Offbroadway Videos
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The panel of directors Walter Bobbie ("Chicago"), director/choreographer Wayne Cilento ("Dream"), Scott Elliott ("Present Laughter"), Ron Lagomarsino ("Last Night at Ballyhoo"), Gene Saks ("Barrymore"), and playwright Alfred Uhry ("Last Night at Ballyhoo") talk about how they got started, developing their current productions, a show's relevance to contemporary audiences, determining the length of a play, and how directors maintain an ongoing show.

The production team of "Stanley" -- press representative Bill Evans, producers Gregory Mosher and Edgar Rosenblum, and marketing representative Evan Shapiro -- discuss the process of bringing the play from the Royal National Theatre in London to Broadway, working with director John Caird, extensive press coverage, and target marketing including a new $10 ticket program aimed at young people.

The panelists -- Julianne Boyd (Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers); Dean Brown and Muriel Stockdale (United Scenic Artisis); Shirley Herz and Bernice Weiler (Assoc. of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers); Conard Fowkes (Actors' Equity Association); and Barry Moss (Casting Society of America) -- talk about how and why their organizations were formed, the importance of unions, the specific roles of company managers and general managers, and production costs and ticket prices.

The panel -- "A Few Good Men"'s director Don Scardino and playwright Aaron Sorkin, director George C. Wolfe ("Spunk") and director Luke Yankee ("The Cherry Orchard") -- discusses their current productions and how each show was conceived. The creative team of "Once On This Island" -- book writer/lyricist Lynn Ahrens, director/choreographer Graciela Daniele, and composer Stephen Flaherty -- talk about adapting the musical from a novel, and the show's development at Playwrights Horizons.

The production team of "Gypsy" and "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" - publicist Shirley Herz, casting director Stuart Howard, playwright/director Arthur Laurents, general manager/associate producer Alecia Parker, and producers Barry Weissler and Fran Weissler - talk about many aspects of production from casting to advertising to corporate investors, booking pre-Broadway tour stops, and their other productions of "Fiddler on the Roof", "La Cage aux Folles", and "My One and Only".

Stage actors Mike Hodge ("A Few Good Men"), Robin Morse ("Six Degrees of Separation"), Ron Perlman ("A Few Good Men"), Faith Prince ("Falsettoland"), Margaret Tyzack ("Lettice and Lovage"), and James Whitmore ("About Time" and "Handy Dandy") talk about their education and when they began performing, the effect of cast size, audience response, and positive feedback.

The panel of playwrights Vernel Bagneris ("Further Mo'") and Tom Cole ("About Time"), lyricist John Driver ("Shogun"), director Tony Giordano ("About Time & Handy Dandy"), lyricist Sheldon Harnick ("The Rothschilds"), Executive Director of the Dramatists Guild David LeVine, and director Lonny Price ("The Rothschilds") discuss how they got started in their careers, writing for the stage, and the role of the Dramatists Guild.

Filed under: Comedy, Casting, New Releases, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Interviews Above: Rainn Wilson lets his hair down for The Rocker. Fans of Rainn Wilson's offbeat, hilarious and strangely endearing performance as Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office might expect him to transition into film work with straightforward comedy, and The Rocker confirms that suspicion. However, they might not realize the serious professional motives behind his choice. In the movie, directed by Peter Cattaneo (The Full Grown Monty), Wilson plays a grown-up dolt named Fish with a scary fixation on classic rock. Abandoned by the band Vesuvius in his teens -- before they became a commercial phenomenon -- Fish spends the next twenty years working deadbeat jobs and wishing things happened differently. Naturally, he gets a second chance: When the opportunity rolls around to drum for his nephew's high school, Fish goes for it. Ageism and slapstick humor ensue. While not exactly a classic, The Rocker proves Wilson has the charisma to carry a movie. The script could use some polishing, but Wilson manages to play a completely dysfunctional human being without ever becoming an annoyance. It's a testament to his skill as an actor with calculated timing. The humor emerges from the naturalism of his performances, which make you believe in the outlandish characters he portrays. In a conversation with Cinematical recently, Wilson elaborated on his particular strategies as his career advances, reminisced about his days as a New York theater actor, and shed some light on a few upcoming projects. Continue reading Interview: Rainn Wilson Permalink | Email this | Comments

Broadway performers F. Murray Abraham ("Angels In America"), Susan Egan ("Beauty and the Beast"), Victor Garber ("Damn Yankees"), Nathan Lane ("Laughter on the 23rd Floor"), Michael Learned ("The Sisters Rosensweig"), Burke Moses ("Beauty and the Beast"), and Bebe Neuwirth ("Damn Yankees") talk about how they got started in performing, their current roles, and teaching acting courses.

Broadway performers - Chuck Cooper ("The Life"), Robert Cuccioli ("Jekyll and Hyde"), Pat Hingle ("1776"), Pamela Isaacs ("The Life"), Jeff McCarthy ("Side Show"), and J. Smith-Cameron ("As Bees in Honey Drown") - talk about how they got their start and have built their careers, the challenge of memorizing lines, the importance of discipline and stamina, and the support of family and friends.

The panel -- playwright Douglas Carter Beane ("As Bees In Honey Drown"), director Mark Brokaw ("As Bees In Honey Drown", "How I Learned To Drive"), playwright/lyricist Bill Russell ("Side Show") and playwright Paula Vogel ("How I Learned To Drive") -- talk about their backgrounds and developing their crafts, the advantages of writing for the stage compared to being a screenwriter, and why these particular playwrights prefer not to direct.

New York State Senator Tom Duane (www.tomduane.com) does a monthly Public Access Show on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. This shows guests are Angel Ramos and David Rothenberg from The Fortune Society (www.fortunesociety.org). Changing minds , The Fortune Society provides and advocates for prisoner re-entry programs and is dedicated to creating a world where all who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated can become positive, contributing members of society . One aspect of the Society s work is the Fortune Academy, also referred to as The Castle , a staffed transitional living center for formerly incarcerated individuals who are homeless. Recently, working with David Rothenberg three men and one woman, including Angel Ramos collaborated to create a play that is now showing Off-Broadway in New York City. In the Off-Broadway play The Castle three men and one woman tell their life stories from childhood, crime, prison, homelessness and into... The Castle. The Castle is a dramatic story of change and hope. The Castle is performed every Saturday at 5:00pm at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street, NYC. Tickets; 212-239-6200 or www.telecharge.com. Conceived and directed by David Rothenberg. Written in collaboration with Vilma Ortiz Donovan, Kenneth Harrigan, Angel Ramos and Casimiro Torres.

The production team for the musical "Side Show" -- producer Emanuel Azenberg, press representative Bill Evans, and general manager Abbie M. Strassler -- talk about the show's journey from presentation to workshop to Broadway; the role of producer, casting director, general manager, company manager, and press agent; casting principal and chorus members; and marketing a new show.

The panel -- Tony Award winning lighting designer Beverly Emmons for "Amadeus", "Passion" and "The Heiress"; costume designer Danny Gates ("When Pigs Fly"); 1997 Tony Award winners for Best Scenic Design for "Jekyll and Hyde" James Noone and director/designer Robin Phillips; puppeteer Basil Twist ("Peter and Wendy"); director Mark Waldrop ("When Pigs Fly"); and producer/playwright Liza Lorwin ("Peter and Wendy") -- talk about how designers work with directors, producers and writers; directing in addition to designing; creating pop-up sets; working with the late Howard Crabtree on "When Pigs Fly", with a detailed demonstration of costumes; "Jekyll and Hyde"'s movable plexiglass towers, backdrops, and lighting with new Varilights technology; and the unanswerable question of "what makes good design?"

Okay, so a lot has happened. Basically, after the song, Tina gets the idea to go out to Sardis. Ginger shoots her down quickly by saying she has a show to do. Eve comes out looking like a carbon copy of Ginger with an exact same outfit & etc. and mentions she can do the show. And Ginger says, "Over my dead body" And Eve says "Suit yourself" and whips out a pistol. In a shocking turn of events, we find out that Eve is not truly Eve, but "Lerman.. Betty Lerman." ... "Louise's mother... Act one." Tina distracts Betty, and Ginger and Betty fight for the gun. Three shots ring out, and Betty dies. Then Ginger says "Oh, Tina, you saved my life" and then Tina points the gun at Ginger and asks "Can I be in your show now?!" Sylvia objects, "No Tina! Not this way!" Tina reminds her saying, "Back off, Granny ... I've killed before!" Lita bursts in asking where her grandmother is, and Tina and Sylvia fight for the gun. It goes off three times, and Sylvia "dies" Lita laments saying, "Oh, she never could sing." Sylvia rises and plugs her, and both fall over dead. Ginger wanders around in a fox. GINGER. What's happened? Where am I? Who am I? TINA. You're Ginger. GINGER. Ginger? TINA. Ginger DelMarco GINGER. Ginger DelMarco? TINA. Sorry, the ~fabulous~ Ginger DelMarco. Ginger spots the apron, picks it up, and mechanically puts it around her waist. JUDY. No. My name is ... Judy. Judy ... Denmark. Judy Denmark! That's my name! Judy! Judy Denmark! TINA. Judy? JUDY. Please ... call me Mommy... TINA. Mommy? JUDY. (Coming out of her fog.) Tina? TINA. Mommy! They run into each other's arms and embrace. JUDY looks around the room and sees the dead bodies. JUDY. I hope you've learned a lesson here, Tina. Now, together we can break the chain and once and for all give up show business and live a normal, ordinary life. Get your suitcase sweetheart. IT's time to go home! (Tina gets her suitcase) Because, as God as my witness, netiehr I nor my child will ever set foot on a stage again. Who needs the theatre? TINA. You're right, Mother. There's no money..in theatre. JUDY. What? TINA. We're moving to L.A. JUDY. What are you saying? TINA. We'll do a sitcom! JUDY. No, TINA! NO! (She backs away from TINA in horror) NO! TINA watches as Judy, hopelessly defeated, crosses to the floor lamp, removes the bulb, licks her finger, and plunges it into the socket. We hear a loud electric crackling and all the lights flicker as JUDY electrocutes heself. TINA watches as JUDY's lifeless body slumps over the big chair, then turns to the audience and sings the song in this video) Author: ChinamiMiyanagi Keywords: Ruthless! Musical Broadway Off-broadway Added: July 15, 2008

The panel of theatre professionals - playwright Michael J. Chepiga ("Getting and Spending"), choreographer Graciela Daniele ("Ragtime"), playwright/director Christopher Durang ("Sex and Longing"), director Garry Hynes ("The Beauty Queen of Leenane"), and director Joe Mantello ("Corpus Christi") - discuss how they got their start, auditioning actors, controversy surrounding a play, and taking on alternate roles of choreographer, actor, or director.

The "Side Man" production team -- general manager Roy Gabay, producer Jay S. Harris, advertising representative, Drew Hodges, producer Peter Manning, marketing representative Nancy Richards, and press representative Gary Springer -- discuss moving the Roundabout production to a commercial Broadway run, marketing tactics, ticket pricing, breakdown of the production budget, working on multiple shows simultaneously, and the differences between not-for-profit and commercial theatre.

The panel of lighting designers Jules Fisher ("Ragtime") and Donald Holder ("The Lion King"), scenic designers Eugene Lee ("Ragtime") and Ming Cho Lee (The Public Theater), and "The Lion King" associate costume designer Mary Peterson discuss the challenges of designing their current shows, how sets, lighting, and costumes complement each other, display and detail a costume from "The Lion King", and present a model of one of the "Ragtime" sets.

The international panel of performers -- Scottish actor Iain Glen ("The Blue Room"), Australian actress Nicole Kidman ("The Blue Room"), Irish actress Anna Manahan ("The Beauty Queen of Leenane"), and Filipino actress Lea Salonga ("Miss Saigon") -- discuss their training, the rehearsal process, taking a whole approach to both film and stage work, overcoming stage fright, how audience responses varies from London to Broadway to Australia, and how changes in the political climate of their respective countries have affected theatre.

Actors Blythe Danner and Edward Herrmann both from "The Deep Blue Sea", Brian Stokes Mitchell ("Ragtime"), Alfred Molina ("Art"), Natasha Richardson ("Cabaret"), and John Vickery ("The Lion King") discuss how their training and first professional jobs, obtaining and preparing for their current role, what has been their biggest break in theatre, the difference between theatre audiences in London and New York, and anecdotes of flubbing lines.

What is the role of a producer? That was the question that started the discussion among four of Broadway's top producers - Roger Berlind, Margo Lion, Jeffrey Richards and Jeffrey Seller - as the conversation turned to whether they produce for profit or passion and how they balance between the two; what the shows they produce reveal about themselves; what the opportunities are for new producers; the increased role the internet and other new media plays in theatre today; the escalating cost of producing a show on Broadway today; and what they feel are the major issues facing theatre producers as they look to the future.

"The Lion King" production team -- press representative Chris Boneau, composer Lebo M, advertising representative Rick Elice, producers Peter Schneider and Thomas Schumacher, and director, costume and mask designer Julie Taymor -- talk about the development of the animated film, the subsequent development of the theatrical show led by Taymor's vision, forming a creative design team, merging Western and African music into a unique collaborative sound, the publicity and advertising challenges, and marketing a nearly sold-out show for a long run.

Playwright Jeff Baron ("Visiting Mr. Green"), director/playwright Moises Kaufman ("Gross Indecency"), playwright Warren Leight ("Side Man"), director Michael Mayer ("Side Man"), actor/director Lonny Price ("Visiting Mr. Green"), and director Matthew Warchus ("Art") discuss the working dynamics between a playwright and a director, the differences between screenwriting and playwriting, transitioning from acting to directing, and the development of "Side Man" and "Art".

A trio of classical theatre veterans - Kate Fleetwood, Peter Francis James and Laila Robins - share their thoughts about the importance of language in performing the classics and the physical connection they feel to the language; why the classics force audiences to think; the reaction of younger audiences to classical theatre; tackling the pre-conceived ideas held by audiences about the classics; and their opinion on setting the plays in different eras.

Lyricist Lynn Ahrens, producer Garth Drabinsky, composer Stephen Flaherty, director Frank Galati, book writer Terrence McNally, and advertising representative Jon Wilner discuss the journey of the American musical "Ragtime" -- from adapting E.L. Doctorow's novel, to comparisons with the 1981 film, through numerous workshops, to the full-scale Toronto and Broadway productions.

Actors Roger Bart ("Young Frankenstein"), Brian d'Arcy James ("Next To Normal"), Priscilla Lopez ("In The Heights") and Sherie Rene Scott ("The Little Mermaid") -- collectively veterans of more than 30 Broadway and off-Broadway musicals -- talk about the differences between performing in musicals and straight plays; acting techniques and voice training; how they prepare for a performance; dealing with the "triple threat" of acting, singing and dancing; balancing their lives on and off stage and their opinions on today's new composers.

Lyricist David Zippel discusses the development of "Pamela's First Musical", the challenges posed by the untimely passing of two of his collaborators on the project -- composer Cy Coleman and author Wendy Wasserstein, and the upcoming benefit performance which will mark the show's first public performance. He also talks about his earliest lyric writing efforts, including the pre-Broadway "Rotunda" and "Going Hollywood", an adaptation of "Once in a Lifetime" which is about to get a new workshop presentation 38 years after Zippel first thought to adapt it; how he came to collaborate with Coleman and Larry Gelbart on "City of Angels", before the show's acclaimed dual-story structure was even in place; what drew him to musicalize "The Goodbye Girl"; and the challenge of creating the lyrics his first through-sung musical "The Woman in White", a collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber. Original air date - April 25, 2008.

The panel of performers talk about their training and when they decided to become actors. "Power Plays" co-stars Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss talk about working together at Northwestern. Both Billy Crudup and Dana Reeve ("More To Love: A Big Fat Comedy") pursued Master of Fine Arts degrees in order to teach as well as act. In England, Roger Rees ("Nicholas Nickleby") trained primarily by observation. James Naughton ("Chicago", Williamstown Theatre Festival) discusses the Blue Light Theatre Company, started by his son Greg Naughton, where Billy Crudup is in "Oedipus". The panel also discusses what they've gained from working with brilliant directors, being both director and actor, and preparing for auditions.

With backgrounds rooted in rock and roll, television comedy and comics, our 4 guests have made the leap from their day jobs to the stages of Broadway and Off Broadway with their musicals. Ben Katchor ("The Slug Bearers of Kayrol Island"), David Javerbaum ("Cry-Baby"), Heidi Rodewald ("Passing Strange") and Stew ("Passing Strange") discuss adjusting to the collaborative world of theatre, the rules of theatre they think were made to be broken, their reaction to producers' notes, and how they feel their shows fit within the context of traditional musicals.

Author: ifemorena Added: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:55:32 -0800 Duration: 548The play was presented at the theater at Joria Productions on 36th and 8th Avenue in New York City August and September 2007. An original play directed by Omonike Akinyemi. Set in Paris during 2000, the play explores diverse people all trying to stay sane. The main character, Lola teaches a group of kids to speak English and learns that in every French couple there are at least three people. Now in development as a feature film, "How to Stay Sane in Paris" is now casting an securing financing. Investors can contact production@imagequilt.com