The production team of Love! Valour! Compassion! - general manager Victoria Bailey, press representative Helene Davis, managing director Barry Grove, director Joe Mantello, playwright Terrence McNally, and artistic director Lynne Meadow - discuss giving playwrights a home at Manhattan Theatre Club, director and playwright working together for the first time, transferring to a Broadway production, ticket pricing, and participating in the Broadway Alliance.

Original airdate - April 1, 1995.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Production: Love! Valour! Compassion! program page.

You can also download the Production: Love! Valour! Compassion! program (mp4).

Off-Off Broadway pioneer Ellen Stewart gave a candid interview to SDCF Executive Director David Diamond for a packed audience of theatre artists at ArtsConnection on June 13, 1994. The central focus of the interview is her founding and continued artistic leadership of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. She begins at the beginning, explaining the origins of the institution and the impetus behind its creation. Ms. Stewart reminisces on her early funding efforts for the company - by selling her fashion designs on Fifth Avenue as the first African American designer to work for Saks. She covers the struggle to produce the work of marginalized artists in the early 60’s, her confrontations with city officials and landlords and the emergence of her organization as a “Theatre Club”. Ellen then guides the audience through the inspiring history of LaMaMa’s international experience, both working abroad and supporting international artists’ work in the U.S. She confides that LaMaMa’s first international expeditions were to services the careers of American playwrights; to expose their work to a more willing European audience who might positively review the productions. LaMaMa continues to work internationally as a result of the “give and take” mentality developed by the institution’s commitment to producing work that is “more universal in their appeal”. This fascinating interview concludes with Ms. Stewart looking ahead, expounding on what she sees for the future of LaMaMa and its cadre artists and resident companies.

Originally recorded on - June 13, 1994.
Running time - 1:17:56.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Ellen Stewart program page.

You can also download the Ellen Stewart program (mp3).

Goodspeed Opera House’s team - director/lyricist Martin Charnin (Annie), press representative Max Eisen, associate producer Sue Frost, musical supervisor Michael O’Flaherty, director Charles Repole (Gentleman Prefer Blondes), and general manager Howard Sherman - discuss Goodspeed’s history and focus on the American musical, the business aspects of a regional theatre, being a part of the community, and the advantages of developing production at a distance from New York.

Original airdate - April 1, 1995.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Regional Theatre: Goodspeed Opera House program page.

You can also download the Regional Theatre: Goodspeed Opera House program (mp4).

The panel of performers - Betty Buckley (Sunset Blvd), Liz Callaway (Cats), Valerie Harper (Death Defying Acts), Brian Murray (Racing Demon), Roger Rees (Tom Stoppard’s Indiscretions), Frances Sternhagen (The Heiress) - talk about the different ways they started in the business, training at the Royal Shakespeare Company, notable acting teachers, how to prepare for auditions, replacing in a show with an abbreviated rehearsal period, and how to keep performances fresh during a long run.

Original airdate - September 1, 1995.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Performance program page.

You can also download the Performance program (mp4).

On February 4, 1996 the Drama League Directors Project co-hosted with SDCF a moderated discussion between Director/Choreographer Gillian Lynne and musical Director/Arranger Marvin Laird. In this candid discussion of Gillian’s life in the theatre - the prolific dancer, choreographer, director of musicals and straight plays speaks of the mentors who helped her develop her comprehensive “theatrical vocabulary”. She demystifies the true genesis of Cats, explaining that her participation began over a glass of wine with Andrew Lloyd Webber. She discusses how that musical changed the way actors would be trained in the UK, for the better. She covers her own training and her unlikely entrée into the business of choreographing; developing Jazz ballets with Dudley Moore. She speaks frankly on what it means to be a woman in show business and what steps she is taking to champion the cause of increasing dancer’s respect in this industry.

Originally recorded on - February 1, 1996.
Running time - 1:18:15.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Gillian Lynne program page.

You can also download the Gillian Lynne program (mp3).

The multi-disciplined panelists — director/choreographer Jeff Calhoun (Busker Alley), director/playwright Michael Leeds (Swinging on a Star), actor/playwright Anne Meara (After-Play), director Mike Ockrent (Big, Crazy For You, Me and My Girl), director/choreographer Lee Roy Reams (Hello, Dolly! revival), director Lloyd Richards (Fences), and director John Tillinger (Deathtrap) — discuss the director’s role in relationship to the playwright, the differences in developing of musicals and plays, directing revivals, the challenges of auditions, and the pros and cons of workshops.

Original airdate - September 1, 1995.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Playwright, Director and Choreographer program page.

You can also download the Playwright, Director and Choreographer program (mp4).

Fresh off of the successful opening of Driving Miss Daisy starring Dana Ivey and Morgan Freeman, Director Ron Lagomarsino sat down with SDCF’s Steve Kaplan in January of 1988 to discuss directing comedy for the stage. In this, the third installation in a series of three interviews devoted to the topic, the listener will notice similarities in the directorial philosophies of these comedic helmers. (Other series interviews include directors Gene Saks and Jerry Zaks - available on Masters of the Stage at a future date or by request from SDCFoundation). Mr. Lagomarsino discusses what he looks for from actors in casting a comedy, and the trust he must develop with them once the cast is formed. He speaks fondly on the experiences of directing Dana Ivey in Daisy and collaborating with Christopher Durang on Laughing Wild, both at Playwrights Horizons. He concludes by revealing how he so adroitly shifts his style to fit pieces like Hay Fever, Laughing Wild and Noises Off - by not pretending to have all the answers. Ultimately, this organic process may be what endears him to his casts.

Originally recorded on - January 18, 1988.
Running time - 1:15:13.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Ron Lagomarsino program page.

You can also download the Ron Lagomarsino program (mp3).

Five of the stage’s most talented Directors - Thomas Kail, Moisés Kaufman, Bartlett Sher, Leigh Silverman and Kate Whoriskey - talk about how they work with, and interpret, the author’s work; the relationship between directors and designers; managing change as the work evolves; why they feel actors should be more involved in the process; the different approach they take when working with classics as opposed to original works; how they work with casting directors and then work with the various actors and acting techniques; their desire to be a support system for each other; and whether they feel directing can be taught.

Original airdate - May 1, 2009.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Fluidity and Change: Directors 2009 program page.

You can also download the Fluidity and Change: Directors 2009 program (mp4).

The Moon Over Buffalo production team — press representative Adrian Bryan-Brown, designer/producer Heidi Landesman, producer Elizabeth Williams, general managers Wendy Orshan and Jeffrey M. Wilson of 101 Productions, and Serino Coyne advertising representative Ruth Rosenberg — discuss the process of bringing Ken Ludwig’s play to Broadway, from the first reading, casting Carol Burnett, finding a director, creating the $2.4 million budget including an out-of-town tryout, to advertising, press coverage and opening night reviews.

Original airdate - September 1, 1995.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Production: Moon Over Buffalo program page.

You can also download the Production: Moon Over Buffalo program (mp4).

In April of 1986, the day after their play The Petition, staring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, began its short lived run on Broadway, writer/producer Brian Clark and producer/director Robert Whitehead sat down with colleague Robert Pesola to discuss bringing serious work to Broadway. The two frame the discussion somewhat ominously; beginning by acknowledging that in the 80’s bringing a serious play to Broadway is somewhat of a “deadly” prospect. They cover the state of the theatre in America and the dearth of talented professional playwrights due to the draw of film and television. They candidly discuss the relevance of critics from the New York Times and their influence on the success of a show. Whitehead talks about theatre as a dicey investment and his methods for securing funds to produce shows. The pair concludes by demystifying the concept of a “Golden Age” of American theatre, explaining that in this industry there is always hardship. But, they resolutely maintain that even (and especially) in times of distress the theatre will and must go on.

Originally recorded on - April 1, 1986.
Running time - 1:16:25.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Robert Whitehead and Brian Clark program page.

You can also download the Robert Whitehead and Brian Clark program (mp3).

The design team of The Heiress — scenic designer John Lee Beatty, lightning designer Beverly Emmons, costume designer Jane Greenwood, director Gerald Gutierrez and actor Cherry Jones — discuss the interwoven details of their production, from natural period lighting for the enclosed sets, to background colors complementing the costumes, and the advantages of collaborating on previous works. Mask/puppet designer Ralph Lee demonstrates the large puppets worn by actors in Heart Of The Earth: A Popul Vuh Story.

Original airdate - September 1, 1995.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Design Awards program page.

You can also download the Design Awards program (mp4).

Fritz Ertl sat down with George Ferencz to discuss Sam Shepard at New Dramatists in January of 1985. The conversation begins dominated by questions concerning the musicality of Shepard’s earlier work and Ferencz’s collaboration with Jazz legend Max Roach to stage them for the ShepardSets in the mid-eighties. The questions drift from the musical toward the more practical as Ferencz covers the nuts and bolts of directing a Shepard piece, his affinity for his newer work and the notion of Shepard’s as “American myth maker”. At the time of this recording, despite several successful Ferencz productions of Shepard’s work, George Ferencz had never met, written or talked with Sam Shepard.

Originally recorded on - January 1, 1985.
Running time - 1:24:24.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Directing Shepard program page.

You can also download the Directing Shepard program (mp3).

Beginning the discussion with the question of when, or if, work becomes fun, our guests, lead actors all–Jane Alexander, Bill Irwin, Angela Lansbury, Cynthia Nixon, and Geoffrey Rush–also talk about how they choose roles and whether they’d consider playing smaller roles on the stage today; what they feel from an audience and how they react as audience members; their relationship to, and the role of, the stage manager; how much they consciously set the tone for the company; how they balance the thoughts of the playwright and the director — and how they handle it when the two don’t agree; and whether they follow stage directions from the existing script.

Original airdate - April 17, 2009.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s At Work and Play: Lead Actors 2009 program page.

You can also download the At Work and Play: Lead Actors 2009 program (mp4).

Professor/Playwright Steven Drukman sat down with theatre artist Richard Foreman in April of 1997 at Artsconnection to discuss theatrical innovation in an interview co-sponsored by SDCF and the Drama League Directors Project. Foreman illuminates an early career of set design as a teenager in Westchester, NY; as an actor at Brown University; as a playwright at Yale. He confides that his origins as a director stem from an unwillingness of his contemporaries to direct his pieces. Drukman questions the reasoning behind the geometric, psychologically-charged staging of his earlier minimalist works in New York and his progression to the maximally theatric. Foreman discusses his 8-12 week rehearsal process, his admiration for film and irrational imagination. This enlightening interview gives listeners the opportunity to experience the mind of one of avant-garde theatre’s pioneers, and his theatre of “infantile impulses”.

Originally recorded on - April 10, 1997.
Running time - 1:23:40.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Richard Foreman program page.

You can also download the Richard Foreman program (mp3).

The discussion panel - director Leonard Foglia (Master Class), director Michael Greif (Rent), playwright Betsy Howie (Cowgirls), lyricist Tom Jones (The Fantasticks), composer/lyricist Mary Murfitt (Cowgirls), and director George C. Wolfe (Bring In ‘Da Noise, Bring In ‘Da Funk) - talk about how their pieces evolved from concept to production, the role of a dramaturg, casting performers with a range of experience, and bringing actors into the creative process.

Original airdate - April 1, 1996.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Playwright and Director program page.

You can also download the Playwright and Director program (mp4).

Our guests — Ted Chapin, Kurt Deutsch, Brian Drutman, and Thomas Z. Shepard — take us inside the world of producing cast albums. Highlights of the discussion center on how these albums get made; the cost of producing them; where they fit in today’s market; how technology has affected their production; how much collaboration there is - or isn’t - with the shows’ directors; changes to the production model; marketing and distribution; digital vs. traditional retail release of albums; and what they mean to the legacy of a musical.

Original airdate - April 3, 2009.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s For The Record: Inside Cast Albums program page.

You can also download the For The Record: Inside Cast Albums program (mp4).

In 2001, Charles Repole and Joe Miloscia of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation had the opportunity to bring together a trio of Broadway’s hottest hit-makers for a special conversation. Michael Mayer, Christopher Ashley, and Jerry Mitchell spent an evening catching up, reminiscing and discussing the intricacies of creating comic plays and musicals.

Originally recorded on - October 1, 2001.
Running time - 1:22:50.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Mitchell, Ashley, and Mayer on Directing program page.

You can also download the Mitchell, Ashley, and Mayer on Directing program (mp3).

The panel - playwright Allan Knee (Late Night Comic), director Ron Lagomarsino (Driving Miss Daisy), director Lloyd Richards (Fences), casting director Meg Simon (Fences), playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy), and playwright August Wilson (Fences) - discuss directing styles, collaboration between playwright and director, developing and casting their current productions, and the emergence of casting directors for the stage.

Original airdate - September 1, 1987.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Playwright and Director program page.

You can also download the Playwright and Director program (mp4).

On April 27, 1986 frequent SDCF interviewer and legendary acting coach Ada Brown Mather sat down with director Sir Jonathan Miller to discuss Eugene O’Neill’s work one day before his revival of Long Day’s Journey Into Night opened on Broadway. In this conversation Sir Miller covers his career as a performer, his recommitment to working in the theatre despite a career as a doctor, his affinity for directing opera, the accidental manner in which he accepted the position as director on Long Day’s Journey and how he tackles working on such a seminal piece of American theatre.

Originally recorded on - April 27, 1986.
Running time - 1:29:46.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Directing O’Neill program page.

You can also download the Directing O’Neill program (mp3).

Our guests - Scenic Designer David Gallo, Sound Designer John Gromada, Costume Designer Susan Hilferty and Lighting Designer Peter Kaczorowski - discuss how a design team enhances a production; when they are brought into the production and how they interact with one another as the show unfolds; their process in preparing for each show; their collaboration not only with each other but also with the director and the actors; the logistical challenges they face with each new show; how they got involved in theatre design and what training they did or didn’t receive; advice they’d give to young designers; how they handle creative differences with other designers and the director; and where they find inspiration for their designs.

Original airdate - March 20, 2009.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Crafting Worlds: Theatrical Design program page.

You can also download the Crafting Worlds: Theatrical Design program (mp4).

The production team of Burn This - producer James B. Freydberg, press representative Shirley Herz, director Marshall Mason, producer Max Weitzenhoffer, and playwright Lanford Wilson - talk about developing the play at the Mark Taper Forum and off-Broadway at Circle Rep, directly transferring from Steppenwolf Theatre Company to Broadway within 48 hours, the timing of reviews, and advertising in newspapers and television.

Original airdate - September 1, 1987.
Running time - 1:30:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Production: Burn This program page.

You can also download the Production: Burn This program (mp4).

In November of 1986, legendary acting coach Ada Brown Mather sat down with Roderick Cook at Westside Arts Theatre to discuss his affinity for acting, directing and presenting the words and work of Noël Coward. During this interview Cook covers his relationship with Coward the man, the unlikely circumstance under which Cook’s hit Oh Coward! was developed and then revived, and the experience of directing Coward shows on and off-Broadway with entertainment giants like Peter O’Toole in his American debut in Present Laughter.

Originally recorded on - November 25, 1986.
Running time - 1:08:10.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Directing Coward program page.

You can also download the Directing Coward program (mp3).

Our guests - 2009 Jonathan Larson Grant® recipients Mark Allen, Dave Malloy, Thomas Mizer and Curtis Moore - tell us what these Grants and others mean to them and their work; how they became involved in musical theatre; the programs and workshops that helped their work move forward; what parameters they work within when writing for musical theatre; how much license they give to others to interpret their work; what they do to sustain themselves financially while pursuing their musical passion; dealing with the business aspects of writing and composing; and what Broadway represents for them.

Original airdate - March 6, 2009.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s New Writers, New Musicals: Jonathan Larson® Grants 2009 program page.

You can also download the New Writers, New Musicals: Jonathan Larson® Grants 2009 program (mp4).

In December of 2001, renowned director Jack O’Brien was interviewed by his former protégé, John Rando, as part of SDCF’s One-on-One conversation series. In this 30-minute session Rando and O’Brien span the gamut of Jack’s considerable artistic abilities. Jack O’Brien candidly and eloquently covers everything from his sense of competition and his love of discovery, to his artistic process, love of collaboration and management on the Old Globe theatre.

Originally recorded on - December 1, 2001.
Running time - 32:07.

For more information see SDCF Masters of the Stage’s Jack O’Brien program page.

You can also download the Jack O’Brien program (mp3).

The 23rd annual American Theatre Wing Design Awards honor the best theatrical design in New York for the 1986-1987 season. The award winning designs are demonstrated by Starlight Express assistant costume designer Ann Emonts, Worstward Ho assistant lighting designer Mary Louise Geiger, The Hunger Artist actor Anthony Holland, Brooklyn Academy of Music’s The Civil Wars - Act 5: The Trees production manager Paul King, and Fences scenic designer James D. Sandefur.

Original airdate - September 1, 1987.
Running time - 1:00:00.

For more information see Working in the Theatre’s Design program page.

You can also download the Design program (mp4).