The Ensemblist

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#386 - Tony Telecasts (2009 - Billy Elliot, Next to Normal, Rock of Ages, Shrek) Part 1 Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

The 63rd Annual Tony Awards were held on June 7, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall and hosted for the first time by Neil Patrick Harris. Heading into the ceremony, Billy Elliot the Musical led the pack with 15 nominations, followed by 11 for Next to Normal and 8 for Shrek The Musical. The Public Theatre revival of Hair led the revivals, also with 8 nominations. Also in the running for Best Musical and Best Musical Revival were Rock of Ages, Guys and Dolls, Pal Joey and West Side Story.

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#385 - Tina: The Tina Turner Musical (feat. Jessica Rush, Mars Rucker) Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

The Tonys are quickly approaching, and we could not be more excited to continue our celebration of the 2019-20 Broadway season and the dazzling ensembles bringing each musical to life.

Today, we’re looking back at Tina: The Tina Turner Musical! Tina opened on Broadway on November 7, 2019 after a spring 2018 world premiere on London’s West End. Not only does this biomusical feature high-octane performances of Turner’s greatest hits, but it dives deep into her life offstage, thanks in large part to the talented ensemblists populating Tina’s world.

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#384 - Tony Telecasts (1988 - Into the Woods, The Phantom of the Opera, Romance/Romance, Sarafina!) Part 2 Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

The 42nd Annual Tony Awards were held on June 5, 1998 at Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre and hosted by Angela Lansbury, at that time a four-time Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical. Heading into the ceremony there were three shows tied for the most nominations: Into the Woods, The Phantom of the Opera and the Patti LuPone-helmed Lincoln Center revival of Anything Goes. The season’s other two nominated new musicals, Romance/Romance and Sarafina! Both had five nominations. Also in the pack for Best Revival is a Joel Grey-led revival of Cabaret.

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#383 - Creativity in Coronavirus (feat. Timothy Hughes) Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

Broadway ensemblist and friend of the pod Timothy Hughes has created a new online community called Performer's Puzzle: an online membership community that helps define and celebrate our personal passions. We chatted about the purpose of the new community and how his acknowledging his status as "the tall guy" helped him create creative opportunities.

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#382 - Moulin Rouge! The Musical (feat. Reed Luplau, Jeigh Madjus) Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

Happy Tony Season! Our team at Ensemblist HQ could not be more excited to join the theatre community in celebrating the 2019-20 Broadway season and its incredible ensembles this fall.

First up is Moulin Rouge! After a July 2018 premiere in Boston, Moulin Rouge! opened at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre on July 25, 2019. Boasting a large cast of Broadway veterans & plenty of show-stopping spectacle, Moulin Rouge! was a dazzling highlight of the 2019-20 Broadway season.

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#381 - Tony Telecasts (1988 - Into the Woods, The Phantom of the Opera, Romance/Romance, Sarafina!) Part 1 Sep 22, 2020

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#380 - Creativity in Coronavirus (feat. Will Blum) Sep 21, 2020

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Last week, Will Blum released a 12-minute filmed presentation of Floyd Collins shot entirely inside his new New York City apartment. We talked about how the idea went from concept to reality, as well as what it means to be creating "theatre" in quarantine.

Watch the film here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFBZgSSj0Ma/

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#377 - Creativity in Coronavirus (feat. Tamika Lawrence) Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

This week, I chatted with Broadway veteran Tamika Lawrence (Caroline or Change, Come From Away, Matilda The Musical) about the launch of her new apparel line: Ready Set Wear Apparel. We chatted about how her mother (kindly) tricked her into starting the venture, and how the Spice Girls were a stylistic influence on her design. Here's our conversation...

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#376 - Tony Telecasts (1998 - The Lion King, Ragtime, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Side Show) Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

The 52nd Annual Tony Awards were held on June 7, 1998 at Radio City Music Hall. Hosted by Rosie O’Donnell for the second year in a row,

Going into the ceremony, Ragtime led the pack with 13 nominations, followed by The Lion King with 11. The acclaimed Roundabout Theatre Company revival had 10 nominations, with Side Show and The Scarlet Pimpernel as new musicals, and 1776 and The Sound of Music as revivals.

A lot of things happened during the season, many of which were covered in all the politically-skewed humor of the telecast. President Bill Clinton was in his second term in office, and by the time of this broadcast he was elbow-deep in the Monica Lewinsky scandal, with impeachment talks just around the corner. Also referenced as a joke in the telecast, 1998 brought upon the advent of Viagra, which was approved by the FDA in March of that year. LOL.

In New York, this season also marks the “Disneyfication” of Broadway, where in a partnership of Disney, LiveEnt, and The New 42nd St. Inc, transformed Times Square from the seedy, sketchy neighborhood history knew it to be, to the child-friendly, glamorous tourist-trap we know it is today. This season also boasted the opening of 35 Broadway productions, and notably this was the year that Cats surpassed A Chorus Line as the longest running show on Broadway. Meow.

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#375 - Six Months of Shutdown (feat. Jane Bunting, Adam Jepsen, Jason Kappus, Jessica Rush, John Tupy, Christopher Henry Young) Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

On March 12, 2020, the Broadway League suspended performances for all Broadway shows through April 12 amidst rising Coronavirus concerns and bans on large gatherings. Six months later, most industries are reopening, television/film production is resuming, and many office employees are settling nicely into remote work routines.

Yet staying masked, practicing social distancing, and avoiding large crowds remains crucial in the fight against COVID-19. As a result, Broadway and many theatres across the country remain closed until at least January 3, 2021.

So much remains unknown for our industry, but there is hope as live performances begin sprouting up at venues such as Berkshire Theatre Group and Weathervane Theatre. As Broadway’s Diana prepares to be filmed for Netflix. As theatre artists find ways to create work digitally.

But what did the future look like for actors at the beginning of the pandemic? During the month of March, we released daily conversations with actors performing in Broadway shows, national tours, and regional productions, as they first adapted to workplace changes, then unemployment and the uncertainty. Six months later, we look back at those conversations to see if anything from the past can teach us about the months ahead.

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