Stage Grok

I talk with director Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Everyday Rapture, et al.) about the process of transforming Green Day's American Idiot album into a stage musical.

I talk with director Ed Stern, about his production of The Lion in Winter at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, where he has also directed many other Rep shows in the past.

I talk with St. Louis-born actor Alex Prakken, who's currently touring the country in Newsies, about his work here in St. Louis, getting the Newsies gig, and the details of life on the road.

I talk with stage manager Champe Leary, about the job of stage managing and her decades working with the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

I talk with Adam Feldman, theatre critic for Time Out New York, and president of the New York Drama Critics' Circle, about his philosophy and process of reviewing, and his take on the state of the American theatre.

I talk with Broadway lyricist and composer Amanda Green about the musical High Fidelity, its creation, its production, its reception, and its rebirth here in St. Louis at New Line Theatre in 2008, and again in 2012.

I talk with actor Anderson Matthews, who was in the original cast of the 1975 Bluegrass musical The Robber Bridegroom. Andy has been acting on Broadway, in London, and across our country in regional theatre since the 1970s. He has appeared at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis in many shows, including Arcadia, Betrayal, The Crucible, Closer, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Other Desert Cities, Twelfth Night, The Goat or Who is Sylvia?, The Pillowman, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Art, Closer, Copenhagen, and so many more.

I talk with architect, scenic designer, and lighting designer Rob Lippert, about designing the new Marcelle Theater in St. Louis' Grand Center arts district, the new home to New Line Theatre.

I talk with Washington University professor Todd Decker about Show Boat, its creation, its impact, its history, its legacy, and the many forms it has taken over the last century. Todd has written three books, Music Makes Me: Fred Astaire and Jazz, Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical, and Who Should Sing “Ol’ Man River”?

I talk with St. Louis actor and teacher Tom Murray, about Theater Factory, one of St. Louis' most interesting companies for ten years in the 1980s and 90s, about its founder Hope Wurdack, and all the great artists and shows that were part of the adventure.

I talk with actor Lee Wilkof, who originated the roles of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors and Sam Byck in Assassins. He has also appeared in many other shows in New York and elsewhere. We talk about his experience working on Little Shop.

I talk with Peter Filichia, writer and musical theatre historian, about the musical theatre today and about his books, The Great Parade; Strippers, Showgirls and Sharks; Broadway Musical MVPs; Let's Put on a Musical; and Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit & the Biggest Flop of the Season, 1959 to 2009. Peter also writes four online columns, for Music Theatre International, BroadwaySelect.com, Masterworks Broadway, and Kritzerland Records.

I talk with Todd Schaefer, actor, director, designer, and teacher, about approaching the character of Capt. Macheath in New Line Theatre's production of The Threepenny Opera. We discuss his creative process and what was so different about working on Threepenny. Todd is also artistic director of The Players Project Theater Company in St. Louis, and the drama teacher at Webster Groves High School.

I talk with En Piro, founder and executive director of the St. Lou Fringe. Now in its fourth year, we talk about how a fringe festival operates, what she does, what the artists do, how shows are chosen, and why a fringe festival is important to our city.

I talk with Paula Hanssen, professor in the International Languages and Cultures department at Webster University, who was written a great deal about Bertolt Brecht and his creative partner Elisabeth Hauptmann. She's the author of the book, Elisabeth Hauptmann: Brecht's Silent Collaborator and she's an officer in the International Brecht Society.

I talk with Mark Bernstein, managing director for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. We talk about the duties of a managing director at a major regional theatre, insider details on creating a budget for the season and for each show, working with artistic director Steve Woolf, working with the Rep board, fundraising, forecasting, unions, housing, and the small army of artists that creates the Rep's six mainstage shows, three studio shows, and three children's shows each season.

I talk with Jennifer Ashley Tepper, author, historian, producer, about her two volume Untold Stories of Broadway, her concert series If It Only Even Runs a Minute, and her series of concerts at 54 Below in New York, where she is director of programming.

I talk with Jeffrey Carter, chair of the music department at Webster University, and resident music director at New Line Theatre, about music directing in the theatre, vocal care and training, and the whole process of bringing a musical theatre score to life, from auditions through the run.

I talk with Steve Woolf, artistic director of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, about the duties of an artistic director of a nonprofit regional theatre, including programming the season, hiring artistic staff, and so much more.

I talk with William Finn, Tony Award winning composer and lyricist of The Marvin Trilogy, Romance in Hard Times, Elegies: A Song Cycle, A New Brain, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Little Miss Sunshine, and other shows. We talk about his work, his teaching, and his artistic influences.