NEXT ACT! New Play Summit, a joint venture between Capital Repertory Theatre and Proctors, is an annual showcase of new plays designed to shed light on new play development. The summit brings playwrights, directors, actors, and audience members together for a series of workshops and readings, where multiple new full-length plays are given readings. We speak with Cap Rep's Associate Artistic Director, Margaret Hall, about this year's programming.

Benita and Ellen chat about all the great upcoming shows in the area, and read off a list of the 20 top things only people in community theater understand.

WAM Theatre (Where Arts and Activism Meet) aims to produce theatrical events for everyone, with a focus on women theatre artists and/or stories of women and girls while donating a portion of proceeds from those theatrical events to organizations that work to benefit the lives of women and girls in our communities and worldwide. Genée Coreno has just taken over as Artistic Director (only the 2nd AD in the company's history). We chat to her about WAM's powerful work and what she envisions for...

Franklin Trapp, Producing Artistic Director of Forestburgh Playhouse, joins us to talk about the excitement and challenges of producing 7 mainstage shows in the summer on top of presenting cabarets, theater for young audiences programming, and a new play festival. https://www.fbplayhouse.org/ This episode is sponsored by Harbinger Theatre's production of "In The Blood" by Pulitzer winner, Suzan-Lori Parks. Performances: March 15-24 at the Saint Rose Theatre

It's that time of year again when we take a break from theater to discuss our sister industry, film. Jackson Murphy (Lights Camera Jackson) is back to chat all things Oscars with us! Who will take home the golden statues, and what is the future of cinemas when people are so used to just streaming stuff at home?

James Barry, Co-Producing Artistic Director of Chester Theatre Company in Massachusetts, joins us to talk about their thrilling upcoming season, the joy of the audience talk-back, and theater tours to London and Dublin. https://chestertheatre.org/    

In 2015, performers Leah Edwards and Dimitri Pittas made a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to escape the hustle and bustle of their careers. Wooed by its beauty and hospitality, the couple returned a month later to make it their home. In connecting with their community through discussion and performance, they realized that there was a strong local desire to learn more about and attend opera and musical theatre. Upon learning that Charleston is, in fact, the birthplace of opera in North...

2024 is here! It's time for our annual review with Patrick White and Chris Foster. We chat about some of their favorite shows of the year, completing a successful season with their company Harbinger Theater, and what exciting things await in the new year. Can you believe this is our 5th end-of-year review with these guys?! How time flies!

Brandon Jones knows his music. He is an actor, singer, accompanist, voice teacher, and music director who is now traveling the world working on shows on cruise ships. We chat with him about all his experience and tips for a good singing audition. This episode is sponsored by Harbinger Theater's production of "Mrs. Packard."

Ellen and Benita chat about holiday shows, the move to no-intermission scripts, and upcoming productions we're looking forward to. This episode is sponsored by Harbinger's Production of "Mrs. Packard", playing at the Albany Barn Dec 7-16.

Jack Mastrianni is known in the Capital Region for his work with Playhouse Stage Company, Capital Rep, and more, but he has been traveling the country performing - from Broadway to California. He is currently in a revival of "The Fantasticks" that changes Lousia into Lewis. We chat with him about this new take on this classic show.

Leigh Strimbeck is a very accomplished actor, director, teacher, and writer. We sit down with her to discuss safe spaces in rehearsal, how to teach acting, and the future of the theater. http://leighstrimbeck.com/bio/ This episode is sponsored by iTheatreSaratoga's production of "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", a new adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic novel, running Oct 27th - Nov 5th. https://www.itheatresaratoga.org/

Heelllooo! We're chatting with Bianca Rivera-Irions, who is the female ensemble swing and social media captain for the national tour of Mrs. Doubtfire. Hear about life on the road, mastering how to cover multiple tracks, fun skills to put on a resume, and the social media element of promoting a show.

Company is touring the nation, and starting right here in Schenectady at Proctors. We chat with Britney Coleman, who plays Bobbie, about the gender flip in this production, life on tour, and tackling Sondheim music. Company runs at Proctors from Oct 8th - Oct 14th 2023.

Heidi Schreck's groundbreaking play "What the Constitution Means to Me" is currently playing at Capital Repertory Theatre, starring the incredibly talented Kim Stauffer. Kim joins us to discuss the process of rehearsing and performing such a powerful play that affects the audience in so many varying ways.

The post-show blues. It’s a real thing. How do you cope after a show closes? Do you immediately look for your next project? Are you grateful for a break? What’s the end of a run look like for you? We read our listeners' comments on how they handle a show closing.

"We always want to do things that have not been done before." iTheatre Saratoga is rich with productions of new work, adaptations of old work, and staged readings from up and coming playwrights. Will Severin and Mary Jane Hansen join us to talk about exciting things happening in our own backyard. https://www.itheatresaratoga.org

Audience interaction/reactions can be crazy unpredictable! We asked our listeners : What are your funny/interesting stories involving audiences? Do you like audience interaction and breaking the fourth wall as an actor or audience member? Have you ever had any interesting or unexpected audience reactions? Ellen and Benita read our listeners' comments.

Barefoot Shakespeare Company provides free outdoor theater in Manhattan's Central Park to make Shakespeare accessible for everyone. Artistic Director, Emily Gallagher, joins us to talk about Barefoot Shakespeare, running a theater company, all things related to the bard, and "Shakespeare Unrehearsed," their super fun summer fundraiser show. https://barefootshakespeare.org/

RP McLaughlin, Interim Programs Director at the National New Play Network, discusses the essential collaboration between theaters the NNPN provides to develop, produce, and extend the life of new plays. We chat about the challenges and rewards of producing new work, the abundance of resources available through the New Play Exchange (for $10 a year!), and wonderful opportunities for theater companies. https://nnpn.org/ https://newplayexchange.org/

Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, Producing Artistic Director at Capital Repertory Theatre, joins us to chat about the current production of "Honky Tonk Angels", a musical celebration of the female stars of country. She also discusses changes at the Rep, from their new performance space to adding understudies to the mix.

Liv Cummins is a playwright, director, actor, teacher, and singer/songwriter. Her work uses comedy to critique social and cultural ills and focuses on historical women characters, whose lives of adventure and passion arouse and inspire. We chat with Liv about her shows, including "Ladies, How Dare You!" which takes place during the1913 Women's Suffrage Parade in Washington, DC.

A Tony Awards with no writers?! Was it a mess, or a huge success? What were some of the surprises and highlights of the night? With non-binary winners, how should the Tony categories of "Best Actor/Actress" be re-imagined for future awards? What exciting shows are coming in the 2023-2024 season? Adam Deremer joins us to debrief about the 2023 Tony Awards.

It's that time of year again, and we are joined by our dear friend Adam Prado-Deremer to chat about the Tony Awards! It's a year where many categories seemingly could go a lot of different ways. We share our thoughts on our Tony picks!