Hang & Focus LIVE! with Sean Daniels: Recent Episodes
arizonatheatrecompany
A podcast from Arizona Theatre Company celebrating the stories, conversations, and people that light us up.
We at Arizona Theatre Company want to wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season! Be sure to catch Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley on Demand. Visit atc.org for more information!
Join us as we read another letter from Pemberley and be sure to check out Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, now playing at Herberger in Downtown Phoenix! For tickets visit atc.org or call 833-ATC-SEAT!
This week The Bennets say hello to Phoenix as the show moves to Herberger Theatre. We also receive a special letter from Shonda Royall aka Jane Bingley. #atc #theatre #pemberley #austen
Join us on this week's episode of Hang & Focus we get to hear a Letter from Pemberley by local artist, Seth Tucker, who plays Arthur de Bourgh in "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley!" 🎄 We invited students to join us for our student matinee and experience the holidays at Pemberley. Hear what they had to say about the performance! 😍 The show closes tomorrow in Tucson and will make its way up to Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center on December 9th ❄️ Tickets can still be purchased at atc.org! #ATC #MissBennetChristmasAtPemberley
This week on Hang & Focus, we at ATC want to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season! Don't forget to Shop it Forward! To celebrate the many nonprofit partners whose tireless efforts Scottsdale Fashion Square has supported through the decades, the center is calling upon shoppers to pay it forward through its “Shop It Forward” program from Oct. 15-Dec. 15. For 60 days, customers can shop, dine and enjoy entertainment at Scottsdale Fashion Square, then submit their receipts to earn $1,000 to $10,000 for their favorite charity. #theatre #holiday #grateful #arizonatheatre #atc #pemberley #charity
This week on Hang & Focus, we will be taking a look into Tucson's opening night production of "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley!" Tune in for a couple of testimonials from audience members after the show! Get ready to experience, "What Christmas would be like at Pemberley," in Tucson before December 4th 🎄 Tickets at atc.org ❄️ #ATC #HandAndFocus #MissBennetChristmasAtPemberley
The house is open! On today’s episode, we get a behind the scenes look into rehearsal of “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley!”
Join us tonight in Tucson for the opening night production! We are excited for you to experience the story of Mary Bennet’s journey to find romance that is full of humor and wit ✨ Tickets at ATC.org! #ATC #MissBennetChristmasAtPemberley
In this week's episode of Hang & Focus, we are sad to say goodbye to ATC's first production of the season, "My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend," as they perform their last shows this weekend in Phoenix. ❤️ Thank you to Charissa Bertels for bringing joy and laughter to the stage. We are so excited to see the show Off-Broadway in New York next year! 😍
It is finally time to introduce our second season-production in Tucson, "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley!" In this episode you will get to hear from Costume Shop Manager, Mary Woll, and her explaining the detail that goes into designing period pieces for our artists 🌟
We also get to meet Charge Scenic Artist, Charlotte Alcorn, who walks us through the "grid-transfer" method of how to replicate the artwork on stage! 🤩 Tickets to see the show are still available at 833-ATC-SEAT and atc.org. Can't wait to see you there!
Join us as we take a peek at the My 80 Year Old Boyfriend Designer Talkback featuring Sound Designer Danny Erdberg, Costume Designer Jen Caprio, and Lighting Designer Brian J. Lilienthal. This week's Letters from Pemberley comes from our very Props Supervisor, Sara Pugh. Sara Pugh started with Arizona Theatre Company in 2018. She received her BFA in Scenic Design from the University of Wyoming and has done many summer stocks across the country before finding a great fit at PCPA, Pacific Conservatory Theater, where she did her apprenticeship in props. She is a proud member of S.P.A.M- The Society of Props Artisan Managers.
Join us as we say goodbye to My 80 Year Old Boyfriend in Tucson and hello to Phoenix! We also get a first look at our upcoming holiday production, Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley! Tickets available at 833-ATC-SEAT and atc.org. We look forward to seeing you at the theatre!
Join us in another installment of My 80 Year Old Minute where we ask Carly Natania Grossman what's an unlikely friendship she has. Also we get to see a sneak peek at this week's workshop for Justice, one of our upcoming productions!
Join us as we look at the opening night of My 80 Year Old Boyfriend! Tickets are still available at atc.org to watch in person or to stream online at atc.org/atc-on-demand
livetheatre #live #musical #atc #arizonatheatre
WE ARE BACK! This is the moment we have all been waiting for as we return to live theatre! We are excited to share with you our first production for our 54th season, My 80 Year Old Boyfriend, opening tonight in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art. We would not have made it to opening night without the generous support of our patrons. We thank you so much! Please join us tonight! Tickets available at atc.org and 833-ATC-SEAT
Join us as we chat with Charissa Bertels, who conceived and performs in My 80 Year Old Boyfriend, Opening Oct 1st in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art and then in Phoenix on Oct 23rd at the Herberger Theater Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit atc.org or call 833-ATC-SEAT
ATC returns to live theatre this fall as a fully vaccinated company - from our actors and designers to staff and volunteers. We put our artists and audiences at the heart of all we do, and intend to be as careful as possible with your health. Therefore, we are implementing COVID Safety Protocols. Until further notice, masks will be required for all patrons. Additionally, proof of vaccination status or negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of your show time.
Join us as we talk to Librettist and Co-Lyricist Christian Duhamel and Music Director Jose C. Simbulan from our upcoming production of My 80 Year Old Boyfriend. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit ATC.org
Join us as we chat with our understudy for My 80 Year Old Boyfriend, Carly Natania Grossman and find out how she got started in acting, her side hustle, and what her wrestling entrance song would be.
Join as we feature behind the scenes footage of our upcoming production of 80 Year Old Boyfriend, opening Sept 25th in Tucson and Oct 21st in Phoenix. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit atc.org and/or call 833-ATC-SEAT
arizona #livetheatre #theatre #musical
Join us as we talk to Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk, longtime Lyricist and Composer duo, about our upcoming production of Justice!
atc #arizonatheatre #justice #musical #sandradayoconnor #ruthbaderginsburg
Join us as we revisit our wonderful conversation with Christina Ham, playwright of our upcoming production, Nina Simone: Four Women.
For more information on everything ATC, visit atc.org
HangAndFocus #ArizonaTheatre #Podcast #Arizona #LiveTheatre #Education #ArtEducation #TheatreEducation
It’s Friday and we are IN LOVE with our guests today! Join us as we speak to Award Winning Playwrights Eliana Pipes and ATC’s Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero. Grab your chocolate de Abuelita (or have it iced like a true millennial) and get hyped for the weekend!
Join us as we meet the unstoppable, amazingly talented Rachel Lynett, ATC’s 2021 National Latinx Playwrights Award Winner.
NationalLatinxPlaywrightAwardWinner #ATC #LatinxPlaywright #NLPA #HangAndFocus #LiveTheatre #ElianaPipes #ElaineRomero #RachelLynett
Hamlet from All Puppet Players joins us to talk about their new season!
Matravius Avent is the voice of Audrey II, from ABT’s Little Shop of Horrors!
HangAndFocus #ArizonaTheatre #Podcast #Arizona #LiveTheatre #AllPuppetPlayers
Chris Hamby is the Producing Artistic Director of Theatre Works in Phoenix!
Christopher Moseley is ATC’s new Director of Education! Chris spent the last 15 years teaching with Tucson Unified School District. We are so excited to have him on the team!
HangAndFocus #ArizonaTheatre #Podcast #Arizona #LiveTheatre #Education #ArtEducation #TheatreEducation
Jen Cody has been performing on Broadway for the over 25 years, originating roles in many shows including Seussical the Musical, Urinetown and Shrek! She is also the voice of Charlotte LaBouff in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog!
Join the conversation!
HangAndFocus #Podcast #Theatre #Broadway #Disney #Actor #ArizonaTheatre #Arizona #LiveTheatre #Musical
Hang & Focus Live featuring Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Artistic Director, Brent Hazelton!
In the spirit of our teams competing in the NBA Finals, Brent, Sean and Chanel discuss theatre and basketball in Arizona and Milwaukee, and the bet we’ve made between our two organizations!
Join the conversation!
HangAndFocus #Podcast #Theatre #NBA #Basketball #RallyTheValley #Suns #Bucks #Tucson #Phoenix #Milwaukee
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with director, designer, playwright JARED MEZZOCCHI AND actor, writer, director ROBBIE TANN who currently plays the role of Billy Ross in HBO’s limited series Mare of Easttown
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus
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Hang & Focus Live featuring ATC Staff Members Eddie Diaz and Stacey Jay Cavaliere! Join the conversation!
Podcast #HangAndFocus #LiveTheatre #PerformingArts #Theatre #Arizona #ArizonaTheatreCompany
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Christopher Oscar Peña, Playwright of "How to Make an American Son".
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus
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ATCGhostlight
Meet your local talent! Arizona artists and cast members Veronika Duerr, Seth Tucker and Lena Quach join Hang & Focus Live to discuss ATC’s upcoming Holiday show, “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.”
Join the conversation!
HangAndFocus #Podcast #LiveTheatre #Arizona #LocalTalent #Theatre #ArizonaTheatreCompany #LaurenGunderson #HolidayShow
Join us for a conversation with Music Director Alan Plado!
Plado is happy to return to his Arizona roots as the Music Director for ATC's 54th Season opener, "My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend." You may know Plado from his work with local companies, including @ChildsplayAZ, @ArizonaBroadway, @ScottsdalePerformingArts and @PhoenixTheatre.
HangAndFocus #Podcast #Broadway #LiveTheatre #Arizona #Theatre #PerfomingArts #LocalTalent
Jasmine Roth joins the Hang & Focus team to reflect on this past year in the Learning & Education Department and looks at what the future holds!
ArtEducation #TheatreEducation #PerformingArts #HangAndFocus #Podcast #ArizonaTheatreCompany #Theatre #Arizona
Scott Bourque & Anthony Wallace of Hear Arizona join Sean & Chanel to share the insights they've gained in researching and talking with a diverse mix of Arizona's arts organizations.
Join the conversation!
Podcast #HangAndFocus #HearArizona #LiveTheatre #PerformingArts
Join us as we walk through our 2021 / 2022 Season, a season to embrace the unexpected joy in everyday life!! ATC's Managing Director, Geri Wright, joins the conversation with Sean and Chanel!
Podcast #HangAndFocus #SeasonAnnouncement #LiveTheatre #PerformingArts
It’s the MOTHER of all episodes!
Join us as we get to gush over adorable baby pictures of our hosts and their moms AND highlight our latest Digital Offering, ‘Somewhere Over the Border.’
We reach into the Hang & Focus vault for a message from Brian Quijada about why he wrote the piece as a tribute to his mother, Reina!
HangAndFocus #Podcast #MothersDay #SomewhereOverTheBorder #Musical #Theatre
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Hang & Focus!!
We're celebrating 1 year by bringing back our first guests ever! Hang & Focus Live featuring Dan Bakkedahl and Lucky Yates!
You may know Dan from VEEP, The Second City, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Life In Pieces, or HBO Max's Made For Love!
Lucky is an actor, voice actor, puppeteer and comedian known for voicing Dr. Krieger on FX Networks' Archer!
Join us on our Facebook page or YouTube channel! #HangAndFocus #Podcast #ArizonaTheatreCompany #DanBakkedahl #LuckyYates #TheSecondCity #TheDailyShowWithJonStewart #LifeInPieces #MadeForLove #VEEP #Archer #Theatre #PerformingArts #Comedian #Puppeteer #Actor
*CONTENT WARNING: Adult Language
Hang & Focus Live featuring Cambodian-American playwright and theater maker Vichet Chum!
Vichet Chum's plays have been workshopped at Steppenwolf Theatre, the Magic Theater, the Alley Theatre, the UCROSS Foundation, Fault Line Theatre, Crowded Outlet, Second Generation Productions, Weston Playhouse, Cleveland Public Theatre, All For One Theater, Amios, Florida State University, Merrimack Repertory Theatre and the New Harmony Project.
Join the conversation!
HangAndFocus #Podcast #ArizonaTheatreCompany #VichetChum #Theatre #PerformingArts
Hang & Focus Live featuring playwright Lauren Gunderson and Sound Designer Danny Erdberg talking about ATC's upcoming Audio Play of Gunderson's THE HEATH featuring Lauren as herself and Emmy and Tony Award Winner John Larroquette.
Sign up to listen to THE HEATH at the link below!
https://donate.arizonatheatre.org/event/the-heath/e332355
ArizonaTheatreCompany #LaurenGunderson #Playwright #Podcast #HangAndFocus
Most recently, Peilin produced Over the Moon, an animated musical feature film directed by Glen Keane which premiered on Netflix in October 2020 and went on to receive Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Feature Animated Film. Peilin also produced Abominable, an animated feature co-production with DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio directed by Jill Culton, which launched theatrically worldwide in September of 2019. Join the conversation!
#HangAndFocus
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PeilinChou
Netflix
OverTheMoon
Hang & Focus Live featuring a RomeroFest wrap up where we will reflect on an amazing festival celebrating our Playwright-in-Residence Elaine Romero.
ArizonaTheatreCompany #ElaineRomero #Playwright #Podcast #HangAndFocus
Hang & Focus Live featuring the Arizona Creatives participating in #RomeroFest and the cast of ATC's upcoming offering, Ponzi!
ArizonaTheatreCompany #ElaineRomero #Playwright #Podcast #HangAndFocus
Zacarías is one of the most produced playwrights in the nation. She is one of the inaugural Resident Playwrights at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and is a core founder of the LATINX THEATRE COMMONS. She is the founder of Young Playwrights’ Theater, an award-winning theater company that teaches playwriting in local public schools in Washington, DC.
You might remember Zacarías from her play Native Gardens! She was also the recipient of our National Latinx Playwright Award in 2004 for her play Mariela in the Desert!
ArizonaTheatreCompany #KarenZacarías #NativeGardens #NLPA #Playwright #Podcast #HangAndFocus
Sean Daniels and Chanel Bragg discuss Jon’s new role at The Second City.
Prior to joining The Second City, he was artistic director for Dad's Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia. A seasoned improviser, performer, and award-winning playwright with nearly 20 years of industry experience, Jon has been part of Atlanta’s creative community for more than 15 years, where, among his many creative accomplishments, he held the position of audience development manager at Alliance Theatre and founded United Atlanta Improv to help improv theatres around the city come together through collaborative works.
Join the conversation!
HangAndFocus #ArizonaTheatreCompany #Podcast #TheSecondCity #DadsGarageTheatreCompany #AllianceTheatre
Christina is the Playwright for ATC's upcoming Nina Simone: Four Women. Join us for a sneak peek and to learn why she wrote it and what her process was! In addition to her plays being produced nationally and internationally, Christina is a writer/producer on @Hbo's Emmy-Award winning series @westworld!
HangAndFocus
Podcast
NinaSimone
ChristinaHam
Westworld
ArizonaTheatreCompany
Hang & Focus Live, featuring Tony Award Winning Director Kenny Leon!
Kenny discusses his upcoming work, the responsibility of artists during this time and being a BIPOC voice in the American theatre.
HangAndFocus #Podcast #KennyLeon #TonyAwards #ArizonaTheatreCompany
Hang & Focus Live, featuring Producer and Author Howard Sherman, and “The Hip Historian” Marshall Shore.
Join the conversation!
HangAndFocus #ArizonaTheatreCompany #Podcast
Hang & Focus Live, featuring Elizabeth Montgomery, Arts & Culture Reporter for @azcentral! Elizabeth was just elected as President of the Arizona Association of Black Journalists!
HangAndFocus #ATC #ArizonaTheatreCompany #Podcast
Hang & Focus Live, featuring Elaine Romero, Bryan Rafael Falcon of The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre, and Maria Franco Caprile of Winding Road Theater Ensemble. Chanel Bragg discusses the upcoming RomeroFest with our guests!
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus
ATCEducation
Student registration: https://arizona-theatre-company.coursestorm.com/
ATCGivingCorner
Have your donation matched through January 29, 2021: https://donate.arizonatheatre.org/give/305704/#!/donation/checkout
ATCGhostlight
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels and Chanel Bragg discuss CoronaLogs with the artists, makers, and mentors behind it.
CoronaLogs: Explorations of Identity, Culture and Well-Being During COVID-19 is a community based project between ATC and Mesa Community College & Mesa Community College Theatre & Film Arts.
Tune in to Hang & Focus Friday, January 22, 2021 at 4 PM MST for the ATC premiere of the project!
ArizonaTheatreCompany #MesaCC #HangAndFocus #Podcast #Theatre
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with playwright Steve Yockey.
Steve Yockey is a Los Angeles based writer with work produced throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. His plays Bellwether, Pluto, Afterlife, Octopus, Large Animal Games, CARTOON, Subculture, Very Still & Hard to See, Blackberry Winter, The Thrush & The Woodpecker, The Fisherman’s Wife, Wolves, Disassembly, and Niagara Falls & Other Plays are published and licensed by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals. His newest play Sleeping Giant was selected for the Center Theatre Group LA Playwrights Festival and premiered at the Assembly Rooms in the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Next season: Bleeding Hearts will premier in a co-production between Arizona Theatre Company (Phoenix) and Stray Cat Theatre (Tempe). Steve holds an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He was a Co-Executive Producer on the television series Supernatural and is an Executive Producer and the creator/showrunner on HBO Max’s new darkly comedic thriller The Flight Attendant.
Facebook: Steve Yockey
Instagram: @SteveYockey76
Twitter: @SleepyPanda76
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus
ATCEducation
Student registration: https://arizona-theatre-company.coursestorm.com/
ATCGivingCorner
Have your donation matched through January 29, 2021: https://donate.arizonatheatre.org/give/305704/#!/donation/checkout
ATCGhostlight
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out withdirector Reginald Douglas and playwright Brian Quijada
Reginald Douglas is a director, producer, and advocate dedicated to creating new work and supporting new voices. He has worked at theaters across the country, including directing work at Eugene O’Neill Center, TheaterWorks Hartford, CATF, Everyman Theatre, Weston Playhouse, Pittsburgh CLO, Theatre Squared, Playwrights Center, Profile Theatre, Kennedy Center, The Lark, New York Theatre Workshop, and City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, where he served as the Artistic Producer from 2015-2020. Reginald currently works as the Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC and serves on the Board of Directors of the National New Play Network. www.reginalddouglas.com
Brian Quijada is an actor, playwright, and composer who’s original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced at Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista (Jeff Award), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk Nomination), Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, and City Theatre Pittsburgh.
His plays have been developed at The Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO’s Spark Festival, Victory Gardens’ Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Festival, and The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Musical Theatre Conference.
Commissioning institutions include Seattle Repertory Theater, A.R.T., and The Kennedy Center.
ATC #ArizonaTheatreCompany #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocuslive #HangandFocus #ATCSomwhereOvertheBorder #SomewhereOvertheBorder #ATCDigitalSeason
ATCEducation
Student registration: https://arizona-theatre-company.coursestorm.com/
ATCGivingCorner
Have your donation matched through January 29, 2021: https://donate.arizonatheatre.org/give/305704/#!/donation/checkout
ATCGhostlight
Arizona Theatre Company’s ATC Teens takeover our Hang and Focus Podcast!
ATC #ArizonaTheatreCompany #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus #HangandFocusLIVE #ATCTeen
Callboard:
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Text “ATC” to 56512
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Co-Founder of the School of Hip Hop PHX Camille Sledge.
Megan Sandberg-Zakian is a theater director with a passion for the development of diverse new American plays & playwrights, and a co-founder of Maia Directors, a consulting group for artists and organizations engaging with stories from the Middle East and beyond. Her book There Must Be Happy Endings: On a Theatre of Optimism and Honesty is available from The 3rd Thing Press. Megan is a graduate of Brown University and holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College. She lives in Jamaica Plain, MA, with her wife Candice. megansz.com
Camille Sledge is a singer, songwriter, lyricists/MC, and runway model. She currently sings as the lead vocalist for 16-piece big band The Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra in Phoenix, AZ. In 2012, Camille and two business partners developed the 501c3 School of HipHop PHX (SOHH). SOHH is a mentoring and music program which uses hiphop influence to reach underrepresented intercity youth. Whether Sledge is teaching a runway workshop, or giving life through vocal lessons, she finds the fun in every situation. You can tell by her stage presence that she is always in the moment. Living in the present moment is one-way Camille describes her movement. From working closely with the youth, and building community relations, she finds peace in her surroundings, all over the world.
ATC #ArizonaTheatreCompany #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocuslive #HangandFocus #ATCTheRealness #TheRealness #ATCDigitalSeason
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with playwright Idris Goodwin, and ATC’s Chief Development Officer, Paula Taylor
Idris Goodwin is a creative voice for change impassioned by the power of art for social good. He uses story to inspire and incite new audiences across culture and generation. His critically acclaimed plays like And In This Corner Cassius Clay, How We Got On and Hype Man : a break beat play are widely produced across the country at professional theatres, college campuses and non-traditional spaces alike. He's been honored to receive commissions and developmental support from institutions like The Kennedy Center, The Eugene O'neill Conference, Oregon Shakespeare Festival's American Revolutions Series, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, and Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor Residency. He's currently writing Scarfoot Lives, a new play co commissioned by Arena Stage's Power Play Program and The Playwright Center's McKnight Fellowship. In addition to the recently released poetry collection Can I Kick It?, he’s had several publications with Haymarket Books including Inauguration, Human Highlight: Ode To Dominique Wilkins and the controversial play This Is Modern Art co-written with Kevin Coval. His words, voice and sometimes entire body, have shown up on HBO Def Poetry, Sesame Street, NPR, BBC radio, and the Discovery Channel. Idris is the Director of The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. A frequent public speaker at conferences and educational spaces, Idris is one of the leading voices in his field, committed to using art to cultivate more diverse and equitable spaces. Visit Idris on the web and social media WWW.IDRISGOODWIN.COM
Paula Taylor, M.S., is a Retail Industry, Strategic Marketing and Business Development Executive, Event Producer, and Author. For over two decades, Paula worked at all levels of the Fashion and business industry. She owned and operated highly profitable retail boutiques and a thriving production company.
Taylor's clients and work history include iconic brands, startups, small businesses, billion-dollar real estate companies, and not for profit organizations. Paula positions her work to successfully tackle the challenges of a changing business landscape with humor and straightforward proven tactics for success. With her entrepreneurial skills and business acumen, the transition to fundraising and development was a natural choice.
She is currently the Chief Development Officer for The Arizona Theatre Company, focused on raising funds and brand positioning. Stewarding both donors and the organization.
Paula wrote the prominent textbook on fashion show production, How to Produce a Fashion Show from A-Z. Published by Prentice-Hall (2012), during her years as a college professor educating many successful retail leaders. Paula lives in Phx, Arizona.
Contact Paula @ ptaylor@arizonatheatre.org
Follow Paula on Instagram @Ptaylorllc
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus #ATCTheRealness #ATCDigitalSeason
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Tom Kirdahy, Broadway producer and husband to the late Terrence McNally.
TOM KIRDAHY is a Tony and Olivier Award-winning producer whose projects have spanned Broadway, off-Broadway, the West End, national and international tours. Select NY/London credits: HADESTOWN (8 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical), THE INHERITANCE (11 Tony Nominations including Best Play), Terrence McNally’s FRANKIE & JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE (2 Tony Nominations including Best Revival), LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Drama Desk Award, Best Musical Revival). Additional Tony nominations: THE VISIT, MOTHERS AND SONS, AFTER MIDNIGHT, RAGTIME, MASTER CLASS.
Recipient, Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Theater Producing. Kirdahy serves on the Broadway League Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. As an attorney he spent nearly two decades providing free legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS and served for many years on the Executive Committee of the NYC LGBT Center. Graduate, New York University School of Law, NYU CAS.
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #HangandFocus
ATCEducation
Student registration: https://arizona-theatre-company.coursestorm.com/
ATCGhostlight
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein - https://www.theroguetheatre.org/
Ballet Tucson Pop Ups - https://ballettucson.org/
Othello: A Black Girl’s Journey - https://swshakespeare.org/
Club MET Zoom Plays - https://www.mesaencoretheatre.com/
ATCGivingCorner
Have your donation matched here: https://donate.arizonatheatre.org/give/305704/#!/donation/checkout
And THANK YOU Ralph L. Smith Foundation
National LatinX Playwriting Award now accepting submissions through December 1, 2020- https://arizonatheatre.org/national-latino-playwriting-award/
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Tamilla Woodard, Director of ATC’s online reading of Covenant by York Walker; and Paul Weir and Nadia Hage, organizers for the Tucson’s All Souls Procession.
Tamilla Woodard, names Associate Director for Broadway’s Hadestown on March 22, is the Co-Artistic Director of Working Theater. This season her work includes American Dreams, By Leila Buck, Where We Stand by Donnetta Lavinia Grays for WP Theater and Baltimore Center Stage, Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls at American Conservatory Theater and direction and co-conception of Warriors Don’t Cry, a Co-production of The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts and TheaterWorksUSA. Recently named one of 50 Women To Watch on Broadway, Tamilla is a graduate of Yale School of Drama where she also teaches. http://www.tamilla.com
Partners since the 1990s in art and life, Paul Weir and Nadia Hagen are founding Board Members for the umbrella non-profit, Many Mouths One Stomach, that produces the annual All Souls Processions. Nadia was born and raised in New York and has worked as a scenic painter and toured with the notorious Tribal Industrial Project, Crash Worship. Paul grew up in New Orleans and brings a background in mountaineering, Industrial Design and Butoh Dance to his work. Nadia took over The All Souls Procession as an Artistic Director in 1996, and founded Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theater, which Paul joined 1998.
The All Souls Procession is perhaps one of the most important, inclusive and authentic public ceremonies in North America today. The Procession had its beginnings in Tucson, Arizona in 1990 with a ceremonial performance piece created by local artist Susan Johnson. The tradition now organizes for well over 150,000 participants on the streets of downtown Tucson for a two-mile long human-powered procession that ends in the ceremonial burning of a large Urn filled with the hopes, offerings and wishes of the public for those who have passed.
Myriad altars, performers, installation art, and creatives of all kinds collaborate for almost half the year to prepare their offerings for this amazing event. The All Souls Procession, and now the entire All Souls Weekend, is a celebration and mourning of the lives of our loved ones and ancestors.
https://allsoulsprocession.org/
Info for 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgsd3_jiBuU&feature=youtu.be
Many Mouths One Stomach, a non-profit arts collective based in Tucson, AZ, is the organizing body for the Procession, and serves as a vehicle for working artists to collaborate, create, and inspire the public through Festal Culture. “Festal Culture” is the expression and fulfillment of core human needs through public celebration, ceremony, and ritual. The All Souls Procession is an event that was created to serve the public need to mourn, reflect, and celebrate the universal experience of Death, through their ancestors, loved ones, and the living.
The Procession is a sanctuary for community members from all walks of life to express their grief and loss in a celebration of creative energy and rejoicing of life.
With the continued cooperation of the City of Tucson, Tucson Police and Fire departments, local businesses, civic organizations, and participants like YOU — MMOS stewards the development of the parade to accommodate the growing number of participants in a healthy and harmonious way.
https://manymouths.org/
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #Hangandfocus #allsoulstucson #allsoulsprocession
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with York Walker to talk about his play Covenant that we will be streaming soon!
York Walker is an award-winning writer based in Harlem, New York. He is the inaugural recipient of the Vineyard Theatre's Colman Domingo Award. His work includes The Séance (Winner of the John Singleton Short Film Competition, 48 Hours… in Harlem), Covenant (Fire This Time Festival, Access Theatre’s 4 Flights Up Festival), White Shoes (Fire This Time Festival), Summer Of ’63 (The Actors Company Theatre’s New TACTics Festival, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville’s Apprentice Reading Series) and Of Dreams To Come (American Conservatory Theatre’s New Work Series). York received his MFA in Acting from the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco.
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #CovenantATC
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) hangs out with Ben Scheuer, performer and writer of the award winning one-man-musical, The Lion in a special interview that was recorded a few months ago, at the onset of the Pandemic shutdown.
ATC is excited to present Ben Scheuer’s recent London Concert for our ATC audiences from October 20-27 and wanted to offer our audiences a more intimate conversation with him in advance of showcasing his talent!
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with ATC’s Managing Director, Geri Wright to discuss current plans for returning to live performances. Special surprise guest Lauren Gunderson also pops in to talk about ATC’s planned debut of her new musical, Justice, A new musical about Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #hangandfocuslive #hangandfocus #weareatc
MUJER! is a feminist fashion and beauty magazine aimed at representing women as they really are—diverse, creative, passionate, flawed but beautiful—human.
MUJER!’s mission is to change preconceived, patriarchy-derived notions of female beauty. There are no ads, no photoshopping and all of our models are 25+ (in real life, women do not disappear after this age).
MUJER! is produced in Mexico City and distributed worldwide. (https://www.mujerrev.com)
Arts in Color was founded in 2013 to celebrate, inform and inspire poc theater artists. We conducted equity & inclusion work, interviews, reviews, provided history, auditions, celebrated poc students showcasing across the country and much more! Currently the site is being revamped but you can find us on FB in the meanwhile (https://www.facebook.com/ArtsinColor/)
Shavanna Calder is the Creative Director for MUJER! and founder of Arts in Color. She is a first-generation actor, stylist, singer, writer and human! Credit Highlights: SNL, Grammys (2018), Hairspray (National Tour), CBS 'Best of' Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase, For Colored Girls (Lady in Green), Caroline, or Change (Emmie) etc. Shavanna is a Wellesley College and NYU alumna who also works in arts focused equity & diversity strategy. (www.shavannacalder.com)
Spread Empathy <3
Insta: shaviexo
Featured interview with:
Kara Branch is a New York based costume designer. Her recent design projects include Till: The Musical with American Theater Group and Imagining Madoff and Brecht: Call and Response with New Light Theater Company. Recent Assistant design credits include Hamilton (National Tour), Slave Play (Broadway), The Secret Life of Bees at Atlantic Theater Company, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark at Signature Theater Company and Detroit ’67 at The McCarter Theater. (https://www.karabranchdesigns.com/)
AND
Nikiya Mathis and Shavanna met at Hairversations a glorious event for Black women to discuss our hair within the industry. Nikiya is an actress & the creator of ActTRESSES Hair, a Hair & Wig design company. ActTRESSES Hair Consulting, specializes in supporting actors of color in film, TV and theater. She is also a drama desk award nominee & Antonyo Award Winner. She’s worked on a variety of projects including For Colored Girls at The Public Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem & Jessica Jones. (https://www.acttresseshair.com/)
ATC #WeAreArizonaTheatreCompany #Mujer #ArtsinColor
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Phoenician Philanthropist and NAU Alumn, Billie Jo Herberger.
Billie Jo Herberger has been a Phoenix resident since 1969 and was named the 2013 Woman of the Year by Women of Scottsdale. According to a 2015 article highlighting her in the Phoenix Magazine, “Billie Jo serves as an inspiration to many – she’s survived cervical cancer, breast cancer and malignant melanoma without losing a sliver of her spunk or spark. She doesn’t cover up her scars, but displays them proudly as ‘badges of courage.’”
The Herbergers are well known in the Valley for their support of the arts. Just last year they were inducted into the Herberger Performing Arts & Broadcast Hall of Fame in 2019 and had a new Scottsdale arts award named after them - the Herberger Award for the Arts. They have given generously to arts organizations including the Herberger Theater, the Phoenix Theater, Valley Youth Theatre, Arizona Opera, Ballet Arizona, Scottsdale Philharmonic, Phoenix Art Museum, Scottsdale Center for the Arts as well as other important non-profits such as Release the Fear, Key to the Cure (TGen), Kids Read USA, and Phoenix Heart Ball.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Daina Griffith, Brian Beacock, and Joel Van Liew, the cast of our current online presentation of Slow Food by Wendy MacLeod.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Charissa Bertels, Christian Duhamel, and Ed Bell, the creators behind our first LIVE production of the 2021 Season, the new musical My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with Wendy MacLeod, playwright of our upcoming Digital Reading, Slow Food, and our 2021 production Women in Jeopardy.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) will be hanging out with ATC’s Board Chair and Phoenix Philanthropist, Char Augenstein, and Director of Learning and Education, Jasmine Roth
Arizona Theatre Company’s Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) and Chanel Bragg (Associate Artistic Director) will be hanging out with winners of and the team behind ATC’s National Latinx Playwright Award. Join ATC Playwright-in-residence Elaine Romero, ALMA playwright Benjamin Benne (winner of 2019 NLPA) and playwright , actor, filmmaker, and recipient of the 2020 NLPA Eliana Pipes.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Sean Daniels, and co-host Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) will being hanging out with the creatives from our Online Presentation of Alma. Join Playwright Benjamin Benne and Director Cat Rodriguez as they discuss this exciting reading of ATC’s 2019 National Latinx Playwrighting Award (NLPA) in anticipation of it’s August 18th – August 22nd run!
Arizona Theatre Company’s Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) is joined by Jasmine Roth, Director of Learning and Education. They’ll be hanging out with Summer OnStage Alumna Alex Alegria (2018,2019), Cassie Miller (2017, 2019), Melissa Arnaud (2013), and Tyler Gastelum (2009, 2010, 2011).
Artistic Director Sean Daniels and Development Operations Manager, Carley Elizabeth Preston, are joined by Phoenix podcast hosts D. Scott Withers and Ashley Stults of Chewing the Scenery, and Ricky Araiza, Chandra Crudup, and Walter Belcher of Sippin Tea in the Balcony.
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) hang out with ATC Managing Director Geri Wright. #Arizona #Theatre #Tucson
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) hang out with Playwrights and Actors from this week’s @24 Hour Plays Arizona Edition #24ViralMonologues:
Jennifer Gantwerker - @ChildsplayAz
Alejandra Luna and Susanna Velarde Covarrubias - @Teatro Bravo #teatrobravoaz
Brenda Foley, Shonda Royall, and Angelica Howard- @The Bridge Initiative
Louis Farber - @Stray Cat Theatre
Shelby Maticic and John Perovich- @Brelby Theatre Company @brelbytheatreco
Maybe Stewart and Veronika Duerr – Phoenix Theatre Artists
Milta Ortizand Veronica Conran- @Borderland Theatre #borderlandstheatre
Paul Michael Thomas- @uatheatrefilmtv @uarizonaactingmt
Monica Bauer and China Young - @Winding Road Theatre Ensemble
Gabriella de Brequet - @Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre
Elaine Romero - Arizona Theatre Company
Arizona Theatre Company’s Sean Daniels (Artistic Director) and Carley Elizabeth Preston (Development Operations Manager) hang out with Mark Armstrong (Artistic Director of The 24 Hour Plays ) and Ashley La Russa (Founder of Roux Events and BlaxFriday.com, and beloved member of the ATC family).
This week of Hang and Focus is co-hosted by Jasmine Roth, Director of Learning and Education and Assistant Production Manager and Chair of the DiveIn Committee, Tajh Oates, as we discuss the different ways that artists and arts organizations can be advocates for change. Tajh meets with Catherine Campbell, Production Manager at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis, MN, to discuss the what their theatre is doing to assist the situation in their town after the murder of George Floyd and how they integrate social justice work into their organization. Tajh and Will also speak with Diana Burbano, actor and playwright most recently featured in as Amalia in our production of American Mariachi, who speaks about her experience as a Latinx playwright and performer, the way that she advocates for her fellow Latinx artists and young artists in her community, and how her experiences have inspired her to make change within the industry.
Artistic Director Sean Daniels and Development Operations Manager, Carley Elizabeth Preston, are joined by incoming Associate Artistic Director, Chanel Bragg to talk about ATC’s exciting future!
As a surprise bonus, we will also talk HAMILTON with Jesse Sanchez, Musical Director for Cabaret and creator of SUEÑOS: Our American Musical who was the Musical Director for the Angelica touring cast of Hamilton.
Megan Carney (Artistic Director of About Face Theatre in Chicago),Sharon Pasia (Member of the Youth Ensemble AND Youth Task Force at About Face) and Amy Young (Amy Young, the Managing Editor of Echo Magazine, Phoenix's longest-running LGBTQ publication) hang out with Sean and Carley Elizabeth Preston (ATC’s Development Operations Manager)
“We felt really strongly as a company that we wanted to be in direct support” “The young people in our program are directly impacted by the way systemic oppression is working against all of us” “If we want our artmaking to be about social change, what are the different tools we have to really advance that?” “I want to speak to what’s happening right now” “As a brown person in this community it doesn’t feel welcoming sometime” “That program is so flexible, it starts as one thing and ends where it needs to go” “I’m not doing it perfectly and I'm learning all the time” - Megan Carney (Synthesis) & Sharon Pasia (“Present”)
“ECHO magazine is Phoenix’s longest running LGBT Magazine” “Built to echo the voices in the LGBT community” “In order to create real change we have to sustain all these efforts “We have to communicate with new people" “Trying to get people to understand the importance of voting” “EQAZ.org are providing a lot of resources” “If you are going through a tough time please let us know. We would love to put you in touch with an organization that might be able to help you” “I struggle with the idea that we have to be excited about progress like that when really we should have equal rights” “We have a strong community that is interested in raising voices and continuing to make change” “Quasi The Great is a short spined German Shepard”- Amy Young (“Strength”)
Hosts Sean Daniels and Carley Elizabeth Preston interview Joanie Drago (Creator and Playwright of HOT PINK OR READY TO BLOW) and Oscar De Las Salas (Community Leader) on their work, experiences and projects. Here are some of our favorite quotes from the interviews (you'll have to listen to find out more!): “I thought I was a playwright and then I realized I just knew how to run my mouth” “ They were wearing their slut buttons”“what is the starting point of self” “If I were to say I am, there is creative energy in that” - Joanie Drago
“Welcome to my sideways life” “I have, today, been three months in confinement” “Humanity, compassion and for the good of others” “Be kind” ‘This is a statement. It’s not up for discussion” - Oscar De Las Salas
Reggie D. White (Actor—The Inheritance [Broadway]) and Raymond Carr (Puppeteer—Jim Henson Studios) hang out with our co-hosts Sean and Carley.
Larissa Fasthorse (Playwright, co-founder of Indigenous Direction, member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, and Vice Chair of Theatre Communications Group) and Hana Sharif (Artistic Director—The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis) talk about systematic inequality in the theatre industry, and how we can use this moment to retool the systems, rebuild the structures and realign our values in order to create a better theatre industry and community.
Kent Gash (Founding Director of New Studio on Broadway at NYU Tish School of the Arts, Director of Master Harold and the Boys at Arizona Theatre Company) and Carley Elizabeth Preston (Chief Development Officer) discuss racism, current events and how we as artists and theatre makers can be actively anti-racist.
Tune in with Sean for this timely and important interview with Ralph Remington (Artistic Director, Tempe Center for the Arts) and Larry O'Keefe (Broadway Composer and Lyricist - Bat Boy, Legally Blond, Heathers)!
Artistic Director Sean Daniels talks with Jaime Dempsey, Executive Director of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and Mitch Menchaca, Executive Director of the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture.
This week, Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director Sean Daniels talks with Phoenix-based artists Ricky Arazia of Teatro Bravo and Chanel Bragg.
In advance of Arizona Theatre Company's benefit reading of Sean Daniel's "The White Chip", Sean Welcomes co-founder of The Voices Project, Ryan Hampton, to discuss the power of stories in removing the stigma of addiction and recovery as well as interviews with Arizona Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Hank Stratton and The White Chip's lead actor, Joe Tapper
In conversation with Arizona Theatre Company's upcoming benefit reading of Artistic Director Sean Daniels' THE WHITE CHIP, Join us for these conversations with activists and artists across the country. Each one drawing from their experiences in different ways to bring exciting work to life and working to end the shame associated with addiction. In this episode we hear from co-founder of The Voices Project, Ryan Hampton. Steven Strafford shares his autobiographical solo musical, METHTACULAR!. Armand Fields, Chicago based actor and drag queen, and Gretchen Wirges, Tucson based theatre artists, share their experiences creating work after embracing recovery. We also meet T.j. Murphy and the New Hampshire based Hope Ensemble, battling addition through their love of music.
Arizona Theatre Company's Artistic Director discusses his play The White Chip written based on his personal journey of recovery. Joined by Tony Nominated Sheryl Kaller who directed the The White Chip Off-Broadway and will direct our online reading on May 11th, and Dan Bakkedahl: actor, comedian, former roommate of Sean, and fellow friend in recovery.
Content Warning: Addiction, Sobriety, Recovery
Find out more about the White Chip Reading: https://arizonatheatre.org/show/the-white-chip-a-live-reading/
This episode was recorded Live on May 1st through Zoom and Facebook. If you want to watch these episodes Live- tune into Facebook every Friday 7pm E/4pm MT
Join us for this conversation with Arizona Theatre Company staffers as they recall why and how they got involved in theatre and why they love the work they get to do at ATC.
In our first Hang & Focus Livestream, Sean chats with Lucky Yates from FX's Archer, musician/composer Brian Lowdermilk, and ATC's Costume Shop Manager Mary Woll about the things they love and whats on their mind right now. Enjoy this conversation that covers everything from fond memories of starting an improv troupe, writing songs about everyday gratitude, and making masks to donate to hospitals!
Join us for this conversation between a few of our ATCteen young artists and professional ATC artists on gender queerness, gender identity and being TGNC and a theatre artist. We cover some of the challenges TGNC artists face, how theatre needs to evolve to be more inclusive and pursue liberation for disenfranchised communities, and why representation matters to us.
This episode of Hang and Focus featured guest Chris D'Arienzo creator of the hit musical Rock of Ages. Chris and Sean talk jukebox musicals, Rock of Ages, ATC and more!
Sean Daniels, Arizona Theatre Company Artistic Director, talks with Jesse Sanchez and Jason Hurtado about representation, music and the making of a new musical.
Welcome to Hang & Focus. In this show we will celebrate the conversations, people and art that lights us up. We were so excited about our production of The Legend of Georgia McBride but due to COVID-19 and the need to socially distance, we postponed the show until the 21-22 Season. However, we did have just enough time to do an amazing Opening/Closing night and record this conversation with the cast.