LEE WILKOF SINGING “SUDDENLY, SEYMOUR”]Lee originated the role of Seymour Krellborn in the Off Broadway production of a little musical called “Little Shop of Horrors,” and went on to originate the role of Samuel Bick in Stephen Sondheim's “Assassins.” He talked about those two memorable roles at the end of our conversation. But first we talked about “No Pay, Nudity”, which was his first time as a film director. Tell me what it was that made you decide, hey, at this point after stage and TV and movies, I want to direct.LEE WILKOF 3:20 It was something that was gnawing at me for the last 10 years, just something that I always wished I had done. I never said I wish I wasn't an actor, and I wish I had been a director. But it was something that I just felt that I thought I could do. And I would say oh, maybe nine years ago, I was in a kind of a fallow period and I had been friendly with this young man, Ethan Sandler, we had met at this theatre festival, the Williamstown Theatre Festival. We've done a play together. He was a young, in his 20s, maybe, maybe early 30s. And I decided, I said I think we should I have this idea for a story. Let's write it together. And let's direct it together and then we'll write it for me. As it shook down, you know, I'm not, it wasn't for me, I decided it was not something that I didn't want to direct it and be in it. And then I realised the character was I was not really, the right character for it. And then as it turned out, we didn't end up co-directing it and he got the screenplay credit. And that was kind of how it played out. But it took it took and we wrote it I think together eight years ago and then it sat in my on my computer for at least five years and then I dusted it off when I was doing a play in Chicago, and I was free during the days and I looked at it and I said, this is good. I happen to be working with Nathan Lane. And we were doing a play at the Goodman “The Iceman Cometh.” And I said, I said, would you read this, this screenplay that I wrote. And I was hoping he'd get back to me eventually. And he got back to me the next day. And he said, This is really good. And I said, would you play Herschel, if I got this made? And he said, Yes. And that's really when the ball started to roll. JOHN GASPARD 5:35 Why did you decide you weren't right to play the part? Because it kind of feels like you would be. I mean, was just you didn't want to direct and act? LEE WILKOF 5:42 I didn't want to direct and act. To say that I wasn't right for it, I think, didn't mean, as it turned out, I wanted more of a leading man. But it would have worked, I think with a character actor, but I didn't want me directing my first film. I just couldn't do double duty. I admire those people that can, but I just I just couldn't. I couldn't multitask to that level. And maybe this had a little to do with it. Although I think I'd already made the decision by the time the investors came on, and they wanted a name, and I was certainly not a sufficient name. I was not. I was not and I'm not a name. So, we started making some inquiries about some names. JOHN GASPARD 6:34 So, what was your process for that? I mean, you already had one name, who had said yes.. LEE WILKOF 6:39 I had Nathan, and that was they wanted for the lead, they wanted a name. But we made some offers to some prominent names. And one was one was very interested, but his wife was ill. Several didn't get back to me. One other prominent name just was on the fence and decided no, and then I got a casting director, involved and gave me a list of a number of names. And Gabriel was on it, Gabriel Byrne, and it, sent it to him. And he responded immediately. And he wanted, he wanted to do it. He understood it, he got it. And I couldn't be more fortunate that it worked out that way. If you would have said to me when I started the process, and we were going to make this film, that Gabriel Byrne would be playing Lester Rosenthal, it was not something I would have not believed it possible. I would have said to you, I don't I'm not really positive that he's right for it. And you know, these kinds of accidents happen. And it was so fortuitous that we got Gabriel, I think he's just fantastic in the role. JOHN GASPARD 7:52 Did you find that once you had everyone in place, did you tweak the script at all to fit? LEE WILKOF 8:00 Yes, to some extent, although the Gabriel, the fact that Gabriel is you know, there's a line that when you first, when he runs into the girl from high school, she said when you first got here, your accent was so fascinating. That's the only reference to the fact that he has a not necessarily an American accent. It's not quite fish or fowl. And we didn't find that it was a problem. When he first called me. Our first phone conversation was I was at the Jazz Fest in New Orleans with music blaring. And he was in Norway, shooting I think it's called the Vikings. And we spoke, I could barely hear him. But he said I think I'm going to keep my accent. And I didn't quite know what to say. I didn't know him. I didn't want to say no, I don't want you to but by the time we started shooting, it was kind of vague, and it never seemed to be an issue. So, we didn't necessarily tweak for the particular person. Now, some of the actors wrote some things for themselves. Nathan contributed a fair amount of his dialogue, which I encouraged. And then there was an incident where somebody brought in dialogue for themselves and I did not care for it. And it created the only real conflict during shooting. And I insisted, with the help of my producer, insisted that the actor speak the words written and it I think it enhanced the performance because the actor was so upset. And the actor didn't speak to me for a couple of days.But there was tweaking all along. The role Nathan plays was originally written for actually another actor, an actor friend of mine who had passed away in between the time it was written and we shot it. It was written with, I wrote it with Maury Chaykin. You know, Maury… JOHN GASPARDYes indeed. LEE WILKOF Maury Chaykin. He and I did our first play in New York together like 44 years ago. And he was just physically and such a, such a wonderful actor that Herschel was I just wrote it, we wrote it for him. But as I said, he passed away. And Nathan stepped into it brilliantly, I think. JOHN GASPARD 10:44 I agree. So, with all your time on the other side of the camera, what was it like to step behind it? And how easy a transition was that for you? I mean, you probably know how to talk to actors, or at least how not to talk to actors… LEE WILKOF 10:59 I had spent many years in Hollywood on TV and film sets. And I probably would have paid way more attention if I knew someday I was going to be directing. But I always was paying attention. I wasn't like going up to the DP and saying, You know what size lens you're using? But I was I was like, I watched and I listened. And I also had the I had the great pleasure and the great fortune of working with Sidney Lumet twice. And I didn't do a movie with him, but I'd worked with Bob Fosse. I mean, I've been around some, some very amazing people, and I observed them as closely as I could without being in their way. So being on the set itself, physically, was not was not intimidating at all. Speaking to the actors. No one was with the exception of that one little set-to with the actor that rewrote their lines, the actors were very, I didn't have to give many notes. But when I gave notes, I was surprised that not only were they well received, but they were well understood. Because I've been directed. I'm an I'm an actor that needs as strong a good hand as possible by a director. So, I've had many directors have to talk to me to get me to what they need to do. And there was like, just like maybe two or three times. Gabriel had so much to do, there were times where I had to, like, maybe guide him and another just a little nudge, and he liked to talk things out. He probably would have wanted to talk things out longer, but we just didn't have the time. That's just how he works. One of my actors would call me up at night, and just need to be stroked. And he's a good friend of mine. And I was able to do that. I had worked with him in a play and knew that that was something that he needed. And I was sincerely telling him how wonderful he was because he was and that was useful. The first scene in the movie with the veterinarian's assistant, I cast this woman I love this actress. Her name is Janine Serralles. I don't think she'd be embarrassed by this story. She was a student of my wife, my wife used to teach at Yale Drama School. And she was somebody that I was aware of her, and my wife cast her in a lot of plays. She came in with an interpretation that was completely and it was completely valid, but it was not what I wanted her to do. And I think I like said maybe two sentences to her. And she's such a great actress, she made the adjustment. And I surprised myself by being able to communicate that to her. But luckily, I had an actress that could take it, you know, take it in and make that quick adjustment. So, I cast the film with such fine actors, that I didn't have to tell them too much. But when I did, they got it. JOHN GASPARD 14:20 Right. Did you have rehearsal time away from the set? Or was it just like, like a TV show where you just show up and block and rehearse? LEE WILKOF 14:28 We did read through the movie for about four hours, I think a couple days before we started shooting. And we talked it through and we would rehearse on the set. But my DP, my wonderful young DP, named Brian Lannon. He was he was 26 years old. I met him I had done a couple episodes of a show called High Maintenance. And he was the DP and I loved what I saw. And I hired him and he and his crew were a little, I have to say this, and I think he knows is they were a little slow. Andnd they were slow because they were, you know, immaculate with, with their setting up. But we had a little more time sometimes than I wanted. So, we were able to rehearse. And the actors, all the actors, the first nine days of the shoot, were in the lounge set that we built the Actors Equity lounge, and the actors would be in a holding area, and they would work on the stuff while I was on the set, you know, getting things set up. JOHN GASPARD 15:40 Was that the only set you built? LEE WILKOF 15:41 We built I think we built another set. I believe you are required to build a set on certain sound stages that are designated by the state in order to get your tax credit. So, we were required to build a set. It was one of the plays that was getting done. We could have found a theatre to do it at, but it was the one that was most easy to build. So, we built that, we had some raw space down in Wall Street. And that's where we built the Actors Equity lounge. And then we built one other set for the two-hander play that Lester attends. JOHN GASPARD 16:35 The lounge set is terrific. It looks, I thought oh, yeah, it's you're actually on location. LEE WILKOF 16:41 Yeah, we wanted to use the real Actors Equity lounge, but it was in a state of transition, it was finally being renovated. And it just timewise we couldn't use it. But luckily, I had a friend of mine is one of the, I think I know most of the officers there. My friend is a vice president and they were really helpful. But I had a young production designer Maki Takenouchi. And she put that together in three days. It was the last location that we found. It was the most crucial location, it was driving us insane, that we couldn't find the space we liked. But we finally settled on this. And they threw it together. And I don't mean throw it together. They put it together in three days, her and her crew. And it really was effective. JOHN GASPARD 17:35 How many days did you have to shoot overall? You said you spent nine days in the lounge? LEE WILKOF 17:40 I believe it was either 24 or 25 days. And I wanted to read I had a scene that I wanted to end the film with that I wanted to add, and we would have had to have a day of shooting but we just didn't have it in the budget. There's nothing that I miss. JOHN GASPARD 18:04 Okay. Was it always planned that the character of Herschel would narrate the story? LEE WILKOF 18:11 No. JOHN GASPARD 18:12 At what point did you decide to include that? LEE WILKOF 18:15 When certain people thought it would be a good idea. JOHN GASPARD 18:19 Okay. I'll move on. LEE WILKOF 18:25 Some people weren't as comfortable with silence as I was. So, some compromises were made to be perfectly blunt. I'm assuming you wisely got it that it was added on. I believe film works with it. And I believe the film would have worked without it. JOHN GASPARD 18:41 And that's exactly what I'm feeling to it. It certainly didn't hurt, it kind of it filled in some gaps. But it didn't feel to me like when you sat down to write at the very first thing you thought was, okay, I'm going to have this character narrate it LEE WILKOF 18:58 No. But it was I've had people that watch the film like it, and people go, Yeah, you don't need it. Okay, I'm glad you know, I feel fine about it either way. It is. It's what we have. JOHN GASPARD 19:13 Yeah. Do you want to talk about the Kickstarter campaign and... LEE WILKOF 19:18 It was not successful. I'm assuming you know that. It was very highly, highly ambitious. I think it was, uh, if memory serves me, it was like $450,000, which is a ton of money for a Kickstarter campaign. And we did nicely, but we didn't succeed. I think we got close to $200,000, which is very, I was, I was, I was touched by all the generosity, but it didn't work out. But because of the Kickstarter campaign, certain people became aware of the film. And then were able to communicate their knowledge of the film to some other people that came aboard and invested in the film. So, the Kickstarter campaign had value. Also, I did circle back to some people on the Kickstarter that had that had committed money to the Kickstarter campaign and said to them, would you still be willing to, to help me out? I'm not going to give the same kind of perks. But if you can give me, if you can help, a couple people got associate producer credits, everybody got their name in the credits, everybody got a video, no matter what the level, so that was helpful. But it was not the amount of money that, I didn't go to back to everybody. I just was like, at that point, I had had my hand out for so long, I couldn't go, like with my hand out to every single person. That was more stressful than making the movie. JOHN GASPARD 21:04 So, I was going to ask, what advice would you give to someone who is considering Kickstarter now that you've tried to get that and then end up going with more traditional investors? LEE WILKOF 21:14 I would say don't ask for so much money. But don't go nuts with the, with the perks. People are really, I don't believe, giving you, being generous for little rewards. Or I don't mean to belittle the rewards, but they're doing it out of the kindness of their, you know, belief in you. Some guys I know, did a Kickstarter campaign to do in a documentary film about something to do about my hometown. And they did I think, a 40-day campaign, and I said, Don't do it, it's too long, and you'll have like a nervous breakdown. And they did it and they raised the money. So, what the hell do I know? JOHN GASPARD 21:58 I noticed that you had Ann Roth credited for a special custom consultant. What? What way did she help you guys out? LEE WILKOF 22:08 Ann Roth is as to me, she's, you know, the premier costume designer of the second part of the 20th century, Edith Head and then Ann Roth into the 21st century. I had worked with Anne on a couple plays. I did The Odd Couple with Nathan Lane on Broadway and Ann designed that. But we had a very nice, warm relationship. And I told her, someday I'm going to direct a film and I want you to be the costume designer, and then she would if she could. And then as it turned out, she agreed to and then she got busy. And another lovely woman that works in her with her, became the costume designer. Michelle Matlin who did a great job. But Ann specifically worked with, because she's done so many shows with Nathan, they work together on his look, and Gabriel's look. And I said to her, I hope you know, I hope this is not a diss to Michelle and I don't believe it was, but I would like I would like you and to give you some sort of credit. You're Ann Roth. I mean, it's and she said whatever you want to give me. So, we gave her that title. JOHN GASPARD 23:41 As you were editing the movie, I know you've you were very in from the beginning on the writing and then I've obviously there for the directing. What was your process for finding the movie in the editing? How, how precious were things to you? How willing were you to move things around or change? LEE WILKOF 23:58 That is a very, we're opening. We're opening a very interesting can of worms. Editing was the most difficult part of the process for me. I'd never been in an editing room. My editor and I, I think sometimes we didn't see eye to eye. And I didn't really sometimes know how to communicate what I wanted. The producers got involved in the editing room. I mean, the you know, the money people, were not thrilled with the editing. And we brought on another supervising editor. And it got a little more complicated. And I was doing a play at the time. And the editor was the supervising editor was doing some editing out in California while I was in New York. And there were some ideas that were had, that I did not agree with. And there are some things in the film... Boy, I'm just opening a can of worms. JOHN GASPARD 25:12 There's open it as far as willing to open it. LEE WILKOF 25:18 There are some things in the film that it was it was suggested that we edit it a different way. And I was adamant not to. And, and those things are in the film. And there's a few things that were not my idea. And that I learned to live with. Ultimately, we ended up with I think, a pretty damn well edited film. It was a somewhat of a difficult journey, the post production, I think, where we got in, I think, I probably got us into a little bit of a little bit of jams, because I didn't do the sometimes the coverage I should have done. Yeah, if I had the opportunity, if I get the opportunity to do it again, I will. I've learned I learned a ton from that. That's where I learned the most, what I needed for the editing room. JOHN GASPARD 26:22 So, there's two questions I always ask at the end, do with these what you will. The first question is two part: what's the smartest thing you did during production? And what was the dumbest thing you think you did? LEE WILKOF 26:36 The smartest thing I did was getting Nathan and Gabriel on board, deciding when Maury wasn't available to get Nathan, and not saying, I don't think Gabriel Byrne. And the stupidest thing I'm not going to say. I won't. JOHN GASPARD 27:00 But you learned from it. LEE WILKOF 27:01 I learned from it. I learned from it. And that's all I can say. JOHN GASPARD 27:07 So, are you going to do this again? LEE WILKOF 27:10 I'm really getting itchy to do it. There's another script that I wrote with the same young man, it's called Teenage Waistband. And it's about growing up in Canton, Ohio my junior, sophomore year high school. Was at a junior? In late 60s in Canton, Ohio, it's period and it would cost a fair amount of money. I'd love to do it. But I wouldn't want to do it under the certain same circumstances. I don't want to do it. I don't want to put my hat in my hand and have to go ask a zillion people for, you know, $1,000 here and there. So, I don't know. But I hope to do it again. I'm trying to figure out what to do next. JOHN GASPARD 27:59 Before I could let him go. Lee was kind enough to spend a few minutes talking about two early-stage successes, Sondheim's Assassins, and the original off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors. So, I had a couple questions for you about just that whole experience, because having talked to Roger Corman about the movie, the original movie. LEE WILKOF 28:18 Yeah, I did it in Los Angeles and met him That was thrilling. Actually, opening night in Los Angeles, Roger came, Jackie Joseph came who played Audrey, and I forget the guy's name. Yes. I forget his name. Anyhow, anyhow, what do you want to know? JOHN GASPARD 28:38 Well, Corman was so, I tell the story all the time to filmmakers, because he was he's a great interview. He's an engineer, and he speaks like an engineer and perfect sentences. And I had 20 minutes and I had to talk about five movies with him, because I was doing five different. And I asked him, I said, So you shot a little shop in three days? And he said, Well, technically, yes. But there was some pickups. I had the actors for five days, and we rehearsed for three and shot for two. And that's what I tell people all the time is you think you think rehearsal is not important? The cheapest man in the world, spent three days rehearsing. And then he said, I shot it with two cameras. He said it really was more of a stunt. I've never do that sort of thing again. But how did you get involved in that project? LEE WILKOF 29:25 I could go on for hours. Anyway, I grew up in Cleveland. I grew up in Canton, Ohio. This is a little background because you just talked about the film, grew up in Canton, Ohio, on Friday nights. In the late 50s. Early 60s There was a guy that did the horror movies. His name was Ghoulardi his name, Ernie Anderson. His son is Paul Thomas Anderson. If you see Paul Thomas Anderson's films called Ghoulardi films. And he showed horror movies. One of our favourites, we would have like sleepovers with you know, 12 year old boys and we'd stay up late and watch. And one of our favourites was always Little Shop of Horrors, the original Little Shop of Horrors. So, I grew up knowing it, loving it, being, just thinking it was amazing. Didn't know when I was a kid that it was shot in three days, but it was primitive. You know, it was great. It's crazy. It's one of those movies. It's so bad that it's great. It's brilliant. It's not bad movie. It's just production values when you look at it now, of course, two days, you know, the scene with Jack Nicholson, this that fell over and they stopped shooting this. So anyway, okay, I was familiar with it. I did a play in New York. The play with Maury Chaykin and I met our stage manager, who had a girlfriend who was a casting director. And I knew them personally. I moved to California a few years after doing that first play in New York, and I was pursuing my Hollywood, that pursuit, working sporadically and playing nerds on TV. And I got a call from this woman. The woman who was the girlfriend of my stage manager. We're doing a musical written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and I knew Alan Menken from a revue I did in in New York before I moved to California. And it's called Little Shop of Horrors. I said, I know this, I know Little Shop of Horrors. I grew up watching it, somebody's turned it in to a musical. That's amazing. So, I was very excited. I flew myself into New York. And I was auditioning for the role of the dentist for some reason or another and I , in those days, when I was in California, I was I was I was wearing I was trying to get jobs with wearing a toupee. I was bald when I was 17. And I walked into the audition. And Alan Menken knew me from this revue that I did as bald and he started laughing, and I got so embarrassed, I tore off my toupee. And Howard Ashman said, You are not a dentist, you're Seymour, you're you know, you're a potential Seymour. So, I auditioned for the role. And it, I got a call back the next day. And it was between me—this is a story I've heard years later—but the story was it came down to me and another actor. Nathan Lane, between me and Nathan and Howard Ashman had an assistant, a young woman who suggested to him that I was probably a better fit, for one reason or another. And she is my wife. I married her, I met her on the show, and married her. Her name Connie Grappo. She subsequently directed it all over the world. And so, I played Seymour. We opened it in New York, it was this tiny little show, I would take the flyers for it to people. And they would like, you know, look at me, like what the hell was this. And then, a month later, they were begging me for tickets, because it was such a huge hit. It was the hottest ticket in New York. And it was in a little 99 seat theatre, and then it moved off Broadway ran for five years, but I didn't do it for five years. I did it for like six months, and then six months in Los Angeles, where it didn't do so well. And then I fille in over the years for different Seymour's that would go on vacations. So that was that. My wife directed it all over the world. And then there was a production in Florida that was Broadway bound about 12 or 15 years ago, and I played Mr. Mushnik in that. So I have played Mr. Mushnik. But I did not come. It came to Broadway but I did not come in with it for all sorts of different reasons. But I would like to play this. I'm certainly old enough. JOHN GASPARD 34:38 Yes. It's finally time. LEE WILKOF 34:44 It was 35 years ago, it was just about now. We were in rehearsal. 35 years ago, we opened the end of April or the beginning of May in 1982. And it was you know very, it was very profound for my career. Because it was a huge hit. And it got me. You know, people came to see it. And I met my wife on it. So it was it was very significant. You know, people say to me, what's your favourite thing you've ever done? And they all think I'm going to say Little Shop of Horrors. And it's Assassins. Assassins is, is the greatest experience I ever had. It was not a huge smash hit. But I was, you know, I was in A Sondheim musical, which is a gift that I got. And the cast. I loved the cast. And for me a lot of doing it any show is who I'm doing it with. Of course, you know, the material is really important, but I, it was just a great cast. And the part was really challenging. I think that was a show like the director didn't know what the hell to help me do and I was kind of on my own and I kind of, thank God, found my way.I don't have a lot of stories except we did the album. Nowadays you do a cast album, you do it in like, you get one take. On Assassins, we had three days. And the first number up was the number that I had the most singing. My character really did monologues and didn't sing. I played this guy Sam Bick, who tried to kill Richard Nixon by crashing an airplane into the White House. He was shot in the cockpit. But anyhow, he did these like rants. He did these taped rants. But I had the song that I had to sing and it was the first number up and I was nervous and I was tight. And Steve Sondheim had a broken ankle so he couldn't come in like to the studio. He was in the in the control room. And I was I was just struggling with it. I came in during a break to hear it and Steve Sondheim said to me, yeah, it's tough for you guys that can't sing. And, you know, I wanted to disappear. But we finally got it. They told me to try to sound like Jack Nicholson. And I think it's who I tried to sound like.And then years later I did another thing with Steve Sondheim, this workshop of thing called The Frogs. And I did have a number and I sang. And he forgot that he told me I couldn't sing and he was very complimentary. So, in the presence of him was just like, the most intimidating, the most. It was, it was thrilling, but he's very intense. It was just a great experience. My greatest joy and the thing that I cherish the most. [SOUND CLIP FROM LITTLE SHOP] JOHN GASPARD 38:20 Thanks to Lee Wilkof—heard here performing my favourite song from Little Shop of Horrors, Mushnik and Son—for taking the time to talk to me about his movie, “No Pay Nudity,” which is available now for home viewing. I recommend that you track it down. If you liked this interview, you can find lots more just like it on the Fast Cheap Movie Thoughts blog. Plus more interviews can be found in my books, Fast, Cheap And Under Control:Lessons Learned From The Greatest Low Budget Movies Of All Time, and its companion book of interviews with screenwriters, called Fast, Cheap And Written That Way. Both books can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google, and Apple books. And while you're there, check out my mystery series of novels about magician Eli Marks and the scrapes he gets into. The entire series starting with The Ambitious Card can be found in paperback hardcover eBook and audiobook formats. Well, that's it for episode 103 of the occasional film podcast. Produced at Grass Lake Studios. Original Music by Andy Morantz. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll see you occasionally.

Doug Wright is an award winning playwright whose plays include I am My Own Wife, for which he won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, Posterity, and Quills, for which he won an Obie Award. He has written books for the Tony-nominated musical Grey Gardens, the Drama Desk nomination “Hands on a hardbody”, The Little Mermaid, and War Paint. He adapted and directed August Strindberg's Creditors for the La Jolla Playhouse in 2009. Films include the screen adaptation of Quills, which won a Paul Selvin Award and WGA award, and production rewrites for director Rob Marshall, Steven Spielberg and others. He is Fmr. President of The Dramatists Guild and on the Board of The New York Theater Workshop. He has taught or guest lectured at the Yale Drama School, Princeton University, Julliard and NYU. He lives in New York with his husband, singer-songwriter David Clement.· www.dramatistsguild.com· www.creativeprocess.info

Writer & President of the Dramatists Guild of America Doug Wright is an award winning playwright whose plays include I am My Own Wife, for which he won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, Posterity, and Quills, for which he won an Obie Award. He has written books for the Tony-nominated musical Grey Gardens, the Drama Desk nomination “Hands on a hardbody”, The Little Mermaid, and War Paint. He adapted and directed August Strindberg's Creditors for the La Jolla Playhouse in 2009.  Films include the screen adaptation of Quills, which won a Paul Selvin Award and WGA award, and production rewrites for director Rob Marshall, Steven Spielberg and others. He is president of The Dramatists Guild and on the Board of The New York Theater Workshop. He has taught or guest lectured at the Yale Drama School, Princeton University, Julliard and NYU.  He lives in New York with his husband, singer-songwriter David Clement. www.dramatistsguild.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Conversation with accomplished actor Stephen Mendillo, graduate of Yale Drama School with dozens of TV and movies credits, including Slapshot, Star Trek Enterprise, Empire Falls, Law and Order, Our Town and so many more.

In today's episode, Jayne Atkinson shares powerful stories of how staying true to her convictions, honoring her core values and being open has created a wonderful life and career.    Originally from Bournemouth, England, her family moved to the United States in 1968, when she was nine years old. Jayne graduated from Yale Drama School in 1985 and made her debut on Broadway in 1987 in a revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons. Since then, her work in acting is well-known not just on Broadway but also in films and television segments.    Jayne Atkinson is an award-winning actress, a producer, a mother and a social activist. She's passionate about making a difference in the world. She supports Women's based theatre WAM, where arts and activism meet, and Rites of Passages 20/20,  a vital co-creation with dozens of Women of Color artists, healers, activists and visionaries from around the US.    Tune in to learn more about Jayne's journey to success and fulfilment!  Jayne Atkinson's Bio:    Jayne Atkinson was born in Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset), England, but her family moved to the United States in 1968 when she was 9 years old. She attended Northwestern University (BS Communications, 1981) and graduated with an MFA from the Yale Drama School in 1985.   After working in regional theatres, Atkinson appeared off-Broadway in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Bloody Poetry in 1987. She made her Broadway debut the same year in a revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons.    Jayne Atkinson has worked in film, theatre, and television. She is well known for the role of Karen Hayes on 24, as well as her Tony Award-nominated roles in The Rainmaker and Enchanted April. She has also appeared in the CBS drama Criminal Minds as BAU Section Chief Erin Strauss, the CBS drama Madam Secretary as the United States Vice President Teresa Hurst, and in the Netflix political drama House of Cards as U.S. Secretary of State Catherine Durant.   In Jayne Atkinson's acting career, she has earned a significant number of awards, include: A Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in The Skriker in 1996.  A Tony Award Nomination for her work in the Roundabout Theatre Company's 1999 production of The Rainmaker and for her performance in the 2003 play Enchanted April. An Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance in the play Enchanted April in 2003.    Her other famous works on Broadway are Blithe Spirit with Angela Lansbury, Our Town with Paul Newman, and ANN which garnered her a Helen Hayes Nomination.    Moreover, she has appeared in such films as Free Willy, Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, 12 and Holding, Blank Check, The Village and Syriana. Her television acting credits include A Year in the Life, Parenthood, The X-Files, Law & Order, The Practice, Criminal Minds, 24, Gossip Girl and House of Cards, opposite Kevin Spacey and husband Michel Gill. Her performance in the made-for-TV movie Our Town garnered her a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.   However, to Jayne Atkinson, the best role in her life is to be a Mom to Jeremy Gill and a Wife to Actor Michel Gill.   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayneatkinsonofficial/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeJaag59 Youtube channel Me&Vivi Conversations and Inspirations: https://bit.ly/2VltuiC Youtube channel Jayne Sez: https://bit.ly/37h99NR   Organizations Jayne supports:   RUNNING START: promoting young women to run for office.    WAM Theatre: theatre for everyone supporting Women and Girls Voices around the world. 15% of all their proceeds are given to either local organizations supporting women and girls or worldwide organizations that do the same.    RITES OF PASSAGE 20/20 Vision: a site specific theatre piece that takes 21 rooms in a building to celebrate the passages in the lives of Women of Color Indigenous Women, Immigrant Women and LBGTQ+ and Transgender Women.   Belinda's Bio:    Belinda Pruyne is a sought-after Leadership Advisor, Coach, Consultant and Keynote speaker. She is a leading authority in guiding global executives, professionals and small business owners to become today's highly respected leaders.   She gained a wealth of expertise in the client services industry as Executive Vice President, Global Director of Creative Management at Grey Advertising, managing 500 people around the globe. With over 20+ years of leadership development experience, she brings industry-wide recognition to the executives and companies she works with. Whether a startup, turnaround, acquisition or global corporation, executives and companies continue to turn to Pruyne for strategic and impactful solutions in a rapidly shifting economy and marketplace.    Website: Belindapruyne.com Email Address: hello@belindapruyne.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindapruyne  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NotableLeadersNetwork.BelindaPruyne/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/belindapruyne?lang=en  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belindapruyne/ 

ROBERT KLEIN BIOKlein was born in the Bronx in a typical Jewish neighborhood. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Klein planned to study medicine but after graduating from Alfred University, switched directions and went to Yale Drama School. It was there he got wind of auditions for The Second City. In a piece he wrote for the improvisational troupe's book, Klein recalled sitting in a room full of other hopefuls, including the late Fred Willard. Klein's audition consisted of an improvisation set with Willard about two guys in a nightclub, it was successful enough to get Klein and Willard hired.He made his Broadway debut in 1967 in Mike Nichols' musical, The Apple Tree. His first television role was hosting the short-lived comedy-variety series, Comedy Tonight in 1970. The Robert Klein Radio Show, a syndicated comedy/rock program that was taped before a live audience ran for two years in the early '80s. He has been nominated for two Emmy® Awards.With a career spanning over 50+ years, Klein has appeared in dozens of movies, a few of which include The Owl and the Pussycat, Primary Colors, Radioland Murders, Ira and Abby, One Fine Day, Two Weeks' Notice, The Safety of Objects, with Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me, and in two of the Sharknado franchise films. He had a recurring role in the TV drama series Sisters and more recently was seen, and reprised his role, in Will & Grace as Martin Adler. A myriad other TV credits include The Mysteries of Laura, Madame Secretary, The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, and he has hosted Saturday NightLive twice. His latest film is the dark yet humorous feature Before I Go, where he plays the father of the complicated and depressed protagonist portrayed by Annabella Sciorra (The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Jungle Fever).Klein is the author of The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back, his autobiography published in 2006. In September 2007 he released a new DVD compilation of his eight live HBO specials, titled Robert Klein: The HBO Specials 1975-2005. He also made several albums, the most successful being his first two, Child of the Fifties (1972) and Mind Over Matter (1974). His 1990 album, Let's Not Make Love, contained many of the same routines as his 1984 HBO special, Child of the '50s, Man of the '80s, and his 1986 special, Robert Klein on Broadway.Klein lives in New York. He is divorced from opera singer Brenda Boozer and their son, Alexander Stuart Klein, is also a comedian.ABOUT BEFORE I GO, AVAILABLE ON DEMAND AND ON DVD NOWBefore I Go is a darkly humorous character study of one woman's deepening exploration of self and connections to her past that ultimately remind her that life is worth living. The deepening depression is viewed through the lens of others, including her father, a powerful yet distorted memory of her mother, a long ago successful music career, and potential new friends who tirelessly, humorously, try to get close.Synopsis: A once-successful musician living in New York faces the fact that her life might never get better and considers ending it all. In a last-ditch effort to find happiness and in her own uniquely sarcastic way, she faces her dead-end job, dating apps, her childhood, and her depression head-on to come back from the edge with a vengeance.The film stars Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU), comedian Robert Klein (The Backup Plan), Willie Garson (Sex & The City), Andrea Navedo (Jane The Virgin), and Tony® Award-winner, Craig Bierko (UnReal). Featuring SHAED lead singer Chelsea Lee.Watch the trailer:https://www.youtube.com/BeforeIGo 

Courtney B. Vance got his start in the theater, with a breakout role in the August Wilson play 'Fences' on Broadway. We talk about his origin story and his recent roles as Aretha Franklin's father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, in 'Genius: Aretha,' and as the show-stopping attorney Johnnie Cochran, in 'The People v. O.J. Simpson.' Vance attributes much of his career success to the dean of the Yale Drama School when he was there, Lloyd Richards, who lifted up Black performers.

Writer & President of the Dramatists Guild of America Doug Wright is an award winning playwright whose plays include I am My Own Wife, for which he won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, Posterity, and Quills, for which he won an Obie Award. He has written books for the Tony-nominated musical Grey Gardens, the Drama Desk nomination “Hands on a hardbody”, The Little Mermaid, and War Paint. He adapted and directed August Strindberg's Creditors for the La Jolla Playhouse in 2009.  Films include the screen adaptation of Quills, which won a Paul Selvin Award and WGA award, and production rewrites for director Rob Marshall, Steven Spielberg and others. He is president of The Dramatists Guild and on the Board of The New York Theater Workshop. He has taught or guest lectured at the Yale Drama School, Princeton University, Julliard and NYU.  He lives in New York with his husband, singer-songwriter David Clement. www.dramatistsguild.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Ladies n' Genmin welcome to another exciting episode of "The Good Listening To" Podcast with me Chris Grimes!Where all my guests in my Podcast have at least 2 things in common: They are all Creative individuals  - and all with an interesting story to be told!So please welcome to the "GLT Clearing" - where all good Questions come to be asked and all good Stories come to be told - Actor,  fellow Comedy Improviser Performer, Facilitator, Coach, New Yorker  and all round "awesome pants!" - and big bear of a man - Jay Rhoderick.A wonderful and rich conversation indeed - featuring particularly the number 23: The age at which Jay had a series of profound "coming of age" experiences.(Jay and I also have the mighty Working Voices in common)In Jay's  own words:Jay Rhoderick is an actor, improviser, communications coach and writer. He has taught in the Bronx public school system, at Yale Drama School, on Wall Street and was lucky enough to boat up the mighty Mekong River delta with his mom, in a less terrifying version of "Apocalpse Now." He runs the leadership and teambuilding consultancy "Bizprov," and is on staff with Working Voices...So - thanks for listening to another episode of a "GLT with me CG!"The Podcast series that features "The Clearing":  Where all good questions come to be asked and all good stories come to be told!With some lovely juicy storytelling metaphors to also enjoy along the way:The Clearing itself - A Tree (where we get to "shake your tree to see which storytelling apples fall out, in the form of a lovely storytelling exercise called "5-4-3-2-1") - some Alchemy - some Gold - and finally a Cake with a Cherry on Top!Think "Desert Island Discs" but in a Clearing! Also think about William Shakespeare - and about  "As You Like It" in particular:"All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players;They have their exits and their entrances,And one man in his time plays many parts,His acts being seven ages..."Jaques: Act II Scene VIIAnd as my Guest in the Podcast:  Now is your 'moment in the sunshine' to share your story!Who are you? What's your story? And what 'life-lessons-learned-along-the-way' would you like to share with us? And just to get bit "existential on yo ass" too (!) what would you like your legacy to be?  How would you most like to be remembered?And all my guests have at least 2 things in common: They are all Creative individuals  - and all with an interesting story to be told!(You can also WATCH Jay's Podcast interview here: )If you'd like to find out more, then please do check out my websites www.secondcurve.uk + www.instantwit.co.uk - and there's also a dedicated "Good Listening To" Facebook Group c/o the link above.Plus if you'd be interested in the experience of being given "a damn good listening to" yourself, or you'd like to explore the idea of some Personal Impact Coaching from me CG - to help level-up your confidence, communication, and personal impact c/o my online Coaching proposition: The Second Curve "Zoom Room" - then, by all means, do get in touch via any of the usual social media channels (see above) or you can email me at chris@secondcurve.uk (The Second Curve "Zoom Room": Coaching to get you to the next level - or clarity on how to get to "where next?")

Dick Zigun is the co-founder and artistic director of Coney Island USA, the arts nonprofit behind the Mermaid Parade, the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, and the Coney Island Museum and Burlesque at the Beach. He is also the self-appointed, non-elected unofficial mayor for life. On this episode of the podcast, he traces his journey from Yale Drama School to the boardwalk in the late 1970s. He laments the impact the coronavirus has had on the performance community he’s so much a part of, and looks forward with a note of optimism to 2021. Brooklyn news and views you can use: bkmag.com Email: hello@bkmag.com Follow along on Facebook: Brooklyn Magazine Twitter: @brooklynmag Instagram: @brooklynmagazine Follow Brian Braiker on Twitter: @slarkpope

Writer & President of the Dramatists Guild of America Doug Wright is an award winning playwright whose plays include I am My Own Wife, for which he won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, Posterity, and Quills, for which he won an Obie Award. He has written books for the Tony-nominated musical Grey Gardens, the Drama Desk nomination “Hands on a hardbody”, The Little Mermaid, and War Paint. He adapted and directed August Strindberg's Creditors for the La Jolla Playhouse in 2009.  Films include the screen adaptation of Quills, which won a Paul Selvin Award and WGA award, and production rewrites for director Rob Marshall, Steven Spielberg and others. He is president of The Dramatists Guild and on the Board of The New York Theater Workshop. He has taught or guest lectured at the Yale Drama School, Princeton University, Julliard and NYU.  He lives in New York with his husband, singer-songwriter David Clement. www.dramatistsguild.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Fisher Neal of Learn to Hunt NYC and Yale Drama School joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to talk about his passion for teaching others to hunt. In this episode, they discuss wanting to pursue a career in acting without sacrificing hunting and fishing, the opportunities available to hunters in New York and New Jersey, the logistics of managing whitetails on Staten Island, city-dwellers' fascination with the ethical harvest of organic meat, starting Learn to Hunt NYC and the importance of mentorship. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/142. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fisher Neal of Learn to Hunt NYC and Yale Drama School joins Sam on The Wild Initiative to talk about his passion for teaching others to hunt. In this episode, they discuss wanting to pursue a career in acting without sacrificing hunting and fishing, the opportunities available to hunters in New York and New Jersey, the logistics of managing whitetails on Staten Island, city-dwellers' fascination with the ethical harvest of organic meat, starting Learn to Hunt NYC and the importance of mentorship. Learn more on the show notes page at thewildinitiative.com/142. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Meet Jeremy O. Harris: The Queer Black Savior the Theater World Needs." So read a recent headline in Out magazine; Vogue anointed him “one of the most promising playwrights of his generation." The hype is understandable. Though still in his final semester at Yale Drama School while this conversation was filmed, Harris has had two plays in production Off Broadway before runaway Broadway success with SlavePlay. Daddy, the second, stars Alan Cumming and Ronald Peet. Joining him on our very own stage to discuss his work and career was cultural critic Emily Bobrow, who observed in the Economist that Harris writes about race and sexuality "with humour, intellectual rigour, nods to pop culture and an engaging sense of spectacle," asking audiences to confront their own complicity in prejudice.Recorded at the Hawthorne barn on June 8, 2019 by Twenty Summers. All Rights Reserved.

Anyone who has beat out Heart and Soul on the piano, fell in love with the soundtrack to “Sleepless in Seattle” or can remember Ray Charles singing Georgia on My Mind is familiar with Hoagy Carmichael’s music. His song Stardust has been recorded over 2000 times and was selected for inclusion in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress in 2004. For the last six years, Carmichael’s son Hoagy Bix, Tony-nominated director Susan H. Schulman, and choreographer Michael Lichtefeld have been developing a new musical featuring songs from Carmichael’s catalog called STARDUST ROAD. Hear what they have to say about that, Hoagy Carmichael's legacy, and more.  https://rduonstage.com/2019/10/20/podcast-transcript-the-birth-of-the-new-musical-stardust-road-with-hoagy-bix-carmichael-tony-nominee-susan-h-schulman-and-michael-lichtefeld/ (To read a transcript of this episode, click here.) About the Guests Hoagy Bix Carmichael is a film, television, and theatrical producer. He worked as assistant director for Hecht Hill Lancaster of such films as “The Rabbit Trap” (Universal Pictures), “Elmer Gantry” (Columbia Pictures), and ”Separate Tables” (Columbia Pictures). While at WGBH/TV in Boston, he co-produced many productions including “On Being Black,” “The Music Shop” and “The Advocates” for PBS. He was the managing director/producer for “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” Mr. Carmichael co-manages the Hoagy Carmichael music catalog, and was the Artistic Producer of the “Hoagy Carmichael Centennial Celebration.” A founding member of AmSong, Inc., an advocacy organization for American songwriters, Carmichael served as its president for three years. https://www.hoagy.com/ (https://www.hoagy.com/) Susan H. Schulman’s Broadway credits include the Tony Award-winning musical THE SECRET GARDEN as well as its highly successful national tour, the revival of SWEENEY TODD at the Circle in the Square, for which she received a Tony Award nomination, the revival of THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Tony nomination for Outstanding Revival) and LITTLE WOMEN, the musical and its successful national tour. For her direction of the highly acclaimed musical VIOLET, winner of The New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Musical, Schulman received a Drama Desk nomination for Best Director. She received an Obie Award for directing MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at the York Theatre a production which also received the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival, as well as several Outer Critics and Drama Desk nominations. For the prestigious Stratford Festival of Canada, she has directed nine productions and her many regional and national tour productions are SUNSET BOULEVARD with Petula Clark and the premiere of HEARTLAND. Schulman is a member of the executive board of SDC, a graduate of the Yale Drama School, Hofstra University, and New York’s famed High School of Performing Arts. Michael Lichtefeld choreographed six Broadway musicals including, LITTLE WOMEN, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, THE SECRET GARDEN, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES and LAUGHING ROOM ONLY. He worked off-Broadway choreographing eight musicals and 10 national/international tours. For the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, he choreographed nine musicals and directed/choreographed SOUTH PACIFIC and MY ONE AND ONLY. He has also been nominated for the Drama Desk Award and three outer Critics’ Circle Awards. This summer he will travel to Australia for the 25th Anniversary remount of THE SECRET GARDEN with Susan H. Schulman. Connect with RDU on Stage Facebook – @rduonstage Twitter – @rduonstage Instagram – @rduonstage Web http://www.rduonstage.com/ (www.rduonstage.com) Support this podcast

Why did a not-so-nice Jewish girl, expelled from Yale Drama School during the Vietnam protests, abandon her acting dream to follow the man she loves to an off-the-grid commune in Oregon? CAROL SCHLANGER, acclaimed actress, writer and JWT favorite will read and perform a hilarious, bawdy and true story from her new book as she [...]

Why did a not-so-nice Jewish girl, expelled from Yale Drama School during the Vietnam protests, abandon her acting dream to follow the man she loves to an off-the-grid commune in Oregon? CAROL SCHLANGER, acclaimed actress, writer and JWT favorite will read and perform a hilarious, bawdy and true story from her new book as she [...]

In Jordan Peele’s highly-anticipated new horror film “Us,” Lupita Nyong’o plays both the hero and the monster. It’s a new genre for the 36-year-old actress who starred in last year’s cultural phenomenon “Black Panther” and won an Academy Award in 2014 for her performance in “12 Years a Slave.” In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown,” Willie Geist talks to Nyong’o about her journey from Kenya to Yale Drama School to the Oscars stage, and the whirlwind 6 years she’s had since then. 

Raymond J. Barry was born in New York, and attended Brown University, where he was a star athlete in football, basketball, and track. While there, he earned his degree in Philosophy and as a senior, was cast in the stage production of "Picnic," where he played a football player. He then entered the Yale Drama School and after completing, acted in the Broadway play "The Leaf People." He has appeared in over 100 plays and has starred in such films as Dead Man Walking, Training Day, The Purge, Walk Hard, Falling Down, Cool Runnings, Flubber and so many more. His Television filmography is equally as impressive. Raymond J. Berry is a fantastic actor better yet a wonderful human being.   Meet Ray Barry.

Liz Diamond, director of “Father Comes Home from the Wars, Parts 1, 2 and 3” by Suzan-Lori Parks, at ACT's Geary Theatre April 25-May 20, 2018, and the head of Yale Drama School's Directing Department, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Liz Diamond's love affair with theatre began when she was in the Peace Corps in Africa, and took off after she teamed with playwright Suzan Lori-Parks, working on plays in New York. Eventually she found herself at Yale, where she began to teach, eventually becoming the Chair of the Directing Department at Yale School of Theatre. She returns to directing with the latest Suzan-Lori Parks play, an epic about African-American slaves during the Civil War. The post Interview: Director Liz Diamond appeared first on KPFA.

Joy Carlin, noted actor and director, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. A former member of ACT's acting company and interim Artistic Director at Berkeley Rep, Joy Carlin has a noted career as both actor and director. She currently directs George Bernard Shaw's first produced play, “Widowers' Houses” at Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley. The play, which focuses on housing, slum lords, urban development and the gap between rich and poor, was written in 1895 and produced three years later, and began a long and lengthy career for Shaw, recognized today as one of the greatest playwrights in the English language. Joy Carlin has directed several plays for Aurora and A.C.T. and has acted in television and film along with theater, including a recent role in “Blue Jasmine.” Later this spring she will star in the play “Marjorie Prime” at Marin Theatre Company. Aurora Theatre website Joy Carlin's biography: Joy Carlin was born in Boston, grew up in Chicago, was graduated from the University of Chicago, attended Yale Drama School, and studied with Lee Strasberg in New York City.  An original member of Chicago's Playwrights' Theatre, she has appeared on Broadway with FROM THE SECOND CITY, in off-Broadway productions, with regional and summer theatres and in television and films.  From 1964-69 she was a lecturer and taught acting in the Drama Department at UC Berkeley.  Since 1969 she has been a leading actress, director and teacher with the American Conservatory Theater where she was an Associate Artistic Director from 1987 until 1992, heading up their Plays-in-Progress program (producing 5 new plays a season), and organizing community outreach activities. There she directed THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA, THE LADY'S NOT FOR BURNING, THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA, GOLDEN BOY, MARCO MILLIONS, HAPGOOD and the premiere of Jane Anderson's FOOD AND SHELTER, and she performed many roles, winning seventeen Bay Area Critics Circle and L.A. Dramalogue Awards for both her acting and directing. From 1981-84 she was an Actor and Resident Director at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and served as its Interim Artistic Director from January 1983 to August 1984. She is the recipient of the 1997 Bay Area Critics Circle Barbara Bladen Porter award for continued excellence in her career as actor and director. A few of her favorite roles have been Bananas in THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Birdie in THE LITTLE FOXES, Mme. Ranevskaya in THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Emily Dickinson in THE BELLE OF AMHERST, Amanda in THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Enid in THE FLOATING LIGHTBULB, Lady Wishfort in THE WAY OF THE WORLD, Big Mama in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, Addie in MISSING PERSONS and Mag Folan in THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE. Ms. Carlin has served on many panels and advisory committees, among them the California Arts Council, Educational Theatre Association, Artists Alliance, Ashland's OSFA Artistic Director Search Committee, Regional Vice President of the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas. She has also directed for The San Jose Repertory Theatre (PASSION PLAY, THE COUNTRY GIRL, DEATH OF A SALESMAN and THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG), the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle, the Berkeley Stage Company, the Pacific Jewish Theatre, The Aurora Theatre, THE San Francisco Playhouse, The Jewel Theatre of Santa Cruz and the Shanghai Youth Drama Troupe where she directed YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU. Most recently she appeared in Woody Allen's film  BLUE JASMINE, directed WIDOWERS' HOUSES running at TheAurora Theatre and will appear as MARJORIE PRIME at MarinTheatre Co. in May. The post Interview: Joy Carlin, director, “Widowers' Houses” at Aurora appeared first on KPFA.

I met Malcolm in 2002. He was a guest artist in a singing class I was taking at NYU with Deb Lapidus. I worked with him on the Scarecrow's song from The Wiz, and he said, "You're just great! Let's sing that again." I'll take that one with me all the way! Wikipedia tells us: Malcolm Gets is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom Caroline in the City. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director, and choreographer. He played Gould in the 2009 film Grey Gardens opposite Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore and his first solo album came out in 2009 from PS Classics. Gets was nominated for a Tony Award in 2003 (Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical, Amour), and was awarded the Obie Award in 1995.[2] Gets was born in Waukegan, Illinois, the son of Lispbeth, an educator, and Terence Gets, a college textbook salesman.[3] Both parents grew up in London, England. He moved with his family to New Jersey. He lived there until he was six, when his family moved to Gainesville, Florida. He has an older brother, Erik; an older sister, Alison; and a younger sister, Adrienne. Gets started studying performing arts early in life. He started studying piano at age nine. This skill helped him pay his way through college. He began singing lessons at 14. He also danced with a studio in Gainesville as a teenager. Gets skipped two years of K-12 education and graduated from Buchholz High School in Gainesville, Florida, aged 16. He then attended the University of Florida, where he won Best Newcomer's Award in acting and at age 24 earned a BFA in Theatre (1989). Following that, he completed an MFA at the Yale Drama School.

Known as the king of the rant, LEWIS BLACK uses his trademark style of comedic yelling and animated finger-pointing to skewer anything and anyone that gets under his skin. His comedic brilliance lies in his ability to make people laugh at the absurdities of life, with topics that include current events, social media, politics and anything else that exposes the hypocrisy and madness he sees in the world. Receiving critical acclaim as a stand-up, actor and author, Black has performed for audiences throughout Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. In 2012, he performed eight sell-out shows at Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway. Born in Washington D.C. on Aug. 30, 1948, Black was raised in Silver Spring, Md. Colicky as a baby, he was destined to be angry and easily irritated. His mother, a teacher, and his father, a mechanical engineer, instilled the importance of education and the necessity to question authority—lessons that influenced Black throughout his life. He fell in love with the theatre at age 12, after seeing his first play, which led to pursuing a career in drama. Degrees followed from the University of North Carolina and Yale Drama School, with a stint in Colorado owning a theatre with a group of friends in the interim. During his tenure at UNC, Black ventured into stand-up, performing at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill. Stand-up was a steady presence as he pursued his career in theatre. Black eventually settled in New York City and became the playwright-in-residence at the West Bank Café's Downstairs Theatre Bar. He oversaw the development of more than 1,000 plays, including works by “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin, “American Beauty” writer Alan Ball, as well as his own original works. In addition to overseeing the works on stage, Black emceed every show. As the West Bank grew, so did Black's stand-up skills. He left the West Bank in the late 1980s to pursue stand-up full time. In 1996, his friend Lizz Winstead tapped him to create a weekly segment for Comedy Central's “The Daily Show.” The segment, a three-minute rant about whatever was bothering him at the moment, evolved into Back in Black, becoming one of the most popular and longest-running segments on the show for both the Jon Stewart era, and now The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Black has also taped four specials for the “Comedy Central Presents” series, co-created “Last Laugh with Lewis Black” and presided over “Lewis Black's The Root of All Evil.” His popular appearances on Comedy Central helped to win him Best Male Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards in 2001. Increased exposure from “The Daily Show” generated a record deal with Stand Up! Records. His first CD, “The White Album,” was released in 2000 to critical acclaim. Black followed with eight more—six under the Comedy Central Records label. He has received five Grammy® nominations and two wins for his work. The first nomination came in 2006 for “Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues,” the second in 2009 for “Anticipation.” In 2007 he won the Grammy for Best Comedy Album for “The Carnegie Hall Performance,” and again in 2011 for “Stark Raving Black.” His 2012 release, “In God We Rust” (Comedy Central Records) was also nominated for a Grammy. Black has filmed two specials for HBO, including “Black On Broadway” and “Red, White and Screwed.” The latter was nominated for an Emmy® in 2007. He had a regular feature for two seasons on “Inside the NFL” (for which he earned a Sports Emmy) and in 2006, he was asked to participate in “Comic Relief.” In 2009 Lewis filmed his first feature length concert film, “Stark Raving Black,” at the Fillmore Theatre in Detroit. The film had a limited run in theaters across the U.S. and Canada in the summer of 2010. At the end of the theater run, premium movie channel EpixHD picked up the film for its channel, along with the accompanying documentary, “Basic Black.” Both are aired regularly and can be found in the EpixHD on-demand queu...

Polly Draper is an award-winning actress, writer, producer, and director. Best known for her work on the ABC television drama thirtysomething, she also wrote and directed The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie, and The Naked Brothers Band TV series on Nickelodeon, both of which starred her two sons Nat and Alex Wolff. More recently, Polly has appeared in the Showtime dramedy The Big C, the CBS drama Golden Boy and the film Side Effects, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Tune in to hear Polly Draper talk about marriage and divorce, Yale Drama School, the theater, meeting her husband on the Arsenio Hall show, the casualties of riding mechanical bull, and what it's like having a dog on anti-depressants.

Just two years out of Yale Drama School, Meryl Streep discusses her first musical in New York "Happy End", which was just after her renowned production of "The Cherry Orchard" at The Public Theater; the importance of training and what she learned from Jack Nicholson.

Just two years out of Yale Drama School, Meryl Streep discusses her first musical in New York "Happy End", which was just after her renowned production of "The Cherry Orchard" at The Public Theater; the importance of training and what she learned from Jack Nicholson.