The Ensemblist

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#496 - Tony Telecasts (1993 - Kiss of Spider Woman, The Who's Tommy, Blood Brothers, The Goodbye Girl - Part 1) Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

The 47th Annual Tony Awards were hosted by Liza Minnelli on June 6, 1993. Presented at the Gershwin Theatre, the theme of the ceremony was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of theatre in Times Square. Heading into the ceremony, Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Who’s Tommy led the pack with 11 nominations each, followed by Blood Brothers with six and The Goodbye Girl with five. This season there were no musicals nominated for Best Revival.

Well, Mo, the 1992-93 season saw the inauguration of the US’s 42nd president, President Bill Jefferson Clinton and the installation of the nation’s first female attorney general, Janet Reno. Outside of those momentous occasions, the country was mainly dealing with ongoing issues, both abroad and domestically: The United States was still dealing with the aftermath of the Gulf War, waged by the previous administration, and with the nation finally acknowledging HIV/AIDS within the last few years as a nationwide epidemic, the US found itself playing catch-up to dealing with a plague that was ravaging its citizens.

In New York, the Broadway industry and community were heavily laden by the effects of the AIDS epidemic, as we see in the telecast. Red ribbons everywhere; emotion overtaking hosts, presenters, and recipients alike; a nominated performance directly addressing the disease AND its stigma; and even an honorary Tony being given to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for its leadership in the industry’s fight against the disease... we ultimately find a community in mourning, even in this celebratory ceremony of the last hundred years of Broadway.

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#495 - Podcast Portraits (feat. André Jordan) Mar 15, 2021

Show notes

This month, we are collaborating with Broadway performer Shaye B. Hopkins and her new creation: Podcast Portraits. In this new podcast, Hopkins invites guests to share some of life's hairy and hilarious moments and thoughtfully reflect on how those experiences shaped who they are today. This Spring, we will share some of our favorite moments from her interviews, as well as speaking to Shaye herself about the creation of Podcast Portraits.

On today’s episode, Shaye chats with Andre Jordan, her colleague on the upcoming Broadway mounting of Diana: A True Musical Story, Andre shares his audition process for the show, the experience of first preview and staying creative in a pandemic. Here’s their conversation.

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#494 - The Shows We Need (Oklahoma! - feat. Will Mann) Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

We’ve all heard the age old question when a new revival is announced is…why now? Why this show? The revival of Oklahoma in 2019 took a show that so many people know and truly opened eyes to new themes and new thoughts through a really unique production “sans the frills”. Cast member Will Mann shared about how it was created and why some major choices were made. Here’s our conversation!

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#493 - Reopening Theatre (The Phantom of the Opera World Tour - feat. Megan Ort) Mar 11, 2021

Show notes

As the Broadway shutdown due to the Coronovirus outbreak passes its catastrophic year anniversary, Megan Ort reflects on being one of the world’s few employed Ensemblists in 2020. As the female swing and Christine Daaé understudy in the World Tour of The Phantom of the Opera, Ort had the distinctly rare experience of being on stage in 2020, navigating international travel, and abiding by strenuous health-code practices in order to perform for sold-out audiences throughout Asia. An experience unlike any other, Ort explains what it was like to perform amidst pandemic fears while watching her home country become devastated by the disease from afar.

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#492 - Creativity in Coronavirus (The Untold Stories of Broadway - feat. Jennifer Ashley Tepper) Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

This week, I got to speak to one of my favorite people in the theatre industry. Historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper wrote the book of the history of Broadway theatres. In fact, she’s written four of them: her fourth volume of The Untold Stories of Broadway comes out this week. She joined me recently to tell me about why choosing a theatre is as important as casting your leading lady, to talk through some her favorite stories of the book and about writing a book in a pandemic when the artform she is writing about is on pause. Here’s our conversation...

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#491 - Podcast Portraits (feat. Austen Danielle Bohmer, Shaye B. Hopkins) Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

On today’s episode, Shaye chats with Austen Danielle Bohmer. Her colleague on the upcoming Broadway mounting of Diana: A True Musical Story, Austen shares her education, both formal through university, and experiential teaching in India. Here’s their conversation.

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#490 - Tony Telecasts (2007 - Spring Awakening, Curtains, Grey Gardens, Mary Poppins) Part 2 Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

The 61st Annual Tony Awards was presented at Radio City Music Hall on June 10, 2007. Just like the last ceremony, the 2007 Tonys had no host but instead a score of celebrity duos as presenters. Heading into the ceremony, two musicals were virtually tied for the most nominations: Spring Awakening with 11 nominations and Grey Gardens with 10. Also with a respectable set of 7 or 8 nominations were Curtains, Legally Blonde and Mary Poppins. Nominated for Best Revival were productions of Company, 110 in the Shade, The Apple Tree and A Chorus Line.

The 2006-2007 Broadway season found itself amidst many cultural highs and lows. Right in the middle of President George W. Bush’s second presidential term and his international “War on Terror,” the season witnessed the inauguration of the nation’s first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. On a more sober note, 2007 also saw the school shooting at Virginia Tech, which remains the deadliest school shooting in the history of the United States.

Culturally, the season also saw the inauguration of the very first version of Apple’s iPhone, propelling the world solidly into the age of the smartphone, allowing all the actors in New York to be able to check their rehearsal schedules, and text their stage managers with they’re calling out, RIGHT from the comfort of their cell phone!

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#489 - The Shows We Need (Come From Away - feat. Alex Finke) Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

There’s a line in Come From Away that reads “Thank you shopping at Walmart - would like to come to my house for a shower?”Creepy out of context, but in show, it is example of people being helpful and open to other people in a way that feels unfathomable right now. Host Michael Fatica spoke with Alex Finke, a former cast member of Come From Away on Broadway about how this show has a whole new to ring to it in the midst of the events of this past year.

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#488 - Rent: Measured in Love (feat. Aiko Nakosone) Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Today Mo Brady talks with Aiko Nakasone - One of the 15 original cast members of Rent. In the conversation, Aiko shares how her experience creating theatre families has influenced her work as both a yoga instructor and financial educator.

Rent is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary this year, and a virtual celebration is streaming through Friday March 6th, 8pm Eastern as a part of New York Theatre Workshops 2021 Gala. Enjoy!

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#487 - Tony Telecasts (2007 - Spring Awakening, Curtains, Grey Gardens, Mary Poppins) Part 1 Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

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