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This episode was recorded live at the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center on January 8, 2024. It is an interview with Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman whose 50+ year collaboration has produced hit songs as well as the Broadway musical, Harmony.
This episode also includes an expanded conversation with nine members of the Harmony cast: Chip Zien, Danny Kornfeld, Zal Owen, Sean Bell, Eric Peters, Steven Telsey, Bruce Landry, Julie Benko, and Kayleen Seidl.
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This episode was recorded live at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan on October 9, 2023. It is a conversation with creative and cast members of the Broadway musical, Harmony. They include book writer and lyricist Bruce Sussman, and performers Chip Zien, Julie Benko, Sierra Boggess, and Danny Kornfeld. The narrative of Harmony is set in the 1920s and 30s in Germany, a deeply unsettling time in history, and still the central characters found harmony, not only in the melodic sense but also as a diverse group coming together in partnership. It's an inspiring idea for us all to seek ways to live harmoniously with others. After all, harmony occurs when different sounds blend together.
I hope you enjoy the following interview, and please check out the links below to two songs from the cast recording of Harmony. Both were performed live at the event.
"Where you go”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjyhgYk3GDE
"Every Single Day”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWkXyWpoEOk
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Three years ago, I founded a curricular theater program called Exploring Black Narratives, situated in Jewish schools and grounded in the work of acclaimed Black playwrights. One of the most exciting facets of the program has been helping students develop their interview skills in preparation to meet a professional actor who has performed in the play that we've studied. One such actor whom I was lucky to meet is Ron Emile, who starred in a production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson and who participated dynamically in EBN guest artist sessions. When Ron expressed an interest in the programmatic side of EBN, I was thrilled, and in the year ahead, we are forging a path as co-directors. In this conversation with Ron, we explore some of the topics we consider when we do the work of Exploring Black Narratives. @hollywoodrondon
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Part II of an extended interview with Jason Veasey and Nemuna Ceesay about their formative roles in developing the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop for its Broadway production where it won a Tony Award for Best Musical. Picking up on our live interview event at JCC Harlem, Jason – an original cast member for A Strange Loop who plays Thought 5, and Nemuna – Associate Director for the Broadway production, talk about the show’s ideas ranging from family to religion to self-acceptance.
For more information on A Strange Loop, visit strangeloopmusical.com, and follow Nemuna and Jason on Instagram at @_nemuna_ and @veaseyville
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At a live interview event at JCC Harlem on October 24, 2022, I spoke with two artists who were integral to the Broadway production of A Strange Loop, the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical by Michael R. Jackson. These artists – Associate Director Nemuna Ceesay and original cast member Jason Veasey – spoke about the show’s development and themes . This episode includes highlights from the live event.
For more information on A Strange Loop, visit strangeloopmusical.com, and follow Nemuna and Jason on Instagram at @_nemuna_ and @veaseyville.
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This is the second of two episodes focusing on August Wilson’s play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and its recent film adaptation on Netflix. Today’s interview is with actor Michael Potts who starred in the Netflix film as Slow Drag, the bass player in Ma Rainey’s blues band.
When I watched Michael Potts as Slow Drag, I saw something recognizable: the way his character can convey so much with a glance or a knowing look. It is the tendency to observe rather than jump into action. To see a situation from an intellectual distance. I went back to re-watch three roles from his TV work, all HBO series: True Detective, Show Me a Hero, and The Wire in which he played the notable character Brother Mouzone.
The art of observation is apparent in each of these characters. As Michael says in the interview: “It’s part of my natural inclinations as a person, as Michael, to observe everything. I’m very aware of where I am in situations. I’m always checking the temperature of the room, which the actor training simply reinforced.”
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In April, I had the pleasure of leading an evening event about August Wilson, specifically his play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. This event was hosted by the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Maryland, where the program I co-direct, Exploring Black Narratives, first took off. This conversation includes background on Wilson’s life and the Great Migration in America, as well as a comparative discussion on the script of Ma Rainey and the Netflix film adaptation.
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This episode is one of two classroom interviews with 11th grade students at Shalhevet high school in Los Angeles, CA. As part of the Exploring Black Narratives program, we studied Dominique Morisseau's play "Pipeline" and interviewed actors who starred in productions around the US. Today's interview is with Andrea Harris Smith who played Nya at the Studio Theatre production of "Pipeline" in Washington, D.C.
Pipeline centers on a public high school teacher named Nya whose own teenage son, Omari, attends a private boarding school. Nya’s ex-husband Xavier, Omari’s dad, believes that the private school will give Omari the best education though it’s a distance from his home and Omari would be one of the only Black students in his classes. At the start of the play, Nya calls Xavier with the news that Omari has gotten into an altercation with his teacher. The teacher had pressured him to talk about Richard Wright’s novel Native Son as though Omari were the representative to speak about Black characters. Feeling increasingly cornered by the teacher, Omari physically pushed back and winds up suspended and at risk of being arrested. Nya worries that the school administrators will see Omari’s appearance and respond harshly, channeling him into the school-to-prison pipeline. While Nya is confident in her role as a teacher, she feels inadequate as a parent trying to protect her son.
If you'd like to learn more about Exploring Black Narratives, here is an article about the program that I wrote for American Theatre magazine: https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/03/19/the-familiar-and-the-new-teaching-black-plays-in-jewish-high-schools/
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This episode is one of two classroom interviews with 11th grade students at Shalhevet high school in Los Angeles, CA. As part of the Exploring Black Narratives program, we studied Dominique Morisseau's play "Pipeline" and interviewed actors who starred in productions around the US. Today's interview is with Heather Velazquez who played Jasmine at the world-premiere production of "Pipeline" in 2017 at Lincoln Center Theatre in New York.
Pipeline centers on a public high school teacher named Nya whose own teenage son, Omari, attends a private boarding school. Omari and his girlfriend Jasmine are among the only students of color at their school. When we meet them, Omari is about to leave school. He has been suspended after an incident in class in which his white teacher singled him out repeatedly as a Black student and Omari physically pushed back. Jasmine is understandably worried about the consequences for Omari. And because she’s in love with him, her desire to shield him is wrapped up in her need to keep him around. While Jasmine and Omari’s relationship is intense, Jasmine’s presence onstage is filled with humor. She’s tough-talking but uncertain. And though she’s onstage only a short amount of time, she’s an unforgettable character.
If you'd like to learn more about Exploring Black Narratives, here is an article about the program that I wrote for American Theatre magazine: https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/03/19/the-familiar-and-the-new-teaching-black-plays-in-jewish-high-schools/
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In Will Arbery’s play Heroes of the Fourth Turning, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize last year, a group of 20-something friends, all of whom are Catholic and politically conservative, gather for a party to toast their college professor who has become the president of their Catholic university. One of these friends is a young woman named Theresa whose right-wing views cross into alt-right territory. When I watched this play, I found the character of Theresa fascinating, particularly the way she wields speech and language to assert her political views. I agree with almost nothing she says, but her love of debate is thrilling to behold, and her confidence is magnetic. Much of that is due to the actress playing her. Zoë Winters, my guest this episode, starred in Heroes of the Fourth Turning in its world premiere production at Playwrights Horizons and reprised the role for a virtual performance during COVID that happened live on zoom. It was a remarkable difference from the last time I saw Zoë perform, which was in Bess Wohl’s play, Small Mouth Sounds – set at a silent retreat where Zoë’s character Alicia spends the play attempting to withhold her speech. Both plays are about seeking a deeper truth either by speaking out or by being silent. In Heroes, the gateway to truth is vociferous discussion of religion and politics, while in Small Mouth Sounds the gateway is silent reflection. Zoë has performed in numerous roles on stage and screen, so it was a real delight to delve into two of her performances and examine their points of comparison around the power of speech. https://www.zoewinters.com/
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Classix is a team of theatermakers and scholars who provide universities, theater companies, publishers, and readers with resources to expand their exploration of classic Black playwrights. As founder Awoye Timpo says, the intention is "creating access to the plays for the widest possible audience but really by centering Blackness." Awoye and her teammates - Dominique Rider, Arminda Thomas, Brittany Bradford, and A.J. Muhammad - bring a wide array of skills to their work, including directing, producing, dramaturgy, archiving, and acting. Learn more about their work at https://www.theclassix.org/our-vision.
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I'm excited to share a series of conversations with actresses who starred in Jocelyn Bioh's play, School Girls: Or the African Mean Girls Play. These interviews were recorded with students at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Maryland. This fall, I developed a program for Jewish high schools, which are majority white spaces, to explore plays by Black playwrights, to read and watch those plays, discuss the themes, expand the art they love, and perhaps most importantly, to interview Black actors and directors who have made those plays come alive in performance. This interview is with Joanna Jones who played Ericka at the MCC production of School Girls in New York. Joanna talked to us about her similarities to Ericka, particularly the experience of being the new girl in school. The depiction of Ericka as a light-skinned young woman who gains social capital at her new boarding school in Ghana draws on themes of colorism, which Joanna calls "a prejudice within a prejudice". Joanna also answered a few questions about Hamilton, in which she played the dual role of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds on Broadway.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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I'm excited to share a series of conversations with actresses who starred in Jocelyn Bioh's play, School Girls: Or the African Mean Girls Play. These interviews were recorded with students at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Maryland. This fall, I developed a program for Jewish high schools, which are majority White spaces, to explore plays by Black playwrights, to read and watch those plays, discuss the themes, expand the art they love, and perhaps most importantly, to interview Black actors and directors who have made those plays come alive in performance. This interview is with Ciera Dawn, who played Paulina at School Girls' Chicago production at the Goodman Theater. Ciera talked to us about finding the physicality of Paulina, a young woman who knows her power and potential, and she shared thoughts on her professional journey from Louisiana to Boston to Chicago to LA.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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I'm excited to share a series of conversations with actresses who starred in Jocelyn Bioh's play, School Girls: Or the African Mean Girls Play. These interviews were recorded with students at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Maryland. This fall, I developed a program for Jewish high schools, which are majority White spaces, to explore plays by Black playwrights, to read and watch those plays, discuss the themes, expand the art they love, and perhaps most importantly, to interview Black actors and directors who have made those plays come alive in performance. This interview is with Mirirai Sithole, who originated the role of Mercy at School Girls' NY production at MCC Theater. Mirirai's theater work includes Suzan-Lori Parks' "The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World AKA The Negro Book of the Dead" and her TV work includes roles on "Broad City", "Russian Doll", and "Black Mirror". Mirirai won Lucille Lortel award for Outstanding Featured Actress and a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble with her School Girls' cast mates.
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Since theaters shut down this spring, a certain type of performance has gained traction online – the compilation video, in which multiple performers, each in their own space, record their part of a musical number that is compiled into one cohesive performance. One of those compilation videos that has been widely circulated features the Broadway revival cast of “A Chorus Line” doing the famous opening dance number. I reached out to Jeffrey "Shecky" Schecter, who starred in that production and who had the idea to reunite his cast for this compilation. We discussed how artists are connecting with each other during quarantine and how they find outlets for their creativity when theater is dark. Here is a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pALsCSZmWY
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Kelley Girod, a playwright and the founder of The Fire This Time festival, spoke with me about racism in the American Theater. We talked about the statements that many theater companies put out as protests began around the country. To Kelley and many Black artists and other artists of color, these statements in support of the Black community felt hollow. They followed years of diversity and inclusion initiatives that were deemed to lack depth, intention, and real commitment. Kelley pointed to an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion conference where a roomful of White participants stated the importance of inclusivity without seeming to recognize any disconnect. In the single week between this interview and the publishing of this episode, hundreds of theater artists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color, composed a letter titled, We See You White American Theater, stating the many ways that they have felt diminished, manipulated, and overlooked. At the time of this publishing, it had close to 70,000 signatures. Artists, companies, and audiences will need to come together to rebuild an old art form that celebrates storytelling but limits the storytellers.
https://www.weseeyouwat.com/
http://www.firethistimefestival.com/
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On Mother's Day, I spent the evening speaking with the very talented actress Karen Pittman. Every time I watch Karen perform, I notice her strength first and foremost. In this interview, we discuss three of Karen’s roles on TV and on stage that exemplify strength of character: a determined producer on “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+), a dedicated teacher in “Pipeline” (Dominique Morisseau’s play at Lincoln Center), and an ambitious lawyer in “Disgraced” (Ayad Akhtar’s play on Broadway). In each of these, Karen exudes a fierce spirit and an inner strength that is amazing to behold. Karen’s strength of character extends to her role as a mother too. She was pregnant when she auditioned for her graduate acting program and, since then, her life as a mother and her life as an artist have been entwined.
https://www.instagram.com/thekarenpittman/?hl=en
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Reed Luplau is a veteran dancer who has performed in Broadway shows and prominent dance companies including Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and the Sydney Dance Company. Trained in multiple forms of dance including classical ballet, modern dance, acrobatics, tap, and jazz, Reed is most interested in being a “good mover”, particularly when movement is a conduit to storytelling. In this conversation we discuss the language of movement and the way it shapes a narrative. Reed’s interest in dancers as unique storytellers with separate identities illuminates the question in this episode’s title, which is taken from a William Butler Yeats poem.
Reed’s Broadway credits include: “Fiddler on the Roof”; “Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812”; and “Moulin Rouge”.
http://www.reedluplau.com/
Watch “Fiddler on the Roof” at the Tony Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j661y6KwYA
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Financial Advisor Bailie Slevin is a great success story. When a car accident disrupted her career as a stage manager for the theater, Bailie found her way to the financial sector and has been a champion for artists’ careers ever since. Bailie transformed a set back into a prosperous career, and when she advises her clients, many of whom are stage and screen artists, she activates that same model of pragmatism, hopefulness, grit, and flexibility. Rebounding after a crisis, like, say, a pandemic, is imperative for artists. Bailie’s mission is to help them get smart about money and to help them think of their work as a business. There’s nothing romantic about starving artists, she says. When artists find good opportunities to make money, they create more opportunities to make good art.
Bailie runs her own company, Entertaining Finance. She's also an educator and financial coach at IFWA, the Institute of Financial Wellness for the Arts. You can find Bailie’s contact info on the homepage of entertainingfinance.com. You can also connect with her to become a client if you’re interested.
https://www.entertainingfinance.com/
https://www.theifwa.com/
Disclaimer: The included is not intended to be financial advice to be acted upon. The opinions here to not reflect those off Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS) or The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian. Entertaining Finance is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. OSJ: 52 Forest Ave., Paramus, NJ 07652, 201-843-7700. California license OJ17279
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Pirronne Yousefzadeh is a director of all sorts. She directs plays and she has a dual position at Geva Theatre Center as the Associate Artistic Director and the Director of Engagement. She’s also a co-founder of Maia Directors, a consulting and advocacy group for artists of Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian descent. In these roles, Pirronne frequently seeks to strike a balance between the work of making theater and what she calls “disrupting” the theater community. They’re potentially at odds with one another. As Pirronne said in our conversation, “Am I supposed to row the boat or rock the boat?”
Pirronne admits that as a young theater artist, she was very deferential. She was just happy to be there. Now she directs and teaches around the country. She not only advocates for stories about the Middle East and beyond, she’s made it a business. This month, she was scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at Humana Festival, which was canceled due to the Coronavirus. The speech she was going to give was a reckoning with her younger self. She wouldn’t have rocked the boat as a newcomer. Now it’s part of her job description.
https://www.pirronne.com/
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