An Interview with Dramaturg Sarah Lunnie

May 2, 2019May 28, 2019 Victoria Myers 12094 Views constitution, sarah lunnie

Sarah Lunnie is a dramaturg extraordinaire, focusing on the development of brand new dramatic works. This spring, three Broadway and Off-Broadway shows Sarah has worked on all opened within a few weeks of each other: What the Constitution Means To Me (in its Tony-nominated Broadway iteration), Hillary and Clinton, and Mrs. Murray’s Menagerie. We speak with Sarah about how she approaches her dramaturgical process, her collaborations, her role in the rehearsal room, and more.

A Editorial

Editor’s Letter: Goodbye and Thank You

June 20, 2019June 20, 2019 Victoria Myers 12267 Views letter from the editor

On the end of The Interval.

Interviews

Jayne Houdyshell and Elizabeth Marvel in Conversation

May 28, 2019June 20, 2019 Victoria Myers 9682 Views actress

Jayne Houdyshell and Elizabeth Marvel are both currently starring on Broadway in a genderbending adaptation of King Lear. Elizabeth plays Lear’s eldest daughter, the conniving and ambitious Goneril, who dispenses with all pretense of love and respect for her father once she has inherited her share of the kingdom. Jayne portrays the Earl of Gloucester, who is tricked by his illegitimate son Edmund into believing that his legitimate heir, Edgar, is plotting his murder. We speak with Jayne and Elizabeth about asserting oneself in a man’s world, the nihilism of King Lear, why Shakespeare defies time, space, and gender, and more.

Interviews

An Interview with Lilli Cooper

May 14, 2019May 30, 2019 Victoria Myers 9530 Views young fans

Lilli Cooper made her Broadway debut as Martha in the original Broadway cast of the musical Spring Awakening, back when she was still in high school. Currently, Lilli is starring as Julie in the new musical adaptation of Tootsie, which she refers to as her “first grown up show.” It is a role for which she just received her first Tony Award nomination. We speak with Lilli about her career, what it was like growing up in a theatrical family, her thoughts on helping to create an updated version of her character in Tootsie, and more.

Interviews

Amanda Green on Kiss Me, Kate and More

May 7, 2019May 21, 2019 Victoria Myers 9348 Views composer

For Roundabout Theatre Company’s current revival of Kiss Me, Kate, Amanda Green was brought on board to write additional material. We speak with Amanda about her journey to becoming a musical theatre writer, her experience updating the songs “I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple” and “I’ve Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua,” what it was like collaborating with Kelli O’Hara, and more.

Interviews

Laurie Woolery on The Tempest and More

April 29, 2019May 14, 2019 Victoria Myers 8496 Views

For the past five years, Laurie Woolery has led or helped lead The Public Theater’s Public Works program, first as Associate Director (2014-2017), and now as Director. This spring, Laurie is directing The Tempest through a different Public Theater initiative, the Mobile Unit. We speak with Laurie about Public Works and the Mobile Unit, what it was like to create a Tempest in which characters live outside of the gaze of the patriarchy, why community is her biggest collaborator, and more.

Interviews

Stephanie Hsu on Be More Chill and More

April 23, 2019May 7, 2019 Victoria Myers 12827 Views young fans

Stephanie Hsu trained as an experimental theatre artist and never expected to be on Broadway. But after making her Broadway debut last year as Karen the Computer in SpongeBob SquarePants, she is now starring as Christine Canigula in Be More Chill. Stephanie has imbued the musical’s passionate, seemingly self-actualized heroine, and “totem of truth,” with her own brand of self-described weirdness. We speak with Stephanie about the similarities and differences between experimental and commercial theatre, what playing Christine has taught her, why she enjoys originating roles, and more.

Interviews

Jennifer Ashley Tepper on Be More Chill And More

March 28, 2019April 9, 2019 Victoria Myers 10936 Views producer

Jennifer Ashley Tepper is not even 35, but already the theatre historian and producer. Jen is currently making her debut as an above-the-title Broadway producer on the new musical Be More Chill, composed by her good friend and longtime collaborator Joe Iconis, and is already preparing to produce another musical of his, Broadway Bounty Hunter, Off-Broadway this coming summer. We speak with Jen about her collaboration with Joe Iconis and his theatrical family, how she turned her knowledge of theatre history trivia into a career asset, what it’s like to be a young female producer, and more.

Interviews

Kate Baldwin on Superhero, Developing New Musicals, and More

March 25, 2019April 2, 2019 Victoria Myers 8100 Views musical theatre

Kate Baldwin first gained major attention for Finian’s Rainbow, which earned her first Tony Award nomination. She then went on to originate roles in Giant, Big Fish, and Songbird, and recently played Irene Molloy in the 2017 Broadway revival of Hello Dolly!, for which she received her second Tony nomination. She’s now starring as Charlotte in Superhero. We speak with Kate about research and approach to the character of Charlotte, why working on new musicals is a deep emotional investment, what ambition means to her, and more.

Interviews

Rehana Lew Mirza on Hatef**k and More

March 13, 2019March 21, 2019 Victoria Myers 6884 Views off broadway playwright

Rehana Lew Mirza is a playwright, bookwriter, and filmmaker whose work often focuses on highlighting the South Asian experience. Her latest play Hatef**k, which was featured on the 2017 Kilroys List, is currently having its world premiere at WP Theater, co-produced by Colt Coeur. We speak with Rehana about her experience working on Hatef**k, what it’s like to develop a new play and musical simultaneously, the community-building potential of theatre, and more.

Interviews

A Directing Roundtable with Arpita Mukherjee, Christa Scott Reed, and Colette Robert

March 5, 2019March 13, 2019 Victoria Myers 8648 Views off broadway director

Out of the 21 plays currently on Broadway or are upcoming this season, only three (a dismal 14%) are directed by women. However, Off-Broadway, there is a vibrant group of emerging new directors, many of whom are women staging exciting new work. We talk with Colette Robert, Arpita Mukherjee, and Christa Scott Reed about their desires to bring diverse stories to the stage; the challenge of balancing directing with their myriad other jobs, including acting, writing, and artistic directing; the importance of building community in the rehearsal room; and more.

Interviews

Leah Nanako Winkler on God Said This, Kentucky, and More

January 16, 2019January 29, 2019 Victoria Myers 6327 Views off broadway playwright

Leah Nanako Winkler’s new play, God Said This, is just beginning performances at Primary Stages. We speak with her about her growth as a writer, what it was like to revisit the world of Kentucky for God Said This, and more.

Interviews

Beth Leavel on The Prom and More

January 8, 2019January 22, 2019 Victoria Myers 6451 Views musical theatre

In the new musical The Prom, Tony winner Beth Leavel plays the character of a Tony winning Broadway actress. This is not the first time that Beth has portrayed a satirical theatre diva; her twelve Broadway credits include a career-defining performance originating the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. We speak with Beth about the experience of playing her own narcissistic “evil twin” in The Prom, how she approaches comedy, her thoughts on celebrity activism, and more.

Features

Season of the Female Music Director

December 17, 2018January 16, 2019 Victoria Myers 12390 Views music, music director

The 2018/19 Broadway season has a record number of female music directors. However, jobs still tend to go to white men. Recently, there have been efforts made to change that. We speak to music directors about gender bias in hiring practices and in the rehearsal room, and recent attempts to right the systemic wrongs.

Interviews

Wild Goose Dreams with Hansol Jung

November 19, 2018January 8, 2019 Victoria Myers 5583 Views off broadway playwright

In playwright Hansol Jung’s world of glorious magical realism, the Internet is portrayed by people singing in binary code and fathers turning into penguins who have lost their wings. Those are only two of the many-layered metaphorical components that make up her new show, Wild Goose Dreams, currently playing at The Public Theater. We speak with Hansol about the thematic importance of communication, the inherent musicality of her plays, metaphors on stage, and more.

Interviews

Natural Shocks: An Interview with Lauren Gunderson, May Adrales and Pascale Armand

November 8, 2018November 19, 2018 Victoria Myers 5239 Views off broadway

Lauren Gunderson is one of the most produced playwrights in America, but her plays have almost entirely been produced outside of NYC. Presented this fall at The Women’s Project, in a production directed by May Adrales, Natural Shocks stars Tony Award nominee Pascale Armand. We speak with Lauren, May, and Pascale about the challenges of working on a one-woman show, how comedy can foster empathy, the community-building aspect of theatre, and more.

Interviews

Miranda Rose Hall and Margot Bordelon on Plot Points in Our Sexual Development

November 1, 2018November 5, 2018 Victoria Myers 5111 Views off broadway

Playwright Miranda Rose Hall and director Margot Bordelon to discuss their latest work, “Plot Points in Our Sexual Development” at LCT3. The show, which is described by LCT as “a contemporary queer love story” explores the intricate rapport between a Cecily, a cisgender lesbian and Theo, who is genderqueer. They discuss what it was like to write and stage a play that addresses very personal, vulnerable subject matter, and more.

Interviews

Carmel Dean on Renascence and Edna St. Vincent Millay

October 22, 2018October 30, 2018 Victoria Myers 5381 Views composer

The new musical, Renascence, is about Edna St. Vincent Millay and is the first musical by Carmel Dean. We speak to Carmel about her love of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poetry, what it was like to adapt the poems into songs, why the poet was a hundred years ahead of her time, and more.

Interviews

A Midautumn Night’s Dream with Jenny Koons

October 11, 2018October 16, 2018 Victoria Myers 6163 Views community work

Jenny Koons is not interested in playing by the rules of traditional theatre. Her productions are rooted in activism and community, like her A Midsummer Night’s Dream for The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit, in which the classic Shakespeare play is reimagined within the world of a New York City block party. We speak to Jenny about what it’s like to direct for the Mobile Unit, the reason that Midsummer is a perfect New York play, why she is interested in work that asks questions, and more.

Editorial

Letter from the Editor: September 2018

September 27, 2018October 11, 2018 Victoria Myers 3686 Views letter from the editor

We now have a monthly Letter from the Editor! This month’s is about the need to view women as individuals who do not need to justify their existence in creative fields.

Interviews

Emerging Writers Geraldine Inoa and Gracie Gardner in Conversation

September 4, 2018September 24, 2018 Victoria Myers 5882 Views off broadway playwright

Geraldine Inoa and Gracie Gardner have a lot in common. Both are young writers who are relatively self-trained (neither chose to pursue an MFA) and who go back and forth between the worlds of theatre and television. Both women are also the recipients of very prestigious awards, The Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission and The Relentless Award, associated with Shonda Rhimes and Phillip Seymour Hoffman respectively. Additionally, both have plays being produced in New York this month. We speak with Geraldine and Gracie about their experiences working in theatre and TV, from the realities of balancing writing with day jobs to the unspoken gendered rules on how writers are expected to present themselves.

Interviews

Head Over Heels With Bonnie Milligan

August 21, 2018September 11, 2018 Victoria Myers 7440 Views actress, Bonnie Milligan

In Head over Heels, Bonnie Milligan does not portray a typical princess. Her character, Princess Pamela, is hilarious, strong-willed to the point of throwing a tantrum onstage, and unabashedly confident in who she is—at least on the outside. We speak with Bonnie to discuss her Broadway debut in Head Over Heels, her thoughts on playing Pamela, and more.

Interviews

Melissa Errico and Charlotte Moore in Conversation

August 1, 2018August 10, 2018 Victoria Myers 6100 Views charlotte moore, melissa errico, musical theatre

Charlotte Moore, co-founder of Irish Repertory Theatre, and Melissa Errico discuss their production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and their experiences working together as “two strong women” in the theatre, sharing tales of triumph as well as some of the darker experiences that have informed their takes on the characters in the show and in the theatre industry at large.

Interviews

A Roundtable with Lileana Blain-Cruz and the Cast of The House That Will Not Stand

July 17, 2018July 27, 2018 Victoria Myers 5844 Views Lileana Blain-Cruz, off broadway

The House That Will Not Stand provides a glimpse into a brief moment in 19th century American history, when wealthy women of color had land and power of their own. We speak with director Lileana Blain-Cruz, assistant director Machel Ross, actors Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Juliana Canfield, Harriett D. Foy, Lynda Gravatt, Nedra McClyde, Marie Thomas, and Michelle Wilson about their rehearsal process, what it means to be a “powerful woman,” and more.

Interviews

Rinne Groff and Marissa Wolf on Fire in Dreamland

July 11, 2018July 24, 2018 Victoria Myers 6144 Views Marissa Wolf, off broadway, Rinne Groff

This summer, Rinne Groff’s latest play, Fire in Dreamland, directed by Marissa Wolf, is making its New York debut at The Public Theater. Set in the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy, Fire in Dreamland is a memory play that experiments with, and at times even subverts, the audience’s expectations of a traditional romantic comedy narrative. We speak with Rinne and Marissa about the journey and process of developing Fire in Dreamland, how art can be used to help dismantle social injustice, and more.

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