Beyond the Lights: A Conversation with Theater Professionals

Andrea Grody is a music director and music supervisor, primarily working in new musicals. Now, if you've been listening for a while you know that one of my specialties and loves is new plays, so it was such a pleasure to discuss what that looks like from a musical director's perspective. Andrea has been on two of the bigger Broadway shows over the last few years, The Band's Visit and Tootsie—two pretty different show...

On today's show, I speak with Cate Broomhead, a wig swing on Broadway. With Halloween being yesterday it's only appropriate to release an episode with a person who does a job that we've all benefitted from at some point in our lives. I'd venture to guess MOST of us have worn a wig at least once, and many of us much more frequently than that. Cate walks me through how she got into theater and wig making in the fi...

On today's show, I speak with casting director RJ Magee. RJ got his start in professional theater at a very young age, a journey that led him to the famous Interlochen School for the Arts and then eventually onwards to casting for musical theater. RJ is currently involved in a pretty unique project called Theality TV which we talk about extensively in this episode.

For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthe...

On today's show, I speak with Darren Lee, a director, choreographer, and performer. Darren has had quite the career, from winning the first-ever Junior Star Search, to being in the original Broadway cast of Miss Saigon, to reconnecting with Lea Salonga in 2015's Allegiance, to being on tour in the UK as the King in The King and I when covid shut the world down.

For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondth...

On today's show, I speak with music director Or Matias. Or has such an incredible resume that includes Juilliard, NYU, The Great Comet, Octet, Moby Dick, The Wave which premiered in Austria, an upcoming children's album, honestly the list goes on and on. I've had the pleasure of seeing a bit of Or's work both on and off-Broadway and I was so excited to have a chance to speak with him.

For a full transcr...

On today's show, I speak with costume designer Carolyn Mazuca. We talk about everything from our love of San Antonio and the Southwest, to imposter syndrome, to the differences between working in film and television vs. theater. I absolutely loved chatting with Carolyn and I know you'll enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentio...

I'm so excited for you to listen to (or revisit) my conversation with Erica Hemminger, associate set designer of Moulin Rouge. A lot has happened since we recorded this a year ago, but my fascination with the elephant continues. Please enjoy this rebroadcast of episode four of Beyond the Lights.

Please note, the next new episode will premiere on Tuesday, September 7th, and then alternate Mondays moving forward.

Hi everyone! I am still on a bit of a break, but I promise, I'll be back with NEW episodes in two weeks. Until then, I am rebroadcasting my episode with Music Director Jason Loffredo. Now, Jason and I recorded this in August of 2020 so any "upcoming" projects have long since passed. Nonetheless, this episode remains one of my favorites, enjoy!

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Today’s guest is ...

This is week in re-broadcasts, I am proud to present the second episode I ever recorded with my friend Kat West stage manager, extraordinaire of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. Enjoy!

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Today's episode features Kat West, a freelance stage manager working in New York City. We discuss her work with Prospect Theater Company, how she became involved with Fiddler on the Roof in...

Hello friends! I'm coming to you in a bit of a different format today. I will be taking a break for the next weeks and instead of not showing up in your feed every Monday I've decided to re-share some earlier episodes that you may have missed if you are a new listener or perhaps you just want to revisit. This week is the VERY first episode I released with my dear friend and incredible artist Tai Verley the artistic direct...

On today's show, I speak with Cándido Tirado a playwright, teacher, and chess master. Cándido and I discuss his time at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, why there is a rumor that he punched a critic after a bad review (spoiler, he didn't punch a critic), his status as a chess master, and how that informs his approach to theater.

For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com.

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On today's episode, I speak with Dawn Chiang. Dawn is a lighting designer that has worked on Broadway, in opera, regional theater, dance, live events, I could keep going, truly.  

I first met Dawn a few months ago as a part of the Actor's Fund LinkedIn Challenge, which we talk about extensively during this conversation. Dawn is the first lighting designer to come on the show and I'm so excited for you to listen.
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Cara Reichel is a co-founder and artistic director of Prospect Theater Company in New York City. If you've been listening to this show from the beginning, you may know of my history with Prospect--but if not, well...you're in for a treat. I worked with Prospect back in 2008 as an Assistant Director to Cara and have been a fan ever since. We talk about everything from her early years in NYC, Prospect's origins and ult...

On today's show, I speak with Kristi Ross-Clausen, a self-proclaimed eclectic theater practitioner. Kristi has been in the industry for 30+ years and has done everything from working in a large theater in Appleton, WI where she calls home to going on tour with Broadway shows War Horse, Mamma Mia!, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

For a full transcript of this episode visit beyondthelightspodcast.com.

Mentio...

On today's show, I speak with David R. Molina a musician, composer, and sound designer. I have a not-so-secret love of sound design, and quite frankly I can't believe it's taken me THIRTY-NINE EPISODES to have a sound designer on, but here we are.  David has so much insight to share about composing for theater, film, radio plays, podcasts, you name it. This conversation was a lot of fun for me and gave me an even dee...

On today's show, I speak with Liza Luxenberg, the Senior Vice President of Aurora Productions. Aurora is a production management and technical supervision company that specializes in Broadway, Off-Broadway, and touring theater productions. Liza walks me through her journey from college stage manager, to intern, to her Senior Vice President role at Aurora. She is the first Broadway person I've interviewed since the announc...

Arianna Gass is a theater-maker who primarily occupies the multimedia theater space. They are a worker-owner of Obvious Agency, an artist cooperative in Philadelphia known for creating interactive live performance. They are also currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago which we talk extensively about. This was an enlightening conversation for me and really exposed me to areas of theatre and performance theory that I di...

On today’s show, I speak with Erica Andracchio. Erica is the Executive Director at Left Coast Theater in San Francisco. Left Coast is an independent theater that is dedicated to elevating new works by LGBTQ+ artists. We discuss her journey to becoming an Executive Director, what that looks like at a theater like Left Coast and some of the key differences and similarities between her role and that of an Artistic Director. Erica is a...

On today's show, I speak with Ryan McAlpine, a flying director with Flying by Foy. Ryan is a Flying Director on Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York, San Francisco, and the Australia production which is currently on stage in Melbourne. Ryan is currently in Australia with the show and while we talk extensively about what it takes to fly in a production, he also gives me a good glimpse of the health and safety protocols...