The Ensemblist

“Chemistry” premiered on March 12, 2012. The episode was written by Jacquelyn Reingold, and was directed by Dan Attias. It premiered live to an audience of 7.04 million viewers. The featured songs in this episode included two covers — Shake it Out by Florence & The Machine and Who You Are by Jessie J — and one original song by Shaiman and Whitman called “History is Made at Night.” Oh yeah, and Karen massacres “Hava Nagila,” if we wanna count that...

“Let’s Be Bad” premiered on March 5th, 2012. It was written by Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky, and directed by Jamie Babbit. Take note: this episode is the first in the series to have an all-female writer/director team! The episode premiered live to 7.76 million viewers, which was up by 17% from the previous week. Including DVR viewing the episode was seen by a total of 10.22 million that week. Not much music in this one, Mo...

“The Cost of Art” premiered on February 27, 2012, and was the first episode in the series NOT written and directed by show creator Theresa Rebeck and Michael Mayer. The episode was written by David Marshall Grant, and directed by Michael Morris. At premiere, the episode was viewed live by 6.6 million, but including DVR recording, was viewed by a total of 9.05 million viewers...

Smash was also an incredible glimpse into the theatre community in the early 2010s, as many of the shows’ writers, actors and dancers were played by real Broadway performers with real Broadway cred. But we wanted to go back in time to see how the show has weathered: what it got right and what it got very, very wrong. So let’s dive in and talk about season one, episode three: “Enter Mr. DiMaggio.” “Enter Mr. DiMaggio” premiered on February 20, 2012...

Aaron Albano joins The Ensemblist as co-host of this new mini-series, where we rewatch and dissect what is still the Broadway community’s favorite tv show: Smash. Yes, we’re talking about the NBC series that aired from 2012-2013. The show gave a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an imaginary Broadway musical called Bombshell, from the auditions to its workshop to its journey to the Tony Awards...

Aaron Albano joins The Ensemblist as co-host of this new mini-series, where we rewatch and dissect what is still the Broadway community’s favorite tv show: Smash. Yes, we’re talking about the NBC series that aired from 2012-2013. The show gave a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of an imaginary Broadway musical called Bombshell, from the auditions to its workshop to its journey to the Tony Awards...

On January 5, 2020, Broadway will dim the lights on one of its most delicious confections: Waitress. During its more than four years and 1,544 regular performances on Broadway, The Ensemblist has shared many stories from its talented company. We share with you today two completely new stories from to podcast as well as some of our favorite Waitress audio from the past year.

In our recent episodes about Touring Broadway, actors Josh Burrage and Sabrina Imamura shared with us some of the joys and struggles of touring with A Bronx Tale, Newsies and Hamilton. But while they each have significant experience in the road, one thing neither of them were able to speak to was going on the road as a parent. That’s why I found this Mama’s Talkin Loud so intriguing...

First National Tours are one of the most important calling cards for the Broadway community. Staged in New York City to cross the country, these facsimiles of Broadway shows bring the experience of attending a Mainstem musical to theatrelovers across the country...

We are in the midst of an unprecedented time right now. As artists, We thrive on human interaction, community, and togetherness. With all of that stripped away, it has been difficult for many of us to find ways to be creative. To find ways to have hope that the theatre industry will rise again. This industry we love so much has its ups and downs, its difficult struggles, and its moments of pure joy...