The Ensemblist

One thing that has become clear about the Coronavirus pandemic is that it's not a sprint, but a marathon. We will be in this holding pattern for weeks in not months where live performance can not happen in ways we are used to. And so I've been particularly intrigued by artists that are finding new ways to share live performance during this time.

Broadway veteran Robi Hager (Dr. Zhivago, Bye Bye Birdie, Spring Awakening) is using Facebook Live to stream a performance of his musical Basic Witches. Described as "Drag Race meets Hocus Pocus," the show is sure to be a much-needed distraction for theatre fans. Here's our conversation...

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One thing that has become clear about the Coronavirus pandemic is that it's not a sprint, but a marathon. We will be in this holding pattern for weeks in not months where live performance can not happen in ways we are used to. And so I've been particularly intrigued by artists that are finding new ways to connect with each other during this time.

Ben Cook (Mean Girls, Tuck Everlasting) along with his Newsies castmate Dan DeLuca have created a "Mindfulness in the Arts" training course that launches this Friday, April 17. Ben joined me over the phone to tell me how his mindfulness practice began and how other artists can join he and Dan on this journey. Here's our conversation...

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One of the most defining factors of ensemble characters is how undefined these characters are on the page. Often, the actors playing these roles are up to their own devices to decide who they are and how they fit into the world of the play. So how do you bring truth to a character who is intentionally surface-level? That's the question I posed to Jon Hoche, who created the role of Chief Justice in the musical Soft Power. Here's our conversation...

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Starring Micheal Urie, Christian Borle, Mary Testa, Lillias White, James Monroe Iglehart, Ann Harada, and tons more of your favorite theatrical geniuses, TWITS is the newest radio play comedy from the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit bpn.fm/twits for more info, or listen and subscribe wherever you are listening to this podcast now!

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Today on the pod, we share part of a conversation with Octet’s Margo Seibert. In this conversation, our sister podcast Page to Stage talks to Margo about her work in the Drama Desk Award winning ensemble of Octet. 

Hosted by Mary Dina and Brian Sedida, Page to Stage features excellent conversations with theatre makers. We are big fans of this up-and-coming podcast and are so grateful to them for letting us share a portion of their conversation with Margo Seibert. Enjoy!

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With the Broadway League declaring theatre shutdown through at least June 7, this theatrical season has effectively come to an end. So we wanted to take stalk of the abbreviated theatre season and talk about our favorite ensemble performances on and off-Broadway. Joining us is David Gordon, Senior Features Writer for Theatremania.com and President of the Outer Critics Circle.

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This month, we are collaborating with Broadway performers Jack Sippel and Brendan Stimson and their new podcast: Again From The Top. In this new podcast, these two Broadway dance captains and creative best friends offer goofy banter and behind the scenes stories featuring special guests who have created some of Broadway’s biggest hits. Listen as they uncover how professionals discovered their unique 5-6-7-8 and take it “Again from the Top”.

Today, we are sharing a portion of their full conversation with iconic Broadway legend Angie Schworer. Angie, of course, is a beloved treasure of the American musical theatre. She has performed in 10 Broadway musicals: including the original casts of The Will Rogers Follies, The Producers and Something Rotten! She is also the original performer and the inspiration of the role of Angie in The Prom. A castmate of both Jack and Brendan on various incarnations of that musical, the gentlemen lovingly interview Angie about her unique theatrical training and how she learned how to find her lane and thrive in it. Here’s their conversation...

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The latest True Crime / Broadway crossover podcast from Broadway Podcast Network: THIS IS REALITY. A completely true story, still unfolding.

How and why did a 25-year-old with a Pikachu bedspread become the #1 terrorist in the United States? In 2017, REALITY WINNER, a highly decorated former Air Force linguist was charged with leaking proof of Russian interference in the 2016 election to the media. Her goal – to help protect Democracy. Reality received the longest sentence ever imposed for unauthorized release of government information - five-years, three-months – for her patriotic efforts. THIS IS REALITY captures the unfolding events of the interrogation, the trial, the imprisonment and the current efforts to pursue clemency with those that were 'in the room' where it all happened. 

Produced by Dori Berinstein, Sally Horchow, and Rebecca Aparicio.

Part of the Broadway Podcast Network.

Visit bpn.fm/ThisIsReality for more info and tickets to the show.

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Come From Away is one of the best examples of ensemble storytelling to hit the Broadway stage this century. Having played more than 1,200 performances at the time Broadway shutdown, the show is a tour de force for a dozen onstage performers to guide audiences through a small town’s response to having a very big role on September 11th. After crisscrossing the country in a series of pre-Broadway tryouts, Come From Away opened at Broadway’s Schoenfeld Theatre on March 12, 2017. Since then the show has played London, Dublin, Melbourne and across both Canada and the United States. 

Today, we share a trio of stories from members of the show’s Broadway and touring productions.

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