Theater Forward

There's a growing concern regarding the lack of new technical artists and designers in American theater, causing many companies to reconsider (and change) how they build a season of productions.

We sit down with Sarah Ross, Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, and Brian Gill, Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at University of Wisconsin - Parkside to talk about how they're cultivating a next generation of technical artists in an effort to support a new era of theatermaking.

**Clarification** - This is our original Episode 97! Found in the vault and now live. We will re-release our interview on the new generation of technical artists as Episode 99, coming soon. 

Our favorite summer stories are back! We sit down with some amazing Wisconsin arts leaders and ask them to share a story about a play or musical that "stayed" with them, inspired them, or just generally rocked their world. This episode features:

Jacob Janssen - Artistic Director of Third Avenue PlayWorks 

Laura Braza - Associate Artistic Director of Milwaukee Rep

Sheri Williams Pannell - Playwright, Director, & Asst. Professor at UW-Milwaukee/Peck School of the Arts

Deanie Vallone - Literary & New Play Development Consultant at Milwaukee Rep

In theater, a "world premiere" seems easy to define, right? But some licensing agents are gatekeeping this title for promotional purposes, rather than granting it to the companies that invest time and money into producing a brand new play. We share our experience (and frustration) with an east coast "world premiere production" that left our theater company in the cold. 

It's that time of the year! Theaters are announcing their upcoming seasons and wrangling their subscribers to renew. We discuss the four plays on tap for Forward Theater's 2023-24 season, and share the process of curating a season that brings joy to ourselves and our audiences. 

We were thrilled to sit down with Lauren Gunderson, one of America's most produced playwrights and author of our upcoming world premiere of ARTEMISIA at Forward Theater Company. Get a deep dive into the process of this prolific writer, as well as insight into the creation of this exciting new production. This is a MUST LISTEN for artists and audiences.   

Finding understudies used to be the last item on a long to-do list for producers. But with ongoing safety protocols this hard-to-fill role is now front and center. As a result, more and more artists are jumping into performances at the last minute to keep productions afloat.

We dive into the debut of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals, March 1 - June 30. Originally conceived by our very own Jen Uphoff Gray, this event is one-of-a-kind. We go in-depth on what it took to create the festival, including the collaboration of over 50 Wisconsin theaters that have made this idea a reality. 

We welcome educator and scenic designer Neil Mills, and Orion Risk, a PhD student in Interdisciplinary Theater Studies. In this interview, we discuss the "tipping point" of awareness and inclusion of transgender and non-binary artists and stories, and gain insight into how American theater institutions can expand their perspectives even further.