ATW - Downstage Center

Veteran critic John Simon reflects on decades of theatregoing, including 38 years with New York Magazine, as he marks the publication of "John Simon On Theatre," a comprehensive anthology of his reviews. Original airdate - October 14, 2005.

Noted architect David Rockwell talks about branching into scenic design ("Hairspray", "All Shook Up") as an extension of his childhood love of theatre, which included working on amateur productions in his mother's New Jersey troupe and his teenage years soaking in the "theatre of open spaces" in Mexico. Original airdate - October 7, 2005.

Stage legend Carol Channing reminisces about her extraordinary career, ranging from her naive yet successful audition for the William Morris Agency (which she briefly recreates) to her early success as Lorelei Lee (whom she describes as a "semi-idiot who knew how to become the richest woman in the world") to her recent Honorary Doctorate from the California State University system. Original airdate - October 21, 2005.

Gerard Alessandrini shares the process of turning Broadway into "Forbidden Broadway" and why after all these years of skewering stage stars and shows, he's still an optimistic fan of the theatre. Original airdate - September 30, 2005.

Returning to the New York stage for the first time in more than a decade, Chris Sarandon talks about joining the company of "A Light In The Piazza" and reflects on his early stage work in regional theatre both before and after his initial film success in "Dog Day Afternoon". Original airdate - September 23, 2005.

During the run of her one-woman show "What Of The Night", Jane Alexander discusses the challenges of portraying the life and words of Djuna Barnes, and talks about the effect of her years as head of the National Endowment for the Arts on both her life and her work as an artist. Original airdate - April 8, 2005.

With "Two Gentlemen of Verona" back on stage at The Public Theater's Delacorte in Central Park, Galt MacDermot reminisces about the great successes of "Hair" and "Two Gents", as well as the brief runs of "Dude" and "Via Galactica" - and why terms like rock, jazz and funk are all too limiting to him as a composer. Original airdate - September 9, 2005.

Charles Strouse takes listeners back to the creation of "Bye Bye Birdie", including the behind the scenes challenges of retooling the musical for Chita Rivera and figuring out how to make Dick Van Dyke a star, and the multi-year struggle to get a certain redheaded orphan named "Annie" into production. Original airdate - August 26, 2005.

Joanna Gleason talks about signing on to "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" before her part was fully written, recalls her Broadway debut in "I Love My Wife" and the thrill of premiering "Into The Woods", and considers her return to Broadway after a 13 year hiatus. Original airdate - August 19, 2005.

John Lithgow talks about his plunge back into theatre after years of absence from the New York stage, with a succession of acclaimed performance in "Sweet Smell of Success", "The Retreat from Moscow", "Mrs. Farnsworth" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" - all in the past three years. Original airdate - April 15, 2005.

Versatile leading man Raúl Esparza explains why he's taken on a light musical like "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" after a strong of dark and tormented roles, and recalls earlier performances, including taking on roles as the authors' alter egos in works like "The Normal Heart" and "Tick...Tick...Boom". Original airdate - April 22, 2005

Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler and castmate Sarah Saltzberg track the creation of the hit musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee", and the many fortunate meetings that made the musical possible - from the high school links to their college friendship to performing the non-musical "Crepuscule" in a condemned theater on the Lower East Side to the best payoff to any child care job in theatre history. Original airdate - August 12, 2005

Producer Robyn Goodman discusses her role in the creation of the musicals "Avenue Q" and "Altar Boyz", talks about her transition from running the not-for-profit Second Stage Theatre to the commercial arena, and the many considerations that go into producing revivals, including the recent "Steel Magnolias" and the upcoming "Barefoot In The Park". Original airdate - August 5, 2005

Terrence Mann talks about the development of the musical "Lennon", including what it's like to speak the words of John Lennon with Yoko Ono only 20 feet away, as well as his experience creating roles in the original Broadway productions of "Cats", "Les Miserables" and "Beauty and the Beast". Original airdate - July 29, 2005

Prolific playwright A.R. Gurney discusses his recent turn into political playwriting ("O Jerusalem", "Mrs. Farnsworth", "Screen Play"), how he developed his career while keeping a "day job" for more than 20 years -- teaching humanities to aspiring engineers and scientists at M.I.T., and why one of America's most popular playwrights has taken to premiering his new plays in a tiny theatre Off-Off-Broadway. Original airdate - July 22, 2005