ATW - Working In The Theatre

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.