This was one of the more fun episodes to record! Joel Jeske and Ryan Kasprzak, members of the cast of Cut to the Chase, chat with Martin Denton about their show. Cut to the Chase is the latest production from Parallel Exit, a physical theatre company founded by director Mark Lonergan. This show is about a vaudeville troupe trying to put on a show, but chaos ensues. Ryan describes the company’s aesthetic as “silent film meets live-action cartoon.” The show contains no dialogue (but lots of music and comedy).

Joel is a clown who has worked for both Ringling Bros. and the Big Apple Circus. Ryan is a dancer/choreographer who was the Dance Captain for the Broadway musical Fosse.

Joel and Ryan talk at length about what the show is like, how it was developed, and their process in creating it with Lonergan and the rest of the company.

Cut to the Chase is for family audiences of all ages, and plays at 59E59 in December 2007.

Episode Links:

• Cut to the Chase info on nytheatre.com
• 59E59 website
• Parallel Exit website

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This episode features a fascinating discussion with director Bruce Levitt and actor Robert Zukerman regarding their upcoming production of Gilles Segal’s play, The Puppetmaster of Lodz. This play, written about 25 years ago, is about a Polish Jew who escaped from a concentration camp in 1944 and has been hiding out in an apartment in Berlin. The play takes place in 1950, and the man — who is a puppetmaker — refuses to believe that the war has ended.

Bruce and Robert offer tantalizing clues about this intriguing play, as well as lots of interesting behind-the-scenes details about how this production is coming together. One of their key collaborators on this production is puppetmaker Ralph Lee, and Robert talks extensively about Ralph’s work and the challenges in learning to work with the puppets that are part of the show.

There’s also some chat about how Bruce and Robert are working this project into their very full schedules. (Bruce is commuting to NYC from his “day job,” as a professor of theatre at Cornell University.)

The Puppetmaster of Lodz will play at the Arclight Theatre through late December, where it’s being presented by Blue Heron Theatre.

Episode Links:

• Info about The Puppetmaster of Lodz on nytheatre.com
• Blue Heron website — includes some photos of the puppets!

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nytheatrecast’s latest installment of “The Indie Theater Life” features a one-on-one conversation with actor Debargo Sanyal, whose rapidly growing list of credits includes performances in Port Authority Throwdown, the recent NYMF production of Love Sucks, East Village Chronicles, Vol. 4, and Pulling the Lever (which was published in the NYTE anthology, Plays and Playwrights 2006). His latest project is Charles Mee’s new musical, Queens Boulevard (the musical), which opens this month at Signature Theatre Company.

Debargo talks to moderator Michael Criscuolo about how he first got interested in theatre, and about his start as an actor upon moving to New York. He also talks about the experience of working with both Charles Mee and his fellow castmates on Queens Boulevard. And, he brings up some insightful and fascinating points about the advantages and challenges of being an actor of color in today’s industry.

Debargo also has some surprising responses to our “nytheatrecast Hot Seat” questionnaire. Check out which show he would travel back in time to go see!

And, if that weren’t enough, it should also be pointed out that not only did Debargo appear in Pulling the Lever, but he was also a member of the play’s writing team. Clearly, an all-around talented gentleman.

Episode links:

• Queens Boulevard (the musical) - info on nytheatre.com
• Plays and Playwrights 2006
• Buy Plays and Playwrights 2006

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nytheatrecast welcomes writer/performance artist Jeffrey Essmann, in an interview with Martin Denton. Jeffrey is bringing a brand new show, The Usual Freak Show, to La MaMa in November. Some of our listeners/readers may recall that Jeffrey was a frequent performer at La MaMa and other venues in the 1980s and 1990s, with one-man performances and shows such as Artificial Reality.

Jeffrey talks extensively about The Usual Freak Show, which features music and live accompaniment by composer Michael John LaChiusa. He introduces us to many of the different characters who are featured in the show, including a French existentialist slam poet and an over-the-hill Barbie doll. Best of all, Jeffrey performs an excerpt from the show, portraying another of his inspired creations, a fashion editor named Vivienne.

This episode also features some background about Jeffrey’s career, including his training at HB Studios under Uta Hagen.

Episode Links:

• Info about The Usual Freak Show on nytheatre.com
• La MaMa website

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This episode of the nytheatrecast features playwright, monologist, and solo performer Mike Daisey, whose new show, Great Men of Genius - which is actually four separate solo pieces about P.T. Barnum, Bertolt Brecht, Nikola Tesla, and L. Ron Hubbard - opens at Joe’s Pub in early November. Mike talks to nytheatre.com contributor Michael Criscuolo about his new show, his fascination with these four men, and the ties that bind them all together.

Mike also talks at length (and with great insight) about his process of developing a piece and working on it with his director and collaborator, Jean-Michele Gregory. He and Jean-Michele are also married to each other, and Mike shares some tidbits about how that influences both their professional and personal lives.

One of Mike’s previous shows, Invincible Summer, played at The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival back in January, and he talks about that as well. In addition, he shares his first-hand account of the now-(in)famous incident that occurred last spring when a large group of high schoolers walked out during a performance of Invincible Summer at American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA. You’ve got to hear this to believe it.

Episode links:

• Great Men of Genius - info on nytheatre.com
• Mike Daisey’s website
• nytheatre.com review of Invincible Summer

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This episode of the nytheatrecast spotlights Maieutic Theatre Works’s new production, Arpeggio, a play by David Stallings with music by Alec Bridges and Sarah Chaney. It touches on some very timely topics including illegal immigration and America’s current obsession with celebrity.

Playwright David Stallings and actress Kristina Kohl (who plays a fading pop star in the show) talk to Michael Criscuolo about the origin and history of Maieutic Theatre Works, some of Arpeggio’s more distinguishing features (like a live onstage rock band), and why the show is not a musical, among other things. David also gives listeners a sneak peek at the rest of Maieutic’s upcoming season. This is a lively and thought-provoking discussion with two artists who are clearly very passionate about this project.

Episode Links:

• Arpeggio - info on nytheatre.com
• Maieutic Theatre Works website

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In this episode of nytheatrecast, Jason Jacobs (who is one of the artistic directors of Theatre Askew as well as an occasional contributor to nytheatre.com) talks to actor/writer/activist Kathryn Blume about their upcoming show The Boycott. Jason is the director of this show; Kathryn is the playwright and performer.

The Boycott is a solo show based on Aristophanes’s Lysistrata. It’s about a future first lady who leads a national sex boycott to protest global warming. Interspersed within this story are scenes related to Blume’s own journey as an environmentalist. Jason and Kathryn reveal a great deal of interesting insight about how this piece was created, and discuss strategies for making effective activist theatre.

In addition to information about The Boycott and environmental issues, this podcast also touches on Blume’s other work, including the anti-war Lysistrata Project in 2003.

Episode Links:

• The Boycott info on nytheatre.com
• The Boycott website

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nytheatrecast correspondent Robin Reed goes on location in this episode to provide us with a sneak preview of the latest show from Temporary Distortion, Welcome to Nowhere (bullet hole road), which plays at Chocolate Factory Theatre in Long Island City in October 2007.

Temporary Distortion uses multimedia to create very distinctive and unusual theatre works. This particular piece is a meditation on travel. Robin speaks with director Kenneth Collins and video artist William Cusick about their collaboration; she also interviews actors Ben Beckley and Stacey Collins about what it’s like to work on a Temporary Distortion piece.

Best of all, this episode includes rehearsal footage, excerpts from the show, and a song.

Episode Links:

• Welcome to Nowhere - info on nytheatre.com
• Temporary Distortion website

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This episode introduces three Australian theatre artists who are now working in New York City. Martin Denton interviews Jeremy Waters, Emma Jackson, and Bronwen Coleman, who talk about how they decided to come to America, what their experiences here have been like, and some of the differences between Australian and American theatre.

All three also tell us about their current projects: Jeremy and Emma are appearing in Mercy Thieves, presented by Outhouse Theatre Company at the Kraine Theatre in October 2007. And Bronwen is appearing in her own solo play Mrs. Barry’s Marriage, which will be at the 45th Street Theatre in October 2007.

Episode Links:

• Mercy Thieves — info on nytheatre.com
• Outhouse Theatre Company website
• Mrs. Barry’s Marriage — info on nytheatre.com

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In this episode, distinguished actor/director/teacher Terry Schreiber talks with Martin Denton about his acting school, T. Schreiber Studio, and specifically the Studio’s 2007-08 slate of plays, which includes the new play Sister Cities along with a revival of Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana, which Terry will be directing.

Terry talks about his career, the development of the Studio, and its ethos. He also reveals how the Studio got its name!

Also on hand for this discussion is Cat Parker, who is producing director of the Studio, and who will be directing Sister Cities. Cat tells us about her background before joining the Studio, and provides lots of interesting info about this upcoming show.

Cat and Terry reveal a lot of interesting information about their processes as directors in this podcast.

A side note: Martin Denton will be hosting a talkback with Cat and the cast of Sister Cities following the performance on Sunday, October 28.

Episode Links:

• T. Schreiber Studio website
• Info about Sister Cities on nytheatre.com

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