Out of the Rehearsal Hall

In this episode, Jenni Werner is joined by Mark Cuddy, Gus Cuddy and Mari Vial-Golden to discuss Geva’s production of Nick Payne’s Constellations, the power of improvisation, the surprising comfort of Beckett’s Godot, the ups and downs of working with your family, taking risks and finding hope in chaos. 

In this episode, Jean McCormick and Matthew S. Morgan, two of the principal actors in Geva's annual production of A Christmas Carol, join Jenni to talk about their favorite pieces of prop business, the highs and lows of touring productions, shadow puppetry in The Lion King, lessons they've learned about acting, auditioning and collaboration, and what makes performing in A Christmas Carol at Geva so rewarding each year.

In this episode, we talk with Webster-resident Ginny Nguyen, who fled Vietnam with her family in 1975, and after several months in an Arkansas refugee camp, started a new life in Rochester. This story has been a source of inspiration for everyone involved in Geva’s production of Vietgone, written by Qui Nguyen, whose parents met in that same refugee camp. Ginny’s re-telling of this journey, and of her father’s sense of honor and her family’s perseverance, is really remarkable.

In this episode of Out of the Rehearsal Hall, we welcome you to an audio prologue for Qui Nguyen's Vietgone. Before COVID disrupted our lives, audiences would arrive early to Geva productions to hear a presentation about the show they were about to see. Since we can't do that in person right now, we're thrilled to offer this version! Hear an excerpt of an interview with Rochester resident Ginny Nguyen, who left Vietnam with her family in 1975. And then the director and cast of Vietgone introduce themselves and talk about the play. And join us at the theatre soon for Vietgone!

In this episode, projection designer Rasean Davonte Johnson (Geva's THURGOOD and RING OF FIRE), joins Jenni Werner to talk about his process and the artists and theatres that have had an influence on his career and his aesthetic. It's a conversation that ranges from Dracula and magic and nostalgia to creating an evocative storytelling style through metaphor and image. Davonte specifically speaks about the questions that inform the process of projection design, and the role that it can play in theatrical storytelling. What does it take to evoke a sense of a visual story, without telling that story in a literal way? And how does that inform the emotional journey of the performance? Sometimes that kind of storytelling comes from unexpected places, and we talk about some great examples of his work.

This episode features Megan Sandberg-Zakian, Evren Odcikin, Kareem Fahmy and Pirronne Yousefzadeh, the four incredible forces behind Maia Directors. The organization is a consulting service for organizations and artists engaging with MENASA stories – those from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. These change makers discuss trends in the theatre field, the importance of being of service (and valuing that work) and collaborations on projects like Madhuri Shekar's The House of Joy, the premiere of Ismail Khalidi and Naomi Wallace's adaptation of The Corpse Washer, and the Big Bridge Theatre Consortium's commission of Rohina Malik.

In this episode, we talk with director, deviser and dance dramaturg, Daniel Banks about socio-political awakenings, storytelling traditions and innovations, justice and spirituality and the work that breaks your heart open, makes you want to create something new, and inspires dialogue and healing. Associate Artistic Director and Director of Engagement Pirronne Yousefzadeh co-hosts.

This episode features the Changemakers: Rochester Women Who Changed the World exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, which inspired Geva’s Tenacious Women project. We start by talking with Kathryn Murano Santos about the innovative and inclusive process that led to this exhibit. And then, sisters Mimi W. Lee and Lily Lee share the incredible inspiration of their mother, the events that led them to create the Asian/Pacific Islander/American Association of Greater Rochester, and the role of education in combatting Anti-Asian hate. And in the final segment of the episode, we feature writer, editor and historian Joan Coles Howard and Youth History Ambassadors from Teen Empowerment, Tashiana Williams and Nino Irizarry in a discussion about the importance of sharing our history through generations.

Christopher Rivas is an incredible storyteller in any medium, and in this episode, he talks about the climate crisis and the beauty of this world, Porfirio Rubirosa (inspiration for James Bond) and just how vital it is to see people who look like you in stories that inspire you, and the power of telling stories from the heart. Geva's company manager Angela Giuseppetti co-hosts.

In our first podcast episode of 2021, we’re thrilled to feature a conversation with playwright/director/producer, Chay Yew. Geva audiences will have an opportunity to see his work as a director this winter, with his direction of Brian Quijada’s Where Did We Sit on the Bus? And long-time Geva audiences may remember the production of Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views, which Chay also directed. Associate Artistic Director Pirronne Yousefzadeh joins Jenni Werner for this inspirational conversation that focuses on the ways in which we can all open doors for others to follow us, and create opportunities for the next generation to grow and succeed.