If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes an army, a peace corps, and a village to birth a Broadway show. Tony and Olivier Award-winning producer Hal Luftig ( Kinky Boots , Plaza Suite, and many more) has had successes, failures, and everything in between. Now, with humor and heart, he sits down weekly with a different artist, expert, or industry leader to chat about every step and specialty in the process that gets a show from idea to audience.Part of the Broadway Podcast Network.
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What a thrill to welcome Cyndi Lauper to the podcast for its first season finale!
In their illuminating conversation, Cyndi and Hal speak about her very personal process writing "Not My Father's Son” for Kinky Boots and the importance of her glass ceiling-breaking Tony win for Best Original Score. Cyndi reflects on the roles of women in her family and their influence in shaping her idea of womanhood. Finally, Cyndi shares the creative freedom she feels while writing for Broadway and the importance of recognizing each of our own authentic selves.
Cyndi Lauper is a groundbreaking Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning songwriter and performing artist with global record sales in excess of 50 million. Her iconic voice, influential punk glamour, and infectious live shows have catapulted her to stardom. Lauper won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist with her first album, She's So Unusual, and became the first woman in history to have four top-five singles from a debut album. Since then, Lauper has released ten additional studio albums, yielding timeless classics like “Time After Time” and “True Colors,” and the anthemic “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” She’s been nominated for 15 Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, seven American Video Awards, and 18 MTV Awards. In 2013, Cyndi Lauper became the first solo woman to win Best Original Score (music and lyrics) for Kinky Boots. She contributed a Tony-nominated song to the score of the Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants and is currently writing the score for the Broadway adaptation of the 1988 feature film Working Girl. A pillar of female success, Lauper was inducted to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015, released a New York Times best-selling memoir, and continues to collect impressive accolades across the music industry and beyond. In 2018, Lauper designed and launched a sold-out Home Decor Collection with Grandin Road and added a guest starring role on CBS’ hit TV show Magnum PI to her acting resume. She closed out 2018 by receiving the “Icon Award” from Billboard at its 13th annual Women In Music event and brought down the house with a rousing tribute to Cher at Kennedy Center Honors.
In addition, Lauper is tireless in her advocacy work. She has been an activist since day one, always fighting for the underdog - especially women, people living with HIV/AIDS, and LGBTQ people. Her commitment runs so deep that she started her own charity, the True Colors United in 2008 to bring an end to homelessness amongst LGBTQ youth, who make up to 40% of the youth homelessness population.
Over the past 10 years, the True Colors United has had an indelible impact on ending youth homelessness in America. From playing a lead role in securing $167.5 million in new annual federal funding from Congress to invest in 46 communities across the country, which Cyndi powerfully testified in support of in the U.S. Senate, to training close to 2,000 homeless youth service providers for free over the past year to inclusively work with LGBTQ youth, Cyndi and the True Colors United are fundamentally changing how the country is working to prevent and end youth homelessness for the 4.2 million youth who experience it each year.
Follow Cyndi on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @CyndiLauper and stay informed on the advocacy of True Colors United on Facebook, Twitter (@TrueColorsUnite), and Instagram (@TrueColorsUnited).
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#24 - How Has American Theatre Changed Over the Last Sixty Years? with Jane Greenwood
Episode 24
Wednesday, May 12, 2021 • Duration 44:59
What an honor to spend some time in conversation with legendary costume designer, Jane Greenwood! Jane and Hal spoke about how she approaches the same show twice, the ethos for design she imparts on her students, and how American theatre has changed over her nearly sixty years in the industry.
Jane Greenwood has been designing on Broadway for more than fifty years. Originally from Liverpool, England, Ms. Greenwood was educated at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. She began her career at the Oxford Playhouse. She has designed for theater, opera, dance, film and television, including 130 productions for Broadway since The Ballad of The Sad Café in 1963.
Recent Broadway credits include Long Day’s Journey into Night, Bright Star, Act One, You Can’t Take It With You, and A View From The Bridge. Her Off-Broadway credits include Belle Epoque, A Man of No Importance, Burn This, House/Garden, Vita and Virginia andThe Lisbon Traviata. Films include Arthur, Glengarry Glen Ross, Oleanna and the cult classic Can’t Stop the Music.
She has designed over a dozen productions at the American Shakespeare Festival Theater in Stratford, CT, The Public Theater, and Shakespeare in the Park. Ms. Greenwood has also done extensive work at the Metropolitan Opera, Center Theatre Group, The Guthrie Theater, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Playwrights Horizons, The Dallas Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
Her awards include 21 Tony nominations (winning for Little Foxes), a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, the Irene Sharaff Lifetime Achievement Award, the Maharam/Henry Hewes Design Award for Tartuffe and Sylvia, the Lucille Lortel Award for Sylvia and Old Money, and the Helen Hayes Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Greenwood was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2003. She has also served as a Professor of Design at Yale School of Drama since 1976.
Jane’s next design for Broadway, a revival of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, is due to open early 2022.
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#15 - What Makes a Musical Moment? with Nell Benjamin and Larry O'Keefe
Episode 15
Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • Duration 01:07:28
Such a treat to speak with Nell and Larry, the hilarious duo behind Legally Blonde, the Musical. We spoke about identifying a musical moment, the creative benefits of going away to “Camp Blonde”, and of which Legally Blonde moment they’re most proud.
Nell Benjamin is a Laurence Olivier-winning and Tony-nominated composer and lyricist. For Broadway, with Larry, Nell wrote Legally Blonde: The Musical. Also for Broadway, Mean Girls. Off-Broadway, Nell’s credits include: The Explorers Club; Dave The Musical; Because of Winn Dixie; and Half Time. In development: Huzzah!; Life of the Party. Nell is also working on an original musical movie for Universal and three new animated films for Netflix.
Larry O’Keefe is a Laurence Olivier and Lucille Lortel Award-winning composer and lyricist for Broadway musicals, film, and television. His credits include: Bat Boy: The Musical; Legally Blonde: The Musical; Heathers: The Musical; and Sarah Plain & Tall. In development, with Nell, are Life of the Party and Huzzah!
To follow their projects in development, follow Larry on Twitter @LarryisOKeefe.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#14 - Why is Theatre a Form of Exploration? with Kate Macguire
Episode 14
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 • Duration 50:33
What a joy to sit down with Kate Maguire this week. As the CEO and Artistic Director of the Berkshire Theatre Group, Kate lends incredible insight to the importance of developing new work and how to balance the artistic and financial needs of any production. Kate and Hal also share their magical first memories in the theatre.
Kate Maguire is Artistic Director and CEO of Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG). In 2010, she oversaw the merger of two historic organizations: Berkshire Theatre Festival in Stockbridge, where Kate began in 1995, and The Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, culminating in the creation of Berkshire Theatre Group. She is passionate in her belief that the arts open doorways to growth, that the experience of watching theatre, hearing music, seeing dance or visual art helps us all to understand the mystery of the human heart and ultimately transforms a community. In July 2020, Kate collaborated with Actor's Equity Association (AEA), state/local legislatures and healthcare leaders to earn Berkshire Theatre Group approval from AEA to produce the first musical in the United States (Godspell) followed by an outdoor production in December of Truman Capote’s Holiday Memories in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To keep up with theatre in the Berkshires, visit https://www.berkshiretheatregroup.org/.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#13 - How Do You Take a Broadway Show on the Road? with Stephen Lindsay and Brett Sirota
Episode 13
Wednesday, February 24, 2021 • Duration 57:36
What a detailed conversation today with Stephen Lindsay and Brett Sirota, co-founders of The Road Company. Stephen and Brett lay the groundwork for building and planning a tour and map out their own journeys to becoming bookers. This is an essential conversation for understanding how producing extends beyond Broadway.
Stephen has enjoyed over two decades of distributing, producing and presenting touring productions throughout North America. As the co-owner and primary sales agent at The Road Company, he directly books all First National tours and oversees the company’s touring product, including shows such as Wicked, Kinky Boots, Catch Me If You Can and Moulin Rouge. Stephen has also successfully booked family attractions, one-person shows, symphony orchestras, and world-class magic into venues around the world.
Brett oversees all operational aspects of The Road Company, including finances, technology and legal matters. Brett has more than 20 years of experience in theatrical booking, plus additional background in company and general management as well as arts administration. He is also a retired attorney. Brett hails from Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
To keep up with what’s on the road, visit www.theroadcompany.com.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#12 - Is the Musical on the Rise in Korea? with Yoonha Choi
Episode 12
Wednesday, February 17, 2021 • Duration 57:46
What an incredible conversation with Korean Producer Yoonha Choi! As head of international producing operations for CJ ENM’s performing arts department, Yoonha has overseen a Korean production of Kinky Boots, which successfully ran during the COVID pandemic. Yoonha also shares how Kinky’s popularity has impacted the musical theatre genre in Korea, what most inspires him to take across oceans, and his biggest hope for the business side of Broadway.
CJ ENM is Korea’s leading entertainment company in theatre (Moulin Rouge, Kinky Boots), media and television (Mr. Sunshine, Sweet Home), films (Parasite, The Handmaiden), music (K-Con) and animation (The Haunted House).
Yoonha’s main role is to produce CJ ENM’s theatrical productions on Broadway and the US as well as the West End and the UK. Other roles include acquiring shows for the Korean and Asian market. Main credits include Moulin Rouge, Kinky Boots, Back to the Future, Big Fish, Side Show, The Bodyguard and 42nd Street. Yoonha is based in New York City and is a member of the Broadway League.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#11 - Is Theatre on the Verge of a Renaissance? with Jeffrey Finn
Episode 11
Wednesday, February 10, 2021 • Duration 53:23
It was such a treat to sit down with Jeffrey Finn, the Vice President of Theater Producing and Programming at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As the curator, commissioner, producer and presenter of all aspects of the theater for the "Cadillac" of institutions, he opened a Pandora's box of questions sharing his keen insight on how he communicates with this subscribers and what he's done to adapt their programming during an uncertain time. You'll see why I'm such a fan of Jeffrey, and the iconic Kennedy Center, when you listen in!
Jeffrey is an award-winning Broadway producer and a five-time Tony Award nominee. At the Kennedy Center Jeffrey created and produces the Broadway Center Stage series with a mission to showcase popular musicals produced exclusively for DC audiences with stars and the talent direct from Broadway. He is a lecturer on strategic fundraising, investor relations, and developing new works for the stage. Jeffrey received the 2013 Robert Whitehead Award for Outstanding Achievement in commercial theatre producing. Current and upcoming productions on Broadway include Ain’t Too Proud - The Life and Times of The Temptations, Company, and Plaza Suite.
His Broadway credits include the recent revival of Sunday in the Park with George starring Jake Gyllenhaal; Hughie; An Act of God starring Jim Parsons and (subsequently) Sean Hayes; The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper; The Realistic Joneses; I’ll Eat You Last starring Bette Midler; Dead Accounts; Seminar starring Alan Rickman; Scandalous; American Idiot; A View From The Bridge; Oleanna; Blithe Spirit starring Angela Lansbury; and On Golden Pond starring James Earl Jones. London: The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper. National Tour highlights include The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber; The Who’s Tommy; Leader Of The Pack; Tell Me On A Sunday; Company; Chess; and numerous Broadway Songbooks concert tours.
Follow Jeffrey on Twitter @JeffreyFinn and keep up with the Kennedy Center @KenCen.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#10 - How Does Theatre Connect Communities? with Colleen Jennings-Roggensack
Episode 10
Wednesday, February 3, 2021 • Duration 53:12
Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, arts leader and visionary, is Vice President for Cultural Affairs for Arizona State University and Executive Director of ASU Gammage. In this inspiring and warm conversation, Colleen speaks with Hal about the safety measures she’s implementing for ASU’s audiences, the educational and outreach programs she is championing for children and families, and the thing she’s most hoping will change about the theatre in her lifetime.
Colleen has artistic, fiscal and administrative responsibility for the historic Frank Lloyd Wright designed ASU Gammage, ASU Kerr Cultural Center, with responsibility for Sun Devil Stadium and Desert Financial Arena for non-athletic activities. She oversees the activation and transformation of Sun Devil Stadium into a year-round hub of cultural activity as ASU 365 Community Union. Colleen was also appointed by ASU President Michael Crow to co-lead the Advisory Council on African American Affairs. The council will enhance diversity, growth and opportunity for Black undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff.
She serves on The Broadway League's Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Government Relations Committee, the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors, Labor Committee and co-chairs the Legislative Council and Road Presenters/Intra-Industry Committee and is Arizona's only Tony voter. Colleen is a founding and current member of the Creative Capital Board and Senior Advisor to Women of Color in the Arts, former Association of Performing Arts Professionals board president, served on the National Council on the Arts at the bequest of President Clinton and is a Life Director of the Fiesta Bowl. She is a consultant to universities, international governments and a featured speaker at conferences. In 2020, she has served on multiple panels addressing human rights, justice, diversity, equity and inclusion and the future of Broadway; including interviews with W. Kamau Bell and Tony Award director Kenny Leon related to the pandemic of racism; and participated in the TheaterMakers Summit on getting Broadway touring productions back on the road.
Colleen is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2020 National Coalition of 100 Black Women Education Legend, 2019 Valley Leadership Woman of the Year, 2019 ASU West Pioneer Award, National Society of Arts and Letters Medallion of Merit, Valle del Sol’s Mom of the Year, APAP Fan Taylor Award, Black Philanthropy Initiative Honor, The Broadway League's Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management and Arizona's Governor’s Arts Award. In 2012, The Arizona Republic recognized Colleen for Arizona’s 100th Anniversary as one of the individuals who had the greatest impact in the era.
Follow Colleen on Instagram @CJRoggensack. Look out for ASU’s upcoming season of performances at https://www.asugammage.com/.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#9 - Why is Theatre More Important Now Than Ever? with Victoria Bailey
Episode 9
Wednesday, January 27, 2021 • Duration 54:47
Victoria Bailey, Executive Director of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), speaks with Hal about making the arts welcoming for all audiences. She and Hal discuss the beauty of a child’s first visit to Broadway, how producers can support contemporary American playwrights, and the healing power of storytelling.
Victoria Bailey has been the executive director of TDF since 2001. The not-for-profit organization is dedicated to bringing the performing arts to everyone. TDF sustains live theatre and dance by engaging and cultivating a broad and diverse audience and eliminating barriers to attendance and envisions a world where the transformative experience of attending live theatre and dance is essential, relevant, accessible, and inspirational. TDF fulfills its mission by expanding access through ticketing, accessibility, and information initiatives; by cultivating communities through school and community engagement programs and by supporting theatre makers through training, professional development programs, and national audience research.
Highlights of Ms. Bailey’s tenure included playing a key role in the construction of the award winning new TKTS booth at Duffy Square, expansion of TDF’s award winning education programs, and the introduction of sensory friendly Broadway performances. Ms. Bailey recently completed a national research project in co-partnership with Brad Erickson from Theatre Bay Area titled Triple Play, examining ways to strengthen the relationship between playwrights, theatres, and audiences as a means to increase audience appetite for new and risky work. Previously, she was instrumental in the execution of a comprehensive study of the lives of American playwrights and the production of new American Plays. The study culminated in Outrageous Fortune: The Life and Times of the New American Play.
Prior to her appointment at TDF, she had a nearly 20-year association with Manhattan Theatre Club. Ms. Bailey is Theatre Management and Producing Advisor and Adjunct Professor at the School of the Arts at Columbia University, and a member of the board at the Times Square Alliance. She recently completed a three-year term on the Tony Awards Nominating Committee. Ms. Bailey received a B.A. in history from Yale College.
TDF is the only not-for profit organization dedicated to serving the entire spectrum of the performing arts with programs that touch the lives of millions of New Yorkers and visitors each year. Learn more about TDF’s programs and outreach at tdf.org or on Instagram @tdfnyc.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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#8 - How Does Theatre Become Part of Culture? with Mike Isaacson
Episode 8
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 • Duration 01:00:23
Mike Isaacson, artistic director and executive producer of the iconic MUNY in St. Louis, shares his producing philosophy. From his beginnings as a theatre critic to the Broadway stage, Mike chats with Hal about his key to success, the importance of giving young artists command of the stage, and what it means to be part of St. Louis’ summer ritual.
Mike Isaacson is in his ninth season, and he is only the third person to hold this position in The Muny’s 101-year history. To date, he has produced 56 Muny shows, 23 of which had never been produced at The Muny before including Dreamgirls, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Jersey Boys, Kinky Boots and Matilda. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch named him “Theatre Artist of the Year,” noting that by “staging one impressive production after another, he made The Muny simultaneously hip and – believe it – important to our community.” During its record-breaking 100th season, The Muny became the first theatre in the world to produce the legendary Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, doing unprecedented archival work on both the artistic and the business side to make it happen.
With Kristin Caskey, Isaacson has produced more than 23 Broadway musicals and plays, national tours, and off-Broadway and London productions. All told, his productions have received more than 122 Tony Award nominations and 34 Tony Awards. Most recently on Broadway, he and Caskey produced the highly acclaimed David Byrne’s American Utopia; opening this fall at The Hudson Theatre will be their production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, starring Mathew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker. Spring of 2019, the duo co-produced the Tony-nominated Lanford Wilson’s Burn This, starring Adam Driver and Kerri Russell. Other career highlights for Isaacson include: Fun Home (2015 Tony Award, Best Musical; 2018 Olivier Award nominee, Best Musical); Legally Blonde the Musical (2011 Olivier Award, Best Musical); Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002 Tony Award, Best Musical); Red (2010 Tony Award, Best Play); The Humans (2016 Tony Award, Best Play); If/Then, starring Idina Menzel; Bring It On: The Musical (2013 Tony nomination for Best Musical); A Doll’s House 2 (2017 Tony nomination for Best Play); You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Tony nomination for Best Revival of a Musical); The Seagull; Caroline, or Change; One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (2001 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play); and Death of a Salesman (1999 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play). For the Independent Presenters Network, Isaacson served as producer for the Broadway shows Spamalot (2005 Tony Award, Best Musical), Ragtime (revival), and The Color Purple.
He has received the St. Louis Arts and Education Council’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and in 2018, he was awarded The Broadway League’s and Theatre Development Fund’s Commercial Theater Institute “Robert Whitehead” Award for excellence in producing. He has served on the board of governors and executive committee of The Broadway League and received the Samuel J. L’Hommedieu Award. In 2016 he received the Equality Award from the St. Louis Chapter of Human Rights Campaign.
To see the latest news on the MUNY, visit MUNY.org. Follow America’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre on instagram @TheMuny.
For all things Broadway Biz, visit our Instagram @BroadwayBizPodcast or our website broadwaybizpodcast.com.
Have a question for Hal or a topic you'd like him to explore? Send Hal an email at broadwaybiz@halluftig.com.
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