Podcast Episode 70 – Leigh Silverman
Now that the Tony noms are out and about, we can get back to our regularly scheduled podcast (which normally gets released on Monday) . . .
Sit in a room with Leigh Silverman for a few minutes seconds, and you can’t help but think, “Damn, this is a smart woman.” In fact, I thought that so many times during this podcast, I forgot what question I was supposed to ask next!
Not only was I taken by Leigh’s passion for the theater and her methodology for shaping plays and musicals (from Well to Chinglish to Violet), I was so impressed by how she has shaped her own career. Instead of majoring in directing in college? She majored in writing . . . knowing full well she wanted to direct. She understood that knowing the ins and outs of the structure of a play and how it was built from the ground up would serve her more than just studying directing. It’s like an architect choosing to work construction for a few years to understand what keeps a building in place. #Genius.
We talked all about that choice and so much more including:
- Why she’s glad someone told her she was a terrible Actor when she was just 15.
- How she decides if a new play is “viable.”
- Why she makes her Designers act.
- The difference between working on a play and a musical . . . and what her two new musical projects are.
- Why television is the reason the new American play is thriving.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the podcast of Leigh Silverman! (And go ahead, just try not to think “Damn, she’s smart!” I dare you.)
Click above to listen.
Listen to it on iTunes here. (And give me a rating, while you’re there!)
Download it here.
Click here to read the transcript.
