Alberto Segarra is a lighting designer in the DMV who has probably illuminated almost as many people and places as the sun. He has designed in theaters of all shapes and sizes all over the District, as well as across the country, and won a Helen Hayes Award for his work on The Honey Trap with Solas Nua in 2024. We discuss his creative process, from first reading the script to the long, long hours of teching a show, as well as the differences in working with actors, dancers, and opera singers. He also talks about the past, present, and future of lighting design. 

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Arts journalist Rebecca Ritzel discusses her journey from early childhood storytelling to becoming a first-rate journalist and critic, adept at reviewing a wide range of performing arts as well as investigative and preview articles. A brilliant setter of scenes, Rebecca invites her readers into the theater with her, to experience the work from her point of view. Our conversation includes her perspectives on DEI in arts journalism, her experiences with conflicts of interest and other ethical considerations for arts journalists, and how critics can serve as advocates, witnesses, and memory holders for local arts scenes. We also discuss making and seeing work in DC—including which production Ruth Bader Ginsburg saw four times—and the changes Rebecca has seen over her time in DC. 

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No one has likely welcomed more audience members to DC theaters than Joy Johnson, and certainly no one has done it with more humor, grace, and compassion than Joy. A patron services professional in the District for almost 20 years--first at Shakespeare Theatre and now the Folger Library--she knows what makes a good box office employee, the supportive and risk-taking nature of DC audiences, how gatekeepers need to leverage their positions to better welcome new patrons and artists, and how to remove stage blood from the patron in the 4th row's clothes. 

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Shonali Burke is the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer at Arena Stage, one of the largest and most prominent theater companies in the District. Trained as an actor and director in her native India, Shonali is today one of the best in the business of understanding and applying analytics. Adept in all things PR and marketing, she discusses content development, how data crunching is a form of listening, measuring and understanding patron relationships, Arena Stage's role in the redevelopment of the Wharf neighborhood, and serving on boards. 

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Kathryn Chase Bryer is a director, dramaturg, teacher, and administrator with a storied career at Imagination Stage, one of the country's largest and most innovative children's theater companies. Theater for Young Audiences has been central to Kate's career, which includes work at Missoula Children's Theatre, Round House's "Street 70" program, and Wolf Trap. At Imagination Stage, she has developed, devised, and directed dozens of plays and worked with generations of talented theater makers. She is also an accomplished director at several DC theaters, including Constellation, Spooky Action, and Next Stop, as well as several area universities. Kate shares the joys, challenges, and opportunities of making TYA, and why Imagination Stage does not make "fuzzy bunny" theater. 

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James J. Johnson has been bringing his blend of charm, poise, and humor to roles across DMV stages for almost 30 years, working at companies such as the African Continuum Theatre, Arena Stage, Imagination Stage, Woolly Mammoth, Theater J, and Keegan. Now making his name as a playwright--with his play, Wannabe, debuting at the 2024 Capital Fringe Festival and Central Time with Mosaic's H Street Oral History Project--he is also an established educator and audiobook narrator. He shares the growth in opportunities for Black artists he's witnessed over his career, how he stays motivated while working on multiple projects at once, his love of standup, and growing up with a community of peer artists. 

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Chani Wereley is one of the most versatile and talented performers in the DMV. After attending Young Artists of America in Maryland and Catholic University in DC, they've racked up an astonishing number and variety of projects, from new musicals to classic plays to her own cabaret triptych, HARD TIMES. Currently starring as Audrey in LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Ford's Theatre, Chani is without a doubt an artist whose continued rise will be well worth the watch. She shares her STEM to stage journey, a few of their favorite people, and how to be a flexible and adaptable artist. 

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Danielle Preston is a DC-based costume designer who has worked her way up and all around the DMV theater scene. She has brought her keen eye, steady hand, and agile mind to thought-bold, provoking productions at companies from Avant Bard to Theater J to Washington National Opera. She talks about her early days as a fellow at Kennedy Center and Arena Stage, learning the freelancing life, how designing period and modern shows differs, the intimacies of the fitting room, and how she collaborates with directors and actors in her design process. 

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Aria Velz is a director, dramaturg, sound designer, teaching artist, and an emerging lesbian media critic.  She has worked at a long list of DMV theaters, including Signature Theatre, NextStop Theatre Company, Olney Theatre Center, Imagination Stage, Flying V, Mosaic Theater, and Theater Alliance. Aria is as enthusiastic to watch plays as she is to make them, and we talk about the plays and musicals she loves, how she navigates the hustle of freelancing, her collaborations with her wife--the playwright KJ Moran-Velz--and more. 

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Lizzi Albert and Gerrad Alex Taylor are DMV actors, directors, and educators. Longtime colleagues, they now serve as co-artistic directors of Perisphere Theater, a professional company which "produces plays that examine personal and collective history and the notion of history itself." The two discuss their careers, including tenures at Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, the roles of exploration and boundaries in art and life, and how to sustainably foster creativity and empathy in artists and audiences alike. 

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