Why We Theater

By Broadway Podcast NetworkArts Performing Arts Visual Arts

Why We Theater episodes

October 28, 2021WITNESS UGANDA and Ethical Foreign Aid
Powerhouse theatre-writing duo Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews join us to talk about their moving and personal musical, Witness Uganda (previously known as Invisible Thread when it premiered Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre). Inspired by couple’s separate real-life experiences traveling to Africa—specifically Griffin’s trip to Uganda—the story follows the character Griffin as he meets and tries to help five Ugandan teens, first by teaching them himself and then by sponsoring their education when he returns to New York. But is this the kind of help they want or need?

The musical asks many questions about altruism, public health, voluntourism, and the ethics of foreign aid. What does it look like to offer aid, particularly from the United States to a developing nation? Experts Afam Onyema of the GEANCO Foundation—which is simultaneously based in the U.S. and Nigeria (where it serves local Afridans)—and Ana Jimenez-Bautista, the director of Field Practice at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, join us for this fascinating conversation about what it really means to help and how we can offer assistance in the most useful ways.

Create the change
Ask how to serve, rather than offering what you think is needed.
Challenge your ideas of what education looks like.
Get a passport and travel!
Support local businesses while traveling.
6 Ways to Travel More Responsibly
Learn more about the ethics of international volunteering.
When choosing a volunteer program, you *want* to see these words: collaboration, cultural sensitivity, cultural integration, reflection.
Pick up a copy of The Volunteer Traveler’s Handbook at your local independent bookstore.
Donate to the GEANCO Foundation, or get in touch to offer other ways to serve.
Read about volunteering and voluntourism.
Find responsible travel guides here.
Avoid poverty tourism.
Read this article about ending colonialism in global health.
Referred to in this episode
Witness Uganda, keep track of the musical and its developments
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, CA
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Department of Field Practice
What is cultural competence?
The Ibo tribe in Nigeria

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1 hr 9 min
October 21, 2021 OSLO meets Raya and the Last Dragon
Disney’s animated movie RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON (starring Awkwafina, Kelly Marie Tran, and more) resonates deeply on the themes we discussed last week in our episode “OSLO and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” inspired by Broadway’s Tony Award-winning Best Play OSLO (now also an HBO film).

In Season 2, host Ruthie Fierberg releases a main panel episode every other week. In the off weeks (like this week), she drops mini-episodes in which she recommends another piece of art that relates to the previous week’s topic in an effort to broaden our thinking and encourage the consumption of great stories. This week, Ruthie draws the connections between OSLO and Disney’s RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON.

Watch Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney+.

Listen to the full episode on “OSLO and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”

Connect with your host!
Ruthiefierberg.com
IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater
IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain

Why We Theater is a product of the Broadway Podcast Network produced by Alan Seales and edited by Derek Gunther.

Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com.

Special thanks to Leigh Silverman, Suzanne Chipkin, Wesley Birdsall, Elena Mayer, Patrick Taylor, and Dori Berinstein.

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15 min
October 14, 2021OSLO and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
The conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East erupted yet again in May 2021. The violence and fight for land and rights goes back thousands of years, though the State of Israel was established in 1948. Meanwhile, thousands have lost their lives and more continue to suffer. It’s considered the unsolvable conflict. But is peace in the Middle East truly impossible?

Tony Award winner J.T. Rogers, experts Aziz Abu Sarah (National Geographic Explorer, TED Fellow, peace-builder) and Libby Lenkinski (New Israel Fund) and host Ruthie Fierberg discuss the approach to peace in the context of Rogers’ play and HBO film Oslo, how things have changed since Oslo Peace Accords, possible solutions, and, most importantly, how to ease the suffering of Israelis and Palestinians now.

Read the play here.

Watch the film adaptation here.

Create the change
Listen to the new podcast “Groundwork”, a collaboration between the NIF and AMEP, to hear current stories from the region and activism on the ground.
Take a MEDJI tour.
Read Aziz’s book “Crossing Boundaries - A Traveler’s Guide To World Peace”
Listen to accounts from the Parents Circle and donate.
Seek out Combatants for Peace and donate.
Watch this discussion between an Israeli woman and Palestinian woman, who each lost a child in the conflict.
Understand the conflict history rather than choosing sides based on religion, ethnicity, or preconceived notions.
Read stories from multiple perspectives.
From Palestinian authors:
Palestinian Walks by Raja Shehadeh
The 100 Years War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine by Noura Erakat
Memory For Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish
From Israeli authors:
All the Rivers by Dorit Rabinyan
The Art of Leaving by Ayelet Tsabari
Sadness is a White Bird by Moriel Rothman
The Wall and the Gate by Michael Sfard
To the End of the Land by David Grossman
From non-Israeli/non-Palestinian authors:
Kingdoms of Olive and Ash edited by Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman
Apiergon by Colum McCann
Dinner at the Center of the Earth by Nathan Englander
Can We Talk About Israel? by Daniel Sokatch (out October 19)
About Our Guests:

Ruthie Fierberg, Host
Ruthiefierberg.com
IG: @whywetheater / T: @whywetheater
IG: @ruthiefierceberg / T: @RuthiesATrain

J.T. Rogers, playwright
JTRogerswriter.com / Twitter: @stagewriter

Aziz Abu Sarah, guest expert
Azizabusarah.com / @AzizAbuSarah

Libby Lenkinski, guest expert
NIF.org / @libbylenkinski

Read full bios here.

Referred to in this episode
“Everything You Need to Know About Israel-Palestine” via Vox.com
Map of present-day Israel
Who are Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat?
What were the Intifadas?
New Israel Fund
National Geographic’s “The Conflict Zone” video series hosted by Aziz Abu Sarah
The Elders
South Africa’s Freedom Charter
Aziz’s run for Mayor of Jerusalem
Palestine Walks by Raja Shehadeh

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1 hr 41 min
July 19, 2021 Bonus EP: Bringing Theater Back Post-COVID
The audio version of Ruthie’s acclaimed Medium article: “What It Will Take for New York Theater to Come Back as the Industry and Community It Professes to Be.” Originally published March 23, 2021, the article includes quotes from 13 major industry leaders (Amber Iman, Bonnie Comley, Brian Pavilonis, Brandon Michael Nase, Clint Ramos, Damian Bazadona, Eric Ulloa, Gregory Kirsopp, Jess Burns, Jessica Paz, Terry Byrne, Sammi Cannold, and more), statements from Actors Equity and The Broadway League, and oodles of research about how we get Broadway and Off-Broadway (and theater at large) better than it was pre-pandemic. Plus, this exclusive audio version includes an Epilogue on where we are now in July 2021.

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1 hr 6 min
May 21, 2021 Bonus EP: "In the Heights" Exclusive Interviews!
Our BPN Podcasters bring you exclusive interviews with cast and creatives from In the Heights, in theaters on June 11 2021. Watch the video version of this event here: https://youtu.be/py3YLSt8MSo.

Interview 1: Daphne Rubin-Vega, interviewed by Salisha Thomas
http://bpn.fm/bhbl

Interview 2: Olga Merediz and Jimmy Smitts, interviewed by Dori Berinstein
http://bpn.fm/ddb

Interview 3: Quiara Alegría Hudes (screenwriter), interviewed by Jesse McAnally
http://bpn.fm/mwc

Interview 4: Scott Sanders (producer), interviewed by Ruthie Fierberg
http://bpn.fm/wwt

Interview 5: Gregory Diaz, interviewed by Eli Tokash
http://bpn.fm/takeabow

Interview 6: Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace, interviewed by Alan Seales
http://bpn.fm/ttp

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59 min
November 06, 2020Season 1 Finale: Save the Arts and Arts Education
What is the current state of theatre? Right now, the theatre industry and the pipeline to it (a.k.a. arts education) needs change. What can you do to save Broadway and hundreds of theatres around the country right now? What can you do to ensure artists can afford stay artists? Why is it necessary for every person to take classes in the arts? (Yes, there is research that says this is vital for everyone.) Where can you study the arts right now? It’s all here in this wrap-up of Season 1.

Referred to in this episode
6 Facts That Show the True Importance of the Arts
22 Online Resources to Learn Performing Arts at Home
Proposed Legislation to Support Those Struggling Due to COVID-19
Learn a new skill:
Sight-reading music
Circus arts
Dialect

Why We Theater is a product of part of the Broadway Podcast Network, edited by Derek Gunther, and produced by Alan Seales.

Follow us @whywetheater on Instagram & Twitter.

Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com.

Our logo is by Christina Minopoli. See more at MinopoliDesign.com.

Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Dori Berinstein, Leigh Silverman, Patrick Taylor, Tony Montenieri, Elena Mayer, Wesley Birdsall, and Suzanne Chipkin.

Connect with Ruthie!
Sign up for her newsletter at RuthieFierberg.com/contact
Instagram: @ruthiefierceberg
Twitter: @RuthiesATrain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 min
October 17, 2020THE PROM and LGBTQIA+ Rights and the Well-Being of Our Queer Youth
Broadway’s THE PROM takes center stage in this raw discussion about LGBTQIA+ teens and the discrimination they often face. After opening on Broadway in the fall of 2018, the musical comedy earned five Tony nominations, including Best Musical, and will debut on Netflix in a musical movie adaptation December 11, 2020. Inspired by true stories, THE PROM spotlights Emma, an Indiana teenager banned from her prom for wanting to take her girlfriend. When aging Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman find out (and their show closes due to bad reviews), they decide to rehab their images by becoming celebrity activists and taking up the cause of this “LGBQ-teen.” THE PROM illuminates the issue about acceptance and identity of LGTBQ+ folx, especially youth. Whether you are queer, the parent of a queer child, or a queer ally, this conversation will offer guidance about self-love, the importance of affirming LGBTQIA+ folx, and how we do that.

Tony nominees co-book writer Bob Martin and co-book writer and lyricist Chad Beguelin to talk about the ins and outs of writing THE PROM for Broadway and adapting it for the screen. Plus, policy leader and advocate Jennifer Driver and mental health counselor Isaac Archuleta guide us on healthy and safe practices and policies to aid self-discovery in LGBTQ+ youth; what we can all do to make kids feel safe and loved, to help parents of LGBTQ+ youth respond more healthfully to their kids, and schools and communities embrace kids of all orientations and identities; and policies we need to support to create lasting change for our youth and queer communities of all ages.

Listen to the cast album here!
Watch the Netflix movie here!

Referred to in this episode:
Prom discrimination stories from all 50 states
Prom discrimination in Buffalo, NY; French Settlement, LA; Sullivan, IN
The 2011 study Isaac mentions about sexual differentiation in development
That WEST WING scene about biblical hypocrisy
Amaze, video series to teach sex education at all ages
The Trevor Project educational resources
SIECUS Community Action Toolkit: A Guide to Advancing Sex Education in Your Community
Facts about suicide in LGBTQIA+ youth
Create the Change:
If you or someone you know is at risk of harming themselves, call The Trevor Project hotline 1-866-488-7386
How to recognize risk factors of self-harm or suicide; read the simple guide on how to talk about suicide and prevent it
If you or someone you know is struggling with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, watch this Lifeguard Workshop from The Trevor Project
Understand what it means to come out
Advocate for affirmative counseling
Find a mental health professional specializing in LGBTQIA+ affirmative counseling
Bookmark this guide on being an ally to transgender, non-binary youth

Why We Theater is a product of part of the Broadway Podcast Network, edited by Derek Gunther, and produced by Alan Seales.

Follow us @whywetheater on Instagram & Twitter.

Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com.

Our logo is by Christina Minopoli. See more at MinopoliDesign.com.

Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Dori Berinstein, Leigh Silverman, Patrick Taylor, Tony Montenieri, Elena Mayer, Wesley Birdsall, and Suzanne Chipkin.

Connect with Ruthie!
RuthieFierberg.com
Instagram: @ruthiefierceberg
Twitter: @RuthiesATrain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 40 min
October 02, 2020IF I FORGET and American Jews, Anti-Semitism, and Tribalism
Steven Levenson (DEAR EVAN HANSEN Tony winner) talks about his Off-Broadway play IF I FORGET. Set in 2000, the play focuses on a Jewish family as three adult children (Holly, Michael, and Sharon) return to their parents’ house in Maryland for their father Lou’s 75th birthday. Michael is a Jewish Studies professor who recently wrote a book called “Forgetting the Holocaust” about how Judaism has become a religion haunted by death and ghosts – unified by fear and the phrase “never forget” rather than religious ideals or customs. With experts Rabbi Shuli Passow and scholar Judah Isseroff, we discuss American Jewish identity, the rise of anti-Semitism and how to combat it, Israel and Zionism, and trends of tribalism. If you’ve ever been curious about Judaism or Jewish identity, if you want to learn more about the Holocaust and its impact on Jews today, if you want to explore what all people can learn from the tribalism that caused the Holocaust, this episode is for you.

You can watch IF I FORGET on BroadwayHD.

Michael’s monologue, as performed by Tony Award nominee Jeremy Shamos, appears with the permission of Roundabout Theatre Company, which premiered IF I FORGET Off-Broadway in 2017, and Steven Levenson.

Referred to in this episode
“The Rise of Social Orthodoxy: A Personal Account” by Jay P. Lefkowitz
“The Problem with ‘Social Orthodoxy’” by Joshua R. Fattal, a critical response to Lefkowitz
“What is the Talmud? Definition and Comprehensive Guide”, Yehuda Shurpin
Who is Theodore Herzl?
Who is David Ben-Gurion?
Who is Sheldon Adelson?
Who is “Adolf Eichmann”?
Who is Hannah Arendt
Neveragain.com
Anti-Defamation League: Fighting Hate for Good
What is Jerusalem Syndrome”?
Create the change
Learn more about Judaism — knowledge facilitates compassion with “Introduction to Judaism” OR “The Basics of Judaism”
Name anti-Semitic incidents as such, report them, and speak out against them
Use Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide
Learn about The New Israel Fund, which envisions a Jewish and democratic state
Fight for justice guided by Jewish values with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ)
Be aware of your own bias — it’s evolutionarily built in us to be tribal and we need to self-examine our thoughts and introduce dissenting viewpoints
If you are Jewish and looking for ways to become involved:
Choose a small tradition and incorporate that into your home, like lighting candles on Friday night for Shabat or saying the “Shema” before bed each night
Take inspiration from B’nai Jeshurun’s The Jewish Home Project
In COVID, many synagogues have moved services online; explore to find a place that feels right to you

Why We Theater is a product of part of the Broadway Podcast Network, edited by Derek Gunther, and produced by Alan Seales.
Follow us @whywetheater on Instagram & Twitter.
Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com.
Our logo is by Christina Minopoli. See more at MinopoliDesign.com.
Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Dori Berinstein, Leigh Silverman, Patrick Taylor, Tony Montenieri, Elena Mayer, Wesley Birdsall, and Suzanne Chipkin.

Connect with Ruthie!
RuthieFierberg.com
Instagram: @ruthiefierceberg
Twitter: @RuthiesATrain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 25 min
September 18, 2020Usual Girls and Femme Sex and Sexuality, Part Two
Ming Peiffer and our four experts return for more of the unfettered, vulnerable conversation about what it means to be femme and sexual, inspired by the play USUAL GIRLS. The drama premiered in 2018 at Roundabout Underground for an extended, sold-out run. Catalyzed by the allegations against American Apparel’s Dov Charney, playwright Peiffer began to investigate the stories of women and the milestones in the sexual maturation of girls in America that can lead to a fraught and vulnerable relationship to one’s own sexuality. Peiffer put the patriarchy, rape culture, sexism, misogyny, and racism on trial in her professional debut work.

How do we navigate the male gaze? Are women and femmes ready to claim their own pleasure? What are the sexual scripts we live by and who writes them? How do we teach and exercise consent? What does a healthy sex education curriculum look like? What is sex-positivity and sex-normativity?

Peiffer, host Ruthie Fierberg, and experts Dr. Tracie Gilbert, a sex educator, writer, researcher, and consultant with over 25 years experience, specializing in work with Black communities; Professor Lisa Speidel, assistant professor and general faculty in the Gender and Sexuality department at the University of Virginia, and editor of The Edge of Sex; Professor Celine Parrenas Shimizu, Director of the School of Cinema, member of the graduate faculty of Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University, filmmaker, and author; and Justine Ang Fonte, a disruptor in health education and Director of Health and Wellness at an NYC K-12 school, gather to discuss everything from pleasure to self-discovery, recovering from violence to self-defense and all the coming-of-age in between.

Referred to in this episode
Meet Ericka Hart
Consent outside of sex
The stats on sexual assault and rape
CDC’s 16 critical topics in high school sex ed
Music video: WAP
Create the change
Read Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown
Check out K-12 sex education resources from Advocates for Youth
How to teach consent to kids at every age
Practice enthusiastic collaborative consent
Learn to set safe sexual boundaries
Lesson Plan: How to teach accurate reproductive anatomy and physiology to kids
Explore your own pleasure at stores geared towards female pleasure like Babeland or The Smitten Kitten
Learn to know thyself from Audre Lorde
Watch the documentary On The Record

Why We Theater is a product of part of the Broadway Podcast Network, edited by Derek Gunther, and produced by Alan Seales.

Follow us @whywetheater on Instagram & Twitter.

Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com.

Our logo is by Christina Minopoli. See more at MinopoliDesign.com.

Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Dori Berinstein, Leigh Silverman, Patrick Taylor, Tony Montenieri, Elena Mayer, Wesley Birdsall, and Suzanne Chipkin.

Connect with Ruthie!
RuthieFierberg.com
Instagram: @ruthiefierceberg
Twitter: @RuthiesATrain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 7 min
September 11, 2020Usual Girls and Femme Sex and Sexuality, Part One
The first of a critical two-part discussion, this episode focuses on Ming Peiffer’s USUAL GIRLS. The play premiered in 2018 at Roundabout Underground for an extended, sold-out run. Catalyzed by the allegations against American Apparel’s Dov Charney, playwright Peiffer began to investigate the stories of women and the milestones in the sexual maturation of girls in America that can lead to a fraught and vulnerable relationship to one’s own sexuality. Peiffer put the patriarchy, rape culture, sexism, misogyny, and racism on trial in her professional debut work.

What does healthy sexual development look like? How can femmes claim (or reclaim) their own sexuality? Is it possible to shed the culturally imposed shame and guilt and adopt an outlook of pleasure? What should effective sex education teach and when? What sexual stereotypes do we impose upon different communities, be it Black, Latinx, Asian, and how do we counter them? What are the consequences of teaching abstinence-only, medically inaccurate, or emotionally devoid sex ed? Peiffer, host Ruthie Fierberg, and experts Dr. Tracie Gilbert, a sex educator, writer, researcher, and consultant with over 25 years experience, specializing in work with Black communities; Professor Lisa Speidel, assistant professor and general faculty in the Gender and Sexuality department at the University of Virginia, and editor of The Edge of Sex; Professor Celine Parrenas Shimizu, Director of the School of Cinema, member of the graduate faculty of Sexuality Studies at San Francisco State University, filmmaker, and author; and Justine Ang Fonte, a disruptor in health education and Director of Health and Wellness at an NYC K-12 school, gather to discuss everything from pleasure to self-discovery, recovering from violence to self-defense and all the coming-of-age in between.

Referred to in this episode
Kinsey Institute
What is a “comfort woman”?
Who gets the most right-swipes on dating apps?
Sexual stereotypes of Black communities and Asian communities
Lesson Plan: How to teach accurate reproductive anatomy and physiology to kids
Only 15 of 50 states required to be medically accurate; and other sex ed laws
What is rape culture? As explained by Marshall University or Buzzfeed
Children’s Book: SEX IS A FUNNY WORD
Music video: WAP
Create the change
Check out K-12 sex education resources from Advocates for Youth
How to teach consent to kids at every age
Explore your own pleasure at stores geared towards female pleasure like Babeland or The Smitten Kitten
Watch Justine Fonte’s “Story”
Read Emily Nagoski’s Come As You Are
Read Celine Parrenas Shimizu’s The Hypersexuality of Race: Performing Asian American Women on Screen and Scene
Read Shimizu’s The Feminist Porn Book: The Politics of Producing Pleasure
Read Lisa Spiedel’s The Edge of Sex: Navigating aa Sexually Confusing Culture From the Margins

Why We Theater is a product of part of the Broadway Podcast Network, edited by Derek Gunther, and produced by Alan Seales.

Follow us @whywetheater on Instagram & Twitter.

Our theme music is by Benjamin Velez. Hear more at BenjaminVelez.com.

Our logo is by Christina Minopoli. See more at MinopoliDesign.com.

Special thanks to Genesis Johnson, Dori Berinstein, Leigh Silverman, Patrick Taylor, Tony Montenieri, Elena Mayer, Wesley Birdsall, and Suzanne Chipkin.

Connect with Ruthie!
RuthieFierberg.com
Instagram: @ruthiefierceberg
Twitter: @RuthiesATrain

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
1 hr 5 min

About Why We Theater

From the publisher's feed

Social justice meets theatre in this podcast from Playbill’s former Executive Editor Ruthie Fierberg. Artists and experts unite for curated panels, using plays and musicals (Broadway, Off-Broadway,…