Interviews

Interviews 

Rinne Groff and Marissa Wolf on Fire in Dreamland

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This summer, Rinne Groff’s latest play, Fire in Dreamland, directed by Marissa Wolf, is making its New York debut at The Public Theater. Set in the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy, Fire in Dreamland is a memory play that experiments with, and at times even subverts, the audience’s expectations of a traditional romantic comedy narrative. We speak with Rinne and Marissa about the journey and process of developing Fire in Dreamland, how art can be used to help dismantle social injustice, and more.

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Interviews 

An Interview with Dina Janis of Dorset Theatre Festival

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Southern Vermont is currently experiencing a theatrical renaissance, helmed by Dorset Theatre Festival’s Dina Janis. Since becoming Dorset’s Artistic Director eight years ago, Dina has revitalized the community by shifting her theatre company’s focus towards nurturing and highlighting new playwrights, especially female playwrights. We speak with Dina about her goals as an artistic director, why she thinks there is currently a window of opportunity for female directors at regional theatres, and more.

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Interviews 

An Interview with Lena Hall

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Lena Hall has optimized her rocker brand and built up a large fan base on social media. The 2014 Tony winner is in the midst of rolling out her monthly Obsessed series, a year-long compilation of EPs and music videos starring and co-produced by Lena herself. We speak with Lena about her experience working on the Obsessed series, the importance of mentorship, why failure is not a bad word, and more.

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Interviews 

Julia Coffey and Liz Wisan on Performing Shakespeare in 2018

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Julia Coffey and Liz Wisan are no strangers to Shakespeare. They are currently at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, where Julia is playing the title role in a gender-bending production of Richard II, and Liz is playing the lead role of Katherine in a production of The Taming of the Shrew that seeks to highlight themes of negotiation and companionship instead of inequity or abuse. We speak with Julia and Liz about what it’s like to perform Shakespeare in the context of the #MeToo movement, why they think Queen Elizabeth I may have influenced Shakespeare’s proto-feminism, and how much (or how little) has changed for women in the past four hundred years.

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Interviews 

Antoinette Nwandu on Pass Over

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In Pass Over, a new play by Antoinette Nwandu now playing at LCT3 at Lincoln Center, two black men stand on a corner waiting to get out and move on. Inspired by Waiting for Godot and Exodus, through its use of language and metaphor, it’s a play of epic proportions. It also marks Antoinette’s Off-Broadway debut. We speak with Antoinette about her process for writing Pass Over, how spirituality affects her work and life as a writer, how her career has changed, and more.

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Interviews 

Lauren Pritchard on Songbird

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In the new musical Songbird, loosely based on Chekhov’s The Seagull, a once well-known country music star returns home to help her son launch his own career, and some major emotional complications ensue—it is based on Chekhov, after all. Songbird has music and lyrics by Lauren Pritchard, who made her Broadway debut as a teenager in the original production of Spring Awakening. We speak with Lauren about adapting Chekhov, her songwriting process, and the ways she feels gender affects opportunities for women.

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Interviews 

An Interview with Set Designer Christine Jones

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Set designer Christine Jones has been nominated for a 2018 Tony Award for her imaginative, elegant set, full of secrets and illusions, upon which the play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” occurs. We speak with Christine about her approach to designing the set for the well-known and beloved wizarding world, how her kids have impacted and shared in her experience of Harry Potter, her impressions of the ways in which the field of set design has changed for young women who are just starting out, and more.

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Interviews 

Claudia Weill on Directing Theatre, Film, and Television

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Claudia Weill’s 1978 film “Girlfriends” was one of the 82 films by women to compete at Cannes. By the mid-80s, Claudia had moved into directing television and theatre. Currently, she is directing the new play BUMP at EST. We recently spoke with her about the differences between directing theatre, film, and TV; the difficulties of being a female director in ‘70s and ‘80s Hollywood; and what she feels people get wrong about that era.

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Interviews 

Susan Brown on Angels in America

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2018 Tony Award nominee Susan Brown is a self-described “chameleon” who plays Ethel Rosenberg, Hannah Pitt, and others in the Broadway revival of “Angels in America.” We speak with Susan about why “Angels” is a universal play, her experiences performing it both on Broadway and in London, how she approaches her transformations into her many characters throughout the two plays, and more.

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Interviews 

An Interview with Katrina Lenk

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In the last few years, the actress Katrina Lenk has become a growing sensation in the theatre by playing women from other cultures, including in “The Band’s Visit,” for which she received a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. We talk to Katrina about how the stories we tell affect our worldview, her process for creating Dina, being a private person, and her dream to one day be a female James Bond.

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Interviews 

An Interview with Ashley Park

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Ashley Park has been working non-stop since graduating college. This year, she’s racking up a slew of award nominations and wins for her work in “KPOP” and “Mean Girls,” including a recent Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. One might say she is one to watch. We recently spoke with Ashley about how she’s managing being in-demand, her approach to Gretchen in “Mean Girls,” ambition, and more.

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Interviews 

An Interview with Kristolyn Lloyd

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Kristolyn Lloyd is currently starring in Dominique Morisseau’s “Paradise Blue.” It marks a notable change from her last New York role as one of the teenagers in the Broadway hit “Dear Evan Hansen.” We recently spoke with Kristolyn about her perspective on her character in “Paradise Blue”, how she thinks about her career trajectory, and her future as a director.

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Interviews 

Go Down, Miss Moses: Quiara Alegría Hudes, Erin McKeown, and Lear deBessonet

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“Miss You Like Hell” is an ambitions and expansive musical about mothers and daughters. It has book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winner Quiara Alegría Hudes, music by singer-songwriter Erin McKeown, and is directed by Public Works founder Lear deBessonet. We speak to Quiara, Erin, Lear about how they developed the musical, their own spirituality, and moral purity in an imperfect world.

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Interviews 

Lindsey Ferrentino’s Spring Doubleheader: “This Flat Earth” and “Amy and the Orphans”

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Less than three years later after making her Off-Broadway debut, playwright Lindsey Ferrentino has two productions running Off-Broadway: “Amy and the Orphans” at the Roundabout and “This Flat Earth” at Playwrights Horizons. We speak to Lindsey about writing “This Flat Earth” and “Amy and the Orphans,” her career trajectory, writing female protagonists, and more.

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Interviews 

Marisa Michelson on “One Thousand Nights and One Day” and More

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Marisa Michelson is a composer and vocal philosopher who often adapts myths, folklore, or biblical stories into interdisciplinary, experimental musical works. Her latest piece is “One Thousand Nights and One Day: A Postmodern Musical Fantasia.” We talk with Marisa about “One Thousand Nights and One Day,” her process of composing from the body, why she enjoys crafting non-linear narratives, and more.

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Interviews 

Sharon Washington on “Feeding the Dragon” and Growing Up above the NYPL

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For years, people told actress Sharon Washington that she should write about her childhood growing up in an apartment above the St. Agnes branch of the New York Public Library, where her father was a custodian. Now, she finally has. “Feeding the Dragon” is Sharon’s solo show reflecting back on her childhood and her family. We recently went with her to the Main Branch of the NYPL and spoke with her about writing and performing “Feeding the Dragon” and books that have had an impact on her.

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Interviews 

Barrett Wilbert Weed on Mean Girls and More

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When the movie “Mean Girls” was released in 2004, it quickly became a cultural touchstone. Now, over ten years later, it’s a highly anticipated Broadway musical. Barrett Wilbert Weed plays the role of Janis, the artsy, not-so-popular girl. We talk to Barrett about creating the role of Janis for the stage, what “Mean Girls” has taught her about leadership, having a life outside the show, and more.

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Interviews 

What I Wore to Get (and keep) the Job: 12 women on the intersection of appearance and professional aspirations

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In theatre, issues of appearance affect women both on and off-stage, and on both sides of the curtain. We spoke to Tala Ashe, Laura Benanti, Sierra Boggess, Halley Feiffer, Anne Kauffman, Nikka Graff Lanzarone, Rebecca Luker, Nikiya Mathis, Jesca Prudencio, Aneesh Sheth, Liesl Tommy, and Whitney White about the complexities of deciding what to wear and being a woman in the world.

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Interviews 

Kenita Miller on “Once on This Island”

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Kenita Miller is currently playing Mama Euralie in “Once on this Island.” We spoke with Kenita about how her own mom’s missionary work in hurricane-ravaged Haiti inspired her current portrayal of Ti Moune’s adopted mother Mama Euralie, and why she thinks art can be a conversation starter about rebuilding community, as well as a reflection of life.

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