Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals

On today's show I speak with navi, an Artistic Lead at Flying V theater in Washington DC.  We discuss their background in music and how that lead them to theater through the Capital Fringe Festival, what the DC theater scene is like, the definition of "nerdcore" in terms of music, and what it means to be the Artistic Lead of the R&D department for a theater.

For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:02:53] Capital Fringe Festival
[00:04:19] Pointless Theater Company
[00:04:24] Flying V
[00:14:34] Synetic Theater Company
[00:25:02] Doom Remix
[00:27:26] Nerdcore Music Competition
[00:27:42] Naveed 19
[00:37:38] Paperless Pulp
[00:45:34] Gallaudet University

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Band Camp

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On this episode, I speak with Keith Josef Adkins, a playwright and artistic director of The New Black Fest. Keith originally went to school for broadcast journalism with the dream of becoming a weatherman, so how exactly did he transition into playwriting and becoming an artistic director? Keith takes me through his artistic journey, how he became a playwright, and the inspiration for starting The New Black Fest.

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:00:51] The New Black Fest
[00:10:04] Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe
[00:17:11] Maria Irene Fornes
[00:21:27] Henry Dumas
[00:26:38] The People Before the Park
[00:26:55] Seneca Village
[00:27:01] Archeological evidence from Seneca Village
[00:27:17] The Demolition of Seneca Village
[00:29:56] Epic Theater Ensemble 
[00:30:18] New York Historical Society
[00:40:10] The National Black Theater
[00:40:13] Jonathan McCrory
[00:40:24] Apollo Theater
[00:41:18] The Movement Theater Company
[00:41:19] 48 hours in Harlem
[00:41:21] The New Federal Theater

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On today’s show I speak with Judith Franklin, or as Matthew Neff from episode 17 calls her “Broadway’s Judith Franklin”. Judith and I discuss how she went from the Sunshine Choir at her local church, to performing in Ethiopia, to her journey to Broadway and appearing in both Donna: The Donna Summer Musical and most recently her ensemble turn in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:21:19] Atlanta Lyric Theater
[00:24:31] Orbit Arts Academy
[00:39:08] Broadway Inspirational Voices
[01:03:49] Joy in a Jar

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Company

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Ngozi Anyanwu is an actor and award-winning playwright (Good Grief, Homecoming Queen).  During this conversation, we discuss her early years in theater, how she went from actor to playwright, her journey to landing an agent, what it means to make The Kilroys List (2016), and so much more. 

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:01:43] The Thespian Conference
[00:05:33] The Public Theater
[00:05:34] Rattlestick Theater
[00:16:06] On Grief and Grieving by David Kessler
[00:38:22] The Kilroys

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Sarah Enloe is the Director of Education at the American Shakespeare Center. We discuss the role an education director plays for a theater, the practical research efforts that infuse performances at the ASC, and how scholarship informs all aspects of the company. For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:01:36] American Shakespeare Center
[00:01:58] Shakespeare Theater Association
[00:03:56] #SHXCamp
[00:04:20] Shakespeare and Leadership
[00:09:44] Mary Baldwin University – Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts
[00:13:01] The Knight of the Burning Pestle
[00:15:18] Actors’ Renaissance Season
[00:18:00] Tiffany Stern 
[00:18:17] Shakespeare's Globe 
[00:18:19] Peter McCurdy
[00:30:48] Stage of American Fight Directors
[00:34:55] UIL One Act Play Festival
[00:38:22] Anchuli Felicia King
[00:38:37] Shakespeare's New Contemporaries
[00:40:08] Ira Aldridge
[00:44:49] Blackfriars Conference
[00:47:33] Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay
[00:47:34] Spanish Tragedy
[00:48:03] Bonduca
[00:48:09] Gallathea 
[00:57:41] Give Way To Night
[00:57:44] From Unseen Fire
[00:59:07] Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail
[00:59:33] Basic City Beer
[01:01:11] Baja Bean Co.

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Guy Kwan is a Broadway Production Manager with Juniper Street Productions. His current shows include Come From Away, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Moulin Rouge.  Guy walks me through his early start with Mirvish Productions in Canada, how he eventually made his way to Broadway, and exactly when he becomes involved with a Broadway show.  I learned SO MUCH from our conversation about the role a production manager and technical director truly plays on a production.

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode

[00:00:52] Juniper Street Productions
[00:04:20] Mirvish Productions
[00:34:20] Come From Away Concert in Newfoundland

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Joseph Ahmed is a Philadelphia-based theatre-maker. Joe wears many hats in the theater community which we discuss at length, including actor, director, and most recently playwright. He’s also currently working as an arts administrator for an organization that is helping to provide emergency funding to artists hurting during this current economic climate.

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode

[00:03:19] Boston University for Theater Arts
[00:05:58] Grotowski
[00:10:55] Shakespeare & Company
[00:15:06] Philadelphia School of Circus Arts
[00:16:20] Bad Quarto of Hamlet
[00:31:14] Pig Iron Theater
[00:31:24] Jacques Lecoq
[00:31:44] Almanac Dance Circus Theater
[00:32:15] Tribe of Fools
[00:37:26] Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania
[00:41:28] Obvious Agency

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On today’s show, I speak with playwright Carmen Rivera. If you recognize Carmen’s name it’s because her play La Gringa is one of the longest-running off-Broadway shows in history. Get this, La Gringa celebrates its TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR at the Spanish Repertory Theatre this year. Carmen and I have a really insightful conversation around new play development, why she believes La Gringa continues to have such a long and successful life, and what teaching theater in the time of COVID really looks like.

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:04:01] Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre
[00:13:25] The Women’s Project
[00:14:28] Watch La Gringa
[00:14:29] Spanish Repertory Theater
[00:14:55] René Buch

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On today’s show, I speak with Buist Bickley a Broadway Props Supervisor. Buist has worked on more shows than I can actually count or keep track of, and when Broadway shut down he estimates he had about nine shows running on Broadway or on tour. Buist walks me through how he became a props supervisor, what’s considered a prop and what’s not (spoiler, Evan Hansen’s cast? Not a prop), and what exactly a props supervisor does during rehearsal. I love talking about props and I know you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:06:06] South Carolina Governor's School for Theater Arts
[00:07:33] College Light Opera Company
[00:08:17] Cortland Repertory Theater
[00:09:01] Westport Country Playhouse
[00:25:19] Basil Twist
[00:43:49] SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical
[00:44:02] Rube Goldberg
[01:00:00] Fifth Hammer

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On today’s show, I speak with playwright Migdalia Cruz. You may remember Elisa Bocanegra mentioning Migdalia in episode 18 for her work on María Irene Fornés’ documentary. We discuss her experience working with María Irene Fornés, how she helped Migdalia uncover her true playwrighting voice in a way that Columbia was unable to do, as well as her current project turning her translation of Macbeth into a podcast. I loved speaking with Migdalia about all of this as well as her early life writing plays.

For a full transcript of today's episode go to beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentioned in this Episode
[00:02:39] Bil Baird Marionettes
[00:08:22] INTAR
[00:26:41] Oregon Shakespeare Festival
[00:27:08] Next Chapter Podcast
[00:28:05] The Play On! Festival
[00:33:26] African-American Shakespeare Company
[00:33:31] Actors Shakespeare Project
[00:41:00] Northern Broadsides
[00:44:07] Wooster Group - HAMLET

More about Migdalia
2020-21 projects: 
Macbeth, Summer 2021 @Theatre SpaceNE in Sunderland, England.
Teaching playwriting at Princeton University and the Actors’ Center, Spring 2021
Co-chair of the 2019-2021 DGF’s Playwriting Fellows with Lucy Thurber.
Commission from Clubbed Thumb & NYSCA for FISHTANK.

Publications:
Her translations of MACBETH and RICHARD III to be published by Arizona State University and The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies in 2021; and her essay It’s Free on Wednesdays was included in “Theater Artists Making Theatre With No Theater," by Tripwire Harlot Press, eds., Spring, 2020.

During the Summer & Fall of  2020, she made five pieces for the theater: 
Macaque Nightmares, with James Martinez, and Dreamy Fields, with Ephraim López, for HERO Theatre’s HEROVotes! project; Looking-glass for Planet Connections in the evening “Love & Kindness in The Time of Quarantine,” directed by Regina Taylor, featuring Zabryna Guevara;  Meat and Other Broken Promises, with Marquise Vilsón Balenciaga, for The Homebound Project, 4th Edition, directed by Cándido Tirado; and in November 2020, she collaborated with the composer Cristian Amigo, for a live, geo-located theatre/sound piece in Battery Park, NY with INTAR Theater, Lives Of The New Kind Of Saints: a blessing/prayer for the essential workers guided by orishas, saints and angels, available on the ECHOES app.

For more info on María Irene Fornés visit The Fornés Institute.

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