Ria T. DiLullo & Katelynn Kenney of “Wendell & Pan”

The Skeleton Rep presents WENDELL & PAN, written by Katelynn Kenney, directed by Ria T. DiLullo, at The Tank NYCListen in as Wendell & Pan writer Katelynn Kenney and director Ria T. DiLullo discuss the kismet that made them collaborators, “magical dramedy,” ghosts, eating up the play of the theatre, and modern American myth.

“…how do we take contemporary stories, and lift them up into the style of an epic, into something that a bard would want to sing about?”

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David Mandelbaum, Eli Rosen, Richard Saudek, Gera Sandler, & Myron Tregubov of “Waiting for Godot”

New Yiddish Rep presents Samuel Beckett's WAITING FOR GODOT, translated by Shane Baker, directed by Ronit MuszkablitListen in as New Yiddish Rep Artistic Director David Mandelbaum, who also plays Estragon in the company’s production of וואַרטן אויף גאָדאָ (Waiting for Godot), and fellow actors Eli Rosen (Vladimir), Richard Saudek (Lucky), Gera Sandler (Pozzo), and Myron Tregubov (The Boy, sharing the role with Noam Sandler), discuss how the play’s musicality aligns with the musicality of the Yiddish language, surviving catastrophes, fake & real tolerance, Didi and Gogo as refugees, the work of New Yiddish Rep, connecting through sound, and the importance of Vladimir’s line “Was I sleeping while the others suffered?”

“…the context of the play is particularly meaningful when you look at the circumstances under which it was written: a couple of years after a catastrophic world war. What could be more natural than for it to be translated into Yiddish?…”

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Alex Roe, Erin Beirnard, Michael Turner, & Jessie Lynn Smith of “Shadow of Heroes”

Metropolitan Playhouse presents SHADOW OF HEROES, written by Robert Ardrey, directed by Alex RoeListen in as Shadow of Heroes director Alex Roe, along with actors Erin Beirnard & Michael Turner and lighting designer Jessie Lynn Smith, discuss modern resonance with pockets of history, humanizing historical figures, exploring the “why,” witnessing, finding the balance between fact and dramaturgy, and the “constant tension” between open societies and darker personal interests.

“…essentially, it’s about the life of, and possibilities of giving life to, an ideal, and the challenges those ideals face. But in the end, I think there’s something inspiring…”

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Elizabeth May, Lindsey Hope Pearlman, & Giverny Petitmermet of “Zodiac Math”

The New Collectives present ZODIAC MATH, written and performed by Elizabeth May, directed by Lindsey Hope PearlmanListen in as Zodiac Math creator & performer Elizabeth May, along with director Lindsey Hope Pearlman and producer Giverny Petitmermet, discuss crazy true family history, witchiness, telling personal stories with collaborators, midwifing the birth of an art baby, pre-forgiving mistakes, providing a space for healing, the power and magic of being in a room full of people, and “fate, compatibility, and things that are written in the stars vs. the things that we get to decide for ourselves.”

“…in the old versions of ‘I Dream of Jeannie’…the only part I ever really cared about is when you would go into Jeannie’s bottle, and you would see everything that was in there…basically, the making of the show is sort of me, making my own little Jeannie’s bottle that is the safe space that I need to make to tell all these stories…”

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Patricia Lynn, Patrick T. Horn, Emily Kitchens, & Elizabeth Anne Rimar of “Your Invisible Corset”

Hunger and Thirst Theatre presents YOUR INVISIBLE CORSET, written by Patricia LynnListen in as Hunger and Thirst Theatre artistic director, producer, actor & playwright of Your Invisible Corset, Patricia Lynn, along with her co-stars Patrick T. Horn, Emily Kitchens, and Elizabeth Anne Rimar, discuss getting away from sexy sparkly vampires, internal horror, jump scares & gore effects, seduction through feminism, walking into the fog, the human drama in a supernatural story, and the horror of strapping one’s self into a corset.

“…the parallels are very, very now…there are Draculas in this world that would like to see women be smaller, be more constricted, who think that is the shape that a woman should take. And that’s the horror of the story…”

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James Rutherford, Feathers Wise, & Laura Butler Rivera of “Salome”

M-34 presents SALOME, written by Oscar Wilde in a new English translation by director James RutherfordListen in as Salome director James Rutherford (who also translated Oscar Wilde’s script from the French) and actors Feathers Wise & Laura Butler Rivera, with GSAS! correspondent Alex Randrup, discuss dark rituals, queerness & desire, what is seen and what is obscured, looking and being looked at, simple complexity, finding musicality in biblical text, and translating/seeing/hearing the heart of Oscar Wilde.

“…he wasn’t really hiding. There’s no subtext to the play, everything that everybody is feeling they’re coming out with immediately…the way that it’s being said allows it to be very open, very emotional…”

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Jake Lipman & Jessica Ammirati of “Relentlessly Pleasant”

Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions presents RELENTLESSLY PLEASANT, written and directed by Jake LipmanGSAS! podcast correspondent Tara Gadomski attended the first performance of Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions‘ world premiere Relentlessly Pleasant, and hosted an interview/talkback with the audience, featuring writer/director Jake Lipman and dramaturg Jessica Ammirati. Listen in as they discuss “what it’s like to work in corporate America as a woman,” #MeToo, how sexuality is always at play, writing from real scenarios, working with a dramaturg to shape a script, hearing your script through different voices, and digging deeper below the surface.

“…nothing is black and white in this. It really is all these shades of gray…”

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Michelle Kholos Brooks, Sarah Norris, Hallie Griffin, MaryKathryn Kopp, Kaitlin Paige Longoria, & Hannah Sturges of “Hitler’s Tasters”

IRT presents New Light Theater Project's HITLER'S TASTERS, written by Michelle Kholos Brooks, directed by Sarah Norris, at IRT TheaterListen in as the playwright of Hitler’s Tasters, Michelle Kholos Brooks, along with director Sarah Norris and actors Hallie Griffin, MaryKathryn KoppKaitlin Paige Longoria, & Hannah Sturges, discuss the timeliness and relevance of this story in October 2018, relatability to “bad people” (who may be “good people in a bad situation”), social media, feeling valued, the difference between the women who served the Reich and the women who currently serve Trump, the role of theatre in this dangerous political moment, “feeling things” in the intimacy of the theater, and why it’s important to put young women’s stories on the stage.

“…it’s just so very real. And I think it’s just so relatable, and that’s what’s kind of scary about it, because these are girls we see in our lives every day…”

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Ross Williams & Kim Krane of ShakesBEER 2018

New York Shakespeare Exchange presents SHAKESBEER, New York City's Original Shakesperean Pub CrawlListen in as New York Shakespeare Exchange‘s Artistic Director Ross Williams and Kim Krane, both of whom direct in this edition of the company’s ShakesBEER pub crawl (Kim also acts!), discuss how they create their unique experience of Shakespeare erupting in a bar, how to get the locals interested (and attract curious folks from the street), custom beer koozies, picking thematic scenes, rehearsing for audience interaction, the magic of language, and how the company works to “create community through Shakespeare.”

“…who do we need to talk to, and warn them that we’re about to stand on their table and do iambic pentameter…?”

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Jonathan Hopkins & Beth Ann Hopkins of Smith Street Stage’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Smith Street Stage presents A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, directed by Jonathan HopkinsListen in as Smith Street Stage‘s Executive Director (and director of this show) Jonathan Hopkins, and Beth Ann Hopkins, Artistic Director (& “Titania”), discuss their new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Carroll Park, why this was the right year for the company to produce this comedy, playing to a large & diverse audience, going beyond actor voice for the outdoor stage, the overlap of personal/professional partnerships, making original music & sound, advice for producing in public places, and why it’s important to be an active part of the community you’d like to perform in.

“…I think last year, we tried to afflict the comfortable, and this year we’re trying to comfort the afflicted…”
“…although this is not a ‘Midsummer’ of just clowns and fools, there’s a lot of deeper ground that we’re digging…”
“…it’s a play about the power of art to change people, and bring people outside of the normal boundaries, and it’s a play about how people change themselves, and the circumstances in which people are changed…”

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