The StageLync Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Ulrike, a former circus artist with a 15-year international career, captivated audiences worldwide with her signature act, "Tribute to Marlene." Trained across Europe, she transitioned from the spotlight to entrepreneurship, founding Selling Circus, a unique marketing and sales training platform for circus professionals. As a thought leader, Ulrike combines her artistic talent with business acumen, making a significant impact in both the entertainment and entrepreneurial worlds. 

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The StageLync Podcast is a branch of our larger StageLync Community. Come visit us at www.stagelync.com

Andrew is a New York based writer/director and the long-time creative director for The Thorn. Now a nationally touring production, The Thorn takes traditional theater, circus performance, concert-style sound and lighting design and blends them with a direct story of faith and redemption. 

While starting as a small, resident show in Colorado over 25 years ago, this performance has continued to evolve across the decades—at one point including live tigers and at another pioneering a touring model that featured a brand new cast every week.  After a filmed version of The Thorn was released in movie theaters in 2023, the show took on its current evolution, touring to over 50 cities in just under 2 years—all the while selling out some of the largest performing arts centers in the US.

As a storyteller Andrew is particularly concerned with how the stories we tell each other both reflect and shape how we feel about our own existence. His own writing, such as his debut short film Cardboard Dreams, reflexively seems to hover around this idea. 

To this end, also hosts the podcast The Meaning of Movie alongside fellow director and friend, Rob Stennett.

“ATTENTION SPOTIFY LISTENERS: IF you want to WATCH this with VIDEO, you can also subscribe to our video version:

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@stagelync

Thank you to our sponsor @clear-com

The StageLync Podcast is a branch of our larger StageLync Community. Come visit us at www.stagelync.com

Lisa Hopkins is an award winning communicator and ICF Certified Professional Life Coach, CORE Performance Dynamics Specialist and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner at Wide Open Stages. A “Creative Energy Optimizer”, Lisa specializes in working with creative professionals in the entertainment industry. She is an expert at shifting mindset & energy and using her intuition to tap into her client’s highest potential and uncover what is holding them back from leading their created life. A passionate artistic professional herself, Lisa has over 30 years of experience working in the performing arts industry in NYC as a director, choreographer, producer, writer and dance educator. She is the Communicator Award winning host of the popular podcast STOPTIME: Live in the Moment which is ranked in the top 5% of podcasts worldwide. Her book “The Places Where There Are Space: Cultivating a Life of Creative Possibilities”  is scheduled to be released this summer.

“ATTENTION SPOTIFY LISTENERS: IF you want to WATCH this with VIDEO, you can also subscribe to our video version:

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@stagelync

Thank you to our sponsor @clear-com

The StageLync Podcast is a branch of our larger StageLync Community. Come visit us at www.stagelync.com

In this episode we are joined by Jelena Antanasijevic, talking all things costume design. Jelena is a New York-based costume designer and educator. For the last fourteen years, she has designed costumes for over thirty theater, film, and TV productions in the United States and her homeland, Serbia. Her costume design work has been awarded and exhibited multiple times.

Jelena has worked in every role in the costume design field: costume designer and assistant, costume design and construction teacher and mentor, illustrator, costume shop manager, stitcher, first hand, draper, embroiderer, craft artisan, costume painter, and distresser, dyer, dresser, and wardrobe supervisor for theater, opera, dance, TV, and film. This experience enabled her to form a distinctive outlook on what it takes to put on production from a costume perspective.

In New York City, Jelena mastered her craftsmanship skills through working as a craft artisan and costume maker for some of the best NYC costume shops and studios like Parsons Meares, John Kristiansen, Mio Design Studio, Jeff Fender, and Ballet Hispánico. She created, embellished, distressed and hand-painted costumes and accessories for numerous Broadway, off-Broadway, Disney, and HBO productions (The Deuce). 

Jelena’s defining wardrobe experience encompasses dressing Metropolitan Opera singers and dancers and wardrobe-supervising the TV Series ‘Empires of Excess’ on History Channel. She is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor & Costume Supervisor at Pace University at Dyson College of Arts and Sciences in New York City. 

https://www.jelenaantanasijevic.com/about

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

Anna Tompkins is an Acrobatic Rigger, Rope Access, and Automation Technician, originally from the United States. She was our first guest on our debut episode back in 2020. Since then, and at the time of this recording, we have released over 120 episodes. Anna Tompkins rejoins us to catch up on what's been happening in the arts and entertainment world in the last two years.

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

On this episode we are joined by Ariana Schneider to talk about writing and recording a musical in Australia. Ariana Schneider has been involved in Music and Theatre for many, many years. She ran a very successful singing and drama studio from which students were accepted into the prestigious institutions of The Sydney Con, NIDA, WAPA, Victoria College of the Arts and Queensland Conservatorium. Ariana also taught music and drama in many of the schools in her area as well as writing a mini play and a musical for the students to perform. 

She is currently in the final stages of completing the recording process of a musical she wrote called "CRYSTAL DREAMING". Ariana wrote the script, lyrics and music to its 22 songs and worked with a producer/arranger from a professional recording studio - Turn Around Music (Peter Stevenson) who created fabulous orchestration. 

The musical was first performed in 2016 with a fully staged production in Ariana's home town of Taree, in which 32 performers including 14 children took part. The whole town supported the project and they played to 3 full houses. A film was made of the production.

Never having been fully satisfied with the script, Ariana used the lockdown time to take a course in Play Writing with the TheaterMakers Studio in New York and also received dramaturgical support from Eric Webb. This support allowed her to do a rewrite of the original score and script.

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

On this episode, we are joined by Franchesca Wong, talking all about changing careers and entering the performing arts as a young adult. Franchesca is a Canadian-born Chinese actress and corporate role player based in Hong Kong. Raised in both Canada and Hong Kong, Franchesca graduated from the University of Calgary - Haskayne School of Business with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 2012. She worked as a Business Development Officer for two years in Hong Kong. She then returned to follow her passion in drama and studied Acting at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She received multiple scholarships, as well as Outstanding Student Award during her studies.

After graduation, she was an actor-in-residence at We Draman Group (HK) in 2020-21 and she has performed in multiple stage, TV, film and voice-over productions. Apart from acting, she has been an MC for multiple events and has great passion for drama education. She has taught drama at different institutions including the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and local schools in Hong Kong. Outside of work, Franchesca is an adventurer and outdoor lover, she engages in all types of hiking, scuba diving, travelling and yet to discover adventures.

@franchesca_wong

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

In this episode, we are joined once again by the CEOs of battleROYAL Berlin, Brendan Shelper and Judith Hoch, following Esch 2022. battleROYAL is an entertainment company based in Berlin. They are a studio of bold creatives, strategists and event professionals working between the domains of culture and commerce. Technology and innovation are defining parts of their work and process. Founded in 2011, battleROYAL Berlin has staged some of the largest sport and cultural events throughout Europe and Middle East such as the European Capital of Cultures Aarhus 2017 and Esch2022, and have worked for several Fortune 500 firms, including BMW, Porsche and American Express. battleROYAL Berlin regularly publishes articles, sharing insights on their work and practices. You can find a selection on our Theatre Art Life website as well. 

Brendan Shelper is an executive creative director with 20+ years of experience in the culture, event, and entertainment industry, and founder of battleROYAL Berlin. Working at the intersection of creative strategy and emerging technologies, Brendan envisions compelling ways to bring large-scale activations to life. His roots stem from physical theatre, major cultural ceremonies, and Olympic openings.

Judith Hoch is a business and culture manager, with 15+ years of experience in the performing arts, entertainment and events sector. As the former COO of battleROYAL, Judith set the operational framework for the team, making sure that each project got the people and budget it required. She led major international productions, overseeing team structures, budgets, and processes. Appointed as Co-CEO in 2022, she is joining co-founder and Co-CEO Brendan Shelper as strategic lead of the company.

https://esch2022.lu/en/ https://battleroyal.berlin

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

In this episode we are joined by Bengt Jörgen, talking all things dance. Bengt Jörgen is a co-founder of Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, and serves as its Artistic Director and CEO. In 1992, his artistic vision led to the formation of a partnership with George Brown College in Toronto, where he is the Artistic Director of the full-time dance program. Bengt strongly believes in classical ballet as a powerful language and foundation to engage contemporary audiences with dance. He is committed to ensuring ballet is relevant to, and has a place in the life of Canadians living in communities from coast-to-coast. Bengt shares about his work bringing dance to all kind of communities, large and small, urban and rural, across Canada. 

https://canadasballetjorgen.ca/#

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.

In this episode we are joined by Ema Edosio, talking all things filmmaking. Ema is an award-winning Nigerian filmmaker, and obtained a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Ogun State University. She then went on to the New York Film Academy and Motion Pictures Institute of Michigan in the United States, where she majored in cinematography and directing. In 2013, Ema returned to Nigeria, where she has worked as a television director with major Nigerian Televisions stations. She talks all about her fascinating work and life in film.

https://www.instagram.com/emaedosio/

We want to hear from YOU and provide a forum where you can put in requests for future episodes. What are you interested in listening to? Please fill out the form for future guest suggestions here and if you have suggestions or requests for future themes and topics, let us know here!

@theatreartlife

Thanks to David Zieher who composed our music.