The role of Regional Theatre in supporting and presenting new works to their communities was among the topics discussed by our panel: Christopher Ashley, Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse, Gordon Edelstein, Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre, Sara Garonzik, Producing Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and Eric Rosen, Artistic Director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre. They also explored how they share works and resources; the kind of show they feel best serves their audiences; their interaction with the local community; how they deal with competition within the theatrical community in their cities; what they learn from visiting Directors to their theatres; and the effect it has on their theatres when one of their shows moves to Broadway.

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The panel of performers - Joan Copeland ("Another Time"), Jeff Daniels ("Redwood Curtain"), Christopher Durang (Sondheim's "Putting It Together"), Robert Foxworth ("Candida"), Robert Klein ("The Sisters Rosenszweig"), Mary McCann (David Mamet's "Oleanna"), Steven Rea ("Someone Who'll Watch Over Me"), Martin Short ("The Goodbye Girl"), and Mary Steenburgen ("Candida") - compare the different styles of their current productions, their performing backgrounds, discipline and stamina, actors who write, and returning to the stage after working in television and film.

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The panelists - theatrical agent Joanne Nici, playwright Frank Pugliese ("Aven'U Boys"), director/writer Geraldine Fitzgerald ("Sharon"), choreographer Wayne Cilento ("Tommy"), and producer Frederick Zollo ("Aven'U Boys") - discuss the expanse of their careers and their backgrounds, the role of an agent, and developing plays from the page through casting and rehearsals to production.

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Our four Tony Award winning Leading Ladies -- Laura Benanti, Beth Leavel, Bebe Neuwirth and Alice Ripley - discuss performances they've seen that have made a lasting impact on them; the moment when they realized that a life in the theatre was what they wanted; what it's like originating a role, playing a character in a revival and replacing someone in a show; the roles they never seem to get cast in; their relationship with the audience during a show and after at the stage door; and their thoughts on the audition process.

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The "Fool Moon" production team - producers Jeffrey Ash, Dori Berinstein, and James Freydberg, actor/creator Bill Irwin, press representative Jackie Green, general manager Robert Kamlot, company manager Daniel Kearns, and actor/creator David Shiner - discuss bringing the two-man mime revue to Broadway, the responsibilities of each production member, the strategic marketing and publicity plans, ticket and production costs, and the wildly varied responses from audiences of all ages.

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The panelists - theatre critic Howard Kissel, Artistic Director of Manhattan Theatre Club Lynn Meadow, actor/director Zakes Mokae ("The Song Of Jacob Zulu"), producer/general manager Dorothy Olim, producer/general manager Albert Poland, general manager Ben Sprecher, and playwright Wendy Wasserstein ("The Sisters Rosensweig") - discuss how not-for-profit and regional theaters differ from commercial productions, developing plays out of town, escalating production costs, and viable stage careers compared to television and film.

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The panel of performers - David Cassidy and Petula Clark from "Blood Brothers", Julie Harris ("The Fiery Furnace"), Jeff Hyslop ("Kiss of the Spider Woman"), and Joe Mantello and Stephen Spinellafrom "Angels In America" - talk about how their families encouraged them to pursue performing professionally, appearing on a Broadway stage for the first time, differing audience reactions between the West End and Broadway, and working on the multi-part play "Angels in America".

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The panelists - playwright/director Edward Albee ("Marriage Play"), director Arvin Brown ("The Twilight of the Golds"), agent Joyce Ketay, playwright Tony Kushner ("Angels In America"), playwright Timothy Mason ("The Fiery Furnace"), and playwright Jonathan Tolins ("The Twilight of the Golds") - talk about playwrights directing their own work, how directors and playwrights collaborate, gauging audience response, and the evolution of their respective productions.

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"The Kiss of the Spider Woman" production team - producer Garth Drabinsky, lyricist Fred Ebb, composer John Kander, playwright Terrence McNally, director Harold Prince, and actor Chita Rivera - discuss adapting the novel and film, starting as a "New Musicals" development at SUNY Purchase through productions in Toronto and London before reaching Broadway, how the script has changed over the years, the budget required for the long creative process, and the business of producing and marketing a new Broadway musical.

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The design panel - scenic designer John Arnone ("The Who's Tommy"), costume designer Elizabeth Fried ("Brother Truckers"), special effects designer Wendall K. Harrington ("The Who's Tommy"), lighting designer Mimi Jordan Sherin (New York Shakespeare Festival) - moderated by costume designer Patricia Zipprodt ("My Favorite Year"), Professor Tish Dace, and author/designer/producer Jean Dalrymple discuss their creative childhoods; how the role of designers has evolved from directors, stage managers, and technicians; working with varying production budgets; and the colors and projections used in "The Who's Tommy".

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The resident theatre panelists - Randall Arney, Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre; Zelda Fichandler, Artistic Director of the Acting Company; Emily Mann, Artistic Director of McCarter Theater; Mac Pirkle, Artistic Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre; Michael P. Price, Executive Director of Goodspeed Opera House; and Lloyd Richards, Artistic Director of Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center - discuss the beginnings of regional theatre as a place to develop new plays and playwrights, relationships with commercial theatre, marketing and building a subscriber base, and diversity in playwrights and audiences.

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The panel - director Martin Charnin ("The Flowering Peach"), "Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public" playwright Larry L. King and director/co-writer Peter Masterson, choreographer Rob Marshall ("Kiss of the Spiderwoman"), director/writer Lonny Price ("Sally Marr and Her Escorts"), Second Stage Theatre dramaturg/literary manager Erin Sanders, director Robert Jess Roth ("Beauty and the Beast"), Ernest Schier director of the National Critics' Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, and Tazewell Thompson Artistic Director of the Syracuse Stage - talk about the different ways that writers collaborate, the role of a dramaturg, how choreography and directing can be intertwined, developing a production in workshops, and reimagining an animated film as a stage musical.

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The "Beauty and the Beast" production team - press representative Chris Boneau, producer Michael David, associate producer Donald Frantz, production supervisor Jeremiah Harris, producer Robert W. McTyre, marketing consultant Margery Singer - discuss creating a stage musical from an animated film, costume designs, production budget and ticket prices, marketing and publicity including a literacy program, and Disney's plans on Broadway.

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The panel of performers - Michel Bell ("Show Boat"), Charlotte D'Amboise ("Damn Yankees"), Rosemary Harris ("An Inspector Calls"), Audra McDonald ("Carousel"), and Lonette McKee ("Show Boat") - discuss working with elaborate sets, their performing backgrounds, developing technique and discipline, and bringing classics back to the stage.

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The panelists - director/playwright Vernel Bagneris ("Jelly Roll!"), playwright David Ives ("All in the Timing"), actor Nancy Opel ("All in the Timing"), director Lawrence Sacharow ("Three Tall Women"), Playwrights Horizons artistic director Don Scardino ("A Cheever Evening"), choreographer Matthew West ("Beauty and the Beast") - discuss their current productions, the relationship between director and playwright, and the role of a dramaturg.

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The "Damn Yankees" production team - legal counsel Robert Barandes, press representative Peter Cromarty, advertising representative Rick Elice, producers Mitchell Maxwell and Victoria Maxell, and general manager Charlotte Wilcox - discuss obtaining the rights, using a two-level structure of producing starting with an out-of-town production at the Old Globe, the finances of booking a Broadway theater, a new logo for an extensive ad campaign, and how the baseball theme provided many PR opportunities.

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The design panel - lighting designer Beverly Emmons, costume designer Ann Hould-Ward, and scenic designers David Schulder and Tony Walton - and co-moderater lighting designer Jules Fisher talk about where they studied their craft, how the props can overlap with costuming, how lighting design has evolved, the Ridiculous Theatrical Company's production of "Movieland", and a demonstration of Gary Beach's costume from "Beauty and the Beast".

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The panel of performers - Mary Alice ("Having Our Say"), Matthew Broderick ("How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying"), Alan Campbell ("Sunset Boulevard"), Gloria Foster ("Having Our Say"), John Glover ("Love! Valour! Compassion!"), Robert Sean Leonard ("Arcadia"), and Helen Mirren ("A Month In The Country") - talk about how they got started performing, what lessons and training they had, the challenges of working on their current productions, and the playwright's involvement in a production.

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Our guests - John Barlow, Damian Bazadona, Nancy Coyne and Drew Hodges - discuss what is involved in marketing, advertising and publicizing a Broadway show; how they work one-on-one with producers and creative teams; the marketing obstacles they face; who their target audience is; how they handle a show that isn't a hit, or that they don't like; the internet's influence on sales; whether or not a known title helps sell a show; how to sustain the buzz after a show opens; and whether "Broadway" can be sold as a brand.

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The panel - playwright/actor Dan Butler ("The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me"), playwright Tom Dulack ("Breaking Legs"), director Scott Ellis ("A Month In The Country"), playwright Keith Glover ("Dancing On Moonlight"), director Sean Mathias ("Indiscretions"), director Gregory Mosher (Cryptogram), director Lisa Peterson ("Slavs"), and literary agent Jack Tantleff - talk about where they began their careers, playwrights who direct their own work, funding for non-profit and regional theatres, and the role of casting directors.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Broadway performers Patti Cohenour, Michael Crawford, and Judy Kaye from "The Phantom of the Opera"; Blythe Danner ("A Streetcar Named Desire"); "M. Butterfly"'s John Lithgow and B.D. Wong; and agent Erica Spellman (ICM) discuss auditioning, preparing special skills for unique roles, crossing over from drama to musicals to opera, and working on different types of stages.

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Our guests - playwrights Gina Gionfriddo, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Tina Howe, Lisa Loomer and Christopher Shinn - explore whether they write to console or provoke an audience; to what degree current events, including the election of a new president and the economic freefall, has on their work; who they write for; if playwriting can be taught; how they react to reviews, both negative and favorable; when they knew they wanted to write for the stage; their relationship with directors; and they share their thoughts about connecting with the audience.

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Director Paul Benedict ("Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune"), playwright Timothy Crouse ("Anything Goes"), playwright David Henry Hwang ("M. Butterfly"), director Robert Kalfin ("Rashomon"), playwright Terrence McNally ("Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune"), legal representative Jeremy Nussbaum, and playwright John Weidman ("Anything Goes") talk about how they began their careers in theatre, writing stage directions, revising "Anything Goes", the real life inspiration for "M. Butterfly", and the advantages of a lengthy preview period.

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The production team of "M. Butterfly" - advertising representative Jeffrey Ash, stage manager Bob Borod, general manager Steve Goldstein, producer Stuart Ostrow, and press agent John Springer - talk about the many components involved in bringing the groundbreaking play to Broadway, including the play's themes, casting, ad design, publicity campaign, costume design, budget and ticket prices.

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The actors - David Dukes ("M Butterfly"), Anne Jackson ("Cafe Crown"), Sylvia Miles ("Tea with Mommy and Jack"), Kate Nelligan ("Spoils of War"), Eli Wallach ("Cafe Crown"), and Paul Winfield ("Checkmates") - discuss how they first became interested in acting, auditions, and performing in front of an audience.

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The "Spoils Of War" production team - legal representative John Breglio, press representative Joshua Ellis, producer Robyn Goodman, producer David Mirvish, and general manager Peter Neufeld - discuss transferring the play from not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre off-Broadway to a $1.5 million commercial Broadway production.

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With more than 200 years of combined theatre experience among them, our guests - stage veterans Philip Bosco, John Cullum, Marian Seldes and Carole Shelley - discuss the breaks that got each of their careers started; how they handle the situation on stage when they or their co-stars forget their lines; how they feel about serving as understudies; the audition process; their successes and failures; and they share stories of working with such other legends as Sir John Gielgud, Joseph Papp, Morris Carnovsky, Lee J. Cobb, George C. Scott, Geraldine Page, George Cukor, Myron McCormick and Ruth Gordon. "Stage Veterans 2009" also includes a short tribute to the late Robert Prosky, who appeared on the prior "Stage Veterans" edition of "Working in the Theatre" in 2005.

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The panel of Broadway actors - Joan Allen ("The Heidi Chronicles"), Ed Asner ("Born Yesterday"), Philip Bosco ("Lend Me A Tenor"), Pauline Collins ("Shirley Valentine"), Nancy Dussault ("Into The Woods") and Madeline Kahn ("Born Yesterday") - talk about the first time they fell in love with performing, auditions, how their careers have evolved, and the difference in stage and film work.

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The creative teams of "Legs Diamond": director Robert Allan Ackermam, playwright Harvey Fierstein, and choreographer Alan Johnson, "Paul Robeson": playwright Phillip Hayes Dean and director Harold Scott, and "Spoils of War": director Austin Pendleton and playwright Michael Weller -- discuss their productions, and how they began their careers in theatre.

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In a broadcast devoted to an in-depth look at one Broadway show, our guests are the creative team behind "Shrek The Musical" -- Book writer and Lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire, Producer Bill Damaschke, Director Jason Moore, Producer Caro Newling and Composer Jeanine Tesori. Highlights of the discussion centered on how the team was chosen; the development process that led "Shrek" to Broadway; how material from both the book and movie guided them in shaping the musical; how they approached taking the story to another level; striking a balance in making the show appealing to both children and adults; what they used, or didn't use, from producers' notes; and some of the technical "secrets" used to create the musical.

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Director Pamela Berlin ("Steel Magnolias", "Crossing Delancey"), playwright Cindy Lou Johnson ("Brilliant Traces"), playwright/director Garson Kanin ("Born Yesterday") and playwright Wendy Wasserstein ("The Heidi Chronicles") discuss how they first got involved in playwriting and directing from other areas of writing and theatre, their first professional shows, and play development at Playwrights Horizons and the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Playwrights Conference.

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Playwrights Horizons artistic director Andre Bishop, legal counsel Marsha Brooks, stage manager Roy Harris, advertising representative Mike Mones, and producer James Walsh discuss Wendy Wasserstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "The Heidi Chronicles" and its transfer to Broadway.

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Stage performers Blair Brown ("The Secret Rapture"), Kevin Conway ("Other People's Money"), Beth Fowler and Bob Gunton from "Sweeney Todd", Pamela Payton-Wright and Tony Randall from "M. Butterfly", Vanessa Redgrave ("Orpheus Descending"), Elaine Stritch ("Love Letters"), and casting director Rosemarie Tichler talk about their chosen careers, how they got started in theatre, and the differences and challenges that audiences bring to each performance.

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The production team of Tennessee Williams' "Orpheus Descending" -- attorney John Breglio, advertising representative Nancy Coyne, general manager Barbara Darwall, press representative Joshua Ellis, and producer Elizabeth Ireland McCann -- talk about the steps taken in bringing Peter Hall's revival with actress Vanessa Redgrave to Broadway.

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Our guests -- Jonathan Bank, Artistic Director of The Mint Theater, Sarah Benson, Artistic Director of Soho Rep., Susan Bernfield, Artistic Director of New Georges and David Van Asselt, Artistic Director of Rattlestick Playwrights Theater -- all share the distinction of running theatres that are quite different from Broadway...venues with 99 seats or under. They discuss their mission statements and how each of their companies got started; making sure they are able to balance new voices in playwriting with more established writers when choosing and presenting plays; how, instead of competing with one another, their companies serve as resources for each other; the wealth of material, and talent, available to them; who their base audiences are and marketing strategies for broadening that base; funding challenges, particularly in difficult financial times; the pros and cons of subscriptions for their companies; how pricing structure for their smaller theatres affects the bottom line; and their goals for expansion beyond their current theatre size.

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The panel of performers -- Mark Linn-Baker ("A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum"), John Cullum ("Show Boat"), Ann Duquesnay ("Bring In 'Da Noise, Bring In 'Da Funk"), Judith Ivey ("A Fair Country"), Donna Murphy ("The King And I"), Michael Nouri ("Victor/Victoria") and Daphne Rubin-Vega ("Rent") -- discuss how they auditioned for their current roles, and what education and training they received at the start of their careers.

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The production team of "Master Class" -- producer Lewis Allen, producing associate Doris Blum, actress Karen Day Cody, press agent Bill Evans, casting director Alan Filderman, stage manager Dianne Trulock, and advertising representative Jim Weiner -- traces the show from its Montana workshop, to stagings in Philadelphia, L.A., and D.C., to opening in New York; how the creators, designers, and operatic cast were put together; developing the publicity and advertising campaigns including the casting of Zoe Caldwell's replacement Patti LuPone; and producing under the Broadway Alliance contract.

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Composer Michael John LaChiusa, and directors Diane Paulus and Stephen Wadsworth have all worked in the once mutually-exclusive worlds of opera and theatre. They share their thoughts about the nature of each of these entertainment forms, how they differ and what they share; the use of amplification and how it affects productions in both opera and theatre; the so-called "American Idol" effect on musical performers; changes in training for opera singers; the differing scale - and manner - of pay; whether super-titles enhance or distract from opera performances; and the importance of the director's role and how it differs in theatre and opera.

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The panel - director Melvin Bernhardt ("The Blues Are Running"), playwright David Henry Hwang ("Golden Child", "M. Butterfly"), composer Mary Rodgers ("Once Upon A Mattress"), playwright Nicky Silver ("Fit To Be Tied"), director David Warren ("Fit To Be Tied"), and choreographer Marlies Yearby ("Rent") - discuss how directors collaborate with playwrights, how actors may influence how a role is written, the purpose of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers union and Dramatists' Guild, and the panelists' individual education and training.

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Daniel Jenkins, Lisa Kron and David Pittu - who have appeared both on stage and written works for the stage - talk about how they balance these dual roles; what they learn about being playwrights from their acting; where they get inspiration for their plays; how audiences help them enhance their performance as both actors and writers; whether or not it's more satisfying to act in a play they wrote; and their relationship with directors when they're performing the role of both playwright and actor.

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Kate Burton ("Some Americans Abroad"), Tyne Daly ("Gypsy"), Tom Hulce ("A Few Good Men"), Robert Morse ("Tru"), Kathleen Turner ("Cat On A Hot Tin Roof"), and Irene Worth ("Sweet Bird Of Youth") talk about being a part of an ensemble cast, the difference between screen and stage, the stamina needed for stage performances, and how they got their start in performing.

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Playwrights Horizons' production team for "Fit To Be Tied" -- production manager Chris Boll, production stage manager Carol Clark, casting director Janet Foster, general manager Lynn Landis, managing director Leslie Marcus, Artistic Director of Playwrights Horizons Tim Sanford, playwright Nicky Silver and director David Warren -- talk about their individual jobs, their backgrounds, and the steps in bringing this play to the not-for-profit stage.

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The panel of American Theatre Wing Design Award-winners -- Julie Archer, special effects designer for "Mabou Mines"; Christopher H. Barreca, scenic designer of "Chronicle of a Death Foretold"; Ruth Maleczech, actor/director/playwright/designer for "Mabou Mines"; Karen Ten Eyck, scenic designer of "An Epidog"; and Angela Wendt, "Rent" costume designer with "Rent" actor Aiko Nakasone -- talk about how they got started as designers, then demonstrate projections and a puppet from "An Epidog", a model set of "Chronicle of a Death Foretold", and a costume from "Rent".

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The panel of actors -- Nell Carter ("Annie"), Willem Dafoe ("The Hairy Ape"), Andre De Shields ("Play On!"), Paul Giamatti ("Three Sisters"), Joel Grey ("Chicago"), and Dana Ivey ("Last Night of Ballyhoo") -- talk about their past and present productions, their performing background and training, and finding the rhythm of a play.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?"

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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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".

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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The five performers -- Matthew Broderick ("Night Must Fall"), Kathleen Chalfant ("Wit"), Brian Dennehy ("Death of a Salesman"), Elizabeth Franz ("Death of a Salesman"), and Swoosie Kurtz ("The Mineola Twins") -- discuss their current and past acting roles, how research and real life experience shapes one's portrayal of a character, how the audience completes the performance equation, stage versus film work, and where they started their performing careers.

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The panel -- director Scott Ellis ("That Championship Season"), director Robert Falls ("Death of a Salesman"), playwright David Marshall Grant ("Snakebit"), director/choreographer Robert Longbottom ("The Scarlet Pimpernel"), playwright Paul Rudnick ("The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told"), and director John Tillinger ("Night Must Fall") -- discuss working with rewrites, revisions and multiple versions of a script, the playwright's input during rehearsals, and the role of a dramaturg.

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Ranging from their start in a church basement in 1976 to their current Broadway production of "August: Osage County", Steppenwolf Theatre Company Co-Founder Jeff Perry and Steppenwolf Ensemble Members Laurie Metcalf, Amy Morton and Rondi Reed discuss their formative years as a rebel theatre group in Chicago, what they did in those early years to attract audiences, how the ensemble has evolved, how Steppenwolf transformed from upstart to institution, the development of "August: Osage County", and the challenges that a New York success like "August" places on their work back home in Chicago.

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The production team for "The Civil War" -- producer Pierre Cossette, producers Gary Gunas and Scott Zieger of Pace Theatrical, lyricist Jack Murphy, composer Frank Wildhorn, and marketing representative Norman Zagier -- cover the musical's journey from inception at Houston's Alley Theatre, through two studio albums, readings and workshops, to the Broadway production.

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The panel of theatre critics -- "New York Post"'s Clive Barnes, "Variety"'s Charles Isherwood, "New York Times"' Peter Marks, "NY1"'s Roma Torre, and "Newsday"'s Linda Winer -- discuss the difference between television and print media, writing styles, the change in opening night review deadlines, audience reactions, unbiased reviews, reading plays prior to attending plays, how the quality of a show influences the quality of a review, returning to a show for a subsequent viewing, and the job market for critics.

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Our distinguished panel of theatre directors - Anne Bogart, Scott Ellis and Daniel Sullivan - discuss their early influences in theatre and how that impacted their work as directors, why they have such a strong and emotional reaction to the idea of "concept" in the directing process, their opposing opinions on the role of assistants, what plays interest them and which works they wouldn't direct, whether they each approach the process differently when directing a new work or a revival, and whether they feel directing is something that can be taught.

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The panelists -- playwright Douglas Carter Beane ("As Bees In Honey Drown"), director/choreographers Kathleen Marshall ("Kiss Me Kate") and Rob Marshall ("Damn Yankees", "She Loves Me"), director Vivian Matalon ("Morning's At Seven"), and playwright John Pielmeier ("Agnes of God") -- discuss the impact of efficient cast sizes, casting for multi-talented performers, respectfully auditionining and rejectioning performers, their individual performing backgrounds, compromising with producers, and collaborating with playwrights and directors.

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Producer/Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater André Bishop, Marketing Director and Director of Special Projects for Lincoln Center Theater Thomas Cott, Executive Producer of Lincoln Center Theater Bernard Gersten, director/choreographer Susan Stroman and playwright John Weidman discuss the Tony Award winning "Contact"; from Lincoln Center Theater's invitation to Stroman and Weidman to develop their original ideas, how the individual stories are connected, multiple workshops, the casting process, using pre-existing recorded music versus live musicians, deciding on the show's name, as well as producing for non-commercial theatre with a longstanding member base.

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This broad panel of designers - lighting designer Michael Chybowski ("Moby Dick and Other Stories", "Wit"), scenic designer David Hays, sound designer Abe Jacob ("Pippin", "Evita"), special effects designer Greg Meeh ("Phantom of the Opera", "Miss Saigon", Cirque du Soleil) and costume designer Ann Roth ("Crucifer of Blood", "The Royal Family", "The House of Blue Leaves") -- discuss their purpose and accomplishments, collaborating with a production's creative team, apprentices and learning through hands-on experience, and the increase of sound and light levels over time.

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Performers Bryan Batt ("Saturday Night Fever"), Kristin Chenoweth ("Epic Proportions"), Boyd Gaines ("Contact"), Marin Mazzie ("Kiss Me Kate"), Tom Wopat ("Annie Get Your Gun") and Deborah Yates ("Contact") discuss working on preview performances, how audiences can vary wildly, the pros and cons of live music and amplification, reconceiving shows for revivals, and stories from their stage experiences.

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Director David Esbjornson ("The Ride Down Mt. Morgan"), director David Leveaux ("The Real Thing"), playwright Becky Mode ("Fully Committed"), director Richard Nelson ("James Joyce's The Dead"), and director/choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett ("Swing!") discuss how they became theatre professionals, their work ethic, and their reasons for remaining and working in theatre.

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Our panel of stage performers -- Helen Carey, Elizabeth Franz, Jayne Houdyshell and Zeljko Ivanek -- discuss their roles as featured actors and actresses, the range of work available to them, how they become their characters, dealing with stage fright and forgetting their lines, the audition process, performing in regional theater and how they prepare for each evening's performance.

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The Artistic Directors of four off-Broadway not-for-profit theatre companies -- Douglas Aibel of Vineyard Theatre, Charlotte Moore of Irish Repertory Theatre, Tim Sanford of Playwrights Horizons and Jim Simpson of The Flea Theater -- share their thoughts about attracting audiences to their shows, the cost of keeping their theaters going, the challenges they face competing with commercial productions, how they choose the works performed on their stages and what they hope to accomplish for their companies in the next several years.

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Actors Jennifer Ehle (Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing"), Cherry Jones ("Moon for the Misbegotten", "The Heiress"), Adam Pascal ("Aida", "Rent"), Tonya Pinkins ("The Wild Party", "Jelly's Last Jam"), John Shea ("The Director"), and Patrick Stewart ("A Christmas Carol", "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan") discuss how and why they chose to be performers, their education and training, their work ethic, how one embodies a character, the craft of acting, and why they work in the theatre.

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Playwrights David Auburn ("Proof") and Charles Busch ("The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"), director/choreographer George Faison ("For Colored Girls"), choreographers David Marques ("The Adventures of Tom Sawyer") and Jerry Mitchell ("The Full Monty"), and director John Rando ("The Dinner Party") discuss their experiences in professional theatre, including their backgrounds, creative processes, rehearsals, and transfers to Broadway from off-Broadway and out-of-town productions.

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A panel of acclaimed, Tony Award-winning composers and lyricists - Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, William Finn and Adam Guettel - discuss their first theatrical experiences, the process of writing and composing, what's involved in working with a partner, early influences on their music, and where they find inspiration; offer advice for students; and demonstrate their craft by playing a bit of their work.

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The creative and production team of the Broadway musical "The Full Monty" -- producer Thomas Hall, press representative Michael Hartman, producer Lindsay Law, director Jack O'Brien, general manager Charlotte Wilcox, and composer/lyricist David Yazbek -- follows the show from its inception as a work for the stage, adapted from the 1997 hit comedy film, through to the production on the Great White Way.

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A panel of current New Dramatists playwrights -- Carlyle Brown, David Grimm, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lucy Thurber -- talk about their differing styles of playwriting, what inspired them to start writing, how the world of the playwright has evolved and changed, what influences their writing and the challenges in getting their work produced. The program also includes an interview with New Dramatists Artistic Director Todd London, discussing how New Dramatists serves as haven for emerging playwrights and describing the new voice of the playwright, the opportunities for playwrights on and off Broadway and the different types of work being written today.

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Oscar, Emmy and five-time American Theatre Wing Tony Award winner, Peter Stone moderates this discussion with lyricist Susan Birkenhead ("Triumph of Love", "Jelly's Last Jam"), composers/lyricists John Kander and Fred Ebb ("Cabaret", "Chicago", "Woman of the Year", "Steel Pier", "The Act"), composer Marvin Hamlisch ("A Chorus Line", "They're Playing Our Song", "The Sweet Smell of Success"), and award-winning country songwriter/composer Don Schlitz ("The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"). The panel talks about the process of musical songwriting, collaboration with other writers, writing songs in conjunction with the book, learning from influential composers, through-composed shows compared to book musicals, pros and cons of workshops, their backgrounds, and their first shows.

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Actors Len Cariou, Patrick Cassidy, Andre De Shields, Michael Learned, Mary Louise Parker, and Marian Seldes talk not only about their careers and their training, but also about the drive, the passion, and the knowledge needed to achieve a career in the theatre.

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In a one-on-one interview with playwright Horton Foote he talks about his early career as an actor, who was responsible for his becoming a playwright, how his connection to the past inspires his writing, what it was like to write for television's Golden Age, writing for different mediums, including his Oscar winning screenplays, and the influence his hometown of Wharton, Texas has had on his life and his work. He's then joined by four artists who have worked with him in recent years - his daughter, actress Hallie Foote; James Houghton, Artistic Director of Signature Theatre; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director of Primary Stages; and Michael Wilson, Artistic Director of Hartford Stage - who discuss their roles in interpreting Foote's stories, the impact regional theatre has had in presenting his works, and how Horton Foote's plays relate to today's audiences.

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Four of Broadway's newest and brightest stars - Ashley Brown ("Mary Poppins"), Jonathan Groff ("Spring Awakening"), Alison Pill ("Mauritius") and John Lloyd Young ("Jersey Boys") - discuss their road to the Broadway stage, the mentors who helped them, where their drive to perform comes from, their earliest roles, how they handle the audition process, facing their fears, keeping their voices in shape and what roles they'd love to play in the future.

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The production team of Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida" - musical director Paul Bogaev, press representative Chris Boneau, director Robert Falls, book writer David Henry Hwang, vice president of creative affairs "Stuart Oken", and producer "Thomas Schumacher" - follows the show from its creative inception, through its early production at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, the Chicago tryout, to the Broadway opening.

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This panel of artists - playwright/actress Pamela Gien, playwright/director/actor Lonny Price, choreographer/director Randy Skinner, director Rebecca Taylor, playwright August Wilson, and director Joel Zwick - who provide the creative heart of the theatre and breathe life into their stage productions discuss their work, backgrounds, and education; becoming a choreographer; building a book show around pre-existing songs; and how poetry relates to stage work.

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The production and creative team for the musical "The Producers" - press representative John Barlow, creator and producer Mel Brooks, producer Richard Frankel, general manager Laura Green, book writer Thomas Meehan, and director and choreographer Susan Stroman - discuss taking the cult film to the Broadway stage, including the out-of-town run in Chicago, budgeting a huge musical, and the overwhelming interest from producers, investors, publicists, and ticketbuyers.

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Six leading performers - Alan Cumming ("Design For Living"), Daniel Davis (Tom Stoppard's "Invention Of Love"), Heather Headley ("Aida"), Faith Prince ("Bells Are Ringing"), Maximilian Schell ("Judgement At Nuremberg"), and Lily Tomlin ("The Search For Intelligent Life In The Universe") - talk about their training; audition experiences; and their drive, passion and knowledge needed to achieve a career in the theatre.

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Choreographers Rob Ashford and Wayne Cilento, playwright Michael Frayn, playwright/lyricist Greg Kotis, and directors Sean Mathias and Lynne Meadow discuss various aspects of their respective crafts, including the focus on storytelling, the benefits and challenges of collaboration, bad reviews, and the evolution of the director/choreographer relationship.

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The creative team of worldwide hit musical "Mamma Mia!" - press representative Adrian Bryan-Brown, producer Judy Craymer, book writer Catherine Johnson, director Phyllida Lloyd, and composer/lyricist Björn Ulvaeus - discuss the multi-year journey that brought ABBA's songs to Broadway.

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Actors Kate Burton ("Hedda Gabler"), Christine Ebersole ("42nd Street"), Peter Gallagher ("Noises Off"), Valerie Harper ("The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"), and Robert Sean Leonard ("The Music Man") discuss performing on Broadway with respect to humor, the truth in acting, analyzing a script, building a character, acting influences, auditions, training, directors, pre-performance preparations, and on-stage mishaps.

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The panelists -- lighting designer Ken Billington, costume and set designer Robert Jones, costume designer William Ivey Long, scenery designer Thomas Lynch, costume and scenery designer Tony Walton, and costume designer David C. Woolard -- discuss the fields of study that led them to design; perceptible styles; the design of "Six Degrees of Separation"; how actors are effected by design details; how lighting influences audience reaction; contemporary audiences' expectations for brighter, quicker-moving shows; and creating The Yellow Dress in "Contact" through costume and lighting.

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This panel of producers (all of whom just happen to be women) -- Tisa Chang, Elizabeth Ireland McCann, Amy Nederlander, Daryl Roth, Fran Weissler, and Elizabeth Williams -- talks about the role of women in theater, how they are percieved, how they have come to the forefront of the theater community and how they have significantly impacted productions on Broadway and off-Broadway.

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The international panel consisting of Valery Fokin (Artistic Director of The Meyerhold Centre in Moscow and the Alexandrinksy Theatre in St. Petersburg), Marita Gochman (writer/director, Nordic theatre), Fiona Shaw (Irish actress, "Medea"), Anatoly Smeliansky (writer/scholar/critic, Moscow Art Theatre), Elise Thoron (writer/director, Russian theatre), and Shu Xiao (Cultural Counselor, China) discuss the role of theatre in their respective countries; American curiosity in foreign productions and exposure to culturally-rich material; and exporting Broadway shows worldwide.

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Playwrights Jon Robin Baitz ("Hedda Gabbler"), John Guare ("Sweet Smell of Success"), Peter Parnell ("Q.E.D."), and directors Gene Saks ("Mr. Goldwyn"), Daniel Sullivan ("Proof"), and Mary Zimmerman ("Metamorphoses") discuss their approaches to writing, directing, and adaptations; the collaboration process with directors, writers, producers, sets, and actors; reactions to a production's first preview; and the source of ideas for playwrights.

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"Thoroughly Modern Millie"'s creative and production team -- choreographer Rob Ashford, general manager Nina Lannan, producer Hal Luftig, director Michael Mayer, book writer/lyricist Dick Scanlan and composer Jeanine Tesori -- discuss the Tony Award winning musical's journey to Broadway; obtaining the rights to the 1967 Universal Pictures film written by Richard Morris and starring Julie Andrews; years of development in workshops and readings; how the production team came together, including Rob Ashford's choreographer audition; the mixture of existing songs and new Tesori compositions; the advantages and disadvantages of mounting the show in partnership with La Jolla Playhouse; the many producers involved, including road presenters; the decision and budgetary considerations in opening on Broadway with a rigious preview period versus a second out-of-town tryout.

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Actors Frank Langella ("Fortune's Fool"), John Lithgow ("Sweet Smell of Success"), Andrea Martin ("Oklahoma!"), Estelle Parsons ("Mornings at Seven"), Mercedes Ruehl ("The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia?"), Jeffrey Wright ("Top Dog/Under Dog") discuss playing a range of roles, what influences their performances including daily life and audience response, how to prepare for a performance, and working with directors in finding courage and confidence.

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Actors Julie Harris ("The Belle of Amherst"), Marilu Henner ("The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"), Richard Kind ("The Tale of the Allergist's Wife"), Hal Linden ("Cabaret"), Brad Oscar ("The Producers"), Steven Weber ("The Producers") discuss what makes for good entertainment; how actors collaborate with the rest of the creative staff, especially directors; and what makes an audience laugh. Additionally, there is a short tribute to producer Robert Whitehead ("Master Class, A Few Good Men, Medea") who recently passed away.

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Director and lyricist Martin Charnin ("Annie"); director and choreographer Graciela Daniele ("Annie Get Your Gun"); lyricist and book writers Rupert Holmes ("Say Goodnight, Gracie") and Michael Kunze ("Dance of the Vampires"); and directors Marion McClinton ("King Hedley II") and Lawrence Sacharow (Director of Fordham University Theatre Program) talk about the evolution of both play and musical writing in the United States today and the changes in directorial style and direction over the years.

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Set designer John Arnone ("The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?"), costume designers Jane Greenwood ("Morning's at Seven") and Martin Pakledinaz ("Thoroughly Modern Millie"), set designer Scott Pask ("Amour") and lighting designer Richard Pilbrow ("Our Town") talk about what it means for a designer to collaborate on a show; how that collaboration works with other designers, and the cast and director; and how they keep up with their hectic schedules.

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Actors John Cullum ("Urinetown"), Edie Falco ("Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune"), Lea Salonga ("Flower Drum Song"), Stanley Tucci ("Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune"), Marissa Jaret Winokur ("Hairspray") and Charlayne Woodard ("In Real Life") meet and discuss the changes taking place in the theatre world today; how they came to be in their current shows; and the fluidity of an actor's life - moving between theatre, television and movies.

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The creative team behind the Broadway musical "Hairspray", producers Richard Frankel and Margo Lion, co-book writer Thomas Meehan, choreographer Jerry Mitchell, director Jack O'Brien, co-book writer Mark O'Donnell, composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman outline the journey the piece took from being a John Waters and Divine cult movie to hitting the Broadway stage; offer a peek at the process that created this smash hit and discuss the social messages that the show sends, both in its content and it's non-traditional casting.

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Director Bob Balaban ("Y2K"), playwrights Richard Greenberg ("Take Me Out") and Suheir Hammad ("Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam"), choreographer Luis Perez ("Man of La Mancha") and director David Petrarca ("A Year With Frog and Toad") discuss the condition of American theatre both in New York and around the country, and some of the shifts that are occurring both in audience expectations and the direction of new works.

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The artistic directors of four major not-for-profit companies - Susan V. Booth of the Alliance Theatre, Oskar Eustis of The Public Theater, Emily Mann of the McCarter Theatre Center and Michael Wilson of Hartford Stage - discuss the unique task of the artistic director, touching upon issues including how they balance their personal artistic goals as directors with the institutional needs of their companies, whether their focus is on the local community or the larger national artistic community, the relationship between not-for-profit theatres and commercial producers, how they measure success, and their responsibility for developing the next generation of theatre artists.

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The extraordinary legacy of playwright August Wilson and his 10-play cycle of African-American life in the 20th Century is explored in a two-part program. First, a panel of Wilson's collaborators -- producer James Houghton (Signature Theatre Company), dramaturg Todd Kreidler, director Kenny Leon ("Radio Golf", "Gem of the Ocean"), actor/director Ruben Santiago Hudson ("Gem of the Ocean", "Seven Guitars"), producer Jack Viertel ("Radio Golf") -- discuss the process of developing and producing Wilson's plays. In the second half, the depth and variety of Wilson's characters are explored by Stephen McKinley Henderson ("Jitney", "King Hedley II"), Harry Lennix ("Radio Golf"), Tonya Pinkins ("Radio Golf") and Phylicia Rashad ("Gem of the Ocean"), joined by director Kenny Leon.

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Four acclaimed leading men - Jeff Daniels ("Blackbird"), Brian Dennehy ("Inherit the Wind"), Liev Schreiber ("Talk Radio") and Kevin Spacey ("A Moon for the Misbegotten") - discuss a wide array of topics, including whether the prefer rehearsal to performance, their experience in long runs and how great plays can carry actors along, the acting opportunities of appearing in many plays by the same author, how they find new challenges, whether they can still enjoy theatre as a member of the audience, and if its harder to do their work now that they?re well known.

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Musical director, orchestrator and arranger Jason Robert Brown, book writer Aaron Latham, producer Chase Mishkin, director Lonny Price, press representative Pete Sanders and producer Leonard Soloway are the guests on this program which discusses the how this classic movie was musicalized, how it was shepherded to Broadway, and how just enough was changed so it would still maintain the movie's original flavor.

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Costume designer Suzy Benzinger ("Movin' Out"), lighting designer Beverly Emmons ("Jekyll and Hyde"), scenic designer Adrianne Lobel ("A Year With Frog and Toad"), sound designer David Meschter ("Medea"), lighting designer Rui Rita ("Enchanted April") and scenic designer David Rockwell ("Hairspray") talk about the practicalities of design - including how to approach a new design job, the similarities of low-budget showcases and big budget Broadway productions, ways to build a collaborative relationship with a director and the many sources of inspiration in the world around us.

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Actors from both sides of the Atlantic - Sutton Foster ("Thoroughly Modern Millie"), Clare Higgins ("Vincent in Brixton"), Eddie Izzard ("A Day in the Death of Joe Egg"), Brian Stokes Mitchell ("Man of La Mancha") and Brent Spiner ("Life (x) 3") - share some of the high points and quite a few humorous moments (including pulling surprised audience members onstage during a performance, accidentally) from their stage careers.

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Four actors from the 42-member "The Coast of Utopia" company -- Jennifer Ehle, Josh Hamilton, Ethan Hawke and Amy Irving -- talk about the experience of appearing in Tom Stoppard's triptych of 19th century Russian intellectual history, including their own trepidation at working with the brilliant Stoppard; adapting language written by an English playwright for Russian characters to the comfort of American actors -- and audiences; the thrill of of working in a variant of a classical repertory company; whether they chose to research the era and their characters; and why they chose to spend a year of their lives with this project, playing parts both large and small.

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Director Jeff Calhoun, actor Phyllis Frelich, actor Tyrone Giordano, producer Todd Haimes, actor Daniel Jenkins and producer Bill O'Brien explain how Deaf West Theatre Company, a sign language theatre company, decided to put on the musical "Big River"; why that is not a bad idea, as many initially thought; the integration of signing into the choreography of the show; and how 2 actors, one hearing and one deaf, shared each of the principal roles.

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Choreographer Jonathan Butterell ("The Light In The Piazza", "Nine"), director Moises Kaufman ("The Laramie Project", "Gross Indecency"), playwright Arthur Kopit ("Nine", "Oh Dad, Poor Dad..."), choreographer Joey McKneely("The Boy From Oz", "Wild Party"), playwright Theresa Rebeck ("Ominum Gatherum", "Bad Dates") and director Susan H. Schulman ("Little Women", "Secret Garden") explore how playwrights, directors and choreographers place themselves in the body of the character so that the character's voices and actions can emerge, what happens in the theatre to make the experience different from film and television, what it means to be an artist - and how an artist's success is measured.

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Members of the creative team of the Tony-winning musical "Avenue Q" -- Robert Lopez (Composer/Lyricist), Rick Lyon (Puppet Designer/Actor), Jeff Marx (Composer/Lyricist),and Jeff Whitty (Book Writer) -- along with producers Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller explain how the pieces came together to create this unique puppet musical, the journey from its early days at the BMI Workshop and the O'Neill Theater Center to the Vineyard Theatre/New Group production to Broadway, including the challenge of expanding a show in scale when the central characters, namely the puppets, can't grow along with the size of the theatre.

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Scenic Designer David Gallo ("Thoroughly Modern Millie"), Lighting Designer Donald Holder ("Little Shop Of Horrors"), Scenic Designer Anna Louizos ("Avenue Q"), Scenic and Costume Designer G.W. Mercier ("Juan Darien"), and Costume Designer Catherine Zuber ("Dinner At Eight") discuss how designing on a restricted budget can force a designer to find a more creative solution; spectacle on Broadway - is it expected and how it does or does not affect ticket prices; the necessity today for a designer to juggle multiple projects and the joy and heartbreak of working in an ephemeral art form.

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Casting Directors Tara Rubin ("Spamalot", "The Producers"), Laura Stanczyk ("Translations", "Sweet Charity"), Daniel Swee ("The Coast of Utopia", "The Vertical Hour"), and Bernie Telsey ("Wicked", "Hairspray") explore and explain the work of the casting director, touching on issues from the best advice they can give actors about auditioning, how they work with directors and writers in the casting process, the challenges of luring stars to the stage, how they feel about stunt casting and televised casting competitions, and why judiciously mailing head shots and resumes can be an effective job-seeking strategy for aspiring actors.

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Tovah Feldshuh ("Golda's Balcony"), Marc Kudisch ("Thoroughly Modern Millie"), Swoosie Kurtz ("Frozen"), Rebecca Luker ("Nine"), Denis O'Hare ("Take Me Out") and Lewis J. Stadlen ("The Producers") come together in this interview to talk about their careers - both on Broadway and around the country - covering a variety of topics, including the challenge of playing real people and "capturing their essence," the effect of typecasting, the value of acting teachers, and how in performance they relate to their audiences.

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Five of America's leading playwrights, Nilo Cruz ("Beauty of the Father"), Julia Jordan ("Boy"), Terrence McNally ("The Visit"), Paul Rudnick ("Valhalla") and Regina Taylor ("Drowning Crow") come together in this panel interview to discuss the state of new playwriting in America today - its challenges, its rewards and how the process is changing.

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On "The Evolution of Encores!", guests Judith E. Daykin (founder), Rob Fisher (music director from founding to 2006), David Ives (book adapter for 18 productions) and Jack Viertel (artistic director since 2001) discuss the growth and success of the acclaimed musical concert series at New York's City Center, exploring how "Encores!" grew out of a concert at BAM in the late 80s; how the international success of "Chicago" impacted the series; how shows are selected; whether the addition of costumes, choreography and other "production" elements have moved the series away from its original goals; and whether there are shows they shouldn't have done or wish they could do again.

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In this interview a panel of actors - Anne Heche ("Twentieth Century"), Jefferson Mays ("I Am My Own Wife"), Martha Plimpton ("Sixteen Wounded"), Phylicia Rashad ("Gem Of The Ocean") and Richard Thomas ("12 Angry Men") - delve into their current Broadway characters and speak about how their recognition from other media affects audience perception of them today.

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The development of the musical "Caroline, or Change" and its move from The Public Theatre to Broadway is explored with Tony Kushner (writing a musical book and lyrics for the first time), composer Jeanine Tesori, choreographer Hope Clarke and actors Tonya Pinkins and Veanne Cox.

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The challenges and the rewards of producing new plays on Broadway are explored by press representative Michael Hartman ("Sixteen Wounded"), producers Robert LuPone ("Frozen"), Benjamin Mordecai ("Sixteen Wounded"), Michael Parva ("Prymate") and Daryl Roth ("The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia").

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Playwrights Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa ("Dark Matters"), Douglas Carter Beane ("The Little Dog Laughed"), Kia Corthron ("Breath Boom"), Daisy Foote ("Bhutan") and Adam Rapp ("Red Light Winter") discuss why they, as products of the age of electronic entertainment -- and as writers who work in various forms -- choose to tell certain stories in the theatre; consider whether one can be taught playwriting or whether one simply learns it; ponder the prevalence of 90 minute plays against the three-act classics of the past; and reflect upon the writers who most influenced their own work.

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"Leading Ladies" Blair Brown ("The Clean House"), Blythe Danner ("Suddenly, Last Summer"), Swoosie Kurtz ("Heartbreak House") and Julie White ("The Little Dog Laughed") share their thoughts on their careers on stage, from the difference between working in plays and musicals, to whether they still audition for roles, to the experience of working with living playwrights -- and whether they feel they ever have any power on a production.

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The "Grey Garden"'s creative team, Scott Frankel (composer), Michael Korie (lyricist) and Doug Wright (book writer) discuss the genesis of this new, highly acclaimed Broadway musical - why they chose this "cult" documentary to be the basis for a musical; how they all came together as collaborators; and what it took to make these characters "sing". Later in the show the stars Erin Davie, Christine Ebersole and Mary Louise Wilson join director Michael Greif to talk about how they worked together to inhabit the "Edies", as well as their personal connections with the characters in the piece.

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At the start of a theatre season which would see revivals of major works by each, authors Edward Albee ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"), Harvey Fierstein ("La Cage aux Folles"), Paula Vogel ("The Baltimore Waltz") and John Weidman ("Assassins") discuss the challenges of the career of a playwright.

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The challenge of producing commercially Off-Broadway is the topic for producers and managers Ken Davenport, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Marc Routh and Alan Schuster as they consider whether Off-Broadway is, as some of the press would have it, in crisis; reflect on the nature of the work that succeeds in that arena; and place their work in those venues in the context of both the not-for-profit theatre and the world of Broadway.

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With puppetry turning up in, or serving as the main focus of, numerous shows in recent seasons, Pam Arciero (O'Neill Puppetry Conference), Cheryl Henson (The Jim Henson Foundation), Rick Lyon ("Avenue Q"), Roman Paska ("Dead Puppet Talk") and Basil Twist ("Symphonie Fantastique") discuss the intersection of puppet and human theatre.

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With three of New York's major not-for-profit theatres now producing in Broadway venues, their leaders?Andre Bishop and Bernard Gersten of Lincoln Center Theatre, Lynne Meadow and Barry Grove of Manhattan Theatre Club, and Todd Haimes, Ellen Richard and Julia C. Levy of Roundabout Theatre Company?gather for the very first time to explore the issues facing institutional theatres on Broadway.

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Three distinguished actresses?Brenda Blethyn, Kathleen Chalfant and Randy Graff?discuss their craft and careers.

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Four performers noted for their performance in comedic roles?Mario Cantone ("Laugh Whore"), Julie Halston ("Hairspray"), Judy Kaye ("Souvenir") and Michael McKean ("A Second-Hand Memory")?talk about being funny on stage.

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Four actors with long and varied careers on stage?Richard Easton, Robert Prosky, Marian Seldes and Frances Sternhagen?recall their own experiences starting out in the business and offer a few tips on how to sustain a life in the theatre.

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Five off-Broadway artistic directors?Tisa Chang of Pan Asian Repertory, Loretta Greco of The Women's Project, Eduardo Machado of INTAR, James C. Nicola of New York Theatre Workshop and Neil Pepe of the Atlantic Theatre Company?join with Virginia Louloudes of ART/NY for a discussion of the state of Off-Broadway's institutional theatres.

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Choreographer Rob Ashford, Director Chris Ashley, Director/Choreographer John Carrafa and Choreographer Gillian Lynne talk about making musical speak, move and sing.

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A remarkable one-time-only meeting of cast members from two concurrent Williams revivals on Broadway?Natasha Richardson, John C. Reilly and Chris Bauer of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Jessica Lange and Christian Slater of "The Glass Menagerie".

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An in-depth look at the creation of the Broadway musical comedy with authors Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbek, director Jack O'Brien, choreographer Jerry Mitchell and actors Norbert Leo Butz and Sherie Rene Scott.

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A lively roundtable on the actors' craft with Billy Crudup ("The Pillowman"), Raúl Esparza ("Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"), Cherry Jones ("Doubt"), Marsha Mason ("Steel Magnolias") and David Hyde Pierce ("Spamalot").

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Far from the fabled days of summer stock, today's summer theatres are ambitious artistic institutions that aren't really just for summer anymore. A discussion with Sybil Christopher of the Bay Street Theatre, Alison Harris of Westport Country Playhouse, Kate Maguire of the Berkshire Theatre Festival, Jackie Maxwell of Canada's Shaw Festival and Max Mayer of New York Stage and Film.

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How an audience can discern the often invisible hand of the director is the starting point for this discussion with Scott Elliott ("The Threepenny Opera"), Doug Hughes ("Doubt"), Joe Mantello ("Wicked"), John Rando ("The Wedding Singer") and Leigh Silverman ("Well").

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The creation of new worlds on stage and the work of their creators is explored with lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer ("Assassins"), costume designer Jess Goldstein ("Jersey Boys"), set designer David Korins ("Bridge and Tunnel"), set designer Derek McLane ("The Pajama Game") and costume designer Carrie Robbins ("White Christmas").

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Experiences on stage in America and England are the core of this conversation with actors Eileen Atkins ("Doubt"), Richard Griffiths ("The History Boys"), Jonathan Pryce ("Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), Lynn Redgrave ("The Importance of Being Earnest") and Zoë Wanamaker ("Awake and Sing").

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Originally created as a skit for a bachelor party, "The Drowsy Chaperone" has traveled from Toronto to Los Angeles to Broadway, growing in size along the way without sacrificing its skewed view of classic musicals. The ATW Working in the Theatre seminar will explore Chaperone's journey from one-off entertainment into that rarest of musicals?one not based on a book, play or movie.

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The writers' life is the topic for authors Christopher Durang ("Miss Witherspoon"), Lisa Kron ("Well"), Marsha Norman ("The Color Purple"), John Patrick Shanley ("Defiance") and Diana Son ("Satellites").

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Some of the country's most read critics?Melissa Rose Bernardo of Entertainment Weekly, Michael Feingold of The Village Voice, Elysa Gardner of USA Today, Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press and Jeremy McCarter of New York Magazine?share how they came to their current positions and what they look for when they go to a show.

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A free-ranging conversation on the actors' life with Michael Cerveris ("Sweeney Todd"), Victoria Clark ("A Light in the Piazza"), Jill Clayburgh ("Naked Girl on the Appian Way"), George Grizzard ("Seascape") and Brían F. O'Byrne ("Doubt").

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Five prolific commercial producers?Susan Gallin ("Woman Before a Glass"), Elizabeth McCann ("Well"), Kevin McCollum ("Avenue Q"), David Stone ("Wicked") and Tom Viertel ("Sweeney Todd")?explore the business of bringing shows to the stage.

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Making classic work come alive for today's audiences is the topic for directors Anne Bogart, Barbara Gaines, Mark Lamos and Bartlett Sher.

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An in-depth look at the creation of the Off-Broadway musical, with author Michael John LaChiusa, director Ted Sperling, musical stager Jonathan Butterell and actors Marc Kudisch and Mary Testa.

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Artists with their feet in both pop music and musical theatre?Stephen Bray and Allee Willis ("The Color Purple"), Rupert Holmes ("The Mystery of Edwin Drood"), Lucy Simon ("The Secret Garden") and David Yazbek ("The Full Monty")?talk about the parallels and intersections of those two worlds.

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