Kpfa - Bay Area Theater

Eric Ting, Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes), in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky, recorded August 31, 2021 via zencastr. This interview is part of a series of discussions with artistic directors and their staff about how various theatre companies dealt with the Covid shutdown and its continuing aftermath. Cal Shakes is slightly different from other companies in that it has an outdoor venue, the Bruns Amphitheater in Orinda, California, and only operates during the summer months. Here, Eric Ting discusses the time of the shutdown, in March 2020; the effect of the murder of George Floyd on Cal Shakes’ on-line programming, how the company survived during the many months after the shutdown, and its continuing coordination with the community it serves. The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare, adapted by Eric Ting and Philippa Kelly, plays at the Bruns in Orinda through October 2, 2021. Cal Shakes website The post Interview: Eric Ting, Artistic Director, Cal Shakes, 2021 appe

Sean San Jose, the newly appointed Artistic Director of the Magic Theatre in Fort Mason Center, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. One of the founders and current Program Director of the legendary Campo Santo performance troupe, Sean San Jose is a noted Bay Area actor who has worked in several venues, including the Magic, Cal Shakes, ACT and Berkeley Rep. He’s also a playwright, director and most importantly, an activist in expanding the arts to unrepresented communities. He is also a guest lecturer at UC Berkeley and has served on several boards throughout the Bay Area artistic community. The Magic is presenting a block party event at Fort Mason on Thursday, August 5th, starting with a VIP event at 5 pm and food trucks, music, and performance outdoors at 6 pm. For more information, go to the Magic Theatre Website.     The post Interview: Sean San Jose, Artistic Director, The Magic Theatre, 2021 appeared first on KPFA.

KPFA theatre critic Richard Wolinsky reviews “The Song of Summer” by Lauren Yee, directed by Bill English, at San Francisco Playhouse live, and streaming on demand, through August 14, 2021. The post Review: “The Song of Summer” by Lauren Yee, at SF Playhouse appeared first on KPFA.

Johanna Pfaelzer is tha Artistic Director of Berkeley Rep, one of America’ premier regional theatres. She is interviewed by host Richard Wolinsky In this interview, she discusses in depth a new streaming production, “The Waves in Quarantine: An Experiment in Six Movements,” which consists of six short films based on Virginia Woolf’s “The Waves,” written by Lisa Peterson, conceived by Lisa Peterson and Raul Esparza, and directed by Lisa Peterson, which runs on the Berkeley Rep website through May 28, 2021, free with RSVP required. Johanna Pfaelzer also discusses Berkeley Rep’s life during the pandemic, through the events of Black Lives Matter, and how the company is hoping to open up in the coming months. Finally, she discusses the plays in the upcoming season, scheduled to start in the fall. (photo by Benjamin Michel/Berkeley Rep). The post Johanna Pfaelzer, Artistic Director, Berkeley Rep, 2021 appeared first on KPFA.

This podcast was originally posted on May 7, 2019. Annette O’Toole & Richard Wolinsky. Annette O’Toole, lead performer in the Berkeley Rep production, “The Good Book,” written by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson,  and directed by Lisa Peterson, in conversation with host Richard Wolinsky. Annette O’Toole has had a long career in television, film and theatre, including regular stints as Superboy’s mother, Martha Kent, on Smallville, as the star of the TV series The Huntress and most recently in stints on the current Netflix series The Punisher and the upcoming series Virgin River. She has also appeared in leading and supporting roles in film, and more recently has appeared in several off-Broadway plays. Photos: Richard Wolinsky, creative commons. The post Annette O’Toole, “The Good Book,” 2019 appeared first on KPFA.

Jason Graae discusses his latest show, “Perfect Hermany,” singing the songs of computer/lyricist Jerry Herman, streaming on the 42nd Street Moon (April 10 -May 2) and Musical Theatre West  (April 15-25) websites, with host Richard Wolinsky. Jason Graae has appeared on Broadway in A Grand Night for Singing, Falsettos, Stardust, and Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? and off-Broadway in several shows, including the original cast of Forever Plaid.  He’s appeared on television as a guest on Frasier, Friends, China Beach and other shows, and has appeared innumerable times in various concerts. He has also sung on over 45 CDs, including reconstructions of several musicals of the 1920s through 1940s. Jerry Herman (1931-2019) was the composer/lyricist of such shows as Helly Dolly!, Mama, Mack & Mabel, Milk and Honey and La Cage Aux Folles, along with several lesser known musicals. Jason Graae has performed several times with both 42nd Street Moon and Musical Theatre West, and along with various benefit con

Len Cariou & Richard Wolinsky at KPFA Len Cariou, Tony Award winner for the original production of “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street” and star of his one-man show, “Broadway and the Bard,” in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Although recognized for his presence on television for the past eight seasons (as Tom Selleck’s dyspeptic father on the long running hit series “Blue Bloods”), Cariou has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the theatre, including originating leads in two landmark Stephen Sondheim musicals. In Broadway and the Bard, he is able to give full voice to an idea that he has harbored since his first prophetic Broadway season when he appeared as Shakespeare’s Henry V and followed by a starring role in the musical Applause. In this delightful play of verse and song, Cariou combines his two great loves – Shakespeare and American Musical Comedy –into one rich and diverse tapestry. Len Cariou is a distinguished member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and a three-time Tony® nomin

Richard Wolinsky & Carol Channing at KPFA, Oct 2002 Carol Channing (1921-2019), in conversation with Richard Wolinsky, recorded during the tour of her memoir, “Just Lucky I Guess,” recorded on October 18, 2002.  The great Broadway star Carol Channing died on January 15, 2019 at the age of 97. This iconic performer, along with starring in Hello Dolly for over 5000 performances, made her mark in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. appeared on the Broadway stage in thirteen other shows, and was also known for her TV appearances and for her role in the film Thoroughly Modern Millie. Strange looking – tall in heels, a waist that looked 15 inches wide and a head large enough to fit on Mount Rushmore, Carol Channing walked into the studio all in black, her shirt buttoned to the top. As the interview continued, she unbuttoned and you could see her performer’s aura, which was enhanced by the group of KPFA workers who congregated in the control room to watch her through the plate glass. It was extraordinary. The best way to

This podcast was posted on August 11, 2017 as a Radio Wolinsky podcast. Barbara Cook, the legendary Broadway star, died on August 8, 2017. This interview was recorded in her apartment on the upper West Side of Manhattan on June 21st, 2016  on publication of her memoir, Then & Now. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky. Barbara Cook came to New York from Atlanta in the early 1950s and was the young ingenue in the musicals Flahooley and Plain & Fancy. Her first major role was as Cunegonde in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. She made her greatest mark as the original Marian the Librarian opposite Robert Preston in the hit show, The Music Man, and followed it up as Amalia in the original production of She Loves Me, currently in a hit revival on Broadway. Along the way, she performed in several New York revivals, including The King and I, Show Boat and Carousel. After a rough few years in which she battled weight issues and alcoholism, she emerged in the mid-1970s as one of America’s greatest interpreters of the American

Lauren Gunderson, whose play The Catastrophist is currently being streamed on the Marin Theatre Company website through July 24, 2021, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Recorded March 10, 2021. Lauren Gunderson is the most produced living American playwright, and currently several of her works can be streamed on-line. The Flats, which was co-written with Cleavon Smith and Jonathan Spector, can be streamed at the Aurora Theatre website. Her one person play, Natural Shocks, can also be streamed through the Marin Theatre website or directly through Soundcloud. You can listen to Audible Theater’s production of The Half Life of Marie Curie starring Kate Mulgrew on audible.com at this address. A filmed version of Marie Curie was available at Theatre squared, and may have extended past March 14, 2021. Check the website for details. Lauren Gunderson is also the co-author of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, which is fast becoming a holiday classic, along with its sequel, The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley

This interview was originally posted as a Radio Wolinsky podcast on December 5, 2016. John Lahr, interviewed by Richard Wolinsky. John Lahr spent over two decades as drama critic for The New Yorker, and continues to write profiles for the magazine. His latest book, Joy Ride, consists of essays and reviews from the magazine. The author of several books, including Notes on a Cowardly Lion about his father, actor Bert Lahr, and a recent biography of Tennessee Williams, John Lahr also co-authored Elaine Stritch’s classic one-woman show, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and has served as a theatrical artistic director. Being on both sides of the fence, as theatrical professional and critic, he is perhaps the leading person in America to discuss theater today. This interview was recorded in the KPFA studios on October 4, 2015, but his views on political theater in the interview have only become more relevant after the four years of the Trump regime. In the interview, Lahr also discusses several aspects of criticism, incl

This podcast was first posted on April 15, 2018. Head Over Heels opened on Broadway at the Hudson Theater on July 28, 2018 and closed on January 6, 2019, after 36 previews and 164 performances. An  original cast album was released on October 12, 2018. Michael Mayer and Richard Wolinsky Michael Mayer, director of “Head over Heels,” a new musical with a pre-Broadway tryout at the Curren Theatre through May 6, 2018, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Michael Mayer won the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical in 2007 and has been nominated three times for a musical, for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Thoroughly Modern Millie and most recently, for Hedwig and the Angry Itch. He was also nominated as director for the 1998 production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. He directed and wrote the book for American Idiot and the recent reconfiguring of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. He directed the film version of Michael Cunningham’s A Home at the End of the World. His latest film is an adaptati

This podcast was originally posted on May 30, 2018. Sheryl Kaller, Richard Wolinsky and Pamela Gray. Sheryl Kaller, director, and Pamela Gray, playwright of “A Walk on the Moon,” a world premiere musical which played at A.C.T. Geary Theatre, June 9-July 1, 2018, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. “A Walk in the Moon” is based on the 1999 film with a screenplay by Pamela Gray. The show deals with life in a Jewish bungalow colony in the Catskills during the summer of 1969, and the sexual awakening of a mother and daughter. Sheryl Kaller is a Tony-nominated director whose most recent Broadway play was “Mothers & Sons” by Terence McNally in 2014. And among Pamela Gray’s other screenplays are “Music of the Heart” and more recently, “Megan Leavey.” A second production of “A Walk on the Moon”  was scheduled for the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey for April 21 – May 17, 2020, but was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic. The post Sheryl Kaller & Pamela Gray, “A Walk on the Moon”, 2018

This podcast was originally posted on June 8, 2018. Playwright David Henry Hwang and composer Jeanine Tesori discuss their latest project, an original musical titled “Soft Power,” which played at the Curran Theatre June 20-July 8, 2018, with host Richard Wolinsky. After the run at the Curran, the show was retooled and opened at New York’s Public Theatre on September 19, 2019 and closed following a limited run on November 17, 2019. The show was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, was nominated (but didn’t win) for eleven Drama Desk Awards, and did win four Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Best Off-Broadway Musical in 2020. “Soft Power” starts with a play and turns into a musical, about a reverse “King and I” created in China and produced fifty years in the future, concerning the relationship between a Chinese envoy and Hillary Clinton, which brings up questions regarding cultural appropriation and what is called “soft power,” the power of culture to influence society. Elements of the play,

Encore podcast originally posted June 18, 2018 Octavio Solis, whose play “Quixote Nuevo” was performed at at California Shakespeare Theatre in June 2018, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Author of over 20 plays, Octavio Solis is considered by many to be one of the most prominent Latino playwrights in America. With works that both draw on and transcend the Mexican-American experience, he is a writer and director whose style defies formula, examining the darkness, magic and humor of humanity with brutal honesty and characteristic intensity. His imaginative and ever-evolving work continues to cross cultural and aesthetic boundaries, solidifying him as one of the great playwrights of our time. This play updates the Cervantes story of an elderly man who believes himself to be a medieval knight, taking it to the border of Mexico and Texas, in the El Paso area, and giving the would-be Quixote the backstory of a professor going through the stages of Alzheimer’s. Octavio Solis website Scenes from “Quixote Nuevo”

This podcast was originally posted on January 30, 2017 as a Radio Wolinsky podcast. Alsion Bechdel (left); Jeanine Tesori (right) Fun Home: Alison Bechdel and Jeanine Tesori, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Alison Bechdel is the author of the graphic novel “Fun Home,” and Jeanine Tesori is the composer of the musical adaptation of “Fun Home”. Originally opening at New York’s Public Theatre, “Fun Home” moved to Broadway and won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical. Jeanine Tesori shared the Tony for Best Original Score with lyricist and librettist Lisa Kron. “Fun Home” is based on a graphic memoir detailing how Alison Bechdel came out of the closet to her parents, and discovered her father was gay, and the tragedy that came afterward. Alison Bechdel is also the author of the comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For” and the graphic novel “Are You My Mother.” Jeanine Tesori has written the music for four other musicals: “Violet,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, “Shrek: The Musical” and, with Tony Kushner, “Caroli

This podcast was originally posted on May 9, 2018. Liz Diamond and Richard Wolinsky, May 2018. Liz Diamond was the director of “Father Comes Home from the Wars, Parts 1, 2 and 3” by Suzan-Lori Parks, which played at ACT’s Geary Theatre April 25-May 20, 2018. She was then, and is jnow also the Chair of Yale Drama School’s Directing Department, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Liz Diamond’s love affair with theatre began when she was in the Peace Corps in Africa, and took off after she teamed with playwright Suzan Lori-Parks, working on plays in New York. Eventually she found herself at Yale, where she began to teach, eventually becoming the Chair of the Directing Department at Yale School of Theatre. She returns to directing with the latest Suzan-Lori Parks play, an epic about African-American slaves during the Civil War. The post Director Liz Diamond, 2015 appeared first on KPFA.

This podcast was first posted on April 9, 2018. Jessica Hagedorn, playwright of “The Gangster of Love,” based on her novel of the same name, is interviewed by Richard Wolinsky. “The Gangster of Love” had its world premiere at the Magic in San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center, April 11 – May 6, 2018. Jessica Hagedorn has adapted her own novel, which tells the story of a teenaged immigrant girl (based on Hagedorn’s own experienced) coming from the Philippines to San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury in the sixties and seventies, and living and working as a musician and artist in those heady times. In the interview, she talks about the play, the novel, and her own biography as an artist, novelist, playwright and musician. The post Playwright Interview: Jessica Hagedorn, 2018 appeared first on KPFA.

This encore podcast was first posted on January 22, 2018. John Kolvenbach is the author of several plays, including Sister Play and Goldfish, both previously performed at the Magic. His latest, Reel to Reel, had its world premiere January 31, 2018 and deals with a 55-year marriage, what really happens inside a marriage compared to how it appears to the outside world. His previous works have been performed all over the globe, and Love Song was a nominee in London for an Olivier Award for Best New Play. He is interviewed by Richard Wolinsky. The post Playwright Interview: John Kolvenbach, 2018 appeared first on KPFA.

This interview with Judith Ivey was recorded December 20, 2017 in a rehearsal room in the offices of ACT at 30 Grant Avenue in San Francisco, and first posted on January 5, 2018. Judith Ivey and Richard Wolinsky. Judith Ivey, two-time Tony winning actress, in conversation with Richard Wolinsky. Judith Ivey appeared in Harold Pinter’s classic play The Birthday Party, directed by Carey Perloff, at ACT’s Geary Theatre January 10, through February 4, 2018. Judith Ivey has appeared in several Broadway productions, including the role of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie and Sally Durant in Sondheim’s Follies, and is the winner of two Tony Awards for her work. She’s appeared in numerous films and television shows, from The Devil’s Advocate and Flags of Our Fathers to a season’s stint on Designing Women and guest starring roles in dozens of programs. In The Birthday Party, she portrayed Meg, half of a couple who run a boarding house where the events of the play occur.   The post Judith Ivey, “The Birthday Party” at ACT,