Upstage Left | Intimate Conversations with New York Theater

Welcome back to a new season(??) of Upstage Left! After a long hiatus we're back with actor Kim Blanck who plays Ruza Wenclawska in Broadway's Suffs. We're so excited to be talking our dear friend who's been singing and acting on New York stages for more than a decade. You may have seen her in MCC's Alice by Heart or Dave Malloy's Octet at the Signature Theater.

In this episode we discuss:

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After a long hiatus, we return with an interview with veteran stage, TV, and film actor: Reed Birney!

Since his Broadway debut in 1976, Reed has graced many a stage and screen. He won a Tony award in 2016 for his portrayal of the dad, Erik Blake, in Stephan Karam's The Humans. You've seen him in one of his many roles on Broadway and off. Or perhaps in his more recent film work, including: The Menu and Mass.
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Daniel K. Isaac is a very busy man! So we were especially excited that he made the time to chat with us. In this episode Rachel & Daniel discuss:

• the upcoming 2022-23 theater season and the Asian theater-makers on stage!
• how he turned a 2 line role on Billions into 72 episodes and counting 
• being the only children of single, immigrant mothers (and how they humble us)

It was truly a delight to chat with Daniel. Not only is ...

We are thrilled to chat with Downtown Theater Icon: Paul Lazar. From making appearances in movies that became cult classics (Married to the Mob, Silence of the Lambs, Old Boy, Snowpiercer), to his recent Broadway appearance in Macbeth directed by Sam Gold with Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga -- following Paul's career is like a game of Where's Waldo?  You never know where you'll spot him next!

In this episode we...

In this episode, Rachel speaks with veteran TV, stage, and film actor: Deirdre O'Connell.

Didi is the 2022 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Dana Higginbotham in Lucas Hnath's Dana H. She is also the recipient of the Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement award this year, and has racked up multiple awards over the years, including a 2005 Obie for Sustained Excellence. Rachel was eage...

For the 32nd episode, we decided it might be a good idea to introduce our listeners to the host of this podcast: Rachel Lin. After much convincing, Rachel zooms with social media manager and actor, Kendall Cafaro, to discuss Rachel's time in the theater and how this podcast came to be.

Recorded in April of 2022, turn in to learn about the actor, writer, and person asking the questions. Kendall & Rachel discuss:

Rachel chats with playwright & screenwriter, Anchuli Felicia King, whose play Golden Shield  is currently running at Manhattan Theatre Club through June 12. Her work also includes White Pearl which world premiered at the Royal Court in London and has received productions at the Studio Theatre in DC, as well as Sydney Theatre Company earlier this year. She is also on the writing team of the new HBO Max original series The Baby.<...

In this episode, Rachel chats with Taylor Reynolds -  one the most in demand theater directors currently working off-Broadway, and a producing artistic leader of The Movement Theatre Company. This season her work included: Tambo & Bones at Playwrights Horizons, Man Cave by John J. Caswell Jr. presented by P 73, and Songs About Trains playing at the New Ohio Theatre through April 18.

Rachel & Taylor talk about:

• T...

Rachel chats with Billy Carden, the current leader of her artistic home, Ensemble Studio Theatre. With almost 50 years in the biz and close to 30 as an artistic director (first at HB Playwrights Foundation & Theatre, then at EST), Billy is a wealth of theater history and knowledge.

The two speak about:
- the acting job that took him to the Public & Lincoln Centre
- what it was like to direct Uta Hagen
-...

Rachel chats with the dramaturg behind the newsletter, Nothing For the Group, Lauren Halvorsen. Before starting the weekly missive offering theater round-ups, reviews, and takes, Lauren was the associate literary manager at Studio Theatre in DC. Prior to that she worked at the Alley in Houston and the City Theatre in Pittsburgh.

These two nerd out on the current state of theater and what might be coming up next in the 2022...

In this episode Rachel chats with Tedra Millan, one of New York's most celebrated young talents! Teddi originated the role of #46 in Sarah Delappe's The Wolves that world premiered at Playwrights Realm, and went on to Lincoln Centre production (that was made available for streaming earlier this year). Teddi has also been on Broadway in the revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter (starring Kevin Kline), as well as t...

It's back-to-school season, and in this episode Rachel is taking notes from multi-hyphenate theater maker Vichet Chum. Rachel & Vichet met years ago working on a festival of short plays written by high school students, and since then Rachel has watched as Vichet has grown from actor to actor/writer to sought after playwright and industry leader. In this episode, they recount parts of his journey together.

Highligh...

In this episode we speak with casting director: Conrad Woolfe, who has worked in casting for over a decade. He cut his teeth at Telsey and Company, one of New York's largest casting offices focused on film, theater, and television. Now, based on the West Coast, Conrad has started his own company: Conrad Woolfe Casting.

Rachel & Conrad reminisce about the early years of their friendship, and how Conrad found his wa...

In this episode Rachel catches up with acclaimed stage, film, and TV actor: Catherine Curtin. After making her Broadway debut in Six Degrees of Separation in 1990, Cathy made her way onto stages large and small before appearing on screens everywhere. Today she is known for her roles as Wanda Bell on Orange is the New Black, Claudia Henderson on Stranger Things, Joanne on Insecure , and many many more.

In this episode we ch...

In this episode Rachel speaks with one of the directors of Soho Rep and a co-founder of Radical Evolution: Meropi Peponides. The two met over a decade ago while Meropi was still an MFA student at Columbia. As the theater industry continues to have conversations about change, and what that might look like, we were excited to 1.  gain a better understanding of what leadership looks at one of downtown's bedrock institutions. 2. L...

Josh Gelb is a director, performer, writer, & producer whose work is often visceral, surprising, and bold. Pre-pandemic his play Jazz Singer, which he co-wrote, directed, and performed in, received a critically acclaimed run at Abrons Arts Center. After performance venues closed, Josh built out his closet and created Theater in Quarantine, streaming fully realized theatrical experiences live from his home.

Theater in Q...

Rachel & Martyna recorded this episode in late April. While it was only 5 months ago, in some ways, it feels like an entirely different lifetime. As summer draws to a close, and we head into fall, Rachel can't think of a better time to share this episode with one of her theater heroes.

Martyna Majok is the 2018 pulitzer prize winner in drama for her play, Cost of Living. Other plays include: Queens, Ironbound, an...

Monet Hurst-Mendoza and Ugo Chukwu are #relationshipgoals. They also happen to both be fantastic theater artists in their own right.

Monet's play Torera was slated for production at the Long Wharf Theatre this fall, pre-pandemic. She is former Emerging Writers Group member, current member of the Kilroys, and a staff writer for Law & Order: SVU. She also has her own Wikipedia page.

And you've probab...

In this episode, Rachel speaks with C.A. Johnson - the playwright of All the Natalie Portmans, which premiered at MCC this February. C.A.'s play The Climb was part of the 2019 Cherry Lane Mentor Project, and her work has also been produced at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, and Strawdog Theatre in Chicago.

C.A. and Rachel speak about life during COVID, and the state of the American Theater during this long...