Today's guest is lighting designer and resident tall human Joel Silver! Joel and Cory chat about the designer/associate relationship and Joel shares stories from working on shows with Kevin Adams and Peter Kaczorowski. They also touch on Joel's feelings regarding crew relationships, cueing under pressure, being social outside of the theatre and (gasp!) taking purposeful time off. Joel also has a great deal of experience in the industrial world and he tells us about navigating a focus on a convention center floor and getting a corporate logo color just right. Not blue...I said BLUE!

It's taken too long, but this week we finally have a costume designer...it's Whitney Locher! Whitney and Cory discuss her new production of 'Into The Woods' (coming to Roundabout next season) and her long relationship with Fiasco Theatre. They discuss the in's and out's of dealing one-on-one with actors as well as the realities of costume research, shopping, and the fine art of diplomacy in a fitting room. Whitney tells us about working on the Tony Awards and Cory shares his new love of returning clothes. Not a mention of a moving light for miles!

Episode #15 goes to the Obi-Wan of lighting software...it's John McKernon! John tells us how Lightwright came to be and what it's like creating an integral design tool used all over the globe. Learn how Lightwright and John's career started (like so many things) in Ken Billington's office, and hear tales from the past from 'One Mo' Time', 'The Red Shoes', 'Chicago', and 'Late Nite Comic'. Hear what the Union exam used to be like back in the "old days" and what John thinks is the trick to winning a Tony for lighting. John McKernon has forever changed the way lighting design is created and documented and now you can meet the man behind the code!

Never fear podcast listeners...this Beowulf is way cooler than an 11th century warrior, it's Beowulf Boritt! Beowulf tells us about his massive set for 'Act One' at Lincoln Center and what 100,000 lbs of scenery feels like spinning on a 60' turntable. Cory and Beowulf discuss his vast array of other shows including 'Chaplin', 'Grace', 'Spelling Bee', 'Sondheim on Sondheim' and, wait for it, the Circus! Learn what mistakes Beowulf admits that he keeps making, why Ed Asner called him the Angel of Death, and how tall a doorway needs to be to accommodate an elephant. Learning is fun!

She's funny! She's smart! She's totally having a "moment." And we've got her on the show today...it's lighting designer Jen Schriever! Jen tells us about her making her Met debut with 'Die Fledermaus' and her Broadway debut with 'Ghetto Klown.' Jen and Cory chat about dealing with deadlines, focus nightmares, how to cue when your actors are just wigs on music stands, and it's another Woody Harrelson story!

Today's guest is set designer Brian Prather. Brian chats about his long relationship with Barrington Stage Company, re-designing his award-winning set for 'Freud's Last Session' in the round, and how he made it through a two hour production meeting where everyone was speaking Korean. Cory and Brian compare moments in the design process that give them goosebumps and the pros and cons of falling back on what you know. It's anther episode live from Queens...roomier, sunnier, and half as expensive as those podcasts from Manhattan!

Today's guest is sound designer, Tony winner, and all around awesome dude Darron West. See if you can figure out how Darron manages to work on all the coolest projects...cause we can't! He and Cory discuss 'Peter and the Starcatcher', 'Queen of the Night', 'Kung Fu', and an upcoming production of 'The Tempest' that sounds so crazy he might have made it up. Learn how companies like Actors Theatre of Louisville and SITI company have shaped his career and what it was like when he decided to sit in the director's chair. And if that's not enough, Darron regales us with stories of the original production of 'Rent' and how his Broadway debut led to partying it up with Quinten Tarentino!

Turn the lights down low, chain the door, and pour yourself a drink because we're sitting down with lighting designer and living legend Ken Billington. Ken and Cory cover a wide range of topics from his biggest hit, "Chicago", to his newest project, "Act One", and other shows from his over 40 years in the business including "Footloose", "Chaplin", "The Visit", "Sweeney Todd" and more. Ken tells us about learning the ropes from Tharon Musser, why you better be fast in a room with Hal Prince, how he introduced Bob Fosse to the magic of moving lights and why you should tuck in that shirt for goodness sakes! (Warning...management is not responsible for you walking into traffic while having your mind blown.)

Today's guest is scenic and lighting designer David Arsenault. David and Cory discuss the pros and cons of living in New York City...from broken down subways, to lugging your own scenery through midtown, to dreaming of the suburbs. They discuss shows on their bucket list and offer a mini class in website and resume do's and don'ts, including why you should never attach balloons to your resume. Pay attention...there will be a quiz!

The podcast has been seriously lacking in feminine charm and this week we're rectifying that with sound designer and actual female Jill Du Boff! Jill chats about going on the road with Radiolab, how a baby that wouldn't stop crying led to an awesome sound effect and how she is preparing the next generation of artists to think about sound design in a whole new way. Expect guest appearances from both her cat and her husband...it's an episode for the whole family!