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Listen To The Talk Theatre In Chicago Show!

The Talk Theatre In Chicago Podcast is your audio source for Chicago's theatre scene.  Each episode delivers in-depth interviews of those making theatre happen.

We have had a total of 427 episodes and interviewed 548 different guests! View the alphabetical list of all guests.

Podcasts

Hans Fleischmann, Joanne Dubach and Walter Briggs
Hans Fleischmann, Joanne Dubach and Walter Briggs - Jan 7, 2013

How do you cast a new light on a classic? Hans Fleischmann, director of Mary Arrchie's current hit production of Tennesse Williams' The Glass Menagerie, along with cast members Joanne Dubach and Walter Briggs, join Anne Nicholson Weber to discuss Fleischmann's concept for the production, the avant garde elements of Williams' original conception of the play, how film inspired their staging and the challenges facing an actor/director.
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Larry Bommer
Larry Bommer - Dec 31, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with theatre critic Larry Boomer. Larry talks about his background reviewing plays and he talks about his favorite shows of 2012.
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Brad Armacost, Lia Mortensen and Si Osborne
Brad Armacost, Lia Mortensen and Si Osborne - Dec 24, 2012

Seventeen years ago, actors Brad Armacost, Lia Mortensen and Si Osborne starred in a production of Brian Friel's Faith Healer that took Chicago by storm, running four months in a tiny storefront space and then joining the line-up in Steppenwolf's inaugural studio theatre series. They are remounting that production at The Den Theatre, again under the direction of J.R Sullivan, and join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about Friel's tricky play and the return to a pivotal experience in their development as artists.
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John Reeger
John Reeger - Dec 17, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with John Reeger - the actor and the playwright of four musicals with the late Julie Shannon. He talks about The Christmas Schooner and how he and Julie collaborated to write musicals. He also talks about the memorial celebration of Julie Shannon's life and work.
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Kevin R. Kelly, John Mohrlein, Gwendolyn Whiteside and Shawn J. Goudie
Kevin R. Kelly, John Mohrlein, Gwendolyn Whiteside and Shawn J. Goudie - Dec 10, 2012

The American Blues Theater has been presenting a version of It's a Wonderful Life: Live! at the Biograph every holiday season for the last eight years Four members of the cast -- Kevin R. Kelly, John Mohrlein, Gwendolyn Whiteside and Shawn J. Goudie.- join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the history of this perennial Chicago favorite, the style and aesthetic of the production, how Foley Artist Shawn Goudie creates the sound effects, and some of the extras -- carol singing, live jingles for local businesses, and "audiograms" -- that contribute to the show's warm, community spirit.
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Nick Sandys
Nick Sandys - Dec 3, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Nick Sandys -- the artistic director at Remy Bumppos think theatre. Nick talks about their new show You Never Can Tell as well as Remy Bumppo and the mission of the theatre company.
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Raymond Fox, Doug Hara and Louise Lamson
Raymond Fox, Doug Hara and Louise Lamson - Nov 26, 2012

What's it like to reprise a role you first played 14 years ago? Lookingglass actors Raymond Fox, Doug Hara and Louise Lamson join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about their long association with Mary Zimmerman's play Metamorphoses, how to keep a performance alive and fresh over a long run, and how their performances have changed over time.
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Anthony Freud
Anthony Freud - Nov 19, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Anthony Freud - the General Director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He talks about his background, the current Lyric opera season and his vision for the future of the Lyric Opera.
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Hallie Gordon, Marilyn Halperin and Nicole O'Connell
Hallie Gordon, Marilyn Halperin and Nicole O'Connell - Nov 12, 2012

Education and outreach are a big part of what many Chicago theatres do. Three leaders in this field -- Hallie Gordon (Artistic and Education Director For Young Adults at Steppenwolf Theatre), Marilyn Halperin (Director of Education and Communications at Chicago Shakespeare Theater) and Nicole O'Connell (Director of Education at Writers Theatre) -- join Anne Nicholson Weber to discuss how and why their theatres are reaching out to teachers and students in the Chicago public schools.
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TaRon Patton
TaRon Patton - Nov 5, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with TaRon Patton, the director of Bulrusher by Congo Square Theatre. She talks about Bulrusher and the upcoming shows at Congo Square Theatre.
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Rob Riley and Matthew Grayson
Rob Riley and Matthew Grayson - Oct 29, 2012

How and why do you put science on stage? This week's podcast features two of the artists involved with the production of Peter Parnell's QED, currently being produced by theatre4humanity and Collaboraction. Rob Riley plays physicist Richard Feynman in the show; Matthew Grayson designed the sound and graphics. Matt is also a professor of engineering at Northwestern University where he produced an earlier incarnation of this production as part of an annual series of plays about science. Rob and Matt join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about Feynman, left- and right-brain creativity, and the creative combustion that results when artists and scientists collaborate.
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Carmen Cusack and Jason Danieley
Carmen Cusack and Jason Danieley - Oct 22, 2012

What lies behind the art of singing Stephen Sondheim's music? Carmen Cusack and Jason Danieley join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about what they've learned performing the lead roles in Chicago Shakespeare Theater's current production of Sunday in the Park with George.
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Jackie Taylor
Jackie Taylor - Oct 15, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Jackie Taylor from Black Ensemble Theater - she talks about what the fine job Rueben Echoles did with One Name Onlyand also talked about her company's mission and the future of the Black Ensemble Theater.
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Jeremy Ramey
Jeremy Ramey - Oct 8, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Jeremy Ramey- the music director for Theo Ubique's Smokey Joe's Cafe and Jeff Award winner for Light in the Pizza- he talks about the challengers of music direction as well as being a conductor/musician and his career from child protege to Doctorate from Juilliard School of Music.
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Patrick Clear, Annabel Armour and Nick Sandys
Patrick Clear, Annabel Armour and Nick Sandys - Oct 1, 2012

Why is Edward Albee's writing like Shakespeare? Why is an Albee script like a musical score? Why are Albee lines so hard to learn? On this week's podcast, Anne Nicholson Weber is joined by actors Patrick Clear and Annabel Armour and director Nick Sandys to talk about Remy Bumppo's current production of Seascape and the lessons they've learned about how to perform Albee's work.
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Larry Adams
Larry Adams - Sep 24, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Larry Adams who plays the lead in 42nd Street at Theatre At The Center in Munster. He talks about the show as well as his long career as a leading song and dance performer in Chicago.
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Jennifer Green and Jessica Forella
Jennifer Green and Jessica Forella - Sep 17, 2012

This week's podcast features director Jennifer Green and stage manager Jessica Forella, who join Anne Nicholson Weber to discuss their experiences working with the young cast of Piven Theatre Workshop's current production of Tusk Tusk by Polly Stenham -- how they went about working on adult materials with child actors, how the processes of casting and rehearsing differ, and why they got better at their jobs doing this show.
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Bill Larkin
Bill Larkin - Sep 10, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Bill Larkin who plays Edward Kleban in Porchlight Music Theatre's production of A Class Act.
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Victoria Deiorio, Tosha Fowler, Scott Cummins and Julia Neary
Victoria Deiorio, Tosha Fowler, Scott Cummins and Julia Neary - Sep 3, 2012

Our podcast this week focuses on Cor Theatre's inaugural production of Skin Tight by Gary Henderson. Joining us to talk about the show and the company are Victoria Deiorio (Co-Founder, Director), Tosha Fowler (Co-Founder, cast member), Scott Cummins (Fight Director) and Julia Neary (Fight Director / Movement). They talk with Anne Nicholson Weber about the physicality of the piece, including the metaphorical uses of movement, how a fight is choreographed to tell a story, and how actors depicting lovers become comfortable with physical intimacy on stage.
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Marilyn Eisenberg
Marilyn Eisenberg - Aug 27, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Marilyn Eisenberg. She talks about her life changing experiences after seeing musical theatre as well as her favorite theate companies in the Chicago area.
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Stan Klein
Stan Klein - Aug 20, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Stan Klein--the actor and co-star of Nickel History with Tony Fitzpatrick talks about his show and about how he created Firecat Projects in Chicago that is a home for artists to show their creations with being charged any fees.
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Chris Plevin, Ericka Ratcliff and Matt Mueller
Chris Plevin, Ericka Ratcliff and Matt Mueller - Aug 13, 2012

This week's podcast focuses on Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's new initative to take their production of The Taming of the Shrew into Chicago's neighborhood parks. Director of Production Chris Plevin and cast members Ericka Ratcliff (Kate) and Matt Mueller (Petruchio) join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the challeges and rewards of producing Shakespeare outside in broad daylight for audiences in neighborhoods around the city.
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Jessica Hutchinson, Eleanor Hyde, Michelle Lilly, Nick Keenan - Part 2
Jessica Hutchinson, Eleanor Hyde, Michelle Lilly, Nick Keenan - Part 2 - Aug 6, 2012

On this week's podcast, we air Part 2 of a two-part series focusing on the recently disbanded company, New Leaf Theatre. Artistic Director Jessica Hutchinson, Managing Director Eleanor Hyde, resident scenic designer Michelle Lilly, and resident sound designer Nick Keenan join Anne Nicholson Weber to discss their decision to disband the company, choices they might make differently in hindsight, and some interesting new models for producing store-front theatre in this city.
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Jessica Hutchinson, Eleanor Hyde, Michelle Lilly, Nick Keenan - Part 1
Jessica Hutchinson, Eleanor Hyde, Michelle Lilly, Nick Keenan - Part 1 - Jul 30, 2012

On this week's podcast, we air Part 1 of a two-part series focusing on the recently disbanded company, New Leaf Theatre. This week in Part 1, Artistic Director Jessica Hutchinson, Managing Director Eleanor Hyde, resident scenic designer Michelle Lilly, and resident sound designer Nick Keenan join Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about New Leaf's history, culture and successes. Next week, we will conclude the conversation with Part 2, the story of the ensemble's decision to disband the company at the end of the run of their most recent show, a critcially-acclaimed production of Tom Stoppard's Arcadia.
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Tony Fitzpatrick
Tony Fitzpatrick - Jul 23, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Tony Fitzpatrick- the author, playwright, artist, actor who is staring in Nickel History: The Nation of Heat at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre--he talks about the entire trilogy that included The Train and Stations Lost and he recalls Studs Terkel--his mentor.
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Monty Cole and Brian Loevner
Monty Cole and Brian Loevner - Jul 16, 2012

Our guests on this week's podcast are Monty Cole and Brian Loevner, two of the three members of the Chicago Commercial Collective -- a new entity in town that plans to produce commercial remounts of non-profit shows that would otherwise "close too soon." Monty and Brian talk with Anne Nicholson Weber about the genesis of the collective, their plans for the future, and their inaugural production -- a remount of Keith Huff's A Steady Rain, which the collective is producing in association with Chicago Dramatists where the show was originally developed and premiered.
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Danielle Brothers
Danielle Brothers - Jul 9, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Danielle Brothers who is appearing in Theo Ubique's Time After Time, the Julie Styne revue. She talks about her singing style and how much the audience motivates her singing.
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Andre Pluess and Andy White
Andre Pluess and Andy White - Jul 2, 2012

On this week's podcast, Anne Nicholson Weber interviews composer Andre Pluess and book writer and lyricist Andy White about their new musical, Eastland, which is currently being premiered at Lookingglass Theatre. They explain the process of developing the piece, its roots in Chicago history, and the nature of their collaboration.
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Alison Kelly
Alison Kelly - Jun 25, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Alison Kelly who runs the Chicago Folks Operetta company along with her husband. They have two operettas running- The Cousin from Nowhere and The Circus Princess. Alison talks about the shows and why they do German/Viennese operettas.
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David Cromer, Derrick Trumbly and Eduardo Placer
David Cromer, Derrick Trumbly and Eduardo Placer - Jun 18, 2012

This week's podcast interview focuses on the production of Joanthan Larson's Rent, which is currently playing at American Theatre Company, co-produced by About Face Theatre. Director David Cromer and cast members Derrick Trumbly (Roger) and Eduardo Placer (Angel) talk with Anne Nicholson Weber about Cromer's re-examination of the iconic show and reconfiguration of the ATC space, Trumbly's performance of "One Song Glory" and Placer's experience learning a role in four days to step into a production that had already opened.
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Adam Whiteman
Adam Whiteman - Jun 11, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Adam Whiteman, the playwright/composer of Music Mad, How Chief O' Neill Saved the Soul of Ireland which is now playing at Chief O'neill's Pub.
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Mike Nussbaum and Coburn Goss
Mike Nussbaum and Coburn Goss - Jun 4, 2012

This week's podcast features actors Mike Nussbaum and Coburn Goss, who are currently playing in Mark St. Germain's two-hander, Freud's Last Session, at The Mercury Theatre. Anne Nicholson Weber talks to Mike and Coburn about the challenges of playing historical figures Sigmund Freud and C.S. Lewis, of taking over the roles from the New York actors who opened the production here in Chicago, the response of the audience to this play of ideas, and observations on the art of acting.
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Peter Oyloe
Peter Oyloe - May 28, 2012

This week on the Talk Theatre In Chicago podcast Tom Williams talks with Peter Oyloe who stars in Filament Theatre Ensemble's Hank Williams: Lost Highway. He talks about the show, why the theatre ensemble chose to do it, and he also performs some musical samples from the show.
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