** Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://patreon.com/juliesworld** In this episode, I speak with Ira Seidenstein, PhD. He’s a teacher, author, and director currently living and working in Australia. We talk about the state of the arts today, teaching actors, as well as what it was like to work and tour with large productions like Cirque du Soleil. Introduction (0:00:30) Why he settled in Australia (0:01:38) The arts in Australian culture then, and now (0:02:53) Did the lack of work promote innovation or stagnation? (0:04:30) How bureaucracy and academia might stifle creativity (0:07:10) Local culture makes a big difference (0:11:00) Working at Cirque du Soleil (0:16:33) The culture of Cirque du Soleil (0:19:45) He’s worked on over a hundred shows (0:25:36) Transitioning to directing (0:28:43) Not fitting into the commercial environment (0:35:30) Stories from touring (0:37:20) Quantum Theatre: Slapstick to Shakespeare (0:40:00) Vulnerability and empowerment (0:51:30) A book recommendation for artists (0:56:09) Visit Ira’s website: https://iraseid.com/ Ira’s new book: https://iraseid.com/book-quantum-theatre-slapstick-to-shakespeare Visit Planet B612 on the web: http://planetb612.fm/ Follow Planet B612 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlanetB612fm