Talking Theater

It's all about Tony Award predictions today on the podcast!  Theater critic Jose Solis comes back to the podcast to make his picks. Jose has been writing about film and theatre since 2003 and his work has appeared in major film and theatre publications including The New York Times, American Theatre, and Backstage.   Jose is a member of the Drama Desk, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and the Online Film Critics Society. Along with Diep Tran, Jose hosts the popular Token Theatre Friends, where Jose and Diep discuss shows at different price points to help you decide what to see. The show is in association with American Theatre, and you can watch it on YouTube or listen on iTunes. Talking Theater doesn't usually focus on Broadway, but the Tony Awards are too much fun not to do a special bonus episode. Find out Jose's favorite category, the shows that Jose didn't like, and which winners would make him the happiest. It's a lot of fun! The 72nd annual Tony Awards will be broadcast by CBS on Sunday, June

Isaac Butler is a writer and theater director, recently of The Trump Card, about the rise of Donald Trump with solo performer Mike Daisey. Isaac also wrote and directed Real Enemies, which was commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music and named one of the top ten live events of 2015 by The New York Times. Along with Dan Kois, he is the co-author of the critically-acclaimed The World Only Spins Forward, a history of Angels in America which was just released this year. And, most recently, Isaac hosts a new podcast miniseries for Slate called Lend Me Your Ears, about Shakespeare’s plays and our modern views on politics. Isaac holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of Minnesota, and his writing has appeared in the Guardian, Slate, American Theatre, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and other publications. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Idris Goodwin is an award-winning playwright, poet, performer, and essayist. This summer, he will become the Producing Artistic Director of StageOne Family Theater in Louisville, KY. For StageOne, Idris penned American Tales and the widely produced And In This Corner: Cassius Clay. Other plays include: How We Got On, Bars and Measures, The Raid, Hype Man: a break beat play, Blackademics, The Way the Mountain Moved, commissioned as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s American Revolutions Series, and will world premiere this summer, and This Is Modern Art co-written with Kevin Coval (which is getting a Blessed Unrest production in June 2018, in New York City). Just a few of the accolades Idris has earned include awards from the Hip Hop Theater Festival, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation, the Blue Ink Playwriting Award, and the InterAct Theater’s 20/20 Prize. These Are the Breaks, Idris’s debut collection of essays and poetry, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and his poetry has be

Ken Urban is a playwright, screenwriter, and musician based in New York. His plays include Sense of an Ending, The Correspondent, A Future Perfect, The Awake, The Happy Sad, Nibbler, A Guide for the Homesick which recently premiered just a few months ago at the Huntington Theater in Boston, and his newest work, a darkly-comic play called The Remains, which opens in May 2018 at Studio Theatre in Washington D.C. His work has been produced Off-Broadway at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 59E59 Theatres, The Summer Play Festival at The Public, and Studio 42. Ken's work has also been produced in London and at theaters all across the States. Just a few of Ken’s awards include the Weissberger Playwriting Award, New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Playwriting, and the Dramatist Guild Fellowship. He is a member playwright at New Dramatists in New York, and an Affiliated Writer at the Playwrights’ Center in my city of Minneapolis.  And, he’s also an accomplished musician playing with his band Occurrence. Ke

Jessica Burr is the artistic director of Blessed Unrest, an ensemble-based experimental theatre company in New York City, co-founded with Matt Opatrny. In 2011, Jessica received the Lucille Lortel Award from the League of Professional Theatre Women, in recognition of her work as a director and the body of work that Blessed Unrest has created under her leadership. With Blessed Unrest, just a few of the productions she has directed include Body: Anatomies of Being, Eurydice’s Dream (for which she and Sonia Villani received the 2013 NY Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Choreography/Movement), ArtCamp SexyTime FootBall, 365 Days/365 Plays Festival, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, and The Sworn Virgin and Doruntine (both with Florent Mehmeti of Teatri Oda of Kosovo). And most recently, The Snow Queen, developed in residency at the New Victory Theater, and now running, Platonov – an adaptation and translation of Chekhov’s play by Laura Wickens. Jessica talks with Marc about starting Blessed U

Dámaso Rodriguez is a Cuban American director based in Portland, Oregon, where he serves as artistic director of Artists Repertory Theatre, Portland's longest-running professional theatre company, which became a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) under his leadership. Prior to joining Artists Rep, Dámaso served as the associate artistic director of the Pasadena Playhouse and co-founder and co-artistic director of the Furious Theatre in Los Angeles. And upcoming projects include work for Artists Rep, Actors Theater of Louisville and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Dámaso talks with Marc about his decision to leave Los Angeles and take over the leadership of Artists Rep, how he chooses a season for his audiences, his commitment to diversity and an Equity Diversity Inclusion Statement, and lots of details about his directing process and working with actors!

Julia Sirna-Frest is an actor and singer based in New York. She was most recently seen as Margit in Seder at Hartford Stage.   And in the title role of: [Porto] which played at The Bushwick Starr last year where it was an NYT Critics Pick and The Times review said it was quote: “an excellent cast led by the wonderful Ms. Sirna-Frest”  Porto makes its Off-Broadway premiere at the WP Theater.  Other productions include: A Tunnel Year (The Chocolate Factory), and The Offending Gesture  (The Connelly);   Julia is also a Founding member of the Obie award-winning Half Straddle Company, where just a few of her shows include: Ghost Rings, Ancient Lives; Seagull (Thinking of you), and In the Pony Palace Football. Julia also fronts Doll Parts, Brooklyn's premiere Dolly Parton cover band, and composes music with Shane Chapman for productions such as Welcome to the Gun Show (Ars Nova) and IceBand (HERE Arts Center). Julia talks with Marc about creating wild, inventive theater, devising works by composing rock music with

Jose Solis is the Chief Theater Critic at StageBuddy.com.  He has been writing about film and theater since 2003 and his work has appeared in major film and theater publications including (links are reviews or articles): The New York Times, American Theatre, and Backstage.   Jose is a member of the Drama Desk, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and the Online Film Critics Society. Jose is putting together a panel called Being a Critic of Color for BroadwayCon 2018.  And, when he's not at a show, a screening or writing about all the art he loves, you can find him singing along to any cast recording featuring Kelli O'Hara. Jose talks with Marc about his passion for all theater and the arts, the distinction between a review versus an interpretation, racial disparity on stage and in theater criticism, and his newest projects to address inclusion and diversity among theater critics.

Jamil Jude is a director, producer, playwright, and dramaturg. Self-identifying as an "Artist Plus", Jamil feels most at home bringing socially relevant art to the community. Jamil is the Associate Artistic Director at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, GA as well as the Co-Founder of The New Griots Festival. He was a participant in the Leadership U: One-on-One program, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group. The program provided him a residency at  Park Square Theatre, in St. Paul, MN, where he worked as Artistic Programming Associate. Prior to that, he served as the National New Play Network (NNPN) Producer-in-Residence at Mixed Blood Theatre Company. Jamil has helmed productions for companies such as the Olney Theatre, Forum Theatre, and Curious Theatre, as well as various Twin Cities’ theatre companies, including Park Square Theatre, History Theatre, Freshwater Theatre, Stages Theatre Company, and Daleko Arts. Jamil's next directing pro

Brendan Hines is a versatile actor and singer-songwriter. He currently stars in Amazon's The Tick as Superian.  The show is based on Ben Edlund's comic book of the same name, with new episodes in February 2018. Brendan is also performing Histrionics, a one-man show at New York's Theater for the New City through mid-December of this year. Brendan has also appeared in fan-favorite shows including Suits, Scandal, and Lie To Me, as well as a number of other films and television shows.  Recently on stage, Brendan played Pip and Theo in the South Coast Repertory production of Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain.  Outside of acting, Brendan focuses on his music career. He released his third album, QUALMS, in October, offering a lyrically urgent collection of songs written in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Brendan shares with Marc about acting in a one-man show, the latest about Season One of The Tick, his music career, auditioning in Los Angeles, and building a career as an actor.

Rachel Grossman is the Ensemble Director and a co-founder of dog & pony dc where audience integration is their guiding artistic principle. She is also a theater artist and engagement strategist. She likes to explore the triangulation between art, artist, and audience. Rachel is a member of HowlRound’s National Advisory Committee and is a regular presenter with National Arts Market Project on audience engagement and empowering staff to serve as change-agents. Rachel is responsible for launching Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company’s “connectivity” initiative and served as the first Connectivity Director. She has also facilitated sessions and workshops at Theatre Communications Group conferences, as well as the Association for Theatre in Higher Education. She is a two-time recipient of a DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities’ Artist Fellowship grant. And, quite importantly, Rachel likes such as beets, brussels sprouts, bourbon, infographics, action movies, and well-facilitated discussions. Rachel shares with

Ilana Levine is an acclaimed actor on Broadway, TV  and film. She’s also a producer, and the amazing host of one of my favorite podcasts, Little Known Facts. Ilana is probably best known to Broadway fans for her comedic turn as "Lucy Van Pelt" in the Broadway revival of You're A Good Man Charlie Brown with Kristen Chenoweth, Anthony Rapp, B.D. Wong, Roger Bart, Stanley Wayne Mathis (directed by Michael Mayer, Choreography by Jerry Mitchell). And she also starred in the Broadway productions of Jake's Women, Wrong Mountain and The Last Night of Ballyhoo. What you should also know about Ilana is that she’s also appeared in film and TV including Tanner ’88 directed by Robert Altman, Seinfeld, Law and Order, Tanner on Tanner, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Kissing Jessica Stein, Failure to Launch, The Nanny Diaries, Friends with Kids and Five Flights Up. Ilana lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, actor Dominic Fumusa, her two children, and their dog, Lola. Ilana shares with Marc about her experiences with Y

Andrew Rosendorf is a playwright based in Minneapolis. He is a 2016-2017 McKnight Fellow in Playwriting at The Playwrights’ Center. His work has been produced or developed at La Jolla Playhouse, MCC, Luna Stage, American Theater Company, Nashville Rep, City Theatre, Geva Theatre, Actor’s Express, Palm Beach Dramaworks, UglyRhino, and Toftee Lake Center.  Andrew is an alum of terraNOVA Collective’s Groundbreakers Playwrights Group, the Ingram New Works program, National New Plays Network Playwright-in-Residence program, and has been a SPACE on Ryder Farm, VCCA, and MacDowell Colony Fellow.  He was a 2015-2016 Jerome Fellow at The Playwrights’ Center.  Andrew earned his MFA from The New School for Drama in Playwriting.   Andrew shares with Marc about his newest play that he just started researching, writing about sexuality, gender, and identity, the importance of theatricality and emotion in play, his writing process, and how he's learned to write with risk and vulnerability.

Seth Bockley is a playwright and theater director, specializing in literary adaptation, physical and object theater as well as multimedia works. As a director, Seth has led productions throughout the United States and around the world, including Mexico, Colombia, and Ireland. Just a few of the theatres where he has recently directed include The Goodman Theater, Victory Gardens, Redmoon Theater, Foundry Theater, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. As a playwright, his works include 2666, adapted with Robert Falls from the novel by Roberto Bolaño; which won the 2016 Equity Jeff Award for New Adaptation, Wilderness with En Garde Arts, The Death and Life of Billy The Kid with Cabinet of Curiosity Events, February House, a collaboration with lyricist and composer Gabriel Kahane, and directed by Davis McCallum, which premiered off-Broadway at The Public Theater, Ask Aunt Susan which premiered at The Goodman Theatre, and Jon, an adaptation of a George Saunders short story, which won the 2009 Equity Jeff Citation for

Guillermo Reyes has produced and published a variety of plays including Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown and Mother Lolita as off-Broadway productions with Urban Stages, Chilean Holiday and Saints at the Rave at the Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, and many others. Men on the Verge debuted in Los Angeles at the Celebration Theater and won the L.A. Ovation Award for Best World Premiere Play which went on to win the New York Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best Solo Performance for Felix Pire during its off-Broadway run. Recently, Guillermo published Madre and I: A Memoir of our Immigrant Lives with the University of Wisconsin Press. He’s also published short stories in various journals such as Label Me Latina/o, The Americas Review, The New Mexico Humanities Review, Puerto del Sol, among others. Guillermo earned a Bachelor's in Italian from UCLA, an MFA in Playwriting at UCSD, and he’s currently a professor and the head of dramatic writing at Arizona State University in the School of F

Deborah Yarchun is a New York City playwright from Austin, Texas. Her honors include two Jerome Fellowships, an EST/Sloan Commission, The Kennedy Center’s Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award for The Man in the Sukkah, the Kernodle New Play Award for Tectonic Mélange, the Richard Maibaum Playwriting Award, and the Iowa Art Fellowship. Deborah's plays have been developed at places including Ensemble Studio Theatre, The New Harmony Project, Jewish Plays Project, The Great Plains Theatre Conference, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, TheatreSquared, and Williams Street Rep, where her new play, Bombers Moon will be produced next summer in July and August 2018. She is a 2017-2018 Dramatists Guild Fellow and the Fall 2017 Playwright-in-Residence at the William Inge Center for the Arts. Deborah earned her Bachelor’s degree in screenwriting and playwriting at Drexel University and her MFA in playwriting at the University of Iowa.   Deborah shares with Marc about spinning stories wildly out of various starting points and ideas,

Lauren Gunderson is the most-produced living playwright in America for both 2016 and 2017.   Her work has been commissioned, produced and developed at companies across the US including South Coast Rep (Emilie, Silent Sky), The Kennedy Center (The Amazing Adventures of Dr. Wonderful and Her Dog!), The O’Neill, San Francisco Playhouse, Marin Theatre, Synchronicity, Olney Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Shotgun Players, TheatreWorks, Crowded Fire and others.  And, her play, The Book of Will, was recently produced at The Denver Center and the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. You’ll find Lauren’s published plays at Playscripts (I and You, Exit Pursued By A Bear, The Taming, and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists Play Service (Silent Sky, Bauer, Miss Bennet, The Book of Will) and Samuel French (Emilie). Lauren studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Lauren shares with Marc about writing women characters wi

Kate Hamill is a playwright and actor based in New York City.  In 2014, her adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility premiered off-Broadway where it was named in the "Top 10 Theater of 2014" by both Ben Brantley of the NY Times and by the Huffington Post, which called it “the greatest stage adaptation of this novel in history.”  Sense and Sensibility was remounted off-Broadway in 2016, and it was nominated for Best Revival by the Drama League, it also received 2 Lortel nominations, and it won the Off-Bway Alliance Award for Best Unique Theatrical Performance.  Recently, American Theatre listed Kate in the Top 20 most-produced playwrights for 2017-18 and Sense and Sensibility is also listed in the Top 10 most-produced plays. Kate's other plays include Vanity Fair (nominated for an Off-Bway Alliance award), Pride and Prejudice (which just completed its premiere at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and will move off-Broadway in November 2018), The Little Fellow (an O’Neil semi-finalist), Love Poem,

Adam Szymkowicz is a playwright based in New York City. His plays have been produced throughout the U.S., Canada, England, and around the world. Adam’s plays include The Wooden Heart, Deflowering Waldo, Pretty Theft, Food For Fish, Hearts Like Fists, Kodachrome, Marian (or the True Tale of Robin Hood), Rare Birds, Incendiary, Clown Bar, The Adventures of Super Margaret, The Why Overhead, and many others. Adam received a Playwright’s Diploma from Juilliard, an MFA from Columbia University. He has written articles for Howlround, New York Theatre Magazine, and The Brooklyn Rail and has interviewed 1000 playwrights on the Adam Szymkowicz blog. Adam shares with Marc about his inspiration for writing plays, lessons learned from his mentors and teachers including Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang, the questions he always asks before starting a new play, how he likes to work with directors and actors, and his theater heroes and the contemporary playwrights whose work he admires. This post Adam Szymkowicz - Playwri

Davis McCallum is the Artistic Director of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, where he’s also directing The Book of Will, which is now playing.  His recent productions in New York include Fashions for Men, which received Drama Desk, Lortel and Outer Critics Circle Nominations for Best Revival; The Whale, winner of the Lortel Award for Best Play, and Davis received a Calloway Nomination for Best Director, Water by the Spoonful, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, February House, nominated for Best Musical by the Outer Critics Circle; and London Wall with both Drama Desk and Lortel Nominations for Best Revival. Davis has also directed productions at Playwrights Horizons, Mint Theater, Second Stage, Signature Theater Company, 13P, Clubbed Thumb, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and the New Victory Theater, in addition to many theaters and festivals across the country. Davis is a graduate of Princeton where he studied Shakespeare at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and trained as a director at LAMDA.  Davis