Stage Grok

I talk with actor Anderson Matthews, who was in the original cast of the 1975 Bluegrass musical The Robber Bridegroom. Andy has been acting on Broadway, in London, and across our country in regional theatre since the 1970s. He has appeared at the Repertory Theatre of St...

I talk with architect, scenic designer, and lighting designer Rob Lippert, about designing the new Marcelle Theater in St. Louis' Grand Center arts district, the new home to New Line Theatre.

I talk with Washington University professor Todd Decker (https://music.wustl.edu/people/decker) about Show Boat, its creation, its impact, its history, its legacy, and the many forms it has taken over the last century. Todd has written three books, Music Makes Me: Fred Astaire and Jazz, Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical, and Who Should Sing “Ol’ Man River”?

I talk with St. Louis actor and teacher Tom Murray (http://www.cbchs.org/cbchspublic/academics/Bios/FPArts/Murray.aspx), about Theater Factory (http://www.abouttheartists.com/production_companies/2345-theater-factory-saint-louis-mo), one of St. Louis' most interesting companies for ten years in the 1980s and 90s, about its founder Hope Wurdack, and all the great artists and shows that were part of the adventure.

I talk with actor Lee Wilkof, who originated the roles of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors and Sam Byck in Assassins. He has also appeared in many other shows in New York and elsewhere. We talk about his experience working on Little Shop.

I talk with Peter Filichia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Filichia), writer and musical theatre historian, about the musical theatre today and about his books, The Great Parade (http://smile.amazon.com/Great-Parade-Astonishing-Never---Be-Forgotten/dp/1250051355/); Strippers, Showgirls and Sharks (http://smile.amazon.com/Strippers-Showgirls-Sharks-Opinionated-Broadway/dp/1250018439/); Broadway Musical MVPs (http://smile.amazon...

I talk with Todd Schaefer (http://www.abouttheartists.com/artists/317533-todd-schaefer), actor, director, designer, and teacher, about approaching the character of Capt. Macheath in New Line Theatre (http://www.newlinetheatre.com/)'s production of The Threepenny Opera (http://www.newlinetheatre.com/3popage.html). We discuss his creative process and what was so different about working on Threepenny. Todd is also artistic director of The Players Project Theater Company (https://www.facebook...

I talk with En Piro (http://howlround.com/authors/em-piro), founder and executive director of the St. Lou Fringe (http://www.stlfringe.com/). Now in its fourth year, we talk about how a fringe festival operates, what she does, what the artists do, how shows are chosen, and why a fringe festival is important to our city.

I talk with Paula Hanssen, professor in the International Languages and Cultures department at Webster University, who was written a great deal about Bertolt Brecht and his creative partner Elisabeth Hauptmann. She's the author of the book, Elisabeth Hauptmann: Brecht's Silent Collaborator and she's an officer in the International Brecht Society (http://www.brechtsociety.org/).

I talk with Mark Bernstein, managing director for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (http://www.repstl.org/)...