Wed, Jan 16, 2019
If the score of a musical is the soul of the show, the orchestrations are the heart, swelling and circulating emotion throughout your body so you can feel every note, understand every lyric. Orchestrations create the sound of the show and for that we are thankful. Watch as two of the most prominent orchestrators Larry Blank (Holiday Inn, A Christmas Story) and Alex Lacamoire (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen) share their storied careers and their recent work on Broadway and beyond.
Wed, Mar 13, 2019
Custom Shoemaker Gino Bifulco produces shoes for some of the most well-known shows past and present. You are sure to have seen his work. Bruce and Sarah Barish, owners of Ernest Winzer Cleaners have cleaned, organized, and maintained costumes, props, and more for the Broadway stage. The family owned business has supported making cast comfortable and restoring the work of the great designers for over 110 years. It's an Odd Job that's extremely important for every run of a stage show.
Fri, May 31, 2019
What do fake dead bodies, a carve-able turkey, and the physical puppet of Donkey in Shrek: the Musical have in common? They are all examples of what makes the world of Specialty Props so fascinating. This very special field in the theatre requires an expertise in fine art, but also one with knowledge of the dramatic structure. These designers have the challenge to both dazzle and inspire audiences, without interrupting the show or movement, a skill that requires collaboration with the creative team of the show. Watch Mary Creede, Zoë Morsette, and John Jerard sculpt, sew, hammer, power, design, and ultimately create iconic specialty props. Special Note: Many of the props that Zoë Morsette discussed working on including Les Misérables were built during her time working at McHugh-Rollins studio.
Wed, Jul 10, 2019
The use of expanding technology such as AI (artificial intelligence), AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality) in theatre today is encouraging and presents wonderful challenges to storytellers throughout the world. Watch as we follow the teams of Krysztof Garbaczewski of Dream Adoption Society and the creative visionaries behind Frankenstein AI at The Columbia University School of the Arts' Digital Storytelling Lab develop, demonstrate, and perform with new technology that enhances the audience experience and shows us all what is possible in the next generation of storytelling.
Wed, Sep 18, 2019
The concept of documentary theatre is one that is novel and complex, and quite frankly could be defined by a plethora of concepts and storytelling strategy. In this documentary episode of Working in the Theatre, we visit Say Something Bunny, the spectacular production that explores how theatre incorporates and interacts with found materials and real-life characters. What does it mean to represent narrative of real experiences in theatrical performances? Alison Kobayashi (Director, Performer, Researcher, Co-author, Co-producer) and Christopher Allen (Co-author, Co-producer, Dramaturgy, Technical design) share their journey of creating such a unique experience in a one of kind production.
Thu, Oct 24, 2019
In devised theatre, no one knows what the end product will look like-not the performers, nor the creative team. They start with an idea, a question, a piece of music, a set, and build something completely new. And while many theatre artists who are creating this type of work that might be defined as "devised," disagree on that categorization, the fact remains the same: the work is collaborative, the work is experimental, and the work is exploratory. As we explore the creative processes of Pig Iron Theatre Company and Elevator Repair Service Theater, we attempt to capture an ounce of the incredible creation these two theatre companies are doing each year through the devised technique of theatre, however they choose to define or not define it.
Wed, Nov 13, 2019
"To be part of a repertory theatre, you have to remain active and focused on each of the productions because there's a lot of change-changing skins, changing voices, and changing actors. You have to prepare yourself psychologically and physically in order to achieve a truthful and relaxed delivery." - Zulema Clares. As actress Zulema Clares prepares to go on as the titular role in "Filomena Marturano: Un Matrimonio a la Caribeña" at Repertorio Español, she shares her preparation process, thoughts on connecting to a New York audience in another language, and her hope for the change that theatre can bring to an audience.