Theater Forward

Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times. America is returning to in-person theater at a breakneck speed, amidst ambiguous safety protocols and union rules. We discuss our return to the stage and what it means for artists and audiences. 

Wisconsin theater artists share more stories about productions that made an impact on them as an artist. This episode features Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Artistic Director Brent Hazelton, American Players Theatre company member Brian Mani, Composer & Sound Designer Joe Cerqua, and Actor/Director/Producer DiMonte Henning.

We dive into one of our beloved-but-much-ignored assets in theater: the monologue. We talk about the role monologues serve, what makes them great, and which ones we love. We also give a nod to our upcoming monologue festival, 'Within These Walls: Stories of Home,' presented June 24-27 at Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, WI. 

Our first in a series of summer podcasts that feature WI theater artists sharing stories about productions that made an impact on them, as an artist or as a creator. This episode features stories and conversation with Noele Stollmack, Laura Gordon, Jim Pickering, and Jo Chalhoub.

We sit down with Chicago theater pioneers and former Neo-Futurists Chloe Johnston, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Bilal Dardai, and Andy Bayiates - and discuss the creation of their genre-bending look at gender, race, and everything else your history teacher never taught you about America. 

We take a detour to discuss Forward Theater's recent announcement of their 2021-22 season, which includes plays by Adrienne Kennedy and Adam P. Kennedy, Jordan Harrison, Quan Barry, and Sarah Gancher.

The directors of 'Lewiston/Clarkston' discuss the unique process of creating this back-to-back theater experience in-person, confronting the challenges that theatermakers face as they return to the stage. 

The inside scoop from Carrie Hitchcock and Josh Krause, who describe the rigorous safety protocols required by Actors' Equity Association to rehearse and perform 'Lewiston/Clarkston' by Samuel D. Hunter. Presented as a stage-to-film production by Forward Theater Company.

The team debates whether an artistic urban/rural divide exists in America. From the types of plays that get produced outside of New York to playwrights that find great success in the absence of critical acclaim - does this divide exist, how does it play out, and why does it matter?

We share our thoughts on a recent article on "identity-conscious" casting, which looks beyond the concepts of color-blind and color-conscious casting and reimagines the lens through which we create. The article we discuss features an insightful conversation between Lavina Jadhwani and Victor Vasquez, which can be viewed here.