Washington, DC Interviews

Nowadays orchestra size has become more and more of an issue for me. Even when seeing productions of classic Broadway musicals, there is a tendency to reduce the size of the orchestra for more in the way of production elements. It’s even worse when a production “reimagines” the charts completely and wipes away the work of Robert Russell Bennett, Don Walker, and even Jonathan Tunick. The latter should be deemed sacrilege....

Today’s subject Stephen Cole is an accomplished lyricist, performer, and book writer. You can now add novelist to that already impressive list of accomplishments. Stephen Cole’s latest literary endeavor takes us back to the Golden Age of Broadway with his first novel entitled Mary & Ethel…and Mikey Who?. The book is now available everywhere for purchase in both hardcover and digital versions....

Today’s subject Simon Godwin is currently living his theatre life as the Artistic Director of DC’s Tony Award winning Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC). He assumed the position in 2019 succeeding the company’s founder Michael Kahn after a stunning 33-year reign....

Today’s subject Stephen Cole is an accomplished lyricist, performer, and book writer. You can now add novelist to that already impressive list of accomplishments. Stephen Cole’s latest literary endeavor takes us back to the Golden Age of Broadway with his first novel entitled Mary & Ethel…and Mikey ...

As we all know, the 23/24 Broadway theatre season has been one of the busiest in a very long time with many new plays and musicals opening within a short period. One of those shows was The Notebook. It features a score by pop writer Ingrid Michaelson and a book by Bekah Brunsetter. The show had a pr...

Today’s subject Nora Palka is currently living her theatre life at Signature Theatre playing Jeanie in their current production of Hair. The production runs through July seventh in the MAX. Hair is a homecoming for Nora to be sure. She grew up in the DC area and as you will read, credits Signature ...

Today’s subject Katherine Goforth is someone who can definitely be called a breakthrough artist to be sure. She is the inaugural recipient of Washington National Opera’s True Voice Award for transgender and non-binary singers. She will be making her Kennedy Center debut on May first at 6:00pm with a...

Today’s subject Judy Kuhn is known to musical theatre aficionados from her performances in Rags, Chess, Fun Home and more on Broadway. Currently this off the charts performer is living her theatre life at Arena Stage in Unknown Soldier in the role of Lucy Anderson. The production runs through May 5t...

Today’s subjects Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, and Eva Steinmetz are currently living their theatre lives as the creative team for the DC premeire of Signature Theatre’s latest piece of musical greatness Penelope. The Greek myth inspired solo performer musical runs through April 28th in Signature’s AR...

Today’s subject Peter Anastos has been living his theatre life as one of the co-Founders of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The all- male dance troupe has been parodying the classics of ballet for 50 years now. You can see the company in action for three performances only from April fourth th...

Composer Andrew Lippa is probably best known for his musical The Addams Family but his work spans far beyond that one show. He wrote additional songs for the Broadway production of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and wrote the off-Broadway version of The Wild Party....

Today’s subject Psalmayene 24 is someone we can aptly classify as the whole package when we talk about artists in the DC theatre community. He is an accomplished writer/actor/performer and educator whose work has been enjoyed by audiences of all ages over the years. Currently Psalmayene 24 is the di...

Today’s subject Amelia Hensley is currently living her theatre life at Signature Theatre as The Storyteller for the World Premiere musical Private Jones. The production runs through March 10th in Signature’s MAX space....

Today’s subject Stephen Oremus has been living his theatre life for many years now as a music director/pianist/orchestrator/arranger/musical supervisor. His career is something many of us dream of having but very few of us actually achieve. His current project brings him full circle. Stephen is the ...

If you have been following my writings over the years, you know that when someone asks me about what arts in education to go to in the DMV, The Theatre Lab School of The Dramatic Arts is the ONLY one I will recommend. For over thirty years, The Theatre Lab has been helmed by co-Founders Deb Gottesma...

If you have been around DC theatre for any length of time, you are very familiar with the writing of Chief Theater Critic for The Washington Post, Peter Marks. He has been the definitive voice of theater for the DMV and beyond for 21 years. On December 31st, Peter Marks’ stunning reign at The Washin...

Today’s subject Faith Seetoo is currently living her theatre life on the conductor’s podium as the musical director of the North American Tour of Disney’s Frozen. The show is currently running in the Opera House at Kennedy Center continuing through January 21st,2024....

What happens when the Bard meets the Beatles? Audiences are finding out in Washington, D.C.  In this video, watch as Chelsea Rose discusses As You Like It at Shakespeare Theatre Company....

Today’s subject Gaelyn D. Smith is currently living her theatre life onstage at Studio Theatre in the show that just seems to keep going and going Fat Ham playing the role of Opal. The show is now running through January 14th in Studio’s Mead Theatre. For those of you thinking, “I’ll wait because th...

Chris Miller and Brian Usifer are currently living their theatre lives as the co- Music Arrangers/Orchestrators of The Avett Brothers’ new musical Swept Away. Brian also serves as the Musical Supervisor for the show which runs through January 14th in the Kreeger Theater space at Arena Stage....

Today’s subject Jeanine Tesori is a two-time Tony Award winning composer whose work spans the gamut from large scale and chamber musicals for Broadway to grand opera and beyond. Her holiday children’s opera The Lion, The Unicorn and Me premiered ten years ago at Kennedy Center as a commission for Wa...

Today’s subject Erin Driscoll is someone you are most likely familiar with if you have been inhabiting productions in our area theatres for any length of time. Her memorable leading performances include the title character in Violet at Ford’s Theatre and Cloak and Daggar at Signature Theatre. You mi...

Today’s subject Marcus Yi is living proof that you can do it all and succeed in the theatre. Currently he is living his theatre life as the book, music, and lyric writer of the World Premiere Musical The Dragon King’s Daughter. The show runs from November 18th through December 17th in the Family The...

Today’s subject Don Michael H. Mendoza is a local artist now living his theatre life as one of the Co-Producers of the Immersive Broadway musical Here Lies Love. The show is slated to close on November 26th at the Broadway Theatre in New York and to be perfectly honest, it’s a shame that it is. More...

Today’s subject Sir Bryn Terfel is a Grammy, Classical Brit, and Gramophone Award–winning recording artist with a discography encompassing operas of Mozart, Wagner, and Strauss, and more than 15 solo discs including Lieder, American musical theatre, Welsh songs, and sacred repertory. He is, rightful...

Today’s subject Teal Wicks has what is known as the WOW factor. Every time I see her onstage in something, I can’t help using that expletive to describe her performance. Currently, Teal is living her theatre life onstage at Signature Theatre playing the role of Mother in Ragtime. The production runs...

Today’s subjects Danielle A. Drakes and Kelsey Mesa are currently living their theatre lives as the director and playwright respectively of Taffety Punk Theatre Company’s World Premiere production of La Salpêtrière. The show runs through October fourteenth at the company’s artistic home Capitol Hill...

In this video, watch as Company national tour stars Britney Coleman and Judy McLane chat with Richard Ridge about their iconic roles, the genius of Sondheim, and so much more!...

In BroadwayWorld's exclusive interview, Maeve Moynihan discusses her journey and excitement of starring in the national tour of To Kill a Mockingbird. Read on to learn more about her experience and role as Scout....

Today’s subject Erin Davie is currently living her theatre life in Signature Theatre’s excellent production of Jason Robert Brown and Marsha Norman’s The Bridges of Madison County in which she plays the lead role of Francesca. The production continues through September 17th in Signature’s MAX space....

Today’s subject Francis Jue is currently living his theatre life performing the role of Duch in Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage. The production continues through August 27th in Arena’s Kreeger Theater space. The production will then continue without Jue on to Seattle’s ACT Contemporary Theatre as...

Today’s subject Liz Mikel is currently living her theatre life on tour playing Dr. Benjamin Franklin, delegate from Pennsylvania, in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of 1776. The show is currently running through July 16th at Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theatre....

The term Broadway royalty can only be given to a handful of performers. Today’s subject Leas Salonga is one of those people. You probably know her best as the singing voices of Princess Jasmine and Mulan in Disney’s Aladdin and Mulan, but she is also an accomplished Broadway and concert performer wh...

Today’s subject Andrew Veyette is currently living his theatre life as the longest running dancer with New York City Ballet. The company begins a two-program week-long engagement at Kennedy Center this evening that continues through June 11th in the Opera House....

Today’s subject Peter Salem is currently living his theatre life as the composer of Scottish Ballet’s production of The Crucible. The show runs now through May 28th at Kennedy Center in the Eisenhower Theater....

Today's subject Sarna Lapine is currently living her theatre life at the directing helm of Signature Theatre's upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's gothic musical masterpiece Sweeney Todd. The production begins performances on May 16th and will play through July 9th in Signature Theatre's MAX s...

Today's subject Susan Rome is currently living her thetre life in an epic way. She is currently playing four very different roles in Angels in America Part One: Millennium Approaches at Arena Stage. The production runs through April 23rd in Arena Stage's Fichlander Theatre Space....

Today’s subject Sophia Manicone is currently living her theatre life on Broadway playing Iola Stover in the acclaimed revival of Parade. The show’s limited engagement, which stars Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, runs through August sixth at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. The production marks Sophia’s...

Today's subject Jason Ma is currently living his theatre life telling us all about 'The Advantages of Floating in The Middle of The Sea' in Signature Theatre's current production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's underappreciated masterpiece Pacific Overtures. Jason plays the lead role of Recit...

A few weeks back, I wrote a feature on the Production Apprentices of Studio Theatre. The piece also talked about Studio Theatre’s Apprenticeship Program and how it also focusses on other areas besides the performance side of things....

Fresh off his Broadway run in Hadestown, Patrick Page is back onstage at Washington DC's Shakespeare Theatre Compnay, playing the titular king in King Lear, directed by Simon Godwin. In this video he tells BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge all about his latest role....

Today’s subject Justin Huertas is currently living his theatre life as the composer/lyricist of Kennedy Center’s World Premiere Commission Musical The Mortification of Fovea Munson. The show begins performances March fourth and plays through the nineteenth in Kennedy Center’s Family Theater....