Today’s guests both appear in the New Theater Project’s site specific production of “Blackbird“ running now through November 23rd at Servi-Sure: A working titanium parts factory in Chicago’s Bomanville Neighborhood.
Todd Wojcik who plays Ray, is an ensemble member of The Artistic Home where he earned a Jeff award nomination for his role in their production of “The Pavilion”.
Olivia Lindsay who plays Una is a Chicago based actor, clown and artist who also works with Vaudeville Chicago.
We discuss the current of “Blackbird”, and the reason for producing this story for today’s audience. Be advised that while today’s episode does not include adult themes, the play “Blackbird” does, and our listeners are encouraged to read more about the play before purchasing tickets.
You can get tickets to Blackbird here: https://www.tixtree.com/e/blackbird-by-david-harrower-the-new-theatre-project-9fb3e5b6066b
I hope you enjoy my conversation with the 2 person cast of “Blackbird”: Todd Wojcik and Olivia Lindsay. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is an actor, singer, and musician based in the city of Chicago.
An alumni of Columbia College Chicago, he is a multifaceted performer who thrives on collaboration and ensemble work throughout the city's vast surplus of storefront and suburban theater.
Some of his wide range of credits includes the Hollywood film, Grand Torino directed by Clint Eastwood, guest star appearances on Chicago Med and Chicago Fire, National tours of The Play that Goes Wrong and Once, Million Dollar Quartet at both Theatre At the Center and Paramount Theatre, and most notably as Samwise Gamgee in Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the New Zealand Tour of ‘Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale’.
He is also a multi-instrumentalist who is proficient in acoustic, electric and bass guitars, Drums, Piano, Cajon, Mandolin, Banjo and Ukulele.
I hope yo enjoy my conversation with Michael Kurowski. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today's guest shares their name with a famous recently departed Hollywood icon and also a renowned female jazz vocalist. The relations of which we actually were unaware of until the time of this interview.
With a career spanning decades in opera, straight plays and musicals all over the world, some of his performance credits include Titanic, Ragtime, She Loves Me, The Full Monty, and Catch Me If You Can at the Marriott, the first National tours of The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Come From Away and Company, Five Guys Named Moe, Satchmo at the Waldorf, and Porgy and Bess at Court Theater, and as the title character of Carlyle at the Goodman Theater.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Chicago's own James Earl Jones II. Now let's go to the top of the show.
Today’s guest is a playwright, performer and theater commentator whose work explores themes of resilience connection and self discovery.
As "Broadway Bob" on TikTok, he shares news, insights and sparks conversation across the Broadway and regional theater communities. He has also written about Chicago’s rich cultural landscape for outlets including Huffington Post, NBC 5 Chicago and the City of Chicago. He also has a cult favorite podcast called "The Sunset Project".
Recent Chicago credits as an actor include The Addams Family Titanic , Sondheim on Sondheim, Sweeney Todd and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical .
He is passionate about storing telling it all its forms and is honored to continue to the evolving conversations around Theatre and the arts.
I hope you enjoy our conversation with Bob Bullen. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
We are fortunate today to have two guests on the show: One the director of, and one a cast member of, 4 Chairs Theatre’s production of Four Places.
Director Lauren Berman founded 4 Chairs Theatre in 2018. Since the company's inception, she has directed several cabarets as well as the musicals Ride the Cyclone, Be More Chill, Spring Awakening, and their current production of the play, Four Places.
She also directed What the Constitution Means To Me as part of Paramount Theater’s Bold Series and is an acting coach for actors of all ages and abilities.
Actress Andrea Uppling’s recent Chicago credits include hat the Constitution Means To Me , A Streetcar Named Desire, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and Girls and Boys.
Four Places opens October 16 and runs through November 2 at the Bramble Arts Loft.
For tickets please visit https://www.4chairstheatre.org.
Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is an award-winning freelance designer based in the city of Chicago.
Having received his master’s degree in scenic design from Indiana University, Bloomington, he now designs sets, props, and projections for a variety of theaters the Midwest.
Some of his favorite designs include Mean Girls with EVSC, The Beauty Queen of Leenane with Three Crows Theatre, and Pro-Am with First Floor Theatre.
He’s also currently the Marketing Coordinator at Northlight Theatre in Skokie, where he runs their various social media accounts and manages their newsletter and digital audience communications.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Spencer Donovan Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is a Broadway veteran, who has appeared in the original New York casts of Ragtime and Candide, joined the long running A Chorus Line, and toured nationally in Urinetown, Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ and Cabaret (where he understudied the legendary Joel Grey).
in 2011, he inaugurated Paramount Theatre’s Broadway Series as Artistic Director with President and CEO, Tim Rater, with their critically acclaimed production of My Fair Lady.
With a subscriber base then of 12,500 patrons, it has grown to 40,000 subscribers; The largest subscription based theatre in the country!
In 2015, Paramount became Jeff Award eligible. Since then, the theatre has garnered over 150 nominations with 30 wins, including three Best Musical Awards for Les Misérables, West Side Story, and Sweeney Todd, the last two of which, he also won Jeff Awards for Best Director.
Finally, he remains the sole honoree to have won Jeff Awards as an actor, choreographer and director.
This season, the Paramount holds the record for the most Jeff nominations in a single season with 26, breaking its previous record of 18 during the 2016-17 season. Paramount’s current production of Million Dollar Quartet is running into its second year at the venue’s new Stolp Island Theatre.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Jim Corti. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest holds a Doctorate of Music from Northwestern University and is a very busy Music Director, Composer, Conductor, Pianist and Vocal Coach residing in Chicago who also works in LA, NY, London and New Zealand!
Currently the resident music director for Norwegian Cruise Line’s production of Choir of Man (a position he also held for Chicago’s resident production) he was also the music director and conductor of Porchlight Theatre’s Titanique which ran at Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse.
He is also the music director of this year’s Joseph Jefferson Awards; An award he received for best musical direction of Boho Theatre’s Big Fish in 2019.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Dr. Michael McBride. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is a Chicago based actress and teaching artist. As a Company Member of TimeLine Theatre, she has performed in over 15 of their productions including the role of Maria Callas in Master Class. She has performed with the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Lookingglass, Northlight, Drury Lane, Marriott and Writers Theatres, as well as a variety of regional theaters including Woolly Mammoth in DC, and Milwaukee Rep.
Also seen on both TV and Film, she has garnered 10 Jeff nominations in seasons past and is nominated this season for two productions: As part of the ensemble of Northlight’s A Prayer for the French Republic and for her role as Queen Elizabeth in Drury Lane Theatre’s The Audience. She will also, once again, be the announcer for this Jef Awards.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Janet Ulrich Brooks. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is a Chicago based actor who has performed all over America and the high seas. Notable performances include Miss Blakk for President at Steppenwolf, Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Signature Theatre in DC, and The Little Mermaid at Drury Lane Theatre.
They are a Jeff recipient for best choreography for Heathers The Musical at Kokandy productions, has been previously nominated for Best actor in a supporting role as Fastrada in Pippin. THIS season, they're nominated for their role as Ursula in Disney’s The Little Mermaid at Drury Lane.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Sawyer Smith. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is a multiple award winning Chicago based performer, currently nominated for her role as John Dickinson in Marriott Theatre’s 1776. A Northwestern Graduate, she has
performed in over 100 productions in Chicagoland and around the
country. Some of her most well known roles include Nessa Rose in the Chicago sit down of Wicked, Harper Pitt in Court Theatre’s Angels In America and Dolly Levi in Marriott Theatre’s Hello, Dolly! She has appeared in film and Television, is a nationwide concert performer and last but certainly not least, is the wife of actor, David Girolmo.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Heidi Kettenring. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guests are both appearing in Point 2 Point Production’s production of “Next To Normal”.
Max Trotter, who by day is a digital marketing expert, plays Gabe and Logan VanLerberghe, who is a school teacher by day plays Henry.
They both shared with us their love of the show, this current production and also how their daily experiences align with their roles.
“Next To Normal”. plays at the Lodge Performing Arts Center in Elgin from Sept 19th - 28th and you can get your tickets by visiting https://www.schaumburgonstage.org/point2productions.
Now let’s go, to the top of the show!
Today’s guest was born in the North Shore of Chicago and started her career as a dancer at New Trier High School. Since then she has had a career spending decades as an actress, singer, director, choreographer, acting coach and casting director.
Her acclaimed school, The Performers School, was one of the first of its kind in the Chicagoland area, strictly geared towards the training of child theater makers. Her latest project, 'A Flaster Production', is another feather in her cap where the shows they’ll produce will exclusively feature college ready teenagers.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Stacey Flaster!
Today’s guest began his professional career as a writer and actor with Chicago’s The Second City.
His first full-length play, “Magic Time,” premiered at Brandeis University and was subsequently produced Off-Broadway. His next play, “The God of Isaac” premiered in 1985 at the Tony Award winning Victory Gardens Theater.
A founding member of the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble he premiered a dozen plays there between 1985-2010. His plays have been published and are regularly produced by theaters throughout the United States and have also been seen in Canada, Mexico, Australia, South America, England, Germany, Austria, Poland, Turkey, South Africa, Australia, China, and Korea.
In the summer of 2006, he wrote and directed the movie of what is arguably is most popular play, “Beau Jest”, starring Lainie Kazan, Seymour Cassel, and Robyn Cohen.
Finally, he teaches classes in Playwriting and Improvisation at Columbia College of Chicago and DePaul University and is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America.
His newest play, “The First Lady of Television”, makes its world premiere at the Northlight Theatre, opening September 4th and runs through October 5th. For tickets, visit https://northlight.org
I hope you enjoy my conversation with playwright, James Sherman. Let’s go to the top of the show!
Kokandy Productions is one of Chicago’s premier storefront theatre companies.
Created in 2011, they have been nominated for 101 Non-Equity Jeff Awards, with countless wins including 5 for last season’s "Into the Woods".
Under the leadership of Scot Kokandy and Derek Van Barham, they have built a reputation that in every way aligns with the company’s mission: To leverage the heightened reality of musical theater, to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theater artists and new musical theater works while raising the profile of Chicago’s storefront musical theater community.
Anyone who has seen a Kokandy production can attest that they are doing just that to great success
Their current production of "Amelie" has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, and is currently running through September 28th. For tickets, visit https://www.kokandyproductions.com/
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Scot Kokandy and Derek Van Barham. Now let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest is a founding Ensemble Member of The Regional Tony Award Winning Lookingglass Theatre Company, where he has worked as an actor, director, adapter, and educator.
As an actor, he has appeared in nearly 30 productions for Lookingglass, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Cascabel (with Rick Bayless); Big Lake, Big City (directed by David Schwimmer); a he received a Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination for his Solo Performance in For Keeps and a Single Day. He also lays claim as being the only actor to perform 3 out of 4 roles in LookingGlass Alice, the company's iconic take on the classic Lewis Carroll tale.
He’s also been seen on the stages of the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Court, Drury Lane and Northlight Theatres.
A a dedicated theatre educator for most of his adult life, he has worked with organizations such as Eileen Boevers Performing Arts Workshop, Piven Theatre Workshop, and as adjunct faculty member in the Departments of Theatre at Northwestern University and at the University of Illinois at Chicago and, as a teaching artist for Lookingglass, has worked in schools all over Chicago for more than 25 years.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with today's guest, Thom Cox!
The Marriott Theatre was founded in 1975 and today the acclaimed theatre sells more than 400,000 tickets annually. In all, It has presented more than 180 productions to an estimated 11 million people! Earning praise from critics and audiences alike, they have received a record 599 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations.
In addition to the presentation of classic American musical theatre, Marriott Theatre has become a driving force in the development of original and re-imagined musicals, including world premieres of Phantom of the Country Palace, Peggy Sue Got Married, Once Upon a Time in New Jersey, For the Boys, Hero and October Sky.
Their popular ‘Theatre for Young Audiences’ programming has presented more than 75 productions original works as well as classic fairy tales. Through these special one-hour productions, over 2 million children have experienced the joy and magic that is "live" theatre.
Along with their recently launched concert series, The Marriott is always reinventing itself to meet the ever changing landscape in live entertainment programming.
I hope you enjoy my conversation with Marriott Theatre’s Executive Director, Peter Blair and Artistic Director, Peter Marsden Sullivan. Let’s go to the top of the show!
Welcome to the Chicago Theater-Makers podcast!
Each episode we’ll chat with actors, directors, choreographers, designers and producers shaping Chicagoland’s one-of-a-kind-theater scene!
The aim of this podcast is to highlight theater-makers at every level: From high school drama clubs to community theater to storefront theaters to the big Union houses.
New episodes drop every Monday, and in our first season, our list of guests already includes:
- Executive and associate directors from the top regional houses in town,
- A playwright whose shows have been produced world-wide,
- A husband and wife, director/choreographer team,
- Jeff Award Nominees and winners, and much more. Whether you’re a theater-maker just starting out, a theater pro, a curious audience member, or just love a good backstage story…This is the podcast for you.
So now that you’ve found us, please like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, share us with your friends or colleagues and subscribe to us on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.
And, if you or someone you know would like to be a guest on the podcast, drop us a note at our website: www.chitheatermakerspodcast.com
Thanks for listening and we’ll see you on the boards soon!
Today’s guest has been a theatre maker for over 40 years.
He’s an actor, singer and playwright whose first area bow was in Marriott Theatre’s production of "1776" nearly 30 years ago. Since then, he has been seen on many Chicago-area stages including the Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre, First Folio Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, and Porchlight Music Theatre (just to name a few!)
He has also added the moniker of ‘producer’ to his ever growing list of hyphens, with the creation of SoloChicago Theatre, and his Jeff Award winning production of “Churchill” ran in off-Broadway for 6 months, earning audience and critical acclaim.
Those of you in the Chicago-land area familiar with his work have probably already guessed that today my guest is none other than Chicago's original "journey-man", Ronald Keaton.
I hope you enjoy our conversation. Let’s go to the top of the show!
Today’s guest has been seen on stages all over the Chicagoland as well as Broadway and National Tours for the last 40 years. He was most recently seen in "Translations" at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, and "Uncle Vanya" for the New Theatre Project.
Past credits include Scrooge in Goodman Theatre’s perennial staging of "A Christmas Carol", the National Tour of "Aladdin" on which he originated the role of Jafar, and played mobster Gyp DeCarlo in the show on which we met, Broadway In Chicago’s long running production of "JERSEY BOYS".
I hope you enjoy my conversation with my good friend Jonathan Weir.