The Creative Way

Vanessa Finney, host of The Creative Way, visits with Jackie Apodaca, Artistic Director with the Ashland New Plays Festival, and Victor Lesniewski, festival co-host, playwright and former winner of the festival.

ABOUT
Ashland New Plays Festival is a nonprofit theatre that encourages playwrights in the creation of new works through public readings. It also offers an educational forum to the community through discussions and workshops.

ANPF’s flagship Fall Festival (October 15-19, 2025) is an international playwright competition that culminates in the reading of four new plays chosen by a team of volunteer readers from hundreds of submissions.

This unique and much-loved event features professional actors from Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University’s Theatre Department, the local community, and regional theatre hot spots. The reading performances, and the talkbacks that follow, are a rich theatrical experience for audiences.

Composer/Music Director Jesse Sanchez, director Dalia Ashurina and lyricist Sami Horneff have been collecting oral histories from survivors of the Almeda Fire. They join Vanessa Finney to discuss their transformation of the collected histories into the basis of a song cycle called "Letters From Almeda."

Kate Flannery and Jane Lynch are on tour together with a new show called "The Trouble With Angels." The tour has upcoming performances in southern Oregon and northern California. The comedy duo join host Vanessa Finney on The Creative Way.

Sept. 5: The Cascade Theatre in Redding
The Cascade show has been canceled due to illness.

Sept.13: The Craterian Theater in Medford

ABOUT THE SHOW:
It’s like the Rat Pack… but with a couple of broads. Join Emmy Award-winner Jane Lynch [“Only Murders in the Building,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Glee”] and the hilariously charming Kate Flannery [“The Office”] for a night of comedy, song, and unapologetic mischief in "The Trouble with Angels."

With powerhouse vocals, razor-sharp wit, and more than a few surprises, these two beloved stars serve up a cocktail of classic tunes, campy banter, and devilish charm. It’s part cabaret, part stand-up!

ABOUT JANE:
Jane Lynch is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2013, Lynch received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Buena Vista Orchestra, which tours with including original Buena Vista Social Club members, will perform at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville on August 12, 2025. Their project offers a compelling cultural narrative, blending the rich traditions of Cuban music with contemporary interpretations.

Vanessa Finney interviews the band's manager, Steven Machat, a seasoned entertainment mogul and author of, "I Can Hear Music: The Heroes and Villains of the Muses."

Machat joins The Creative Way to discuss The Buena Vista Orchestra's unique sound, its profound cultural significance, and his vision for preserving global musical heritage. He also shares insights from his book.

You can learn more about Steven's book at https://www.stevenmachat.com/ and purchase tickets to the Orchestra's Britt concert at https://britt.org/events/buena-vista-orchestra/.

The annual Rogue Comic Con in May draws thousands of visitors to its celebration of comics, pop culture, design, and technology. Now, its creators are offering a second event.

The inaugural Comic Expo in Phoenix, Oregon is set for August 9. Vanessa Finney will talk with two participating artists, Mark Melton and Matt Case, on The Creative Way.

On August 16th, the Britt Festival will bring a new genre to its stage for the first time — Mariachi, as it presents Mariachi Sol De México de José Hernández.

Host Vanessa Finney visits with several members of the advisory committee that was formed to help the Britt engage with the Latinx community. Her guests are: Victoria Bencomo, a migrant counselor with the Southern Oregon Education Service District, Rachel Jones, Britt Festival Director of Education and Engagement, and Diana Ramos of Coalición Fortaleza, a color-led organization in the Rogue Valley.

"Oregon Culture Nights" is an annual series conceived as a way to demonstrate the impact and value of traditional arts. Emily Hartlerode joins The Creative Way host, Vanessa Finney. Emily is Director of the Oregon Folklife Network at the University of Oregon. She describes the program and the July 31st artist event that closes the annual series each year.

The classic novel and movie Western "Shane" is an adventure full of farmers, a range war, and a mysterious gunslinger. Karen Zacarías’s adaptation opens July 31 at OSF on the Angus Bowmer stage. Director Blake Robison turns a fresh eye toward the myths of the American West. This culturally authentic take on the Jack Schaefer novel brings an entirely new perspective, revealing a historically accurate image of the Western frontier filled with Mexican farmers, Black cowboys, and Indigenous nations. Blake and playwright Karen Zacarías will talk with JPR's Vanessa Finney about their vision.

The Creative Way host, Vanessa Finney, visits with Martin Majkut, Director of the Rogue Valley Symphony, in the JPR studio.

Majkut took on a new role this year as the new head of the Oregon Coast Music Festival. The 47th Annual Festival runs July 12 – 26, 2025 in Coos Bay, North Bend, Bandon, and Charleston.


Known as the “Tanglewood of the West Coast,” the Oregon Coast Music Festival is the longest-running music festival on the Oregon Coast, including more than 80 musicians from across the country. The festival features both classical music and Jazz.

"IN A LANDSCAPE: Classical Music in the Wild" is the outdoor concert series where America’s most stunning landscapes replace the traditional concert hall. A nine-foot Steinway grand piano travels on a flatbed trailer to State and National Parks, urban green spaces, working ranches, and historical sites for classical music concerts that connect people with each landscape.

Founded in 2016 by classical pianist Hunter Noack, "IN A LANDSCAPE" has presented 305 concerts in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, California, New York, and Canada to over 75,000 people.

Vanessa Finney talks with Hunter about his current tour across Oregon and California.