One of the questions that I get asked a lot in my travels is . . .

“How did Chicago become one of the longest-running shows ever?”

This week’s guest is one of the primary reasons.

Walter Bobbie was the Artistic Director of the newly formed Encores! when he added Chicago to the line-up and changed the Broadway landscape forever (Chicago is not only on the list of the Top 10 longest running shows, but it is the only revival on that list).

Because of its success, that could have been the only show that Walter directed, but he has done more, including last season’s Bright Star, Venus in Fur, and a bunch more (not to mention his Broadway acting credits!).

Walter and I talked about Chicago and why it became such a monster success, along with . . .

• How he knew he wasn’t long for life as an actor (warning: this story involves beer).
• The “Brunch Show” on the Upper West Side that started his career . . . and the person who hired him for the gig. (Spoiler Alert:  that person was himself.)
• The training he got by NOT going through traditional training.
• How he exercised his Producing muscles to build Encores! at City Center.
• The importance of a “safe room” for his actors on any play.

Walter is an ADP.  Actor/Director/Producer.  In this podcast, you’ll learn how there is much more crossover in those disciplines than you ever would have guessed.

So listen up . . .

Click above to listen to my podcast with Walter!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.

In 2010, the beautiful little play entitled Next Fall came out of nowhere, earned a rave from Ben Brantley, signed Elton John as a Producer and opened on Broadway where it was nominated for Best Play.

It was one of those great surprises that happen every few years in the theater.

And one of the best results from Next Fall‘s rise to the top was that people started to take notice of one of the top female Directors we have in our ranks, Ms. Sheryl Kaller.

Sheryl has become known for directing intimate dramas like Next Fall (she helmed Mothers and Sons on Broadway with Tyne Daly, which I co-produced), but can handle anything you throw at her (a stage version of Frozen has been on cruise ships for the last year or so . . . guess who put that sucker up?).

That’s why I was eager to talk to her, and as usual, Sher didn’t disappoint, and told me her story and gave me her perspective on all things including:

• What Bob Fosse “fought for” in his direction, and how that inspired her.
• How she never felt like a female Director while she was in school . . . but only when she got into the business, and how that has changed (or not) since then.
• The day she got scolded by an Actor for being too prepared.  And how that has affected her style since.
• How she got back into the business after deciding to take time off to raise her family (and how that made her a better and more successful Director).
• The process of pitching herself for a job . . . what she says to playwrights and Producers in order to earn their trust.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the 146 podcasts we’ve done here is that there is no one way to do anything in the theater.  There is only your way.

Listen to how Sheryl reached her goals and how she’s working her butt off to reach her new ones.

Click above to listen to my podcast with Sheryl!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.

There was a time when I thought about being an agent.  I interviewed with the big three-lettered agencies and was even offered a couple of gigs.  But I didn’t take them.

Because I didn’t have the stamina to sit behind one of those desks for 5+ years before I could agent myself.

You know who did have that stamina and guts?  Today’s guest, Mr. Jonathan Lomma.

Jonathan heard about agenting early on, and whether he knew it or not, he put himself on a path, which he fulfilled, of representing legends like Terrence McNally, Arthur Laurents, and Edward Albee.

We talked about what it was like working with such major writers like the triple-play above, as well as:

• What made him go to law school even though he was a child actor.
• Jonathan’s theory of how musicals changed after 2001.
• How an emerging writer gets on his radar.
• His favorite quote about working closely with people on the “other side” of the table.
• And more.

Within five seconds of meeting Jonathan, you just know that he found his calling.  Being an agent is exactly what he is supposed to do.

And after five seconds of listening to this podcast, you’ll realize that Jonathan isn’t just an agent for his clients.  He’s an agent for the theater.  And we’re lucky to have him as an advocate.

Enjoy!

Click above to listen to my podcast with Jonathan!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.

Here’s a statistical truth bomb for you: women direct only about 17% of the shows on Broadway.

How do I know that?  Pam MacKinnon has been keeping track.

Pam is already one of the few female A-list directors that make up that unbalanced percentage, having directed as many shows on Broadway as any woman out there (only Stroman has her beat).  But that doesn’t mean she’s not determined to help others get to where she is today.

During our podcast, we talked about what we can all do to even the playing stage, as well as . . .

• How she went from pursuing a Ph.D. in Political Science to a career in directing.
• Why a Director often has to act like a Producer (hear the story of how she had to negotiate Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf into existence).
• Why Broadway shows not slated for Broadway that end up there have an advantage.
• How she developed her own style, which is different than everyone else’s and why yours should be different too.
• Her method for approaching classic material and making it her own.

Pam MacKinnon was one of the few Directors that the esteemed Edward Albee trusted to direct his work (he wouldn’t let Steppenwolf do any of his plays until Pam took the reins of one).  It’s pretty easy to hear why he handed her his treasures when you listen to this podcast.

Enjoy.

Click above to listen to my podcast with Pam!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.