• Episode 420 - Lindsey Ferrentino
    Sep 16 2024
    Lindsey Ferrentino is an American playwright with three world premieres in the 2024 season. In May, she opened The Artist in the UK (co-adapted with Drew McConie, Theatre Royal Plymouth,) and this August, she will premiere the new musical The Queen of Versailles (book by Lindsey Ferrentino, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, starring Kristin Chenoweth and F. Murray Abraham, The Colonial Theater). Her other produced plays include Ugly Lies the Bone (The Lyttleton - National Theatre, UK, Roundabout Theatre Company, NY, over 100 productions worldwide), Amy and the Orphans (Roundabout Theatre Company), This Flat Earth (Playwrights Horizons), The Year to Come (La Jolla Playhouse) — among others. Her plays have been translated into Spanish, German, and Portuguese and have been produced across the US, in London, Germany, Spain, and Venezuela. This winter, Lindsey will direct her first feature film - an adaptation of her play Amy and the Orphans for Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films. She has various film projects in development at Netflix and Sony Pictures — with producers including Higher Ground, 3 Dot Entertainment, Dylan Clark Productions, Defiant by Nature. Lindsey is the recipient of The Arc’s prize for Entertainment Industry Excellence for her writing centered on disability inclusion. Other prizes include: the Kesserling, ASCAP Cole Porter Playwriting Prize, Paul Newman Drama Award, Laurents/Hatcher Award, NYU Distinguished Alumna Award, and Hunter College’s 40 Under 40 Distinguished Alumna. Lindsey is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Felker & Associates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • Episode 419 - Stan Herman and Ann Leary - Memoirs
    Sep 9 2024
    Stan Herman The three-time Coty award-winning designer Stan Herman is truly a pioneering man. Not only was he the President of the Council of Fashion Designers of America for sixteen years, but also the founding president of 7th on Sixth Corporation; the fashion shows in Bryant Park. With KOMAR, Stan has incorporated his ready-to-wear design savvy to become America’s foremost designer of robes and loungewear. His comfortable, lifestyle driven products can be found on QVC, QVCUK, QVCItaly. After over 24 years on air he has built a return customer base of over 300,000 people and has sold over $150 million worth of robes alone. Furthermore as the leading uniform designer in the world his uniforms arguably cover more bodies than any other single designer. As a pioneer in the industry, Stan popularized "fashion at a price" with his Mr. Mort label; a label sought by vintage collectors today. When most designers were relegated to backrooms, he served as a spokesman for the creative side of the industry, championing designer names on labels, and watching out for the good of his colleagues. He was on the vanguard of designer boutiques with Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and in-store designer partnerships with Henri Bendel. Mr. Herman popularized the Designer Uniform. His list of corporate clients has included many of the world's leading corporations. FedEx, Jet Blue, United Airlines, TWA, U.S. Airways McDonald's, and Amtrak, Avis, Humana, RCCL, and Securitas along with Las Vegas Hotels including Paris, MGM Grand, Monte Carlo and Mandalay Bay. He just launched the redesign for the newly re-opened Regency Hotel as well as the rest of the Loews Hotel system. He has redesigned the next look for FedEx and the new JetBlue uniform. Ann Leary is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels, THE FOUNDLING, THE CHILDREN, THE GOOD HOUSE, OUTTAKES FROM A MARRIAGE, and the memoir, AN INNOCENT, A BROAD. She has written for numerous publications including Ploughshares, NPR, Real Simple and the New York Times. Her novel, THE GOOD HOUSE was adapted as a motion picture starring Sigourney Weaver and Kevin Kline and will be released in theaters in September, 2022. Her new essay collection, I’VE TRIED BEING NICE (Simon Element/MarysueRucci) will be published on June 4, 2024 Ann and her husband Denis Leary live in New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • Episode 418 - Chilina Kennedy
    Sep 2 2024
    Chilina Kennedy is known for playing Carole King in the musical Beautiful on Broadway for over 1,200 performances. She also recently originated the Tony-award winning role of Dina on the First Broadway National Tour of The Band’s Visit. Chilina’s first appearance on Broadway was in 2012 when she played Mary Magdalene in Des McAnuff’s Jesus Christ Superstar, which also had successful runs at the Stratford Festival of Canada and the La Jolla Playhouse. Other US credits include the world premiere of A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, in which she originated the role of Phoebe at Hartford Stage and The Old Globe in San Diego (San Diego and Connecticut Outer Critics nominations), the world premiere of A Sign Of The Times as Cindy (Delaware Theatre Company), Binky in the Off-Broadway world premiere of This Ain’t No Disco (Dir. Darko Tresnjak/Chor. Camille A. Brown) and Sophie in the 1st US National Tour of Mamma Mia!. Selected Canadian credits include the title role in Ted Dykstra’s Evangeline (Charlottetown Festival and original recording), the title role in Ross Petty’s Pantomime The Little Mermaid (Toronto Critic’s Award), three seasons at the Stratford Festival (three Broadways World Awards) including Maria in Gary Griffin’s West Side Story, Eva Peròn in Evita, Lois Lane in Kiss Me Kate, three seasons at the Shaw Festival, the World Premiere of The Lord of the Rings (Mirvish), Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Stratford/Toronto), Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest (Neptune), and the title role in Mary Poppins (Theatre Aquarius). Chilina is also a singer/songwriter with a debut album What You Find in a Bottle, released in 2015. Chilina has written a new musical Call It Love with Eric Holmes, who is known for being a writer for “The Good Fight” on CBS. Featuring music and lyrics by Chilina, book co-written by Eric and Chilina, and musical arrangements by Rick Fox, Call It Love has been developed in the New York City area by Eclipse Theatre Company (http://eclipsetheatre.ca/). Chilina has worked with Burt Bacharach, guest starred in concert with the TSO, Colm Wilkinson and Jason Robert Brown. You can hear Chilina’s voice on CBC’s “Celebrate the Seasons” and “Carols for a Cure.” Chilina is a graduate of Sheridan College and the Birmingham Conservatory for classical theatre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Episode 417 - Stephen Belber
    Aug 26 2024
    Stephen Belber’s plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 25 countries. They include Match (Frank Langella), McReele (Anthony Mackie), Dusk Rings A Bell (Kate Walsh/Paul Sparks), Fault Lines (Noah Emmerich, Josh Lucas, Dominic Fumusa), The Power of Duff (Greg Kinnear/Jennifer Westfeldt/Ben Platt/Dominic Fumusa), Tape, Geometry of Fire, Don’t Go Gentle, The Muscles In Our Toes, Joan, and others. He was an Associate Writer/actor for The Laramie Project, and co-writer/actor on The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, both of which have been consistently performed around the world. He’s written & directed 3 feature films: Management (Jennifer Aniston/Woody Harrelson), Match (Patrick Stewart/Carla Gugino), and What We Do Next (Karen Pittman/Corey Stoll). Film scripts include Tape (Ethan Hawke/Uma Thurman, directed by Richard Linklater), The Laramie Project (associate writer, Emmy nomination), Drifting Elegant, (Josh Stamberg/Jennifer Mudge) and O.G., (Jeffrey Wright, HBO Films). Two film remakes of Tape, in India and Hong Kong, will be released in the coming year, and a play version is currently running in rep in Israel. Has worked on numerous studio films (including Dallas Buyers Club), and developed and sold projects to all the major studios, with actors and directors such Bennett Miller, Todd Phillips, Jay Roach, Tom Cruise, Will Smith, Philip Seymour Hoffman, George Tillman, Greg Mottola, Sam Rockwell, David Gordon Green, and Anthony Mackie. Television includes Law & Order SVU, Rescue Me, Tommy, The First, and pilots for HBO, Netflix, F/X, ABC, TNT, USA, Fox, Paramount, Sony, and History Channel. He created and is showrunner for an 8-part original TV series called The Madness (starring Colman Domingo), which will be released by Netflix on Thanksgiving Day, 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Episode 416 - Eric William Morris and Noah Weisberg
    Aug 19 2024
    ERIC WILLIAM MORRIS Broadway: King Kong, Coram Boy, Mamma Mia! Eric frequently collaborates with composer Joe Iconis, starring in Be More Chill (Original Cast Recording, Two River Theatre), Things to Ruin (OCR, 2nd Stage) and Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova). TV/Film includes Fleishman is in Trouble, Only Murders in the Building, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Mind Hunter, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and the recent feature film Pinball (Hulu). Other regional/Off Broadway: Michael R. Jackson's White Girl In Danger (2nd Stage/Vineyard) Richard Greenberg's The Perplexed (MTC); Songbird (59E59, Two River); The Ballad of Little Jo (OCR, Two River); The Last Goodbye, Dog & Pony (The Old Globe). His album of original rock music, Do You Understand? is available on all streaming platforms. @theericwmorris NOAH WEISBERG Willy Wonka in the Broadway tour of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. Broadway: South Pacific, Enron, Elf, Legally Blonde. Shakespeare in the Park: Two Gentlemen of Verona. TV: Quentin on Showtime’s Super Pumped, Danny Michael Davis on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Brett on Modern Family, The Neighborhood, Major Crimes, Law & Order, K.C. Undercover, Wisdom of the Crowd, The Good Wife, iCarly, Franklin & Bash, Bad Teacher, Bones, The New Normal, Cashmere Mafia, Love Monkey, Indoor Boys. Film: writer, director, actor in award winning Thank You Kindly and What’s Life Got to Do with It. Education: NYU, UCB, Second City. Instagram: @NoahWeisberg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    39 mins
  • Episode 415 - Historical Fiction Author Panel - LIVE From Bryant Park
    Aug 12 2024
    Historical Fiction Novelists Marjan Kamali, Ann Hood and Iris Mwanza live from Bryant Park Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Episode 414 - Bill Rauch
    Aug 5 2024
    Bill Rauch is the inaugural Artistic Director of Perelman Performing Arts Center. His work as a theater director has been seen across the nation, from low-income community centers to Broadway in the Tony Award-winning production of Robert Schenkkan’s All the Way and its sequel The Great Society, as well as at many of the largest regional theaters in the country. His other New York credits include the world premiere of Naomi Wallace’s Night Is a Room at Signature Theatre, the New York premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House at Lincoln Center Theater, and a site-specific Occasional Grace in multiple Manhattan churches for En Garde Arts. From 2007 to 2019, Bill was artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), the country’s oldest and largest rotating repertory theater, where he directed seven world premieres and 20 other plays including several by Shakespeare as well as innovative productions of classic musicals including a queer re-envisioning of Oklahoma! Bill is also co-founder of Cornerstone Theater Company where he served as artistic director from 1986 to 2006, directing more than 40 productions, most of them collaborations with diverse rural and urban communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Episode 413 - Danya Taymor and Emma Pittman
    Jul 29 2024
    Emma Pittman is a Mississippi native, Wagner College graduate, and winner of “The Search For Roxie.” Broadway: Chicago (Roxie & Annie), Back to the Future OBC (Ensemble) Regional: The Drowsy Chaperone (Janet), Damn Yankees (Lola). Emma is also a teaching artist, director, and choreographer. Her choreography credits include: On the Twentieth Century, Into the Woods, and The Cradle Will Rock. Danya Taymor is a New York based director and winner of the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Outsiders. She reopened Broadway with Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu's Pass Over, the first play back after 18 months of darkness on Broadway (New York Times 10 best shows of 2021). Other recent work includes: Samuel Beckett's Endgame (Gate, Dublin), Will Arbery's Pulitzer Prize Finalist Heroes of the Fourth Turning (Obie Award, Callaway Award for Outstanding Direction) and Evanston Salt Costs Climbing (New Group), Jeremy O. Harris' "Daddy" (Almeida, London + New Group/Vineyard), Korde Arrington Tuttle's Graveyard Shift (Goodman Theater), Martyna Majok's queens (Lincoln Center), Danai Gurira's Familiar (Steppenwolf), and Brian Watkins’ My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer and Wyoming (The Flea + Lesser America). Her world-premiere production of Pass Over was filmed in collaboration with Spike Lee, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is streaming on Amazon Prime. Recipient of the Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity from Lincoln Center. BA: Duke University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins