Tony Award Winners on Working In The Theatre: Recent Episodes
American Theatre Wing and CUNY
For more than 30 years the American Theatre Wing has been bringing together performers, directors, playwrights, designers, choreographers, producers and behind-the-scenes personnel from the American and international theatre, WIT offers a rare opportunity for students and audiences to see the people who create theatre engaged in thoughtful conversation with one another. With more than 600 past guests, the seminars have become an unequalled archive of theatrical talk, a chance to hear from the people behind the characters, stories and productions that draw us to the theatre. We have collected the Tony Award winners who have appeared on Working In The Theatre.
Actors Colman Domingo, Elizabeth Marvel, Tony Award winner Michele Pawk (2003 for Featured Actress in Hollywood Arms), Daphne Rubin-Vega and David Zayas discuss the influence of their early training; how they challenge themselves for each role; their feelings about participating in readings and workshops; collaborating with directors; their relationship with the audience and how it affects their performance; and roles that they'd like to play.
The panelists -- President/Executive Director of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization Ted Chapin, President of the American Theatre Producers Cy Feuer (and four-time Tony winner for the original productions of Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying and a Special Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003), writer/critic Martin Gottfried, actor Nathan Lane (Tony winner for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Producers), actor Donna McKechnie (Tony winner for A Chorus Line), book writer Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (for Crazy for You, Showboat, Contact, and 2 awards for The Producers), and composer/lyricist Charles Strouse (Tony winner for Bye, Bye Birdie, Annie and Applause) -- discuss musical revivals in-depth, comparisons to new musicals such as Big, the state of musical theatre compared to the 1960s, script revisions and new designs for revivals, and the overall economics of producing Broadway musicals including the need for out-of-town tryouts.
The panel of performers - Jessica Boevers (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Jim Dale (Candide, Tony winner for 1980’s Barnum), Justin Kirk (Love! Valour! Compassion!), Daniel Massey (Taking Sides), Jay Hunter Morris (Master Clas), Adam Pascal (Rent), and Jean Smart (Fit To Be Tied) - discuss their backgrounds in diverse areas of performance such as dance, opera, rock music, and repertory theatre; pursuing acting in New York compared to Chicago and Los Angeles; early roles, training, and getting an agent; and reciprocal reactions between the performer and audiences.
The panel of playwrights -- Edward Albee (Tony winner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the 2005 recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Eve Merriam (The Club), Samm-Art Williams (Home), Lanford Wilson (Talley's Folly), and Ruth Wolff (The Abdication) -- discuss producing their current plays, how much playwrights creatively collaborate with directors and producers, the responsibilities of an agent, how playwrights learn to direct, and advice for actors and new playwrights.
The panel of performers -- Karen Akers (Nine), Christine Baranski (Tony Awards for The Real Thing and Rumors), actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein (who won acting Tony Awards for Hairspray and Torch Song Trilogy -- for which he also won a Best Play Tony in addition to his best book Tony for La Cage Aux Folles), Ben Harney (Dreamgirls, Tony Award), Lonny Price (Master Harold...and the boys), and Liv Ullmann (Ghosts) -- discuss the strong themes of their respective productions; how demanding their roles are, from character development to physical challenges to the emotional intensity of a role; training and audition experiences; how cast replacements effect a play; and developing new musicals out-of-town compared to workshopping in New York.
The business team for the play Dancing In The End Zone -- literary agent Mitch Douglas, producers Dasha Epstein and Morton Gottlieb, publicist Milly Schoenbaum, and general manager Richard Seader -- talk about the responsibilities of the producer, the benefits of a workshop versus going out-of-town, the role of a press agent, comparing large off-Broadway houses to Broadway, and the evolution of opening night events including critics now attending previews.
The panel of actors -- Sinead Cusack (Cyrano De Bergerac), Frank Langella (Tony winner for Seascape, Dracula and Frost/Nixon), Joe Mantegna (Glengarry Glen Ross, Tony Award), Theresa Merritt (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), and Sigourney Weaver (Hurlyburly) -- talk about their training, auditioning for their first major roles, the rehearsal process, working in the ensemble, actors who are also playwrights, and establishing relationships as a result of stage work.
The business team behind Hurlyburly -- advertising representative Rick Elice, agent Milton Goldman, legal counsel Jay S. Harris (Tony Winner for 1999’s Side Man), stage manager Peter Lawrence, press representative Sandra Manley, and producer Frederick Zollo (Tony Awards for Part One and Two of Angels in America and the 2002 revival of Private Lives) -- discuss how David Rabe's play found a producer, director, and high profile cast for its debut at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, its successful off-Broadway run prior to Broadway, producing with a profit pool plan, production costs including the advertising budget, and the present state of the American play.
The panel of Broadway actors -- Matthew Broderick (two-time Tony winner for Brighton Beach Memoirs and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying), Jim Dale (Candide, Tony winner for 1980’s Barnum), Charles S. Dutton (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), Rosemary Harris (Tony Award winner in 1966 for The Lion in Winter), Glenda Jackson (Strange Interlude), and theatrical agent Lionel Larner -- discuss how they left their various layman jobs to begin performing, their audition experiences, how they became involved in their current productions, what they look for in an agent, how they obtained one, and the role of an agent.
The producing team of the 1985 Broadway musical Grind -- advertising representative Jeffrey Ash, group sales executive Ronald S. Lee, executive producer Ruth Mitchell (Tony Awards for Cabaret and Candide), and producers Michael Frazier, Kenneth Greenblatt (three-time Tony winner in 1982 for Nine, in 1984 for La Cage aux Folles and in 2005 for the revival of La Cage aux Folles), Mary Lea Johnson (Tony winner for Sweeney Todd), and John Pomerantz -- talks about bringing the nearly $5 million production to Broadway after a tryout in Baltimore, working with director Hal Prince, the importance of advertising and group ticket sales in light of mixed critical reviews, comparisons to their previously produced hits La Cage Aux Folles and Nine, and budgeting a new American musical with a controversial royalty structure that doesn't pay the creative team until the production turns a profit.
The panel of actors -- Don Correia (Singin' in the Rain), Tovah Feldshuh (Springtime for Henry), Glenne Headly (Arms and the Man), Judd Hirsch (Tony Awards for I'm Not Rappaport and Conversations With My Father), Barnard Hughes (The Iceman Cometh and a Tony Award winner for Da), Cleavon Little (I'm Not Rappaport and Tony winner for Purlie), Elizabeth McGovern (Map of the World) -- and casting director Vincent G. Liff discuss how they have dealt with mishaps and missed lines, the extent of research done for roles, schooling and formal acting training, starting out in regional theatre such as Chicago before finding work in New York, and the responsibilities of the casting director.
The panelists -- director Clinton Turner Davis (Two Can Play), playwright Herb Gardner (1986 Tony Award for I'm Not Rappaport), playwright/lyricist Tom Jones (The Fantasticks), playwright Shirley Lauro (Open Admissions), lyricist/director Richard Maltby Jr. (Tony Award winner in 1978 for Ain’t Misbehavin’), playwright Marsha Norman (Night Mother and a Tony Award for The Secret Garden) and composer Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks) -- discuss how a playwright chooses a director, the role of a playwright, how much structure is provided by the text, and the varying degrees of collaboration between director, playwright, and actor.
Our panel of some of Broadway's brightest new performers -- Jennifer Damiano, Robin de Jesús, Tony Award winner John Gallagher Jr. (2007 for Spring Awakening), Jon Michael Hill and Krysta Rodriguez -- discuss the first professional show they ever saw; the moment they realized they wanted to perform and how their families responded to the news; how their very first jobs came about; the challenges of choosing between school and work; whether they like to go to other shows and what kind of audience member they are; and what they learn from their professional colleagues.
The 1985 Joseph Maharam Foundation Awards for Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design are awarded to Lawrence Eichler, Charles Ludlam, and Everett Quinton for The Ridiculous Theatrical Company's The Mystery of Irma Vep; Mel Carpenter, Angus Moss, and Blu for Ping Chong's Fiji Theatre Company's NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Darkness; and Heidi Landesman (Tony winner for her scenic designs of Big River and The Secret Garden), Patricia McGourty, and Richard Riddell (Tony winner) for Broadway's Big River. The designers discuss their respective productions in-depth. In addition, Henry Hewes receives an award for Outstanding Service For His Recognition Of Theatre Design.
The panel of actors -- Glenn Close (three-time Tony winner for The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden and Sunset Boulevard), Maurice Hines (Uptown...It's Hot), Aidan Quinn (A Lie of the Mind), Marlo Thomas (Social Security) -- discuss working with directors, agents, formal education and technical training, and the beginnings of their individual acting careers.
The development and production of musical theatre was the focus of the discussion with our panel of producers -- Sue Frost (2010 Tony winner for Memphis), Robyn Goodman (2004 Tony for Best Musical for Avenue Q), Paulette Haupt and Scott Sanders. They talk about what attracts them to a project; if playing on Broadway is the ultimate success for a show; whether going out of town is helpful, or necessary, for a new show; the impact of audiences on the show; dealing with critical reviews that remain on line when trying to get a show launched; the difficulty of closing a show or halting a show in development; and advice for young producers who want to develop musicals.
Playwright Brian Clark (The Petition), playwright/director Emily Mann (The Execution of Justice), five-time Tony Award-winning playwright Arthur Miller (for All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999), literary agent Gilbert Parker, director Norman René (Precious Sons), and director John Tillinger (Loot and The Perfect Party) discuss the division of responsibilities between playwright and director, how casting effects the original script, the significance of play titles, playing regional theatres versus New York versus London, escalating ticket prices, and whether working in theatre is preferred to film and television.
The Precious Sons production team -- producers Marty Bell and Tony Award winner Roger Berlind (2005 Best Play for Doubt and 2006 Best Play for The History Boys), legal respresentative Patricia Crown, press representative Joshua Ellis, advertising representative Peter LeDonne, and general manager Peter Neufeld (2005 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre) -- discuss the steps taken to bring the show to Broadway such as obtaining rights, building a creative team, the casting process, Broadway versus off-Broadway, the risks in mounting a production, marketing planning and costs, varying advertising, and experimental ticket pricing.
Our panel of leading actors -- David Alan Grier, Tony Award winner Anthony Lapaglia (1998 for Best Actor in A View From The Bridge), Laura Linney, Jan Maxwell and Alfred Molina -- shared their process about what they look for in a script; the kind and extent of the research they do for a role; how the audience influences their performance; handling a director's return to the show after opening; their collaboration with both the director and the playwright; and what they've learned that they'd share with actors just starting out.
The panel of performers -- Vondie Curtis-Hall (Raisin In The Sun), Ossie Davis (I'm Not Rappaport), Swoosie Kurtz (1981 Featured Actress Tony for Fifth of July and 1986 Featured Actress Tony for the original production of The House of Blue Leaves), Jean Stapleton (Arsenic and Old Lace, and Loretta Swit (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) -- discuss how they got started in the business, Stapleton's experience working at the Stage Door Canteen and attending the American Theatre Wing school, how dance training contributes to overall performance, working with agents and experiences with typecasting, and balancing a film and television career with stage work.
The Playscript/Director panelists -- Long Wharf Theatre artistic director Arvin Brown, playwright Howard Fast (Citizen Tom Paine), director/dramaturg Susan Gregg, playwright Israel Horovitz (Today, I Am A Fountain Pen), Tony-winning director Wilford Leach (for The Pirates of Penzance and The Mystery of Edwin Drood), playwright Leslie Lee (The War Party), playwright John Pielmeier (Agnes of God), and director Jim Simpson (Citizen Tom Paine) -- compare directing with the director's concept versus collaborating with the playwright and their vision; different interpretations and approaches in directing the same play; how a new approach manifests and influences everything from casting to the final production; why pre-production is a hands-off period for directors; and how theatre differs from the mediums of novels and films.
The producing team of the 1986 Tony-nominated play The House of Blue Leaves -- press representative Merle Debuskey, executive producer Bernard Gersten (whose tenure as Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater has scored them numerous Tony Awards including the recent revival of South Pacific, Coast of Utopia and Contact), playwright John Guare (Sweet Smell of Success and Tony Winner for the 1972 musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona), advertising representative James Russek, and director Jerry Zaks (Tony Award winner for Best Direction in 1986 for The House of Blue Leaves, 1989 for Lend Me a Tenor, 1991 for Six Degrees of Separation and 1992 for Guys and Dolls) -- discuss how they came to work on this mid-1960's domestic comedy at Lincoln Center Theatre, first in the off-Broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, then transferring to the much larger Vivian Beaumont Theatre which presented its own challenges, eventually moving to the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway; the economics of producing, subscriber base, and ticket prices at a not-for-profit theater; finding key designers; casting sessions, working with strong actors, and maintaining quality performances in an extended run.
The panel of performers -- Trazana Beverley (Death and the King's Horseman), Mark Hamill (The Nerd), George S. Irving (Me and My Girl and Tony winner for Irene), Linda Lavin (Broadway Bound, 1987 Tony Award), Lynn Redgrave (Sweet Sue), and Colm Wilkinson (Les Miserables) -- discuss when they started performing and how they got their first roles; directors and effective directing styles; the power and influence of critics; audience response especially on opening night; finding the next job and how to cope with the audition process.
Injecting new energy and a new perspective into both commercial and not for profit theatre was among the topics discussed by our panel of producers -- Patrick Catullo, Tony Award winner Eric Falkenstein (in 2006 for The History Boys and in 2009 for the revival of The Norman Conquests), Jenny Gersten and Jill Furman Willis. They also talked about the role mentors' played in their development as producers; where they find new material; how they find investors for their shows; the need to be creative in selling tickets during tough economic times; using new media to promote their shows and to reach new audiences; the responsibility they feel to bring new writing voices into the theatre; and the risks they're willing to take to bring new and different material to the stage.
The production team for A Few Good Men -- producer David Brown; president of the Shubert Organization, Bernard Jacobs; Serino Coyne advertising representative Linda Lehman; and two-time Tony Award-winning producer and general manager Stuart Thompson (in 2001 for Proof and in 2009 for God of Carnage) -- talk about selecting a script by unknown playwright Aaron Sorkin; the details of general management including budget, advertising, ticket sales, government taxes; rising costs in the current economics of Broadway; film rights to plays and the effect of a film release; and what it takes to produce a Broadway show.
The panel of performers -- Jane Alexander (1969 Tony winner for The Great White Hope), Stockard Channing (Six Degrees of Separation and 1985 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in Joe Egg), Sarah Jessica Parker (The Substance Of Fire), Jonathan Pryce (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and his Tony Award-winning performances in 1977’s Comedians and 1991’s Miss Saigon), Ron Rifkin (Tony winner for the 1998 revival of Cabaret), Mercedes Ruehl (The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? and Best Actress Tony Award for Lost in Yonkers) and Topol (Fiddler on the Roof) -- discuss playing the same role over the years, finding a rhythm in one's performance, learning about one's character during the rehearsal process, gaining discipline, and how each performer got their start.
The panel of performers -- Hinton Battle (Tony Awards for Sophisticated Ladies, The Tap Dance Kid and Miss Saigon), Roy Dotrice (The Homecoming and Tony winner for A Moon for the Misbegotten), Timothy Hutton (Babylon Gardens), Mary Louise Parker (Tony Award winner for Proof), Teresa Wright (On Borrowed Time), Stephanie Zimbalist (The Baby Dance) -- discuss working in regional and repertory theatre; where they started out in show business, if it was a family profession; the process of getting an agent; how the stage compares to television and film; and how different theatre spaces, sets, and stage sizes affect a show.
The panel of actors -- Alan Alda (Neil Simon's Jake's Women), Jodi Benson (Crazy For You), Roscoe Lee Brown (August Wilson's Two Trains Running), Glenn Close (three-time Tony winner for The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden and Sunset Boulevard), Richard Dreyfuss (Death and the Maiden), Harry Groener (Crazy For You), Tracy Pollan (Neil Simon's Jake's Women), and Lynn Redgrave (Ibsen's The Master Builder) -- discuss how they got started in the business and their big break, the significance of the rehearsal process, keeping a role fresh and not repeating the same performance, doing classic plays and if they are influenced by seeing different versions, and the difference between London and New York stages.
The panelists -- playwright Jon Robin Baitz (The End of the Day), playwright Charles Grodin (One of the All-Time Greats), director Mark Lamos (The End of the Day), playwright Ken Ludwig (Crazy For You, Lend Me A Tenor), director Tony Roberts (One of the All-Time Greats), five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (for Crazy for You, Showboat, Contact, and 2 awards for The Producers), and International Creative Management Vice-President Victoria Traube -- discuss how they got started and their common backgrounds as actors and lawyers, directing the work of living and dead playwrights, the development and journey for each of their shows, and the seamless collaboration the Crazy For You creative team achieved.
The production team of Crazy For You -- advertising representative Nancy Coyne, press representative Bill Evans, general manager Tyler Gatchell, casting director Julie Hughes, and producer Elizabeth Williams (three-time Tony winner for Crazy for You, The Real Thing and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) -- discuss how the show was adapted from the 1930's Gershwin musical Girl Crazy, advertising as a new musical - not a revival, producing a television commercial, the financial cost of the large production, the role of the casting director, and the effect of positive critical reviews.
The panel consisting of casting director Jay Binder (Lost In Yonkers), and actors Lucie Arnaz (Lost In Yonkers), Hallie Foote (The Roads to Rome), Gregory Hines (Tony winner for Jelly's Last Jam), Tonya Pinkins (Tony winner for Jelly’s Last Jam), and John Schneider (Grand Hotel) discuss how they started their careers, what casting directors look for, auditioning established actors, rehearsing and replacing in a role, and the panelists provide advice to people beginning in theatre.
The creative team behind the hit musical Next To Normal -- Director Michael Greif, Producer David Stone and Tony Award winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (2009 for Best Score for Next to Normal) -- discuss the unique road the show took to Broadway beginning with its start at the BMI Workshop; the origin of the show's subject matter and the challenges of getting acceptance for it; the reasons behind a title change and what that represented for the creative process; why they took the unusual step of going from off-Broadway to out of town before Broadway; what influences the press and audiences had after the off-Broadway opening in their decision process; why some songs were dropped, others changed and the reasons behind the addition of new material; and 4 songs are performed in studio that illustrate the changes in the various stages of the production.
The panel -- playwright/director P.J. Barry (A Distance From Calcutta), lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam), playwright/director Horton Foote (The Roads To Home), agent Wiley Hausam (International Creative Management), musical adaptor Luther Henderson (Jelly's Last Jam), playwright/director George C. Wolfe (Tony Award winner for Best Direction for 1993’s Angels in America and 1996’s Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk) -- discuss how and why they got started in theatre, collaboration between authors and directors, whether playwrights should direct their own work, advice for young writers including how a play gets produced, finding a suitable director, and the advantages and disadvantages of readings.
The Jelly's Last Jam production team -- general manager Michael David (who’s plays have won 49 Tony Awards), advertising representative Rick Elice of Serino Coyne, press agent Richard Kornberg, producers Pamela Koslow and Margo Lion (Tony Awards for Hairspray in 2003 and Elian Stritch at Liberty in 2002), and legal counsel Jean Ward -- discuss developing the musical for Music-Theater Group, working with director/performer Gregory Hines, creating a standout ad campaign, and fundraising with multiple workshops and finding corporate investors for the resulting $5 million production budget.
The panel - actress Brenda Braxton (Jelly's Last Jam), Mettawee River Theatre Company puppet/costume designers Casey Compton and Ralph Lee (Wichikapache Goes Walking), producer/lighting designer Jules Fisher (seven-time Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, Chicago, Dancin’ and Jelly’s Last Jam), director Michael Greif (Pericles), and costume designer Toni-Leslie James (Jelly's Last Jam) - discuss the significant roles of lighting and costume design, the relationship between designers and director, their education and early training, and design budgets; plus a demonstration of costumes and puppets.
The Anna Christie production team -- scenic designer John Lee Beatty (1980 Tony Award winner for Best Scenic Design for Talley’s Folley), O'Neill biographer Barbara Gelb, Artistic Director of Roundabout Theatre Todd Haimes (who has scored multiple Tonys while serving as Artistic Director for Roundabout Theatre Company), actors Anne Meara, Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson (winner of Tony Award in the 1998 revival of Cabaret), and Rip Torn, and lighting designer Marc B. Weiss -- discuss in-depth the 1993 Tony Award-winning revival, including the scenic and lighting design, how the characters relate to contemporary lives, the actors' differing acting styles, and Eugene O'Neill's early career.
The panelists -- theatrical agent Joanne Nici, playwright Frank Pugliese (Aven'U Boys), director/writer Geraldine Fitzgerald (Sharon), Tony Award-winning choreographer Wayne Cilento (for The Who’s Tommy), and producer Frederick Zollo (Tony Awards for Part One and Two of Angels in America and the 2002 revival of Private Lives) -- discuss the expanse of their careers and their backgrounds, the role of an agent, and developing plays from the page through casting and rehearsals to production.
Our four Tony Award winning Leading Ladies -- Laura Benanti (for the 2008 revival of Gypsy), Beth Leavel (in 2006 for the Drowsy Chaperone), Bebe Neuwirth (for Sweet Charity and the 1997 revival of Chicago) and Alice Ripley (for Next to Normal in 2009) -- discuss performances they've seen that have made a lasting impact on them; the moment when they realized that a life in the theatre was what they wanted; what it's like originating a role, playing a character in a revival and replacing someone in a show; the roles they never seem to get cast in; their relationship with the audience during a show and after at the stage door; and their thoughts on the audition process.
The Fool Moon production team - producers Jeffrey Ash, Dori Berinstein (Tony winner for the 2001 revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), and James Freydberg, actor/creator Bill Irwin (2005 Tony Award for Best Actor in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), press representative Jackie Green, general manager Robert Kamlot, company manager Daniel Kearns, and actor/creator David Shiner - discuss bringing the two-man mime revue to Broadway, the responsibilities of each production member, the strategic marketing and publicity plans, ticket and production costs, and the wildly varied responses from audiences of all ages.
The panelists -- theatre critic Howard Kissel, Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club Lynn Meadow (who steered the organization to Tony wins for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Proof and Doubt), actor/director Zakes Mokae (Tony winner for Mastor Harold… and the Boys), producer/general manager Dorothy Olim, producer/general manager Albert Poland, general manager Ben Sprecher, and playwright Wendy Wasserstein (The Sisters Rosensweig and Tony winner for The Heidi Chronicles) -- discuss how not-for-profit and regional theaters differ from commercial productions, developing plays out of town, escalating production costs, and viable stage careers compared to television and film.
The panel of performers -- David Cassidy and Petula Clark from Blood Brothers, six-time Tony winner Julie Harris (The Fiery Furnace), Jeff Hyslop (Kiss of the Spider Woman), and Joe Mantello (2003 Tony for Best Direction for Take Me Out and 2004 for Assassins) and Stephen Spinella (winner of back-to-back Tony Awards for both parts of Angels In America) -- talk about how their families encouraged them to pursue performing professionally, appearing on a Broadway stage for the first time, differing audience reactions between the West End and Broadway, and working on the multi-part play Angels in America.
The panelists -- playwright/director Edward Albee (Tony winner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the 2005 recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), director Arvin Brown (The Twilight of the Golds), agent Joyce Ketay, playwright Tony Kushner (winner of two Tony Awards for both parts of Angels in America), playwright Timothy Mason (The Fiery Furnace), and playwright Jonathan Tolins (The Twilight of the Golds) -- talk about playwrights directing their own work, how directors and playwrights collaborate, gauging audience response, and the evolution of their respective productions.
The Kiss of the Spider Woman production team -- producer Garth Drabinsky (Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman), lyricist Fred Ebb and composer John Kander (Tony Award winners for Best Original Score in 1967 for Cabaret, 1981 for Woman of the Year and 1993 for Kiss of the Spider-Woman) playwright Terrence McNally (four-time Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime), director Harold Prince (who has won 21 Tony Awards), and actor Chita Rivera (Tony Award winner for The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman) -- discuss adapting the novel and film, starting as a ""New Musicals"" development at SUNY Purchase through productions in Toronto and London before reaching Broadway, how the script has changed over the years, the budget required for the long creative process, and the business of producing and marketing a new Broadway musical.
The design panel -- scenic designer John Arnone (Tony Award winner for The Who’s Tommy), costume designer Elizabeth Fried (Brother Truckers), special effects designer Wendall K. Harrington (The Who's Tommy), lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin (New York Shakespeare Festival) -- moderated by three-time Tony Award-winning costume designer Patricia Zipprodt (in 1965 for Fiddler on the Roof, in 1967 for Cabaret and in 1986 for Sweet Charity), Professor Tish Dace, and author/designer/producer Jean Dalrymple discuss their creative childhoods; how the role of designers has evolved from directors, stage managers, and technicians; working with varying production budgets; and the colors and projections used in The Who's Tommy.
The resident theatre panelists -- Randall Arney, Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre; Zelda Fichandler, Artistic Director of the Acting Company; Emily Mann, Artistic Director of McCarter Theater; Mac Pirkle, Artistic Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre; Michael P. Price, Executive Director of Goodspeed Opera House; and Tony Award winner Lloyd Richards (for Fences), Artistic Director of Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center -- discuss the beginnings of regional theatre as a place to develop new plays and playwrights, relationships with commercial theatre, marketing and building a subscriber base, and diversity in playwrights and audiences.
The panel -- Tony Award-winning director and lyricist Martin Charnin (for Annie), Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public playwright Larry L. King and director/co-writer Peter Masterson, choreographer Rob Marshall (Kiss of the Spiderwoman), director/writer Lonny Price (Sally Marr and Her Escorts), Second Stage Theatre dramaturg/literary manager Erin Sanders, director Robert Jess Roth (Beauty and the Beast), Ernest Schier director of the National Critics' Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and Tazewell Thompson Artistic Director of the Syracuse Stage -- talk about the different ways that writers collaborate, the role of a dramaturg, how choreography and directing can be intertwined, developing a production in workshops, and reimagining an animated film as a stage musical.
The Beauty and the Beast production team -- press representative Chris Boneau, producer Michael David (who’s plays have won 49 Tony Awards), associate producer Donald Frantz, production supervisor Jeremiah Harris, producer Robert W. McTyre, marketing consultant Margery Singer -- discuss creating a stage musical from an animated film, costume designs, production budget and ticket prices, marketing and publicity including a literacy program, and Disney's plans on Broadway
The panel of performers - Michel Bell (Show Boat), Charlotte D'Amboise (Damn Yankees), Rosemary Harris (Tony Award winner in 1966 for The Lion in Winter), Audra McDonald (four-time Tony winner for Carousel, Master Class, Ragtime and A Raisin in the Sun), and Lonette McKee (Show Boat) - discuss working with elaborate sets, their performing backgrounds, developing technique and discipline, and bringing classics back to the stage.
The design panel -- lighting designer Beverly Emmons, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award for Beauty and the Beast), and scenic designers David Schulder and Tony Walton (Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, the original House of Blue Leaves and 1992’s revival of Guys and Dolls) -- and co-moderater lighting designer Jules Fisher (seven-time Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, Chicago, Dancin’ and Jelly’s Last Jam) -- talk about where they studied their craft, how the props can overlap with costuming, how lighting design has evolved, the Ridiculous Theatrical Company's production of Movieland, and a demonstration of Gary Beach's costume from Beauty and the Beast.
The panel of performers -- Mary Alice (Having Our Say and Tony winner for Fences), Matthew Broderick (two-time Tony winner for Brighton Beach Memoirs and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying), Alan Campbell (Sunset Boulevard), Gloria Foster (Having Our Say), John Glover (Love! Valour! Compassion! for which he won a Tony Award in 1995), Robert Sean Leonard (Arcadia and Tony winner for The Invention of Love)), and Helen Mirren (A Month In The Country) -- talk about how they got started performing, what lessons and training they had, the challenges of working on their current productions, and the playwright's involvement in a production.
The panel -- playwright/actor Dan Butler (The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me), playwright Tom Dulack (Breaking Legs), director Scott Ellis (A Month In The Country), playwright Keith Glover (Dancing On Moonlight), director Sean Mathias (Indiscretions), director Gregory Mosher (Tony Award winner for his revivals of Anything Goes in 1988 and Our Town in 1989), director Lisa Peterson (Slavs), and literary agent Jack Tantleff -- talk about where they began their careers, playwrights who direct their own work, funding for non-profit and regional theatres, and the role of casting directors.
The production team of Love! Valour! Compassion! -- general manager Victoria Bailey, press representative Helene Davis, Manhattan Theatre Club’s Executive Producer Barry Grove (Tony Award winner for Best Play in 2005 for Doubt, 2001 for Proof, and 1995 for Love! Valour! Compassion!), director Joe Mantello (2003 for Best Direction for Take Me Out and 2004 for Assassins), playwright Terrence McNally (four-time Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime), and artistic director Lynne Meadow (who steered the organization to Tony wins for Love! Valour! Compassion!, Proof and Doubt) -- discuss giving playwrights a home at Manhattan Theatre Club, director and playwright working together for the first time, transferring to a Broadway production, ticket pricing, and participating in the Broadway Alliance.
Goodspeed Opera House's team -- Tony Award-winning director and lyricist Martin Charnin (for Annie), press representative Max Eisen, associate producer Sue Frost, musical supervisor Michael O'Flaherty, director Charles Repole (Gentleman Prefer Blondes), and general manager Howard Sherman -- discuss Goodspeed's history and focus on the American musical, the business aspects of a regional theatre, being a part of the community, and the advantages of developing production at a distance from New York.
The panel of performers -- Betty Buckley (Sunset Boulevard and a Tony Award winner for her performance in Cats), Liz Callaway (Cats), Valerie Harper (Death Defying Acts), Brian Murray (Racing Demon), Roger Rees (Nicholas Nickleby, for which he won a Best Actor Tony), two-time Tony-winner Frances Sternhagen (for The Good Doctor and The Heiress) - talk about the different ways they started in the business, training at the Royal Shakespeare Company, notable acting teachers, how to prepare for auditions, replacing in a show with an abbreviated rehearsal period, and how to keep performances fresh during a long run.
The multi-disciplined panelists -- director/choreographer Jeff Calhoun (Busker Alley), director/playwright Michael Leeds (Swinging on a Star), actor/playwright Anne Meara (After-Play), director Mike Ockrent (Big, Crazy For You, Me and My Girl), director/choreographer Lee Roy Reams (Hello, Dolly! revival), Tony Award winning-director Lloyd Richards (for Fences), and director John Tillinger (Deathtrap) -- discuss the director's role in relationship to the playwright, the differences in developing of musicals and plays, directing revivals, the challenges of auditions, and the pros and cons of workshops.
Five of the stage's most talented Directors -- Thomas Kail, Moisés Kaufman, Bartlett Sher (who won a Tony for his work on the 2008 revival of South Pacific), Leigh Silverman and Kate Whoriskey -- talk about how they work with, and interpret, the author's work; the relationship between directors and designers; managing change as the work evolves; why they feel actors should be more involved in the process; the different approach they take when working with classics as opposed to original works; how they work with casting directors and then work with the various actors and acting techniques; their desire to be a support system for each other; and whether they feel directing can be taught.
The Moon Over Buffalo production team -- press representative Adrian Bryan-Brown, designer/producer Heidi Landesman (Tony winner for her scenic designs of Big River and The Secret Garden), producer Elizabeth Williams (three-time Tony winner for Crazy for You, The Real Thing and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), general managers Wendy Orshan and Jeffrey M. Wilson of 101 Productions, and Serino Coyne advertising representative Ruth Rosenberg -- discuss the process of bringing Ken Ludwig's play to Broadway, from the first reading, casting Carol Burnett, finding a director, creating the $2.4 million budget including an out-of-town tryout, to advertising, press coverage and opening night reviews.
The design team of The Heiress -- scenic designer John Lee Beatty (1980 Tony Award winner for Best Scenic Design for Talley’s Folley), lightning designer Beverly Emmons, costume designer Jane Greenwood, two-time Tony-winning director Gerald Gutierrez (in 1995 for The Heiress and in 1996 for A Delicate Balance) and actor Cherry Jones (Tony Award winner for her performances in Doubt and The Heiress) -- discuss the interwoven details of their production, from natural period lighting for the enclosed sets, to background colors complementing the costumes, and the advantages of collaborating on previous works. Mask/puppet designer Ralph Lee demonstrates the large puppets worn by actors in Heart Of The Earth: A Popul Vuh Story.
Beginning the discussion with the question of when, or if, work becomes fun, our guests, lead actors and Tony Award winners -- Jane Alexander (1969 for The Great White Hope), Bill Irwin (2005 for Best Actor for Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), Angela Lansbury (five-time winner including for Mame, Gypsy and Sweeney Todd), Cynthia Nixon (2006 Best Actress for Rabbit Hole), and Geoffrey Rush (2009 Best Actor winner for Exit the King) -- also talk about how they choose roles and whether they'd consider playing smaller roles on the stage today; what they feel from an audience and how they react as audience members; their relationship to, and the role of, the stage manager; how much they consciously set the tone for the company; how they balance the thoughts of the playwright and the director -- and how they handle it when the two don't agree; and whether they follow stage directions from the existing script.
The discussion panel -- director Leonard Foglia (Master Class), director Michael Greif (Rent), playwright Betsy Howie (Cowgirls), lyricist Tom Jones (The Fantasticks), composer/lyricist Mary Murfitt (Cowgirls), and director George C. Wolfe (Tony Award winner for Best Direction for 1993’s Angels in America and 1996’s Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk) -- talk about how their pieces evolved from concept to production, the role of a dramaturg, casting performers with a range of experience, and bringing actors into the creative process.
The panel -- playwright Allan Knee (Late Night Comic), director Ron Lagomarsino (Driving Miss Daisy), Tony Award winning-director Lloyd Richards (for Fences), casting director Meg Simon (Fences), Tony Award winning-playwright Alfred Uhry (1999 for Parade and 1997 for his play The Last Night of Ballyhoo), and playwright August Wilson (Tony winner for Fences) -- discuss directing styles, collaboration between playwright and director, developing and casting their current productions, and the emergence of casting directors for the stage.
Our Tony Award-winning guests –- scenic designer David Gallo (2006 for The Drowsy Chaperone), sound designer John Gromada, costume designer Susan Hilferty (2004 for Wicked) and lighting designer Peter Kaczorowski (2001 for the Producers) -- discuss how a design team enhances a production; when they are brought into the production and how they interact with one another as the show unfolds; their process in preparing for each show; their collaboration not only with each other but also with the director and the actors; the logistical challenges they face with each new show; how they got involved in theatre design and what training they did or didn't receive; advice they'd give to young designers; how they handle creative differences with other designers and the director; and where they find inspiration for their designs.
Broadway performers Patti Cohenour, and Tony Award winners Michael Crawford and Judy Kaye (for their roles in Phantom of the Opera); Blythe Danner (1970 Tony Award for Butterflies Are Free); M. Butterfly's Tony-winners John Lithgow (for his roles in The Changing Room and Sweet Smell of Success) and B.D. Wong (for Best Actor in a Featured Role for 1988’s M. Butterfly); and agent Erica Spellman (ICM) discuss auditioning, preparing special skills for unique roles, crossing over from drama to musicals to opera, and working on different types of stages.
Director Paul Benedict (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune), playwright Timothy Crouse (Anything Goes), playwright David Henry Hwang (who won a Tony for his play M. Butterfly), director Robert Kalfin (Rashomon), playwright Terrence McNally (four-time Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime), legal representative Jeremy Nussbaum, and playwright John Weidman (Anything Goes) talk about how they began their careers in theatre, writing stage directions, revising Anything Goes, the real life inspiration for M. Butterfly, and the advantages of a lengthy preview period.
The production team of M. Butterfly -- advertising representative Jeffrey Ash, stage manager Bob Borod, general manager Steve Goldstein, producer Stuart Ostrow (winner of a Tony Award for 1776 and M. Butterfly), and press agent John Springer -- talk about the many components involved in bringing the groundbreaking play to Broadway, including the play's themes, casting, ad design, publicity campaign, costume design, budget and ticket prices.
The actors -- David Dukes (M Butterfly), Anne Jackson (Cafe Crown), Sylvia Miles (Tea with Mommy and Jack), Kate Nelligan (Spoils of War), Eli Wallach (Cafe Crown and Tony winner for The Rose Tattoo), and Paul Winfield (Checkmates) -- discuss how they first became interested in acting, auditions, and performing in front of an audience.
The Spoils Of War production team -- legal representative John Breglio, press representative Joshua Ellis, producer Robyn Goodman (2004 Tony for Best Musical for Avenue Q), producer David Mirvish, and general manager Peter Neufeld (2005 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre) -- discuss transferring the play from not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre off-Broadway to a $1.5 million commercial Broadway production.
With more than 200 years of combined theatre experience among them, our guests - stage veterans Philip Bosco (1999 Best Actor Tony for Lend Me a Tenor), two-time Tony Award-winning actor John Cullum (for Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century), Marian Seldes (who won a Tony for 1967’s A Delicate Balance and received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010) and Tony Award Winner Carole Shelley (1979 Best Actress Tony for The Elephant Man) -- discuss the breaks that got each of their careers started; how they handle the situation on stage when they or their co-stars forget their lines; how they feel about serving as understudies; the audition process; their successes and failures; and they share stories of working with such other legends as Sir John Gielgud, Joseph Papp, Morris Carnovsky, Lee J. Cobb, George C. Scott, Geraldine Page, George Cukor, Myron McCormick and Ruth Gordon. Stage Veterans 2009 also includes a short tribute to the late Robert Prosky, who appeared on the prior Stage Veterans edition of Working in the Theatre in 2005.
The panel of Broadway actors -- Joan Allen (The Heidi Chronicles and 1988 Best Actress Tony winner for Burn This), Ed Asner (Born Yesterday), Philip Bosco (1999 Best Actor Tony for Lend Me a Tenor), Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine), Nancy Dussault (Into The Woods) and Madeline Kahn (Born Yesterday and Tony winner for The Sisters Rosensweig) -- talk about the first time they fell in love with performing, auditions, how their careers have evolved, and the difference in stage and film work.
The creative teams of Legs Diamond: director Robert Allan Ackermam, playwright Harvey Fierstein (who won acting Tony Awards for Hairspray and Torch Song Trilogy—for which he also won a Best Play Tony in addition to his best book Tony for La Cage Aux Folles), and choreographer Alan Johnson, Paul Robeson: playwright Phillip Hayes Dean and director Harold Scott, and Spoils of War: director Austin Pendleton and playwright Michael Weller -- discuss their productions, and how they began their careers in theatre.
Director Pamela Berlin (Steel Magnolias, Crossing Delancey), playwright Cindy Lou Johnson (Brilliant Traces), playwright/director Garson Kanin (Born Yesterday) and playwright Wendy Wasserstein (Tony winner for The Heidi Chronicles) discuss how they first got involved in playwriting and directing from other areas of writing and theatre, their first professional shows, and play development at Playwrights Horizons and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Playwrights Conference.
Playwrights Horizons artistic director André Bishop, legal counsel Marsha Brooks, stage manager Roy Harris, advertising representative Mike Mones, and producer James Walsh (Tony Awards for I’m Not Rappaport and The Will Rogers Follies) discuss Wendy Wasserstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Heidi Chronicles and its transfer to Broadway.
Stage performers Blair Brown Blair Brown (Best Featured Actress Tony Award for Copenhagen in 2000), Kevin Conway (Other People's Money), Beth Fowler and Bob Gunton from Sweeney Todd, Pamela Payton-Wright and Tony Randall from M. Butterfly, Vanessa Redgrave (Orpheus Descending and Tony winner for the 2003 revival of Long Day’s Journey into Night), Elaine Stritch (Love Letters and Tony winner for her Elaine Stritch at Liberty in 2002), and casting director Rosemarie Tichler talk about their chosen careers, how they got started in theatre, and the differences and challenges that audiences bring to each performance.
The production team of Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending -- attorney John Breglio, advertising representative Nancy Coyne, general manager Barbara Darwall, press representative Joshua Ellis, and producer Elizabeth Ireland McCann (numerous Tony Awards including Copenhagen, Morning’s at Seven and Amadeus) -- talk about the steps taken in bringing Peter Hall's revival with actress Vanessa Redgrave to Broadway.
The panel of performers -- Mark Linn-Baker (A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum), Two-time Tony Award-winning actor John Cullum (for Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century), Ann Duquesnay (Tony Award for Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk), Judith Ivey (Tony winner for Steaming and Hurlyburly), Donna Murphy (Tony winner for Best Actress in The King and I and Passion), Michael Nouri (Victor/Victoria) and Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) -- discuss how they auditioned for their current roles, and what education and training they received at the start of their careers.
The production team of Master Class -- three-time Tony Award-winning producer Lewis Allen (for Annie in 1977, I’m Not Rappaport in 1986 and Master Class in 1996), producing associate Doris Blum, actress Karen Day Cody, press agent Bill Evans, casting director Alan Filderman, stage manager Dianne Trulock, and advertising representative Jim Weiner -- traces the show from its Montana workshop, to stagings in Philadelphia, L.A., and D.C., to opening in New York; how the creators, designers, and operatic cast were put together; developing the publicity and advertising campaigns including the casting of Zoe Caldwell's replacement Patti LuPone; and producing under the Broadway Alliance contract.
The panel -- director Melvin Bernhardt (The Blues Are Running), playwright David Henry Hwang (who won a Tony for his play M. Butterfly), composer Mary Rodgers (Once Upon A Mattress), playwright Nicky Silver (Fit To Be Tied), director David Warren (Fit To Be Tied), and choreographer Marlies Yearby (Rent) -- discuss how directors collaborate with playwrights, how actors may influence how a role is written, the purpose of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers union and Dramatists' Guild, and the panelists' individual education and training.
Kate Burton (Some Americans Abroad), Tyne Daly (Gypsy, Tony Award), Tom Hulce (A Few Good Men and Tony winner for 2007’s Best Musical, Spring Awakening), Robert Morse (Tony Award winner for Tru and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying), Kathleen Turner (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), and Irene Worth (Tony Awards for Tiny Alice, Sweet Bird Of Youth and Lost in Yonkers) talk about being a part of an ensemble cast, the difference between screen and stage, the stamina needed for stage performances, and how they got their start in performing.
The panel of actors -- Nell Carter (Annie and 1978 Tony winner for Ain’t Misbehavin’), Willem Dafoe (The Hairy Ape), Andre De Shields (Play On!), Paul Giamatti (Three Sisters), Joel Grey (Chicago and Tony winner for Cabaret), and Dana Ivey (Last Night of Ballyhoo) -- talk about their past and present productions, their performing background and training, and finding the rhythm of a play.
The panel of directors Walter Bobbie (Chicago, Tony Award), Tony Award-winning choreographer Wayne Cilento (for The Who’s Tommy), Scott Elliott (Present Laughter), Ron Lagomarsino (Last Night at Ballyhoo), Gene Saks (Tony Award winner for Best Direction for I Love My Wife, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues), and Tony Award winning-playwright Alfred Uhry (1999 for Parade and 1997 for his play The Last Night of Ballyhoo) talk about how they got started, developing their current productions, a show's relevance to contemporary audiences, determining the length of a play, and how directors maintain an ongoing show.
The production team of Stanley -- press representative Bill Evans, producers Gregory Mosher (Tony Award winner for his revivals of Anything Goes in 1988 and Our Town in 1989) and Edgar Rosenblum, and marketing representative Evan Shapiro -- discuss the process of bringing the play from the Royal National Theatre in London to Broadway, working with director John Caird, extensive press coverage, and target marketing including a new $10 ticket program aimed at young people.
The panel -- A Few Good Men's director Don Scardino and playwright Aaron Sorkin, director George C. Wolfe (Tony Award winner for Best Direction for 1993’s Angels in America and 1996’s Bring in ‘da Noise/Bring in ‘da Funk) and director Luke Yankee (The Cherry Orchard) -- discusses their current productions and how each show was conceived. The creative team of Once On This Island -- book writer/lyricist/composer team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (1998 Tonys for Best Original Score with Ragtime), director/choreographer Graciela Daniele -- talk about adapting the musical from a novel, and the show's development at Playwrights Horizons.
The production team of Gypsy and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof -- publicist Shirley Herz, casting director Stuart Howard, playwright/director Arthur Laurents (Tony winner for Hallelujah, Baby! and La Cage aux Folles), general manager/associate producer Alecia Parker, and six-time Tony Award-winning producers Barry Weissler and Fran Weissler -- talk about many aspects of production from casting to advertising to corporate investors, booking pre-Broadway tour stops, and their other productions of Fiddler on the Roof, La Cage aux Folles, and My One and Only.
Stage actors Mike Hodge (A Few Good Men), Robin Morse (Six Degrees of Separation), Ron Perlman (A Few Good Men), Faith Prince (Falsettoland and a Tony Award for the revival of Guys and Dolls), Margaret Tyzack (Lettice and Lovage, Tony Award), and James Whitmore (1948 Tony Award for Best Performance by Newcomers for Command Decision) talk about their education and when they began performing, the effect of cast size, audience response, and positive feedback.
The panel of playwrights Vernel Bagneris (Further Mo') and Tom Cole (About Time), lyricist John Driver (Shogun), director Tony Giordano (About Time & Handy Dandy), lyricist Sheldon Harnick (Tony winner for Fiorello! and two Tonys for Fiddler on the Roof), Executive Director of the Dramatists Guild David LeVine, and director Lonny Price (The Rothschilds) discuss how they got started in their careers, writing for the stage, and the role of the Dramatists Guild.
Broadway performers F. Murray Abraham (Angels In America), Susan Egan (Beauty and the Beast), Victor Garber (Damn Yankees), Nathan Lane (Tony winner for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Producers), Michael Learned (The Sisters Rosensweig), Burke Moses (Beauty and the Beast), and Bebe Neuwirth (Tony Awards for Sweet Charity and the 1997 revival of Chicago) talk about how they got started in performing, their current roles, and teaching acting courses.
Broadway performers -- Chuck Cooper (Tony Award winner for The Life), Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde), Pat Hingle (1776), Pamela Isaacs (The Life), Jeff McCarthy (Side Show), and J. Smith-Cameron (As Bees in Honey Drown) -- talk about how they got their start and have built their careers, the challenge of memorizing lines, the importance of discipline and stamina, and the support of family and friends.
The production team for the musical Side Show -- producer Emanuel Azenberg (with numerous Tony Awards including Children of a Lesser God, The Real Thing, Lost in Yonkers and many more), press representative Bill Evans, and general manager Abbie M. Strassler -- talk about the show's journey from presentation to workshop to Broadway; the role of producer, casting director, general manager, company manager, and press agent; casting principal and chorus members; and marketing a new show.
The panel -- lighting designer Beverly Emmons; costume designer Danny Gates (When Pigs Fly); 1997 Tony Award winners for Best Scenic Design for Jekyll and Hyde James Noone and director/designer Robin Phillips; puppeteer Basil Twist (Peter and Wendy); director Mark Waldrop (When Pigs Fly); and producer/playwright Liza Lorwin (Peter and Wendy) -- talk about how designers work with directors, producers and writers; directing in addition to designing; creating pop-up sets; working with the late Howard Crabtree on When Pigs Fly, with a detailed demonstration of costumes; Jekyll and Hyde's movable plexiglass towers, backdrops, and lighting with new Varilights technology; and the unanswerable question of "what makes good design?"
The panel of theatre professionals -- playwright Michael J. Chepiga (Getting and Spending), choreographer Graciela Daniele (Ragtime), playwright/director Christopher Durang (Sex and Longing), director Garry Hynes (Best Director Tony Award for The Beauty Queen of Leenane), and director Joe Mantello (2003 for Best Direction for Take Me Out and 2004 for Assassins) -- discuss how they got their start, auditioning actors, controversy surrounding a play, and taking on alternate roles of choreographer, actor, or director.
The Side Man production team -- general manager Roy Gabay (Tony winner for the 1998 revival of A View From the Bridge), producer Jay S. Harris (Tony Winner for 1999’s Side Man), advertising representative, Drew Hodges, producer Peter Manning (Tony Winner for 1999’s Side Man), marketing representative Nancy Richards, and press representative Gary Springer -- discuss moving the Roundabout production to a commercial Broadway run, marketing tactics, ticket pricing, breakdown of the production budget, working on multiple shows simultaneously, and the differences between not-for-profit and commercial theatre.
The panel of lighting designers -- Jules Fisher (seven-time Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, Chicago, Dancin’ and Jelly’s Last Jam) and Donald Holder (Tony Awards for The Lion King and the 2008 revival of South Pacific), scenic designers Eugene Lee (Tony winner for Candide, Sweeny Todd and Wicked) and Ming Cho Lee (from the Public Theater and 1983 Tony Award winner for his scenic designs for K2), and The Lion King associate costume designer Mary Peterson -- discuss the challenges of designing their current shows, how sets, lighting, and costumes complement each other, display and detail a costume from The Lion King, and present a model of one of the Ragtime sets.
The international panel of performers -- Scottish actor Iain Glen (The Blue Room), Australian actress Nicole Kidman (The Blue Room), Irish actress Anna Manahan (Tony winner for The Beauty Queen of Leenane), and Filipino actress Lea Salonga (Flower Drum Song and winner of a Tony for Miss Saigon) -- discuss their training, the rehearsal process, taking a whole approach to both film and stage work, overcoming stage fright, how audience responses varies from London to Broadway to Australia, and how changes in the political climate of their respective countries have affected theatre.
Actors Blythe Danner (1970 Tony Award for Butterflies Are Free) and Edward Herrmann both from The Deep Blue Sea, Brian Stokes Mitchell (Ragtime and a 2000 Tony Award for Kiss Me, Kate), Alfred Molina (Art), Natasha Richardson (winner of Tony Award in the 1998 revival of Cabaret), and John Vickery (The Lion King) discuss how their training and first professional jobs, obtaining and preparing for their current role, what has been their biggest break in theatre, the difference between theatre audiences in London and New York, and anecdotes of flubbing lines.
What is the role of a producer? That was the question that started the discussion among four of Broadway's top producers -– Tony Award Winners Roger Berlind (2005 Best Play for Doubt and 2006 Best Play for The History Boys), Margo Lion (for Hairspray in 2003 and Elaine Stritch at Liberty in 2002), Jeffrey Richards (2008 for Best Play with August: Osage County and for the 2009 revival of Hair) and Jeffrey Seller (Best Musicals for Avenue Q and In the Heights) -- as the conversation turned to whether they produce for profit or passion and how they balance between the two; what the shows they produce reveal about themselves; what the opportunities are for new producers; the increased role the internet and other new media plays in theatre today; the escalating cost of producing a show on Broadway today; and what they feel are the major issues facing theatre producers as they look to the future.
The Lion King production team -- press representative Chris Boneau, composer Lebo M, advertising representative Rick Elice, producers Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher, and director, costume and mask designer Julie Taymor (Tony Award for the show) -- talk about the development of the animated film, the subsequent development of the theatrical show led by Taymor's vision, forming a creative design team, merging Western and African music into a unique collaborative sound, the publicity and advertising challenges, and marketing a nearly sold-out show for a long run
Playwright Jeff Baron (Visiting Mr. Green), director/playwright Moises Kaufman (Gross Indecency), playwright Warren Leight (Tony winner for Side Man), Tony Award winning-director Michael Mayer (for Spring Awakening), actor/director Lonny Price (Visiting Mr. Green), and director Matthew Warchus (Tony winner for 2009’s God of Carnage) discuss the working dynamics between a playwright and a director, the differences between screenwriting and playwriting, transitioning from acting to directing, and the development of Side Man and Art.
Lyricist Lynn Ahrens (1998 for Tony for Best Original Score with Ragtime), producer Garth Drabinsky (Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman), composer Stephen Flaherty (1998 for Tony for Best Original Score with Ragtime), director Frank Galati (two 1990 Tony Awards for The Grapes of Wrath), book writer Terrence McNally (four-time Tony Award winner for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime), and advertising representative Jon Wilner discuss the journey of the American musical Ragtime -- from adapting E.L. Doctorow's novel, to comparisons with the 1981 film, through numerous workshops, to the full-scale Toronto and Broadway productions.
Actors Roger Bart (Young Frankenstein and Tony winner for the 1999 revival of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown), Brian d'Arcy James (Next To Normal), Priscilla Lopez (In The Heights and Tony winner for A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine) and Sherie Rene Scott (The Little Mermaid) -- collectively veterans of more than 30 Broadway and off-Broadway musicals -- talk about the differences between performing in musicals and straight plays; acting techniques and voice training; how they prepare for a performance; dealing with the ""triple threat"" of acting, singing and dancing; balancing their lives on and off stage and their opinions on today's new composers.
The panel of performers talk about their training and when they decided to become actors. Power Plays co-stars Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss talk about working together at Northwestern. Both Billy Crudup (Tony winner for The Coast of Utopia) and Dana Reeve (More To Love: A Big Fat Comedy) pursued Master of Fine Arts degrees in order to teach as well as act. In England, Roger Rees (Nicholas Nickleby, for which he won a Best Actor Tony) trained primarily by observation. Two-time Tony Award-winner James Naughton (for City of Angels in 1990 and Chicago in 1997) discusses the Blue Light Theatre Company, started by his son Greg Naughton, where Billy Crudup is in Oedipus. The panel also discusses what they've gained from working with brilliant directors, being both director and actor, and preparing for auditions.
With backgrounds rooted in rock and roll, television comedy and comics, our 4 guests have made the leap from their day jobs to the stages of Broadway and Off Broadway with their musicals. Ben Katchor (The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island), David Javerbaum (Cry-Baby), Heidi Rodewald (Passing Strange) and Stew (2008 Tony Award for Best Book for Passing Strange) discuss adjusting to the collaborative world of theatre, the rules of theatre they think were made to be broken, their reaction to producers' notes, and how they feel their shows fit within the context of traditional musicals.
The five performers -- Matthew Broderick (two-time Tony winner for Brighton Beach Memoirs and How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying), Kathleen Chalfant (Wit), Brian Dennehy (Inherit the Wind and a Tony Award for Death of a Salesman), Elizabeth Franz (1999 Tony Award for her featured role in Death of a Salesman), and Swoosie Kurtz (1981 Featured Actress Tony for Fifth of July and 1986 Featured Actress Tony for the original production of The House of Blue Leaves) -- discuss their current and past acting roles, how research and real life experience shapes one's portrayal of a character, how the audience completes the performance equation, stage versus film work, and where they started their performing careers.
The panel -- director Scott Ellis (That Championship Season), Tony-winning director Robert Falls (for Death of a Salesman), playwright David Marshall Grant (Snakebit), director/choreographer Robert Longbottom (The Scarlet Pimpernel), playwright Paul Rudnick (The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told), and director John Tillinger (Night Must Fall) -- discuss working with rewrites, revisions and multiple versions of a script, the playwright's input during rehearsals, and the role of a dramaturg.
Ranging from their start in a church basement in 1976 to their current Broadway production of August: Osage County, Steppenwolf Theatre Company (the 1985 recipient of the Regional Theatre Award) Co-Founder Jeff Perry and Steppenwolf Ensemble Members Laurie Metcalf, Amy Morton and Rondi Reed (who won a Tony for her role in August: Osage County) discuss their formative years as a rebel theatre group in Chicago, what they did in those early years to attract audiences, how the ensemble has evolved, how Steppenwolf transformed from upstart to institution, the development of August: Osage County, and the challenges that a New York success like August places on their work back home in Chicago.
The production team for The Civil War -- producer Pierre Cossette (Tony winner for The Will Rogers Follies), producers Gary Gunas and Scott Zieger of Pace Theatrical, lyricist Jack Murphy, composer Frank Wildhorn, and marketing representative Norman Zagier -- cover the musical's journey from inception at Houston's Alley Theatre, through two studio albums, readings and workshops, to the Broadway production.
The panel of theatre critics -- "New York Post"'s Clive Barnes, "Variety"'s Charles Isherwood, "New York Times"' Peter Marks, "NY1"'s Roma Torre, and "Newsday"'s Linda Winer -- discuss the difference between television and print media, writing styles, the change in opening night review deadlines, audience reactions, unbiased reviews, reading plays prior to attending plays, how the quality of a show influences the quality of a review, returning to a show for a subsequent viewing, and the job market for critics.
Our distinguished panel of theatre directors -- Anne Bogart, Scott Ellis and Tony winning-director Daniel Sullivan (2001 for Best Direction of a Play for Proof) -- discuss their early influences in theatre and how that impacted their work as directors, why they have such a strong and emotional reaction to the idea of "concept"" in the directing process, their opposing opinions on the role of assistants, what plays interest them and which works they wouldn't direct, whether they each approach the process differently when directing a new work or a revival, and whether they feel directing is something that can be taught.
The panelists -- playwright Douglas Carter Beane (As Bees In Honey Drown), director/choreographers Kathleen Marshall (Kiss Me Kate and two-time winner for her choreography of Wonderful Town and The Pajama Game) and Rob Marshall (Damn Yankees, She Loves Me), director Vivian Matalon (Tony Award for Morning's At Seven), and playwright John Pielmeier (Agnes of God) -- discuss the impact of efficient cast sizes, casting for multi-talented performers, respectfully auditionining and rejectioning performers, their individual performing backgrounds, compromising with producers, and collaborating with playwrights and directors.
Producer/Artistic Director André Bishop and Executive Producer Bernard Gersten of Lincoln Center Theater , Marketing Director and Director of Special Projects for Lincoln Center Theater (whose tenure as Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater has scored them numerous Tony Awards including the recent revival of South Pacific, Coast of Utopia and Contact), Thomas Cott, Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater Bernard Gersten, five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (for Crazy for You, Showboat, Contact, and 2 awards for The Producers) and playwright John Weidman discuss the Tony Award winning Contact; from Lincoln Center Theater's invitation to Stroman and Weidman to develop their original ideas, how the individual stories are connected, multiple workshops, the casting process, using pre-existing recorded music versus live musicians, deciding on the show's name, as well as producing for non-commercial theatre with a longstanding member base.
This broad panel of designers -- lighting designer Michael Chybowski (Moby Dick and Other Stories, Wit), scenic designer David Hays, sound designer Abe Jacob (Pippin, Evita), special effects designer Greg Meeh (Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Cirque du Soleil) and costume designer Ann Roth (Crucifer of Blood, The Royal Family, The House of Blue Leaves) -- discuss their purpose and accomplishments, collaborating with a production's creative team, apprentices and learning through hands-on experience, and the increase of sound and light levels over time.
Performers Bryan Batt (Saturday Night Fever), Kristin Chenoweth (Wicked and Tony winner for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown), four-time Tony Winner Boyd Gaines (for The Heidi Chronicles, She Loves Me, Contact and Gypsy), Marin Mazzie (Kiss Me Kate), Tom Wopat (Annie Get Your Gun) and Deborah Yates (Contact) discuss working on preview performances, how audiences can vary wildly, the pros and cons of live music and amplification, reconceiving shows for revivals, and stories from their stage experiences.
Director David Esbjornson (The Ride Down Mt. Morgan), director David Leveaux (The Real Thing), playwright Becky Mode (Fully Committed), director Richard Nelson (James Joyce's The Dead, Tony Award), and director/choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett (Swing!) discuss how they became theatre professionals, their work ethic, and their reasons for remaining and working in theatre.
Our panel of stage performers -- Helen Carey, Jayne Houdyshell, Zeljko Ivanek and Tony Award winner Elizabeth Franz (1999 for her featured role in Death of a Salesman) -- discuss their roles as featured actors and actresses, the range of work available to them, how they become their characters, dealing with stage fright and forgetting their lines, the audition process, performing in regional theater and how they prepare for each evening's performance.
Tony Award winner Jennifer Ehle (2000 Best Actress Award for The Real Thing) (Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing), Cherry Jones (Tony Award winner for her performances in Doubt and The Heiress), Adam Pascal (Aida, Rent), Tonya Pinkins (Tony winner for Jelly’s Last Jam), John Shea (The Director), and Patrick Stewart (A Christmas Carol, The Ride Down Mt. Morgan) discuss how and why they chose to be performers, their education and training, their work ethic, how one embodies a character, the craft of acting, and why they work in the theatre.
Playwrights David Auburn (Proof, Tony Award) and Charles Busch (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), director/choreographer George Faison (For Colored Girls and a Tony winner for The Wiz), choreographers David Marques (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer) and Jerry Mitchell (Tony winner for the 2005 revival of La Cage aux Folles), and director John Rando (2002 for Best Direction for Urinetown ) discuss their experiences in professional theatre, including their backgrounds, creative processes, rehearsals, and transfers to Broadway from off-Broadway and out-of-town productions.
A panel of acclaimed, Tony Award-winning composers and lyricists -- Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (1998 for Best Original Score with Ragtime), William Finn (1992 Best Book and Score for Falsettos) and Adam Guettel (2005 for the score and orchestration of Light in the Piazza) -- discuss their first theatrical experiences, the process of writing and composing, what's involved in working with a partner, early influences on their music, and where they find inspiration; offer advice for students; and demonstrate their craft by playing a bit of their work.
The creative and production team of the Broadway musical The Full Monty -- producer Thomas Hall, press representative Michael Hartman, producer Lindsay Law, director Jack O'Brien (Tony Winner for Hairspray, Henry IV in 2004 and The Coast of Utopia), general manager Charlotte Wilcox, and composer/lyricist David Yazbek -- follows the show from its inception as a work for the stage, adapted from the 1997 hit comedy film, through to the production on the Great White Way.
Oscar, Emmy and five-time American Theatre Wing Tony Award winner, Peter Stone (Tony Awards for 1776, Woman of the Year and Titanic) moderates this discussion with lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Triumph of Love, Jelly's Last Jam), composers/lyricists John Kander and Fred Ebb (Tony Award winner for Best Original Score in 1967 for Cabaret, 1981 for Woman of the Year and 1993 for Kiss of the Spider-Woman), composer Marvin Hamlisch (A Chorus Line, for which he won a Tony, They're Playing Our Song, Sweet Smell of Success), and award-winning country songwriter/composer Don Schlitz (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). The panel talks about the process of musical songwriting, collaboration with other writers, writing songs in conjunction with the book, learning from influential composers, through-composed shows compared to book musicals, pros and cons of workshops, their backgrounds, and their first shows.
Actors Len Cariou (Tony winner for his role as Sweeney Todd in the original production), Patrick Cassidy, Andre De Shields, Michael Learned, Mary Louise Parker (Tony Award winner for Proof), and Marian Seldes (who won a Tony for 1967’s A Delicate Balance and received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010) talk not only about their careers and their training, but also about the drive, the passion, and the knowledge needed to achieve a career in the theatre.
Four of Broadway's newest and brightest stars - Ashley Brown (Mary Poppins), Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening), Alison Pill (Mauritius) and John Lloyd Young (Tony Award for Jersey Boys) - discuss their road to the Broadway stage, the mentors who helped them, where their drive to perform comes from, their earliest roles, how they handle the audition process, facing their fears, keeping their voices in shape and what roles they'd love to play in the future.
The production team of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida -- musical director Paul Bogaev, press representative Chris Boneau, Tony-winning director Robert Falls (for Death of a Salesman), book writer David Henry Hwang (who won a Tony for his play M. Butterfly), vice president of creative affairs Stuart Oken, and producer Thomas Schumacher -- follows the show from its creative inception, through its early production at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, the Chicago tryout, to the Broadway opening.
This panel of artists -- playwright/actress Pamela Gien, playwright/director/actor Lonny Price, choreographer/director Randy Skinner, director Rebecca Taylor, playwright August Wilson (Tony winner for Fences), and director Joel Zwick -- who provide the creative heart of the theatre and breathe life into their stage productions discuss their work, backgrounds, and education; becoming a choreographer; building a book show around pre-existing songs; and how poetry relates to stage work.
The production and creative team for the musical The Producers -- press representative John Barlow, creator and producer Mel Brooks (who won a Tony for The Producers), producer Richard Frankel (Tony Award winner for the 2007 revival of Company), general manager Laura Green, book writer Thomas Meehan (Tony Awards for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray), and five-time Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman (for Crazy for You, Showboat, Contact, and 2 awards for The Producers) -- discuss taking the cult film to the Broadway stage, including the out-of-town run in Chicago, budgeting a huge musical, and the overwhelming interest from producers, investors, publicists, and ticketbuyers.
Six leading performers -- Alan Cumming (Design For Living and Tony winner for the 1998 revival of Cabaret), Daniel Davis (Tom Stoppard's Invention Of Love), Heather Headley (Tony Award winner for Aida), Faith Prince (Bells Are Ringing and a Tony Award for the revival of Guys and Dolls), Maximilian Schell (Judgement At Nuremberg), and Lily Tomlin (The Search For Intelligent Life In The Universe for which she won a Tony Award) -- talk about their training; audition experiences; and their drive, passion and knowledge needed to achieve a career in the theatre.
Tony Award-winning choreographers Rob Ashford (for Thoroughly Modern Millie) and Wayne Cilento (for The Who’s Tommy), Tony-winning playwright Michael Frayn (for Copenhagen), playwright/lyricist Greg Kotis (Tony Award for Urinetown), and directors Sean Mathias and Lynne Meadow (who has helmed Manhattan Theatre Club through many Tony wins) discuss various aspects of their respective crafts, including the focus on storytelling, the benefits and challenges of collaboration, bad reviews, and the evolution of the director/choreographer relationship.
Actors Kate Burton (Hedda Gabler), Christine Ebersole (2001 for Best Actress in 42nd Street and 2007’s Grey Gardens), Peter Gallagher (Noises Off), Valerie Harper (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), and Robert Sean Leonard (The Music Man and Tony winner for The Invention of Love) discuss performing on Broadway with respect to humor, the truth in acting, analyzing a script, building a character, acting influences, auditions, training, directors, pre-performance preparations, and on-stage mishaps.
The panelists -- lighting designer Ken Billington (Tony winner for Chicago in 1997), costume and set designer Robert Jones, five time Tony-winning costume designer William Ivey Long, scenery designer Thomas Lynch, costume and scenery designer Tony Walton (Tony Award winner for, among others, Pippin, the original House of Blue Leaves and 1992’s revival of Guys and Dolls), and costume designer David C. Woolard -- discuss the fields of study that led them to design; perceptible styles; the design of Six Degrees of Separation; how actors are effected by design details; how lighting influences audience reaction; contemporary audiences' expectations for brighter, quicker-moving shows; and creating The Yellow Dress in Contact through costume and lighting.
This panel of producers (all of whom just happen to be women) -- Tisa Chang, Elizabeth Ireland McCann (numerous Tony Awards including Copenhagen, Morning’s at Seven and Amadeus), Amy Nederlander, Daryl Roth (Tony winner for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, Proof and August: Osage County). , Fran Weissler (Tony winner for Damn Yankees and last year’s revival of La Cage Aux Folles), and four-time Tony-winning Elizabeth Williams (for The Real Thing, Crazy for You and others) -- talks about the role of women in theater, how they are perceived, how they have come to the forefront of the theater community and how they have significantly impacted productions on Broadway and off-Broadway.
Playwrights Jon Robin Baitz (Hedda Gabler), John Guare (Sweet Smell of Success and Tony Winner for the 1972 musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona), Peter Parnell (Q.E.D.), and directors Gene Saks (Tony Award winner for Best Direction for I Love My Wife, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues), Tony winning-director Daniel Sullivan (2001 for Best Direction of a Play for Proof), and Mary Zimmerman (Tony Award for Metamorphoses) discuss their approaches to writing, directing, and adaptations; the collaboration process with directors, writers, producers, sets, and actors; reactions to a production's first preview; and the source of ideas for playwrights.
Thoroughly Modern Millie's creative and production team -- Tony Award-winning choreographer Rob Ashford (for Thoroughly Modern Millie), general manager Nina Lannan, producer Hal Luftig (Tony Awards for Annie Get Your Gun and Thoroughly Modern Millie), Tony Award winning-director Michael Mayer (for Spring Awakening), book writer/lyricist Dick Scanlan and composer Jeanine Tesori -- discuss the Tony Award winning musical's journey to Broadway; obtaining the rights to the 1967 Universal Pictures film written by Richard Morris and starring Julie Andrews; years of development in workshops and readings; how the production team came together, including Rob Ashford's choreographer audition; the mixture of existing songs and new Tesori compositions; the advantages and disadvantages of mounting the show in partnership with La Jolla Playhouse; the many producers involved, including road presenters; the decision and budgetary considerations in opening on Broadway with a rigious preview period versus a second out-of-town tryout.
Actors Frank Langella (Tony winner for Seascape, Dracula and Frost/Nixon), John Lithgow (Tony Awards for his roles in The Changing Room and Sweet Smell of Success), Andrea Martin (Tony Award for My Favorite Year), Estelle Parsons (Mornings at Seven), Mercedes Ruehl (The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? and Best Actress Tony Award for Lost in Yonkers) and Jeffrey Wright (Top Dog/Under Dog and Tony winner for Angels in America) discuss playing a range of roles, what influences their performances including daily life and audience response, how to prepare for a performance, and working with directors in finding courage and confidence.
Six-time Tony winner Julie Harris (The Belle of Amherst), Marilu Henner (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), Richard Kind (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife), Hal Linden (Tony for The Rothschilds), Brad Oscar (The Producers), Steven Weber (The Producers) discuss what makes for good entertainment; how actors collaborate with the rest of the creative staff, especially directors; and what makes an audience laugh. Additionally, there is a short tribute to producer Robert Whitehead (Master Class, A Few Good Men, Medea) who recently passed away.
Tony Award-winning director and lyricist Martin Charnin (for Annie); director and choreographer Graciela Daniele (Annie Get Your Gun); lyricist and book writers Rupert Holmes (Tony Award for The Mystery of Edwin Drood) and Michael Kunze (Dance of the Vampires); and directors Marion McClinton (King Hedley II) and Lawrence Sacharow (Director of Fordham University Theatre Program) talk about the evolution of both play and musical writing in the United States today and the changes in directorial style and direction over the years.
Set designer John Arnone (The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? and Tony Award winner for The Who’s Tommy), costume designers Jane Greenwood (Morning's at Seven) and Martin Pakledinaz (Tony Awards for Thoroughly Modern Millie and Kiss Me, Kate), set designer Scott Pask (Tony Awards for the Pillowman and The Coast of Utopia) and lighting designer Richard Pilbrow (Our Town) talk about what it means for a designer to collaborate on a show; how that collaboration works with other designers, and the cast and director; and how they keep up with their hectic schedules.
Two-time Tony Award-winning actor John Cullum (for Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century), Edie Falco (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune), Lea Salonga (Flower Drum Song and winner of a Tony for Miss Saigon), Stanley Tucci (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray, Tony Award) and Charlayne Woodard (In Real Life) meet and discuss the changes taking place in the theatre world today; how they came to be in their current shows; and the fluidity of an actor's life - moving between theatre, television and movies.
The creative team behind the Broadway musical Hairspray, producers Richard Frankel (Tony Award winner for the 2007 revival of Company) and Margo Lion (Tony Awards for Hairspray in 2003 and Elaine Stritch at Liberty in 2002), co-book writer Thomas Meehan (Tony Awards for Annie, The Producers and Hairspray), choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Tony winner for the 2005 revival of La Cage aux Folles), director Jack O'Brien (Tony Winner for Hairspray, Henry IV in 2004 and The Coast of Utopia), co-book writer Mark O'Donnell (Tony Award for Hairspray) andTony winning-composer/lyricist team Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (for Hairspray) outline the journey the piece took from being a John Waters and Divine cult movie to hitting the Broadway stage; offer a peek at the process that created this smash hit and discuss the social messages that the show sends, both in its content and it's non-traditional casting.
The artistic directors of four major not-for-profit companies -- Susan V. Booth of the Alliance Theatre, Oskar Eustis of The Public Theater (which produced the 2009 Tony-winning revival of Hair), Emily Mann of the McCarter Theatre Center (1994 Regional Theatre Tony Award) and Michael Wilson of Hartford Stage (1989 Regional Theatre Tony Award) -- discuss the unique task of the artistic director, touching upon issues including how they balance their personal artistic goals as directors with the institutional needs of their companies, whether their focus is on the local community or the larger national artistic community, the relationship between not-for-profit theatres and commercial producers, how they measure success, and their responsibility for developing the next generation of theatre artists.
The extraordinary legacy of playwright August Wilson and his 10-play cycle of African-American life in the 20th Century is explored in a two-part program. First, a panel of Wilson's collaborators -- producer James Houghton (Signature Theatre Company), dramaturg Todd Kreidler, director Kenny Leon (Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean), actor/director Ruben Santiago Hudson (Tony Award winner for 1997’s Seven Guitars), producer Jack Viertel (Radio Golf) -- discuss the process of developing and producing Wilson's plays. In the second half, the depth and variety of Wilson's characters are explored by Stephen McKinley Henderson (Jitney, King Hedley II), Harry Lennix (Radio Golf), Tonya Pinkins (Tony winner for Jelly’s Last Jam) and Phylicia Rashad Gem of the Ocean and 2004 Tony winner for the revival of A Raisin in the Sun), joined by director Kenny Leon.
Four acclaimed leading men -- Jeff Daniels (Blackbird), Brian Dennehy (Inherit the Wind and a Tony Award for Death of a Salesman), Liev Schreiber (Talk Radio and a Best Actor Tony for Glengarry Glen Ross) and Kevin Spacey (1991 Tony winner for Lost in Yonkers) -- discuss a wide array of topics, including whether the prefer rehearsal to performance, their experience in long runs and how great plays can carry actors along, the acting opportunities of appearing in many plays by the same author, how they find new challenges, whether they can still enjoy theatre as a member of the audience, and if its harder to do their work now that they're well known.
Musical director, orchestrator and arranger Jason Robert Brown (winner of a Tony for his musical Parade), book writer Aaron Latham, producer Chase Mishkin (winner of a Tony for 2010’s Best Musical, Memphis), director Lonny Price, press representative Pete Sanders and producer Leonard Soloway are the guests on this program which discusses the how this classic movie was musicalized, how it was shepherded to Broadway, and how just enough was changed so it would still maintain the movie's original flavor.
Costume designer Suzy Benzinger ("Movin' Out"), lighting designer Beverly Emmons ("Jekyll and Hyde"), scenic designer Adrianne Lobel ("A Year With Frog and Toad"), sound designer David Meschter ("Medea"), lighting designer Rui Rita ("Enchanted April") and scenic designer David Rockwell ("Hairspray") talk about the practicalities of design - including how to approach a new design job, the similarities of low-budget showcases and big budget Broadway productions, ways to build a collaborative relationship with a director and the many sources of inspiration in the world around us.
Actors from both sides of the Atlantic - Sutton Foster (Tony winner for Thoroughly Modern Millie), Clare Higgins (Vincent in Brixton), Eddie Izzard (A Day in the Death of Joe Egg), Brian Stokes Mitchell (Man of La Mancha and a 2000 Tony Award for Kiss Me, Kate) and Brent Spiner (Life (x) 3) - share some of the high points and quite a few humorous moments (including pulling surprised audience members onstage during a performance, accidentally) from their stage careers.
Four actors from the 42-member The Coast of Utopia company -- Tony Award winner Jennifer Ehle (2000 Best Actress Award for The Real Thing), Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke and Amy Irving -- talk about the experience of appearing in Tom Stoppard's triptych of 19th century Russian intellectual history, including their own trepidation at working with the brilliant Stoppard; adapting language written by an English playwright for Russian characters to the comfort of American actors -- and audiences; the thrill of working in a variant of a classical repertory company; whether they chose to research the era and their characters; and why they chose to spend a year of their lives with this project, playing parts both large and small.
Director Jeff Calhoun, actor Phyllis Frelich (Tony winner for Children of a Lesser God), actor Tyrone Giordano, producer Todd Haimes (who has scored multiple Tonys while serving as Artistic Director for Roundabout Theatre Company) , actor Daniel Jenkins and producer Bill O'Brien explain how Deaf West Theatre Company, a sign language theatre company, decided to put on the musical Big River; why that is not a bad idea, as many initially thought; the integration of signing into the choreography of the show; and how 2 actors, one hearing and one deaf, shared each of the principal roles.
Members of the Tony Award-winning creative team of the Tony-winning musical Avenue Q -- Robert Lopez (Tony Award as Composer/Lyricist), Rick Lyon (Puppet Designer/Actor), Jeff Marx (Tony Award as Composer/Lyricist), and Jeff Whitty (Tony Award as Book Writer) -- along with producers Robyn Goodman (Tony Award for the show) and Jeffrey Seller (Tony Award for the show as well as for Rent, In The Heights and Hair, to name a few) explain how the pieces came together to create this unique puppet musical, the journey from its early days at the BMI Workshop and the O'Neill Theater Center to the Vineyard Theatre/New Group production to Broadway, including the challenge of expanding a show in scale when the central characters, namely the puppets, can't grow along with the size of the theatre.
Scenic designer David Gallo (Tony winner for 2006’s Drowsy Chaperone), lighting designer Donald Holder (Tony Awards for The Lion King and the 2008 revival of South Pacific), scenic designer Anna Louizos (Avenue Q), scenic and costume designer G.W. Mercier (Juan Darien), and five-time Tony Award-winning costume designer Catherine Zuber (Dinner At Eight) discuss how designing on a restricted budget can force a designer to find a more creative solution; spectacle on Broadway -- is it expected and how it does or does not affect ticket prices; the necessity today for a designer to juggle multiple projects and the joy and heartbreak of working in an ephemeral art form.
Tovah Feldshuh (Golda's Balcony), Marc Kudisch (Thoroughly Modern Millie), Swoosie Kurtz (Tony winner for Fifth of July and original The House of Blue Leaves), Rebecca Luker (Nine), Denis O'Hare (Take Me Out for which he won a Tony Award) and Lewis J. Stadlen (The Producers) come together in this interview to talk about their careers -- both on Broadway and around the country -- covering a variety of topics, including the challenge of playing real people and ""capturing their essence,"" the effect of typecasting, the value of acting teachers, and how in performance they relate to their audiences.
Five of America's leading playwrights, Nilo Cruz (Beauty of the Father), Julia Jordan (Boy), four-time tony-winning Terrence McNally (for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Love! Valour! Compassion!, Master Class and Ragtime), Paul Rudnick (Valhalla) and Regina Taylor (Drowning Crow) come together in this panel interview to discuss the state of new playwriting in America today -- its challenges, its rewards and how the process is changing.
On "The Evolution of Encores!", guests Judith E. Daykin (founder), Rob Fisher (music director from founding to 2006), David Ives (book adapter for 18 productions) and Jack Viertel (artistic director since 2001) discuss the growth and success of the acclaimed musical concert series at New York's City Center, exploring how "Encores!" grew out of a concert at BAM in the late 80s; how the international success of "Chicago" impacted the series; how shows are selected; whether the addition of costumes, choreography and other "production" elements have moved the series away from its original goals; and whether there are shows they shouldn't have done or wish they could do again.
In this interview a panel of actors -- Anne Heche (Twentieth Century), Jefferson Mays (I Am My Own Wife for which he won a Tony), Martha Plimpton (Sixteen Wounded), Phylicia Rashad (Gem of the Ocean and 2004 Tony winner for the revival of A Raisin in the Sun) and Richard Thomas (12 Angry Men) -- delve into their current Broadway characters and speak about how their recognition from other media affects audience perception of them today.
The development of the musical Caroline, or Change and its move from The Public Theatre to Broadway is explored with Tony Kushner (writing a musical book and lyrics for the first time and winner of two Tony Awards for both parts of Angels in America), composer Jeanine Tesori, choreographer Hope Clarke and actors Tonya Pinkins (Tony winner for Jelly’s Last Jam) and Veanne Cox.
The challenges and the rewards of producing new plays on Broadway are explored by press representative Michael Hartman (Sixteen Wounded), producers Robert LuPone (Frozen), Benjamin Mordecai (Sixteen Wounded and a Tony Award winner for Angles in America: Perestroika), Michael Parva (Prymate) and Daryl Roth (Tony winner for The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?, Proof and August: Osage County).
"Leading Ladies" and Tony Award winners Blair Brown (Best Featured Actress Tony Award for Copenhagen in 2000), Blythe Danner (1970 Tony Award for Butterflies Are Free), Swoosie Kurtz (1981 Featured Actress Tony for Fifth of July and 1986 Featured Actress Tony for The House of Blue Leaves) and Julie White (2007 Tony Award for her performance in The Little Dog Laughed) share their thoughts on their careers on stage, from the difference between working in plays and musicals, to whether they still audition for roles, to the experience of working with living playwrights -- and whether they feel they ever have any power on a production.
At the start of a theatre season which would see revivals of major works by each, authors Edward Albee (Tony winner for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the 2005 recipient of the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), Harvey Fierstein (who won acting Tony Awards for Hairspray and Torch Song Trilogy—for which he also won a Best Play Tony in addition to his best book Tony for La Cage Aux Folles), Paula Vogel (The Baltimore Waltz) and John Weidman (Assassins) discuss the challenges of the career of a playwright.
The challenge of producing commercially Off-Broadway is the topic for producers and managers Ken Davenport, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Marc Routh (Tony Award for Best Musical for Company and The Norman Conquests) and Alan Schuster as they consider whether Off-Broadway is, as some of the press would have it, in crisis; reflect on the nature of the work that succeeds in that arena; and place their work in those venues in the context of both the not-for-profit theatre and the world of Broadway.
With puppetry turning up in, or serving as the main focus of, numerous shows in recent seasons, Pam Arciero (O'Neill Puppetry Conference), Cheryl Henson (The Jim Henson Foundation), Rick Lyon ("Avenue Q"), Roman Paska ("Dead Puppet Talk") and Basil Twist ("Symphonie Fantastique") discuss the intersection of puppet and human theatre.
With three of New York's major not-for-profit theatres now producing in Broadway venues, their leaders—André Bishop and Bernard Gersten of Lincoln Center Theatre (with their most recent Tony Award coming with their revival of South Pacific), Lynne Meadow and Barry Grove of Manhattan Theatre Club (with multiple Tony wins for the organization), and Todd Haimes (who has scored multiple Tonys while serving as Artistic Director), along Ellen Richard and Julia C. Levy of Roundabout Theatre Company—gather for the very first time to explore the issues facing institutional theatres on Broadway.
Three distinguished actresses—Brenda Blethyn, Kathleen Chalfant and Tony winner Randy Graff (for her featured role in City of Angels) —discuss their craft and careers.
Four performers noted for their performance in comedic roles—Mario Cantone (Laugh Whore), Julie Halston (Hairspray), Tony Award winner Judy Kaye (for her role in Phantom of the Opera) and Michael McKean (A Second-Hand Memory)—talk about being funny on stage.
Four actors with long and varied careers on stage—Richard Easton (Tony winner for The Invention of Love), Robert Prosky, Marian Seldes (who won a Tony for 1967’s A Delicate Balance and received a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010) and two-time Tony-winner Frances Sternhagen (for The Good Doctor and The Heiress) —recall their own experiences starting out in the business and offer a few tips on how to sustain a life in the theatre.
Tony Award-winning choreographer Rob Ashford (for Thoroughly Modern Millie), director Chris Ashley, director/choreographer John Carrafa and choreographer Gillian Lynne talk about making musicals speak, move and sing.
A remarkable one-time-only meeting of cast members from two concurrent Williams revivals on Broadway—Natasha Richardson (winner of Tony Award in the 1998 revival of Cabaret), John C. Reilly and Chris Bauer of A Streetcar Named Desire and Jessica Lange and Christian Slater of The Glass Menagerie.
An in-depth look at the creation of the Broadway musical comedy, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, with actors Norbert Leo Butz (winner of a Tony Award for his role in the show) and Sherie Rene Scott, authors Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbek, director Jack O'Brien (Tony Winner for Hairspray, Henry IV in 2004 and The Coast of Utopia), and choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Tony winner for the 2005 revival of La Cage aux Folles).
A lively roundtable on the actors' craft with Billy Crudup (Tony winner for The Coast of Utopia), Raúl Esparza (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), Cherry Jones (Tony Award winner for her performances in Doubt and The Heiress), Marsha Mason (Steel Magnolias) and David Hyde Pierce (Tony winner in 2007 for Curtains and the 2010 recipient of the Isabelle Stevenson Award).
How an audience can discern the often invisible hand of the director is the starting point for this discussion with Tony Award winners Doug Hughes (2005 for Director of a Play for Doubt), Joe Mantello (2003 for Best Direction for Take Me Out and 2004 for Assassins) John Rando (2002 for Best Direction for Urinetown ) participate in this panel along with Scott Elliott (The Threepenny Opera) and Leigh Silverman (Well).
Originally created as a skit for a bachelor party, The Drowsy Chaperone has traveled from Toronto to Los Angeles to Broadway, growing in size along the way without sacrificing its skewed view of classic musicals. This ATW Working in the Theatre seminar will explore Chaperone's journey from one-off entertainment into that rarest of musicals—one not based on a book, play or movie. The panel includes actor Edward Hibbert, producer Roy Miller and Tony winners Lisa Lambert (Best Score), actor Beth Leavel (Best Actress), author and actor Bob Martin (Best Book), producer Kevin McCollum (Tonys for Best Musical with Avenue Q and In The Heights), author Don McKellar (Best Book), composer/lyricist Greg Morrison (Best Score) and director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw.
Experiences on stage in America and England are the core of this conversation with actors Eileen Atkins (Doubt), Richard Griffiths (2006 Best Actor Tony Award for The History Boys), Jonathan Pryce (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and his Tony Award-winning performances in 1977’s Comedians and 1991’s Miss Saigon), Lynn Redgrave (The Importance of Being Earnest) and Zoë Wanamaker (Awake and Sing).
Making classic work come alive for today's audiences is the topic for this panel of directors - Anne Bogart, Barbara Gaines, Mark Lamos and Bartlett Sher, who won a Tony for his work on the 2008 revival of South Pacific.
The creation of new worlds on stage and the work of their creators is explored with lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer (Tony Award winner in 1996 for Bring in da’ Noise/Bring in da’ Funk and in 2004 for Roundabout’s revival of Assassins), costume designer Jess Goldstein (Jersey Boys and a 2005 Tony for The Rivals), set designer David Korins (Bridge and Tunnel), set designer Derek McLane (The Pajama Game, 33 Variations for which he won a Tony) and costume designer Carrie Robbins (White Christmas).
Five prolific commercial producers—Susan Gallin (Tony Awards for both parts of the original Angels in America and for Boeing-Boeing), Elizabeth McCann (numerous Tony Awards including Copenhagen, Morning’s at Seven and Amadeus), Kevin McCollum (Tony winner for In the Heights and Avenue Q), David Stone (Wicked) and Tom Viertel (Tony Awards for The Coast of Utopia, the 2007 revival of Company and 2009’s revival of The Norman Conquests)—explore the business of bringing shows to the stage.
A free-ranging conversation on the actors' life with Michael Cerveris (Tony Winner for Assassins), Victoria Clark (Tony winner for A Light in the Piazza), Jill Clayburgh (Naked Girl on the Appian Way), George Grizzard (A Delicate Balance, Tony Award) and Brían F. O'Byrne (Tony Winner for Frozen; Doubt).
An in-depth look at the creation of the Off-Broadway musical, See What I Wanna See, with author Michael John LaChiusa, director Ted Sperling (who won a Tony for his orchestrations of Light in the Piazza), musical stager Jonathan Butterell and actors Marc Kudisch and Mary Testa.
Artists with their feet in both pop music and musical theatre—Stephen Bray and Allee Willis (The Color Purple), Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Tony Award), Lucy Simon (The Secret Garden) and David Yazbek (The Full Monty)—talk about the parallels and intersections of those two worlds.
Moderated by Tony Lifetime Achievement Award-winning Harvey B. Sabinson, the panel of theatre critics -- New York Post's Clive Barnes, Variety's Charles Isherwood, New York Times' Peter Marks, NY1's Roma Torre, and Newsday's Linda Winer -- discuss the difference between television and print media, writing styles, the change in opening night review deadlines, audience reactions, unbiased reviews, reading plays prior to attending plays, how the quality of a show influences the quality of a review, returning to a show for a subsequent viewing, and the job market for critics.
The writers' life is the topic for authors Christopher Durang (Miss Witherspoon), Lisa Kron (Well), Marsha Norman (The Color Purple and a Tony Award for The Secret Garden), John Patrick Shanley (2005 Tony Award for his Best Play Doubt) and Diana Son (Satellites).