Theater Forward
From Forward Theater Company, a podcast featuring Jen Uphoff Gray, Julie Swenson and Mike Fischer as they discuss theater issues on a local, regional, and national level.
Episodes
We can't wait to give our take on the top 10 most-produced plays and top 20 most-produced playwrights in America this season! These annual lists are generated by American Theater Magazine, and we love to dive in and discuss. We talk about what we expected, what surprised us, and how this list reflects some interesting trends for theater in America. Spoiler alert: this season we're producing a rolling world premiere from America...
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok is one of America's hottest playwrights, and we're excited to experience two of her plays in Wisconsin during the 2025-26 season. We welcome Marcella Kearns and Jake Penner, two directors preparing to stage her work, to discuss Majok’s themes of survival, resilience, and connection.
They share what makes Majok’s plays hit so hard—and why directors are so dr...
We get down to business about one of the most contentious issues in modern American theater - play length and whether or not to have an intermission. Audiences have VERY STRONG feelings about this, and as producers of new plays we see these trends firsthand. As much as we love a 90-min theater experience, are our shrinking attention spans getting in the way of deeper, richer storytelling? Have we lost our theater stamina? The de...
We are excited to welcome BJ Jones, Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre in Skokie, IL. Northlight is among the largest non-profit theaters in the Chicago area, known for their commitment to contemporary works and their extensive youth education program. In this episode, we discuss the current evolution of regional theater, balancing audience wants with your own artistic vision, the art of "timing the moment" with new and rel...
Summertime means outdoor theater! We discuss the productions we're excited to see at some of our favorite summer theaters. We also dive into the 2025-26 season announcements from Wisconsin theaters, and share what we'll be checking out in the year to come.
We tackle the sudden and rapidly-shrinking landscape of government arts funding - and what it means for organizations trying to stay afloat without compromising their values. From disappearing grants to the risks involved for the artists and companies that are sitting out (and speaking out), this conversation is candid, urgent, and eye-opening. But amid the challenges, we also take a hopeful look toward solut...
It's season announcement time for theaters across the country, and we're excited to share our slate for the 2025-26 season! A common question we get is, "how do you choose your plays?" We talk about the decision process behind selecting these four productions, and how they fit together in the grand scheme. The 2025-26 season at Forward Theater. Season tickets now available at ForwardTheater.com. PRIMARY TRUST by Eboni Booth ...
Jen Uphoff Gray welcomes Kait Kerrigan and Nathan Tysen, writer and lyricist of Broadway's THE GREAT GATSBY! In this episode, this musical power couple shares their insight into the broken pipeline of musical theater development, which leaves countless new works stuck in limbo. We discuss the roadblocks that prevent fresh stories from reaching American audiences and why regional theaters hesitate to take the leap. But it’s not ...
This episode was inspired by a VERY spirited conversation we recently had, centered around a particular play and whether it would be a good choice for a future season. This debate required us to evaluate our relationship with our audiences - how do we meet them where they are, and how do we bring them along with challenging material while creating a welcoming and community-centered environment? As theaters across the country wor...
*This episode went missing late last year! It is officially Episode 113. Enjoy!
Despite the fact that theater is back to being live and in-person, many theaters (including ours) have discovered great value in offering a streaming option for their productions. As arts companies strive to become more accessible, digital theater has become an oasis for many patrons. In this episode, we revisit this topic that preoccupied the theate...
Happy Holidays! Enjoy our end-of-year episode, in which we share everything we loved about 2024, including stellar productions and films, the support of our amazing audiences, and the brilliant artists that continue to make the theater an inspiring and life-affirming experience.
We LOVE mailbag episodes, and this one was a treat. Join us as we talk about theater spaces, share our own play selection process, and bring the heat on playwrights and productions we never need to see again.
Our take on the top 10 most-produced plays and top 20 most-produced playwrights in America this season, based on the annual list generated by American Theater Magazine. We discuss what we expected, what surprised us, and how this list reflects the current state of theater in America. Here are the lists so you can follow along! Top 10 most-produced plays in America in 2024-25
...Inspired by the Summer Olympics and our upcoming production of KING JAMES by Rajiv Joseph, the team steps up to the plate to talk about their favorite sports-themed plays, and the exciting parallels between these two dynamic art forms. A spirited conversation for sports and theater lovers alike.
Each year, theatermakers from across the country attend the biennial Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Conference to learn, share, and network. But lately, this gathering has become less practical (and educational) for small companies looking for new and better ways to do business. We share our mixed experience with this year's meeting of the minds, and how it might better serve local regional theaters in America.
From educational programs to full productions, there have never been more opportunities for young adults and children to participate in a theater experience. We sit down with two of Wisconsin's most prominent leaders to talk about the ever-changing world of TYA and the impact these experiences have on future generations. This episode features First Stage (Milwaukee) Artistic Director Jeff Frank and Children's Theater of Madison ...
Our favorite summer stories are back! We sit down with some of our most treasured theater artists and ask them to share a story about a play or musical that "stayed" with them, inspired them, or simply blew their minds. This episode features:
Cody Estle - Artistic Director of Next Act Theatre
James Carrington - Actor and Associate Director of Engagement at Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Lisa Schlenker - Scenic Designer
Mikael Burke - ...
It's our favorite time of the year! Theaters across the country are announcing their productions for the 2024-25 season, and we've got a LONG list of shows that we want to see. In this episode, we discuss the shows we're looking forward to locally, regionally, and across the country.
It's the most wonderful time of the year! This is when theater companies across the country announce their upcoming seasons, which means that theater is alive in America. In this episode, the team breaks down (and geeks out about) the lineup for Forward Theater's 2024-25 season:
KING JAMES by Rajiv Joseph
MURDER GIRL by Heidi Armbruster
SUMMER, 1976 by David Auburn
A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD by Samuel D. Hunter Learn more a...
Mike Fischer interviews Forward Theater Artistic Director (and fellow host) Jen Uphoff Gray! Jen discusses the valuable role of mentors in the arts, while reflecting on her formative relationship with Tony award-winning director Michael Blakemore. A thoughtful conversation about how we cultivate a new generation of theater directors, with a few juicy showbiz tales that include David Mamet and Woody Allen for good measure. Also ...
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