Actors Colman Domingo, Elizabeth Marvel, Michele Pawk, Daphne Rubin-Vega and David Zayas discuss the influence of their early training; how they challenge themselves for each role; their feelings about participating in readings and workshops; collaborating with directors; their relationship with the audience and how it affects their performance; and roles that they'd like to play.

The panel of playwrights - Kristoffer Diaz, Kate Fodor, Rajiv Joseph, Young Jean Lee and Tarell Alvin McCraney - discuss how and why they became involved in theatre; whether their writing comes from their own life experiences or that of others, or both; how their writing develops and evolves; what challenges their imagination; how their work is viewed by audiences in other countries; and the importance of diversity being reflected in theatre.

The panel of producers, presenters and bookers -- Meredith Blair, Mike Isaacson, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Steven Schnepp and Allan Williams -- discuss what works and what doesn't on the road; the challenges of educating audiences about a show; what content might be considered too risky for road productions; how important Broadway is for promoting road shows; whether plays have a place, and can be successful, in road tours; finding shows off-Broadway that can be put on tour; and how long a...

A panel of directors - Stafford Arima, Anne Kauffman, Rebecca Taichman and Henry Wishcamper - discusses the dynamic between themselves and the playwrights with whom they work; their first paying job as a director; the value of assistant directing; what process means to each of them; how they approach auditions and if they would like to have a job as an Artistic Director.

Our panel of choreographers - Christopher Gattelli, Liza Gennaro, Ken Roberson and Sergio Trujillo - discuss their childhood and early adult life and how it influenced their start in dance; the amount of research they do for each show; how choreography enhances a performance; the relationship between choreographers and directors; how recent TV programming has brought back an interest in dance, especially among young people; the difference between musical staging and choreography and...

The panelists - President/Executive Director of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization Ted Chapin, President of the American Theatre Producers Cy Feuer, writer/critic Martin Gottfried, actor Nathan Lane ("Guys and Dolls", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"), actor Donna McKechnie ("State Fair"), book writer Joseph Stein ("Fiddler on the Roof"), director/choreographer Susan Stroman ("Big", "Show Boat"), and composer/lyricist Charles Strouse ("Annie") - discuss musical revivals...

The panel of performers - Jessica Boevers ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"), Jim Dale ("Barnum", "Candide"), Justin Kirk ("Love! Valour! Compassion!"), Daniel Massey ("Taking Sides"), Jay Hunter Morris ("Master Clas"), Adam Pascal ("Rent"), and Jean Smart ("Fit To Be Tied") - discuss their backgrounds in diverse areas of performance such as dance, opera, rock music, and repertory theatre; pursuing acting in New York compared to Chicago and Los Angeles; early roles, training,...

The panel of playwrights - Edward Albee ("The Lady From Dubuque"), Eve Merriam ("The Club"), Samm-Art Williams ("Home"), Lanford Wilson ("Talley's Folly"), and Ruth Wolff ("The Abdication") - discuss producing their current plays, how much playwrights creatively collaborate with directors and producers, the responsibilities of an agent, how playwrights learn to direct, and advice for actors and new playwrights.

The panel of performers - Karen Akers ("Nine"), Christine Baranski ("Sally and Marsha"), actor/playwright Harvey Fierstein ("Torch Song Trilogy"), Ben Harney ("Dreamgirls"), Lonny Price ("Master Harold...and the boys"), and Liv Ullmann ("Ghosts") - discuss the strong themes of their respective productions; how demanding their roles are, from character development to physical challenges to the emotional intensity of a role; training and audition experiences; how cast replacements effect a...

The business team for the play "Dancing In The End Zone" - literary agent Mitch Douglas, producers Dasha Epstein and Morton Gottlieb, publicist Milly Schoenbaum, and general manager Richard Seader - talk about the responsibilities of the producer, the benefits of a workshop versus going out-of-town, the role of a press agent, comparing large off-Broadway houses to Broadway, and the evolution of opening night events including critics now attending previews.

The panel of actors - Sinead Cusack ("Cyrano De Bergerac"), Frank Langella ("After The Fall"), Joe Mantegna ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), Theresa Merritt ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"), and Sigourney Weaver ("Hurlyburly") - talk about their training, auditioning for their first major roles, the rehearsal process, working in the ensemble, actors who are also playwrights, and establishing relationships as a result of stage work.

The production team behind "Hurlyburly" - advertising representative Rick Elice, agent Milton Goldman, legal counsel Jay S. Harris, stage manager Peter Lawrence, press representative Sandra Manley, and producer Frederick Zollo - discuss how David Rabe's play found a producer, director, and high profile cast for its debut at Chicago's Goodman Theatre, its successful off-Broadway run prior to Broadway, producing with a profit pool plan, production costs including the advertising budget, and the...

The panel of Broadway actors - Matthew Broderick ("Biloxi Blues"), Jim Dale ("Joe Egg"), Charles S. Dutton ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"), Rosemary Harris ("Pack of Lies"), Glenda Jackson ("Strange Interlude"), and theatrical agent Lionel Larner - discuss how they left their various layman jobs to begin performing, their audition experiences, how they became involved in their current productions, what they look for in an agent, how they obtained one, and the role of an agent.

The panelists - playwright P.J. Barry ("The Octette Bridge Club"), lyricist Ellen Fitzhugh ("Grind"), director John Going ("Inherit The Wind"), playwright Fay Kanin ("Grind"), playwright Jerome Lawrence ("Inherit The Wind"), agent Bruce Savin, and director Clifford Williams ("Pack of Lies") - talk about their formal training; the relationship between directors, playwrights and casting directors; the key to successful collaboration; comparing the author's rights for stage versus film; the...

The producing team of the 1985 Broadway musical "Grind" - advertising representative Jeffrey Ash, group sales executive Ronald S. Lee, executive producer Ruth Mitchell, and producers Michael Frazier, Kenneth Greenblatt, Mary Lea Johnson, and John Pomerantz - talks about bringing the nearly $5 million production to Broadway after a tryout in Baltimore, working with director Hal Prince, the importance of advertising and group ticket sales in light of mixed critical reviews, comparisons to their...

The panel of actors - Don Correia ("Singin' in the Rain"), Tovah Feldshuh ("Springtime for Henry"), Glenne Headly ("Arms and the Man"), Judd Hirsch ("I'm Not Rappaport"), Barnard Hughes ("The Iceman Cometh"), Cleavon Little ("I'm Not Rappaport"), Elizabeth McGovern ("Map of the World") - and casting director Vincent G. Liff discuss how they have dealt with mishaps and missed lines, the extent of research done for roles, schooling and formal acting training, starting out in regional theatre...

The panelists - director Clinton Turner Davis ("Two Can Play"), playwright Herb Gardner ("I'm Not Rappaport"), playwright/lyricist Tom Jones ("The Fantasticks"), playwright Shirley Lauro ("Open Admissions"), lyricist/director Richard Maltby Jr. ("Song and Dance"), playwright Marsha Norman ("Night Mother") and composer Harvey Schmidt ("The Fantasticks") - discuss how a playwright chooses a director, the role of a playwright, how much structure is provided by the text, and the varying degrees...

Our panel of some of Broadway's brightest new performers - Jennifer Damiano, Robin de Jesús, John Gallagher, Jr., Jon Michael Hill and Krysta Rodriguez - discuss the first professional show they ever saw; the moment they realized they wanted to perform and how their families responded to the news; how their very first jobs came about; the challenges of choosing between school and work; whether they like to go to other shows and what kind of audience member they are; and what they learn from...

The 1985 Joseph Maharam Foundation Awards for Scenic, Costume, and Lighting Design are awarded to Lawrence Eichler, Charles Ludlam, and Everett Quinton for The Ridiculous Theatrical Company's "The Mystery of Irma Vep"; Mel Carpenter, Angus Moss, and Blu for Ping Chong's Fiji Theatre Company's "NOSFERATU: A Symphony of Darkness"; and Heidi Landesman, Patricia McGourty, and Richard Riddell for Broadway's "Big River". The designers discuss their respective productions in-depth. In addition,...

The panel of actors -- Glenn Close ("Benefactors"), Maurice Hines ("Uptown...It's Hot"), Aidan Quinn ("A Lie of the Mind"), Marlo Thomas ("Social Security") -- discuss working with directors, agents, formal education and technical training, and the beginnings of their individual acting careers.

The development and production of musical theatre was the focus of the discussion with our panel of producers - Sue Frost, Robyn Goodman, Paulette Haupt and Scott Sanders. They talk about what attracts them to a project; if playing on Broadway is the ultimate success for a show; whether going out of town is helpful, or necessary, for a new show; the impact of audiences on the show; dealing with critical reviews that remain on line when trying to get a show launched; the difficulty of closing...

Playwright Brian Clark ("The Petition"), playwright/director Emily Mann ("The Execution of Justice"), playwright Arthur Miller ("Death of a Salesman"), literary agent Gilbert Parker, director Norman René ("Precious Sons"), and director John Tillinger ("Loot" and "The Perfect Party") discuss the division of responsibilities between playwright and director, how casting effects the original script, the significance of play titles, playing regional theatres versus New York versus London,...

The "Precious Sons" production team - producers Marty Bell and Roger Berlind, legal respresentative Patricia Crown, press representative Joshua Ellis, advertising representative Peter LeDonne, and general manager Peter Neufeld - discuss the steps taken to bring the show to Broadway such as obtaining rights, building a creative team, the casting process, Broadway versus off-Broadway, the risks in mounting a production, marketing planning and costs, varying advertising, and experimental ticket...

Our panel of leading actors - David Alan Grier, Anthony LaPaglia, Laura Linney, Jan Maxwell and Alfred Molina - shared their process about what they look for in a script; the kind and extent of the research they do for a role; how the audience influences their performance; handling a director's return to the show after opening; their collaboration with both the director and the playwright; and what they've learned that they'd share with actors just starting out.

Our distinguished panel of playwrights -- Charles Busch, David Ives, Donald Margulies and Suzan-Lori Parks -- discuss the moment when they realized they wanted to be writers; who influenced them in their early careers; whether or not they have a specific actor in mind when they write; their collaboration with directors; and the theaters they consider to be their homes.